The Author's POV

Calm.

When Malik's eyes stopped on me and our eyes met, I felt completely at ease.

His pressure…

It was terrifying. More than I could've bargained for. Enough to make me feel suffocated with just a single breath.

' rank.'

Although it was unclear to those watching, I, who was close to achieving rank, could discern from a quick glance what level he had attained.

The way the mana around him bent to his will…

The way the world seemed so focused on him…

And the pressure that closely resembled a couple of figures I had met in the past…

Without a single doubt, he had broken through to rank.

"Hm?"

Before I knew it, he was a couple of steps away from me.

"You must be Ren Dover…or should I say, 876?"

His voice echoed out. It sounded crisp and pleasant to the ear, yet, at the same time, felt extremely chilly.

Nevertheless, I didn't get shaken up by his voice or pressure. At this moment, it seemed as though the emotion known as 'fear' had completely dissipated from my body.

My head tilted slightly as I asked in a rather monotonous tone.

At this point, I was starting to doubt whether the one speaking was me or the other me.

"What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

As he said, Malik Alshayatin, or lesser known as Hemlock, took a step to the side and gestured in the direction of Smallsnake's grave.

"...I'm here to pay a visit to my friend."

His remarks would've normally have made me angry, but as I've said before, the emotion known as "anger" vanished from my body. His reply aroused no emotion from within me.

At this point, I realized that something was wrong, yet at the same time, had no time to understand what was going on.

"Friend? Last time I heard, you were the one responsible for killing his own mother? I'm sure no friend would actually do that."

"…So he's still hung up on that."

Hemlock quietly whispered to himself.

The whisper was low, but it was audible enough for me to hear. He then repeatedly pointed toward his chest.

"You see, it was only because I was his friend that I did what I did. I did it to make sure he understood...understood just how serious the situation is. In the end, I did everything for his benefit. I wished to show him the reality of the world!...and the death of his mother was the only way that I could open up his eyes. I wanted him to understand just how feeble human life is."

Without realizing it, my brows knit as I noticed signs of agony on his face.

making

he trying to say?...and why did it seem like he genuinely felt

are you speaking

of me in

"He..."

my sight. He

is the only way for humanity to avoid extinction. We

sort of nonsense

these words, but as soon as my

when this realization dawned on

hand seemed to have noticed my reaction and a thin

of the seriousness of our situation. Your inability to refute my arguments suggests that you are aware that they are not

started to

it wasn't out of anger, but rather,

His words…

I realized that the demon king was an entity that was simply too strong

the demon king would be possible, but it didn't seem to be the case as both

hundreds of different regressions occurred, it always ended with the

Hemlock as an absolute psychopath, but for someone like me, who understood the truth…his words...they didn't sound that wrong. Rather, they sounded

…and that was worrying.

look of understanding on

really grasp how hopeless the situation is until you actually meet him. It was from my short

snapped

rambling about the demon king and

know this much. I already knew and experienced the helplessness that came with meeting him.

you know that Smallsnake was

"Smallsnake?"

blinked his eyes a couple of times. Seemingly unable to understand who

his tomb that he understood who I was talking

"Oh, you mean Brian?"

"Right…"

indeed his

nodded his head. Turning around to

didn't know until last year. I was too busy trying to break through to notice that anything happened to

side, he fixed his eyes on

you whom we have been keeping a close eye on

at him

movements. Although I took a series of precautions to ensure that they didn't know all of my

no grand purpose behind it. It was so that I could find him as long as I was nearby. Just by feeling the mana, I would be able to

far off from what

over the past couple of years because I hoped that he would

meeting him up again soon, but as I was too busy with several problems

words. From the way he was looking at me, I knew about what he was talking

the 876 incident. Who would have imagined

matter how hard I looked for him, I was unable to locate him. How astonished was I, do you know? I briefly believed that he had passed

there I realized that he was outside of the human domain, and waited. Waited for him to come

to cover his face, Hemlock

that's where more problems came up. I got totally played by Octavious when he sent me a fake corpse of

a

that came out of his body became extremely overbearing, sealing

low, deep and sinister

me more times than I could've ever imagined. First, with all the troubles, you caused at our headquarters, then when