Timeless Assassin

Chapter 1138: An Amused God

(Meanwhile, Planet Granada, Mauriss’ POV)

*KABOOM*

Thunder rolled endlessly across the dark skies of Granada, as violent streaks of lightning illuminated the endless storm clouds overhead while Mauriss stood alone upon the lone rock overlooking the raging sea below.

The winds around him twisted unnaturally, his long hair rising upward toward the sky defying gravity, while within his hands rested a report that had clearly captured his complete attention.

"Oh...?" Mauriss muttered softly, as his black eyes narrowed with amusement while he re-read the contents of the report once more.

"So the Yu Clan Patriarch dies during the battle against the Cult, and shortly after that, Yu Kiro personally goes to Planet Satoru to avenge his descendant..." he said, as the corners of his lips slowly curled upward.

"And now even Yu Kiro himself has disappeared..." Mauriss continued, his voice lowering into something far more intrigued as another bolt of lightning illuminated the sadistic grin spreading across his face.

*KABOOM*

"The Yu Clan Elders entered his palace to discuss the nomination of the next Patriarch, yet nobody has managed to contact him for days, while the final known reports place him chasing a mysterious Demi God named General Sparrow into a fourth dimensional void..." he read aloud, as his smile widened further.

"And ever since then, neither Yu Kiro nor General Sparrow have been seen again, while the Cult continues expanding normally as though nothing unusual has happened at all..." he finished, before lowering the report slowly.

For a brief moment, silence followed.

Then—

"Hahahahaha...!"

Mauriss burst into manic laughter, his voice echoing violently across the storm covered ocean while the skies above Granada roared in response to his amusement.

"Oh, I knew it...!" Mauriss muttered between chuckles, as excitement flickered behind his eyes while he looked toward the distant horizon.

"I knew investing in you would eventually pay dividends, Leo Skyshard... but I never expected the return to arrive this soon..." he continued, as the grin on his face deepened into something bordering obsession.

Although no report directly placed Leo at the scene, Mauriss already felt almost certain that the disappearance of Yu Kiro had something to do with him.

The timing was too convenient.

The circumstances too strange.

And the Cult’s behavior afterward far too controlled for any of this to be a coincidence.

"Hmmm..." Mauriss hummed thoughtfully, as he tapped the edge of the report lightly against his palm while countless theories began forming within his mind.

"But how did you do it?" he muttered next, genuine curiosity slipping into his tone for the first time.

"Did Moltherak help you? Did that old dragon finally decide to interfere directly and hand you an Origin Weapon?" Mauriss wondered aloud, as lightning crackled around him.

"Or perhaps Soron left behind more blades than what he brought to The Pit..." he continued, his smile twitching slightly.

"What exactly is your trump card, Leo Skyshard?" Mauriss asked softly, as his gaze darkened while his thoughts spiraled deeper.

"Or maybe..." he added after a pause, his voice lowering further.

"Maybe Yu Kiro truly is just lost somewhere within the folds of the fourth dimension..."

Yet even as he voiced that possibility, Mauriss himself clearly did not believe it.

No.

His instincts leaned overwhelmingly toward Leo.

And Mauriss trusted his instincts more than almost anything else in existence.

"Well..." Mauriss muttered, as he slowly turned his gaze toward the endless storm above Granada.

"Now comes the interesting part."

A cruel smile spread across his face once more.

"Because sooner or later, the vultures will realize that Yu Kiro is not coming back..." he said, as amusement danced within his eyes.

"And once that realization settles in, the Yu Clan will collapse into chaos far worse than the Su Clan ever did..."

The thunder above intensified violently.

"At least the Su Clan still had Su Tang protecting their foundation..." Mauriss continued, as his tone carried mocking sympathy.

"But the Yu Clan?" he said with a quiet chuckle.

"They have nothing left holding them together anymore."

Lightning illuminated his face once more.

"The Great Clan Alliance has now lost another pillar..." Mauriss whispered, almost reverently.

"And now we get to witness their true nature."

"Hahah...!"

His laughter returned again, softer this time.

"They will devour the remains of the Yu Clan like starving vultures fighting over a corpse..."

Mauriss’ eyes narrowed thoughtfully after saying that, as one final detail within the report continued bothering him slightly.

"What interests me most..." he muttered slowly.

"...is that the Cult has not moved to aggressively capture Yu Clan territory despite this opportunity."

That detail mattered a lot.

Because if the Cult truly wanted to capitalize immediately, they should have been swallowing Yu Clan planets one after another while the clan remained leaderless and vulnerable.

Yet they were not.

Instead, they were continuing their expansion against unrelated territories.

Which was what made Mauriss feel the most suspicious, as it was almost as if they were deliberately trying to not look involved.

As if they became the first party to start picking on the Yu Clan, the others would suspect that they had confirmation about Yu Kiro’s death.

And that alone told Mauriss exactly how Leo was approaching this situation.

"Hah..." Mauriss chuckled softly, as admiration flickered across his face.

"So that’s your play..."

"You do not want the universe realizing Yu Kiro is dead yet, because the moment they confirm that a God has fallen, the war stops being political..."

"...and starts becoming existential."

His grin widened once more.

"Well played, Leo Skyshard..."

"Well played."

For a few seconds, Mauriss simply stood there listening to the storm.

Then slowly, his expression became more serious.

"Unfortunately for you..." he muttered quietly.

"I am not sure you fully understand the scale of what you have set into motion now."

The winds around Granada intensified violently.

"Because from this point onward, there is no turning back anymore."

His eyes gleamed sharply beneath the lightning.

"The balance of universal power is about to tilt one way or another at terrifying speed..."

"And whether you want it or not..."

"...war is now coming to your doorstep."