The battle among the Catastrophic Generation had come to an end. For those who witnessed it, there were countless things to talk about. However, there was one topic that stood out more than anything else.

MIKO!

After everything he did in the six hours, the way many viewed him had changed. Some started to anticipate his future, others feared it. Regardless, it was clear that he was someone to watch out for.

“Thank you all for coming.”

The person in question was inside the Royal Meeting Room with the leaders of the three clans. He stood in a corner while looking at everyone sitting around the table.

“Aren’t you going to sit?”

Rouge asked.

“I’m fine here.”

Tia appeared out of a light.

“I’ll sit in his stead.”

She sat at the head of the table.

“…Since everyone’s here, should we start?”

“We’re still waiting on the others.”

Immediately after Tia spoke, the door opened.

“Sorry, we’re late. We had to wait for some people to mentally prepare themselves.”

Alec walked in leading a group consisting of the Golden and Catastrophic Generations, minus Krul, along with Miko’s Apostles. He turned his eyes to Miko who was in the corner. He leaned on a wall with his head down as if sleeping.

(He’s aware that he might’ve mentally scared some of them and is isolating himself.)

Alec smirked.

“I doubt anyone could ignore your presence though.”

“I didn’t know that you all were invited.”

“I invited them, Andreas.”

Tia spoke up.

“If we are to grow stronger, we must work together to nurture the future of the empire as soon as possible. With that in mind, I believe that they should start taking part in meetings like these. Any objections?”

No one spoke up.

“Good.”

She smiled.

“Children, please stand wherever you want. We have no seats as of yet but that will change in the future.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Everyone stood near the walls. Miko’s family stood next to him. However, he showed no reaction to this.

“First, I would like to talk about the issue that has been plaguing everyone’s minds, the Next Clan Leader. You all believe that a Clan Leader is needed to lead the empire in these times and I agree.”

She turned to Rouge.

“Why did you reject the position?”

Some of the younger generations were shocked to hear Tia’s question.

“I don’t believe that I’m worthy of such a title. After all, I’m the son of the man who betrayed you and grandfather and sided with the coalition army back then.”

“So you’re trying to atone for the sins of your father and brother? What nonsense.”

She sighed.

“You killed your older brother, you’ve spent years gathering the scattered members of your branch, and led them when no one would. You’ve always given your all to protect this empire. You’ve done more than enough.”

“………”

“Still not convinced?”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”

“Even if I appoint you myself?”

“Yes.”

“Then be a figurehead.”

Miko spoke up with his eyes still closed.

“You don’t believe you’re worthy of being the Clan Leader, right? Then be a figurehead and let me be the true Clan Leader.”

He slowly opened his eyes to reveal a piercing glare.

“It’s already decided that I will be given the title in the future but that is too far away. Our current situation calls for a leader, however, if the competition showed anything I’m not ready to be that person. I’m too unstable. That being said, I have plans for the future that requires me to have that level of authority. That’s where you come in. Become the Clan Leader and grant me the authority I need.”

“Another reason why you need to take the title is that the Dragna Clan Leader needs to be someone whose name alone can strike fear in the hearts of millions. Miko’s reputation can’t compare to the man feared as the Walking Calamity. With you as the leader, most will think twice about disrespecting our empire.”

Tia added.

“Rouge, I understand your feelings but the clan needs you to put those feelings aside. It’s do or die for us. We need you to step up.”

Tia bowed her head.

“Grandma, you mustn’t!”

Rouge sprung to his feet.

“I’m begging you. You’re the only one who can play this role.”

Rouge gritted his teeth as he looked at Tia bowing.

“…Fine. I’ll do it. Just lift your head.”

Tia slowly lifted her head with a smile. Rouge sighed.

“You shouldn’t bow so easily.”

“Why not? There’s no shame in bowing to family as long as my head remains high in front of my enemies.”

She laughed.

“So we’ll announce Rouge as the new Clan Leader and Miko as the heir?”

Alexus said.

“I understand announcing Rouge but why Miko as well?”

“Because it will boost Miko’s reputation over time. By the time he’s ready to take over, he’ll already be known to the world.”

He answered Andreas.

“Not only that, it will send a message as to how vital to the clan he is if he’s being announced in the same breath as Rouge, the new leader.”

Andreas nodded. Tia clasped her hands in front of her.

“Let’s move on to another topic.”

She turned to Miko.

“I think it’s time you talk about the things that you’ve been hiding from everyone. You gathered only those who you can trust, so speak freely.”

Miko nodded.

“Before that, allow me to explain what I am to those who aren’t aware.”

He stepped out from the corner.

“I am an Irregular. Irregulars are beings who are born outside of the laws of the universe under different conditions. We come in all forms, shapes, and sizes, but we are all destined to destroy the balance of the world just by existing. Because of this, we are also called Glitches in Reality. You may think I’m exaggerating but I assure you that I’m not. Each Irregular possesses a unique power that’s called Irregularity. There is no weak Irregularity, they’re all godly powers that go against the laws of the universe. However, Irregularities are either partially or completely negated when used against other Irregulars. So we’re our own greatest enemies. Also, each Irregular possesses a title that best describes them, all beginning with the word True.”

He pointed at himself.

“My title is True Satan, meaning I’m the greatest adversary. Augustus’ title was True Conqueror, meaning he was the greatest conqueror.”

He looked around at everyone’s faces.

“Now that I’ve spoken things that most of you have at least heard before, I’m about to tell you things about Irregulars that I’m certain none of you know.”

“Why are you certain?”

Joesph asked.

“You and Tia were close to Augustus, so I’m sure you think you know everything about him, but I’m certain that he never told you any of what I’m about to tell you.”

“Why?”

Tia’s eyes narrowed.

“There’s an unspoken rule engraved in us that prevent us from speaking of them. Why such a rule, you may ask. Because there are certain things that people don’t need to know. Ignorance is bliss as they say.”

Miko smirked.

“However, I’m going to break that rule. Not because it will benefit you, I just want to destroy the balance. That is my role in this story after all.”

“Then what are the things we don’t know?”

Miko paused a bit before speaking.

“Irregulars have special abilities and traits outside of their Irregularities and titles.”

He lifted a finger.

“Irregulars are directly linked to the universe and when I say universe, I mean the Supreme Being himself since his existence is very similar to Irregulars.”

“What?!”

Miko’s words shocked everyone in the room.

“Are you saying that you’re linked to the Supreme Being now?”

Alexus asked.

“I am. I can always feel his presence and he can feel mine. By the way, he’s not as great as you all think. If I could’ve fought him when we met, I would’ve.”

“You met the Supreme Being?!”

“A couple of times, yes. I regretted not killing him each time.”

Miko mumbled. Silence covered the room. Everyone looked at each other with shock painted over their faces.

“…I’m beginning to see why Irregulars don’t speak about certain things.”

Kirika mumbled. Miko lifted a second finger.

“Irregulars are all linked to each other and can communicate with each other on a spiritual level. We do this by using something known as the Spiritual Channel. You can use this channel to know how many irregulars are out there and when a new one is born. However, you can’t use it to locate each other.”

“That’s pretty incredible. Can you communicate no matter the distance? Like if someone is in another dimension?”

Alec showed great interest.

“It depends. The strength of the link is determined by our relation or category. It’s easier for blood relatives and Irregulars of similar types to communicate, rather than those who aren’t..”

“So if Augustus was alive….”

“In theory, I would be able to communicate with him no matter where he was.”

Alec started to quietly ponder something.

“By the way, diving too deep can result in minor side effects like black tears and temporary confusion.”

Miko added.

“Huh?”

Momo suddenly remembered something.

“On our way to the Newgate Country, you had black tears. Who were you communicating with then?”

Miko placed a finger over his lip. He had no intention of answering Momo.

“Then can you tell us how many Irregulars are there now?”

Darwin asked.

“Active or Inactive?”

“Inactive? Do you mean dead?”

“No, I don’t.”

“….Both.”

“Seven that I know of. I can’t rule out the possibility of an Irregular being able to hide their presence even within the Spiritual Channel.”

Miko lifted a third finger.

“This is where it gets a bit complicated. Irregulars can enter a spiritual world where they can come in contact with the soul of the world itself and learn things about it that most can’t. However, this is hard to do, and how far you can go and learn depends on the person. This world is called the Invisible World and it’s one of the cores of the universe and where the Supreme Being resides.”

Everyone looked around at each other. Most of them were shocked. Others seemed excited.

“You mean you know the location of the Supreme Being? That’s something not even Higher Beings know.”

Tia was dumbfounded. For tens of thousands of years, people have searched for the Supreme Being without success.

“I searched for him once myself. I wanted to have him end this war….”

“Only Irregulars can meet the Supreme Being.”

“Why?”

“He has no power over us. You see, unlike everybody else, we are his equals. We’re the only people who can challenge him. We’re the only ones who are capable of understanding him.”

“You’re his equal?”

Joesph asked slowly. For some reason, he could see his master saying the same things as Miko.

“Yeah, the Supreme….Aniket and us share the same origins. So in a way, we’re kin.”

“Aniket? Is that his name?!”

“You’re kin?!”

The previously quiet Sophia and Al-Shura couldn’t hold back their questions. Their hearts were pumping and their palms were sweaty. It was the same for almost everyone else. Miko’s words were just that impactful.

“Yes, Aniket is the name he chose for himself. Yes, we’re kin. He’s like an uncle to me if we’re being technical.”

“You said that Irregulars alone can challenge him. What do you mean by that??”

Miko lifted a fourth finger after Andreas's question.

“Irregulars have no limit to how strong their abilities can get. They have bottlenecks but it’s possible to break through them and become even stronger. As such, we can grow strong enough to put up a fight against Aniket. It will be extremely difficult but not impossible to grow strong enough to kill him.”

“Kill the Supreme Being…”

Everyone became paled from the thought of even attempting such a thing.

“Miko, have you heard of the Battle of the Usurpers?”

Miko nodded at Tia’s question.

“Around 50,000 years ago a powerful Ancient God challenged Aniket and tried to overthrow him. He brought millions of other ancient beings to his side. They were defeated by Aniket alone.”

“I witnessed that battle when I was just born into this world. It wasn’t even a battle, it was a massacre. The millions of ancient divine beings were slaughtered in an instant. Are you saying that you’ll be able to accomplish a greater feat in the future?

Miko locked eyes with her. His gaze was piercing and showed no sign of weakness or doubt. This gaze alone was his answer. He lifted a fifth finger.

“What I’m about to talk about will answer most of your questions regarding me. Why do I know so much? What do I mean when I said I’ve lost everything over and over again? Why do I possess the techniques I do?...Why do I seek destruction and death above all?”

He paused and checked the room. All attention was on him as everyone waited to hear his every word.

“Earlier I said Irregulars are beings who are born outside the laws of the universe, that goes for the laws of time and space as well.”

“?!”

Eyelids peeled back. Hearts skipped a beat. Jaws hit the floor. Miko’s words gave everyone the greatest shock.

“Of course, that doesn’t mean that we can just travel back and forth in time. However, we can see into past and future eras and even experience them as if we were there. This is called Timeless Exploration and only Irregulars who have touched their true forms can experience it.”

“Experience them? Do you mean that your spirit is transported to the past and future?”

Alexus asked.

“That’s right. I experienced this twice. After my fight against Dragon Storm and after my battle with Isabel Luna.”

“How far back did you go?”

“As far as the Primal Era.”

“That’s basically the beginning of time!”

Alec and others showed excitement, but Miko showed no emotion. This caught his father’s eye.

“…What did you experience there?”

“…The Primal Era was beautiful. Everything was in harmony. A pure, untainted world.”

Light returned to Miko’s eyes. A smile overflowing with innocence appeared on his face. However, that smile vanished the next instant.

“The Primal Era was as beautiful as gruesome the hell that followed.”

The light in his eyes resembles those created by the flames of hell.

“At first I didn’t realize that I was in the past. I had forgotten everything and became someone from that era. That’s why I’ll never forget the first time I died, the first time I lost everything….”

Even now the screams of agony echoed in his head.

“It was the first of a million hells.”