God of Destruction: Living Among Mortals

Marcus and the trio went to the first floor, Marcus looking like a dad for three kids who were overly excited for something that was only going to last a day. Nova had the card, inspecting it, as Elesch snatched it from his hand, and they started fighting, Adam being in the background, like usual.

Then, a large horde of mortals formed inside and outside the guild, as a tall, handsome, sharp-jawed, blond-haired guy entered, with a horde of girls behind them, wetting themselves a bucket.

Marcus didn't look happy when he saw that man, his eyes betraying his irritation he felt towards the man. Nova felt an undeniably strong aura radiating as the man took his breathtaking steps. From a girl's perspective, each step illuminated the room in a darker, more vile nature, yet also had a colorful, light aura that masked the darkness.

"Who is he?" Nova said carefully, vigilant that the man he saw wasn't some ordinary good fellow. "I can see through the facade he has put up. It's grim to the atom."

"That Nova," Marcus started, his voice low and filled with venom, distrust, and hatred. "Is the President of the Guild, and also the "number 1" Adventurer in the world. It's unfortunate, but it's true."

"I thought you were the strongest," Nova looked at Marcus like a toddler being confused.

"Oh, believe me, he doesn't have any fucking shit on me," Marcus said, his tone dripping with even more venom. He couldn't help but feel this way, not after what he knew. "I hated that guy the moment he was born."

"Interesting," Nova saw the contorted, irate face that Marcus was trying to hide. He felt another, larger release in aura coming from Marcus, as James Mahe saw Marcus and the trio. "He's walking towards us, that's bad, right?"

"Just don't say anything to him that will affect you," Marcus whispered to Nova. "Whatever he says, just ignore it and move on. There isn't a point in trying to justify something that someone like him wouldn't understand."

Nova nodded slightly as Elesch and Adam lingered closer together, oblivious to the conversation that Nova and Marcus had just had. Their hands were twitching and twisting, as flesh touched flesh. They both gulped simultaneously, as even for the Queen of the Void, this was too much stimulus.

James Mahe was now standing before the father and his three somewhat adorable children. He inspected them, his eyes betraying his dislike for the three. Then, he switched to Marcus, staring him down. As their eyes locked, tremors quaked across the world.

"Is this the 'talent' that I have been hearing about from you?" James said, his voice laced with disgust and scoff. "They don't seem like they're worth a penny."

"Well, you don't even know them, now do you?" Marcus fired back with a smirk, which made James smirk, then turned even more serious than before.

"That kid who won the tournament first is already preparing for a D-rank dungeon, while these lot are gonna be wasting the guild's resources. That doesn't really seem fair now, does it?"

"The kid that you mentioned," Marcus's smirk grew wider. "Hasn't even refined the two previous pillars. Mediation and refinement are essential to hone your Circle of Pillars, instead of brute forcing it, like he is doing. Second, I gave them that card, so not even you, as the President," he said, "president" with contempt, being sarcastic. "Won't be able to change my discussion. So, unfortunately, I can do whatever the fuck I want, since I'm the one who's in charge of the guild. Mr. 'President.'"

James Mahe was annoyed, since he knew it was true. He didn't dare to speak back, even if he was the "President" of the guild. He inspected the trio again, scoffing at them, which almost made Nova utter a word. But he controlled himself.

He leaned in closer to Marcus, just enough for Nova to also hear, "Whatever, these three shits won't be better than that guy anyway. So, I don't really fucking care at this point what stray dog you pick, because they are just going to fade away, like the rest of these fucking shits."

Nova clenched his jaw. He had tried to follow Marcus's warning, but the words slithered from his mouth like poison. He nails dung into his palms until he felt the sting of blood, his chest rising and falling faster.

"Fade away...?" Nova muttered, low but enough for James and Marcus to hear. His voice cracked slightly. "You don't even see us, and you're already judging us, like a narcissistic bitch. What a pathetic loser you are."

The sudden silence that followed was deafening, as though the very fabric of air recoiled from his words. Elesch's eyes went wide, Adam froze mid-step, and even Marcus turned his head slowly, his lips parting in a mix of shock and pride.

James blinked once, his sharp jaw flexing. He hadn't expected resistance, not from this one. His smirk returned, thinner now, stretched with genuine interest rather than mockery. He tilted his head, studying Nova as though seeing him for the first time.

"Oh," James said delightfully, his tone carrying a dangerous curiosity. "Now that... is interesting."

Elesch tugged at Nova, grabbing him by the neck, then awkwardly smiling at James before having a whispering meeting with Adam.

"Are you insane? That guy is probably a double-evolved C-rank Adventurer. Why are you trying to act tough? You're not the God of Destruction anymore."

"Yeah, I know, but the way he disrespected us and Marcus is insane."

Nova broke off the meeting midway through, then challenged James Mahe to a quick sparring match. "I want to spar with you."

"Sure," James agreed almost instantly.

As they went to the guild's training grounds, from Nova's peripheral vision, he saw the guy he had seen at the tournament, but shook his head to focus on the upcoming spar.

Nova and James were on the battlefield, opposite each other. They stretched, Nova looking focused and serious, as James just smirked. Then, as the match began, Nova lunged forward with full speed, going slightly above Mach five, as James dodged, not even breaking a sweat.

Then, he grabbed Nova's chest, placed it in front of him, and used a form of karate to paralyze Nova's body, hitting every single vital spot, enough to paralyze him for a day. Nova was sprawled on the ground, unable to move a muscle; he couldn't even feel, let alone twitch, a muscle.

The match was over in a second, and nurses flooded the ground, taking him to the infirmary. Elesch and Adam rushed with the nurses, as Nova looked embarrassed.

"Is this the talent you have recruited?" James Mahe scoffed at Marcus.

Marcus simply smiled at him, leaving him be, as he walked towards the infirmary as well. It left James Mahe confused, making him more arrogant, as he felt a sharp, but light, gash on his cheeks.

He touched his cheek to find some blood. Though it was only a few drops. He realized that Nova was able to somehow cut him, which made things even more interesting, as he looked at the blood on his finger, laughing maniacally.