Chapter 1321: You Are Crazy (part 2) |
"So… is he ready to stop playing around and talk business?"
As Evan's words fell, Ashivor finally turned around, his bright yellow, beast-like eyes locking onto him.
Almost instantly, Evan felt the temperature around him rise. Sweat began to pour down his forehead, and an unbearable heat pressed against his body.
Though the intensity of the temperature was overwhelming, he didn't let it show on his face, maintaining the same lazy expression as he stared back at the old man.
Ashivor scrutinized Evan in silence for a few seconds before finally speaking in a cold voice.
"You said you wanted to make a deal that could elevate our Phoenix Clan to the top faction in the Frozen Monarchy Empire. What do you mean by that?"
Evan tilted his head slightly and responded in an indifferent tone.
"Why ask such a stupid question? Isn't it obvious? If you make a deal with me, your Phoenix Clan will reach the top of the Frozen Monarchy Empire."
Ashivor's eyes narrowed. "Do you even understand the meaning behind your words?"
"Doesn't it simply mean replacing the current top faction of the Frozen Monarchy Empire with your Phoenix Clan?"
Hearing Evan's words, Ashivor's gaze darkened.
"So you do understand…" He nodded slowly, a cold smile forming on his lips. "Then tell me—how exactly do you plan on replacing the current ruling faction of the Frozen Monarchy with my Phoenix Clan?"
Evan stood up from the bed, glancing at its burning edges before storing it back into his storage ring.
"It's actually quite simple…" He said, dusting off his hands and locking eyes with Ashivor.
"We just need to completely destroy the current strongest faction of the Frozen Monarchy. Once they are gone, your Phoenix Clan will naturally take their place."
A suffocating silence fell over the volcanic region.
Blaze and Ashivor both stared at Evan as if he had lost his mind and gone crazy.
Blaze's eyes twitched violently. An overwhelming urge to turn around and flee surged within her.
'When he asked me to relay his message to the high-level members of the Phoenix Clan, I thought he was proposing some kind of business deal that would benefit both sides…'
She swallowed hard, cold sweat forming on her forehead.
'But this guy… He actually wants to kill Winterclaw?!'
She felt an immense sense of relief knowing that they were in a separate dimension controlled by her uncle. At the very least, no one outside this space could overhear them.
If anyone else had been listening and word got out that they were plotting against Winterclaw, it would have immediately escalated into a massive crisis.
Ashivor exhaled sharply and shook his head.
"After hearing about you from Blaze, I thought you were a smart young man with extraordinary talent…"
His expression turned ice-cold.
"But it turns out you're nothing more than a lunatic. No—an idiot who doesn't understand how the world works."
Blaze grimaced. She, too, was beginning to question her own judgment.
Before coming here, she had told Ashivor that, although her cheap brother was a schemer who couldn't be trusted, it still wouldn't be a waste of time to at least meet him.
After all, reaching Mid-Level Rank Three just a few months after the Tomb of the Ancient closed was an incredible feat.
'Damn it… I specifically told him not to mess around before coming here, but this bastard—!'
She snuck a glance at Ashivor, whose expression was now eerily indifferent, as if he were already deciding what to do with Evan.
Evan wasn't bothered in the slightest by Ashivor's reaction and simply waited for his next words.
"You do realize," Ashivor finally spoke, "That plotting against the Emperor is treason? I can kill you right now. Or, I can hand you over to the royal guards and receive a generous reward for reporting a group conspiring to rebel against the Empire."
Evan's gaze sharpened slightly.
"And how exactly would you inform the royal guards about me?" He asked.
His voice was calm, but an undercurrent of amusement ran through it.
"Since I dared to come here, you should already know that I am confident I can escape before you manage to alert that stupid ice beast and his people."
For a moment, Ashivor froze. Then, his face darkened as a chilling light flickered in his eyes.
"Are you implying that a low-level Core Evolver like you can escape before I stop you?"
Without another word, a powerful aura erupted from Ashivor.
The sheer force of his Rank Five Core Evolver pressure locked onto Evan and Sylvan.
The ground beneath them cracked and trembled. Both their bodies sank slightly, struggling under the crushing weight of Ashivor's oppressive energy.
Evan frowned, but before things could escalate further, a small, blue-colored bead appeared in his hand.
As soon as the bead materialized, waves of blue energy rippled outward, instantly nullifying the overwhelming pressure.
Seeing the bead, Ashivor's expression shifted.
A flicker of shock crossed his face as he sensed the bead's energy. A faint but unmistakable breath of a Rank Six Core Evolver emanated from it, sending a tingling sensation down his spine.
At the same time, another object—a formation plate—appeared in Evan's other hand, radiating powerful spatial fluctuations.
"See?" Evan said, a smirk playing on his lips. "I can activate this teleportation formation and leave this dimension anytime I want."
His smirk widened. "So tell me, do you really think you can inform Winterclaw and his people about us before we vanish?"
Ashivor's eyes flickered as he quickly regained his composure, and spoke in a voice full of disdain.
"All I need is to send a single message and my people inside the capital would take immediate action. One minute—" He raised a finger.
"In just one minute, the entire Maldrith Kingdom would go into full lockdown. Even with your teleportation formation, you wouldn't be able to escape."
Hearing Ashivor's words, Evan's gaze gleamed with an unreadable light.
Instead of concern, an odd excitement flickered in his eyes.
Ashivor noticed the change and suddenly felt a strange sense of unease.
'Why does this brat look so excited instead of afraid…?'
Though puzzled, Ashivor still spoke coldly.
"That's right," He confirmed. "I only need to send one mes—"
Mid-sentence, he suddenly froze and an inexplicable chill crawled down his spine.
He felt the gaze of the crooked old man standing behind Evan land on him and the next moment, his body stiffened.