Chapter 126: 126
"Wow."
The only sound that managed to escape from Zeke’s mouth after reading the memoir.
"This guy is annoying. ’Ants’? An insult is a blessing to me?"
{Considering he destroyed a world in the Tower, it’s quite natural.}
"Who cares? Do I look like I can’t destroy a world?"
{You don’t look like it. There’s no look. And still, you can’t.}
"Bah. There is a look. I’ve seen destroyers of worlds. They look like destroyers of worlds."
{You play too much.}
A moment of silence.
"There are powerful entities in the Tower."
{And outside it, it would seem.}
"This has given me a new outlook. An outlook I needed."
{Imagine if he’s not the strongest in the Tower. Everything connected to him — if we count [Nirvana] as his — has been EX-ranked.}
"He has to be the maker of [Nirvana]. I can take him not being the strongest in the Tower. But I can’t take it if there’s another one as cocky as he is."
{Why the fuck are you concerned about the wrong thing?}
"I’m not concerned about the wrong thing. Concern about his strength is the wrong thing. His strength has nothing to do with us. We have no business with him. He might be asleep, according to his memoir."
{That’s true. He did mention the first floor’s history changing.}
"Not change. He just can’t see past a certain period. That would mean there’s someone stronger than him awakening at that period. But what would he or she want on the first floor? Or maybe it’s not just the first floor. He just can’t see into the future at all." He snorted. "Why am I concerned? Don’t ruin my peace of mind, retired assistant."
He placed the paper back in his inventory.
---
After that day, Zeke tried to keep the "Annoying Bastard" out of his mind. He did a good job, up until the third reunion.
On that day, Aaron announced his change in talent. The group could sense the changes in him quite easily. He then had to spoil his plans of surprising them, as he told them of Eve giving him [Nirvana].
Once Zeke heard of [Nirvana], he was pleasantly surprised and placed the yet-to-be-seen angel in his good books.
What he was not pleased about was the oath Aaron had taken, but he understood why he had done it. That did not mean he would allow it to stand.
During the celebrations, the group noticed Kai leaving the house. Zeke volunteered to talk to him. One: he had promised to beat the breaks off him if he gave up. Two: he was going to give him the EX-ranked [Nirvana].
The moment he gave him the pill, Zeke sensed the familiar aura and scent — the one he had noticed the other day. He now traced it to the day Eve had given Aaron the pill.
But Zeke was not the only one to sense it. Thanks to it being a product of the system, the otherwise overwhelming aura that would have followed the pill — likely announcing it to everyone in the world — was reduced to a small ping.
"Child, don’t tell me this has something to do with you."
"Yes. Deal with it. I owe you." Zeke answered Nox.
They could not tell what it was, what rank it was, or where it actually was. Nox was able to find him because he was the administrator of the world, but even he could not identify it. But anyone with a modicum of reason would know it was at least SSS-ranked, and for the sake of their mental health, they would hope it was not EX-ranked.
In the time that passed, the group came outside, noticing his and Kai’s disappearance. Zeke explained as much as he could.
"It seems there’s no need to worry," Michael said with a smile as he headed back into the house.
"Yeah, I’m sleepy as well." Anton moved to walk inside.
"Stay outside. I’m not comfortable sharing the same space with you." Michael locked the door.
Zeke stared at Michael. His excuse might fool Aaron, but it could not fool the rest of the group. Michael is going to do something for the group?
Zeke smiled. He raised his eyes to the sky and cast Observation. His eyes saw through the layers.
There he saw Nox facing a group of figures with wings. A tall, silver-white haired man in a ceremonial robe appeared before Nox. A moment later, Michael appeared as well.
---
"Administrator Nox, allow us passage. Whatever is down there has no use for you. You know that more than anyone." The angel at the front spoke.
"Really? A special nectar flew to my nose a month ago. You did not appear because it was your kind. That was useful to me."
"She paid her price."
"The source hasn’t? Is that the issue?"
"You are going against Heaven."
"Why do you need it? It is of no use to you, Ephraim."
"Do not stand against Heaven, Nox."
The angels behind Ephraim clutched their weapons.
"Did I hear you mention Heaven?" A voice strode in. The Emperor had appeared. "This is my kingdom. Angels."
"Emperor." The angels subtly moved backward.
"I’m not your Emperor. But I will allow you to call me that. Retreat. This is my kingdom. I haven’t destroyed your section of Heaven for its sin, because I cannot destroy the Tower. Do not make me kill a few angels."
"Sins? Heaven is acting on the accord of the Tower. Because a few mortals suffer does not mean anything." Ephraim put up a brave front.
"Wow. So inhumane. Angels are quite pragmatic. My type. It’s just annoying that you want what I have." Michael’s voice arrived.
As he appeared, he gave Nox a small nod.
The Emperor stared at him. "A first-tier saint? Why are you here? You’re brave, but do you want to die? This Emperor does not protect everybody. You can sing my praises. I might find a place in my heart to save you."
Nox shook his head as he stared at the Emperor.
Michael ignored the Emperor and walked closer to the angels. "Return. The treasure you seek has been used. There is no reason to die unnecessarily." He stared at Ephraim squarely.
"W-why... Why are you on the first floor?" Ephraim’s face held metaphorical sweat. He could not understand why someone of Michael’s strength would be in the First World. The Emperor he could understand, but this man was not bound. He could indeed kill them.
"You should not ask what you shouldn’t."
"Sir... We really cannot leave without verifying what the treasure was. They sent an order."
"Oh."
Michael did not know who "They" were. But from what he knew, "They" would definitely refer to gods. What has Zeke done?
"You have an angel at the ready in Heaven, correct?"
"Y-yes?"
"Good night."
Michael turned his back and headed toward the house.
Ephraim burst into flames.
The remaining angels stood frozen.
Just like that?
"Yo, old man. Who’s that? He’s almost as strong as me." The Emperor had moved closer to Nox at some point.
"He’s an ally."
"You have a lot of allies."
"Almost one-third as strong as me." The Emperor muttered.
Nox stared at him with a strange expression as he watched the Emperor shamelessly brag. Neither Nox nor the Emperor could sense Michael’s power, so what was the Emperor talking about — one-third as strong?
"I wonder what your wives would think if they saw this." Nox sneered.
The Emperor disappeared.
...
Zeke watched, surprised, shocked, befuddled.
The ceremonial-robed man was the Emperor? Nox did not hold much sway with the angels, even as an administrator? The most expected but most surprising of all: Michael was that strong?
I really saw what he wanted me to see when I looked at his status window.
Zeke shook his head and attended to the already awakened Kai.
---
"Wow." Kai exclaimed as he stared at his status window.
Michael walked out of the house at that moment. Zeke cast Observation on Michael.
Michael stared at him and smiled before turning and inserting himself into the group’s discourse.
Zeke shook his head wryly. He was unable to view Michael’s status.
What an annoying bastard.
That was Zeke’s first thought as he read the description of Kai’s trait.
{It’s definitely tied to the author of the memoir.}
No shit, Sherlock.
{...}
-
And so, the "Annoying Bastard" appeared in Zeke’s mind, even trumping the celebrations — of Aaron and Kai’s breakthroughs and of Yeon becoming a saint. That, and the fact that Michael had killed an angel. The chaos he so sought was coming his way in a wonderful wave.
If he had been acting fear when he first saw Michael back in his own world, he was scared now. Not full-blown fear — it was the simple fact that an emotionless powerhouse was near his mortal family. He was simply terrified of the uncontrollable possibility of Michael turning against them.
But he felt Michael would not do that. He had turned into Kai, placing his hopes on hope.
The fear did not go anywhere fast. It sat at the back of his thoughts in the days that followed — a quiet, patient thing, the kind that did not announce itself but showed up every time Michael’s name entered a conversation or Michael’s silhouette passed through a room. He watched Michael more closely after that night. Not with suspicion, exactly. More the way a man watches a fire he did not start — aware of what it was capable of, unwilling to look away.
Michael, for his part, gave him nothing. No reaction to the scrutiny. No acknowledgment that a line had been crossed or confirmed. He moved through the house the same way he always did: unhurried, unreadable, pleasant in the way that things with no need to be pleasant often were.
It was more unsettling than hostility would have been.
