Martial Era: Starting With The Strongest Talent-Chapter 114: Final Visitor

Adam’s ears rang as he struggled to push himself up. The explosion had hit harder than he’d expected. His vision swam for a moment as he planted a hand against the cracked stone, steadying himself. Pain flared, but it was muted.

Bone Protector...

The armament had done its job. Most of the damage had been absorbed, and unlike battle-ready, it hadn’t shattered under the strain. Without it, he would have been extremely injured or worse a corpse.

The ringing finally faded.

Adam lifted his head and stared at the spot where Martha’s body had been.

Nothing.

No corpse. No blood. Just scorched ground and lingering essence residue.

"Who could this Family be?" he said aloud.

A voice answered from behind him.

"I can tell you who they are."

Adam’s instincts screamed.

Rapid — Activated and he vanished, reappearing several meters away as he spun around, scythe already halfway raised...

And stopped.

The figure standing there wore a white rabbit mask, smooth and expressionless. A white-and-red royal guard coat draped neatly over their frame, pristine despite the chaos. A sword rested at their waist, untouched. A single white glove covered their right hand.

Adam didn’t attack.

He didn’t run.

Because Connect had already returned its verdict.

The soul flame was... not hostile.

Not friendly either, but helpful.

That alone shocked him.

Adam didn’t lower his guard, as the masked figure took a step forward. "Whatever you want to say," he said coldly, "you can say it from there."

Adam didn’t move, but his grip tightened. Power-wise, they were evenly matched, he could see that clearly. Yet something about the soul flame bothered him.

It felt heavy.

And weightless.

Like it existed in two states at once.

"I thought you’d be more excited," the rabbit mask said lightly.

Adam raised an eyebrow.

Excited?

"But," the figure continued, tilting their head slightly, "I understand your caution and I’ll be direct."

They paused as the air seemed to tighten.

"If you do not come with me," the rabbit mask said calmly, "you will die tonight."

Adam’s eyes widened.

"...What?"

****

The sector’s Mission Hall went on high alert the moment the report came in.

An explosion, originating from the cemetery.

Readings spiked hard enough to trip every warning system they had. The numbers didn’t make sense at first, then they did.

Master-rank output.

The manager didn’t hesitate.

He snapped his conduit into place and mobilized immediately, taking a small squad of acolytes with him. The reason was simple, despite only being at the Warrior rank, he was still the strongest individual currently stationed in the sector.

So it had to be him.

As they moved, his thoughts churned.

If only Mr. Adam were here...

He knew the news. Everyone did. Adam’s actions in Sector 418 had already spread through major Alliance channels. The barrier. The tide. The contribution.

The manager had assumed Adam would be back by now.

Yet there had been no report of his return.

No departure record either and that bothered him.

They reached the cemetery gates quickly, the air still heavy with lingering essence. As they stepped closer the manager stiffened as somebody walked out.

"Adam?"

The mask and sunglasses were gone, blown away during the fight with Martha. The man standing there was unmistakable.

Adam looked at him calmly.

"Nice to see you again, Manager."

The manager opened his mouth, but Adam suddenly vanished.

Rapid E in full effect, gone in an instant.

The air snapped shut where he’d been, leaving only silence.

****

Adam appeared in front of his apartment door and just... stood there.

The words echoed in his mind.

If you don’t come with me, you will die tonight.

He shook his head once, hard, as if trying to dislodge the thought, then stepped inside and closed the door behind him.

The run-down one-bedroom apartment greeted him in silence. Streetlights bled in through the cracked window, painting long shadows across the peeling walls. Adam reached for the switch but it didn’t turn on.

He hadn’t paid the electricity bill this month.

Adam let his hand fall and slowly looked around.

This place.

The walls were thin. The floor creaked. The air always smelled faintly of rust and dust. It was where he had grown up. Where he had laughed, cried, starved, and survived.

Where he had watched his mother stab herself to death just to save him.

All of it happened here.

That was why he was attached to this place. Why he never truly left. Waking up here every morning reminded him of his hatred. Reminded him of her death.

Reminded him why he fought.

And now...

It looks like this will be my grave.

A presence snapped into existence.

Adam’s instincts screamed, as a man was suddenly sitting on his bed, legs crossed casually. He wore a black trench coat, dreadlocked white hair falling past his shoulders. Slim build. Poorly shaved beard. Tea-shade sunglasses hiding his eyes.

Adam didn’t hesitate, as his scythe tore out of his ring in a flash, but he didn’t move yet, still studying the strange man.

"I thought after killing Agent Rose you would’ve fled," the man said suddenly. "I was already preparing to chase you."

He chuckled lightly.

"Only to find you came back to this godforsaken place."

Adam recognized the voice.

The one from Martha’s severed head.

The man stood and began walking around the room, boots crunching softly on the old floor.

"You know," he continued, "we did a little background check on you. Raised by a single mother. Father unknown, courtesy of your mother’s... previous business."

Adam’s grip tightened on the scythe.

The man didn’t stop.

"Then you turned nine," he said casually, "and your mother, a dead mana carrier, killed herself to save your life."

He laughed.

"She would’ve been shocked to see how pathetic her son turned out. Awakening a G-rank cultivation talent and a rankless special talent."

The man shook his head.

"Really. Pathetic."

He stopped walking. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Slowly, deliberately, he lowered his sunglasses revealing black sclera and Purple pupils.

"So tell me," he said, staring straight at Adam, "how does a pathetic loser who nearly gets raped by goblins become a hero in not one, but two sector incidents?"

His smile widened.

"How does someone like that possess multiple special talents... and a profound spirit... when their cultivation talent is trash?"

The room felt smaller.

"You know," he went on, voice soft, curious, "it makes me very curious how you pulled that off."

Adam didn’t answer.

He just stared back.

The man watched him for a moment, then sighed.

"Tch. Since you won’t tell me..."

Essence erupted.

The explosion tore through the apartment instantly, walls disintegrating as if they were paper. Adam crossed his arms and braced but it was too late.

The force blasted him through the remains of the building, hurling him out onto the street below. He crashed hard into the pavement, stone shattering beneath his back, before he rolled and looked up to see the man standing at the edge of the ruined floor, coat fluttering in the wind.

Screams erupted around them.

People poured out of the building. Nearby apartments lit up one by one as windows opened, faces staring out in horror.

The man’s essence flared again.

It wasn’t subtle.

It was overwhelming.

Unmistakable.

The crushing, absolute presence of a

Profound Lord.

Adam pushed himself to his feet, scythe rising slowly.