A few years passed, and Valoros finally remembered the reason for his visit.
"You want me to help you meet Maximus?" Malgron muttered, coming to his senses.
It seemed Valoros had also learned about Maximus’s ultimate physique.
"He was the one who informed me," Valoros answered, noticing the question in Malgron’s eyes.
When Valoros first read the name of the sender, he had been equally shocked.
The junior who had once killed his clone had reached unimaginable heights.
Master of the River of Knowledge, the number one Supreme Candidate, victor in a war against the top forces of the Dimensional Alliance, and founder of one of the most prominent families—each of these achievements alone would have immortalized someone’s name in the Aeon Plane.
For all of them to belong to one person was so legendary it was almost unbelievable.
If Valoros hadn’t personally confirmed and deduced the truth of the matter, he might have dismissed it as a mere trap set by the Dimensional Alliance.
"Since you want to meet Maximus, I’ll take you to him. But why don’t we spar for a bit first?" Malgron asked with a grin.
"N-no, that would be too high-profile!" Valoros stammered, hurriedly declining.
Out of caution, he had only dared to meet Malgron with a clone.
If Malgron found out, he would be finished.
Not only would Malgron be furious upon discovering he was yet another clone, but their fight would create fluctuations, drawing the attention of those hounds from the Space-Time Bureau.
The Space-Time Bureau wasn’t as active as the Interdimensional Council, but once they targeted someone, their pursuit was far more relentless.
As the keeper of balance, Valoros was one of the anomalies they had to clean.
"Fine, fine. But next time, we must spar before you can talk to me," Malgron relented with a chuckle.
"Okay, I got it,"
Finally agreeing to the matter, Malgron sent word to Maximus that he would be bringing an old friend to meet him.
---
A few days later, after mutual agreement and a bit of preparation, Malgron escorted Valoros to the Etherium Realm.
However, when it came to manpower, territory, scope of influence, and industry, he was still significantly lacking.
In a few more epochs, the Shadowcrest Family might become the unrivaled wealthiest family in the entire Aeon Plane.
Thinking about having such a rich friend, Malgron couldn’t help but fantasize.
Grinning widely at the thought, Malgron led Valoros inside, acting as if the castle were his own home.
While they waited in the lounge area, Maximus finally arrived.
"Apologies for being late," Maximus greeted as he entered.
He had just returned from the Highland Realm, where he’d been on vacation with his wives.
Upon receiving Malgron’s message, it had taken some time to satisfy his wives and excuse himself.
"It’s fine, it’s fine! This is the friend I was telling you about. I’m sure you remember him," Malgron said hurriedly, introducing Valoros.
"Of course, how could I forget Mr. Valoros, the Lord of Truth?"
The creator of the Etherium Realm, the Amalgamation of Will, the man he had killed before he ascended to the Supreme throne, how could he forget Valoros?
"It is my honor that Your Highness still remembers me. I would also like to take this opportunity to apologize for my misdeeds in the past."
Recalling their history, Valoros felt a twinge of guilt.
Though he and Maximus had clashed—ending with his defeat and death—it was simply the way of their world.
In the struggle for power, there must always be a winner and a loser.
"No, it’s I who should apologize. During my rise to power, I was left with no choice but to push Mr. Valoros aside," Maximus said sincerely.
To secure full control over the Amalgamation of Will and the former Cursed Continent, Valoros’s demise had been inevitable.
Among the countless enemies Maximus had faced, nearly all their battles were conflicts of interest.
Such was the way of the world.
For the sake of interest, even brothers might turn against one another.
Yet, for the same goal, even the fiercest enemies and rivals could stand side by side like brothers.