Chapter 262 - The Invader

When Maria said that Wain had caused the apocalypse, he was petrified. He didn't understand how a girl he didn't know could know that.

"How do you know that?" Wain asked coldly, and murderous intent began to emanate from him.

Not only was this girl strong enough to be the first to kill one of the Four Kings, but she also knew something no one else should know.

"I received the power of the world and was chosen. Of course, I know about who my target is and what I must do." Maria said menacingly.

"The power of peace? I see..." Wain muttered. Then all the puzzle pieces came together, and he saw the whole picture.

Because of Maria, a few months ago, the spatial barrier had weakened. Then the world had chosen her as the bearer of its power, and the barrier was temporarily damaged because of the energy surge. The world did this in response to what Wain endured in their confrontation.

"So you and I are natural enemies, like light and darkness, I see... But, do you really only harbor hatred for me because the energy of the world tells you to?"

"No, I don't care what the world thinks of you. I have enough reasons of my own to hate you. I've had to suffer because of you, and my whole family is dead!"

"I have nothing to do with you." Wain said with a wave of the hand.

"Yes, that's true, we are strangers, but because of what you did, millions of people have suffered, and that includes me. You started the apocalypse. Such an act cannot be justified. You are truly evil, a devil!"

"Stop attributing so many pathetic titles to me. You may not believe me, but I didn't do it on purpose. It was an accident, and I didn't realize I started the apocalypse at first. That's the truth." Wain said calmly.

Maria didn't say anything back. She stared at Wain in shock, not knowing what to do. She knew Wain wasn't lying, she had a way of verifying it. 

She wanted to kill Wain and punish him for his sins, but now she would find out that he had committed the worst sin by accident. It shattered her view of the world, and she needed time to make sense of the situation and make a decision.

"No...it doesn't matter. Even if you didn't mean it, you're an outsider, and you're guilty of what happened. If you hadn't come into this world, you wouldn't have been able to start the apocalypse, so under any circumstances, all the blame is on you!"

"Huh." Wain sighed, "I won't argue. I started the apocalypse, and I caused millions of people to die. I caused billions to start suffering. However, it wasn't my goal. It just happened, and it was fate's way."

"Can you admit it so calmly? Don't you have any feelings at all about what you've done?" Maria said angrily.

"No, I don't care. There's no point in regretting what has already happened as well as in clinging to the past. Only fools do that."

"Hell, I wasn't wrong when I pictured you as an insensitive, soulless bastard!"

"Huh, you have no idea how right you are." Wain smirked back.

"You think you have the right to laugh? When the barrier comes down, I will kill you. There shouldn't be a monster like you living in this world. It's better for everyone. No matter what happens, I will pursue you and not leave you until I achieve my goal."

"No, you're wrong about something." Wain said coldly and pointed his sword at Maria, "It's not me you have to run away. Do you really think I'm going to let the only one who knows the truth live?"

Wain could not let Maria tell the others about him. It didn't matter if people would believe her or not. Her words would sow doubt in people because of her power, and that would be the beginning of the end.

Wain could not lose what he had invested so much time and effort in, namely Last Light and his influence in the human world. The only and best option to prevent this was to kill Maria. Wain's hand would not waver, and he was prepared to do so at any appropriate moment.

Maria frowned and tried to break through the barrier, but she failed. It was impossible to do so at this point.

Bam.

While Wain and Maria were having a friendly conversation, the battle on the island continued. When only two of the four beasts were left, it was a sign to many that they needed to speed up.

Some people banded together in small groups and tried to attack the wolf or the fire serpent, but they underestimated the strength of the beasts. The wolf and the serpent killed them in the blink of an eye, leaving ruins in the wake of their attacks.

Wain didn't talk to Maria anymore. He realized that they would not be able to fight with each other until the second stage. Now everything depended only on how soon and where they would meet.

'Hmm, it will be quite fortunate if no one but Maria and me of the people goes through the first stage anymore. I hope it doesn't lead to their deaths. Otherwise, it would be a tragedy.' Wain pondered.

He expected that there would be no more men of the nine applicants since there were already two. Wain was sure that Pillar members would hold the other seven seats. They were strong and more adapted to such situations.

Whoooooooooosh.

Suddenly several red pillars appeared in the east. Wain took a closer look at them and realized that they consisted of blood and were aimed at the white wolf.

Then a similar situation occurred to the south where a pillar of white flame appeared in front of a huge serpent of fire.

Blood and white flames were the hallmarks of two powerful races. One of these races was shunned even by the members of the pillars.. They were the mighty vampire and Ashen.