Showdown

New York, a remote warehouse in the Manhattan District.

This was the location Demiurge had chosen for Annie's training. Though the warehouse appeared to occupy less than two hundred square meters from the outside, spatial expansion magic had been cast upon it, making the interior a thousand times larger than its exterior. Calling it inconceivable would not have been an exaggeration.

Annie had only believed she had truly stumbled upon a miraculous opportunity rather than fallen for a scam after witnessing Demiurge create all of this with a wave of his hand.

On the second floor of the training grounds, Ryan and Sebas appeared amid a flash of pitch-black Teleportation light.

The entire training grounds were divided into two levels.

The first floor was where Annie trained. It was filled with all kinds of training equipment, while enormous magic arrays formed from converging runes could be seen across the ground. Several crucial nodes were inlaid with top-grade arcane energy gemstones to serve as their power source.

At that moment, the magic array was active. Mana, nearly visible to the naked eye, gathered throughout the training grounds, but Annie could only absorb a negligible portion of it. The rest gradually dissipated into the air with the passage of time.

The second floor was a resting area. The floor was entirely paved in gold, while the walls were carved from the finest white jade and adorned with fantastical murals. Overhead, multicolored stones capable of responding to changes in external light formed the main structure, complemented by a reflection of a starry sky crafted from tens of thousands of Perfect Magic Diamonds. Whether day or night, one could see a beautiful, dazzling sky full of stars, illuminating the entire training grounds.

The surrounding tables, chairs, and ornaments were extravagantly luxurious. Even the cups and spoons on the tables were made from Adamantine Mithril.

Ryan gave the place a casual look and felt his heart thump.

He knew he was not short on money or resources, but before they were actually used, they were merely numbers. No matter how large those numbers were, he would at most feel excited for a while before calming down if he had not seen them with his own eyes.

But now, seeing materials that had been extremely rare in the game used as mere decorations, he felt a strange emotion that those who had never experienced it could not understand.

Perfect Magic Diamonds, each worth a relic-grade item, decorated the ceiling by the tens of thousands. Adamantine Mithril, the primary material for crafting artifact-grade items, could only be used for cups and spoons here. The least valuable things in this place were probably the gold and beautiful jade. If he had dared to do this in the game, players from other guilds would have gone mad trying to conquer this place and pack up every valuable item within.

"What a waste! But I like it!"

Ryan took a deep breath as he looked at everything before him. Even his frustration over Nick, that black bald bastard, ruining his plan eased somewhat.

He had been too small-minded before. With nearly limitless resources and capable subordinates who were absolutely loyal to him, he had actually only thought about scheming and playing tricks in the shadows. That was wrong! Very wrong!

He was the Supreme One of Nazarick, a man who wanted to break free of the system's binding, attain eternal life in the infinite multiverse, and uncover the truth behind his transmigration!

Schemes and stratagems could be used, but they could not be his foundation. Only an open and righteous path, using overwhelming power to suppress others, was the road he should walk.

It was like pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger. At first, one was still a tiger, but after pretending for too long, one truly became a pig.

Perhaps Nick had actually helped him this time by making him see himself clearly.

"Greetings, Lord Ryan. But please forgive your subordinate's boldness—may I ask what brings the Supreme One here this time?"

The instant Ryan arrived, Demiurge sensed him. His figure flickered, and he appeared a short distance away before kneeling to ask.

"My identity has been discovered by this world, so there is no need to continue the plan. Also, call Annie up. There is no need to keep it hidden any longer."

Ryan spoke calmly, but Demiurge was suddenly shocked upon hearing this.

The Supreme One's identity had been exposed. He had considered countless possibilities, but this was the one thing he had never expected. Still, it was not the time to ask further.

After respectfully acknowledging Ryan, he headed toward the training grounds.

The sharp whistle of objects tearing through the air rang out continuously across the training grounds.

Annie wore magical armor and held a longsword, her eyes resolute as she swung at the target again and again with all her strength.

A puddle of water had gathered beneath her feet, formed entirely from the sweat that had poured off her during training.

Without the cheat of experience points to become stronger quickly, one could only gain strength through painstaking training, step by step.

In just three days, Annie had raised her body beyond the limits of an ordinary human. Aside from the contribution of the Arcane Energy Training Grounds built by Alva, Annie's own hard work had also been extremely important.

Otherwise, if she had been replaced by someone lazy and incapable of perseverance, even staying here for a hundred years would not have brought much progress.

The sound of footsteps approached from afar.

As Annie raised her sword above her head, preparing for her next strike, her ears twitched. She lowered the sword and turned around.

"Teacher Demiurge, is something wrong?"

She sheathed her sword, wiped away the sweat continuously beading on her forehead, and asked Annie in confusion.

Teacher Demiurge had never interrupted her training before, though this was only their third day since meeting.

"The Supreme One wishes to see you, Princess Annie."

Demiurge bowed slightly and spoke respectfully.

Things were different now. From the moment Lord Ryan decided to reveal his identity to Princess Annie, Annie was no longer his disciple, but Nazarick's princess. Naturally, he could no longer address her as he had before.

"The Supreme One? Princess?"

Startled by Demiurge's sudden actions and form of address, Annie confirmed that the person before her was not an impostor before asking in confusion, "Who wants to see me? And why are you calling me... Princess?"

Princess was generally a form of address for royalty. Although she had an extremely wealthy brother, that was nowhere near enough to warrant such a title, much less make Teacher Demiurge, who possessed godlike power, address her so respectfully. Could it be that, like in some melodramatic story, she had an incredibly powerful biological father from some royal family? Perhaps even Teacher Demiurge had been sent by him to teach her?

She lightly bit her lower lip. If that was really the case, and he could accept her staying by Ryan's side, then for the sake of the help he could bring Ryan, she would not mind acknowledging that bargain-bin father. But if he could not accept it, then that bastard who had been absent all these years could go to hell!

Even if she died, he would never separate her from Ryan!

"Well, you will know once you get there."

Demiurge hesitated before answering. From the changes in Annie's expression, he could even guess what she was thinking.

But he was not in a position to interfere in such private matters of the Supreme One.

"Lead the way!"

Annie took a deep breath, her expression firm.

No matter what, she had to face it.

"Yes."

Demiurge lowered his head slightly in respect and headed toward Ryan.