Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player-Novel

The blanket of darkness that spread from Zephyr's hand swept through the battlefield, clinging to the coins and items sprawled throughout the distance.

Within seconds, every out-of-place item buried in the canyon's terrain entered Zephyr's grasp.

Despite the spoils of war from thousands of kills being worth quite the pretty penny, Zephyr remained unbothered by the supposed value. Instead, he glanced in Altair's direction with a meaningful expression.

"Everything has been sensed and accounted for. I'll begin moving it here, but it'll be up to you and your friends to store it as you please," Zephyr said.

"Storing?" Scar scoffed, giving Zephyr a smug smirk while ruffling Kieran's hair. "My runt has that covered. When it comes to storage, I naturally wouldn't leave him wanting."

Back when Kieran had first completed his Class Promotion and became a True Berserker, Scar made sure to provide Kieran with increased storage space.

After all, he had foreseen that, as a True Berserker, he was bound to enter conflicts involving a great number of enemies.

Naturally, with a ridiculous amount of enemies, he'd also need to have sufficient storage to house the spoils of war for the time being.

Zephyr looked at Scar quietly before nodding subtly. "That much should be understood. How could we cast our successors off into the world without the proper means to defend and cultivate themselves?"

Scar raised his brow concerning Zephyr's retort. "I guess I misinterpreted what you meant. Yeah, I'm not helping them clean up either. I'd be a fool to slave for this twerp."

After a brief pause, Scar suddenly slapped Kieran's back. "Go on, collect your spoils of war. In the meantime, I have some things to discuss with Zephyr."

Though Scar's slap didn't hurt, Kieran was sent flying toward the large pile of loot that Zephyr had created.

However, before crashing into it, Kieran turned in midair and created a platform out of blood.

Using it to jump, he landed beside the mountain of loot lightly.

"Hoh?" Scar muttered, his expression brimming with intrigue. 'My runt's control over Blood Mania continues to grow more refined. Though, if he wants to take the next step, he'll need to undergo that transformation...'

The transformation Scar referred to was naturally Kieran's Class Advancement.

As Altair had yet to Advance despite spending days with Zephyr, it was clear their Advancement entailed something greater that went beyond typical transformations.

Creating an Advanced Pressure by refining their Mana, which was the orthodox way of completing the Advancement, only encompassed part of a Mythic Class's change.

Like Scar, Zephyr was also somewhat surprised, but not by the use of Kieran's power. 'Those movements… if I wasn't any wiser, I would have thought that boy was an Assassin. To have such a massive body yet land so light, that's a true application of bodily control.'

Subconsciously, Zephyr turned to look at Altair before crossing his arms. "Boy, it'd do you well to learn from your friend. Though our training has paved the way to your future, creating more than one pillar to support a base will only lead to benefits."

"I know what you mean," Altair responded with a nod.

He didn't need Zephyr to tell him that following Kieran was a choice he wouldn't come to regret. Whether it was confidence, skill, or loyalty to his subordinates, Kieran exhibited top-notch marks in all of these departments.

Once the others began helping Kieran settle the matters of the loot, Zephyr and Scar took a walk.

"Has something happened?" Zephyr questioned.

All of a sudden, Scar's expression became solemn as he nodded. "I have questions—questions that neither of us can answer. In the centuries since the Mythical Heroes have existed, there has never once been a blend of power. Everyone has chosen a unique successor."

"That's correct. It hasn't changed for this generation either," Zephyr corrected.

"That's not true and you know it," Scar said, briefly glancing in Zephyr's direction, which resulted in a bout of contemplation.

"As far as I'm aware, the Silver Goliath has only adopted one successor. The same goes for the rest. Out of the seven of us, Ingvald and Ferreira are the only ones who have yet to choose. As soon as that happens, we'll commence our traditional rite to see whether these successors are our rightful inheritors," Zephyr responded.

"I'm not worried about the seven of us. I'm speaking of those three who carry power on par with us, yet refuse to trod the path required to cement their mantle," Scar reiterated.

As mentioned before, the Seven Mythical Heroes, while unmatched in their generation, were not unmatched overall. There were certain individuals, that if they so willed it, could create additions to the Mythical Mantles.

From seven, that number could quickly balloon to ten. Yet they chose not to, which Scar found hard to understand.

Once recognized by the Boundary Protector, the authority of a Mythical Hero became absurd!

This was one of the reasons Scar was unrelenting inside the War Deity Council, where there were several characters of power far surpassing his own. As long as he possessed the blessing of the Boundary Protector, Scar could be as unhinged as he wanted to be.ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ ɴovᴇl_Firᴇ.ɴet

Otherwise, the entire boundary could be put at risk with the loss of a blessed mantle. A sacrilegious act like that would undoubtedly invoke the ire of the Boundary Protector.

Though Agrianos was the originator of the True Berserker Path, he relinquished his right to act for the sake of saving his lineage of True Berserkers after he performed the Protector's Rite, passing along the privilege to Scar.

Not to mention, Agrianos, after reaching his current state, was one of the individuals Xenith left in a truly precarious position. While he never revealed his scorn or detest for his predicament, Agrianos could only rue his circumstances silently.

"Ah… you mean Isadora, Agatha… and him. We can't speak for them. Perhaps they don't wish to involve themselves with the fate of the Lesser Boundary," Zephyr answered, shrugging indifferently.

It was hard to judge others' thoughts, so Zephyr didn't attempt to do so.

"I call bullshit. If that were true, my successor wouldn't carry the power of the Wykins now. No… there's something deeper at play here. Not to mention…" Scar's expression changed, soon becoming somewhat weary.

"You felt it didn't you—from my successor," Scar questioned.

Though the question was quite ambiguous, barely indicating what Scar was referring to, Zephyr nodded. After reaching their level, only a few things could warrant such a weary expression.

For example, the presence of a power that escaped their understanding and barely fell within their detection.

"I felt it. Your successor is no longer a mere human being. I suspect he came in contact with Agatha's master and she's responsible for this change. Odd… because according to those records, the Enchantress has not acted since the end of that massacre," Zephyr voiced.

Scar agreed that the situation felt odd and out of place. He couldn't fathom the reason why Hekaina would act, much less act through Kieran, who possessed a power of pure destruction.

After witnessing the aftermath of the death and destruction that ensued, she should be well aware of the risks and the immense hazard.

"Could it be some sort of grand scheme? Could the Wykins finally be planning their revenge? If so… will the other races be roped in?" Scar questioned.

"If that were to happen, we'd almost certainly devolve to another Boundary War. The many rifts around the boundary will be ripped open by the clashes. It will be… true mayhem," Zephyr said, his usually monotone voice becoming grim.

"Perhaps I'm just overthinking the matter. But giving my successor the power of the Wykins… and undergoing a racial transition this early… what could that woman be preparing him for? If it comes down to it… we'll have to bring this matter to the Overseers."

"You do understand the stipulations of those actions right? Even our successors will be brought under review. If they're deemed a threat to longevity… everything could be wiped out," Zephyr reasoned.

"That's precisely why it's a last resort. A countermeasure to those powerful enough to make the world quake with their world-sundering level of ability. All of the Myths will be helpless against such power. So, before things become unmanageable, I must know that if we must seek out the Overseers… you'll side with me," Scar said, stopping their walk where they stood.

"We all draw power from beings that do not belong to this boundary. If our control so much as slips… we'll be roped in. Before I do this, tell me why you're requesting this. You're not one to care for the greater good," Zephyr replied.

Scar furrowed his brows in response, cursing how perceptive Zephyr was. It was true that Xenith's survival meant nothing to him, but… "It's that boy. He's grown on me. It'd be a shame if he's the victim of a grand scheme that I'm helpless in protecting him against. Thus… I'll attempt to protect him by any means necessary, even if it implicates us."

"To think I'd see the day where the Unhinged Bloodhound would care for someone this deeply. Very well. Our oath during the Protector's Rite binds us to this world… so if it perishes, so do we," Zephyr agreed.

Afterward, the two turned back to their successors, who remained oblivious to their speech regarding their fate.

As powerful as the powers of the Mythic Classes were… their presence was also an omen and a curse—a grave responsibility.

Meanwhile, after finishing with the collection of loot, Kieran returned his attention to the stream, leaving his few final messages, most of which thanked his record-breaking stream views.

However, the most important message was his vague hint that they should keep their eyes peeled for another ground-breaking announcement.