Chapter 174: Nox’s Outburst (Bonus)

Nox lifted his head this time.

"Hmm, but I can’t draw the power and use elemental essence like him. I don’t have any intent."

"Don’t be discouraged, Nox. Maybe you can also adjust it," Lupine urged.

"Huh!" Nox sneered. "I have to wait in line for that. Who knows when I will have the chance to adjust and use my soul power to do that."

He looked at the paper in Axe’s hand, then at Lupine.

"You already got hold of your wolf and even made something new. Lupine is teaching you every day. Ugo is busy with whatever RuYi left him. Leo is contracted. Everyone is moving. And me? I still sit here looking at all of you to make a decision. When is it my turn? Or do I just keep waiting until all of you are done?"

Axe’s brows knitted.

"Nox..."

"Don’t." Nox cut him off. "I can see it clearly. You all go ahead. I’ll just stay here."

"What’s the matter with you, Nox?" Axe asked. He was getting annoyed. Something about Nox’s tone felt off, and it was starting to irritate him.

"What could be the matter with me?" Nox’s voice was light, almost mocking.

"You guys go ahead and do your big plan. Go find Mooney. Maybe he’ll be happy to have you. You can even have a heart-to-heart talk. You will surely find many common things to talk about."

He chuckled softly.

As he stood up and fixed his clothes, his face remained lowered and his gaze on the ground. "Don’t mind me."

He was about to leave, but Ugo stopped him.

"Nox, are you upset with anything? Let’s talk things out."

"Upset?" Nox let out a short laugh.

"Why would I be upset? You are all making good progress. I am happy for that. What, you want me to clap my hands to congratulate?"

He raised his hands and clapped toward Axe. "Congratulations, little brother."

"Nox!" Axe growled in exasperation.

"Are you mad that I went first to make the contract? I went first because my body was more resistant to taking any strange attack."

"Really, you are so generous." Nox sneered, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

He squinted his eyes and looked at Axe.

"You think I am a fragile little girl? Axe, when did I ever need any of your protection? Did I ever ask for that? Did I ever ask for help when going to hunt? Or did I cry over a little wound? You sound so generous, yet it’s all about gaining power. Don’t tell me you are not so eager to mate Moon just to awaken your wolf."

"No, I am not," Axe grumbled.

"Lie! Of course you can act generous and show off since you have such a magnificent wolf spirit." Nox scoffed. "Okay. Don’t mind me."

He shoved Ugo to make way.

"It’s not like what you think," Ugo said quickly. "We never thought you were weak. The soul contract was a strange thing. None of us fully understood it. Axe was just..."

"Don’t act so understanding and magnanimous in front of me, Ugo." Nox cut his words.

"Your pretense doesn’t work on me. Go and show that to Moon and climb on his bed. You are just as pretentious as the others. Aren’t you tired?"

Ugo’s face went stiff for a moment.

He stared at Nox’s indifferent face and tight jaw, then he slowly lifted his lips in a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

"So? What are you so agitated about? You wanted to be first? And be stronger than the others? Or..." Ugo looked straight into Nox’s eyes and stepped closer.

"You wanted to climb onto his bed?"

Ugo chuckled, tilting his head slightly. "Who stopped you anyway? You all get what your ability allows. You left behind means you don’t have what it takes."

"You—" Nox gritted his teeth.

His voice rose high.

"Ugo, don’t think I don’t know what you are plotting. It was you who suggested Rio to be the one to go into the witch’s cavern. You manipulated the others and stayed safe, pretending to be so gentle, and gained trust.

Didn’t you? Look at what Rio has become. He sacrificed his spirit to escape and became a dumb animal, yet Moon will not even give him any attention.

Are you happy now? You cut off one in your path."

"Nox! Don’t go too far. It’s not Ugo. We decided all together," Axe grumbled.

He became totally helpless in the situation.

"Together? When did you take my word? Did you even take my word? Ever ask me what I wanted?" Nox also snapped at him.

"You just took advantage of Rio’s cold heart and his silence. And pushed him to be the hateful one. Yet you will not let me tell anything to Moon. Shouldn’t you take the blame and take a part of that hate?

Hah! Now you are acting like a generous and passionate lover. Inventing so many things. Go, go show off to Moon. You will surely be another big step ahead to gain his trust."

Nox shrugged his shoulders and sat down on his platform.

He had never talked so much and opposed his brothers, yet he couldn’t stop himself.

A heavy weight was pressing on his chest.

"You keep saying ’together’," Nox continued.

"But when we first met him, who was the one who kept saying we should test him? Who said that if he is really from another side and came to kill us, we should kill him before he acts? Now you suddenly want to act clean?"

Ugo’s eyes narrowed.

"Hah!"

Ugo sneered. "Nox, I never thought you were thinking so much! But you missed the main point. You want to tell Moon what we were doing and how we are avoiding him?

What will you tell? That we thought he was another spy from some other dimension?

Or tell him that our mother would always kill the other person if she ever found out someone crossed the realm?

Or tell him that even if it wasn’t Rio, you, me, and any of us would do the same things that night? Go ahead and tell him... but don’t tell just a fragment. Tell him all over from birth to these days."

He paused, and a strange smile spread across his face.

"Since you think I am pretending all along, I am not pretending with you anymore. I am going to be the next to contract a soul and... yes, gain power and climb onto his bed. Like you said. You keep sulking here with your dumb brain and just watch us rise."

Saying that, he swiftly moved to the transport array, and before Nox even realized his intention, Ugo was teleported to the Stardust Sanctuary.

Lupine shook his head.

"Nox, you should have just used the array already without talking much. You..."

He didn’t utter the next line: "You’re really a fool."

Axe exhaled sharply and went back to fix his manual.

He no longer had any desire to share the manual with anyone else.

.

.

.

In the Sanctuary —

Ugo stepped out of the Stardust Sanctuary pond.

Water dripped from his hair, trickling down his cheeks and dripping from his clothes, but he didn’t seem to care.

His expression was calm, but his eyes carried a faint sharpness that hadn’t been there before.