Floating Island - Triple S Talent - Chapter 564

Chapter 564: A Question of Surrender

It circled a giant eagle, darting through the air in a predatory spiral. A chain-like tail wrapped around its torso whipped outward with a shriek—and every time it struck the eagle’s body, a deep wound tore open, revealing sinew and bone. Blood rained from the sky in sheets.

The ape gave no quarter.

In one final leap, it landed on the eagle’s skull.

Slash!

The head split clean in two.

The body dropped, lifeless.

Not a single cry escaped its severed beak.

And still, Lein’s soul beasts pressed on.

From the edge of the battlefield, a shadowy wolf emerged. Its crimson eyes blazed like coals, and when it howled—not just the air, but space itself trembled.

From its jaws, a spiraling black hole formed.

Everything nearby—earth, rubble, lesser beasts—was sucked in and erased. No trace remained. No echo. Only silence and void.

High above it all, Lein stood unmoving on his floating island, eyes half-lidded. Two swords now rested in his hands—one gold, the other black—crossed neatly at his sides.

“Let’s see… how long you plan to keep hiding,” he muttered, narrowing his eyes. The void ahead felt too still. Too quiet.

As if something… was waiting.

And his instincts were right.

Something was off.

Lein’s gaze swept across the battlefield. He expanded his perception outward. Nothing. No strange aura. No energy signatures. No warnings.

But the unease in his chest only deepened.

With a soft sigh, he lifted one hand. A ring on his finger pulsed with blue light—and from its storage dimension, he retrieved a simple necklace. Just a plain black stone strung on a silver thread.

Yet the moment the stone touched open air—it lit up.

A soft glow radiated in every direction, piercing through space, through dimension.

And that’s when—

“Well, well… quite the wealthy young man, aren’t you?”

A man’s voice echoed from the void.

Lein’s head snapped up.

Two figures emerged from the darkness—slowly, as if condensing from mist.

The first was a middle-aged man clad in a long black robe, trimmed with a sharp white line down the center. A glowing red ring adorned his right hand, pulsing with an ominous light. His expression was calm, almost mocking.

Beside him stood a burly man dressed in sleek, militarized armor. His face was stone, eyes sharp—but when he looked at Lein, there was a flicker of pity.

“No wonder the higher-ups are so interested in you,” the armored man rumbled. His voice was deep, weighted. “Young, rich, and arrogant. A dangerous combination—and easily exploited.”

“Of course,” the robed one added, flashing a cruel smile. “But wealth can’t compete with power. And your power, boy… is barely above average.”

Lein said nothing.

His eyes locked onto the two figures. Steady. Cold. Analytical.

Panels flickered into view across his vision—status windows opening one by one.

[Status Panel]

Name: Silus Varn

Level: 410

Race: Cui Race

Power Core: Cultivator

Rank: King Stage – Tier 2

[Status Panel]

Name: Rinzek

Level: 330

Race: Cui Race

Power Core: Faithwarden

Rank: (Eternal Vindicator) King Stage – Tier 1

“King Sovereign?”

Lein echoed the words quietly, his eyes narrowing. His tone was casual—almost bored—as if the title just mentioned was nothing more than a passing breeze.

With his current strength, a Tier Two King was hardly something to fear.

Unless… what appeared before him was a Tier Four King Sovereign.

Then yes—that might actually be a problem.

He stood tall as a faint current swirled around him, stirring strands of hair across his temples.

“And who exactly are you?” he asked flatly.

No suspicion in his voice. No fear. Just a simple inquiry—like a man asking for directions on an empty road.

The middle-aged man in front of him responded with a warm smile, as if the question were merely polite small talk.

“We?” he said, placing a hand over his chest and bowing slightly with practiced grace. “We’re nobody, Young Master.”

His eyes were calm, his lips curled in a pleasant smile as he introduced himself in a light, polished tone.

“My name is Silus Varn. Captain of the Dawnlight Cosmos Hunter Association. And this is my deputy—Rinzek.”

The man beside him nodded slightly. His expression was stoic and cold, more soldier than envoy.

Lein’s brow furrowed—barely, but enough for anyone observant to notice.

This man… was too honest.

Too straightforward.

And that—was the most suspicious thing of all.

There was no deceit in Silus’ gaze. No forced sincerity in his tone.

It was as if… he truly had nothing to hide.

And that was exactly why Lein didn’t trust a single word.

“What do you want?” he asked calmly.

“And… where am I exactly?”

His eyes swept over his surroundings—floating land masses, endless void, jagged holes in space.

No sky. No ground. No sense of direction.

And more importantly—no sign of Efan, Laras, or the others.

I hope they’re okay…

The thought surfaced uninvited. A whisper of concern that lingered in his chest like a question without an answer.

But no answer came.

Silus merely looked at him—and smiled.

“You don’t need to know,” he said lightly.

“But if you surrender quietly, perhaps… we’ll consider letting you live.”

His tone was soft, almost courteous.

As if he were offering tea, not an ultimatum.

Lein didn’t respond.

He simply lifted his right hand.

In that instant, a slash of black energy tore through space—ripping across dimensions with pinpoint precision, aimed straight for Silus’ throat.

Swift. Silent. Lethal.

But the man merely raised his hand—gently.

The air around him shivered. Space folded—and the slash vanished, swallowed like light into fog.

“Now, now, Young Master,” Silus sighed, still smiling.

“You ask a question, then answer it with violence. Isn’t that a little impulsive?”

His voice was mild, but a thread of mockery laced his words.

Lein stared at him in silence.

His hand still hovered midair—but he didn’t strike again.

Silus raised one finger, his tone growing firmer:

“I’ll ask just once more—and this time, I suggest you consider your answer carefully.”

He met Lein’s gaze directly.

For a brief second… the smile disappeared.

“Will you surrender—willingly?”

“Or must you be broken?”

The air fell deathly still.

Time itself seemed to hold its breath.

All around them, Lein’s soul beasts froze in place, their instincts bristling at the rising pressure that now seeped from the two strangers.

And in that suspended void