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"Julian, I want you to sit this one out."

Hearing that, a little chuckle escaped the Roman's mouth. It continued for a while before he finally stopped and firmly rejected it. "Haha.. What… are you saying right now?" Turning his head to look at Emery, he said, "No, I can't do that. We will go to this exchange together."

As if he had expected such a reaction, Emery took a deep breath before saying, "No, please listen to me… It will be too dangerous for you to come along.."

Realizing how serious Emery's words were, Julian immediately became emotional.

"Dangerous? Are you fucking kidding with me right now!?" "We have always been in danger for years!" Taking a breath, he continued, "Don't you get it, Emery? ..I have to do this.. I have to!"

Julian started to tremble "I need this Emery.. It's my fault! If… if only I had convinced that bastard Nephilim captain… Things… things might be different… Senior.. wouldn't be… Arrghh!! If only I had more power! More Authority!"

Looking at his friend's eyes, the Roman added, "So no, Emery no!; I will join you, no matter what you say."

Emery heaved a sigh at the reaction he had expected, but knowing full well how risky and unpredictable the meeting would be, he forced himself to speak.

"No! You are not completely healed yet, you will only get hurt!"

Enraged by those words, Julian gazed at him, "Why don't you just say frankly what you really mean? Just say it! Say that I will be a burden; SAY IT!"

Emery was silent for a moment, but then the thought of his three friends' plight and how crazy the things he was planning to do at the exchange further solidified his decision once more.

Realizing that Julian would not simply accept his suggestion, he needed to be firm with his Roman friend. Hence he decided to swallow the bitter pill and say it. "That's right, Julian. You will become a burden."

"Huh! You Bastard! I am not as weak as you think I am! I dare you to try me!"

In order to completely convince his friend, Emery pulled out his sword saying, "Alright, if you can withstand one of my strikes, I will let you come"

"One Strike!" Anger was evident in his words. "You are so arrogant aren't you!"

Julian quickly got up and in a rage, he raised his Tier 5 shield. Immediately after, layers of blazing energy enveloped his entire body as the [9 Golden Bell Divine Technique] and [Immortal Gate - Stage 6] revealed their might. He even forced himself to cast his most powerful defense skill, [Sentinel Defense].

"COME at Me!! Let me show you what I am capable of!! STRIKE ME!!"

Standing up, Emery sighed once again as he drew his Savage Sword. Still, he was determined not to let his Roman friend come. Activating his own [Immortal Gate], he projected a surge of spirit energy into his sword as he swung down and unleashed his battle art.

[Omega Strike]

BAAAAMMMM!!

A deafening sound rang through the air as the sword struck the shield. Julian could be seen trying his hardest to hold on, unfortunately his wound started to affect him right away and half of his body was starting to be wracked with excruciating pain, while his skills began to break apart under Emery's attack.

In the end, he was pushed down, and sent to his knees with just one blow; his shield flew several meters before landing on the grass. All without Emery even using his Wolf Transformation.

Emery calmly sheath his sword as he said "Like I said, with your current condition, you will only endanger yourself."

Seeing no answer given by his friend, he added.

"Please Julian let me do this, trust me!, There's a chance I may not be able to return, and if that happens, I need you to return to Earth. One of us has to."

Saying those words, he accessed his spatial space and took out the bronze urn containing Lord Izta's remains. He then placed it on the ground beside him, in the hope that Julian would be the one to follow the wishes of Lord Izta and his family.

"I am sorry."

Those were the last words Emery spoke before walking into the shadows of the night, leaving the Roman in despair, cursing his own lack of strength.

Unbeknownst to the two youths, the scene that was unfolding between them was witnessed by a figure in the distance. Standing in the tree line with his figure hidden, the Eastern Sage couldn't help but sigh seeing what had happened between his two juniors.

After watching Emery leave, he stared at the kneeling figure of Julian for another moment before turning around and disappearing. Like a gust of wind, he arrived in front of a newly built stone statue that was situated atop a lush hill next to the Terra Palace.

It was a statue depicting the figure of Izta the Gilgamesh, a memorial made for remembering the deeds and accomplishments of the Lord of the Terra Kingdom.

Staring at the familiar face, Fuxi took out a wooden gourd from his spatial ring. Uncorking it, he brought it to his mouth and took a sip of the liquid inside it, a glint of nostalgia flashed across his eyes.

"It's quite nostalgic, isn't it? We too used to fight all the time…" He muttered, eyes staring at the distance. "These kids… I wonder if they would end up like us…"

Taking another sip, he turned to the statue and poured some on the ground in front of the statue. "Now that you are gone… this means I finally won.. I… am the last one still standing here."

As he said those words, Fuxi couldn't help but reminisce about the time they had spent together two thousand years ago.

Fuxi the Great Sage from the East, The North Shaman, The Beast King of the West, Izta The Gilgamesh, and Enkidu. They were the first generation of Earth's acolytes, and now only he alone survived and remained in this world.

At that thought, Fuxi heaved another deep sigh. He then took another sip before saying, "I may have failed to guide the second generation, but I promise that I will not fail this time… And yes, I will definitely take revenge for our beloved King as well."

"Rest in peace, my friend"

After saying those words, he poured all the drink for the stone statue and stood up. With determination, he headed towards the portal to meet Emery.

To be continued