Ex rank talent Awakening: 100\% Dodge rate-Chapter 308: DEVOURING SABBAH

The courtyard lay in heavy silence, broken only by the faint rustle of wind through the shattered glass and the labored breathing of the fallen man at its center.

The Absolutes stood in a loose half-circle, their expressions a fractured mosaic of emotion, some etched with cold displeasure, others burning with open hatred, and a few carrying something softer, almost mournful, that they refused to name.

Arthur stepped forward first, his longsword sheathed at his waist, hand resting lightly on the pommel.

His voice came out calm, measured, the way a blade rests in its scabbard before it's drawn.

"What brings you here, Sabbah?"

Sabbah pushed himself upright, slow and deliberate, every movement costing him pain.

Blood smeared the corner of his mouth, but his eyes remained steady.

"To get my daughter," he answered, voice rough but calm. "That's all."

Arthur tilted his head slightly. "She's fine. Healthy. Safe. You could have walked through the front gate and asked for her. Sneaking around like a thief only screams ulterior motives."

Sabbah wiped the blood from his lips with the back of his hand, leaving a dark streak across his knuckles.

"You lot might be thousands of years old," he said, "but that doesn't make me stupid. Kidnapping her would've been the loudest signal of your intentions. I had to see for myself. I had to be sure."

He straightened fully now, ignoring the fresh trickle of blood that slid down his chin.

His gaze swept across the gathered faces.

"I have something to say. You probably won't listen. You'll call it lies, poison, the ramblings of a dying man. But I'm saying it anyway." He drew a shallow breath.

"Daniel isn't who you think he is. He's a traitor. He's been conspiring with an enemy far older and far darker than any of you realize. And the deaths of your friends, the ones you blame on the chosen one, or on me, but most of them sit at his feet."

A ripple of tension passed through the group. Tunde's fists clenched so hard the knuckles cracked audibly.

"Now the fool's blabbering stupid words," Tunde growled. "Can we just kill him already?"

Daniel raised a hand, silencing the outburst without looking at Tunde. His tone remained eerily placid.

"Not yet. We need answers first. Capture him alive." He fixed Sabbah with a cool stare. "Where is the chosen one?"

Sabbah's lips curved into a bloody, bitter smile. "I don't know. And even if I did, I'd never tell you."

A new voice cut through the night, quiet, almost gentle, yet carrying an undeniable weight.

"I'm right here."

From the cracked stone at Sabbah's back, a perfect circle of living shadow bloomed.

Darkness swirled upward like ink poured in reverse, and Greg Austin stepped out of it, coat fluttering faintly in the displaced air.

- - - -

Greg listened as Sabbah, voice fading, strength bleeding out, recounted everything he had witnessed: Daniel's secret meetings, the silhouette's chilling commands, the sense of something ancient and hungry pulling strings behind it all.

"So Daniel really is a traitor," Greg said quietly when the tale ended.

Sabbah nodded once, weakly. "Yes. And the being he serves… I felt goosebumps crawl across my soul just hearing its voice through the projection. It's strong. Dangerous. Beyond anything we've faced."

He coughed, a wet, ragged sound. When he spoke again, his words were barely above a whisper.

"That's why you have to grow stronger, chosen one. Devour me. Take what's left. Use it."

Greg looked down at the dying man, jaw tight. After a long moment he nodded.

"Fine then. If that's what you wish."

He lifted his hand.

Heaven Defier materialized in his grip, its black blade drinking the faint light in the room, edges shimmering with restrained hunger.

Greg's gaze drifted to Kate, who stood a few paces away, arms wrapped tightly around herself.

"I'm sorry, Kate," he said softly.

"But I have to kill your father."

Tears already shimmered in her eyes. She swallowed hard, forcing her voice steady.

"It's alright. I understand. It's his wish. He… he chose this."

She gave a small, trembling nod.

Greg exhaled slowly. Then, with one clean motion, he drove Heaven Defier through Sabbah's chest.

The man's body arched once, then stilled.

A roar of power erupted inside Greg.

His Absolute Concept of Death surged awake, ravenously devouring the essence that poured from Sabbah's fading form.

[Congratulations! You have devoured the essence of the pseudo absolute concept, Eclipse]

The system's cold notification rang through his mind like distant thunder.

Greg focused immediately.

He willed the stolen essence toward his own core concept, Absolute Resolution, the one power he trusted above all others.

[The essence of the pseudo absolute concept, Eclipse has been assimilated by your concept, Absolute Resolution]

[Absolute Concept, Absolute Resolution (30%)]

Greg stared at the floating panel, expression unreadable.

He had hoped, expected more. Sixty percent, maybe even a full evolution. Thirty felt like a slap.

But as he turned the numbers over in his mind, understanding settled in. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

First, it had only been a pseudo absolute concept, not the real, unshakable thing.

Second, Absolute Resolution was already a titan among powers.

Feeding it scraps of something lesser would never produce dramatic leaps.

He closed the panel with a thought and looked toward Aaron, who waited near the doorway.

"Prepare the burial rites for Sabbah. And ready some mansions on the floating island. I intend to honor his last wish, bring the rest of his family here. Under our protection."

Aaron inclined his head. "Noted."

Greg summoned Nemesis Blue with a flicker of will.

The clone materialized in a pulse of cold blue light.

"Go to the Shadow Realm. Locate Sabbah's family. Escort them here safely."

The clone vanished without a word.

Later that evening, under a sky heavy with stars, Sabbah was laid to rest.

The ceremony was quiet, solemn. Afterward, everyone took the day to grieve in their own way.

The next morning, Greg stood at the edge of the diving chamber, Apocalypse's portal humming faintly before him.

He adjusted the straps of his gear, mind already half in the ruined world waiting on the other side.

Footsteps echoed behind him.

"Mind if I tag along?" Kate asked.

Greg turned. She stood there in simple combat gear, hair tied back, eyes bright with determination.

He shook his head slowly.

"It's going to be dangerous, Kate. So many enemies want you dead. I already lost Jessica. I don't want to lose another friend."

The words came out quieter than he intended, laced with a grief he usually kept buried.

Kate studied his face for a long moment.

She saw the pain he tried to hide behind the calm mask, the way his shoulders tensed, the brief flicker in his eyes.

"I know," she said gently. "But I can't stay here forever, wrapped in protection while everyone else fights. I'm tired of being weak. I'm tired of watching the people I care about bleed and die while I do nothing."

Greg searched her expression. The resolve there was unshakable.

After a long silence, he sighed.

"Alright. But you stick with me. No exceptions."

Kate's face brightened, a small, grateful smile breaking through.

"I will. Thank you."

She stepped up beside him, shoulder brushing his.

Together they faced the portal, the promise of danger and growth waiting on the other side.