SSS Void Ascension: I Devour All Elements

Killian met her gaze, staying silent.

There was no expression on Killian’s face. "Isn’t that an accusation, as well?"

"Well, as you said, we do not know each other enough to avoid assuming the worst." The A-Rank Warden sat on the table. "But being pathetic is not something I want to be associated with, so I’d rather physically remove myself from it."

Killian glanced at the men still seated up and their expressions darkened from her words. He hummed. From that, he could gather she was the nineteen-year-old Warden.

Those men looked painted to be insulted by a junior yet couldn’t do anything about it. Killian gave her the rest of his attention.

After all, his bluff can only work on a Warden who was proud and refused to be shameless. "So can we start with why the Amega newbies were almost killed?"

"Truthfully, I am not quite sure of the details." The Warden shrugged. "But I know it’s not due to some discriminatory beliefs. It must’ve truly been an overlap of coordinates."

Killian looked back at the men above them, watching each one’s reaction to identify who the coordinator was. The older men kept a straight face, not showing a single emotion out.

He returned his gaze back to the Warden. Since no one claimed to know anything, then he might need to stop using the issue to stall. "So, what again did you call me in here for?" He knew what, but he hadn’t yet understood why they needed to know if he was involved.

"Now, you must’ve noticed the Fire Centurions." The Warden started. "The amount of heat they release isn’t negligible."

"Agreed. I did notice the quakes, and the massive heat that came with them. Especially when they started a fight with themselves for some reason." Killian said.

From the corner of Killian’s eyes, he saw an older man quickly write down his statement while another whispered to the one seated beside him.

The only one who hadn’t ever looked away from him was a blond muscular man whose shirt looked small on him. Killian wondered if he was the Coordinator since he looked pressed. He looked back at the Warden when she hummed.

"That is odd," she said, smiling and tilting her head. "Fire Centurions have pack-like dynamics. They rarely oppose each other and engage in brawn exercises to show who’s stronger."

"I never said they were trying to show who was stronger." Killian kept a very nonchalant tone. "It was just a fight to me. It could’ve been playing around for them."

He still remembered the dark-red fur-beast who had talked up in his face, and how easily they had stopped their kin from killing him.

The Void said that they saw him as a rival that they shouldn’t offend, but Killian still believed they were just not interested in dealing with him.

The purple-beast had greater fire power than him anyway so why would their whole pack be hesitant?

"You should be dead."

Killian looked up at the muscular man that had spoken. That was a sentiment he could easily agree on. And from the man’s familiar tone, he must be the Coordinator.

The Coordinator narrowed his eyes at Killian when their eyes met. "The Fire Centurions will kill anyone weaker than them and anyone who proves to be an obstruction."

"Or watch me fight for my life like it’s amusing," Killian added. "That is what happened. I know better than to think I can fight some Fire Breathing Tigers. I had panthers to deal with."

Killian dug his hand into his pockets, and left it there.

An older man raised his hand, and spoke after the Coordinator nodded. "About the panthers, when we checked the realm after your departure, we found a cold reading of fewer than five panthers left in the region. How did you kill a pack and more?"

"The Fire Centurions wouldn’t have killed them?" Killian’s response came quickly, even if he knew it was unlikely.

"No, not that much at least. They are mindful of the law of balance even in a realm where they were forcibly sealed in." The Coordinator defended. "That leaves you as the only—"

"Then I might’ve done it," Killian deadpanned.

The Warden’s smile faltered for a second, before she regained her composure. She gently shifted her hair behind her left ear. "You are aware these are B-tier realm monsters. You are merely a newbie."

"And also a C-Rank Lower Warden. I haven’t tried the awakening crystal again. I might’ve gotten stronger since then."

The A-Rank Warden ran her hand through her face, breathing out. "That is the point, Killian."

Killian smiled, enjoying the slight panic in her tone. As long as there weren’t any eyewitnesses within the realm, all they could grab onto was the aftermath of his destruction and whatever excuse he gives.

"You have to be an A-Rank Warden. Or a really experienced B-Rank Warden to destroy an entire realm like that.’

"I don’t know. Recently, you must’ve heard. My older sister got ambushed in a low-tier realm and I had to find her. I might’ve gained experience with my wide-range attacks and done more damage."

Plausible argument that they couldn’t refuse.

The hall stayed quiet, and for too long for Killian’s comfort. He wasn’t even sure what they were driving at by asking him these questions and only went along with it because he knew he did it.

"Most importantly, why do you care about these beasts? If they were sealed and now broken free, they are still within that realm. They are no danger to us yet."

"The keyword is ’yet’." The Coordinator lifted himself off his seat. "You don’t seem to know about the Withered Fae, do you? Perhaps, they were the ones who killed her after her power got weak and they were unsealed."

Killian raised a brow, and nodded quickly.

If they wanted to believe the Fire Centurions were released because the Withered Fae grew weak, that was an even more plausible argument than what he had cooked up.

The Fire Centurions were definitely tracking him to kill her, so she might as well have been dead, if not for him.