Born in Blood

Sir Cornelius' eyes were filled with shock.

Just what was he looking at?!

"What… what is that?" the Mayor said under his breath, leaning forward. 

From what Liam saw, the Mayor had goosebumps.

But they weren't goosebumps of danger.

They were of excitement, and if Liam's senses were on point… fear.

The tiny marble of Void shot towards the ceiling, where it collided with the rose chandelier.

WHOOM!

CHIK!

SHHHHhhhh…

Silence.

Void… didn't do anything against the chandelier!

It didn't leave a single scratch.

To its credit, it wasn't a large amount in the first place.

But this whole place was definitely made by Rank 6 materials. 

Liam glanced at the Mayor's reaction.

But the Mayor's dumbfounded gaze was still pointed up at the chandelier, to the spot where the mass of void had hit.

Liam didn't even show him Corruption.

But in reality, there was no need to.

After all, this wasn't a run down of abilities.

It was just a demonstration of the strongest of them.

And in reality, Liam hadn't actually made any spells for his Corruption!

Besides some testing with mixing it with his darkness and Chaos, he didn't have the time to make new techniques for it.

So, it wouldn't be a lie to say it wasn't one of his strongest powers.

And as it turned out, Corruption didn't mix with Chaos in the least.

It didn't mix with darkness either. 

But didn't his Black Blade slash with both Darkness and Corruption?

It did.

However, it didn't combine the two elements.

It merely used Liam's blood as a threshold between the two elements.

In short, the two elements were slashing together at the same exact time.

Not darkness and Corruption slashing as one entity. 

For several moments, the Mayor's eyes didn't move from that spot on the ceiling.

But slowly, he looked back at Liam, still dumbfounded.

Realizing how stupid he looked, the Mayor coughed into his fist, adjusted his tophat and fixed the monocle on his eye. 

"Ahem, my apologies," the Mayor said. "I… I've only been this… mortified three or four times before."

The Mayor sighed deeply. 

"And I've lived for more than 2,100 years."

***

Liam took that as a compliment.

For a second, he wondered who the three or four might have been that terrified him to that extent.

That said, Liam didn't know whether or not the Mayor had seen anything similar to his Chaos before.

Everyone believed the Ashuras had perished during the Thousand Year War.

But Liam's existence proved that they were still alive.

He had to find out where. 

'If he knows anything, I doubt he'll tell me.'

Silence. 

"I don't need to see any more," the Mayor said, raising a hand. 

"I've… seen enough for the day. Just answer one thing for me." 

Liam tilted his head as the Mayor leaned forward. 

"Do you have anything stronger than what you just showed me?" 

Silence.

Liam paused for a second.

Then, he shook his head.

There was no need to lie.

It was the truth.

Void was way stronger than all of Liam's abilities combined.

Well… it came as a result of two powerful elements combining.

The Mayor let out a tense breath.

"If anything, Mister Liam, your reputation has only been watered down."

Liam made another snort that sounded like a chuckle. 

For that, he would have to thank the royals. 

"It wouldn't be fair for someone like you to hang around the lower classes," the Mayor said suddenly. "I don't usually do this, but…"

"I'll make an exception just this once."

Liam raised a brow as the Mayor snapped his fingers.

WHM!

Out of nowhere, a crystal ribbon firmly wrapped around his right wrist.

It was wafer-thin, but had the width of two fingers side-by-side.

Liam raised it to his face. 

It had the consistency of silk, yet shimmered like a river of flowing diamonds.

A ribbon had no right looking that good. 

"You'll have the same privileges of the elite class," the Mayor revealed with a smile, "and you'll be able to enter the highest floors."

Liam raised his brows in mild surprise. 

The ribbons represented class.

Some of the guests Liam saw entering through the gates wore ruby ribbons, and others had emerald. 

"Are you sure?" Liam asked. "What if one of them doesn't want me there?" 

The Mayor chuckled, making Liam think he said something stupid.

"Most powerhouses are not manchildren, dear friend. They'll look at you more like a tiger cub without fangs or claws."

Suddenly, the Mayor grew serious. 

"But I warn you. Some of them, you do not want to patronize, no matter how insulting or rude they seem."

"Please don't put me in a position where I have to take a side."

Liam nodded in agreement.

The Mayor beamed. 

"Great! We're done here then. Please, I've taken enough of your time already. Go, enjoy! Have some drinks, make new friends! I'll be with you if there's ever an urgent matter."

"We offer a wide array of games, but don't get addicted!"

The Mayor winked. 

Liam nodded. 

WHOM!

A moment later, Liam's surroundings changed in the blink of an eye.

He looked up.

He was at the foot of the colossal mountain, at the red carpets where guests were being accepted into the hollowness of Mount Mayhem.

Liam instantly put his hands in his overcoat's pockets to hide the crystal ribbon.

There was no need to show it off and catch unwanted attention.

Not because he was scared of being found out.

The world knew Liam Royce pretty well by now.

But because he just didn't like to speak with anyone unnecessarily. 

In controlled lines, well-dressed individuals were entering through the exquisitely decorated entrance.

The sides of the red carpets were barricaded off with ornate little poles connected to one another.

It was like a screening for an academic award ceremony.

And Liam absolutely abhorred celebrities.

'Let's quickly get this over with,' Liam thought. 'I need to kill something or I'll lose my mind.'

At the same exact time, all of his powers were sealed!

Liam's King's Eye looked like any normal eye.

His body didn't feel as strong as it usually did.

He lost the ability to transform, to use his core, to use his mental waves.

He was just a regular Joe, now. 

Without any further delay, Liam walked inside the mountain.