Before Cermin woke up, after stabbing the Crow Baron who was affected by his own madness spell….

Ronn stared as his face slowly became his normal one, the one with the purple hair. Because of this, he was no longer interested in tormenting him further.

Instead, he only went closer to pick him up, and lay him on the bed.

“My blood will stain this castle forever… ” The man said as he was slowly losing his life with a smile. “And all because I encountered someone who’s true love meant….”

“Giving death to his former friend.”

“It was a mistake that you would never have expected, if that’s any consolation.” Ronin told him.

“Did you know that I was also kicked on the face before I became like this?” The man said, while Ronin kept his hand on his wound.

The Flame of this Daemon transferred on his palm.

Daemons were not that easy to kill, as can be noticed with Pavone and Zeuxis. But this man was dying just from a stab in the gut.

Well, not just that, but by having his face damaged.

His fake face. The moment someone broke his spell, his ‘gift’, which was his face…..

Also began to darken, revealing the true one underneath.

“I don’t want to die hideous.” The man said, begging him. “Please put me in a disguise of my new face, the one the kind Blue gentleman gave me.”

“It will wear off.” Ronin said.

“I don’t care. I just want to see myself in my last moments as beautiful. As perfect.”

Ronin used his blood to cast Fool’s Eye, so he would maintain his face that was slowly fading.

“It’s restored now.” Ronin told him.

The man reached out. “Yes….. I can see it from your dark pupils. It’s so clear in the darkness of your eyes, my perfection.”

Ronin showed nothing with his eyes, just endless depths. But in these depths…..

There was the soul of Ou, who would have pitied this man.

Yet it was far too deep down that it was nothing but a very light whisper. It blurted out:

“Would you mind if I take your Flame and the Flame of everyone you stole?”

The man smiled when he asked. “There is no need to ask. Just keep your eyes on me and let it be my mirror as I die.”

He had actually also stolen the Flame of the women he kept here. Though most of them were Commoners, nothing but morsels…

There were hundreds, kept in so many rooms in this castle.

As the man was dying, Ronin kept his eyes on him as promised.

Blood was sputtering on his mouth now, and it was difficult for him to speak. But Ronin heard his inner voice say:

(The man you want to kill is very envious.He would be fortunate to be watched by your perfectly clear eyes that are like two dark mirrors like this.)

Ronin sneered. “You are a vain one, aren’t you?”

“Well, so am I.” He then admitted. “Though not in appearance, our egos and desires match each other. Your eyes are my mirror as well.”

The Flame continued to transfer into his own heart, strengthening it while this man’s weakened and weakened…

Until it came to a full stop.

And once it did, Ronin let go. Letting him lay there with red poppies on hand.

[Congratulations. You have received 1,300,000,000+ EXP points and received a massive level upgrade.

Level 67 >>>>> Level 73.]

“Ah, the level ups just keep on being more difficult to achieve. We’re at billions of EXP points now and I only raised it to 5 levels from feeding on the Crow Baron.”

[At least you’re still gaining them.] Kai said. [You even unlocked another skill. You’re getting close to 100 now.]

He was Level 100 when he became Ronin Dreadborne.

He needed it in order to be able to accept the Baptism of Darkness, bathing in the beacon created by Fausforus and Aurion’s blood, without getting fully burned.

Turning into pure Obsidian instead.

And after bathing in the fires, he needs to move past it so the lava would cool down. Even Zeuxis’ lightning speed would not be enough for that.

[Your next skill would actually help with that.]

“What is it, then?” Ronin said, leaving the bed to look for Cermin.

Kai revealed his new skill with a monotone voice.

[llusive Shift

You will be able to achieve quick, shadowy movement that would appear as teleportation to others. It can also give the illusion that you are in many places at once and confuse your attacker.

This could be activated by drawing the rune of ‘shadow’ on your chest.]

Ronin frowned. “Why my chest?”

[Because unlike many skills, this does not work with time limitations. It works by the amount of Flame you want to spend to activate the skill.

The faster you get, the more EXP or Flame is required. A meter per second/ mps needs 1,000 EXP. ]

“So if I use it often, it can slow my level up.” Ronin concurred. “Well, it’s must be past quadrillions now. But it’s still a risky skill to have.”

[Your total EXP at the moment at Level 73 is 458 Quadrillion, equivalent to 458,000 Trillion.]

“The speed of light is 299, 792, 458. So if I want to be as fast as the speed of light, I need to spend 299, 792, 458, 000. I spend billions of EXP just to be as fast as light.”

[If I were you, I would only use this skill in dire situations, or just save it up for the Baptism of Darkness and be faster than the speed of light itself.]

Ronin gritted his teeth. “That’s what I’m planning, don’t act smarter than me.”

[Alright, vain guy.] Kai said, and his holographic screen disappeared.

He rubbed his forehead while opening the doors of the castle one by one with a single kick in search of Cermin. But it all just contained women sleeping peacefully.

None of the women woke up from their endless dreams even with the Crow Baron dead, it doesn’t work that way. They need to break free from it with their own free will, or…..

Ronin can simply command them.

“Wake.”

They scrunched their brows, crying and crying from having their perfect world taken away from them. Some of them even screamed, yelling the names of their perfect lovers.

“NO!!!!!! DON’T TAKE SAMAEL AWAY FROM ME!”

“BALEO!”

“I DON’T WANT TO WAKE UP! BRING ME BACK!”

It really was unlike when a hero saves damsels. None of them were at their feet thanking Ronin, especially when he’s not as handsome as their perfect men.

He didn’t care about them, and only wondered what Cermin’s reaction would be when he wakes up.

When he finally found him….

“Wake.”

Cermin also furrowed his brows, but did not wake up as fast as them. He was stirring, but he was still half-asleep.

It went on and on, and he tossed and turned in his bed. Ronin sighed and shook him.

“Wake up already, Your Highness.”

He was shaking his head when he grabbed him, so much fear in his sleeping face.

“Let me go…”

Ronin sighed and did let go, but then Cermin grabbed on to him this time.

“No… Stay…”

He became so annoyed that he scoffed. “Which really is it? What kind of perfect girl are you even dreaming of that you don’t want to wake up so much—”

“Gege… Don’t go…..”

Ronin raised an eyebrow. Ah, it made sense now. The Crow Baron did say something about him being one of the two who had interesting desires.

His was friendship, while Ronin’s was revenge.

Ronin had no choice but to carry him again out of there, because it was taking too damn long for him to snap out of it.

He ordered the girls with One-Word Command to get out of the palace, and return to their homes.

He didn’t really need to do that in the end. Because after crying, they got over the perfect world they lost easily.

But Cermin, of course, was not moving on at all.

He wouldn’t let go of whatever he was dreaming about. Ronin could not help but find him very pathetic and pitiful to not be able to move on from his obsession with this one guy.

He’s the same, but it’s also different. Friendship? How can friendship satisfy anything, when it’s nothing but just the inability of humans to live alone?

His nihilism won’t let him understand it at all. But…..

Perhaps the past him would.

Perhaps Ou would.

Still, friendship was no match for revenge.

He passed by Zeuxis burying someone, and knew who it was as he could read his thoughts.

He saw all his memories with Maellan that flashed on his mind as he buried Sordido.

He overheard him say:

“You weren’t a good match in a fight, but I can respect those who can abandon themself for family.”

Ronin can taste all this brotherly love lingering in the air. It was repulsive, but somehow less repulsive than friendship.

He looked at Cermin once more, who won’t let go of his ‘gege’, his not blood-related Big Brother….

And wondered if it was more like that.

He couldn’t let go because he loved this ‘gege’ as a family.

So much so that he was imprisoned by it.