Chapter 428: Ch. 428: The End of the Ash

Elder Vane began breathing heavily; his mana reserves were depleting. The power he had unleashed was enough to injure other defense-specialized Platinums, yet this monster was holding up too easily.

Stephen let out a roar that vibrated through the air, causing the Elder to feel a wave of dizziness.

"I see... it’s a sonic attack," muttered Elder Vane, struggling to regain his footing.

Seeing Stephen’s claw grow to a colossal size and sweep toward him, Elder Vane activated his ash ability once more to defend himself. The impact sent Stephen flying through the air, but the ash mitigated the blow, leaving him with minor wounds.

After coming to a halt among the rubble, Stephen locked his golden eyes onto him.

"It seems that’s the limit of your skill," said Stephen in a raspy voice. "I’ve gotten used to it... What are you going to do now?"

In desperation, the Elder pulled a red button from his robes and screamed with a trembling voice.

"Do you see this, you idiot?! It is an order from the Council! If you kill me, you will be an enemy of the Council, the Army, and the world!"

Stephen burst into a laugh that echoed through the plaza. His lion-like form laughed and roared at the same time, instilling terror in the Elder. Scott, approaching, spoke with a cold smile.

"Let me explain something to you, you moronic mummy..." said Scott with contempt. "You are an ignorant fool. We are already enemies of the Council and the Army. We went to war against them once. This isn’t our first time. However, no idiot has ever dared to speak to us like that. Whoever gave you that information wanted you dead. From the moment you entered this place, you weren’t getting out alive."

Realizing his threats had no effect, the Elder pressed the red button with all his strength.

"I issued the order!" shouted Vane in hysteria. "You are dead, you damn bastards!"

Scott, looking at Stephen with indifference, asked him, "Do you feel dead?"

"Not at all," responded Stephen with a laugh. "I want to see who they send..."

Scott, with a smile, said, "I feel like fighting one of the Pillars... As long as it isn’t Brian, all three can come at me together."

"I don’t want this garbage in the way; I’ll take care of him first," said Stephen with impatience.

"Do whatever you want; you’re already late," responded Scott, giving him the green light.

Stephen shot toward the Elder at high speed. Vane, in a last attempt to escape, pulled out a talisman, tore it, and vanished into thin air. However, Scott extended his hand and clenched it. The Elder reappeared in the sky, floating helplessly.

"Trying to use a spatial tear in my presence? Moron..." laughed Scott at the Elder’s desperation.

Stephen launched himself into the air, and his claw pierced the Elder’s chest, ripping his heart out through his back.

Seeing Stephen’s arm through his chest, Vane used his last breath.

"Damn you...! I will not die alone...!"

All the ash around shot toward Vane, turning his body grayish. Stephen tried to pull his arm out, but it was stuck. The ash covered them both.

"I will wait for you in hell," whispered the old man with his remaining strength.

He raised his head, wanting to see terror in Stephen’s eyes, but he only found Stephen’s massive smile.

With the explosion imminent, Scott reacted, raising both hands toward the sky to deploy a compressed force field to contain the ash detonation, preventing the building from being wiped out.

A few meters away, Stephen slammed into the ground, tumbling from the blast. His body landed charred, missing an arm, a leg, and with his entrails exposed.

Scott walked over and looked down at him.

"Looks like the old man hit you hard," noted Scott, observing his smoking remains.

Stephen let out a raspy laugh, blood bubbling in his throat.

"I haven’t felt this alive in years," said Stephen. "I missed fighting!"

"Don’t enjoy it too much; it’s not something we’ll do often," said Scott, dusting off his shoulders. "Next time, go look for a fight in the Breach."

"You know I’m useless in the Breach," said Stephen, as his muscle fibers began twisting to regenerate his limbs. "I can’t adapt to those dark creatures."

"Maybe their curse is beyond your adaptation," suggested Scott.

"Could be; it’s a pain in the ass," agreed Stephen.

A sharp beep echoed through the area, and the atmospheric pressure shifted.

"They’re here," warned Scott, turning toward the center of the plaza.

A space-time distortion flared, and a young man clad in violet armor materialized before them. The newcomer glanced around and looked upward; the Federation ship floated in the sky, but every guard lay on the ground, bleeding from Stephen’s earlier roar.

Noticing Scott and Stephen’s regenerating body, the young man spoke in a polite manner.

"Pardon me, do you happen to know where Elder Vane is?" asked the young man in violet armor. "I received a distress call from him."

"Not really," said Scott with a look of innocence. "Who is Elder Vane?"

The young man offered a smile and tilted his head.

"Are you sure you don’t wish to cooperate?" asked the young man. "We are very polite, but we can get serious in certain cases."

"Not at all, we would never offend a member of the Federation," said Scott, shrugging. "We truly don’t know where he is."

The young man in the violet armor regarded them with calmness. He glanced around at the ruined surroundings, realizing he didn’t recognize the place. His usual operations were based in Europe, so he had no idea which corner of the globe he had been deployed to after answering the distress call.

"One moment, please," requested the young man.

He reached to the side of his thigh guard and pulled out a tactical tablet. Adjusting the screen, he raised the device to eye level and began scanning both Scott and Stephen’s body from head to toe.