The Invincible Full-Moon System

But then again, the sight was not surprising for Lyra.

It was a hint that Rex knew Edward well from how Rex warned her about him before the fight.

Now that she was seeing their interaction first-hand, it all made sense.

A lot of friends, brothers, sisters, or even lovers turned against each other in times of war, it was not a foreign sight for Lyra and the Shapeshifters who lived in the ancient era when the war was the most intense.

Some even consider it an inevitable occurrence at one point.

Just as they believed in this as the truth, Rex was also not an exception to this truth.

However, the situation escalated extremely fast when the trees to the east suddenly flashed a purple blinding light. Following that purple light was a gush of torrential energy that waved across them powerfully.

Unlike the Shapeshifters who adopt a defensive approach, Edward and Rex aren\'t.

Both stood still and ate the entire shockwave unflinching.

Despite being shocked the same as the Shapeshifters, the two stand their ground firmly.

It was at that moment that Rex was forced to break eye contact and turn eastward—sensing that there was more to chaos energy in this shockwave. A ghostly energy unlike he had ever felt before was present alongside the chaos energy.

Frowning, Rex already had a guess in mind.

The Executor wouldn\'t be like this unprovoked, so this must be the Passue Matriarch\'s doing.

Rex was quite sure that the Executor wouldn\'t explode with this much raw power if he didn\'t feel threatened in any way. Since he was here—and the Passues were not strong enough to finish the Executor completely, then this could only blamed on the Passue Matriarch.

Nobody other than him and the Passue Matriarch could push the Executor this much.

If this is really the Passue Matriarch\'s power—teaming up with her to kill the Executor might become a real possibility. Regardless of what cards the Executor has remaining, there\'s little chance he would be able to escape us both.

Smiling at the progression, Rex became increasingly excited.

Even though he failed to reach the ninth epiphany, he might not need it in the end.

Being a Werewolf, a full-on Supernatural, the Passue Matriarch shouldn\'t be attacking him as she was not designed to be like that. Naturally—as she is superior to the other Passues—it\'s possible that she possesses a level of sentience.

And between Rex and the Executor, she would undoubtedly focus on the Executor.

It\'s highly probable that Rex could work with the Passue Matriarch.

Going through with that plan might be the best way to kill the Executor—however—Rex soon came to the realization that it\'s not what he wants. No—doing that would be sparing him the pain that I wanted him to feel, a payback for what he has done. Bearing killing intent to those I care about must incur the appropriate punishment.

As Rex mulled over his thoughts, a glint of murderous intent flickered in his eyes.

He decided to stick to the original plan.

However, as the rush of shockwave was still hitting them hard from the side, Rex was forced to glance back at Edward when he heard a resounding clang. He thought that Edward would attack him since the Executor was in trouble—and he still does as Edward pointed his lance at him.

But in the next second, Rex was sorely mistaken as Edward tossed the lance.

It came as a surprise when Edward did this.

Looking at the Soulreaver Lance that was tossed to the ground before him—Rex\'s eyebrows were raised in question, trying to hide his disbelief, "What are you doing? Pick up your lance and fight me,"

"No, this is my answer," Edward offered a light smile. "I\'m showing you that I\'m being truthful"

Upon hearing this, Rex was completely stunned.

Additionally—his surprise didn\'t cease there as he witnessed the surprising sight of Edward, bending his knees in front of him. Eventually, the shockwave receded and the area was clear once again.

Similarly, Lyra and the Shapeshifters were surprised when they saw Edward on his knees.

Expecting a fight between the two, they instead saw this.

"I need to change your mind and open a new page for Humanity," He uttered lightly with the same, weak smile lingering on his face. "I need to make a sacrifice. After all—it was me who failed to protect your parents and caused all of this..."

Rex stared at Edward silently, his stone-cold face broke and depicts his shock clearly.

He was at a loss for words for a brief moment.

Some parts of him wanted to believe that Edward was playing a trick.

Even though he has some suspicions, the situation is simply too good to be true.

Moreover, Rex could see that Edward was serious, he was not joking and obviously not lying.

"You... You moron,"

———

"Where is she...? No news, no nothing, I can\'t stay idle like this..."

Restless, Edward was sitting inside his room in the UWO\'s main office and contemplated.

It has been some time since Giana left Ratmawati City.

Agreeing that Rex is an invaluable asset for Humanity, and the notion of him turning against Humanity is a colossal threat that needs to be addressed quickly, especially with the arrival of the tyrant Executor—Giana left silently to contact and persuade Rex.

Even though doing so would be hard, Edward and Giana believed that it was still possible.

Genuinity is the key, and Rex needs to see that clearly.

It has been a week and Giana hasn\'t sent back anything, and it was worrying.

"She said that she could easily contact me and keep me updated with her spells—but it has been a week, and she hasn\'t reported anything," Edward mused, interlocking his hands in a deep contemplation that throbbed his mind.

Despite his worry, he decided that he would wait a little longer.

A couple of days passed by in a blur, and at this point, Edward couldn\'t stand still anymore.

He tried to keep his worry away from prying eyes, especially Ryze\'s.

But Edward found it increasingly difficult.

Locking the training chamber, he unleashed his anxiety in a flurry of strong blows, reducing the once pristine pillars to rubble and leaving scorch marks in his wake. Unpleasant flashes appeared in his mind, the sight of his bloodied hands trying to reach for Zero who was fixed on killing Mrs. Greene.

Even though he was trying his best, he was pierced through and couldn\'t move.

He could only watch helplessly at Zero laying his hands on Mrs. Greene.

It was the tragedy that started the strained relationship between Rex and Humanity.

One that Edward regretted the most as he should\'ve done more.

Regardless of that, Edward slammed his head into the wall and pressed hard against it.

"If only I could stop him..." He pressed his head harder—the skin breaking and blood seeping, a physical testament to the pressure he bore. "If only I could save both of his parents—things wouldn\'t have ended up like this!!"

Crash!!

Despite already exhausting himself from his mana and spirit energy, Edward didn\'t stop.

Pulling his arm back, he repeatedly punched the wall to vent his frustrations.

For a relentless two minutes, the chamber quaked repeatedly as Edward hammered a gaping crack into the wall, each blow widening the breach until it threatened to collapse. Exhausted, he finally slumped to the ground, chest heaving with labored breaths.

Gazing at his own trembling hands, he found that they were battered and swollen.

The skin—torn and jagged—revealed crimson-stained fissures where blood welled forth.

"Rex..." Edward uttered whisperingly in regret.

Edward stayed in his position for ten minutes to catch his breath, but soon—a burning flicker of determination sparked in his eyes as he climbed back to his feet. His expression hardened into a mask of resolve as he briskly exited the training chamber and strode down the hallway.

He only stopped at an expansive glass panel stretching from floor to ceiling on his side.

Gazing at the panoramic view from a high altitude, his eyes fixed on a massive building in the distance that stuck out vividly. Amidst the sea of modern architecture—it stood as an ancient relic of antiquity, emanating a swirling and haunting purple energy.

Exhaling roughly, he resolved his decision and exited the office.

"Please make me your disciple! I want to learn the ways of the higher Humans!"

Prostrating on the purple carpet of the castle that many would consider to belong to a God—Edward pressed his head to the ground, begging the Executor—who was observing him from top to bottom, sitting on the comfort of his throne.

At the sight of this, the Executor praised Edward\'s bravery as nobody could do what he did.

Nobody has ever walked into the castle willingly like he did.

"Give me one good reason that I should believe every word you say?" the Executor asked.

Despite knowing the tragedy that happened to the Royal Black Prince prior to his awakening, and also the fact that Edward was a close friend which he could definitely use, there was no good reason for the Executor to believe him.

He needs more convincing, and his decision rests solely upon Edward\'s answer.

But it didn\'t take long for him to form his answer as he raised his gaze—his eyes bloodshot.

"I want revenge," Edward murmured, his voice a solemn oath. "Countless souls have perished by his hand, and it rests upon my shoulders the burden to return the pain he inflicted. A good friend will always be the greatest candidate for the biggest enemy..."

Upon hearing this, the Executor was evidently impressed by his answer.

Not even wasting a single second, he quickly garnered his chaos energy to swirl Edward.

Edward offered no resistance as the Executor\'s power lifted him from the ground, subjecting him to the metamorphosis embrace of chaos, reshaping him into something inhuman. Slowly—he could feel excruciating pain assaulting his pain receptors.

His veins swelled grotesquely with the malevolent hue of purple corruption.

Despite shouting in pain—he didn\'t realize that he was shouting as all sounds were muffled.

Regardless of the pain that he was feeling, his mind was only fixed on one thing.

His mind was filled with the memories of Rex, his war buddy who had fought relentlessly to safeguard humanity—always striving to do more. If anyone had told him that Rex would one day forsake humanity back then, Edward would have scoffed at the absurdity.

It was simply impossible to happen for Rex to do that.

So for Rex to reach this point in his life, he must\'ve been broken completely inside.

Now, it was time for Edward to be the one to do the sacrificing.

\'Just wait for me, Rex...\'

———

"I couldn\'t stand looking at a friend going down this rabbit hole that leads to darkness—so it was not a choice for me, I had to do something. And this is the only way I could think of, the way to be involved in your world again," Edward continued, he was genuine about the things he said.

Upon hearing this, Rex kept looking at Edward with his surprised eyes.

He observed Edward\'s current state, and couldn\'t help but feel mixed emotions right now.

Even though the Executor is a Human, regardless of his view—it is quite evident that Edward was stripped away from his humanity. He sacrificed his humanity in order to be here—a bold move to remind Rex.

But this made Rex look down with a crooked smile, "You are as naive as always..."

"What makes you think that your plan would work?" He added.

Not even hesitating in his answer, Edward replied, "I don\'t. I didn\'t expect this to work—but I did it anyway. I\'m here to tell you that no matter what you did, I will always be on your side—Humanity isn\'t all that bad, don\'t convict them all based on one person,"

"Just as you realized with Supernaturals, the good people deserved a second chance..."