482 Path of No Return

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock… The only sound in the dead silence was the ticking of the clock. It came from the purple-eyed griffin's arm, sharp and clear. Time seemed to race ahead step by step, leaving the present behind.

Everything became unrecognizable.

"Before the principal left, I asked him for your activation password," Ye Qingxuan said quietly. "Anglo had wronged me so he told me after I asked even though he knew what I wanted to do…I had wanted to take you to an unreliable guy so you could get rid of it." He paused and laughed at himself. "I didn't expect that I would read it aloud for the first time in a situation like this."

The griffin held the sword without saying a word. The intense aether attack had burned his glove, revealing the steel prosthetic under it. With Ye Qingxuan's recitation, the sleeping timer was activated. The outer shell cracked, revealing the complex machinery that slowly unfolded. The gears spun and the springs pushed the alchemy material from the cooling chamber into the reaction chamber. A beam of blinding electric light lit up from a thumb-sized siliconized crystal tube. If Ye Qingxuan moved his finger, he could free the circuit and release the red liquid inside the reaction chamber.

This was the 'light of purification' created by alchemists with an all-purpose solvent as the base. After activation, the liquid would instantly react. It would rush into the flesh through the prepared tube and inject into the heart, brain, and kidneys at the speed of light. A second later, the body would be completely purified and melted without leaving any trace behind. It was the best poison in the world. If overloaded, it could cover an entire street.

Decades ago, it was buried inside the purple-eyed griffin's body, connecting with his veins and arteries. All tools had a weakness. No matter how powerful it was, it would still be grasped in someone else's hand. Otherwise, it would be unstoppable if out of control.

This result had been destined from the start. Now, the winner was obvious.

"Surrender, Professor." Ye Qingxuan walked forward in the pool of blood, his eyes hardening bit by bit.

He had decided.

"It's too late, Yezi." An old voice came from under the bloody and scorched mask. As if revealing his weakness to Ye Qingxuan, the griffin sighed. "I taught you how to be decisive but you always make your decision too late."

He took off his mask, revealing that wooden face. It was so familiar but had a foreign coldness. The coldness seemed to seep out of his bone marrow. Like a missing puzzle piece, it fit perfectly into his features.

He was no longer the professor of the history department of the Royal Academy of Music. He was the purple-eyed griffin, the general of the Dragon Riders. He was an executioner who had killed countless people—Abraham!

"You made the decision too late." His eyes were regretful and disappointed. "You should have tried it earlier even if you only had a shred of suspicion. But you kept swaying back and forth. You really are the worst class I've ever taught, Yezi, even though I've only taught one class before."

Ye Qingxuan never expected that the face behind the mask would be so calm. It was so calm that Ye Qingxuan suddenly felt he was still sitting in the library, listening to his teacher's patient admonishing. But this was not the academy. This was not the examination room either…

"Professor, why aren't you explaining yourself?" Ye Qingxuan lowered his eyes tiredly and murmured, "Even if you just say you were forced to, why are you so calm?"

He always thought that he had gone wrong somewhere. He could think of a million excuses for Abraham and each one would work. That was why he did not dare. Because once he tried, he would no longer be able to lie to himself.

In the past, many had called him naïve. They were right. Otherwise, he would not tell Lola to leave the Sacred City, go back to Anglo, and not contact him if she could not find Abraham. Without the answer, he could continue being ignorant.

"I'm sorry for lying to you and disappointing you." Abraham sighed. He looked down at his mask. "I just wanted to come see you again and let you see me…see the real me."

He held the bloody griffin's mask in his hands. The black thing was covered in crimson red. Different from Seton's horse mask, this was a hundred times more violent and arrogant. It was like a natural carnivore, an undefeatable hunter.

In order to hide their identities, every dragon rider had his own mark. It was the true face that one would choose for oneself. They could not be born with that face but they could choose which face they used to kill and die in.

Ye Qingxuan was silent for a long while before nodding slowly. "It suits you."

"Thank you." Abraham seemed to not hear the anger in Ye Qingxuan's words. Humbly accepting the praise, he did not say anything else and just asked, "I know it's very cliché but I just want to ask, when did you find out?"

"When someone told me that Constantine was Gaius. But sadly, just as you said, it was too late…" Ye Qingxuan answered indifferently. "The first time I saw you with that mask in the Sacred City, I started suspecting it. But in the end, I was the only one still clueless. Charles once told me that if I saw a purple-eyed musician, I should run immediately and never fight… I always thought that he was scared I would lose and die. It seems that he had realized long ago."

Ye Qingxuan looked at Abraham. He said hoarsely, "He didn't want me to fight you. That's why he became so weak and scared. He even begged me not to face you… These days, he was always scared to face you."

Abraham listened. After a pause, he hung his head and sighed. "Sorry."

"Tell that to Charles!" Ye Qingxuan interrupted furiously. "Why don't you think about Bai Xi? She wishes so badly for you to hold her hand like a father and attend her wedding!"

Abraham lowered his head. His expression was hidden but his voice was still calm. He nodded. "I promised her but it seems like I'll have to break it. Please apologize to her for me."

"You!" Ye Qingxuan wanted to step forward in rage.

Boom! The counterblade was nailed before him. The blade twanged with a sharp whistle. An invisible barrier blocked his path. In the distance, there was the sound of musicians breaking through the air.

They had been surrounded by dozens of musicians without realizing. Eerie aether waves spread out. In the air behind them, a Valkyrie emerged slowly, eyes full of murderous intent.

"That's enough, Yezi. Don't come any closer." Abraham reached out and snapped the neck of the musician beside him. When the man fell, he stepped on him with ease. The snap of the bone was crisp.

"Professor!" Ye Qingxuan roared.

"Sorry, Yezi." Abraham's expression was still dull and his voice was monotone. "I'm not a good teacher. I didn't teach Bai Xi anything and I couldn't help Charles. I didn't have the chance to pass anything real to you either. I am a failure. As you can see, the only thing I'm good at is this hateful thing…" Blood rolled down his cheeks from the corners of his eyes. He studied Ye Qingxuan and could not help but laugh.

"Thank you all for saving me and making me think that my life still held meaning. If possible, I really wish I can spend my entire life with you all. All together in the department… Please tell Bai Xi that I really want to attend her wedding. Truly."

Boom! Under the explosion, light and shadows intersected. Something whistled past and then stopped. Blood gushed! A body that had been hacked apart fell to the ground. Abraham stood before it with his sword. Half of his body was dyed red. He looked up at the musicians who had grouped here and the solidified Valkyrie.

"Unfortunately," he murmured, "the realization was too late."

"You can still turn back, Professor!" Ye Qingxuan roared. He charged forward with all his might. "Professor, please! Don't keep making mistakes! Surrender now! As long as we catch Gaius, I can extradite you to Anglo and then no one will touch me!"

"Then what about Charles?" Abraham asked. Ye Qingxuan froze.

"You should've realized long ago that he's not normal… The Sacred City won't let him go even if he's willing to be imprisoned for life like me. Perhaps God will pity me but the world will not accept him." Abraham shook his head sadly. "I wanted to forget where he came from and let him live out his life quietly in Anglo but he forced himself down this dead end.

"Before coming here, I thought there was still a possibility but I was wrong. People like me always have unrealistic dreams. We think that we can change our clothes and start over. But now I realize I've just been lying to myself. Yezi, I'm sorry… Remember to take care of Bai Xi in the future."

"Professor, what are you saying?!" Ye Qingxuan yelled. It felt like he had fallen into icy waters. Absolute panic rose up in his heart. "Professor…Charles…weren't we doing fine? What's wrong?!"

Lightning flashed and fell from the sky. A terrifying knight with a thunderbolt rode across the sky. Countless spirits sang a song from the kingdom of death.

Behind the Valkyrie, a giant vortex opened up. There, the aether and material world were heavily overlapped. Wagner's figure emerged. The dying man looked down at the human world. His eyes fell on Abraham and hardened.

"The remaining evil of the Dragon Riders… Gaius had hidden the forbidden waste from the purgatory with you? Do you know what you are doing?"

"I only wanted this world to become better," a hoarse voice rang out.

The gate of the Judgement Tower fell open. Gaius walked out of the darkness and stared at the saint. He uttered, "Better than before. After tampering with the past and future of humanity, you've lost the right to lead the world. Someday, you will choke on your own fruits."