Chapter 209: Ash vs Ray (6)
"Yes, I am. So what?" Ash spoke almost lazily, as if even the confession carried no weight for him. He was done pretending. For what little he had ever wanted to hide, Ash knew there was no point anymore. The demons already knew about him because Zerak had escaped, and that alone had blown apart the fragile veil of secrecy he once tried to maintain.
The Saints were aware of his existence too, so what was the point in hiding? It’s not like he was going to commit some heinous crime that required his identity to remain in the shadows. Although he knew things would become unnecessarily complicated if Ray started spreading this around, Ash’s expression didn’t waver.
But so what..?
Ash didn’t care now. What would Ray do? Kill him? Would Ash die?
Been there. Done that.
Death was not something Ash feared anymore. In fact, the very concept of fear had been burned out of him long ago. Even if one didn’t consider the strange influence of the Rune, Ash’s fear of death had simply vanished, leaving behind a hollow defiance that bordered on madness.
He also knew Ray wouldn’t tell anyone about this. Why? Because Ray himself was drowning in secrets. The kind that shackled him just as much as they gave him strength.
Truthfully, Ash didn’t hate Ray. And why should he? Yeah, Ray was annoyingly perfect... a system-blessed protagonist, a walking bundle of cheats and luck. Somewhat... no, absolutely infuriating at times.
But that was all. There was no deep-seated hatred. No real grudge.
As long as Ray stayed away from Elysia, Ash had no reason to care.
Well... the same could not be said for Ray.
Ray’s Null Mind was still active, keeping his emotions in check, but the anger in his voice bled through the cracks of that calm.