Healed back to his top shape, Christian now stood in front of his house... or rather, in front of what remained of it.
The people from the Drevane family — all of them killed by the shockwave — weren’t on his mind. He would’ve killed them all anyway.
He also didn’t care that several weapons were left untested.
But his house, still barely standing... and the other nearby buildings now reduced to rubble, still burning from the earlier explosion —
That was a different story.
Rebuilding everything from scratch wasn’t something he wanted to go through again. Not after the effort it took the first time.
"So, have you finally come to regret extending your hand on your future master?" Anastasia said with a snicker from beside him.
And Christian, at that moment, couldn’t help but really feel a twinge of regret.
Naturally, he had no intention of admitting that out loud.
So instead, he smiled at her and said, "Stasy, maybe you don’t know, but your android-making will have to be delayed too, thanks to this mess."
"So, you can’t act is all someone else’s business."
Anastasia’s lips twitched at that, clearly amused. She tilted her head and said playfully, "Stasy? You’ve really gotten bolder."
"Should I be flattered..." Then narrowing her eyes slightly, she added,
"...or remind you of who I am?"
Christian pretended not to hear her, turning back to look at his wrecked house.
Anastasia shook her head and let it go — at least for now. She decided to indulge him a little longer.
But then, her gaze moved back to the ruined building, and a new thought sparked in her mind.
’Maybe I should show him more of what I can do. So he can truly understand the value of what I’m offering.’
She slowly raised her hand and directed it toward the house.
And a mysterious, powerful force suddenly began to envelop the area — like space itself was bending to her will.
Christian felt it immediately. His eyes lit up with interest. This update is available on novel·fire.net
Thanks to his high Essence Manipulation skill, he was extremely sensitive to the changes happening around him — and he could clearly feel it:
This move was even more earth-shattering than the one before.
He watched in real time as the fire, the scattered bricks, the collapsed buildings — everything — began to fix itself.
The house... the surroundings... all of it seemed to rewind, bit by bit, piece by piece, back to how it once was.
"Time reversal?" Christian muttered, amazement clear in his voice.
He stared, watching as the ruins vanished — replaced by the pristine state of his home and its neighboring buildings, just as they had been before the destruction.
Not even a single crack was left behind.
And Anastasia, standing there casually — without the slightest trace of fatigue — simply raised her chin and looked at him.
There was a glint in her eye.
She clearly wanted to be praised.
And Christian let out a breath, then admitted, "Okay... you really are amazing."
"Hmph," Anastasia snorted, and began walking toward the house without a backward glance.
Christian watched her back for a moment, his mind drifting to what she’d said earlier — about wanting him to become her disciple.
’Should I just agree?’
The question hung in his chest.
But he knew he couldn’t let himself get swept up in her beauty and strength so easily... not just like that.
That’s why he decided to delay the decision for now.
Instead, he gave Iris a command to take care of the aftermath — the crater, the corpses, or what was left of them — and then finally, he followed Anastasia inside.
As he walked, his gaze kept drifting toward the buildings, the house, and the surrounding structures that had all been reduced to rubble just minutes ago.
But in the end, his eyes settled on Anastasia — who, instead of returning to the forging room, had pulled out a table and a chair and set them down in the garden.
Except this time, there were two chairs.
Christian understood immediately — their conversation wasn’t over yet.
So, he moved toward the table and sat down across from her.
The chair looked like ordinary wood. Plain. Unremarkable.
But the moment he sat on it — he noticed something strange.
Despite its hard appearance, it was incredibly comfortable. But that wasn’t all.
His mind seemed to clear up the moment he settled in, and essence felt closer than ever to him.
’What the fuck is this thing made from?’
He couldn’t help but wonder for a moment, before finally shaking his head and turning his full attention back to Anastasia.
He looked into her eyes — each a different color — and for a moment, he felt she looked even more beautiful .
He felt like he was being drawn in. Absorbed by her.
But then her voice pulled him back.
"I won’t pry any further into whatever secret you’re hiding," she said.
"If you feel like telling me someday, you’re free to do so. But even if you don’t... that doesn’t change anything for me."
She paused for a beat — her words gentle, but their meaning clear.
She wasn’t going anywhere.
Then, with a voice far more serious than before, she asked,
"So, I’ll ask again... I want you as my disciple. Do you agree?"
Christian didn’t respond right away.
He continued staring at her in silence.
What should his answer be?
If Anastasia was truly genuine in her desire for him to become her disciple, then that would be fine — no, fantastic.
She was immensely powerful.
She held enough strength to shield him from everything he was trying so desperately to protect himself from.
But what if her intentions weren’t as pure as she claimed?
Christian doubted that... but what if?
He had already started to build some trust in her.
Still, he felt like he needed more time. More courage.
To truly be able to live around her — to trust her presence fully — that didn’t come so easily.