It was a shame, but there was nothing more Uriel could do. To his great disappointment, his self-imposed week of rest and vacation had come to an end.
He could no longer build snowmen, ski down snow-covered mountain slopes, move freely killing abominations, and change forms with his Ascended ability.
Which, by the way, his latest form was that of an enormous, imposing wolf with white eyes and incredibly sharp fangs and claws. After tracking down a corrupt Terror, the battle was brief: he killed it in less than a minute.
Although the only disadvantage of that form was that it made his primal instincts like fury and hostility dominate him for some reason he didn't understand.
Either way, it was time to return.
Checking that he had everything, he watched the Antarctic center slowly recede as he rode on Gunlaug's back. Gunlaug, though he hadn't noticed before, had increased in size. Before, he measured between seventy or eighty meters, but after reaching Supremacy, he had reached one hundred meters. And with an almost unlimited amount of essence, he could fight for a very long time. Although his base element was tied to a strange source.
As for his new ability as a Supreme, it was the capacity to displace.
Although it sounded simple, it wasn't. His ability allowed him to ignore everything, creating a kind of displacement that could redirect everything. In theory, he could ignore the crushing pressure of the Ivory Island by displacing himself through space. Nor did distances mean anything between him and his target, shifting space aside or adding space to enlarge it.
There was a great variety of ways to use displacement, and he was just beginning to adapt a new combat style with his supreme ability.
Sitting on Gunlaug's head, he crossed his arms, feeling the cold wind move his hair. He had prepared a list of excuses for when he met with the Transcendents of the San Cor government. Among his best excuses were: giving his VIP ticket to someone in need, staying behind to look for stragglers to rescue, eliminating threats that could be a problem for the future.
Even having to fight a dangerous abomination alone that could spread like a parasite.
Yes, without a doubt, a great variety of perfectly planned excuses. Of course, he also had excuses for when he met with his organization in the Dream Realm.
He wanted an army. Since his wonder team had gone to their second nightmare, he thought about calling Shadow Garden to create a complete legion: hundreds of elite Awakened.
Uriel smiled at the image of a thousand Awakened wearing black armor killing a corrupt Titan in front of the incredulous faces of the Saints and the clans.
Smiling with amusement, he watched how in just three hours he had already arrived in East Antarctica.
It didn't take him long to spot a siege city. Thousands of high-powered bullets capable of eliminating Awakened Beasts were being fired. He could even make out the small silhouettes of Awakened and soldiers on the battlements.
Gunlaug looked at the mass of abominations and, without Uriel needing to give the order, flew toward it, unleashing an enormous flare of golden fire that quickly consumed hundreds of meters until it devastated an area of nearly three kilometers. Thousands of abominations, both Awakened and Fallen, died in that single attack.
Having cleared an area, Gunlaug landed. The image was truly disconcerting for the Awakened as they saw an enormous, majestic, imposing one-hundred-meter-tall dragon looking at them with divine arrogance.
Quickly, the Awakened discovered who that dragon was. After all, with the enormous number of videos, theories, and publicity, there was no one who didn't know him.
It was one of the Lord of Darkness's Echos.
After they looked at the dragon, an Awakened shouted and pointed toward the top of the dragon's head.
Everyone raised their faces. Their eyes opened wide as they saw a young, handsome man with fair skin, black eyes, and a smile somewhere between amused and confident, staring back at them. He was sitting cross-legged in a relaxed pose, and on his body was a black and gray tunic armor made of sublime and pristine fabric.
The reactions were immediate. The reactions were not long in coming, especially from the civilians inside, many of whom were from Falcon Scott, the Erebus Field, or other cities in the Antarctic center.
In just half an hour, all of East Antarctica knew that the missing Lord of Darkness had returned.
As for Uriel, he was walking calmly toward a simple room where the Ascended in charge and several other Awakened were waiting.
"Gods! Great! This is fantastic! I have to tell my wife... no, first central command..." said the Ascended, a man around thirty years old. "First of all, can I have an autograph?"
Uriel blinked several times before shrugging and taking out a pen from his dark storage, giving his signature to the Ascended.
After reporting briefly, Uriel was transferred to the local government's main headquarters and showered with attention, which he found somewhat annoying. From what Uriel could gather, the government's Saint would come to welcome him personally.
---
A few hours later, while Uriel was solving a strange puzzle, the door finally opened, revealing the government's Saint.
Uriel turned his head slightly, seeing a tall man with rough skin, about fifty years old in physical appearance. However, he could feel an aura of power emanating from him. His hair was shiny black, his appearance haggard. He wore an austere military uniform with a four-star insignia stamped on the sleeve. His dark eyes looked at Uriel with something between interest and doubt.
"Ascended Uriel," he spoke in a serious, calm tone.
"Greetings, Lord San Cor. I must say it's a great pleasure to meet the government's Saint, who comes to see a humble Ascended like myself."
San Cor looked at Uriel without changing his expression.
"I must say your attitude is very similar to how the reports describe it."
The government's Saint sat on the sofa across from Uriel, who finished placing the last piece of the puzzle.
"Why didn't you return immediately after the evacuation of Falcon Scott?" asked the Saint.
Uriel remained calm. "I had my reasons."
"What kind of reasons?" asked the Saint seriously.
"Investigation and reconnaissance. I stayed to make sure there were no stragglers or people who were still in the siege cities unable to reach Falcon Scott. Unfortunately, there was no one apart from frozen corpses."
The Saint nodded, understanding his reasons.
"I understand. But that has caused a great uproar. The news that the Dark Hero who didn't return from Falcon Scott began to cause mild chaos and uncertainty."
"With all due respect, sir, that's not my problem." Uriel crossed his arms, staring at the Transcendent in front of him. "You government people use my image to put on a facade of a pillar and all that garbage."
The Saint didn't deny it, but neither did he admit it, remaining silent, although a slight smile appeared on his face, conceding the point.
"You're more perceptive than others think."
"Oh please, I'm quite stupid. The stupidest guy out there."
"No stupid person would kill two Titans, several great abominations, have never-before-seen Echos, and keep over four hundred million people safe."
"I'm a lucky fool, I suppose."
"In this world, kid, there are more things than mere luck. You knew what you were doing and how you were doing it in such a way that no one knew you were doing it. I know people like you."
"Don't talk as if you know me, sir. As far as I know, you decided to abandon the Antarctic center and keep East Antarctica safe. I saved hundreds of millions of lives."
"You have a point there, boy. But will you take responsibility for all those lives? Will you get them shelter? Food? Homes? Isn't it hypocrisy on your part to pretend you saved hundreds of millions because you could, trying to prove something to yourself?"
"And would you let a billion die just to have resources for two billion? Food? Homes? Resources?" asked Uriel in a calm tone. "I find it amusing that you talk about my hypocrisy when you let millions die outside the walls like rats every day, just to give the false image that you're doing everything possible for humanity when instead you only work for a few."
The Saint's eyes narrowed.
"Be careful what you say, boy. You're walking on very thin ice."
Uriel sighed. "I'm just speaking with facts, Lord Cor. So let's stop throwing shit in each other's faces and tell me what you really want from me."
San Cor looked at the young man several decades younger than him. He was just a simple Ascended with achievements that even Saints envied, but at the end of the day, he was still a Master who couldn't eliminate a Saint.
However, San Cor was special. He could easily distinguish people by their talent. There were those who had talent, then those who were truly talented, among them heirs of Legacy clans, then there were the true geniuses whose growth was exponential. And then there was the highest rung: the true monsters. People born one in billions. If he had to put it in perspective, Uriel possessed the same talent or even more talent than the legendary Broken Sword, the first to reach Transcendence.
Uriel looked at the Saint, who seemed to be in a brief meditation, before he responded after a second.
"My personal retinue. That's officially... unofficially. However, you will act as a special envoy assigned to the Legacy forces. You will be assigned to be a point of contact between the evacuation army and the great clans."
"Why do you think I'm a good option, sir?" asked Uriel with a raised eyebrow.
"You have considerable closeness to members of both clans."
"You mean Song Seishan and Changing Star?"
The Saint nodded.
"Let me see if I understand. I'll be the bridge between you and either Valor or Song. But which one will I be assigned to?" he asked.
"That will be decided when the envoys arrive in a few months," he replied. "As for your new assignments, you can either work independently on special missions for the army to eliminate threats, or you can create your own group under your command. Which do you choose?"
"I'll take the second."
"Agreed. You will be sent the files of the Awakened you can recruit."
"Is there any limit on the number?"
"Around fifty to about three hundred."
"Good. And can it be any Awakened?"
"As long as they are registered with the army."
Uriel nodded. "I understand."
The conversation continued for a few more minutes until finally he was free to leave. He would have a few days of rest to select his subordinates before they arrived in Antarctica.
After being assigned a room, he took a hot shower, had a delicious meal, some peace and quiet. And then, after mentally preparing himself, he threw his anchor to the Dream Realm.
---
The Ivory Island was a little different than Uriel remembered from the last time he had been there.
The Ivory Pagoda still looked just as pristine as the last time, with the only difference being the wooden constructions made by the Fire Keepers, giving the appearance of a small, quiet village that integrated harmoniously with the landscape.
There were trees bearing fruit. Surrounding the pagoda was the great corpse of a dragon. The sunlight touched the bones, giving it a solemn air even in death.
Walking toward the edge, he observed the chained islands—enormous islands connected by gigantic chains, each link wide enough to be a road.
The Ivory Island was moving, though very slowly.
Uriel walked around curiously. He had changed his appearance. His hair was dark purple, and instead of wearing the Holy Mantle, he wore simple leather Awakened-rank armor, giving the appearance of a simple, good-looking person. No one paid him any attention.
After exploring to his heart's content, he walked toward the crystal-clear lake, where there was a wooden bench. Sitting on the bench were two figures quite familiar to him.
The first was a woman with blonde hair, a beautiful face like a doll. Her eyes were hidden by a piece of blue cloth. Instead of wearing armor, her clothes were quite normal. Beside her was a tall woman with silver hair and gray eyes.
Those two girls were none other than Cassie and Nephis. They had already noticed his presence.
Uriel approached quite calmly, and before he could speak, Cassie spoke first.
"Hello, Uriel," the girl greeted with a smile.
"How did you recognize me? I thought my disguise was good."
"I'm a seer. Besides, among everyone, you're the only one who appears as a black stain."
"That feels like an insult," he murmured, then looked at Nephis. "Hello, Nephis. I'm glad to see you're well."
Nephis nodded.
Uriel walked toward the lake, walking on its surface as if it were a hard surface. After crossing the small lake, he sat on the bench at the other end.
"Now you can walk on water?" asked Nephis.
"Yes, and turn water into wine too."
Cassie stifled a laugh while Changing Star took a moment to understand the sarcasm.
"So how was it in the Antarctic center?" asked Cassie, deciding to start the conversation.
"Do you want a quick summary or a six-hour explanation?"
"A summary," said Nephis.
"Hm. To start, I killed a lot of abominations. I was assigned to a siege camp. A corrupt Tyrant attacked; I killed it. Then a great abomination that I killed. Then a corrupt Titan that played with my mind for almost two months; I killed it too. A war broke out against six corrupt abominations where the weakest was a Demon and the strongest was a parasitic Terror that wanted to evolve into a Titan. I killed a Titan, then a Terror. Then the evacuations began. I think after that, I killed a corrupt Titan with an explosion that shook an entire continent. I got an Echo from that death... and the rest tells itself."
Nephis had a slightly bewildered look upon hearing all of that. Of course, she had heard of the feats through the news she saw in the waking world, but generally the information came randomly and not completely. So hearing it firsthand, even if it was a quick summary, left her with some things to process.
For example, the fact that Uriel now had the Echo of a Transcendent Titan.
"So, the usual," commented Cassie. "But don't think you're getting out of telling us what happened... we were quite worried when you didn't return after the evacuations from Falcon Scott ended," said Cassie.
Uriel looked at Cassie and then at Nephis. "Were you really worried when I didn't come back?" he asked, genuinely curious.
"Yes," this time the answer came from Nephis.
Uriel didn't know what to think for a moment. "Oh, I see."
"Why do you sound surprised?"
"I... no... it's nothing," he replied.
It was evident to both Cassie and Nephis that Uriel was keeping something to himself, but he wouldn't tell anyone.
Cassie, noticing the mood, changed the subject.
"You mentioned you have the Echo of a corrupt Titan. Which one is it?"
"The Winter Beast. I can summon it, but it would be brief. Its abilities are too dangerous to summon lightly."
Uriel summoned the Winter Beast, which materialized a few meters away.
Nephis looked ahead, observing the great Titan of black ice with light purple flowers around it. Immediately, she felt the temperature plummet. A thin layer of frost spread rapidly.
Uriel dismissed the Transcendent Titan.
"As you can see, too dangerous," he expressed.
"How did you manage to kill something like that?" asked Nephis.
"With sorcery and a lot of madness. Since its powers were ice-based, the only way to counter it was with fire. It took me some time, but I managed to find a large still-active volcano, and using sorcery, I blocked the thermal energy from escaping for many hours. After that, I fought my way through the storm until I reached it and transported it to the volcano. The clash of different temperatures generated an explosion that, as I said before, caused the entire Antarctic continent to suffer a great earthquake. In the end, it was still alive, and what followed was an infernal battle where I ended up half dead," he finished.
"By the way, I still have its head. Do you want to see it?"
"No," said Cassie instantly.
"By the way, where are the others?"
"Effie and Kai are with the second army and will arrive in a few days. And Sunny had to return to begin his missions," said Nephis.
"I see. That's a shame. I wanted to ask Effie and Kai some questions, but I suppose I'll have to wait."
"What kind of questions?" asked Nephis.
"Oh, highly related to my house in NQSC and the bed I use to sleep. For some reason, Effie is determined to steal my bed."
Nephis looked at Uriel, asking if he really meant it seriously, and he nodded.
"It's the best bed I could get. It feels like sleeping on clouds. If you lie down on it, you'll never want to leave the comfort."
Nephis gave him a strange look while Cassie said nothing.
The trio remained silent for a few minutes.
"So what are you doing now?"
"Resting. I need to gather subordinates for the second half of the evacuation campaign over the next few months. So I came to see how you were doing, and then I'll go do some things."
"Some things?"
"Yes, it's related to Shadow Garden. I want to confirm something. But I'll do it later. Will you give me a tour inside the tower to see the changes?" he asked, dismissing his memory and returning his hair to its natural black.
Cassie stood up. "Come, I'll give you the tour," said Cassie. Uriel nodded, looking at Nephis curiously.
"Aren't you coming?"
"I'll stay here for a while."
"Okay. See you then." With that, Uriel followed Cassie into the interior of the Ivory Tower.