“Are we lost?”

“…” Azen ignored the fox. Conjuring a flame, he morphed it to objects of changing sizes and shapes.

“IDIOT FACE!! We’re lost!” Rui's scream nearly turned Azen deaf.

“$*#&%!!” Infuriated, he shot a blazing fireball at the incorporeal fox. It passed through the fox’s body before lighting a tree.

“You can’t hit me! Idiot Face!” The fox cackled, almost like an irritating child.

“One day! I’ll burn… you… to crisp!”

“It’s nice to dream! And don't change the subject! We’re lost and it's your fault!”

“I don’t care! Scram!” Azen closed his sense of hearing, shutting the fox’s irritating chatter.

At ease, Azen gazed at the night sky.

‘These five years of grinding is my last hurdle. No matter where my enemies hide under this night sky, I will-’ A glowing star diverted Azen’s line of thought.

Soon, the sky turned purple and Azen frowned.

“What the hell… Where are we?” He asked.

The fox’s mouth moved, but he couldn’t hear anything. Confused, he unclogged his hearing.

“…ter Night! I almost forgot about this!”

“Ter Night?”

“Luster Night!!”

Azen nodded and before resuming his experiments with the flames.

“Hey! Why aren’t you asking me for an explanation?”

“…” The flames in Azen's hand expanded rapidly. He frowned, trying to emulate an explosion.

“Stupid Face! …Boring Face!” Rui shouted a couple of times. Soon, it giggled before laughing hysterically.

'Did the purple sky turn this darned fox into an idiot?' Azen stared at the fox with newfound pity.

“Hahaha… My plan’s out. This darned Luster Night! I wanted to reveal the truth to Ren personally… Sneaky sky! Ruining my schemes! Now I can never see Ren's face of despair!” Despite cursing the sky, Rui’s voice was gleeful.

Azen’s interest was piqued.

“Scheme… Is this related to your bet?” He asked.

“Hahaha, you’re clueless! No wonder you’re an idiot, Idiot Face! Pfft-” Rui laughed without control.

Azen gulped at this sight.

‘This fox has lost its mind. Purple sky is scary…’ Azen stared at the vegetation below, not daring to look at the sky.

“Hey! Aren’t you curious?” Rui asked.

Azen frowned slightly before understanding what the fox wanted.

“No. If Ren becomes the Divine Emperor, he wins. If he loses, he becomes the wheel’s slave. It’s simple and the result has no bearing on my affairs.” Azen shrugged.

At the same time, he noticed that he had assimilated with his new body to the extent that his body often moved subconsciously. He wondered if this result was beneficial or detrimental.

“Pfft, HAHAHAHA! You really are clueless! Did you think… did you really think that our bet was so simple?” Rui wheezed while laughing.

Azen snapped from his contemplation. He frowned, awaiting Rui’s explanation.

“If you call me Grandfoxter Rui, I’ll explain everything!”

Fwoo! Azen returned to his practice with his fireballs.

“…Okay, if you’re so insistent I’ll explain!”

Azen sighed at the fox's shamelessness. Rui proudly continued.

“Ren’s bet was a trap! I understood this after some contemplation. His actual goal was the five-year duration of the bet. Within the next five years, he’d return to his clan and complete his unfinished work, most likely even dying in the process. But…”

“…I’m not an idiot like Idiot Face! My prestigious intellect has been honed by millennia of plotting and scheming with kings, emperors, and divine beings. To me, his plan was as clear as the purple in this sky…” Rui laughed nefariously.

Azen cringed at the shameless boasting. Nevertheless, he understood the gist of the fox’s explanation.

“Ren thought he was one step ahead of me. But in reality, I was ten trillion steps ahead of him! No mortal can confront my intellect! I’d like to see how he’ll return to his homeland without me.”

“I see.” Azen nodded before confirming, “Then, the bet is his sole hope of returning?”

Rui grinned, his voice full of enthusiasm.

“Indeed. This is why I love Ren! He’s brighter than an Idiot Face I know. Considering and accounting for unknown variables... Deep down, he already considered the scenario that he might be incapable of returning. That was why he asked for a return trip as his victory condition. That way, he’ll still have a chance at returning. But, in the overall picture, it is insignificant. His real bet was the five years and he already lost!”

Azen took a deep breath. He hadn’t placed enough thought into the bet. It reminded him of an important lesson.

‘If Ren had the strength to defeat this darned fox, he wouldn’t need a bet in the first place. His weakness will be his downfall. And I… I will not make the same mistake.’

The flame in his palm brightened.

For the rest of the night, Ren did nothing. Downtrodden and devastated, he helplessly watched his hopes crumbling to dust.

A day has passed. It was lost, forever. The rivers of time flowed mercilessly, inching one day closer to that 5-year deadline.

Ren’s bet hung over him, like the sword of a Gard. Although five years remained, deep down Ren knew… He had lost.

He had never considered that Rui would travel across planets. Reaching this conclusion, he dreaded the wheel and its mythical power. Capable of reviving life, traveling between worlds… the wheel broke every limitation set on mortals. The wheel was too obscene! Remembering that a skeleton casually handed such a powerful artifact to a kid, he realized that the world was much larger than his imagination. He never imagined that a skeleton would wield such a powerful artifact, much less present it to a kid for free.

At the same time, he understood… how tiny he was… how insignificant his attempts were…

This feeling was unknown to him. Born as a beast, raised as a monster, his sole purpose in life was the revival of his branch. He wanted nothing less than to transform his Zarstorm branch into the Zarstorm Clan... to witness the Lotus outshine the blue roses of the Zelongs.

However, his prospects were bleak. While waging the bet with Rui, he had inserted a victory condition of a return trip. He hoped that it would allay Rui’s suspicions, and convince the fox that he planned to play the seemingly impossible bet. In hindsight, it became his last chance at returning.

Nonetheless, Ren lacked the confidence to become the Divine Emperor, especially without his Void Arts. 'Strongest in Everleaf forest' wasn’t an easy-to-obtain title.

To make matters worse, if he desired to become the Divine Emperor, he would need the support of the citizens. And thanks to the title of Honored Guest, he couldn't have had a better start to the bet, especially with the demi-humans. Forget about supporting him, he could thank the heavens if they didn't obstruct him.

‘I should have eased the bet. But that’d be useless. Rui, that clever fox wouldn’t accept the bet if I had any reasonable chance at victory.’ Ren sighed.

The bet was impossible! It was impossible by design. In his eagerness for the five years, he made it impossible. Ren knew that had no one other than himself to blame.

‘What is wrong with me!? Why do I always… Ahhhh…’ Ren punched himself. Unsatisfied, he repeatedly activated and deactivated his Pain Series, enduring the mind-breaking pain. It was his last attempt at saving his fading sanity.

After a while, Ren collapsed onto his bed, panting. His face was bruised, but the physical pain was negligible to the pain in his heart.

‘My minimal success with the Zelongs had blinded me with arrogance. I overestimated my tactics and underestimated Rui’s intelligence. This bet was my mistake…’

‘But, I won’t suffer the consequences. Instead, Nell and the Zarstorm clan will suffer for my mistake.’ Ren clenched his fist. Blood dripped onto the bed, but it did little to calm his seething anger.

‘No! It must not end here. I have five years! The Zarstorm clan must rise and the lotus must bloom!’ A maniacal light flashed past Ren’s eyes.

‘Right! I have a meeting with the Divine Emperor. This is a good opportunity to estimate his strength. In the worst-case scenario, I can focus on teleportation. If Rui can travel between the worlds, why can’t I?’ Ren returned to his feet.

‘But I must not let arrogance blind me again.’ He took a deep breath.

A dot of light shone amid his dark future. As he proceeded in the right direction, he hoped that it would grow brighter, until it revealed success.

In the deep of night, Ren sneaked out of his window. The cold air brushed against his skin, dampening his enthusiasm.

Dropping to the ground, he met an imposing werewolf.

“Honored Guest… What are you doing outside this late?”

“I’m going out for a walk.”

“A walk? This late?” The werewolf squinted his eyes.

“Yes.”

“I’m sorry, Honored Guest, but for your safety, I’ll have to ask you to return.” The werewolf put on a menacing stance, blocking Ren’s path.

Ren's expression darkened. The last thing he wanted was to miss his meeting with the Divine Emperor because of rigid security. However, he didn’t want to spread the news of this meeting, especially not to the envious demi-humans who’d grow even more envious. At present, he wanted to stay low in Evergreen city.

Considering all this, he spoke.

“I have received orders from Lord Discipline from the Council. The Council summoned me to the Mother Tree at dawn. However, this matter is extremely confidential.” He masked the truth with a white lie.

The werewolf frowned, visibly confused by Ren’s words.

However, he did not open the path. The guard’s inaction displeased Ren. He didn’t have time to waste over security issues.

“Do you dare to defy the Council’s wishes? Are you conspiring against the Council?! Where is your loyalty!? This is an act of rebellion!” With no choices left, Ren resorted to threats.

The threat was effective. Hearing the charge of rebellion, the werewolf instantly dropped his imposing stance.

“Honored Guest, I’m sorry but Miss Kana’s orders were to-”

“Do I look like I care? Is Kana greater than the Council? It seems like my guess is correct. Fine, I’ll warn you. If I cannot reach the Mother Tree by dawn, you will be charged with treason. I’d like to see how Kana can save a rebel.” Ren seethed in anger. Desperate, he resorted to bluffs and threats, hoping to exploit the werewolf’s ignorance.

The werewolf shuddered before bowing.

“I’m sorry, Honored Guest. You can leave but on one condition. I must accompany you until we reach the Mother Tree. And I need confirmation from a representative of the Council.”

“Is my word not enough? Am I not the Honored Guest?” Ren growled.

“Lord, please do not make this hard on me. I have to follow the procedure. Otherwise, it’s not just my life that’s in jeopardy. My family will also face the consequences of my actions. Please cooperate with me, Lord.” The werewolf bowed.

Ren hesitated. His initial plan was to walk all the way to the Mother Tree. However, with a guide, he could reach the Mother Tree earlier. And if the guard could teleport to the Mother Tree directly, then his trip would be over in a flash.

“Lead the way.” The werewolf sighed before guiding Ren to the nearest teleportation circle.

Before the teleportation circle activated, a silver-haired silhouette stared at him from a window.

The next moment, Ren’s surroundings changed rapidly.

A tree of unparalleled height covered his line of sight. Seeing the Mother Tree at a close distance, Ren's heart shook.

Calling the Mother Tree 'large' would be a severe understatement! Its stem extended to the heavens, lacking an end in sight. The branches buried the sky behind its countless leaves. In front of the Mother Tree, even the giant Gards looked like ants.

A pleasant smell teased his nose. It resembled scented resin, but at the same time, it was distinctly different. The tree exuded an aura of majesty, stability, and serenity, setting his mind at peace.

The mesmerizing aura grew more powerful and Ren smiled in a daze.

‘As long as this tree stands, the world will have peace and prosperity...!!’ Ren jerked, regaining control of his consciousness.

His heart sank as he recognized the origin of the mystical thought.

‘This tree can influence minds… No wonder creatures worship it and call it Mother Tree.’

The werewolf prostrated before the tree. Ren felt a chill run down his spine, and it wasn’t the cold breeze.

Vast empty fields surrounded them. Besides the humongous tree, the region was devoid of notable landmarks. However, it wasn’t devoid of life.

Ren felt many gazes on him, studying each of his movements. He knew that he was under watch, but he couldn’t discern the origin of these gazes.

Taking a deep breath, he proceeded through the path of stinging gazes.

‘Divine Emperor… just how powerful are you?’