Noah was surprised by the coldness and severity in Ezequiel's voice, but those that had known him from before the birth of the Daybreak Universe, like Roku, found it very normal.
"You are still as cruel as always, Ezequiel." Roku showed a small smile as he uttered those words before turning toward Noah.
"Brat, no one is harsher when it comes to cultivation than Invictus, but that is because he uses himself as a guideline. And other than your father and maybe the Revenge Thearch, no one can match his crazy work ethic."
When Noah heard that, he remembered the birth of some of the greatest legends of the Neo-Demon Race, the Sky Breakers. They had to survive a battle against the Emptiness Thearch to earn that title.
Initially, he thought that it was an exaggeration, but as he felt Ezequiel's sharp and merciless aura, he realized they really put their lives on the line during that epic battle.
Ezequiel's eyes narrowed for a moment as he analyzed his next step.
"The preliminaries will begin in two months and last a year and a half. Since you are part of one of the Sacred Powers of the Daybreak Universe, there is no need for you to take part in it. I will use that time to train you, and you will rise to a level worthy of Master's bloodline."
Noah felt his entire body tremble as he heard those words and felt their severity. Due to his background, everybody would think twice before even harboring negative feelings against him. Yet, he knew that Invictus was a special case since his status was second to none in the Daybreak Universe.
"Can I also take part in the training?"
As Noah wondered what kind of hellish training he would face, a voice echoed through the room. He looked to the side and saw Sirik staring at Ezequiel.
There were silver flames in Sirik's eyes as he focused on Ezequiel. He did not know if his words would be considered disrespectful, but there was no doubt that if he lost this opportunity, he would always regret it.
Roku was surprised by his son's words, yet a smile full of pride appeared on his face the next second. He then turned toward Ezequiel and gave this one a meaningful glance.
Noah clenched his fist as he saw the determination in Sirik's eyes. His talent was greater in every aspect, but this one showed a determination born on the battlefield, something that he lacked.
Ezequiel's eyes move between Roku and Sirik.
"Technically, a Nightmare Kingdom is not a Sacred Power, but your foundation is flawless, so there is no need for you to take part in the preliminaries. I will train you."
After that, Ezequiel turned toward Noah, and his face grew cold again.
"You don't have a choice in this matter."
Noah only nodded and did not say a word. If he were to try to refute it, he would only be embarrassing himself. Besides, seeing Sirik's determination made his fighting spirit burst.
Ezequiel opened his mouth, allowing a drop of golden blood so heavy that it could twist space-time to emerge. In less than a second, the drop of blood transformed into a copy of the Emptiness Thearch.
Noah and Sirik focused on the avatar and were shocked to see that despite being born of a single drop of blood, none could measure its full power.
Before the duo could say a word, Ezequiel's avatar waved his hand, and the trio vanished.
Once they were alone, Roku adopted a serious expression as he focused on the wound in Ezequiel's body.
"What type of entity did that to you?"
Unlike Noah's frantic response, Roku spoke calmly and addressed the subject objectively, not letting his emotions get in the way.
No matter what life forms outside of the Nightmare Inferno Realm thought of the Nightmare Kings, the truth was that they were all in the same boat. A threat to the Daybreak Universe was something all had to face together.
Ezequiel would not share information about his trips with just anyone, but Roku was one of the greatest warriors of the Daybreak Universe, so he had the right to know.
"It was a strange hive that I encountered near an anomaly in the Emptiness. It was composed of trillions of life forms, all working as a single mind. It had roughly ten Fake Rank 10 life forms and one True Rank 10."
Roku and the other two powerhouses from the Nightmare Inferno Realm adopted solemn expressions. That level of power surpassed the might of the old Alpha Universe!
The Emptiness was genuinely terrifying, and an average Rank 10 life form would only be asking for death if they went too deep into it.
"There is no need to be afraid. Although the hive teamwork is incredible, the individual power of its Rank 10 life forms are mediocre. This wound was due to my carelessness.
I searched the soul of one of those Fake Rank 10 and faced the full mental power of the hive, paralyzing me for a moment.
After I recover, Venganza and I will march to the hive. Our combined powers will be enough to kill all of them. Worst case scenario, we will run."
Ezequiel did not look down on the threat, but neither did he take it as an existential crisis. He knew how strong he and the Revenge Thearch were.
If any of them were to face Endless Darkness right now, they could kill that man!
"Since everything is under control, I will not bother you anymore and leave you to your healing." Roku nodded toward Ezequiel before leaving with the other two powerhouses.
Ezequiel saw the trio leave and focused on the silver swarm around his wound. Although they were small, he could see that it was composed of billions of tiny creatures smaller than cells with a wolf's head and draconic body.
Those creatures devoured the Fourth Realm's force that infected Ezequiel's tissues, helping him recover. Many rotted after consuming the foul energy, but some endured and adapted, growing even stronger than before dividing and giving birth to new creatures.
Ezequiel showed a radiant smile as he saw the growth of Entropy. After dozens of thousands of years of development, the Sanctus Battle Beast had become a Rank 10 life form.
