Legacy of the Dark Sage

The blinding light coming out from Light dimmed slightly upon hearing Kyran's words.

True to what he said, Deception did not tell them about the new Dark Sage being at odds with the new Soul Emperor. What Deception did say was that a war was about to happen that could put the Soul Emperor's life at risk, which was why they left for the Human plane as soon as possible.

Deception also said that the mage she wanted to capture was part of the faction that threatened the Soul Emperor's life. Thus, Light and Toad had no qualms about helping her so long as they prioritized their objective.

Alas, it appeared Deception had indeed withheld such crucial information. If Light and Toad knew the mage she wanted to capture was none other than the new Dark Sage, they would not have agreed to assist her.

Light felt an incoming headache and subconsciously looked at the hole above. But then, a thought crossed Light's mind.

"That's right... you never really introduced yourself," Light said and looked at Kyran. Once again, the light around its body glowed fiercely.

Light wanted to believe that Deception was telling the truth and that this guy in front took advantage of a loophole in Light's explanation to sow discord.

"Because you managed to destroy my magic and physical defenses, I unwittingly presumed your identity as the new Dark Sage."

Light's eyes narrowed as it glared at Kyran.

"But then you said that the lowly human outside is the powerful mage that destroyed Deception's essence and is protecting you— the mage she wants to capture.... And that lowly human is now working with that Ruin, who we all know wanted to find the Dark Sage and exact his revenge."

Kyran sighed inwardly. He already guessed what Light was trying to say.

Since Kyran did not admit his identity as the Dark Sage, he could use Light's misjudgment to sow discord. Light believed something was amiss, especially when Kyran said that Ruin and Nolan were working together.

Sometimes, talking to a smart person could be troublesome.

'Is this guy a new Sovereign? Doesn't he or she know Ruin's odd character?' Kyran wondered in exasperation. He stopped his train of thought after realizing he inadvertently admitted to understanding Ruin better even when they had only met.

The thought made Kyran shiver inwardly.

"You think I will not notice how inconsistent your words are?" Light continued. Its magic aura rose at an incredible pace. "You made the wrong choice of plotting against a Sovereign—."

FOOM!

A translucent purple force expanded out from Kyran's body.

It happened so fast that Light failed to react in time and avoid the force. As soon as the force entered its body, the light it emitted vanished.

"W-What—?" Light exclaimed in shock, realizing that not only did its magic aura vanish, but the magic energy in its body stopped circulating.

Kyran found it troublesome to talk sense with this guy and decided to prove his identity by using his domain.

"Inside my domain, no one can use magic," he told Light.

"You—!"

"You don't seem to be interested in wreaking havoc in the Human plane," Kyran continued and ignored Light's attempt to curse him. "And as much as possible, I don't want to have another Sovereign coming after me. Ruin's already a pain in the ass, and seriously, I don't know why he is working with my unc— protector. Can we leave it at that and go our separate ways? Actually, I'd appreciate it if you leave at once."

Light looked at Kyran dumbfoundedly. It was then that Light recalled Ruin tended to do things that did not make sense to them. For this reason, most Sovereigns did not want to cross paths with him.

Could this young man be telling the truth?

Light looked at Kyran in silence. Judging by the domain he released, it did possess Void's nature. This alone was enough to prove Kyran's identity. So what he said about being at odds with the Soul Emperor might also be true.

It was unfortunate that they did not know anything about matters regarding the Human plane. A thousand years ago, when the Void mage defeated the Dark Sage and inherited everything the latter had, he returned quietly to the Human plane.

They had never heard of him since then. There were rumors that he had died. But since no one knew where the Human plane was, they never confirmed it.

In any case, if the new Dark Sage and Soul Emperor were really at odds, it would pose a problem to their faction's objective. Frankly, such a situation never crossed their mind.

Light was suddenly thrown into a dilemma. Who was far more important to their faction? The Dark Sage or the Soul Emperor? If Light had to choose, it was definitely the former. Since Kyran inherited everything the Dark Sage possessed, then his value was definitely higher than the Soul Emperor.

However, the Soul Emperor's participation in their objective was also crucial. Her Soul magic was not to be trifled with, and together with the Macabre Glacier that the Dark Sage had in his possession, the two were practically a force that could easily instill fear in the hearts of every Sovereign.

Winning the War of the Sovereigns would not be difficult.

Before Light could respond to Kyran, someone suddenly spoke from behind.

"Sovereign of Light, I have been waiting for your arrival."

Kyran's eyes narrowed after recognizing who had spoken.

It was none other than Osric, who had returned after getting blown away.

Kyran already sensed Osric's approach while he was talking with Light. As a matter of fact, he stopped himself from calling Nolan his uncle because he knew Osric was eavesdropping on their conversation. Kyran also activated his Void Domain because Osric wanted to get closer.

To ensure the latter would not do anything stupid, like sneak an attack or interrupt their conversation, Kyran set his domain's range within a hundred meters and in a circular fashion to prevent Osric from sneaking in by turning into water and using the water pathway underground.

Kyran did not expect Osric to be thick enough to interrupt their conversation by amplifying his voice with magic and making his presence known to Light.

If Osric were not Tritus's prey, Kyran would have already attacked. But since he wanted Tritus to advance, he refrained from doing anything. In any case, Tritus was also nearby and was looking for an opportunity to attack Osric.

Light also noticed Osric and Tritus but ignored them because they did not pose any threat.

"You are?" Light demanded, turning its attention to Osric.

Standing a hundred meters from behind Kyran, Osric lowered his gaze.

"Sovereign of Light," he greeted in respect. "I am Osric, one of the new Soul Emperor's trusted aides."

Though Osric sounded calm and composed, inwardly, he was agitated.

In the first place, he came here to seize Kyran and bring him to the Crown Princess before the people on the other side of the hole descended. Alas, because of Tritus' arrival, he ended up wasting too much time.

Now, it would be harder to take Kyran under the Sovereign of Light's watch. If Osric's understanding of the things he heard during their conversation was correct, these people equally valued the Dark Sage and the Soul Emperor. Making any attempt to capture Kyran would not be a good idea.

Osric's handsome face distorted slightly as he recalled how his heart palpitated when Kyran released his domain. If the latter's force had hit him, he probably would not have had a chance to do anything anyway.

All this time, he had been confident that with his high mage level, he could restrain Kyran anytime. But seeing this Light person could do nothing against Kyran's domain when the former's mage level seemed unfathomable even to Osric, then what more with him?

Osric knew the Crown Princess wanted Kyran under her control. Initially, he thought it was because Kyran was the son of the next Patriarch of the Regis Clan. If the Crown Princess could have him, she could use him as leverage to get Aron, Cade, and the rest of the Regis Clan, to work for her. However, after Osric discovered how powerful Kyran's physique was, he realized the Crown Princess's reason was definitely not as simple as using him as leverage.

Kyran alone was comparable to an army corps unit. To have a mage like him under her control would boost her military force by a huge margin.

In any case, Osric had to do something about the current situation. Unfortunately, Kyran was such an honest person and told Light about his current relationship with the Crown Princess. If he did not say anything, Osric could have found a way to make it seem that Kyran was not the Dark Sage Light was looking for.

Osric shook his head inwardly. There was no point mulling over spilled milk. He just had to go improvise.

Light narrowed its eyes at Osric before looking at Kyran.

Kyran could not help but smile wryly. The way Light turned to look at him seemed as if it wanted him to confirm if Osric was telling the truth. It only occurred to him that the Sovereign of Light might be a gullible person.

"He's telling the truth," he replied. Then he thought of something and added, "For the record, before you came, we were in a middle of a fight."

Osric's brow twitched.

What Kyran was telling Light made it hard for Osric to do anything!