Awakening The Only SSS-Rank Class! Now Even Dragons Obey Me

It was a barren, scorched wasteland. The stench of blood filled the air, and the sky, unlike its usual color, was blood-red.

Every flower and plant had been burned to ash, and darkness seemed to have consumed everything.

In the middle of this desolate field, there were two gravestones. In front of them, a handsome middle-aged man sat cross-legged.

His eyes were closed, but his presence radiated rage, as if even the wind didn't dare disturb him.

A sword lay before him, as though he was paying his respects to the two gravestones.

Suddenly, the space behind him shattered like glass, collapsing as a figure emerged from it.

"It's been a long time, Kaelos," Schneitz stepped forward, coming to stand beside him. He glanced at the gravestones and sighed.

"My condolences for losing your son."

However, the man he was speaking to gave no reply. A suffocating silence filled the air.

"I'll get straight to the point. I know you're grieving and just lost your child, but that boy you want to kill is under my protection."

Two eyes suddenly snapped open—Kaelos's eyes, filled with a killing intent so intense it poured out like a wave.

Yet, Schneitz was unaffected, standing calmly and firmly in place.

"Old man, are you mocking me? First you offer condolences, and then you tell me you're protecting him?"

"I know you're furious. You lost your son, and I understand that. But this is a battle between the younger generation. Don't interfere. If you want revenge, send William."

"Hahaha, how laughable. Of course you wouldn't understand the death of a child. It was my son who was killed. I'll have my revenge. I'll slaughter everyone precious to that bastard right before his eyes, then cripple him, shatter his soul, and force him to live the rest of his life in agony," his voice was cold and devoid of emotion, as though all humanity had been stripped from him.

Schneitz frowned and didn't speak immediately. From Kaelos's tone, it was obvious the man had completely lost his sanity.

"That boy is a member of the Everlight Moon Guild. If you don't back off, things won't end well for you."

Kaelos's aura suddenly surged, shaking the air itself. It felt as though the very fabric of reality was about to collapse.

"Are you threatening me?"

Schneitz remained calm, but then released his own overwhelming and terrifying aura.

Reality itself cracked, the sky roared as though it would fall, and the stars above seemed to tremble one by one in fear.

Kaelos's aura was crushed instantly.

The difference in power between the two was beyond words. One was a national-rank Awakened, while the other… was an S-Rank Awakened.

That kind of power gap couldn't be ignored. Even Kaelos's body trembled, though he forced himself to remain upright.

"I'm not threatening you. I'm giving you a warning. Stay away from that boy. If you touch him, I'll personally make sure you and the entire Scyronblade Guild burn in flames," Schneitz said with a cold, unwavering tone.

Then he turned to leave. But as if remembering something, he stopped, turned back, and looked at him once more.

"Also, I want you to release that boy's family immediately. If even a single scratch is on them, things will end very badly for you."

But instead of responding to his threat, Kaelos simply began to laugh. Not a fake or mocking laugh—

A genuine laugh, one that came from deep within, as if everything Schneitz had said was a ridiculous joke to him.

"Why are you laughing? Don't tell me you've gone insane."

Kaelos didn't answer right away. Instead, he stood up, casting a glance at the gravestones of his wife and child.

"Do you know what these two gravestones have in common?" Instead of answering the old man, he posed his own question.

Schneitz was baffled. What kind of insane question was this?

Still, he thought about it, wondering if there was a specific meaning behind it.

"Both of them belonged to your family? They were your loved ones?"

"A nice answer, but it's wrong. What these two graves have in common is that there are no bodies buried beneath them," Kaelos said, his voice cold but laced with hidden grief.

Schneitz frowned. The circumstances behind this man's losses were deeply mysterious, and the Awakened Association had intentionally hidden the information.

So he hadn't known that, in truth, there was no body for the man's wife at all.

"Both of them were murdered, and their killers destroyed the bodies. Yet, I couldn't take revenge for either my wife or my child. As a husband and as a father, I've failed," tears slid down Kaelos's face.

But he wiped them away, sighed, and placed his hands on both gravestones.

"But now… the time has finally come. I've finally gained the power to avenge them both." Suddenly, black veins spread across his entire body.

Schneitz frowned and took a few steps back as a bad premonition filled his heart.

Yet, nothing happened the way he feared. Kaelos didn't grow larger, nor did he explode.

Only his veins swelled, and the blood flowing within them turned black. But that wasn't all.

Suddenly, a dreadful aura of darkness resonated throughout the sky. Space itself fractured, the sun dimmed as though it wanted to flee.

Schneitz's frown deepened. The aura emanating from this madman was all too familiar.

Above Kaelos's head, a monstrous shadow took form—a dark, spectral figure, the very embodiment of darkness itself.

He glanced at Kaelos's hand and spotted a black ring or gem on his index finger. It looked like a simple ring… but it was anything but simple.

"You lunatic! I don't care how you found that ring, but how dare you use it! Do you even realize what you've done?!"

"Hahaha, does it matter? The only thing that matters is my revenge," Kaelos turned, revealing a pair of eyes engulfed in darkness.

"Anyone who gets in the way of my revenge will die. That's not a threat—it's just a warning."

Schneitz neither attacked nor responded. He simply tore open space and left, though he left a few words behind before disappearing.

"The Guardian Council won't let this go."

Kaelos didn't try to stop him. He only laughed like a madman.

If Schneitz had heard the words Kaelos murmured then, he would have been shocked—and he wouldn't have believed them.

"The Guardian Council themselves gave me this ring."