As Graxios was lost in thought, Balversa took his seat, followed by the Elder Council members.
With a face full of intrigue, Balversa spoke.
“I came because it seems you’re discussing the general assembly.”
“I see,” Sterun replied, his expression uneasy.
Graxios smiled. “Perfect timing. Will you support the assembly?”
Sterun’s faction didn’t need to agree.
Balversa and the Elder Council’s approval alone would secure the majority needed to convene the assembly.
“What’s it about?” Balversa asked.
“I’m afraid I can’t share that yet,” Graxios replied.
It was a lie. The topic could be revealed—it wasn’t the issue. The real goal was the assembly itself: gathering the top leaders.
That goal was already achieved.
Graxios withheld the topic to buy time until Gaon arrived.
Balversa let out a low hum.
At that moment, a mage behind Sterun whispered to him again.
Sterun’s face flashed with surprise, then confusion. Graxios raised an eyebrow.
What’s this?
He’d assumed it was about Gaon, but Sterun’s reaction suggested otherwise.
Balversa, too, focused on Sterun, who then turned to Graxios.
“Who did you give the special inspection plaque to?” Sterun asked.
The Elder Council members stirred.
“He transferred the plaque?”
“What does this mean?”
“Even with control over the inspection bureau, the special plaque…”
Balversa raised a hand, silencing them, and addressed Sterun.
“Transferred the plaque? Are you saying the Vice Tower Master did this?”
“Yes,” Sterun confirmed. “The directors of Training Halls 6 and 3, the southern park manager, and others have gone missing—each after meeting someone with the special inspection plaque.
Since Graxios is here, he must have given it to someone.”
All eyes turned to Graxios—intense gazes from powerful figures in the tower.
The pressure was immense, but Graxios remained unfazed, meeting their stares calmly. The situation’s worse than I thought.
Gaon had said he’d kill betrayers, and Graxios had wondered who they were.
Now, unexpected names were surfacing.
Before he could respond, Sterun continued.
“The issue is… the Starlight Grand Library Director also vanished after meeting someone with the plaque.”
“…!”
Graxios couldn’t hide his shock.
Delpa, a betrayer?
Delpa’s disappearance after meeting Gaon meant Gaon had dealt with him, implying betrayal.
The problem? Delpa wasn’t part of Sterun’s faction but Balversa’s Elder Council.
“Is that true?” Balversa asked Sterun, his face hardening.
“Yes, it’s the latest report,” Sterun nodded.
Balversa turned to Graxios. “Vice Tower Master, what’s going on?” His voice dripped with anger.
Graxios paused, meeting Balversa’s cold gaze. He didn’t answer, instead sinking into thought.
Could the Great Elder be involved?
Delpa was Balversa’s longtime ally. Were they unconnected?
Or was Balversa a betrayer too?
Perhaps Delpa, like Baos, had infiltrated the Elder Council as a spy.
Countless possibilities swirled in his mind.
“Vice Tower Master! Silence won’t resolve this!” Balversa’s anger erupted.
At that moment, the door creaked open. Graxios flinched.
He’d expanded his senses to stay alert, monitoring the entrance.
Nothing had registered, yet the door opened—not on its own.
Only one being could evade his senses in this situation.
Graxios looked at the entrance and grinned broadly.
As expected, Gaon walked in.
Graxios observed Balversa and Sterun.
They, too, had heard the door and flinched, now staring at Gaon with contrasting expressions: Balversa with disbelief, Sterun with dismay.
Their reactions told Graxios much.
They both knew. It wasn’t surprising—Gaon hadn’t hidden his actions, and given their intelligence networks, they’d likely known of his return.
Graxios glanced at the others—Sterun’s faction and the Elder Council members.
Their reactions mirrored Balversa and Sterun’s: silent, staring at Gaon.
Gaon strode forward under countless gazes, stopping before Graxios.
Graxios, already standing, bowed respectfully. “Well done.”
“It was more than I expected,” Gaon replied, placing the special inspection plaque on the table. He turned to Sterun.
I wasn’t mistaken. Surprisingly, Sterun bore no seal. Did he not take it?
That didn’t mean he wasn’t a betrayer.
Most of Sterun’s faction mages bore seals, and prior information strongly suggested his betrayal.
Why, though?
Sterun, Reudi’s first disciple, had immense talent and status. What could drive him to betray?
If he’s not a betrayer… Though evidence pointed to betrayal, what if he wasn’t? I’ll find out.
Gaon turned to Balversa.
Relatively clean. Only two in his group bore seals, but that didn’t mean the rest were innocent—some might be unsealed, like Sterun.
What to do… Gaon pondered.
The betrayers here held significant influence.
Their sudden disappearance would cause chaos.
Not that he’d spare them for that reason. As he remained silent, the room stayed quiet, everyone watching him cautiously.
The silence broke—not by Gaon, Sterun, Graxios, or Balversa.
“Is that really Gaon?” a young elder whispered to another, his voice soft but echoing in the stillness.
He froze, swallowing hard.
Gaon, finishing his thoughts, responded. “Yes, I’m that Gaon.” He turned to Graxios. “Is a Level 1 emergency as I remember it?”
“Yes,” Graxios confirmed.
“Declare it now.”
“…Only the Tower Master can declare a Level 1 emergency,” Graxios said.
“If the Tower Master is absent, the Vice Tower Master can, right?”
“…!” Graxios was stunned, as were others.
“Gaon! What do you mean?” Sterun shouted, visibly shaken.
Gaon extended his hand.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
Countless magic circles appeared above Sterun and his faction, unleashing sharp wind blades.
Sterun and his mages summoned barriers, but they were futile.
The blades sliced through, piercing the necks of those with seals.
Heads floated upward, bodies burned instantly.
“Gaon! It’s a misunderstanding!” Sterun cried.
A few, including him, survived—not due to skill, but because Gaon spared those without seals, allowing for the slim chance they weren’t with Abyss.
“A misunderstanding?” Gaon said, ready to verify. “Then step down as Tower Master and prove it with an oath.”
“…!”
Sterun froze, unable to respond.
It wasn’t about relinquishing his position but the oath. Gaon hadn’t specified its terms, but they’d be inescapable.
How did it come to this? Sterun had known Gaon’s return would escalate things and had prepared countermeasures. But this—open slaughter—was beyond his expectations.
“Why so quiet?” Gaon pressed.
“I…”
Sterun trailed off, mind racing for a way out. He realized his mistake: he should’ve agreed to the oath.
“That was your last chance,” Gaon said, his voice colder.
Sterun instinctively knew this was it. He activated his ring artifact, surging mana to temporarily rival an 8th Circle mage.
Even against Gaon, a master of the 8th Circle, he might survive.
He unleashed magic in all directions to collapse the area and escape.
Swish!
Swish!
Swish!
But every spell vanished upon casting.
“…What?” Sterun looked at Gaon, meeting his chilling gaze.
Nice Chapter!