"Huh? Join a human?" Kira asked, and then Grey heard her sighing softly in his mind as she flapped her magnificent wings, the movement sending sparks of lightning scattering into the air.
"Yes, I do admire your strength and grit. And even though you managed to kill me, I have to admit," she paused, tilting her head slightly as if weighing her next words,
"you didn’t do it all alone since you required help. So how about this," Kira said, causing Grey to straighten up from his crouched position with a slight frown tightening his features.
"When you need my help, I will render it just once as repayment for managing to defeat me. But if you want my full assistance or want me to truly join your squad, then come back here stronger than you are now.
The day you manage to defeat me completely on your own without any form of assistance from anybody, that will be the day you earn me as an ally or a squad member. Whatever you choose to call it."
’That is quite rational.’ Thalos thought as he stared at the phoenix and then at Grey before nodding his head firmly.
’Phoenixes are prideful beings and will never accept working with weak individuals. Nah! Even I wouldn’t have accepted it if Grey hadn’t made me see my master’s form and ambitions in him. This makes sense.’
’I never expected it to be that easy after all.’ Grey sighed inwardly as his eyes narrowed slightly, staring at the phoenix in the sky. ’I mean, what were the odds that a powerful, almost divine-like being would willingly join a mere mortal like me? It’s rare—no, unheard of and hence I’m not too disappointed.
I mean, I’ll still get her help once, and if I become strong enough it could become permanent. And since I know she can’t truly die but will simply come back stronger with each rebirth, I won’t be scared of holding back when our rematch happens.’
"So what do you think of my words?" Kira asked as she stared down at the human, her blue eyes glowing faintly.
"I accept. When I need your help, I will come looking for you. And after I have grown much stronger, I will come back and challenge you to the death. If I win, you’re joining me. I accept these conditions of yours." Grey declared firmly, his voice echoing through the broken mountain top.
"And if you lose," Kira chuckled, her wings spreading wider as arcs of lightning trailed from their tips, "say hi to your grandfather for me."
Without another word, the phoenix took off into the sky, higher than ever before, staring down at Grey with a faint smirk of amusement in her eyes.
"Don’t worry," Grey called up at her, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. "The next time I come back here, you’re not landing more than three hits on me before you turn to ash. And that’s my promise to you. The Supreme Magus’ promise."
’I’m expecting great things from you, Supreme Magus. You don’t know this, but thanks to you, I have evolved and I’m now on the level of a real divine being. Earlier, I was terribly close, but with you and your so-called sidekick working together, you managed to take me down.
However, with my new conditions, if you hope to beat me next time, then you need to rise to the level of a divine being yourself—which I doubt you can reach.’ Kira thought inwardly before turning her gaze back to the horizon. Without hesitation, she shot forth like a colossal bolt of lightning heading to who knows where, her figure vanishing from sight.
"Welp! That was crazy fast." Grey muttered under his breath as he blinked, realizing it looked like the phoenix had teleported again. But it didn’t. It simply flew faster than his eyes could even register, a speed far beyond what he had ever encountered before.
’Yup! It wasn’t lying when it said it was now stronger than before. I feel like it now has double the strength it had before or something close to that.’ Thalos thought inwardly with a sigh before turning his sharp gaze toward Grey.
"Shall we leave now?" he asked.
"Yeah," Grey replied casually, giving a small nod. They walked away for a few minutes in silence, the atmosphere heavy yet strangely calm, before the duo stopped.
The Supreme Magus bent down, his fingers moving swiftly as he began drawing intricate signs and symbols on the ground. Each stroke glowed faintly as if the earth itself recognized his authority.
When he was done, Grey ignited the circle with his mana, and it lit up with a faint hum. Sparks danced across the edges before a swirling portal snapped into existence in front of them. Without hesitation, they were about to step in when Thalos raised a hand, stopping him.
"Aren’t you forgetting something?" he asked, his tone carrying a hint of irritation.
Grey furrowed his brows, staring at him in confusion for a few seconds before it finally clicked in his head.
"Right!" He snapped his fingers, and his pendant lit up brightly before he pulled out a ring and handed it over to the gargoyle.
Thalos slipped it on, and instantly the magic rippled through his body. His monstrous features blurred away, leaving behind the disguise of a human form—one that went by the name of ’Pink.’ Only after that transformation could they finally step into the portal. Thalos shrunk his greatsword, reducing it from its towering size into the shape of a dagger that rested neatly in his palm.
In just a few seconds, the portal snapped shut behind them and reappeared elsewhere.
Inside an inn within the Noxarian faction, a swirling portal opened in the middle of a quiet room, and out stepped two figures.
"Phew! That was tiring." Thalos exhaled, rolling his shoulders as he glanced around. His eyes then fell on a massive sack resting against the wall.
"Huh?" Grey muttered, curiosity pulling him forward. He crouched down and opened it, only for his eyes to widen at the sight of almost two hundred beast cores shimmering inside. At the very top lay a neatly folded note.
«I knocked a few times but nobody responded. Feeling uneasy, I came in and noticed the room was empty, so I decided to drop this off. These are all the cores I could gather. Kindly make more pills for the business.
Oh! And inside the sack is the earnings from the last batch. Enjoy! With love: Dame.»
Grey dug deeper into the sack and found a small purse tucked at the side. When he opened it, his jaw nearly dropped. Inside were around ten gold coins and fifty silver coins stacked neatly. Content orıginally comes from novel⟡fire.net
"Yoo! That’s a lot." Grey gulped in disbelief as the golden light reflected in his eyes. His lips curved into a wide grin.
"You know? I was feeling tired earlier, but fuck this! Let’s get to work." He shouted with renewed energy, quickly storing the purse into his pendant before pulling out his tools. In seconds, he was already drawing new magic circles across the floor, his hands moving with fierce determination.
’Guess aside from strength and power, he is also greedy for money! Tch.’ Thalos scoffed, shaking his head as he leaned back into his chair.
With his arms crossed and an expression of mild annoyance, he settled into his usual stance, watching the Supreme Magus work with almost obsessive excitement.