24. Emmissary

"Why is there a a person in the chamber of the mind purge, you were supposed to guard it, how did a person get in here?.."

It dawned on stoic almost immediately, an invisible and palpable pressure pressed down on him, driving him to his knees.

The pressure emanating from the emissary permeated the air making it hard to breathe.

...

Zilong on the other hand stood atop the corpse, he couldn't believe what he was seeing, 'what, how did I reach the Earth rank?..', he contemplated, did it have something to do with thetime God's aura?, did the time God's aura really make him reach the Earth rank.., buwhen he went out into the real world..

He didn't have time check out his theory though.., as the large door swung open and stoic escorting a particular figure stepped into the hall.

Stoic and the emissary stood frozen at the threshold, their eyes locked on the enigmatic figure seated atop the slain Mind Purge. The man had a striking appearance: his hair was short and a vivid shade of blue, contrasting sharply with the lifeless surroundings. His eyes were neon blue, glowing with an eerie luminescence that hinted at unfathomable power. Every movement he made was deliberate, exuding a confidence that bordered on arrogance. His lips curled into a faint, sinister smile as he observed their shock, his deadly aura pulsating around him like an invisible storm.

Zilong studied the situation, 'it seemes that stoic has finally come to evaluate my test?.., but who is this guy with him?'.

The man, whom Stoic had been escorting, was a figure of striking contrast. He possessed long, flowing golden hair that shimmered even in the dim light of the chamber and flowed down his pointed ear. His eyes were a cold, piercing green, holding a gaze that could freeze a man's soul with a single glance. He wore a robe of gold, intricately embroidered with symbols that spoke of his high status and the immense power he wielded.

In his hand, he held a staff made of the finest jade. The staff was smooth, its surface polished to perfection, and at its top floated a mysterious green gem. The gem defied gravity, suspended in mid-air above the staff, glowing with an inner light that seemed to pulse with the emissary's heartbeat. This artifact was more than a symbol of his authority; it was a conduit of his formidable power.

The room was thick with tension, the air nearly crackling with the clash of powerful auras. The emissary's initial shock gave way to a steely resolve. He stepped forward, his golden robe flowing behind him like liquid sunlight, his grip tightening on the jade staff.

"Why did you release the Mind Purge from its cage?" he repeated, his voice cold and commanding.

The man on the corpse did not immediately respond. Instead, he stood up slowly, his neon blue eyes never leaving the emissary's. The sinister smile remained on his lips, and the aura of menace around him seemed to intensify.

"What do you mean?..", Zilong said maintaining a smile, "..this beast..the mind fug..or whatever you call it was in the way of me becoming a knight, my precious teacher here set this test to see my amazing capabilities..."

The emissary's cold green eyes narrowed as he studied the stranger, trying to discern the extent of his power and the threat he posed. Stoic, standing a few steps behind, felt the weight of his failure press down on him even more heavily. He knew that the emissary's wrath would soon be directed at him, but for now, all he could do was watch as these two alien beings sized each other up.

"This aura..how, I'm sure of it, this is the aura of an earth rank zenith Ascended, but he wasn't..an eath rank..", then his eyes widened, it all made sense, why he was cocky when they frist met, why he treated them with that level of indifference..

'But how was his aura hidden?.., if the king knew he was an earth rank, he wouldn't have given him the test to begin with.

'Did he fool the king..'

The whispers of ancient voices seemed to grow louder, echoing through the chamber as if the very walls were alive with tension. The stage was set for a confrontation, and the outcome was uncertain. All Stoic knew was that the consequences of this encounter would be far-reaching and that his role in the unfolding drama was far from over.

The emissary looked at Zilong with a raised brow, "..what do you mean?, the mind purge wasn't here for a test..", the emissary looked at stoic with a cold gaze making him cough a mouth-full of blood.

Stoic on the other hand developed a brilliant plan in his mind.

"Well..you see emmissary Zephyr, the king assigned me to test the boy's strength...well since there were no warriors of the earth rank in the kingdom I tested him against the mind purge..".

Stoic bowed respectfully, a trickle of seat flowing down his face. He hoped the emissary would buy his story.

Then the emissary spoke, "so let me get this straight...you planned to kill the poor boy.. maybe because of a grudge or something, by pinning him against the mind purge hoping that he would die but somehow...he didn't...isn't that right?".

Stoic entire body trembled in fear his eye widened, threatening to pop out of their sockets, "y-yes s-sir..", he said forcing those word out of his mouth, he looked at Zephyr who was putting on a contemplative look as if thinking about something.

.....

Zilong just watched in awe as the two discussed, not wanting to say anything he patiently waited for them to finish, marvelling at the intuition of an earth rank he continued to observe with a smile.

'He was really able at tell all that just by that answer?, ...I really need to be careful around this guy...