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."

world around me began to distort and warp, and suddenly, I found myself in

I was standing on nothing at all.

"Are you surprised?"

my reverie, pulling me back to reality. I

I'm surprised. Where have you

never felt a thing, unlike when

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

through me, and the white glow that

is your

his hand toward

join me,

***

Boom―!

ground began to shake, and the mountains were pushed down to the ground. The entire area was filled with the sound of

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

them! Don't spare any

"Arkhh!"

crazed and bloodthirsty look on their faces as they flew toward the tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of elves who were standing on

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

of them regenerated in the blink of an eye and continued to charge at the humans. Even if they succeeded in

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

In the distance.

"What a pitiful sight."

plastered across Jezebeth's face was not

shame that so many have to die today…

his head in

from him were two elven figures. An elderly one and a

at Jezebeth without

his gaze and smiled

there don't appear to be having much of an effect on the two of you at all. Is this how things normally work with you Protectors?... Do you only care about maintaining balance and disregard those who have no use for

unconcerned

he had seen this scene many times in the past... He

that he was

the two of you are waiting for reinforcements… thinking that the

the side and peered off into the distance. His expression remained one of contentment as his eyes became fixated on a particular scene

mind five…

at the scene in the distance, but he eventually shook his head

still a bit

turned his attention back to the other two Protectors. While he had both hands behind his back, his hair was blowing in front of him, and his eyes, which

Swoosh!

began to blend in with the surrounding area. They vanished for a moment and then reappeared right in

had his rapier drawn and pointed toward his neck, showed no sign

in the far distance appear to be of insignificant size, and at

elf appeared 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 the nearby