Neo’s thoughts churned as he watched the Sphinx.
‘Veldora told me the names of Grim Reaper.’
‘Tree of Tyranny is Typhaon’s title after he became the 81st ranked Grim Reaper.’
‘From what Sphinx said, Typhaon knows Daniel wanted to save me, but Typhaon never revealed this to Sphinx.’
Was Typhaon hiding the news to protect Neo?
His train of thought broke when the Sphinx clapped its hands once.
“Seems like you are not him. It’s all water under the bridge then,” the Sphinx said. “Oh, and don’t worry, the thing about me having a task for you was real.”
Neo nodded.
After receiving his confirmation, the Sphinx shifted its stance and returned to the topic for which it had summoned Neo.
“I want you to do a task for me, and I will answer three questions for you.”
“What’s the task?”
“This,” the Sphinx replied, snapping its fingers.
A giant hologram appeared between them.
Neo raised his brow slightly as he looked at the scene.
It showed an apocalypse.
The sea surrounding the Luminera continent had turned red, overtaken by the Blood Sea.
Waves of crimson liquid crashed against the shores.
The Blood Sea had reached the land, and monstrous creatures emerged from its depths.
They invaded the continent.
Chaos unfolded on the hologram; cities burned. Smoke billowed into the sky, and the anguished cries of the people seemed almost audible.
The ground was littered with bodies, and rivers of blood flowed through the streets.
A war raged on all corners of the continent, with heavy casualties mounting.
Cities fell every day.
No matter how many monsters were defeated, more emerged from the Blood Sea.
Their numbers seemed to be endless.
“All of those monsters are at least Paragon-rank. It’s a sight that will occur in the near future.”
The Sphinx stared at the hologram.
“It’s the era of Blood Sea War. Soon the peace of our continent will shatter, and chaos will engulf everyone.”
It lowered its head and locked eyes with Neo.
A sly smile appeared on the Sphinx’s face, seeing Neo’s composed demeanor.
“You seem quite calm. Have you seen a similar situation before, or did you know something like this would happen in the future?”
“I’m plenty shocked,” he lied. Read exclusive adventures at My Virtual Library Empire
The Sphinx’s smile deepened.
Before it could try to find cracks in his lies, Neo changed the topic.
“What’s the task? I doubt you want to save the continent.
“If that was your goal, you would’ve informed the Senators, not me, who is an Empyrean Demigod,” Neo said.
“Oh, please, both of us know you are far stronger than an Empyrean.
“And you are right and wrong about other things too.”
The Sphinx cleared its throat exaggeratedly before continuing.
“Firstly, yes, my goal isn’t to save the continent.
“Secondly, no, even if my goal was to save the continent, I would have approached you before others,” the Sphinx explained.
“Why?” Neo questioned.
“Because others would ask me for something in return for saving the continent,” the Sphinx explained with a snicker.
“Why should they save the continent? Unless I give them a reward, I doubt they would move.
“You, on the other hand, are different.
“I mean, you want a reward too, but your ‘cost-efficiency’ is better than other Senators,” the Sphinx said.
“Cost efficiency?” Neo questioned.
“Think of it like this: I get more returns with you when I give you a reward than the returns I get from other Senators.”
Neo was limitless potential personified.
By the time a normal Demigod reached Empyrean rank, they would have undergone two major evolutions.
Neo, on the other hand, underwent four major evolutions since he had two traits, unlike others who had only one trait.
He was far stronger than any demigod of his rank.
When adding his strength as a Heavenbreaker to everything else, it only made him more unfathomable.
“Your traits are at Empyrean rank and only a bit away from Paragon-rank.
“When they evolve again, you would become as strong as a new Exalted Demigod.
“This is just the beginning for you.
“Your strength will go beyond Exalted rank when your Ascension ranks increase.
“On top of that, with your True Darkness Concept, you can gain more traits, and…
“Well, you get the gist of it.
“You have a higher chances of stopping the Blood Sea War than other Senators, as long as I provide you with enough materials to nourish your growth,” the Sphinx explained.
“But your goal isn’t to stop the Blood Sea War,” Neo pointed out. “What’s the task you want to give me?”
“I can’t tell you that until you promise me that you will accept it.”
“I can’t accept it without knowing what it is.”
“Fair enough,” the Sphinx nodded. “How about this? I will explain to you the basics of what I want, and I will give you one answer.
“After that, you must make a choice.”
Neo frowned.
The conditions seemed too generous, and he knew better than to trust the Sphinx at face value.
“Go on. I’m listening.”
“Those monsters you saw in the hologram. I want you to go to their homeland and do something there for me.”
“I need to go inside the Blood Sea?” Neo asked.
“Not the Blood Sea. They are from another place.”
Neo’s mind raced as he thought about the Sphinx’s words.
‘All of the monsters that appeared during the Blood Sea War would be Paragon rank at the minimum.’
‘That means their homeland is filled with strong monsters.’
He had been searching for a place like that to train.
Sphinx’s offer was a heaven-sent.
Despite the favorable conditions, Neo maintained his composure.
He remained calm instead of jumping on the offer.
“I will think about it if you give me an answer to one of the three questions.”
“I see. I see.” The Sphinx nodded repeatedly with a playful expression. “What question do you want an answer to?”
“I can choose the question?”
“Of course not! Hahahaha!”
The Sphinx threw its head back and laughed.
Watching it like this made Neo recall why he never liked the Sphinx.
“Give me the answer already.”
“Okay.”
The Sphinx disappeared.
“Your parents.”
Its voice echoed in the empty hall, bouncing off the ceilings and the walls.
“Their reincarnations are alive, and you have met them in the present already.”
…
Senator Nicolas’ Mansion, Eryndale City, Eryndor Country
The mansion exuded an air of wealth and power.
The drawing room was no less magnificent, with luxurious furniture and a crackling fireplace casting a warm glow against the deep burgundy walls.
A crystal chandelier hung above, illuminating the space with a soft, golden light.
A man seemingly in his forties sat on the plush sofa.
He had white hair and a thick beard.
A scar ran over his left eye up to his chin, leaving him partially blind.
His expression was stern, reflecting years of experience.
“Why are you here?” the man, Senator Nicolas, asked the ‘young man’ sitting in front of him.
“To talk about the Inheritor of Death,” the young man answered with a smile.
Despite his carefree demeanor, the air around him seemed to tremble every time he spoke.
“Directly to the point,” Nicolas scoffed.
He took a sip of the tea and placed it down on the table.
The steam from the tea curled into the air, dissipating slowly.
“What about him?”
“He insulted your disciple twice. Aren’t you going to do anything about him?” the young man asked, leaning slightly backward.