Chapter 209: Ash vs Ray (6)
"Yes, I am. So what?" Ash spoke almost lazily, as if even the confession carried no weight for him. He was done pretending. For what little he had ever wanted to hide, Ash knew there was no point anymore. The demons already knew about him because Zerak had escaped, and that alone had blown apart the fragile veil of secrecy he once tried to maintain.
The Saints were aware of his existence too, so what was the point in hiding? It’s not like he was going to commit some heinous crime that required his identity to remain in the shadows. Although he knew things would become unnecessarily complicated if Ray started spreading this around, Ash’s expression didn’t waver.
But so what..?
Ash didn’t care now. What would Ray do? Kill him? Would Ash die?
Been there. Done that.
Death was not something Ash feared anymore. In fact, the very concept of fear had been burned out of him long ago. Even if one didn’t consider the strange influence of the Rune, Ash’s fear of death had simply vanished, leaving behind a hollow defiance that bordered on madness.
He also knew Ray wouldn’t tell anyone about this. Why? Because Ray himself was drowning in secrets. The kind that shackled him just as much as they gave him strength.
Truthfully, Ash didn’t hate Ray. And why should he? Yeah, Ray was annoyingly perfect... a system-blessed protagonist, a walking bundle of cheats and luck. Somewhat... no, absolutely infuriating at times.
But that was all. There was no deep-seated hatred. No real grudge.
As long as Ray stayed away from Elysia, Ash had no reason to care.
Well... the same could not be said for Ray.
Ray’s Null Mind was still active, keeping his emotions in check, but the anger in his voice bled through the cracks of that calm.
"You... Why did you do that? Why?" Ray’s voice carried a weight, as though this question had been festering inside him.
Ash tilted his head slightly, genuinely confused. "I did what?"
"Why did you take my Runes?" Ray demanded.
Ash let out a low scoff, almost mocking, and with a sharp push of his hand, he shoved Ray slightly away. Their bodies drifted apart in the free fall, maintaining a hand’s length of distance as the air roared between them.
"Your runes? Are you delusional? I didn’t see your name carved into them. Are you sure they were yours?"
Ray froze. The anger he had been holding on to faltered, replaced by a silence so heavy it almost felt like the storm above them paused to listen. They stared at each other in mid-air, their gazes unflinching, both testing the weight of the other’s resolve.
"Why did you do that? I mean..." Ray’s voice dropped, colder now, steadier. "Why did you interfere with my fate? With the fate of this world?" He asked again, but this time, his tone carried something far deeper—a question that wasn’t born just from anger but from a gnawing confusion and dread.
"Why I did that, you ask?" Ash spoke, his tone strangely composed. He crossed his arms and continued, "I did because... the world was supposed to be....destroyed. I changed the fate of the world. You ask why I took the runes? Because if they had fallen into your hands, the world’s fate would tilt towards the End."
He spoke like someone who had seen this truth unfold countless times, his voice carrying an unsettling conviction.
"You might be thinking that I am speaking nonsense, but just buy a lie detection skill from the system shop and you will know whether I am lying or not."
The moment the words ’system shop’ left Ash’s lips, Ray’s eyes widened. He was utterly shocked, as though someone had just torn open the secret he had buried deeper than anyone could imagine. His biggest secret was out, and Ash spoke it like it was something trivial.
But Ash was not done yet.
"Don’t ask me why or how I know this. I just know it. Simple as that. I did what I could to prevent it though. The rest, you already know what happened."
"And isn’t your goal to eradicate the demons? Just do that, and one more thing..... stay away from Elysia. She is mine."
His tone was not loud or threatening, but the calmness of his voice made it even more dangerous. The words sank deep, carrying a cold finality that made Ray’s expression tighten.
"As long as you do this much, I won’t interfere with what you do. And I don’t understand why you need the runes anyway? You have the system, the God Slayer sword which holds countless techniques, and on top of that, you have all affinities along with a God Rank class. I don’t know why you want the runes."
Ash’s voice lowered slightly, almost like he was speaking from somewhere deeper within, his words carrying a weight Ray could feel even as they fell through the air together.
"Only I know how much I have suffered because of them. Stay happy with all that you already have."
Though they are powerful beyond imagination, I also can’t deny...
But Ash did not say that part out loud. Hearing his words, Ray’s expression became complicated, as if a battle was raging within his mind. One side of him refused to believe anything Ash had said, while the other side whispered a quiet, unsettling possibility—What if he’s right?
After all, Ash knew about the system and even about Aetheris. His words weren’t baseless, they made sense in a twisted way. But still....
...there was also the nagging question of why the system would issue quests to eliminate the so-called fate disruptor. From everything Ray knew, his system was not evil, nor had it ever forced him to do anything that could be called unjust.
So he was left conflicted. Should he trust Ash, or should he trust his system?
And before he could even make that choice, Ash’s voice echoed again, casual yet laced with something sharp, "I am going to apologize in advance, because this is going to hurt a lot now. After all, the duel isn’t over yet."
That was the last clear thought Ray had, before the world tilted violently. A punch struck him with such force that his entire body spun crazily in the air while falling.
And as if that wasn’t enough, before Ray could even touch the ground, Ash teleported, appearing right next to him, and slammed a devastating strike, knocking him out cold. Ray’s distracted mind and hesitation made the process all too easy.
That was intense...
Ash muttered inwardly, brushing back his long wet hairs that had come loose when the lightning struck earlier.
Though his body carried no traces of damage, it was in perfect condition. In fact, being struck by lightning seemed to have sharpened his control over his own element, making him feel even more attuned to its rhythm.
Now, Ash stood at the center of the arena, unscathed and almost majestic, while Ray lay unconscious on the ground. Both of them had nothing on their upper bodies except for torn scraps of fabric clinging to their lower halves. Ash made no attempt to activate Absolute Concealment to hide his natural charisma.
The cat was already out of the bag. There was no point in pretending anymore.
Yeah, I really need something to suppress my charm... I guess I’ll have to visit Garry again...
Ash’s eyes then turned toward Instructor Leonard, and he almost chuckled when he saw the man’s face. The expression Leonard wore was so frozen, so utterly stunned, that it bordered on comical.
"Instructor, can you announce the result?" Ash asked in a calm and steady voice.
The words seemed to snap Leonard back to reality. He stuttered, voice trembling as if the weight of what he had just witnessed was still crushing him, "A-Ash B-Burn... is the winner of the duel."
Yet, no one cheered. Not a single sound rose from the crowd except the downpour of the rain. The arena was drowned in an eerie silence, the kind of silence that felt heavy and suffocating, as if everyone had just witnessed something they shouldn’t have, something that made their very souls uneasy.
Ash glanced around briefly, confused by the silence, but shrugged it off. Stretching his arms casually, he began walking toward the exit of the arena. As for why he didn’t teleport out?
Why is no one clapping? Or shouting my name? I thought they would start cheering for me as soon as Instructor announced me as the winner...
Ash had imagined leaving the arena in style, with the crowd shouting and chanting his name, their admiration washing over him like a wave. But not a single voice rose, forcing him to make his way out step by step.
What Ash didn’t realize was that nobody dared to cheer. It wasn’t admiration holding their tongues—it was fear.
Yes, they feared Ash.
After all, he had just defeated the monstrous first-year prodigy of the academy as though it were nothing, displaying powers beyond their comprehension. He had become a living symbol of power and terror, making everyone silently vow never to cross either Ash or Elysia.
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