Keryu, as the protagonist, had the Demon Lord as his primary backing. It was the one connection that could protect him until he was strong enough to defend himself.

The story, however, had two protagonists.

If one had such strong backing, then the other should have one as well.

Therefore, Ben, who came from a humble background, was given someone. It was a man from the same generation as Demon Lord and Vanessa, now known as the Wandering Emperor.

He wasn’t an emperor who was wandering but someone with power rivaling those of emperors yet wandering around on his own.

The Wandering Emperor was the one who had taught Ben anti-magic. It was the primary skill of the Wandering Emperor.

In the original plot, the man wasn’t supposed to be introduced in the story yet.

‘But in the plot I had read, he was,’ Alex mused as he watched everything on the projection before him.

Where was this projection coming from, though?

It was from a mini transmission device on Ben’s clothes. Alex had given it to the guy before sending him there.

‘What would you do now, Keryu?’

He smirked as he looked at the situation.

Even in the plot that Alex knew about, Keryu, who had never expected Ben to have a pendant that could summon the Wandering Emperor, was taken by surprise.

The situation then and now, however, was quite different.

Right now, Keryu had tried to take Ben’s life, and the man could tell just by looking.

Ben was like a family to the old man since he was the only person the Wandering Emperor had lived with for more than two years.

Now, when he saw Ben in danger, the old man, who rarely showed much closeness to anyone, was angered.

“Well, I should move as well,” Alex, looking at the situation, muttered as he felt that he would need to interfere.

After all, two protagonists fighting each other could result in one’s death, but if someone else tried to kill a protagonist, the protagonist’s survival rate would increase exponentially.

……………………….

Meanwhile, in the prison, the silence was suffocating.

Ben stood frozen, his blade hanging at his side, his entire body trembling under the weight of the old man’s presence.

It was as if his body could remember who this old man was even without being conscious.

Or maybe it was because he was semiconscious that he could better sense the old man’s power, making it impossible for him to make any move.

‘He was forced to use his hero-saint form,’ the Wandering Emperor, looking at Ben’s condition, squinted his eyes.

He knew all about Ben’s powers, so he knew when Ben would use this power. It was only when he wasn’t aware of it.

After all, he wasn’t strong enough to control it yet.

Keryu, on the other hand, observed the old man, his aura oppressive, and despite looking old, Keryu knew that the old man was faster than any foe he had faced before.

This old man was just a bit quirky and liked staying in the old form. According to him, the older one is, the more knowledgeable they look.

Keryu, however, didn’t look afraid.

He peeled himself off the wall, brushing dust from his coat, eyes locking onto the old man. A smirk tugged at his lips.

“Well,” Keryu said, his voice hoarse but confident, “you’re not exactly what I was expecting.”

The old man didn’t speak. His sharp gaze dissected Keryu, reading him, measuring the threat.

Keryu held up a hand. Something shimmered in his palm—an orb, small, perfectly round, and pure black as if it absorbed every speck of light around it. The moment it appeared, the air around it warped.

The old man’s brow furrowed. “What is that?”

“This?” Keryu grinned, tossing it gently into the air and catching it. “Oh, just a little gift from an old friend. A voidcore bomb. Not something you see every day, and definitely not something you want to see go off.”

The old man’s expression shifted. A rare crack in his calm. “That thing… would destroy this entire peak.”

“Mmhmm,” Keryu hummed. “And not just destroy—obliterate. Turn everything into void dust. The Academy? Gone. The mountain? Gone. And your precious Ben? Definitely gone.”

Ben’s body remained motionless, but his instincts were screaming, twitching beneath the surface. Even his Sword Saint instincts felt danger.

The old man narrowed his eyes. “You wouldn’t. That would kill you, too.”

Keryu laughed, low and sharp. “You think I care? I already won. Natasha is free. I did what I came here to do. If I die taking out the rest of this place… so be it.”

It was a lie.

He knew that Natasha still wasn’t out of the blast range. He needed to stall for more time.

The orb pulsed.

A thin line of sweat trickled down Ben’s neck. The Sword Saint form might’ve dulled his emotions, but even instinct couldn’t ignore what that orb was.

The old man didn’t move. His entire body was taut, tense. Calculating.

“You think I’m bluffing?” Keryu said, cocking his head. “Wanna test me, old man? Move a muscle. Go ahead. Blink wrong, and boom. You’ll survive, I know that. But will Ben? Will the dozens of others around this peak? Will the wards around the academy hold against this?”

The orb pulsed again, deeper this time. Like the heartbeat of a monster.

The old man’s jaw clenched. His knuckles whitened as his fingers twitched, then stilled.

With his power, it would’ve been impossible for him to attack Keryu. The laws of the world would forbid it, but since he was summoned, he could break the law once.

He had one shot—one chance to attack before the summoning energy faded. And if he missed, or if Keryu, somehow, due to his luck, survives…

Ben dies.

The Academy suffers.

Everything burns.

“You’re fast,” Keryu went on, voice casual, playful even. “You might even be faster than me. But are you faster than an explosion that eats reality? Are you willing to risk it?”

He was trying to appear stronger than he was because he knew about the old man.

The old man might appear lazy, but he was very cautious. He wouldn’t move until he was sure of something, and that was why Keryu was relying on bluffing.

The old man’s eyes narrowed. “You’re insane.”

Keryu’s grin widened, the black orb still hovering in his hand like a death sentence. “Maybe. Or maybe I know how to play this game better than you. So why don’t we all calm down, hmm? You stay right there. I walk away. We both win.”

“You’re not walking out of here with that.”

“Oh, I’m not taking it with me,” Keryu said, voice dipping into something more serious. “I’m using it as insurance. Once I’m far enough, I’ll toss it into the void and let it implode safely. But until then?”

His thumb hovered over a strange glyph on the orb’s surface.

“Any funny business… and this entire peak turns into a crater.”

Tension coiled in the air like a taut wire ready to snap. The old man’s magic hummed just beneath his skin. He could end this. He knew it. One flick of power, and Keryu would be dead.

But that orb…

One mistake, one millisecond too late—and it would all be over.

For now, he stood still. Watching. Waiting.

He didn’t know why, but he felt he would get his chance… soon.

Keryu gave a mock bow. “Smart choice. Give Ben my regards.”

Then, without turning his back, he walked away. Slowly. Steadily. Orb still in hand.

However, just then, a voice was heard. “You sure you’re not forgetting something?”

The moment that voice was heard, Keryu’s vision pulsed in tension, his muscles tensing.

He knew who it was.

He knew who this voice belonged to.

It was a voice he would never forget even if he wanted to.

“Alex—!” He turned around, his eyes bloodshot, only to have his voice cut short as he saw the scene in front of him.

‘N-No…’ His eyes widened as he looked at the person in Alex’s arms, struggling to break free while their mouth was covered by Alex’s palm. ‘H-How did I forget about her…?’

It was Maleshia.

In a hurry to escape and let Natasha, who could turn things around, flee, he had forgotten about his lover who was still trapped in jail.

As for how Alex came into the cell…

‘The secret passage!’

He knew about that. The passage that only the jailers could access.

“Hm! Hm! Hmmm!!!!”

The terrified and resistance-filled, muffled yells of Maleshia broke Keryu out of his thoughts.

His eyes snapped toward Maleshia, and he saw her trying to move away from Alex. “Leave her alone!” He yelled, but Alex shrugged in response.

“You wish.”

Grinning, he added, “Would you blast her off along with me if I didn’t?”

That question made Keryu helpless. He didn’t think of Maleshia before, and if forced into a corner, he would’ve killed her here.

He could’ve killed the woman who was stuck in this situation because of him.

He could see the look in her eyes.

She didn’t seem to be asking him for help.

She was trying to ask him to run away.

But could Keryu do that?

He couldn’t. No matter how much he tried, he couldn’t blast the bomb now…

“Now!”

Suddenly, Alex’s shout echoed, followed by the sound of the wind whistling, and instantly, the old man, who was standing before Ben, appeared an inch away from Keryu.

‘Fuck!!!!’

That was all Keryu could think…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep