Magus Supremacy

"Wait! If we want to classify your strength, what rank would you be?" Grey asked with a furrowed brow, recalling the devastating attacks and bone-crushing hits he had suffered from the gargoyle.

"Me? I would be on the rank of a Divine-ranked beast… but right on the cusp of evolving into a Primordial-ranked one." Thalos grinned, and Grey's eyes bulged so wide it was a wonder they didn't pop out.

"What?!"

"What?" Thalos asked with feigned innocence, watching Grey's mouth hang open in disbelief.

"You have the strength of a Divine beast?" Grey repeated, still struggling to process what he was hearing.

"Yeah. A Divine beast—on the verge of evolution." Thalos shrugged casually, as though announcing what he had for breakfast.

Grey gulped hard. 'Maybe… it's not wise to antagonize him again,' he thought, feeling a single bead of cold sweat roll down his temple.

"Any other thing I should know?" Grey asked, regaining his composure and raising an eyebrow.

"Uhm, not really." Thalos mumbled.

"Grea—"

"Wait! I remember something else." Thalos suddenly snapped his stony fingers, cutting Grey off mid-word.

"And that is?" Grey asked, eyebrow arching again.

"An event. Something that happened in history which I cannot forget. Honestly, I doubt anyone who lived through it has forgotten either." Thalos' golden eyes seemed to narrow, losing some of their brightness.

Grey leaned forward slightly, his curiosity spiking. "What is that? What are you talking about?"

"A certain type of beast something powerful beyond measure that struck the Aetherian faction. It was so overwhelming that the Aetherian faction had no choice but to request aid from the Noxarian faction.

Remember when I told you the leader of the Noxarian faction was my master's friend? That alliance only formed after this event. The beast claimed countless lives from both factions, and even then, they could not kill it—it escaped." Thalos said, rubbing his stone temples as if the memory alone caused him discomfort.

"How powerful are we talking?" Grey asked, his tone sharpening.

"It was a Primordial-ranked beast," Thalos replied, making Grey's brows shoot up in confusion.

"Wait, didn't you say all three leaders of the major clans together could handle a Primordial-ranked beast?" Grey asked.

"I did. But there's something else," Thalos muttered.

"And that is?" Grey pressed.

Instead of answering, Thalos sighed and turned away, walking toward the throne. His massive greatsword stood embedded in the ground beside it. He finally stopped and sat at the base of the throne, one stone hand resting on the hilt of his weapon.

Grey's frustration mounted. "What? No response?"

"How did you move from a Stage 1 warrior to a Stage 2?" Thalos asked suddenly, his voice steady.

"Huh?" Grey blinked.

"I'll repeat—how did you move from Stage 1 to Stage 2?"

"I went through… an evolution of some sort," Grey said slowly.

"And how do you think beasts move across the different ranks placed upon them?" Thalos asked.

Grey furrowed his brows, thinking for a moment. "Evolution?" he replied uncertainly.

"Good. At least you have some brain cells," Thalos said with a smirk.

Grey's vein twitched. "What do you mean by that?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"That you're dumb. Is that hard to comprehend?" Thalos grinned wider, clearly enjoying himself, while Grey's glare could have burned a hole through stone.

'Calm down, Grey. Now is not the time to antagonize a powerful creature.'

"Anyway, for your question… see, for beasts to move up the rank, they go through an evolution similar to a Yun warrior. Honestly, I don't think it's time for you to know this, but I can't shake this feeling that you need to understand what you'll be dealing with soon." Thalos exhaled heavily, the sound like stone grinding against stone.

'Huh? What does he mean? Is what he's about to say supposed to be forbidden? Just what am I about to encounter?' Grey thought, keeping silent so as not to break the flow of Thalos' explanation.

"You didn't notice it, nor did you feel it, because you are still at a lower stage. The higher-stage warriors, when they go through an evolution, their Dantians experience an intense strain.

If they cannot break through that strain—if they succumb to the sheer agony—they will suffer a complete shattering of their Dantians, and that will kill them instantly. That's what Yun warriors call a failed evolution."

"Wait! So you mean I could have died when I was going through my evolution?!" Grey shouted, the realization hitting him like a cold wave.

"No, you dumbass! Weren't you listening? You're still at the lower stage, so your evolution happens seamlessly… well, as seamless as it can be. Doesn't mean you won't suffer immense pain, though," Thalos added with a shrug that somehow carried mockery.

"Still not comforting," Grey shot back, his voice rising.

"Anyway!" Thalos said, resuming as if nothing had interrupted him. "The same rules apply to beasts but with a twist."

"What twist?" Grey asked quickly, leaning forward.

"And I'm getting there, you impatient human!" Thalos' voice boomed, his golden eyes narrowing in irritation.

Grey muttered under his breath, "You know, your attitude almost reminds me of someone…" His hands clenched unconsciously, nails digging into his skin until a thin line of blood appeared.

Not out of anger—but because vague, blurry images began flashing in his mind, carrying with them a sharp, pounding headache. It was gone almost as quickly as it came, leaving him slightly breathless.

"Now… the twist is this," Thalos continued, his tone dropping a fraction lower. "As beasts undergo their own evolution, they experience the same intense agony as a Yun warrior.

But if they succumb to it, they won't die. Instead…" He leaned forward slightly, his stone features hardening. "…they will become something else. Something far more dangerous. Something with power far beyond their normal rank… but cursed with a drastically shorter lifespan."

Grey's heart began to hammer against his ribs. "What? What will they become?" he asked, taking a step closer before he realized it.

"They will become… corrupted." Thalos' deep voice rumbled like distant thunder, and Grey froze mid-step, the single word echoing in his ears like a death knell.