Chapter 1000

...

"Sigh... what is it again now?!" Grey shouted in irritation, his voice echoing through the grand hall.

He was currently situated in a high-level meeting chamber surrounded by his closest confidants.

Alba, Fenrir, Leo, and the three primary leaders of the major clans within the faction were all present, alongside Thalos, Gunther, Sera, and several others.

They had been deep in discussion regarding the shifting geopolitics of the world when an orb in Grey’s possession began glowing with a frantic, persistent intensity.

He glared at the device in mounting anger.

This was a specific relic he had acquired from his home world before returning to Vayun—a communication orb capable of transcending the barriers between dimensions.

It served as a lifeline, ensuring the warrior mage could be reached by his allies back in Arondale, though he had strictly instructed them to only initiate a transmission if the situation was truly dire.

Watching the orb pulsate while he was in the middle of an essential strategic briefing made his heart thump with annoyance.

’Don’t tell me the Drakesville Kingdom is launching another offensive already.’

Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Grey placed the orb onto the center of the table and infused it with his mana.

Instantly, a shimmering hologram flickered into existence within the room.

It was the image of Captain Amir.

Grey frowned at the projection, who seemed to be staring around the Vayun meeting hall with wide-eyed curiosity.

Amir took in the unfamiliar, powerful faces seated around the table.

"Are these your allies from the world of warriors? They all look like—"

"... Like what?" Leo interrupted, raising a skeptical brow as he stared back at the miniature hologram.

Amir quickly cleared his throat, sensing the shift in the room’s pressure.

"Like warriors."

Grey exhaled a weary breath. "What is it, Captain? Is it another attack?"

Amir shook his head vigorously as he recalled the gravity of his mission.

"NO! It isn’t an attack. It’s something far more significant. You need to return immediately. Someone wants to see you, and the matter is extremely urgent."

Grey lifted a brow, his interest finally piqued.

"Wants to see me? Who exactly?"

"Just get back now!" Amir ordered with a tone that brooked no argument.

Before Grey could press for details, the transmission was abruptly cut off.

"....!!"

"He’s speaking as if it’s effortless to just travel between worlds! Damn you, Amir!" Grey bellowed, snatching the cooling orb from the table.

He glanced around the room, rubbing his temples to soothe a gnawing ache that was starting to form.

"This inter-world journey is becoming utterly exhausting."

Rivock stood up, the legs of his heavy chair scraping loudly against the stone floor.

"You can go back. Don’t worry, we will handle the administrative matters here while you’re away."

Grey lifted his gaze to meet Rivock’s eyes.

Leo nodded in agreement.

"That man sounded genuinely panicked. I think it’s best you leave n—"

"... Okay. Bye."

Before Leo could even finish his sentence, an ashen portal yawned open and swallowed the Supreme Yun Warrior whole, leaving the entire hall in a stunned, silent vacuum. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"The hell was that exit?!" Mada shouted in disbelief, staring at the spot where their leader had vanished.

***

It took a few hours and several tactical stops before the Supreme Magus finally manifested within the Lunaria base in Arondale.

From the previous hologram, he had already deduced Amir’s exact location: the strategy room.

Hurrying there immediately, it didn’t take more than a minute for him to burst through the heavy doors in a surge of urgency.

"I swear, if this is not critical, I will burn this entire facility down!" he shouted as he stormed into the room, only to find his core allies already assembled.

Amir sat at the head of the table, a rigid tension etched across his features.

Every one of Grey’s primary companions—Scarlet, Raze, Greg, Jay, Arthur, Vanica, Kael, Charlotte, Dante, Lyra, Max, Sol, and even Viktor—occupied the space.

He noted the absence of Jesse and Elara, allowing himself a momentary sigh of relief.

But then he paused.

Why were their expressions so grim?

His mind flashed back to the moment he breached the room.

They had acknowledged him only briefly before their gazes snapped back to a single, specific point in the chamber.

’Huh?’

Advancing with cautious steps, he reached the round table while tracing the collective line of sight.

He didn’t have to search for long as a figure rose slowly from one of the chairs.

Grey froze, his gaze sharpening instantly into a lethal glare.

"Wha—?!"

"Hello, old friend."

"VINCE?!"

...

Glancing from Amir to his allies and back to the young man standing in the center of the room, Grey struggled to process his emotions.

Hadn’t Amir reported that the boy left to join the Otherworlders after the organization’s invasion of this realm?

So, what was he doing back here?

The moment that memory resurfaced, Grey’s eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

If Vince had aligned himself with that blasted organization, then he was no longer an ally, but a traitor.

Lightning began fizzling and crackling around Grey’s fingertips, his body tensing to lunge forward.

"I see you are still as hotheaded as always. Hah-hah... it’s good to see you too, bro."

Grey was about to explode into motion when Amir moved swiftly, placing a firm, grounding hand on the mage’s shoulder.

"Vince says he comes bearing news."

Turning to glare at the commander, Grey’s eyes sparked with fury.

"I know that he is your son, but how can you allow an enemy into this inner sanctum?! He is part of the Otherworlders now!"

"...."

Kael sighed heavily.

"I wanted to strike him down the moment he appeared as well," the mage admitted, his gaze drifting back to Vince, who maintained a soft, weary smile.

"... But he claimed he had urgent intelligence and needed to see you before he would reveal anything. He even accepted that I should take his life if I wished, but warned me that if I did, we would all be lost."

"Lost?" Grey repeated, his killing intent slowly receding as he forced himself to calm down.

"Wait. You knew I was alive?!"

Vince nodded, his smile tinged with sadness.

"I always knew. The moment I joined the Otherworlders, I gained access to their records. They had coordinated an army along with a Zodiac to hunt you down, regardless of which world you occupied. That was how I realized you were still breathing."

Grey frowned deeply.

"Even so, why stay with them? Wasn’t it because of my supposed ’death’ that you lost hope and turned? Well, I’m back... and I am stronger than I have ever been. Why haven’t you left them?!"

Vince smiled bitterly, looking Grey straight in the eyes.

He performed a brief scan of the room before exhaling a long, ragged breath.

"Three months."

"...?!"

"Huh?"

Vince lowered his gaze to the Supreme Magus and then panned across the shocked faces of everyone else in the room.

"The Otherworlders are planning a full-scale assault against you and this entire world in three months. The Leader and every single one of the Zodiacs are coming this time."