Legend of the Divine God

Traces of fear and shock were still carved across Xuan's face. Of all the people he might have encountered today, it had to be the very youth who haunted his nightmares, suddenly appearing before him.

More than a year had passed since he tried to take Finn's life. He had believed his plan had succeeded, yet he'd been gravely mistaken. It was only after Grand Elder Isaac of the Sacred Dragon Institute dispatched him on a long-term mission to a remote land that he learned the truth: the boy he'd attempted to assassinate was not some mere 7th Level Bronze Rank.

He'd discovered Finn was actually a 9th Level Gold Rank, just like him. No wonder he hadn't managed to kill him with a single ordinary dagger and no soulforce. He'd thought the boy was simply putting on an act.

Xuan had also heard how Finn joined the Cloud Soaring Sect, and how its higher-ups extended protection to the Azure Wood Family. Terrified beyond measure, he fled from one hidden place to another, hoping to escape retribution.

And now, standing face-to-face with the youth he'd failed to eliminate, he could not help but tremble with dread.

"Why such a reaction, Old Xuan?" Finn asked, his tone playful as he smiled faintly. "Aren't you delighted to see me again?"

"Y-You…!" Xuan stammered, his voice cracking as he shouted in panic. "How did you find this forsaken place?!"

Finn continued to smile, and after a brief pause, he reached for his interspatial ring. A folded slip of parchment emerged, fluttering gently between his fingers.

"Because I have this," Finn replied, lifting the map—one of Poll's copies—into view.

Xuan's face went rigid with disbelief. "H-How…?" he gasped, eyes darting between the map and Finn's calm expression.

"Surprised?" Finn's golden eyes fixed on Xuan's. In their depths, a quiet anger simmered. "Do you still remember that little village you came from? Like me, they despised you with all their hearts."

The moment the words left Finn's lips, a cold dread seeped through Xuan's bones. He stared at the young man as if staring into the eyes of a monster.

"I-I should have wiped out those fools!" Xuan spat, trying to mask his terror with rage. "You…all your survival was just an act! Your death, too! You're nothing but filth—disgusting filth among us Adventurers!"

Though his voice trembled with fury, his face was pale and twisted in fear. No matter how he tried to sound brave, the reality remained: he was chained to the wall, helpless. Finn could do anything he wished to him, and ending his life would be the simplest task imaginable.

Finn tilted his head slightly, his smile widening with a kind of amusement that carried a hidden cruelty. He leaned close until their faces were only inches apart and chuckled softly.

"You're quite the hypocrite, Old Xuan," he murmured. "You have the gall to call me filth when you've slaughtered innocents and convinced yourself you're somehow clean. You truly make me laugh…"

Straightening, Finn's expression cooled. His gaze sharpened as he reached out and ran his fingers across the thick chain binding Xuan's wasted body.

"Look how fate favors me," he went on, voice quiet and low. "It prepared you in this perfect state—trapped and waiting. Perhaps this world has finally grown tired of your vile deeds and decided it was time to end your greed."

Finn traced the links of the chain, smiling as if he were admiring a fine sculpture.

"Finn Doria… Please—I beg you…" Xuan's voice cracked as desperation overwhelmed him. "I only obeyed orders! If you set me free, I—I'll swear myself to you. I'll tell you everything I know about the Black Tiger Family's plans!"

Finn stopped tracing the chain. He looked at Xuan in silence, and for a moment, his expression became unreadable.

Then, suddenly, his laughter erupted—deep, ringing through the cavern's gloom. He threw back his head and laughed until his shoulders shook. Only after a while did he wipe his eyes and look back down at the old man, his golden gaze filled with scorn.

"You want to be my servant?" he said coldly. "Hmph. Filthy vermin like you aren't worthy to call themselves my slave. And as for your secrets…I don't care if you know every truth in this kingdom. I already understand who's behind all this—the Ice Feather Sect and the Nine Ice Family. I don't need your worthless scraps of information."

Xuan's eyes bulged in disbelief. He could not comprehend how Finn knew. Only a handful of individuals were privy to the true masterminds behind the chaos now engulfing the realm.

And he himself had never been fully certain whether the Ice Feather Sect truly orchestrated everything. After all, he was just a disposable pawn, never trusted with the deeper schemes.

Over eleven years ago, he'd been nothing but a Rogue Adventurer, completing dangerous missions for coin. He was unknown, insignificant—until the day an elder of the Black Tiger Family offered him a path into the Sacred Dragon Institute as an Outer Instructor. How the Aristocratic Clan achieved this, he'd never discovered. Nor did he care. A higher status was all he'd ever desired.

It was that same elder who ordered him to poison Altair. Bound by debt and ambition, he carried out the order without a shred of hesitation, unafraid of taking the life of a student within the Institute's walls.

Because he knew—he'd heard—that the Nine Ice Family stood behind them.

"Now that you know," Xuan rasped, voice shrill with desperation and pride, "aren't you afraid of what the Nine Ice Family and the Ice Feather Sect will do when they learn you've harmed me?"

It was all he had left—the names of the great powers who ruled the Sacred Dragon Kingdom. It was his only hope, the final shield between him and a slow, gruesome death.

But Finn only stared at him as though he were a madman. His lips curled in contempt.

"Do you really think your life holds any value to the Nine Ice Family or the Ice Feather Sect?" Finn's voice dropped to a soft, hateful whisper. "Even if you were a dog of the Royal Clan, I wouldn't hesitate to kill you. You've committed too many crimes against my family. You tried to end my life. Death is the least you deserve!"

In one smooth motion, he reached for his interspatial ring. A simple dagger materialized in his palm—nothing but an ordinary blade forged from common steel.

Finn raised the knife, preparing to drive it straight into Xuan's throat—

"Wait! Don't you want to know why I'm here?!"

Xuan's shrill voice rang out, stopping Finn's hand an inch from flesh.

Finn paused. He knew Xuan had come here because of the map—but he had no idea what treasure lay hidden deeper inside the cave, nor why a formation master's trap had been set here.

He could feel it—some ancient, terrible force slumbered beyond the shadows.

Seeing Finn's momentary hesitation, Xuan's eyes gleamed. Hope returned to his haggard face, and he forced himself to look sincere as he gasped out:

"Finn Doria…if you spare me…I'll tell you everything I know about this place's secret!"

Finn's gaze hardened, the air turning cold around him. His voice was quiet, edged with threat.

"You're on the brink of death, yet you still dare to bargain? Aren't you afraid you'll only hasten your own demise?"

Terror prickled Xuan's spine, but he clenched his jaw and forced out:

"If you kill me, you'll never learn what lies hidden in this cavern!"

For an instant, Finn almost laughed at the absurdity of the old man's stubbornness. But as he stared into Xuan's eyes, he weighed the chance to uncover the truth.

"…Speak," he commanded icily.

Xuan drew in a ragged breath, trying to steady his shaking voice. "Y-You must promise…you won't kill me. Swear it, and I'll swear my words are true."

Finn's gaze was as sharp as a blade.

"Hmph. Fine," he said at last. "I swear—I will not kill you once you have told me the secret of this place. If I break this oath, may the heavens judge me."

No hint of deceit colored his tone or his expression. Seeing this, Xuan finally dared to breathe again. His arrogance returned as he lifted his head.

"I found the map in another cave," he began, voice steadying. "According to the inscriptions and paintings on its walls, this place conceals a treasure—it's a Sky Rank's tomb."

At that, Finn understood. So this was why the air itself seemed steeped in power—the lingering aura of a Sky Rank Adventurer.

"Hmph! Perhaps you don't even understand what a Sky Rank is," Xuan sneered. "They can travel the skies and do battle in midair. You wouldn't know, would you? You're nothing but the whelp of some pathetic clan with no knowledge of the world."

He flashed a triumphant grin. "I don't know what's happening in Sacred Dragon Kingdom now, but I'm sure the end of your clan draws near—"

A cold, murderous glare shut him up in an instant. Xuan struggled to breathe.

"If you say another worthless word, I'll end you before you finish," Finn warned softly.

Xuan's face twisted in fear. He swallowed and continued hoarsely:

"He wasn't only a powerful Sky Rank Adventurer—he was also a Formation Master. Their fame rivals that of Alchemists and Blacksmiths. With their skills, they can protect vast territories, and countless people revere them."

"If I could claim the treasures he left behind…I could become a Sky Rank Adventurer and Formation Master myself. I could finally do as I pleased!"

He burst into a shrill, crazed laugh.

Finn ignored him, lost in thought. After a moment, he fixed his gaze on Xuan again.

"You said it's a Sky Rank's tomb. Does that mean the corpse itself is still here?" he asked quietly.

Finn didn't care about treasure. What interested him was the possibility of the Sky Rank's remains.

Xuan blinked, confused, but then sneered. "It's a tomb. The corpse might be here." He met Finn's eyes, voice dripping scorn. "I've told you everything. Now—release me."

Finn said nothing. He simply smiled, as if he didn't understand.

"What are you saying, Old Xuan? I never promised to free you."

Xuan's mind went blank. In that instant, he realized too late that he'd failed to set the right terms. His fear returned full force.

"You—you bastard! Let me out of here!" he screamed.

Finn's smile didn't waver. He lifted his glowing hand toward the chain.

"Since you've given me valuable information, I'll help you escape," he said sweetly.

With a flick, the chains clattered to the ground.

CLANK!

"Hmph! The treasure here belongs to me alone—so you have to die!"

In one blur of motion, Xuan grabbed his interspatial ring. A gleaming High-tier Rare Armament sword flashed into his grasp. He lunged.

But before the blade even neared Finn's face, his entire body went numb. He froze, sweating cold fear.

"You never cease to amuse me, old man," Finn said, his voice calm as he stepped forward. "You tried to kill me with your pitiful 1st Level Scarlet Gold Rank? You overestimate yourself."

"W-What did you do to me?!" Xuan shrieked. "You—! You can't kill me! You swore!"

"It's true I can't kill you," Finn said softly. "But that doesn't mean I can't hurt you."

He flexed his fist.

"No—no! I beg you! Take the treasure, it's yours, I'll—"

BANG!

His sentence ended with a sickening crunch as Finn's punch smashed into his face, hurling him across the cavern. He slammed into the wall and collapsed, blood gushing from his nose and mouth.

Gasping, Xuan crawled weakly toward the wall, trying to prop himself up.

"P-Please… Finn Doria… I— I didn't want any of this…"

Finn ignored him. His boots echoed as he approached, fist raised again.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

"Aaagh!"

Each strike landed in a different place—ribs, stomach, shoulder. Xuan's howls of agony filled the cave. Blood soaked the floor, yet not once did he lose consciousness. Finn had been careful—using only his physical strength, never his soulforce.

At last, when the rage inside him began to cool, Finn stepped back. He retrieved a small bottle from his ring, uncorked it, and forced the pill inside down Xuan's throat.

The old man's body went rigid. His heartbeat slowed to a crawl.

It was a Heart Stopping Pill—a paralytic toxin that did not kill, only robbed its victim of movement.

Finn looked down at him, a chill smile curling his lips.

"Old Xuan…you won't die by my hand. You owe a debt to someone else, and only they have the right to decide your fate."

He turned, raising his Myriad World Mirror. As the silvery gateway flared open, he grabbed Xuan like a sack of grain and hurled him through.

Finally, Finn's gaze drifted deeper into the cavern, toward the presence he had felt all along.

"Hmm…a corpse of a Sky Rank Adventurer—and a Formation Master…"