(One Month Later, Planet V-Star, Leo's POV)
A lot changed within the Cult during the month following Mairon's official dismissal from the military chain of command, as the aftermath of Leo's decision spread further than even he originally expected.
Roughly one hundred thousand soldiers eventually chose to abandon formal service beneath the Cult Army and instead pledged themselves directly beneath Mairon's banner despite the uncertainty surrounding his future.
Which was surprising to Leo, since, at present, Mairon possessed no established logistics network, no military funding, no fleet, and no reliable supply chain capable of supporting an independent fighting force properly.
He was effectively stranded on Planet Drexel, and was completely cut off from official Cult military support, and yet despite all those disadvantages, n still continued gathering around him voluntarily.
So believed in his ideals.
Others simply admired his conviction.
And so followed him because they genuinely believed he would soday beco a monster capable of reshaping the Cult itself.
However, despite the loss of manpower, removing Mairon from the formal military structure ultimately stabilized Commander Jas' division far more effectively than Leo originally anticipated.
The soldiers remaining beneath Jas understood clearly now that military discipline stood above personal connections, as even the Cult Master himself would not undermine the authority of his Commanders for family.
And because of that, faith in the military hierarchy strengthened significantly afterward.
"So that's the whole picture…."
Leo explained to the Tiless Assassin's Projection, as the old man stroked his beard thoughtfully in response.
"I think you made the correct decision here," the Tiless Assassin's projection eventually said, as his ancient eyes reflected faint understanding rather than criticism.
"Children rarely grow properly when their entire path through life is decided for them by force."
A bitter smile appeared briefly across his face afterward.
"I tried too hard to shape both Kaelith and Soron into what I believed they should beco…"
His gaze drifted toward the distant horizon.
"And looking back now, perhaps that was my greatest mistake as a father."
Leo remained silent while listening carefully.
"So honestly?" the old man continued quietly.
"I think allowing Mairon to walk his own path while rely guiding him where possible is far healthier than trying to chain him beneath your own beliefs completely."
He said, as the winds around V-Star howled outside their hut.
"And if that boy has already managed to attract followers toward his ideology, then that simply ans his way of thinking is not isolated within the Cult….
If not for him leading it, there would eventually be soone else.
Because, ideologies like these unite people whether you want them united or not.
If enough people believe in what he's doing, then even if he dies or abandons the path, they will continue on it till the end."
The projection shrugged slightly afterward.
"So there is not much you can realistically do about it for now."
Leo let out a deep sigh hearing that response.
Hearing those words from soone who had already experienced similar failures firsthand eased so of the uneasiness lingering within him, because quietly—
A part of Leo genuinely feared history repeating itself once again.
And him being betrayed by one of his sons.
"What about the fallout from Yu Kiro's disappearance?" the Tiless Assassin's projection asked next, smoothly shifting the conversation elsewhere.
"How are you handling that situation currently?"
Leo exhaled a tired sigh at that question, before shaking his head slightly.
"I think I'm handling it well enough for now…" he replied.
"But eventually the silence surrounding the Yu Clan will beco too suspicious to ignore."
His eyes narrowed slightly afterward.
"At most, I think we have another month or two before the other Gods begin reacting seriously toward Yu Kiro's continued absence.
I think one or two of them will appear on planet Yu Pri unannounced, demanding to et him.
And once his absence is confird, they will start to devour the Yu Clan."
The projection nodded calmly.
"That outco was inevitable from the beginning."
He spoke without much concern.
"The Great Clan Alliance was never built upon genuine trust or brotherhood between its mbers."
A faint chuckle escaped him afterward.
"It was rely an alliance ford from convenience and mutual fear."
Lightning crackled faintly across distant clouds surrounding V-Star.
"So honestly, most of them probably care less about whether Yu Kiro is dead and more about who inherits his territories afterward."
Leo nodded slightly hearing that assessnt.
Because that aligned perfectly with what he himself was expecting.
"The vultures have already started circling around the Yu Clan," Leo explained quietly.
"Internal probes are increasing daily, and several small neighboring clans have already begun positioning themselves to absorb Yu Clan resources once instability fully erupts."
His expression hardened afterward.
"Although out of all of them…"
"The Ru Clan seems the most suspicious regarding Yu Kiro's disappearance."
The projection raised an eyebrow slightly.
"They've already begun quietly investigating the battle on Satoru?" he asked, as Leo nodded in response.
"Yes."
"They are searching aggressively for information now."
The old man chuckled softly hearing that.
"Well, there was always a rumor that Yu Kiro might be in love with Ru Vassa.
But I never believed it.
However…. If the Ru Clan is probing harder than others then….
It might be a possibility that the rumors were true."
05:55
The projection's voice remained calm and confident, as Leo raised a surprised eyebrow at the unexpected gossip.
"Well, it doesn't matter anyways.
The Ru Clan won't co for the Cult even if Ru Vassa was Yu Kiro's lover.
Because between the Cult and the crippled Yu Clan, the Yu Clan currently appears weaker and more vulnerable."
His eyes sharpened afterward.
"So before the Great Clans unite against you…"
"They will first devour what remains of the Yu first."
Leo remained silent hearing that.
Because realistically, that exact outco was what he had been gambling everything upon from the start.
For several monts afterward, silence settled peacefully between the two.
Until eventually, it was the Tiless Assassin's projection who spoke again.
"By the way…" he muttered casually.
"Have you finally decided whether or not you intend to ascend into Godhood?"
Leo looked toward him afterward before slowly shaking his head.
Because unlike previous realms of cultivation, ascending from Demi God into Godhood was actually fairly straightforward in theory.
There were no complicated potions required.
No hidden manuals.
No mystical treasures.
One simply needed to temper their body sufficiently before rging themselves with the stream of ti itself to beco a God, as the only difference between Demi Gods and Gods was the fact that–
A Demi God still possessed mortal flesh existing separately from the flow of ti.
While a true God had already rged into it.
And because of that integration, Gods possessed vastly superior durability, immortality, recovery, and divine essence output compared to ordinary Demi Gods.
Which made mastering the laws of the universe the most complicated step in ascending to God-Hood, which Leo had already completed while becoming a Demi God.
Which ant that if he truly wanted to—
He could ascend relatively quickly from this point onward.
And yet despite possessing the capability, Leo still hesitated deeply regarding taking that final step.
"I honestly don't know anymore…" Leo admitted quietly after a long silence.
"Fighting Yu Kiro made realize sothing important."
His eyes drifted toward the runes lighting the Tiless Assassin's hut.
"With a little more body tempering…"
"A deeper understanding of universal laws…"
"And a few more perfected techniques…"
"I can probably already fight multiple Gods simultaneously without needing to ascend myself."
The projection listened silently.
"So from a practical standpoint…"
"I no longer feel like Godhood is truly necessary for to achieve supremacy."
Leo's voice softened slightly afterward.
"But honestly…"
"That is not even the real reason I hesitate."
The winds around them slowed faintly.
"The truth is…"
"I'm not sure if I actually want to live forever."
The projection's expression shifted subtly hearing that.
"Perhaps decades ago the idea of becoming a God would have consud completely," Leo continued quietly.
"But the older I grow…"
"The more I realize that my life only truly has aning because of the people surrounding ."
Amanda.
Caleb.
Mairon.
His family.
The Cult.
All of it.
Leo lowered his gaze afterward.
"I think a few hundred years would already be enough for ."
"Enough ti to stabilize the Cult."
"To leave behind a lasting legacy."
"To watch my children grow capable enough to inherit what I built."
A faint smile appeared briefly across his face afterward.
"And after that…"
"I think I would rather step away quietly."
The projection remained completely silent now.
"Maybe live peacefully sowhere remote with Amanda…"
Leo continued softly.
"And if she passes away before …"
"…then honestly, I don't even know if I would want to continue living afterward."
The admission lingered heavily between them afterward.
"Sotis I feel cowardly for thinking that way," Leo admitted.
"As though I'm simply afraid of walking through eternity alone."
He shook his head slowly afterward.
"But at the sa ti…"
"I genuinely do not know what I would even pursue anymore after becoming the strongest existence in the universe."
For several long monts afterward, the Tiless Assassin's projection said nothing.
Then eventually, the old man simply let out a long sigh.
Because long ago, he himself had once asked those exact sa questions.
And because, he himself had hesitated for a few decades before finally making the final leap.
Once he realized that the conquest for ultimate power never felt complete, while he was still a Demi God.
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