— The Unscathed Hero —
Just then, the voices of Cael and the others grew closer. Having seen the miasma dissipate, they had turned back.
"Eren! You're alive!"
"Do I look like I'm hurt?" Eren spread his arms and turned a circle.
"You bastard! You scared us to death!" Cael rushed up and punched him in the shoulder.
Immediately, everyone began asking questions all at once—
"Where's that demon?"
"How did the miasma vanish?"
Eren had his story ready. "He was destroyed by a force that suddenly appeared. Probably some ancient sealing mechanism was triggered. Once the demon died, the miasma naturally faded."
The group exchanged glances. The explanation sounded plausible, yet was full of unanswered questions. But if it wasn't that, could it really be that Eren had killed that self-proclaimed divine monster?
Cael keenly grasped the crux of the matter: "Eren, that miasma even overwhelmed Elder Eupheron. Why are you unharmed after charging into it?"
Eren shrugged helplessly. "I know I can absorb shadow energy, so I wanted to see if I could handle this too. I couldn't just watch the miasma consume everything, could I? Who knew that before I could even do anything, the guy just... ended."
His account was reasonable.
Hearing this, Nadia spoke up solemnly, "To risk your own safety in a critical moment, attempting to save others... Eren, your courage is worthy of respect."
The looks the others gave Eren held a new degree of admiration.
Rowan leaned in, pulling out his comb. "Brother Eren, you're truly our hero! Here, let me tidy up your victorious appearance!"
"Thanks, but you should keep it for yourself," Eren said, quickly pushing him away.
— The Master Returns —
At that moment, a streak of light trailing a long tail of flame plummeted from the sky, crashing into the ground like a meteor.
Under the wary gazes of the group, a figure struggled within the crater—it was Eupheron. His hair and beard were scorched, his robes tattered, and he looked utterly disheveled, but his eyes still held their sharp light. Having survived both that terrifying attack and a fall from such a height, his strength was truly unfathomable.
"Hey, you kids, just going to stand there watching an old man lie here? My bones are about to fall apart!" He grumbled, pulling out his gourd and taking a fierce swig. The pain on his face seemed to ease a little.
"Elder Eupheron, are you alright?" Nadia hurried over to help the old man up.
"Alright? How could I not be alright? I am the peerless Eupheron, unmatched under heaven." The elder tried to put on an air of invincible majesty.
"By the way, where's that demon?"
Nadia briefly explained what had happened.
Eupheron's eyes, previously somewhat cloudy, instantly sharpened like a hawk's. They locked onto Eren.
"So," he said slowly, his voice carrying a hint of pressure, "you were the only one present when he vanished?"
Suppressing his nervousness, Eren stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for saving me earlier, Elder. I also wish to know... what exactly was the Tidelord?"
He hesitated, then asked quietly,
"Was he truly a god?"
Eupheron's expression darkened.
He swept his gaze across the group—slow, heavy, as if weighing their very lives.
What little levity remained in his bearing vanished without a trace.
"This matter," he said at last, his voice low and cold,
"is classified—SSS-level secrecy."
"Not a word to anyone. Understood?"
No one dared respond aloud.
Only after a long pause did Eupheron continue, each word measured, carrying an oppressive weight.
"The Tidelord was never a god."
"He is one of the Four Calamity Demons recorded only in forbidden legends—
the Flood Demon."
A chill rippled through the group.
"In ancient times, when the world's order was unstable, these calamities descended upon humanity like natural law made flesh. Wherever the Flood Demon awakened, rivers rose without warning, seas swallowed continents, and entire civilizations vanished beneath the waves—leaving no survivors, not even ruins."
He paused.
"People who witnessed such destruction could not comprehend it."
"So they knelt."
"And they called it a god."
Eupheron's eyes turned sharp, glinting like drawn steel.
"But remember this well—
a calamity that feeds on despair and drowns the world is never divine.
It is merely disaster... wearing the name of god."
Then, his eyes returned to Eren. "You, your name is Eren, correct? Come with me."
Eren's heart tightened. He glanced at Nadia.
Nadia gave him a slight nod. "Eren, go. Elder Eupheron is a senior elder of the Vigil-Wyrm Order. He won't harm you."
Somewhat reassured, Eren followed Eupheron to a secluded spot. "Elder, what did you wish to speak with me about?"
Eupheron remained silent, simply staring at him with those soul-piercing eyes.
Suddenly, without any warning, he raised a finger and pointed directly at Eren's brow!
Eren felt a vast, icy force surge into his mind like a tidal wave—an invasion that could strip him bare in an instant. If it succeeded, all his memories and secrets would be laid bare!
Horrified, he mobilized all his spiritual energy to resist desperately. But the other's mental power was like a mountain—his defenses crumbled upon contact. It's over!
At that critical moment, the Lumin & Umbra Sigildeep within his mind activated autonomously once more, emitting an intangible ripple. The invading mental force shattered instantly, as if it had smashed against an impenetrable wall.
"Hmm?!" Eupheron grunted, sharply retracting his finger. He stared at Eren with a mix of shock and intense scrutiny, a dangerous aura beginning to emanate from him.
Eren immediately shifted into a combat stance, energy coursing wildly within him, ready to fight for his life.
Tension stretched taut between them.
"Elder Eupheron!" At that moment, Cael's bulky figure squeezed into view, his face plastered with an earnest smile. "Are you done with that wooden sword of mine? Could I have it back? It's a memento from my mother."
Eupheron shot a deep look at Eren, then the chilling aura around him receded like a tide. He reverted to the disheveled, drunken old man. "Gone!" he declared, sticking his neck out stubbornly. "Turned to ash when I clashed with that bastard!"
Cael's face immediately contorted into an expression of 'utter devastation.' "But that was my mother's only keepsake, Elder!"
Catching on immediately, Eren chimed in, "Elder, that sword held immense sentimental value for Cael. As a senior of such immense power, surely you wouldn't take something from a junior without compensation? Perhaps... you could impart a single move or technique to him instead?"
Cael's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes! I'm not greedy—just teach me that move you used to slash that silver-haired bastard earlier!"
"You two little schemers..." Eupheron laughed in exasperation, his beard quivering. "Ganging up to trap me, are you?"
He casually waved a hand. An invisible force sent both Eren and Cael flying backward, tumbling several times on the ground.
"Consider that your punishment for being clever!" he snorted. Then, he crooked a finger at the scrambling Cael. "However, Cael come here. In light of your 'loss,' I'll teach you a little something."
Overjoyed, Cael scurried after him. The others watched his retreating back with clear envy.
Eren picked himself up from the ground, watching the elder depart, and let out a long, slow breath. The brief confrontation had left his back soaked with cold sweat.
The secret of the Lumin & Umbra Sigilwas safe for now, but he knew the old mage's suspicion was far from over.
The road ahead would undoubtedly be anything but smooth.