"…"
Varian's brows knit together at the three pairs of eager eyes gazing at him.
One thing led to another and he was now in a team with ranks 1, 2, and 3.
So, the three of them were assigned a single room in the spaceship to discuss things before the hunt.
However, the three of them kept staring at him like he was a rare zoo creature.
Added to this was the fact that all other teams had already left. They were the last ones.
So, Varian couldn't even ask for a team change.
"I think you don't even need a team, but I want to fight alongside you and witness your true strength." Osbert said with glimmering eyes.
Vela's and Trak's eyes also shone.
'True strength? Did it hit level 8 yet?' Varian wondered.
Crossing a level sounded dangerous. But no level 7 was able to give him a challenge.
The reason he collapsed after fighting the giant wolf was due to exhaustion.
Clearing eleven floors took around a week and he did it in a day.
'If I fight Joshua and Osbert, the strongest level 7s in the current level 7s, I can gauge my strength.'
That way, he'd get a proper idea of how strong his strength was.
Seeing the silent abyssal, Trak felt it was a pity. "Hey, if only Prince Ron gave you the herb…"
"What are you saying? He earned it after so much hard work." Vella shot him a glare.
"Didn't he say it himself? Var's condition makes it harder for him to clear the bottlenecks. The final bottleneck is the hardest, I just think he should be prioritized for the herb." Trak didn't back down.
Vella shook her head. "It's up to him. Even archduke Mendis can't force him."
Her words poured cold water on Trak's enthusiasm as he sighed deeply. "Yeah. His father really was a hero for him for archduke to even think of forcing."
'Hero?'
For some reason, that word coming out abyssals prickled Varian, and a frown emerged on his face.
"Oh?" Osbert noticed the detail and raised a brow. "Don't tell me you don't know…"
Var nodded.
Former Rank 10 on the Dark Tower, Travis.
Even though he heard others praising Ron's father, he had no idea who he actually was.
The abyssals also used aliases and humans usually didn't know their real names.
"Woah." Osbert's eyes widened from his honest answer and he tapped his bracelet.
A hologram popped up, showing the figure of an abyssal in light armor.
Next to him were rows and rows of text in abyssee.
Varian's eyes scanned the text as Osbert explained.
"Once he reached level 7, his exploits skyrocketed. He led many missions on the planetoids. But the inflection point in his career is—"
Varian's gaze froze on a particular spot and his eyes widened.
"Purple Demon." Osbert's words were like a hammer driving the nail into his bones.
Varian clenched his fists and read the text again.
> Purple Demon:
Ten years ago, Travis played a major role in the major battle on the planetoid Purple Sky and stalled the reinforcements.
Using this gap, our side was able to redraw the borders of the planetoid and occupy several critical locations…
'I…'
Varian's body cooled down as if he stepped into ice.
It was the same year his father died.
'Even if the reinforcements were a minute early, we could've saved him.'
The words of the soldier who brought his father's death news to his mother echoed in his mind.
'D-Dad….'
Varian's chest grew heavy.
"V-Var?" Osbert called out in concern.
Varian no longer answered him and closed his eyes.
*** *** ***
The Xanders were some of the best warriors in humanity.
The top three Xanders in the hunting list were even more so.
They were monsters among monsters who slaughtered fifteen abyss princes.
Now, the trio was staring at an abyssal base across the large border.
"Kai, make sure you send us right into the meeting room." A man fiddling with a sword said.
Even though he appeared sloppy, his stance was perfect and he was ready to attack and defend at the slightest notice.
"There will be ten commanders in the meeting room." A woman with purple hair said.
"You might die. Then, I can move up a ranking." Her cold expression made one wonder if she was joking or being serious.
"Just you, bitch? You're still ranked below me." The swordsman, however, made it absolutely clear that he meant what he said.
"…Limp dicked bastard." The cold woman spat without mercy.
"Purple bitch." The swordman narrowed his eyes.
The third Xander looked down at them with a serious gaze and said.
"If you two weren't fighting for the last mission, we'd have killed five more abyssals."
"…"
"…"
The Space Witch: Kai Xander, the Sword Prince: Axel Xander paused and stared at the tall man.
"Even though you're stronger than me, you don't have the right to order me around." Axel snorted.
"When you're addressing me, put away your commanding tone." The purple-haired woman said with a tone of disgust.
Joshua Xander frowned but didn't reply.
His brothers and sisters had high talent and strength, but higher egos.
That's why they weren't given commanding roles and were only allowed to be leaders of a five-member team most of the time.
Since the circumstances were special, Joshua agreed to work with them.
'That damn abyssal, he killed five princes back to back. Now, we're really on the edge of losing our footing.' He was furious at the new abyssal prince.
If they didn't balance out the damage that the prince was causing, then sooner or later, the level 7 abyssals would overwhelm the human level 7s and the order of the whole planetoids would shift.
'I need to work with them, somehow.'
Suppressing his natural voice, Joshua spoke to the Space Witch in a rather subdued tone. "After we're teleported, we'll try to kill all the ten commanders. But if someone escapes, you—"
"I know, I know. I'll take care of them." Kai Xander waved her hand dismissively.
"And Axel, cooperate with me, that's the best way we can finish the—"
"I can take care of them by myself." Axel gripped his sword and snorted.
Joshua frowned and stopped talking. He tried his best, but they just weren't listening.
He could only hope that they were successful in killing at least five commanders before they could call for reinforcements.
And before reinforcements could arrive, they'd have to finish the next five.
"Alright, I'm sending you in." Kai's space power enveloped them.
'I hope everything goes well.' Joshua looked at the purple sky.
*** *** ***
Ron couldn't get the ranking list out of his mind.
The scene where Var's name etched itself as rank 1 continued to play in an endless loop.
'I…'
Ron gritted his teeth and took out a silver sheet.
With a stiff arm, he poured his chi into the silver sheet and started to write.
The short message was finished in a few minutes and he attached the silver sheet to a wooden box.
He looked out of the window and glanced at the two suns.
"Rui, I…"
[Attention! Two commanders are assassinated! The rest are fighting for their lives! We need reinforcements! Now!]
Ron jolted out of his seat and put the box into his storage ring.
He glanced at the map and realized they were very close to the planetoid the message came from.
Originally, it was a planetoid they were supposed to pass by. But since they were close, they were also given the message.
So…
Slamming the emergency button, Ron yelled.
[Emergency Support Deployment!]
In the mission room, Osbert, Vella and Trak were taken aback.
[Planetoid: Purple Sky]
Varian's eyes shot open.
'Purple Sky'
…Where it all began.
'I will give it a proper ending.'
