BOOOOOOOOM!
As Alexander said before, the timing was perfect.
Perfectly against everything he wanted.
He stepped in and slammed into the Nox, throwing him back towards Alucard and Commander Huo.
At the same time, those two men finished off the Nox clones they were facing and turned around to rush towards the younger group to save them.
However, what they found was a Nox clone conveniently flying at their faces for them to kill!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
The origin of those sounds didn't need to be mentioned.
Once the two of them understood the situation, they saved the questioning for later and directly destroyed the Nox clone with their combined strength, not giving it a single opportunity to counterattack.
And that was how the battle ended.
The four original members of the party regrouped, while Alexander stayed with his back leaned against the entrance wall.
It was clear they needed to mourn the loss of those two men who died, and while he wanted to use this moment to run away, Damien was clear on the personalities of these four.
The second he put on a mysterious facade, they'd use their information networks to dig up every tidbit recorded about him throughout the universe.
If people of their status took actions like that, those watching them would also become aware of Alexander's presence, and it would blow up into something beyond his control.
So he waited for them to finish dealing with personal matters and greet him.
Eventually, they did, with Alucard at the head.
"First and foremost, I am Alucard, an instructor from Hidden Death Valley. We sincerely thank you for your aid in this matter."
Alucard stepped up and gave a formal bow of respect towards a man he considered at his same level, suppressing his curiosity for now.
"Hmm…"
Alexander looked at each of them before turning his eyes back to Alucard.
In their eyes, he was scrutinizing them arrogantly, but in his mind…
'Wow…instructor, huh? Did this guy grow into his position insanely fast, or is he lying to me right now?'
According to what he knew, Alucard had been the leader of Hidden Death Valley for far longer than what he claimed, but that was beside the point.
'Oooh, wait…maybe he's here as an Avatar?'
Logically, it made much more sense.
"Ah, right. You can call me Alexander, and it's not a problem. I was just passing by."
His words were a bit strained, mainly due to the embarrassment of realizing he had sunken into thought while they were waiting for his response, but again, that was beside the point.
"Alexander…? I apologize if I come off as rude, but I haven't heard your name before. Are you perhaps from a different domain?"
As expected, Alucard was suspicious of his origins and strength.
The fact that he didn't show any reaction to the words "Hidden Death Valley" was also quite suspicious, since the reputation of their academy more than just preceded them.
"Considering your status, even if I was from a different domain, you would know me, no?" Alexander said with a slight smile.
"I understand your reason for probing me, but it isn't what you're thinking. I just prefer to keep my name hidden. Maybe you've heard the name Long Chen?"
As always, Damien used the name of his trusty friend who he hadn't seen for so long as cover!
He couldn't avoid the Dimensional Leaderboard. If he wanted to get stronger faster, its Mystic Realms and Challenge Gates were the perfect opportunity.
It was entirely possible for one to be registered on the leaderboard as a title instead of their true name, just as the Saint King was, but 99.99% of people didn't do this.
For one, the Dimensional Leaderboard was a way to get one's name recognized on a universal scale, which, in most cases, would give way to many paths that would otherwise be impossible to someone without status or reputation.
Secondly, there was no way to verify if one's accomplishments were truly theirs if they were registered under a false name, since the Dimensional Leaderboard didn't possess any sort of "account" system.
And thirdly, the most amusing reason, was that giving oneself a title was quite embarrassing.
To come to fame with a title one created personally and be forced to endure the shame of that act once one was known wasn't something anyone was willing to do.
One could imagine if Damien had to introduce himself to every new person as "Heaven's Wrath" or "Demon God" because that was how he presented himself when he was unknown to understand just an inkling of that embarrassment.
For Alexander, however, it was a matter of convenience. He didn't use something embarrassing like a title, but instead chose a pseudonym he could pass off as his own name.
This way, while he steadily climbed the rankings at a pace that didn't make him stand out, he had a way to back his identity in the case of a situation like this one.
Such was the benefit of being able to see the future!
Nevertheless, once "Long Chen" was mentioned, Alucard understood Alexander's intent and immediately checked the Dimensional Leaderboard ranking, reacting in surprise the next moment.
"To think there was someone of your caliber who went unnoticed for this long!" He exclaimed.
"It was intentional, so it's not that surprising," Alexander responded in a dull tone.
"Regardless, it is a ranking in the top 1000! If it wasn't for you being over the age restriction, I'm sure several people would have been searching for this 'Long Chen' by now."
Alexander smiled.
Yes, that was the perfect plan he came up with.
He steadily raided Mystic Realms and reaped rewards, but right before he reached a point where eyes would be directed at him, he went over the age of 500!
His name was etched into the Legacy Board, but it was barely visible amidst the countless names around the same position.
"I truly hope we can become friends, however, it seems you do not feel the same," Alucard continued with a wry smile.
"Indeed, I've been trying my best to hide myself, you know? If it wasn't for this extraneous situation, you wouldn't have seen a hint of me for a couple thousand more years."
"That is…oddly specific."
"Consider it a hint."
"A hint at…?"
"If I told you that, it wouldn't be a hint anymore, would it?"
As the two conversed, Luciel and Lucifer kept their eyes peeled as if they were trying to discover every little piece of information about this strange man that they could.
In reality, they were older than their strength gave them credit for.
They'd been alive since the previous Great War, and had even participated in it.
However, because of suspicions about the Nox's potential return, they purposefully suppressed their strength and chose not to increase their levels.
Because if the Nox truly came back, there needed to be strong people who could still fight on the frontlines, unlike the Demigods who were forced to sit still and watch as chaos ensued.
It was incredibly fascinating for them to find an existence like Alexander who they couldn't read, and Damien knew that as well.
To drive their curiosity just a bit more, to give them some motivation to become the figures he expected them to become, he intentionally veiled his aura in just the right amount of mystery.
Yet again, he was acting for the sake of his amusement.
But his conversation with Alucard still continued productively.
He managed to gain their favor, as well as a promise that his identity wouldn't be revealed or investigated.
And afterward, he agreed to join them on the rest of their expedition.
After all, while the Nox being was destroyed, his presence hinted at a far grander scheme.
Not just concerning the owner of the labyrinth, but also a potential experimental Nox force being created within the universe's bounds.
No matter what, it needed to be found and destroyed.
Even Damien agreed on this much.
Though, he wasn't that concerned.
Because while this was a problem in the current era, it wasn't prevalent at all in the future…
…or was it?
