Timeless Assassin

(Planet Juxta, Leo's POV)

Upon returning to Planet Juxta, Leo immediately sent a message to Chaosbringer, instructing him to come here at once, while he himself began preparations for his breakthrough to the Transcendent Tier.

With the [SevenFold Revelation Codex] fully mastered, he was finally ready to ascend.

What he required now was the highest purity Transcendent Tier Breakthrough Potion and a proper chamber where the process could be carried out safely.

Fortunately, Juxta already had one of the three transcendent tier breakthrough rooms within the Cult, so now, his only challenge was to acquire the breakthrough potion.

"Where can I buy the breakthrough potion, Commander?" Leo asked, as Charles rubbed his chin in thought.

"The potion is extremely valuable, and as much as I'd like the military to sponsor one for you, I doubt we can afford it. You will have to pay for it yourself," Charles admitted, as Leo shook his head in mild disappointment.

It seemed the military's finances were so strained that they could not even sponsor a single potion for their Shadow Dragon. Still, Leo remained unfazed.

"How much will it cost?" he pressed.

"On the open market, about one hundred million," Charles replied, holding out both palms. "But if you purchase it at cost price, the same as what the military pays, it will be twenty-five million. That is the best option for you."

Leo chuckled softly at the number. "Only twenty-five? For a moment I thought it might be something beyond my reach."

He pulled out his chequebook, scrawled his signature, and handed the slip over without hesitation. "I am a rich man, Commander. I earned more than enough before joining the Cult."

Charles clicked his tongue, half impressed and half annoyed. "Another secret you kept from me, boy. You carry far too many of them."

He said before accepting the cheque as he retreated to his office to place the order.

Minutes later, he returned with a rare smile across his face, as if carrying some good news.

"You are fortunate. The chief potion expert within the Cult happened to have a super pure vial in stock….. Its purity was measured at 99.98 percent, the finest they have ever produced.

It will be delivered within six hours.

So I suggest that you use this time wisely.

Clear your mind and prepare your body.

For if your concentration falters during ascension even slightly due to 'Existential Overload', it may result in failure, and the backlash may kill you."

Charles warned, as Leo cracked a small smile.

Such high-quality potions were not always available, and obtaining one so quickly was nothing short of a blessing.

"Thank you, Commander. I will be in the breakthrough room preparing myself. If someone named Chaosbringer arrives while I am inside, meet with him on my behalf. He will deliver the Origin Metal to you."

He instructed, as with that, he turned and walked towards the breakthrough chamber, determined to steady his mind before the moment of ascension arrived.

—----------

(About three hours later)

Time passed, and soon it was late evening, as the sun dipped over Juxta, painting the military base in fading streaks of crimson and violet, when a lieutenant hurried across the courtyard toward Charles, his face pale with unease.

"Commander, there's… a strange man here asking to see you. He says his name is Chaosbringer. Do you wish to meet him?"

Charles exhaled a stream of smoke from the cigarette clutched between his lips, his expression remaining calm.

He did not so much as twitch at the words strange man. After all, soldiers often judged people by their appearances, and most who were not cut from military cloth were dismissed as odd.

"Leo said he would send someone. Let him through," Charles said simply, brushing the ash off his coat.

But the moment his eyes landed on the figure striding confidently into the courtyard, his indifference cracked.

The man was unlike anyone Charles had ever seen. Glitter dust sparkled across his face, catching the light of the setting sun so that every tilt of his head threw a shimmer of color.

His nails were long and painted like a rainbow, each one a different shade that clashed and gleamed against the others.

The clothes he wore seemed to mock convention itself, a flamboyant ensemble of silks stitched in curves and slits that made it impossible to tell if they were meant for a man or a woman.

It was bizarre. Outlandish. Almost insulting to the military rigidity of the base.

Charles's rugged skin prickled instinctively.

If Leo had not specifically informed him that someone named Chaosbringer would come bearing something important, he would never have taken such a spectacle seriously.

But since this weird man was supposed to be the protector of origin metal, Charles still treated him with respect.

"Good evening gentleman, I'm Commander Charles," he said evenly, extending his hand.

Chaosbringer's lips curved into a playful smile, his eyes glittering as brightly as his painted nails. He did not clasp Charles's hand in a firm warrior's grip. Instead, he bent his wrist gracefully, curving his palm downward, and set it delicately into Charles's, as though offering himself in some theatrical gesture.

"Good evening….. I'm Chaosbringer, Lord Boss's right hand man… It is a pleasure."

The voice was soft, lingering, each syllable drawn out with strange affection, as Charles couldn't help but feel a shiver crawl down his spine at the sheer unnaturalness of it, the skin along his arms tightening as though resisting the touch.

But he did not flinch. He forced his jaw steady, his grip calm, his bearing unshaken even as his instincts screamed.

"Did you bring the parcel?" Charles asked firmly, breaking the silence.

Chaosbringer's smile widened. He tilted his head ever so slightly, then stepped closer.

The distance between their chests shrank until no more than five centimeters separated them, close enough that Charles could see the glitter on his cheekbones catch every fleck of light.

From that distance, Charles caught the faint sweetness of Chaosbringer's breath, fruity and sharp, washing over him like some perfume, as the shiver in his body deepened, the urge to recoil flaring like an instinctive alarm, yet he stood tall, staring evenly into the man's eccentric gaze.

Without breaking eye contact, Chaosbringer slid his fingers into his storage ring and retrieved a dull, dense bar of metal that appeared like nothing special, but was yet the most precious substance in the universe, as he then placed it into Charles's open palm with an almost ceremonial flourish.

"Store it quickly, before someone sees…" Chaosbringer whispered, the words both a command and a tease, as Charles obeyed without hesitation, sliding the metal into his dimensional pouch and locking it away beneath layers of protective seals.

"Thank you," he said, his tone dignified as his expression betrayed none of the discomfort still creeping across his skin.

Chaosbringer gave a single approving nod, then turned his head to scan the courtyard with a languid air, before eventually settling his gaze on the lieutenant who had escorted him here.

"Sweetie, my business here is done. Take me back," he said, his voice soft but carrying an odd command beneath the sweetness.

The lieutenant glanced at Charles, half-bewildered, but Charles gave a brief nod of affirmation.

"Do as he asks."

The lieutenant stiffened, then saluted and moved quickly to guide Chaosbringer back toward the gates.

Charles watched the man go, watched the rainbow nails catch the dying light, watched the silken fabric sway with impossible flamboyance until at last he disappeared from sight.

Only then did Charles exhale, long and heavy, rubbing his clawed fingers against the reptilian scales of his arms to quiet the goosebumps still prickling there.

"By the Gods…" he muttered under his breath.

But there was no time to dwell on discomfort. The parcel was secured. The mission was clear.

Without delay, Charles turned on his heel, his coat flaring behind him as he strode toward the docking bay.

He needed to leave for Ixtal at once. Soron was waiting, and the Origin Metal had to be delivered.

Plus, the sooner it was out of his hands, the sooner he could put the unsettling presence of Chaosbringer behind him, as he truly hoped to never meet this man alone again.