Cain, however, only smiled. Casual. Unbothered. With a flick of his fingers—
Pain.
Max's right palm burned. Not physically, but as if sothing had been carved into his very being.
His breath hitched. Turning his hand over, he saw it.
A tattoo.
A deep black circle. No… was it a sun?
The shape was unclear, shifting between a solid black void and sothing more intricate, almost cosmic.
Max's heart pounded. What the hell was this?
His gaze snapped to Cain.
"What is this?" His voice was cold, his eyes narrowing.
Cain smiled, ever so relaxed. "It's a mark of teleportation."
Max frowned.
"Burn the mark, and you'll be teleported to our ho. It's a gift from my master."
Max's fingers twitched as he glared at him. "Why the hell would I need this stupid thing? And who would even want to go to your ho?"
Cain chuckled, unfazed. "My master has spoken many things about many people over the years. Every single one of them has co true.
"This mark… will be of use to you one day."
Max opened his mouth to retort, but before he could—
The do shattered.
Both the small and the big one.
Like a collapsing void, the darkness peeled away, leaving nothing behind.
In the blink of an eye, Cain and Evan were gone.
Max's eyes lifted toward the sky.
There, above the ruined battlefield, the heavens themselves had been wounded.
The massive crack in space—an open gateway to the unknown.
At its edge, the Ascendants stood.
Their silhouettes were unreadable, shadowed figures against the backdrop of the abyss.
Max's gaze locked onto Cain.
For a mont—just a fraction of a second—he could swear Cain was looking straight at him, through him.
Even from this distance.
Even beyond reason.
Cain's expression was unreadable, his voice nothing but a whisper in Max's mind.
"We will see each other again."
Then—
They stepped into the void.
No flash. No sound. No theatrics.
They simply disappeared.
And in the next instant—
The crack in the heavens sealed shut.
Like it had never been there to begin with.
The world returned to silence.
Max exhaled slowly, his pulse steadying.
But he still felt it.
The mark on his palm.
It didn't burn anymore.
But it pulsed.
Faintly.
Like a heartbeat.
Like it was… alive.
A gift, huh?
Max clenched his fist, his expression dark.
He wasn't so sure.
Envoy Lucas and the others appeared before Max, their faces solemn, eyes sharp with concern.
"What happened?" Lucas asked.
Max shrugged. "I won."
Lucas let out a heavy sigh. "You're lucky, kid. That Evan… he was on the verge of evolving into a Vesper. But for so reason, he collapsed before the transformation could complete. If he had fully evolved… you would have lost."
Max's expression darkened. "Vesper?" The term sounded familiar. He recalled hearing it back in the temple. They had called Veylin a Vesper too. And now Evan?
Lucas caught the confusion on Max's face and explained. "Nulls have three forms."
"The first is the Mindless Beast Form—wild, instinct-driven creatures with no reason, just raw destruction. They are simply called Nulls."
"The second is the Vesper Form—a more evolved state where they take on humanoid bodies, growing horns that signify their power."
"And the last... is called Doomreaver."
Max felt the weight in Lucas's tone as he spoke the last word.
"Doomreaver?" he repeated, the na ringing with an ominous air.
Lucas nodded. "But that form is only a legend. No one has ever seen one. Not during the war ten thousand years ago. Not at any point in recorded history."
Max took a deep breath, digesting the information.
"So you're saying Evan, before his horn appeared, was sowhere between a mindless Null and a true Vesper?" he asked, realization dawning on him.
Lucas nodded. "Exactly. And even that incomplete form was terrifying. Imagine what a fully evolved Vesper—with two horns—could do."
Max's gaze hardened. The fight had already pushed him to his limits, and that wasn't even against a true Vesper?
"They're right, Max."
The voice slithered into his mind. It was the blob.
"Ten thousand years ago, the Nulls that attacked Acaris all had two horns. And because of that, they were imasurably stronger than Acaris's warriors."
Max's frown deepened. 'Are you sure they won't sense you right now?' His eyes darted to the leaders, scanning their expressions for any sign of suspicion.
"Don't worry." The blob's tone was grim. "I already checked. They can't detect ."
It hesitated for a mont before continuing, "Max, you need to be careful of these people—the Ascendants. They are directly connected to the Nulls. And that… is a very bad thing."
Max's fists clenched. 'I know. I'll be careful.'
Lucas studied him for a mont before speaking. "Since Cain didn't do anything to you, I presu he said sothing in that do?" His eyes narrowed.
Max t his gaze, his expression unreadable. "He wanted to join the Ascendants. Said he'd give a high position in their ranks. I refused. And he left."
Kate frowned, skeptical. "He just… left? That easily?"
Lucas shook his head. "He didn't have a choice. None of the Ascendants could do anything to Max right now."
Kate's brow furrowed. "Why?"
"Because he won the Ascension Ceremony," Lucas explained. "It's part of the ceremony's rules. The Ascendants cannot interfere with the victor.
"For now… Max is untouchable."
Then—
Max glanced around, taking in the sheer destruction that surrounded him.
The once-pristine Villa grounds were unrecognizable—cracked earth, shattered pillars, debris scattered like remnants of a battlefield.
He rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that." His voice held an awkward edge.
Lucas chuckled, shaking his head. "You don't have to apologize."
Then, he turned to the remaining guests.
His voice carried authority, but there was an underlying seriousness to it.
"Everyone, I, Lucas Vanitas, thank you all for welcoming . But as you can see, the situation has changed."
His gaze swept across the crowd. "Because of this, I must cancel the banquet."
Murmurs erupted. Quiet conversations. Exchanged glances.
Lucas continued. "With the direct involvent of the Young Monarch and the Nulls, the situation in the East has beco urgent."
A brief pause.
Then, his tone hardened.
"You may all return to your respective forces."
It was an unspoken dismissal.
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