Awakening

“What… is that?!”

Even Neil, a man who had seen countless horrors, instinctively staggered backward.

An intense, primal fear rose from the depths of his spine, cold sweat streaming down his back.

“Kill him! Our contract isn’t over! Black One!”

Sui Ming slowly rose to his feet, pale purple mist continuously seeping from his body.

His head was lowered, his expression hidden in shadow.

Behind him, a delicate silhouette appeared—

A girl’s figure gently embraced Sui Ming from behind, her form slowly taking shape.

“All things wither. All life ends.”

“Birth and death—only a thought apart.”

At that moment, the passage between the Nether Sea and the mortal world finally opened.

Death magic from the Nether Sea surged in, rapidly healing Sui Ming’s broken body—

Even restoring his mana circuits, once shattered beyond repair like the fractured unity of the United States.

A golden beam shot skyward, piercing the clouds, parting the rain.

“Now comes the ascension of your soul…” the shadow murmured.

The beam grew brighter and brighter, until it lit up the entire night—

Becoming a second sun, radiant and unstoppable, sweeping away the darkness.

Heaven and earth changed color.

All creation seemed to awaken in the dark.

And so, after ten thousand years, the dawn returned once more to this land.

“Don’t show off too much. Subtlety is king.”

The girl smiled faintly.

With a wave of her hand, the blinding light vanished, swallowed again by the night as if it had never existed.

“Black One! Kill him! Kill him! I’ll double your pay!” Neil shrieked, pointing at the golden figure.

“Damn… whatever. I’ll go all in.”

“Even if he broke through, at most he’s just [Mortal Dust] Tier 2.”

[Shadow Thorns]

Dark spikes erupted from the ground at Black One’s feet, shooting toward Sui Ming.

But the moment they touched him—

They disintegrated into dust.

Not even a scratch remained.

Sui Ming opened his eyes.

Golden pupils burned with overwhelming majesty.

In that moment, he no longer resembled a mere human…

But a god.

A god not to be defied.

He raised his gleaming white blade.

Suddenly—three torrents of magical energy burst forth, swirling across the entire estate.

Fiery orange—blazing flame.

Chilling blue—biting frost.

Verdant green—life and nature.

He wielded them with casual ease.

With a single motion of his hand, three lightning-fast beams ripped through the air—

Shooting directly at Black One.

Before the man could react, his body was pierced in three places.

The energies inside him—of flame, frost, and nature—spun into a storm.

A vortex of elemental chaos.

Black One could feel it.

If he didn’t dispel this power soon, his mana circuits would rupture.

His future would be ruined.

Survival came before contracts.

“Damn it—this kind of power?! I’m out! Neil, you’re on your own! I’m not dying for this!”

With that, he vanished into the darkness like a streak of shadow.

“Tch. These hired goons are useless,” Neil muttered.

“In the end, it always comes down to me.”

He pulled a small box from his coat.

The moment he opened it, a vast surge of mana engulfed the entire estate.

“Go to hell, Sui Ming!”

He hurled a golden orb.

It exploded.

This wasn’t just any explosion—

It was the handiwork of a Master Alchemist.

A blast powerful enough to shake all of Noah City.

And it was…

Swallowed whole.

…Huh?

“…What the hell?”

“You just ate that? You’re kidding me, right?”

“Sui… Sui Ming! I’m done playing around!”

A vivid green glow burst behind Neil—

[Wish Serpent].

A giant serpent formed, exuding a sinister aura.

Green mist spread across the estate.

The lush gardens shriveled in seconds.

Nothing survived.

Amid this poisonous haze, Neil’s body bulked up—

He was absorbing life force through the mist to empower himself.

A terrifying ability.

“…The hell? What kind of mosquito swarm is this?! This isn’t Guangzhou!”

Sui Ming’s entire body lit up with golden light.

In an instant—

He absorbed every trace of poison in the estate.

Gone. Vanished.

He looked down at Neil, eyes calm and cold—

Like a god looking down upon mortals, indifferent to their fate.

“Goodbye.”

“This is the price for angering me.”

“When you treat life as a wager, be prepared to lose everything.”

“And tonight… is the night you go bankrupt.”

As Sui Ming’s killing intent grew thick enough to become tangible,

Neil screamed:

“No! I can’t die here! I have children! A family! A legacy! I… I can’t die here!”

“I haven’t finished my life’s work! I—!”

“When you plotted to assassinate me, did you feel this regret?”

“When you targeted the Xi family, did you ever feel remorse?”

“An eye for an eye, a favor for a favor—that has always been my rule.”

“And your regret…?”

“Tell it to the old you.”

Sui Ming stepped forward.

His dagger slashed.

Blood splattered.

And in the next moment—

Flames engulfed the estate.

The inferno devoured everything in its path,

Erasing all traces of the Aorah family.

Their former glory—

Now nothing more than a page in history, yellowed and forgotten.

“Ugh… cough… cough cough… buuurp…”

An odd sound echoed from the burning ruins.

Sui Ming stood there, confused, his stomach churning.

“Why… did I eat that bomb?”

“Was it supposed to taste good? Seriously?”

“Look me in the eyes. Tell me. Why?!”

He felt like a rollercoaster was raging through his insides.

He was this close to puking.

“…I should probably head home…”

His body wobbled. He was about to collapse.

And then—two slender arms caught him.

“Ah… thanks,” Sui Ming mumbled dazedly.

“No need. Just a casual favor.”

Ming Sheng replied, a faint smile on her lips.

“So it really was you… Long time no see.”