The Author's POV

The tension in the room was palpable, thick enough to cut through with a knife. Waylan's smile vanished in an instant, leaving behind a stoic expression devoid of any emotion.

His clear eyes began to cloud over, and in just a matter of seconds, they turned pitch black. But upon closer inspection, they were much more than just a dark void.

As I gazed into his eyes, I could see the reflection of the entire cosmos staring back at me.

The swirling galaxies, the shining stars, and the infinite expanse of space were all contained within Waylan's eyes.

"Is this your answer?"

Waylan's voice boomed across the room, carrying with it an ancient quality that made the powers within my body tremble.

I felt a sudden pressure crash onto me, and I struggled to keep my footing. Despite the weight bearing down on me, I refused to falter and stood my ground.

"Even after I conceded and allowed you to work with us, you still choose to work against us?"

Waylan's gaze was cold and unforgiving, and I knew that I was in deep trouble.

"Arrogant."

He spat, and the cosmos within his eyes began to expand, slowly creeping up the walls of the room.

I watched in seriousness as the stars and galaxies began to envelop everything around me, slowly but surely.

Even in the face of such overwhelming power, I remained composed/

"Arrogant, huh?"

I managed to gasp out, struggling against the immense pressure that threatened to crush me.

"Would knowing that I'd get disposed of after serving my usefulness count as me being arrogant? …Rather, instead of arrogant, shouldn't you be saying something along the lines of self-aware?"

I was no fool.

The information that Ryan had sent me coincided with everything that I had managed to figure out myself, and I knew that Waylan wasn't someone who'd spare someone that had lived up to their usefulness.

He couldn't fool me, and I knew that he needed to die, regardless of whether he'd eliminate me after.

'He needs to die regardless.'

I thought to myself, my resolve hardening with each passing second. His existence was something that needed to be eliminated to have any chance at the third cataclysm that was soon going to come.

"Self-Aware?"

Waylan looked at me with a calm expression, musing over my words very carefully. It wasn't long before he shook his head.

"You're the last thing from self-aware. If you were self-aware, you'd know which side to join."

found myself in

I was standing on nothing at all. It was like nothing I had ever experienced before, and I couldn't help but be

"Are you surprised?"

me back to reality. I turned to face him,

surprised. Where have you brought

here, I never felt a thing, unlike when I was with portals.

you can't tell where we are considering that you have 'his' power, but that isn't

and the white glow that emanated from his body

important is your

his hand

you join me,

***

Boom―!

world. The ground began to shake, and the mountains were pushed down to the ground. The entire area was

of enormous magnitude were scattered across the cloudless azure sky, and hordes of dark humanoid creatures

them! Don't spare

"Arkhh!"

on their faces as they flew toward the tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of elves who were standing on the ground behind the trees with

air, impaling many of the demons that were rushing their way, but

cut down or impaled, a significant number of them regenerated in the blink of an eye and continued to charge at the humans. Even if they succeeded in killing themselves, new

screams that were heard throughout the area gradually became higher pitched, and it

In the distance.

"What a pitiful sight."

not consistent with the compassionate words

shame that so many have to die today… A

shook his

so far from him were two elven figures. An elderly one and a younger one, both

stared at

Jezebeth turned his gaze

an effect on the two of you at all. Is this how things normally work with you Protectors?...

were met with silence, but Jezebeth was unconcerned by this development. He was enjoying the present

seen this scene many times in the past... He knew... that this was the very last time

that he was

are waiting for reinforcements… thinking that the five other Protectors will come

His expression remained one of

never mind five… Four, I

up with something as he kept looking at the scene in the distance, but

yet… It's still a

hands behind his back, his hair was blowing in front of him, and his eyes, which had a purplish-red tint

Swoosh!

and their silhouettes began to blend in with the surrounding area. They vanished for a moment and

toward his neck, showed no sign of holding back as the slash

behind that one slash made everything in the far distance appear to be of insignificant size, and at the same time,

behind Jezebeth with a large magic circle―the size of a car―appearing above her staff. A terrifying fluctuation burst forth from the magic circle, spreading across