Kuize showed no reaction to Mikun's words. He merely crossed one leg over the other and leaned back, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest of his wooden chair, as if he had sunk into some profound contemplation.
"."
Seeing this, Mikun's brow furrowed slightly as he remarked in an icy tone:
"Hmph. That arrogant look of yours, as though you've heard nothing at all, is exactly like Serfoshe's."
Kuize calmly added in reply:
"No, I've been listening all along."
"So what you meant just now was that the reason you couldn't measure up to us back then was entirely because your 'innate' qualities weren't strong enough, correct?"
"That it was all the fault of your 'genes,' correct?"
Mikun fell silent for a moment before folding his arms and answering:
"That was more or less what I meant."
"Of course, whether 'innate' or 'acquired,' neither can be dispensed with."
"I trust you've heard the saying that great vessels take time to mature, haven't you?"
"And from the moment I formally acquired the Sky Train, I, Mikun, obtained that most crucial 'acquired' factor."
"Therefore, everything from the past has already become the past."
"The emergence of the Divine Artifact not only allowed me to reclaim hope and understand the truth—it also bestowed upon me an immense mission."
Kuize raised his head and looked Mikun straight in the eye, straightening his reclined body before asking calmly:
"What mission?"
Mikun answered with impassioned fervor:
"To seize control of the divine power of the past!"
"To reach the supreme realm!"
"To hunt down the two gods who now exist!"
"To absorb them, replace them, and merge with them!"
"This is not only the task the Divine Artifact has given me—it is also the ideal I was born with!"
"Whether in my early years or my