Astrachior, whose na had shaken the world, was dead.
He died inside the Gate of Apocalypse, a place countless people dread of, within a dilapidated little house.
Zayne stood there, looking at Astrachior’s body, his expression tangled and heavy.
To him, Astrachior had been a towering figure, soone you could only look up to.
Every move calculated, every outco anticipated, as if the entire world rested in his hands.
If Astrachior had truly wanted to kill him, the corpse lying on the floor would have been Zayne’s.
And Astrachior could have taken the repaired Eternal Scales, claid immortality, and at the very least stayed alive beside his daughter until the day catastrophe arrived.
But he did not.
For Aurelion, for humanity, or perhaps for Nia, he chose death without hesitation, all for a future that could not even be seen clearly.
Zayne did not truly understand it. Confusion filled his eyes.
He could not understand why soone could resist the temptation of immortality.
Why soone would willingly walk toward death for the sake of the so called greater good.
Was that not foolish? Once you died, there was nothing left.
Zayne could not find an answer.
Yet Astrachior had done exactly that, right in front of him.
And it shook him deeply.
"Teacher. Your disciple, Zayne, sees you off."
Zayne knelt to the ground and bowed three tis before Astrachior, each one heavy and sincere.
Since becoming his teacher, Astrachior had never lectured him with grand ideals.
Instead, he had taught him the most vivid lesson of all through his actions.
In this mont, Zayne truly acknowledged him as his teacher.
The stars hung high in the sky. Gentle moonlight spilled over the broken house in the slums, wrapping everything in quiet stillness.
Then hurried footsteps shattered the calm.
John and Captain K were rushing over with a group of people. The disturbance from Astrachior’s earlier battle had been far too great to miss.
John’s face was dark. When his eyes fell on Astrachior’s lifeless body, his pupils shrank violently.
"You killed Astrachior?"
Zayne did not respond.
He took out a piece of cloth, dipped it in water, and carefully wiped the blood from Astrachior’s body.
His teacher had lived with dignity. He would not let him leave in disgrace.
"Answer . What happened here? Did you kill Astrachior? Did you get sothing from him?"
John shouted, his voice sharp with suspicion.
In his mind, anything that could push Astrachior to such extres had to be a priceless treasure.
Seeing Zayne still ignore him and continue cleaning the body, John gave a signal to one of his n.
"Go. Take Astrachior’s body."
Astrachior was dead. This man was being far too careful. The treasure might still be on the corpse.
The subordinate moved instantly, drawing his blade and charging at Zayne.
Blade energy tore through the small room, sharp and violent. Just from the force of his strike, it was clear he was at least level 40.
"Hand it over."
The man slashed down at Zayne while his other hand reached straight for Astrachior’s body.
Zayne did not even turn around.
Blood red flas ignited around him as he murmured softly, in a voice only he could hear.
"Teacher... saving people like this, do you really have no regrets?"
"Tree Growth."
Under Absolute Ascension, Tree Growth instantly evolved into the Forbidden Spell "Vine Domain".
In an instant, the ground shook violently, as if sothing massive was awakening beneath the earth.
A vine burst from the ground and collided with the incoming blade energy. The slash shattered on contact, as fragile as paper.
Imdiately after, countless green vines erupted from below, wrapping the attacker tightly in midair and freezing him in place, unable to move even an inch closer to Astrachior.
The more he struggled, the tighter the vines constricted.
"Those who disturb Astrachior’s rest will be executed without rcy."
Zayne stood up and placed his hand lightly on the man’s head.
"No. This is impossible. What did you do to ? Ah!"
The man’s face twisted in terror as he scread.
Then sothing that left everyone stunned unfolded.
His body began to tremble uncontrollably. Perfectly shaped gaps appeared across his skin, as if invisible jaws were tearing him apart. His body was dismantled piece by piece.
John and the others stared in horror. They had never seen anything so bizarre and terrifying.
The screams faded, then vanished entirely.
Nothing remained.
As if the man had never existed.
At the sa ti, a series of notifications rang out in Zayne’s mind.
"Devoured level 42 Transcender x1. Gained water, fat, protein, carbohydrates, minerals, and trace elents."
"Lifespan increased by 45 years. Experience gained 420. Strength plus 4. Agility plus 2. Spirit plus 1."
After Astrachior repaired it, the Origin Relic Eternal Scales had fully tilted toward darkness.
It lost its ability to grant invincibility at noon, but retained immortality permanently.
And with the balance tipped toward darkness, its original equal exchange ability transford into endless devouring.
Zayne could no longer swap levels or attributes directly.
Instead, he gained the power to plunder others entirely.
For him, that was more than enough.
"What did you do?"
John was both furious and shaken.
His subordinate had vanished into nothingness, as if swallowed whole by an unseen monster.
Captain K’s expression was equally unsettled. Back at the guild, Zayne had seed easygoing. He never imagined that once Zayne acted, it would be this terrifying.
Zayne said nothing in response.
He simply took out the Raging Fla Staff.
Zayne did not possess Astrachior’s broad compassion for the world.
He only believed in one thing.
Grudges never end unless they are cut off completely.
He had killed John’s man. John would never let that go.
So it was better to kill them all.
Devour everything.
Leave no trace behind.
That way, the grudge would be resolved.
John and his group were still frozen in shock.
No visible energy, yet a living person erased completely. They had never witnessed such a thod.
"I get it now."
John’s eyes lit up with both fear and greed.
"You obtained the eighth Origin Relic."
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