The Return Of The Exiled Villain

This sword was called Sword of Ruins, a weapon created by none other than the God of Forging, one of the most ancient and powerful gods of the old era.

It was his most meticulously crafted piece, basically his masterpiece.

The God of Forging had poured centuries of his divine essence, rare materials from the primordial realms, and his very soul into this blade.

It was said to have the power to ruin entire civilizations with a single swing, to sever fate itself, and to bring absolute destruction to anything it deemed unworthy.

This sword was sealed here during the final days of the Divine Age.

There had been a huge betrayal back then, a devastating insider plot that destroyed the Divine Age Faction, one of the greatest alliances the gods had ever formed.

In a matter of weeks, the once-unstoppable coalition was absolutely decimated, its members slaughtered or scattered across the planes.

The God of Forging, not wanting to die alongside his allies, let go of most of his divine pieces and creations to buy time and escape.

But this sword, his most precious masterpiece, he could not bear to abandon.

So he sealed it in a very hidden place, protected by layers of divine arrays and time-locking runes, hoping one day a worthy successor would find it.

Millions of years had passed since that day.

The protection arrays and runes had likely been eroded by the passage of time, leaving the sword vulnerable and broken, its power fragmented.

Originally, this sword was made for Adrian to wield it.

In the original flow of events, Adrian would only happen to find it during a massive attack against the Ocean Kingdom, more specifically against Selene’s mother, the Northern Duchess.

She had gone back to her homeland and successfully hoarded the throne for herself.

Because of a series of events, the human kingdom ended up fighting against the Ocean Kingdom, and led by Adrian, who at the time was in the peak Monarch Realm, they successfully won.

But only because Adrian, after being deeply injured, found this Sword of Ruins.

The blade resonated with his soul, repairing itself temporarily and granting him a massive power boost that turned the tide of the war.

”Soul Resonation...” Gray mumbled.

He stepped closer, crouching down to pick up one of the broken blade fragments.

The metal was cold to the touch, yet it pulsed with a faint, hungry energy, as if it were waiting for someone to restore it.

But of course... it didn’t resonate with him.

”A destiny-created piece, huh? That old fossil...” Gray clicked his tongue.

[Old fossil...? Who are you referring to?]

Jasmine’s curious voice came from inside his head.

”...The God of Forging,” he stood up once again, shaking his head with a look of disappointment.

”That bastard made this sword to be wielded by a ”chosen one”, meaning that even if I wanted to possess this, I couldn’t.”

[The God of Forging? That old man... if it really was him, this Sword must be his most precious masterpiece. During the betrayal, he probably would only have the time to bring one creation with him...]

Gray nodded lightly.

His eyes landed on the broken sword, and he couldn’t help but want to possess it. This sword was terrifyingly powerful.

But since he couldn’t possess it... No one would.

His eyes darkened instantly, as a pitch-black aura started leaking out of his body, causing Jasmine’s eyes to widen.

[Gray...?! Are you going to destroy it?!]

”A sword that I cannot possess... shouldn’t exist.”

He mumbled before directly grabbing the hilt of the broken sword with his Authority on maximum power.

The moment his fingers closed around the broken hilt, the Authority of Destruction surged forth like a black tidal wave.

The sword trembled violently, the ancient runes on its surface cracking and shattering as the destructive energy overwhelmed its very existence.

CRACK... CRACK... CRACKLE!

The broken blade began to disintegrate, turning into glowing wisps of pure divinity.

The scattered pieces on the ground followed suit, floating upward in a swirling vortex of golden-white light.

The chamber shook as the sword’s essence was forcibly torn apart, the ancient protections that had lasted millions of years crumbling under the overwhelming power of the Authority.

Gray didn’t waste a single moment.

He opened his palm, and the wisps of divinity flowed toward him like obedient servants.

With a simple thought, he channeled them directly into Jasmine’s soul, merging the divine fragments with her own power.

Jasmine let out a soft gasp inside his mind, her presence growing stronger and more vibrant.

[Jasmine’s Power... has increased to 20%]

A panel popped in front of him, making him reveal an uncharacteristic happy smile.

Jasmine now had one-fifth of her whole power!

[The Authority of Destruction has been forcefully raised to Level 5!]

[The Authority of Beauty has been increased by 3 levels!]

[Jasmine now has the ability to grant you a little bit of her power.]

Seeing the notifications, his smirk couldn’t help but widen even more.

He closed his eyes, hiding his face with the palm of his hand, trying as much to hide the psychotic smile on his face.

The power surge was simply... intoxicating.

The divine essence of the Sword of Ruins, a masterpiece forged by a God, had been reduced to nothing but fuel for Jasmine’s recovery.

The feeling of stealing something so precious, something meant for another ”chosen one,” filled Gray with a deep, almost euphoric satisfaction.

His body trembled slightly as the remnants of the divinity settled within him, merging seamlessly with his own power.

Jasmine, feeling the surge, couldn’t hold back.

She directly manifested herself, standing right in front of Gray in her full, ethereal form.

Her long silver-white hair flowed like liquid moonlight, her red eyes glowing with an almost crazed intensity.

Her perfect figure was clad in the same elegant black dress, but there was a wild, hungry look on her face, her lips were slightly parted, and her eyes narrowed with a mix of gratitude and unsettling delight.

She looked at Gray as if he were the most beautiful thing in existence, her divine beauty mixed with a dangerous, obsessive edge.

Gray didn’t realize she had manifested. He was still lost in the rush of power, his hand covering his face as the psychotic smile lingered.

Jasmine didn’t say anything.

She simply stood there, looking at his face, which had a borderline psychopathic expression, the cold satisfaction in his eyes, the way his body trembled with the stolen divinity....

She licked her red lips slowly, her eyes narrowing slightly with a hungry, almost crazy-like gleam.

As soon as Gray took his hand off his face, Jasmine disappeared directly, not giving a hint that she had been there at all.

Instead, she spoke inside his mind.

[Thank you~]

Gray nodded with a big smile.

He was extremely happy right now.

After all, if Jasmine got more powerful, he would also get a lot more powerful.

But now, there were other matters to do, such as eliminating the other academies.

Of course, he could simply obliterate the whole island... but since he was going to go berserk during the Royal Banquet, he needed to hide his power as much as he could for now.

He waved his hand, causing the cave behind him to tremble and fall into pieces, leaving no trace that there was a powerful sword there at all.

He got back to the cave entrance, and surprisingly, the girls from his group were waiting exactly where he had left them.

The moment they saw him, several of them stepped forward, their expressions a mix of relief and curiosity.

”Leader!” one of the girls, a tall beauty with long dark hair and a spear in her hand, called out first.

”Where did you go? We sensed a massive energy fluctuation inside the cave, but we didn’t dare enter without your order.”

Another girl, with sharp features and a pair of daggers strapped to her thighs, nodded eagerly, her eyes shining with admiration.

”Yes, Leader. The whole cave shook for a moment. Was there something dangerous inside? A trap? Or... did you find something valuable?”

”Leader, are you okay?”

”Did you destroy something in there?”

Gray looked at them calmly, his black eyes steady as he brushed a bit of dust from his clothes.

He had no intention of explaining the Sword of Ruins or its destruction. Some things were better kept to himself for now.

He simply gave a small nod, his voice calm and authoritative.

”We’re moving on. The flag is secured. Stay alert.”

The girls didn’t press further.

Their trust in Gray was absolute. They fell into formation around him, their expressions shifting from curiosity to fierce determination.

One of the girls, still buzzing with excitement from the earlier elimination, asked eagerly:

”Leader, what are we going to do now?”

Gray’s lips curled up slightly into a faint, cold smile as he looked toward the dense jungle ahead.

”Isn’t it obvious? Kill.”