“Shin is nothing like you!” Before the young man could fall into a pit of despair, a sharp sonorous voice echoed out in the ravine. Shin glanced over his shoulders, only to see a gorgeous blonde woman sparkle in the misty air. “Shin tries to save as many lives as he can! Whenever he’s forced to kill someone, he despairs! Whenever he fails to save an innocent soul, he cries! There’s no way Shin could be compared to a monster like you!”

Being his Master, Lady Seph had witnessed Shin’s growth from a young child. Shin hated conflict but was always the first one to take up his arms. Shin loved to laze around but had turned more hardworking than anyone she ever knew. Shin was a kind and noble soul, but his soul was tainted by the cruel world that the Allfather had put him through. Although Shin wanted to reach the Immortal Realm, it wasn’t by a selfish desire like the Allfather’s. He didn’t care if his name was remembered by future generations. All he wanted… was to meet his loved ones at the Eternal Burning Tree.

“You’re just a sick fossil that can’t get over the fact that he’s not talented enough!” The blonde beauty continued to spew venomous words at the conductor of chaos.

“Talent? HAHAHAHA!!! Maybe you’re right! I’m not talented enough!” The cloaked figure took the insult with a hearty laugh. “But so are the other relics that failed to surpass me! Ever since Dream had ascended, more and more humans awakened their Spirits, but none of them had reached Rank 99! The quantity of Spirit Users had increased, but the quality had dipped drastically! Even the Himmel brat that’s destroying my Gate of Hell now, he peaked at Rank 96 with no hope of ever surpassing that level!”

The Allfather had lived long enough to roughly estimate all of his peer’s maximum potential. None of the current eleven Spirit Saints, not the Himmel Ancestor, not Saint Longyu Tian… None of them had the potential of matching the overwhelming power of the Allfather. On the other hand, the younger generation was a different story…

“Look at where my plans have brought you! Shin Iofiel… Kanari Saniela… Isadore Himmel... Shizen Dundlewoods… Suji Lasgeor… Lukman Ramal... Brahmadhvaja Kittichat... Sierra Glynrel… Meijing Bingying… Jingyu Taiyi… All of these youngsters have shown growth that was unheard of since I arrived! Because of the Black Masks, because of my plans to infest the world with Umbras and Payircis, all of you have surpassed your previous generation!”

The Allfather listed the names of the world’s brightest prospects. Some may call them Luminaries, others, geniuses… However, there was one thing for certain about all those names listed. They were certain to write their names into the history books, forever becoming legends of their respective nations.

And… The Allfather was right. Without the constant pressure of the Black Masks, there was no guarantee that any of those geniuses would have become the dominant forces that they were. Yes, they would have grown to become talent Spirit Emperors or even breakthrough into the Spirit Venerate realm. However, because of the constant warring period that the world was in, those geniuses had to tirelessly train and battle, improving their overall abilities by the day. Shin was the best example. If not for Junius’ betrayal, perhaps he would still be living happily on Frie Mountain with Ariel, and due to his innate laziness, Shin’s cultivation would have most likely stalled.

“See Shin… It was never personal. I don’t have any grudges against you or the ones you loved. It’s just… At my level, there isn’t anyone that could possibly help me grow one final time… At my level, there’s not a single person on the planet that could challenge me, helping me attain the final piece of the enigmatic puzzle! I needed to create despair… I needed to create conflict around the world, just to force a genius like you to rise above the ashes!!!”

At this point, the Allfather had thrown caution into the wind. He explained everything. His motivations for sending the world to chaos. The real reason why he killed millions without shedding a single tear. In his eyes… There was only the goal. Anything else were just distractions and useless props for attaining said goal. Even…

‘Wait, something isn’t right!’ Shin exclaimed inwardly as his mind spun rapidly out of control. Junius’ last words entered his head as numerous reports he’d read resurfaced.

“Shin Iofiel, I need you to-”

“No… You’re leaving something out...” Shin shook his head, interjecting into the Allfather’s monologue. He did his best to keep a calm and collected head to do what he did best… Analysis. “The Nine Coloured Noble Beasts… They are the apex predators of the Uncharted Wilderness… They are the beasts that reign above all mortals. Why are they serving you if your goal was to simply break into the Immortal Realm? Why are those proud creatures lowering their heads to a mere human?”

“...” It was the Allfather’s turn to stay silent. He hadn’t expected Shin to change the subject that abruptly.

“There must be some sort of quid pro quo involved… Something that is of equivalent value to their years of servitude...” Shin’s eyes flickered wildly as he looked straight into the Allfather’s hood. There was nothing but darkness, one that would frighten the living daylights out of any mortal’s soul, but Shin endured it. He wasn’t just a mere boy dancing around in the palms of another any more. Now… He was a King on equal footing as the Allfather.

“You… Promised them eternity… You promised them eternal life, a ticket into the Immortal Realm!” Shin shouted his hypothesis with conviction. “That’s why you’ve been amassing resources! That’s why you attack the Land of Dreams, to figure out the clue that Spirit Immortal Dream had left behind! You’re trying to build one final Heaven’s Gate!”

“...” Once Shin’s screams quietened down, the canyon turned pin-drop silence. If he strained his ears enough, Shin could most definitely hear the rapidly beating heartbeats of his fellow companions, all of whom were stunned by the young Prince’s theory. The Allfather wasn’t just trying to manufacture a rival that could match him… He was also… Attempting to open Heaven’s Gate.

There was a long pause of eerie silence. No one dared to breathe a single word until the Allfather responded… And respond he did...

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!” The cloaked shadow unleashed the most deafening laugh that Shin had ever heard. The facade of the world’s strongest being was broken down, making the Rank 99 Spirit Saint seem so… human.

“Hah...” It took a while for the Allfather to stop his chortle. A full minute to be exact. Evidently, it has been a long time since the almighty being felt such an experience. “You’re really something else… I can see why Junius was so adamant about bringing you over to my side...”

“So you don’t deny it?” Shin shot back with his own query.

“Hmph, you brat...” The Allfather’s tone turned rather friendly or to be more precise… A little more like a mischievous uncle who had watched his nephew grow up. “I guess I shouldn’t share any more of my plans with you, huh? You’ve already wrecked three of my phases if I explain anymore... You’ll probably ruin everything.”

“... That’s what I plan to do in the first place.”

“Plan to try,” the Allfather corrected the young man. “I have lived far longer than you, child. I know secrets that you wouldn’t even dare dream about. I’ve seen horrors that no one else in the world could ever comprehend. If you think that you can outsmart me again… You’re under a huge misunderstanding...”

The shadowy smoke began to fade slowly as the Hofuku’s presence started to wane. Without his mana to latch on, the Allfather’s will was already beginning to dissipate. In just a few more seconds, the meeting between Shin and the man responsible for the greatest crimes known to history would finally come to an end.

Shin clenched his fists, digging deep into the bottom of his palms. Blood dripped down his fingers as his serene azure eyes turned completely bloodshot.

“Allfather… I swear to the Immortals above… I will kill you… I will kill you for everything that you’ve done to the world… I’ll kill you for everything you’ve done to Junius and my family...”

The hooded shadow stopped. It wasn’t the first time that the Allfather had faced a threat. The number of people who cursed him daily were as abundant as the grass that grew on the ground. However, the powerful figure never paid the threats any heed. After all, why would a Lion care about the displeasure of some ants?

But this was different… From the moment the Allfather appeared in front of Shin, he had considered the man his equal. Or at the very least, the one with the most potential to become his rival. With Junius dead, all of Shin’s discontent… All of his anger… was now directed at the Allfather himself.

Shin couldn’t see it, but somewhere in the Black Masks most defended and secretive base, a smile broke out on the Allfather’s face. He had been living for about six hundred years now, and his emotions had been toughened up centuries ago. There wasn’t much that could excite him in this world. However, Shin’s declaration of war had set off something primal in the man’s old body… The Allfather could feel… The overwhelming desire to battle.

‘That’s it… That’s what I wanted, no... needed to feel...’

The Allfather chuckled. Soon the will that he’d left behind would completely leave the Hofuku. As much as he wanted to stay and converse with this future rival of his, there was no time left. However, before he left, there was one last thing that the Allfather had to do…

“Shin Iofiel, before I leave, let me correct a misunderstanding of yours.”

“...” Shin didn’t reply and simply glared at the flickering shadow.

“My power is purely made from the Darkness-Element. I can’t control the Mind-Element at all.”

“What are you-?” Just as Shin was about to question that sudden shift in topic, alarm bells started ringing in his head. There was no way that his sharp mind was unable to unravel what the Allfather was trying to say…

“All of the Black Masks… All of the humans that joined me… They had been baptised of their own volition. I had never brainwashed any of them. Those that become brainless Dalits were just too weak to withstand my baptism.”

“You can’t mean...”

“That’s right!” The Allfather chortled. “From the start, Junius and the other Black Masks weren’t brainwashed by me. They purely sought out power to achieve their dreams, even if it meant selling their soul to the devil.”

As the shadow continued to dissipate, Shin’s jaw continued to hang. Greatly amused, the Allfather put some volume to the final words that would ring in the Illusory Canyon.

“Remember this, Shin Iofiel… No matter how righteous the human. No matter how good they think they are… No matter how much good they do... In the end… Humans are just...”

The cloaked shadow had turned into a puff of dark smoke and disappeared entirely. However, the Allfather’s voice still remained. That last sentence that would reverberate in Shin’s consciousness from this day to the end of his days echoed through the soulless ravine.

“Animals...”