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."

and warp, and suddenly, I found myself in a cosmic background filled with stars

I was standing on nothing at all. It was like nothing I had ever

"Are you surprised?"

through my reverie, pulling me back to reality. I turned to face

I'm surprised. Where have

managed to send me here, I never felt a thing, unlike when I was with portals. It

tell where we are considering that you have

and the white glow that emanated from his body grew

important is

reached his

you join me,

***

Boom―!

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

cloudless azure sky, and hordes of dark humanoid creatures rushed out of them

spare any of

"Arkhh!"

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

flew in the air, impaling many of the demons that were rushing their way, but that proved to be

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 demons would appear from behind and take the place of

screams that were heard throughout the area gradually became higher pitched, and it wasn't long before the elves began to suffer

In the distance.

"What a pitiful sight."

of indifference that was plastered across Jezebeth's face was not consistent with the compassionate words

have to die today… A pity,

shook his head in

two elven figures. An elderly

stared at Jezebeth without

gaze, Jezebeth turned his gaze

deaths that are taking place over 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?...

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

a very long time, and although he had seen this scene many

this reason that he was rather

waiting for reinforcements… thinking that the

the distance. His expression remained one of contentment as his eyes became fixated on a particular scene off in

mind five… Four, I

with something as he kept looking at the scene in the distance, but he eventually shook his head and tore

yet… It's still a

two Protectors. While he had both hands behind his back, his hair was blowing in front of him, and his

Swoosh!

silhouettes began to blend in with the surrounding area. They vanished

silver-armored elf, who had his rapier drawn and pointed toward his neck, showed no sign of

the far distance appear to be of insignificant size, and at the same time, the carefree expression that

magic circle―the size of a car―appearing above her staff. A terrifying fluctuation burst forth from