The Invincible Full-Moon System Chapter 1815: Reasoning with a Predator

The Sky City was meant to be utterly impenetrable.

Rezar had proceeded under that assumption. He believed that while inside the Sky City, no one could lay a finger on him. The overwhelming might of Sky City's forces was unmatched. This included the paladins, the Elders backed by influential allies, and the formidable Gatekeepers.

Across the whole Spirit Realm, only a few groups could rival such formidable power.

Yet, who could have imagined it would crumble in a single blow?

This outcome was beyond anyone's foresight. Especially not Rezar's.

'As the acting Gatekeeper of the Sky, I'm not nearly as powerful as the rest. If even they failed against this cursed Rex Silverstar, what chance do I have?' Rezar halted in mid-air and looked aside. It was only then that his wife crossed his mind.

She had to be somewhere below, injured, maybe even on the brink of death.

Though Rezar yearned to search for her, he found it impossible.

Romance wasn't his forte. In a pinch, he'd choose self-preservation over hers, yet guilt gnawed at him now. After all, she had cautioned him to hold back until they gathered more intel on Devo's master.

But he had refused to bide his time. And regret couldn't rewind the clock.

'Curse it all! I must reach Devo!' Clenching his teeth, Rezar pressed on. 'Somehow, I'll negotiate a compromise.'

Upon returning to the temple, Rezar swiftly climbed the steps.

He reached the doorway and spotted the bound Devo right away on the far side.

Detecting Rezar's nearness, Devo lifted his gaze. A faint smirk played on his ashen lips as he noted the clear signs that Rex had roughed Rezar up badly. Details escaped him, the how remained a mystery—but having spent the most time beside Rex, excluding Adhara, Devo grasped one key fact: Rex always carved out a path forward.

Regardless of the odds.

That's just who he was. No obstacle could halt him.

Mere moments earlier, Rezar had strutted with superiority, dismissing every caution.

But that haughtiness had vanished. He resembled a bewildered pup mourning its fallen master.

"Devo, my nephew, hear me out," Rezar drew near. His strides were rushed, bordering on panic. Without the bindings holding him back, he'd have dashed to Devo. Yet he realized that feigning composure was crucial here. "I was mistaken. I handled this all wrong, but I felt betrayed.

"No one understands that better than you." His features softened into a gentle expression.

He donned a facade of fragility.

Internally, Devo scoffed.

Though younger than Rezar, he wasn't foolish enough to fall for such an act.

'Talking now, are you? I've been attempting to reason with you all along.' Devo averted his eyes.

"Your father vowed me his rank. His authority. But he deceived me," Rezar closed the gap—watching Devo's responses like a hunter. "Becoming a Gatekeeper has always been my dream, and he toyed with me. Betrayal stung, so I struck back at him through you."

"Now I see that... this was an error," Rezar went on. "You're nothing like your father."

"An error..." Devo murmured softly, barely audible.

He turned back to Rezar with an utterly neutral face. No emotion leaked through.

Rezar paused several steps from the platform. Nervous sweat slid down his temple. He hastily brushed it away with his palm, hiding it from Devo. "I've spoken with your aunt already, and I intended to release you. But events overtook me. Your master has arrived."

Merely calling Rex Devo's master left a bitter tang in his mouth.

No Spirit ought to serve a Mortal Realm being, yet he pushed past the distaste.

Tiny lightning sparks danced in Devo's eyes.

The uproar had reached his ears. The barrier-shaking impact was impossible to overlook, but he'd assumed it signaled another foe assaulting Sky City. Rex's prowess was undeniable—yet Devo figured he'd enlisted outside aid.

This marked just the opening salvo.

For all his power, Sky City posed a daunting challenge.

Evidently, though, he'd misjudged Rex. Confined and tormented within the temple, his grasp on the outer world had slipped. Beyond—the moon glowed crimson. That's when it hit him: tonight was the Blood Moon.

Ah, that explained it.

He'd anticipated Rezar relocating him elsewhere.

With Rex present, Devo presumed Sky City had already surrendered.

'He's destined to claim the pinnacle.' A faint, dry laugh slipped from his lips. 'Who else could dismantle Sky City so swiftly?'

Fixing his gaze on Rezar once more, the look had shifted. Now he understood: Rezar sought pardon. He'd crossed paths with Rex, and it hadn't gone well.

"I regret my actions. Truly." Rezar wrung his hands and forced the sincerest grin he could muster. "But could you arrange a calm discussion with him? Things have spiraled too far. Despite it all, this remains your home."

Devo bowed his head.

Rezar interpreted it as yielding.

"Handle this, and you'll retain your father's role. I'll back you just as I did him." He flicked a look outside, sensing vast energy approaching the temple. "No—I'll offer even greater aid."

Peering at the doorway again, he caught sight of a huge, scaled tail sweeping to the left.

It began encircling the temple.

Rezar's heart hammered fiercely in his chest.

Ages of existence—spanning millennia—were said to foster indifference. Instead, they deepened one's attachment to life above all. Death held no appeal. Not before fulfilling his life's ambitions.

"I apologize, un—"

Laughter burst from Devo.

His biting, mocking cackle sliced the air, interrupting Rezar abruptly.

The absurdity grew clearer with each passing thought.

Even in this supposed bid for reconciliation, the bindings on Devo persisted, searing his nerves in agony. For authenticity, Rezar should have disabled them before uttering a word.

No amount of preparation could brace Devo for this ridiculous display.

It ranked as the grandest farce he'd encountered in ages.

Far surpassing Amanir's jest with the clownish Spirit Gladiator guise on Rex.

"Uncle, uncle, uncle... Do you take me for a fool?" Devo arched an eyebrow, grinning at the man aspiring to Gatekeeper of the Sky. "I outgrew boyhood over a millennium past. Such tricks hold no sway over me."

"You insolent brat—"

Crack—!

Thunder's roar halted Rezar.

For an instant, purple light streaked the heavens, heralding ill fortune.

Footfalls echoed—subtle, yet unmistakable.

Rezar froze rigid—muscles turning to rigid stone. Gradually, defying his instincts' protests, he twisted toward the entrance. No longer a mere portal, it yawned like a infernal jaw, the brink of doom claiming him.

As the steps' origin neared, a colossal serpent's head glided from the left.

Its slitted, reptilian eye invaded the temple, locking onto Rezar.

The edges of its mouth twitched upward, as if detecting the stench of terror from Rezar.

Once the serpent withdrew, the form emerged at last. Rex loomed like an unmoving effigy, not far from the threshold. His frame was shadowed black, a mere outline, accentuating his blood-red eyes ablaze with murderous intent and horns throbbing with lunar power.

Crimson liquid trailed from his talons.

It belonged to the temple's steadfast guards and paladins. Devoted to the end.

Rex's arrival meant their demise was certain.

A shiver raced down Devo's back too. Aligned with Rezar's view, he glimpsed Rex from an adversary's angle, grasping his sheer dreadfulness. All the more so under the Blood Moon's boon.

"You're in deep now," Devo murmured with a taunt. "Deep trouble indeed, uncle."

"Silence, you!" Rezar snapped, his tone like scraping gravel, silencing Devo. His fierce stare returned to Rex. "Invader. You've crossed the line for good. The other Sky Cities will hunt you and your realm. United might from countless sovereign cities descends upon you."

His gaze sharpened to poisonous lines, a vain cover for the fear choking him.

"Halt this instant," he pressed, clinging to optimism. "I'll even arrange a meeting. A just trial before this realm's highest authorities."

Rex held his silence at first.

He fixed Rezar with a steady, wordless stare. Prolonged enough to unsettle anyone.

Thunder's growls and relentless rain alone echoed through the temple.

Its towering arches and noble ornaments now seemed dull. Shadows had corrupted its sanctity, mirroring the fear corrupting Rezar's soul. Then, Rex's head canted subtly. The motion was deliberate, chilling.

As though reality itself leaned, not his head.

"A thousand additional cities will topple as well." His reply carried unyielding resolve.

Rezar's thoughts whirled frantically.

Invoking the prestige and armies of fellow Sky Cities was his hasty gambit. A last resort ploy. It typically succeeded, given their dominion over the Spirit Realm.

But against a beast like Rex, it fell flat.

Predators dismiss the bleating of quarry.

Prey isn't a foe for debate; it's sustenance for the moment.

Another hunter nearby? Irrelevant, if a feast awaits now.

Rex stepped into the temple. His gore-smeared paws stained the marble, drips from iron-sharp claws leaving bloody streaks. His fury profaned the site's purity, shattering Rezar's composed mask.

"Stay back! Advance one more step, and I'll end him! Devo dies, rendering your journey pointless!" He warned, jabbing a finger at Rex. Lightning wreathed it. "Stay back!"

His digit aimed at Devo. "I swear, I'll finish him!"

Rex pressed on undeterred.

Not a flicker of pause.

Fury ignited; Rezar's form surged with vital force. Like Emperor Dominar, he wielded an artifact to counter the Blood Moon's gift. He rose into the air. Bolts danced across his flesh as his aura fissured the earth.

BLITZ—!

A bolt slammed the roof, ripping it open to reveal the skies anew.

Overhead, fresh cumulonimbus gathered and spun, forming a storm's core.

At its heart, lightning writhed and boomed like animated entities.

"I reign as Gatekeeper of the Sky!" Rezar proclaimed dominantly. Madness gleamed in his eyes. "Imagine slaying me with ease? I've endured over ten millennia. The Law of Lightning bolsters my Echo. You can't kill me easi—?!"

In a flash, Rex took his final stride and vanished.

Rezar's eyes bulged as Rex closed in—mere inches apart. Claws had impaled his gut, bursting out the rear. No chance to complete his words. Scarce time to respond.

Rex's mouth twisted into a vicious smile. "Just that simple."