Genetic Ascension

Chapter 1371: Foreshadowing

“Are you alright?”

Before Gwenu could even finish wrapping her head around what Sylas had just said, Cassarae appeared by her side and looked up at Sylas. She seemed some cross between upset and worried, like she could either launch a grenade from her hip or start crying at any moment now.

Knowing her, it was certainly the former.

Sylas looked over. “Am I not standing?”

“Tell me, Sylas Brown. What would it take for you to not be an asshole, hm?” she spoke, her glare intensifying.

Sylas reached over and swept her waist into an arm, stealing a kiss before she could react.

Cassarae blinked as he pulled back. Looking into Sylas’ eyes, it seemed like he couldn’t sense any of the ridicule at all. He really, well and truly, didn’t care.

He had never cared.

It was hard for others to wrap their heads around it, but Sylas felt like he had been dealing with all of this ridicule all his life.

To those of Earth, they saw a hyper-successful young man. Someone who had managed to become a tenured professor of the number-one university in the nation and world at just 26 years old.

But how did Sylas see it?

He saw it as quite pathetic, actually. The man he had been on Earth didn’t even reflect a single percent of his true capability. Every time someone praised him for what he had done, all he heard was a constant belittling, a backhanded compliment he couldn’t even begin to take seriously even if he tried.

Sylas had only ever measured himself by his own measuring stick. He didn’t care what others could accomplish. His goal wasn’t to beat any one person. At best, he would use those around him as a measuring stick to understand where he should be. But placing them as goals? Limiting himself to their limitations?

Never.

The jeering, the laughter, the gazes… honestly speaking, would you care if a dog saw you naked?

In Sylas’ opinion, if that was enough for any one of these people to feel better about themselves, their intelligence was so far apart that that thought might very well be insulting to the dog.

“Are you sure you know me?” Sylas asked.

Cassarae blinked and then regained her composure.

“You fucking idiot. Do you think I’m worried about your ego!? It could stand to take a few hits, actually!”

“Even if it did take a hit, in about another week, it’ll be even larger.”

Cassarae snorted. “It’ll take you a week to beat them? And you still have face to wave your dick around here?”

“To beat them?” This time it was Sylas that did the blinking. “No. It’ll take a week before my skills are passable.”

As if he would ever measure a rise in his ego by defeating these people.

“You wait here for me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Do you think I have nothing better to do?”

Sylas bent forward and whispered into her. Whatever it was he said, Cassarae’s grip on his forearm tightened and her thighs slammed together.

“… I think I hate you.” Cassarae breathed out.

Sylas pulled back, his usually indifferent expression curled into just the slightest bit of a smile, so faint it was practically impossible to spot. Then, he threw Gwenu a gaze.

“Let’s go.”

Gwenu still didn’t know what to say, but she found herself blankly following after Sylas.

“What is this? The Scorpion Lineage doesn’t have anyone else to send?” Magnus was actually baffled when Sylas stepped forward.

“Huh?” Vaernon had already taken the lead. When he looked back to see that Sylas was actually stepping forward toward the pods as well, he thought he was seeing things.

After a while, he started laughing again. “Babe, is this your man? You know, you can come to—”

There was a sudden flash and Vaernon moved on instinct, a shadowy layer of blackened wings spawning from behind him. With a single flap, there was a raging cyclone that formed, and he seemed to teleport.

When he appeared again, he was on the other side of the hall, his eyes rapidly scanning the region. A hand raised to his neck as though he was trying to check to see if it was still intact, but when he pulled his fingers back, they were completely dry.

What was that? Why did he feel like death was so close just now?

“Consider it not a warning, but foreshadowing,” Sylas said calmly, his back to Vaernon. “This round will be counted among your last days.”

After saying these words, Sylas pushed through the glass doors, leading Gwenu toward the pods.

The Thryskai looked back toward Vaernon, trying to understand what had just happened. They hadn’t felt anything either. If there was an attack, the stronger of them would have certainly sensed something.

What the hell happened?

A familiar D-tier Thryskai narrowed his eyes.

Will.

He had felt it even if the others hadn’t. What had happened just now was so acute and focused he couldn’t feel it clearly, though. But Vaernon certainly had.

Slowly, Vaernon stood to his full height, checking his neck one more time. His eyes narrowed, his serious expression becoming a dark sneer.

He rubbed his thumb along the flats of his fore and middle fingers, but all that came back was a slight sheen of sweat.

How interesting.

…

Sylas’ eyes opened and a familiar world of white appeared around him. He could feel that the pressure was a little stronger, but he was a King Slayer. E-tier Aether couldn’t even begin to harm him with its presence alone.

“What are we doing… what are we doing…” Gwenu seemed to snap out of her daze at this moment, realizing that she only had one partner now and it was Sylas.

Sylas looked over, his expression as calm as always.

“I won’t let us lose.”

Gwenu met his eyes. Or, rather, the shades that covered them. But somehow, she could feel the unbridled confidence within them.

“No matter what happens, reserve your strength and don’t overextend yourself. This victory will be ours.”

After a moment, Gwenu took a breath and nodded. “Alright.”

One after another, the others began to appear.