Chapter 38: The Arrogance of Singularity Chaos

His words felt like a sword piercing Adalen’s chest. His handsome face turned pale, and his smile froze in place.

Before Adalen could respond, the Singularity of Chaos continued, "Do you think I don’t know what your grandfather told you?"

A playful smile tugged at his lips as he rubbed his chin.

"Let me guess. Your grandfather warned you about me, didn’t he? He told you not to make me your enemy. And one more thing—he said it with fear in his eyes, didn’t he?"

Badump! Badump!

Adalen’s heart pounded wildly. Cold sweat trickled down his back as he stared at the Singularity of Chaos, eyes wide with terror.

"How could... How could he know that!?" He muttered through clenched teeth, overcome with fear.

He had been so sure that the Singularity of Chaos would welcome his offer of friendship.

After all, he was the grandson of one of the most powerful figures in the world—the Singularity of Light.

But to his disbelief, the Singularity of Chaos rejected him without hesitation, humiliating him in front of everyone.

Worse, the man seemed able to read his thoughts. Every carefully crafted lie had been torn apart—exposed without a trace.

Adalen looked around at Aldric, Cedric, Zarak, his father, the Dukes, and the noble family heads.

As expected, their expressions had changed—filled with shock they couldn’t hide.

"Adalen lied to the Singularity of Chaos? How dare he?" Ragan narrowed his eyes slightly at his third son.

He had believed Adalen could use his status as the grandson of the Singularity of Light to build a strong relationship with the Singularity of Chaos—but the outcome was far from what he had hoped.

Now, after hearing the Singularity of Chaos speak firsthand, anger began to burn within him.

He couldn’t believe that the son he once considered intelligent had chosen such a reckless path—lying to a figure of such overwhelming power.

Should the Singularity of Chaos become an enemy, the consequences for his empire would be catastrophic.

While Ragan seethed in silence, the Dukes, the noble family heads, and the princes were fixated on something else—the startling revelation just made by the Singularity of Chaos.

"Is the Singularity of Light truly afraid of the Singularity of Chaos?" The Duke of Ashvale muttered, his eyes glinting with hidden meaning.

He hadn’t expected to hear something so shocking. And judging by Adalen’s expression, the Singularity of Chaos wasn’t lying.

"This is getting interesting," he said with a faint smile.

Initially, he had been drawn to Adalen because of the Singularity of Light’s backing.

But now, after hearing those words, he decided to hold back and observe how the succession among the princes would unfold.

He wasn’t the only one—the Duke of Austin and the Duke of Valcrest were thinking the same thing.

They had once been quite optimistic about Adalen, but now they chose to hold back, deciding to reconsider their stance more carefully.

"Hahaha!" Cedric laughed loudly, then shot Adalen a cold, mocking glance. "Well, what a surprise. I never thought Adalen would take such a hard hit."

Before, he had been worried about Adalen’s bold attempt to leverage his grandfather’s reputation to forge an alliance with the Singularity of Chaos.

But instead of gaining support, Adalen was humiliated before everyone, and even his grandfather’s name was dragged through the mud.

"Pfft!" Aldric covered his mouth to suppress a scoff. "What a fool. Adalen, oh Adalen... you’ve been undone by your own lies."

He hadn’t expected Adalen to be so vulnerable. What should have been an opportunity turned into a devastating loss.

Seeing an enemy fall before the throne’s battle had even started was enough to amuse him.

Meanwhile, Adalen burned with anger under the scornful gazes of his brothers.

Driven by rage and stifling shame, he suddenly mustered the courage to glare at the Singularity of Chaos.

"Singularity of Chaos, watch your mouth!" he shouted.

The entire square fell silent. Eyes widened. Hearts pounded.

Before anyone could react, Adalen called out once more, "I acknowledge your strength. But don’t forget—my grandfather was a Singularity as well. Aren’t you worried about the price for insulting him?"

Crazy... Adalen had truly lost his mind!

That was what everyone thought. No one expected him to dare speak such insolent words to the Singularity of Chaos.

Even Ragan shared the same feeling. His usually calm and indifferent face had gone pale.

"That damn brat..." he muttered angrily.

Had the Singularity of Chaos lost his temper, not just those here but the entire Empire would be affected!

Ragan turned to the Singularity of Chaos, ready to apologize, when suddenly loud laughter burst from beneath the masked man’s hood.

"Hahahaha!"

The laughter rang out across the square, vibrating through the air for all to hear.

His right hand covered his masked face as he laughed, clearly amused beyond measure.

After a moment, his laughter subsided. He fixed Adalen with a cold, lazy gaze, as if the man before him was nothing more than a foolish clown.

"Your words are ridiculous, Prince Adalen," he said with a faint chuckle. "I won’t deny I’m not the strongest in this world. There are those who hide their power—some even stronger than I am. But one thing is certain—they are not Singularities."

He lowered his head slightly, as if speaking to a child. "Among the Singularities, power and roles are divided. Yes, your grandfather is powerful. After all, he is the greatest swordsman in the world."

Then he smiled coldly—a smile that chilled the air. "But compared to me... he is nothing."

Those words made everyone’s hair stand on end. Their legs trembled uncontrollably.

Although the Singularity of Chaos’s face was hidden behind a mask, his gaze felt like a sword piercing through their chests—sharp and impossible to evade.

Hearing the blatant insult to his grandfather, anger and hatred surged within Adalen.

But before he could speak, the Singularity of Chaos cut him off.

"Honestly, Prince Adalen, you don’t deserve to speak to me." He crossed his arms over his chest. "If I weren’t in a good mood, I would have crushed you to dust. To me, you—and your grandfather—are no more than ants."

Boom!

An overwhelming pressure erupted from his body, as if ready to shatter heaven and earth.

Everyone—Ragan, the Dukes, the princes, and the crowd in the square—immediately dropped to their knees, unable to resist the force.

Strangely, only Elina, Evalyn, and Masha remained unaffected.

Adalen took the full brunt of the impact. The pressure was so intense the ground beneath him cracked, and his leg bones audibly cracked.

His head spun violently before his consciousness slipped away completely.

Ragan’s face turned pale as he saw his son collapse.

"Adalen!" he shouted.

The Singularity of Chaos withdrew his pressure, allowing everyone to breathe again.

He glanced disdainfully at Adalen’s prone body and snorted. "Ants are ants. You and your grandfather are no different."