Legacy of the Dark Sage

[They have hidden their presence well but failed to conceal their killing intent.]

Shaiha told Kyran as they drew closer to where the Solis representatives were lying in wait.

'I was beginning to think you'd taken a vow of silence,' Kyran teased, noting Shaiha's uncharacteristic quiet during Ladon's interrogation.

[Humph. I remained silent only because there was nothing to say. Besides, I disapprove of you revealing things to those two dragons.]

'It can't be helped. The Ancients said far too much, and those two are not stupid, especially Ladon. He gleaned many things from everything those guys had said and came up with the conclusion himself.'

[You could have denied everything.]

'...'

[What? It's not like there is concrete evidence to support what the Ancients had claimed.]

'... Could you let it go? I don't care if they knew the truth. They would learn about the truth eventually, even if I don't admit it. Ames would be forced to reveal the whole situation to them since they had already been involved in my matter when they met me.

'Besides, explaining how my Lightning magic could have worked against the Ancients is a little hard. Even if Lightning magic is considered rare and one of the most powerful forms of magic in terms of offensive spells, the Ancients' special body constitution would still render lightning magic attacks pointless.'

[... I still prefer it if you deny everything.]

'Just let it go. Let's focus on the enemies before us,' Kyran complained with a sigh.

[Humph. Fine.]

Soon after Kyran and Shaiha's talk concluded, a gentle voice sounded in Kyran's head.

[Kyran, the two people up ahead, possesses strange lights.]

Cyneah told Kyran. Her brows furrowed slightly as she tried to see the situation and landscape upfront again.

[The area up ahead looks like a dome... with a round platform in the middle. There are magic runes printed on the platform's side...]

Hearing Cyneah made Shaiha's expression turn grim.

[A round platform with magic runes around it... is she perhaps referring to an arena?]

'...'

Kyran was speechless. He was no longer surprised that Shaiha could hear Cyneah's telepathy message.

[This is not good. Arenas in the tower are bad news. No matter what, don't step into it.]

Kyran did not have to hear Shaiha explain the arena to him because he already knew why it was bad news from her inner thoughts.

Arenas in the tower are places for participants to fight each other. The magic runes around it are the rules they must comply with inside the arena. Each arena in the tower has different rules. Or at least, the arenas that Shaiha discovered on the floor she hid in the tower did not have similar rules— except for one rule: Instant death to the defeated.

Shaiha was not worried that Kyran would lose. Thus, her reaction was more about what would happen if his opponent in the arena died.

[This is a trap. Don't you dare do anything reckless.]

Shaiha warned Kyran.

[Those representatives did not know about you. Their targets are those two dragons from the Dragon Clan.]

"Aki, stay here and protect Neah." Kyran ignored Shaiha's warning and gave Aki an order in a voice loud enough for them to hear.

[No, Kyran. Don't!]

Shaiha pleaded after confirming his intentions.

"Yes, master."

[If you confront them and they die, someone with a higher rank in the Solis Clan would sense it. If that high-ranking member discovers who killed their member—! Kyran! For the love of— please, just this once, listen to me!]

Shaiha pleaded in exasperation when Kyran continued toward the arena. She wanted to send a telepathy message to Cyneah and explain everything so she could stop him. In a way, Shaiha believed Cyneah did not stop Kyran because she thought there was no danger up ahead. Technically, Cyneah was right.

But if she knew that Solis members— particularly elites or those related to high-ranking members of the clan— possessed seals in their bodies that could alert others if they died, she would think otherwise.

If Kyran killed them, someone from the Solis Clan could learn about his arrival in the Higher Realm!

Getting discovered by someone in the Solis Clan is already equivalent to The Emperor knowing of it.

Meanwhile, one Solis representative stood in the middle of the round platform while the other remained outside. Both were looking at the only entrance to the arena.

Just as Shaiha said, the Solis representatives were after Ladon and Thorn or any members of the Dragon Clan representatives. Initially, they wanted to look for the Lacus Clan representatives. However, after they lost contact with one of their members, they decided to deal with the Dragon Clan first.

Their decision was influenced by their belief that their missing member encountered the Dragon Clan's group rather than the combined Lacus Clan and Dragon Clan group and was overpowered.

"Someone's coming..." the Solis representative below the platform muttered upon seeing a figure approaching the arena. He then frowned after realizing the figure's presence could not be perceived.

The Solis representative on the platform also noticed this and scowled. They already had a fair share of strange encounters on the seventh floor, which included automatons that did not possess any presence. Also, those automatons could adjust their magic arrays during activation and add new formulas to counter any attack directed at them.

Ultimately, the Solis representatives could only seal the automatons because dealing with them was a pain.

"Is it another automaton?" The Solis representative on the platform wondered. "Or a participant?"

Even when pressed for time in this year's hunt, all clans still managed to send their elite mages to participate. Thus, it was not wrong to think that there were representatives with concealment abilities.

The Solis representative below the platform could only shake his head in response to the other Solis's question. Automatons created by the Ancients were close to perfect replicas of human-shaped mages. Thus, they could not determine if the figure approaching was an automaton or another representative.

Not many groups were sent to the seventh floor, with the Solis Representatives being the third ones teleported there. However, several groups were still outside the tower when they were teleported in, so they could not rule out the possibility that another group was sent there, too.

"This guy is alone, though. Unless you're powerful enough, it is unwise to wander around in this place alone," the representative below the platform commented.

"Are you two supposed to be talking amongst yourselves? Cause you're too loud, my eardrums nearly exploded," Kyran said when he was within earshot of the Solis representatives.

Kyran's greeting was quite provocative, but the latter two remained calm— a testament to their confidence in their capabilities.

"So another group was sent to the seventh floor," the representative on the platform replied, ignoring Kyran's initial remark.

Kyran replied by tilting his head and raising his brows. The two could not see his expression because his face was hidden under his hood.

"I will give you a chance to turn around and leave," the Solis representative on the platform arrogantly told Kyran. "You are not our target, so don't waste our time."

[Listen to him! Turn around and leave! Since they are after the Dragon Clan representatives, let's avoid confronting them and have them wait here all they want!]

Shaiha pleaded with Kyran once more.

On the other hand, Kyran chuckled at the Solis representative's words.

In an instant, the two Solis representatives' expressions turned sour at his seemingly disrespectful behavior. They disliked how members of other clans acted arrogantly as if they stood a chance against them.

"Did you just laugh at us?"

"Since you don't want to accept our generosity, I will personally—!"

Crackle! Krrshk! Sizzle!

Crackle! Krrshk! Sizzle!

Kyran ignored the two and aimed lightning-like strikes at them.

The attack was similar to what he used against Diara. Thus far, this attack was effective against her but still not strong enough to kill her due to her special body constitution.

But what would happen if such strikes hit a mage with a regular body constitution?

[...]

Shaiha was speechless as Kyran's attack killed off the two Solis representatives in a very anti-climactic manner.

"The seal you mentioned... will it still work if they are killed in an instant?"

[... I hate you.]
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Kyran chuckled at Shaiha's response before turning to leave.

Aki and Cyneah had blank expressions when Kyran returned in under five minutes.

What did that tell about the Solis representatives' strength?

"Was there even a need for us to stay behind?" Cyneah asked with a helpless sigh. She knew Kyran was strong, but that was when they were still in the Lower Realm. They were now in the Higher Realm. How could he still perform unbelievable feats? It even felt like his strength had become far more absurd!

"I'd prefer it if they thought I was alone," Kyran admitted with a shrug. "Besides, both of you still look like Dragon Clan members. If you went with me, they would have ignored me and gone after you two. I don't want to take that chance."

"To deal with them with such ease... as expected of our master," Aki gave his praise, sounding very pleased to serve such an outstanding master.

"The only reason I could do that is because I have the advantage in territory. Frankly, my magic seemed to have been amplified inside the tower."

[That is obviously because you are the Realm Scion...]

Shaiha's voice trailed off as she realized something from what she had just said.

[This...! Why didn't you say that earlier? The tower has recognized you, Kyran!]