Everyone exchanged glances, the silence hanging for just a heartbeat before erupting into raucous laughter that filled the space around them. They spun back into their wild dancing, leaving the man standing there in helpless frustration. What did elves cherish more deeply than their exceptional beauty, that ethereal grace which set them apart from all other races?
The answer was simple—elves were artists by nature, creatures born with an intrinsic passion for creative expression. Music, painting, sculpture, poetry—these things sang in their very blood. For this particular elf, being forced to stand guard while such magnificent artistry unfolded before him was nothing short of exquisite torture, made all the worse by the oath that bound him to his duty and kept him from joining the revelry.
"Man, you've opened my eyes to an entirely new form of musical expression," the pale-skinned elf said, his voice carrying genuine admiration mixed with rueful laughter. Seth responded with a light chuckle of his own, the sound barely audible above the continuing celebration.
This elf belonged to the Abyss Elves, to hunt down the princess of the Moon Empire. Intelligence suggested she had awakened the legendary SSS-tier talent known as Sun and Moon, then attempted to murder her own father in a brazen grab for the throne before fleeing into the shadows when her coup failed.
Tracking them down hadn't proven particularly difficult. The fugitives were discovered here, in this very establishment, drinking and dancing the night away as though they hadn't a care in the world. Everyone seemed caught up in the festivities—everyone except Evelin, that is. She desperately wanted to run, to put as much distance as possible between herself and the approaching danger. Seth, however, couldn't have cared less about the threat bearing down on them.
"...but I'm afraid the time has come for me to get serious," the elf said, his tone shifting as he exhaled a weary sigh. His gaze drifted toward Evelin, who sat isolated from the merriment, perched on the edge of her seat and poised to bolt at the first sign of trouble. How could she not be terrified? The being who had come to collect them possessed a combat power exceeding 100 billion, possibly even climbing into the trillions.
"Understandable," Seth replied, offering a faint smile that held no care in the world. The elf sighed once more, his entire demeanor transforming as he assumed a more serious bearing. Strangely enough, the party continued unabated around them, with Alara drifting away to join the other elves in their celebration, completely oblivious to the tension building in their corner.
"You're not an elf," he stated flatly, his eyes boring into Seth with unsettling intensity. "How did you manage to enter our planet without the Abyss Lord's knowledge? Secondly, what exactly is your purpose for being here, and why can't I see your stats?" His expression hardened into something dangerous, a look that communicated crystal clear that any lie would result in swift and permanent consequences.
"I'm human. I arrived in this world through a dungeon gate," Seth answered in a single rush of words, his tone betraying his complete disinterest in the interrogation. "As for why your Abyss Lord remains unaware of my presence, I genuinely don't know the answer to that. My stated purpose here involves something about maintaining balance or some such nonsense, but I'm fairly certain that was just a cover story for something else entirely. And regarding why you can't view my stats—that's an excellent question that I also can't answer."
Despite his apparent boredom with the conversation, something did manage to capture Seth's attention: the black sword now pressed against his neck. It wasn't merely black—it was a special, profound kind of darkness, a shade so absolute that it seemed to devour light itself rather than reflect it. The blade gave the eerie impression of being the endless void itself, somehow shaped and forged into the form of a weapon.
"Do you honestly expect me to believe a single word of what you just said?" the elf demanded, his voice sharp with skepticism. "Why would someone enter a dungeon?"
Seth shrugged with complete nonchalance, then casually reached out with one finger to tap the extraordinary blade. The elf jerked the sword away before contact could be made.
"You were planning to take her back with you to your world, weren't you?" he pressed, his eyes narrowing. Seth nodded without hesitation, then paused as a thought seemed to strike him.
"Let's form an alliance—your world and mine working together," Seth proposed, his face breaking into an easy smile. "I like you. I genuinely do. And I have to say, the title 'Abyss Elf' sounds badass. What do you think about our two worlds uniting, joining forces?"
"What exactly would prevent us from simply storming through whatever gate brought you into this world and seizing control of your galaxy before it grows powerful enough to resist us?" the elf countered, his question cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
Seth's response was a wide grin
"Because our galaxy boasts over ten SSS-tier talents—I understand that's virtually unheard of in your experience," Seth explained, his tone casual despite the weight of his words.
"From everything I've observed, the universe itself appears to be lavishing special attention on our galaxy, which is unprecedented. You're certainly welcome to attempt locating our galaxy and invading it, but considering there are trillions of worlds scattered throughout existence, I sincerely doubt you'd succeed in finding us." Seth said with a relaxed smirk.
"Even if you somehow managed to navigate through the Gate, you'd be immediately overwhelmed by SSS-tier talents who possess the unique ability to completely ignore conventional combat power ratings. I doubt even the mighty elves would find that scenario particularly pleasant to deal with." He paused, his smile widening with confidence. "That becomes even more problematic when you consider we can simply position the dozens of dungeons clustered so closely together and turn them against each other, creating absolute chaos for any invaders."
The elf's expression darkened into a deep frown, clearly troubled by the implications of Seth's words.
"Let's not overlook the most critical factor in all of this," Seth continued, his smile taking on a knowing quality. "You can't actually stop me, regardless of what measures you take. So, to the one who's been watching this entire exchange—I'm going to assume you're the Abyss Lord himself."
The elf froze mid-breath, confusion flickering across his features as he struggled to comprehend what Seth was implying. But understanding crashed over him like a wave as time itself ground to a complete halt around them.
Evelin jerked backward instinctively, her eyes growing wide with terror as she felt the oppressive power of the abyss gathering in the space before them. The dark energy coalesced and reshaped itself gradually, forming into the towering figure of an enormous man clad in armor that matched the impossible blackness of the elf's sword—except this darkness somehow managed to be even deeper, even more absolute.
Looking at it created the unsettling sensation of staring directly into a black hole poised to devour everything in its vicinity.
[Name: ???
Race: Abyass Elf
Talent: ???
Title: [The Abyssal Emperor]
Tier: ????
Combat Power: At least 1 trillion
"You're remarkably strong," Seth observed softly, reaching up to slide his blindfold down just enough to allow his eyes to examine the imposing figure before him.
After a moment of fruitless scrutiny, realizing his vision couldn't penetrate whatever mysteries shrouded this being, he casually pushed the blindfold back into place.
The Emperor moved with such speed it appeared to be instantaneous teleportation, materializing directly in front of Seth with his hand outstretched to seize him. Yet he stopped abruptly, his fingers unable to close the final distance.
Drawing upon nothing but his raw physical might, the Emperor began forcing his way through the Infinity that separated them. The fundamental barrier started developing visible cracks under the assault, its structure unable to withstand the sheer magnitude of power being applied against it. Slowly but inexorably, he bypassed the defense and reached toward Seth's position.
"Is this truly the extent of your protection?" the Emperor asked, his voice dripping with barely concealed disdain. Despite the overwhelming display of power, Seth remained utterly relaxed, his posture unchanged.
The Emperor recognized there had to be something more to this defense, some additional layer he hadn't yet encountered. He decided to test it directly, flicking his finger toward Seth's forehead while restraining his power as much as physically possible. At worst, this controlled strike would leave Seth brain-dead rather than completely obliterated.
The finger connected solidly with Seth's head—and in the very next instant, the Emperor's own body was violently hurled backward by a force even greater than what he'd unleashed. His eyes widened in genuine shock, the surprise evident despite his immense power and experience.
"You possess a mere seven million combat power, yet you wield an extraordinarily potent SSS-tier ability," he said slowly, his voice softening with a mixture of respect and calculation. "You would make an exceptional son-in-law for my family."
He trailed off as he noticed Seth's continuing state of complete relaxation, not even slightly disturbed by what had just transpired. The realization struck him fully: the fact that Seth could reflect the force from his casual attack back at him without suffering any backlash whatsoever meant this wasn't anywhere close to Seth's actual limit.
[A/N: When someone with the talent that transcends UR tier talents appears, you would know it's near the time for Seth to go home..]