"We will save her," Adams said, his voice steady and filled with conviction. His gaze shifted toward his mother, noticing the worry etched deeply into her expression. Her lips were pressed into a thin line, her brows furrowed as her thoughts spiraled to his little sister. He reached out subtly with his energy, wanting to offer some form of reassurance without words.
"That's why I made my earlier statement about destroying the Heavens."
Aria's hands clenched tightly in her lap, her knuckles turning white as she listened. Her eyes, though soft and filled with concern, held a hint of steel as she responded. "I believe you," she said, her voice firm but tinged with underlying fear. "But the Heavens have nothing to do with Arianna's abduction.
It was an Ashura Demon who took her." Her brow furrowed, the creases deepening as her mind ran through the implications of such an attack.
Laden, standing nearby, crossed his arms and tilted his head in thought. His eyes were sharp, calculating as they flickered between Adams and Aria. "Yeah," he added, his tone thoughtful but laced with skepticism. "Last I checked, the Ashuras are on an entirely different plane.
They're locked in heated battles with the Heavens, so I don't see them working together." He shot a glance at Adams, waiting for confirmation, but found none. Instead, Adams remained calm, his expression unreadable.
The room fell into a brief silence, the tension palpable. Lovigary, who had been watching the exchange in quiet contemplation, finally stepped forward, drawing the attention of his parents. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes were sharp with an unspoken realization. "You all are right," he began, his voice cutting through the silence like a knife.
"But I think we're forgetting a massive factor here."
Adams' eyes flickered toward his younger brother, intrigued by the sudden shift in the conversation. Lovigary met his gaze, his lips curving into a subtle smile as he continued, "What was the reason the Ashura Demon attacked our plane and abducted Arianna?"
Lokk, who had been standing at the far end of the room, leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, one brow raised in confusion. "Because of her True Immortality traits," he said slowly, as though the answer was obvious. "She can't die from anything whatsoever." His brow furrowed, clearly not understanding where Lovigary was leading them.
"Exactly," Lovigary said with a knowing smile, his eyes gleaming with the pieces of a puzzle falling into place. He turned back toward Adams, a spark of excitement in his gaze. "I think what brother is trying to say here is that the Heavens also have a hand in this." He paused, letting the weight of his words sink in, but before he could continue, Aria interrupted, her voice sharp with realization.
"Because the Heavens wouldn't just sit by and let the Ashuras have Arianna for themselves," she finished, her voice rising with a mixture of anger and understanding. Her fists clenched tightly at her sides, her nails digging into her palms as her face flushed red, the anger boiling beneath her skin.
"It's in everyone's nature to be greedy, even if it's just a little bit," she added, her voice trembling slightly with the intensity of her emotions.
"How is that even possible?" Laden asked, his voice steady but laced with disbelief. His eyes narrowed as he studied his son, trying to find traces of the boy he once knew beneath the overwhelming power that now radiated from him. "I know of reincarnation, but even with that, there's no way someone can attain... Godlike powers. Something else is at play here, son."
Adams chuckled softly, the sound almost mocking, as his father's words hung in the air. His expression remained calm, but his eyes gleamed with a hint of amusement. "Who said I have Godlike powers?" he replied casually, his voice smooth and unsettlingly confident.
The room fell into a stunned silence. Everyone's eyes turned toward Adams, their faces painted with confusion. Laden's brows furrowed deeper as his mind raced, trying to grasp the meaning behind his son's words. Aria, standing nearby, tilted her head slightly, her lips parting in bewilderment.
Even Lovigary, who usually caught on quickly, was left speechless, his gaze fixated on Adams, silently begging for an explanation.
Godlike powers? What did he mean by saying he didn't have them?
Laden's thoughts tumbled over each other in confusion. Does raising the dead now qualify as normal? he thought. And destroying the Heavens—beings so powerful they can reshape worlds with a thought—is that supposed to be mundane? The disbelief in the room was palpable as everyone tried to process what Adams could possibly mean.
Sensing the tension, Adams leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms over his chest as a smile played at the corner of his lips. He allowed the silence to linger, savoring the confusion that gripped them. Then, with an almost casual wave of his hand, he spoke again.
"Don't get me wrong," he began, his voice low but carrying an undeniable weight. "When I said I don't have Godlike powers, I meant that I am way beyond that level." His eyes swept over each of them, watching their reactions with quiet satisfaction. "I'm in a league of my own, a league where everyone—everything—is beneath me."
The intensity of his words sent a chill through the room. Laden stiffened, his hands clenching slightly at his sides as he tried to maintain his composure. Aria's gaze faltered, her eyes reflecting a mixture of awe and worry. Even Lovigary, who always believed in his brother's strength, now found himself struggling to keep up with the gravity of what Adams was claiming.
"I am an incomprehensible, insurmountable being," Adams continued, his voice taking on a cold, unwavering edge. "I exist beyond the normal scope of things. I am far past the level of gods." His smile widened, but there was nothing comforting in it. "I am Adams Albert."
For a moment, time seemed to freeze as his declaration echoed in the room. Laden swallowed hard, his heart pounding in his chest as he struggled to reconcile the son he once knew with the being standing before him now. Aria, her face pale, stared at Adams with wide eyes, her hand subconsciously gripping the edge of her robe.
Lovigary, who had always seen Adams as a rival in strength, now stood in silent acknowledgment of his brother's unfathomable power.
The weight of Adams' words settled over them, each of them realizing, perhaps for the first time, that the person they were looking at was no longer the Adams they remembered. He was something far more terrifying, far more powerful—and far more untouchable.