Eternal Thief

From the stairway, a few delirious voices sounded, "So, you keep all the good stuff in the union here, huh? As expected of you, Old Swindler!"

"Hmph, there better be enough materials for all of us to create bodies." 

"Now, now, don't be impatient. We are all allies now~" 

The Union Leader was at the very front and had a dark expression as he heard those annoying voices. He thought gloomily, 'How do things turn out to be like this? What a mess!' 

He spoke coldly, "You guys better don't be greedy. Some of the materials are probably extinct in this world, and we still need them to create a treasure that can…WHAT!??!"

Suddenly, he shouted in alarm at the end, like someone had punched him in the guts and he was rooted at the entrance of the treasury hall. 

"What happened? Cat got your sly tongue or something?" The devilish voice sneered derisively. 

Behind the Union Leader, the four ancestors were also surprised by his unexpected reaction. 

"NO!" Ignoring everyone, the Union Leader scrambled inside the hall. 

The four ancestors followed with curious expressions, but as they entered the treasury hall and looked at the empty space and then the owl symbol, they were also rooted in their place with bewilderment. While the Demon Ancestor, Albert turned pale and started to quiver. 

"What is going on?" The devilish voice finally sensed something was amiss. 

After the four ancestors, one after another, corporeal, blurry figures of different colors entered the hall. Those blurry corporeal figures have features of the ten statues in the throne hall of the Above Mountain Palace as they all emit powerful soul oscillations. 

They all saw the empty space and the owl symbol, and the Union Leader stood in front of the mysterious owl symbol, which had few writings on its two majestic wings. 

"Sky Stealer…" 

"So long… Master?" 

"What is the meaning of this?" 

The corporeal figures questioned as they clearly didn't understand what was going on or what was the purpose of that owl symbol. They all thought it was quite strange to make such a thing. 

However, the quavering Demon Ancestor's quavering voice rang, filled with boundless hatred, "H-he…he was here?!" 

"This is impossible… master…master… don't tell me…" The Union Leader's shock-stricken mumbling rang in at this moment as his bloodshot eyes were glued on that symbol. 

Edward knew things had gone terribly wrong as he glanced at his oldest friend, the Demon Ancestor. He then looked at Dream Shatter, who had a pale yet astounded look in his astute eyes, and asked gloomily, "So that's where he had been all this time? But how did he manage to infiltrate so deeply without anyone noticing it?" 

Dream Shatter was surprised by Edward's question, "Are you asking me?" 

"Who else? Aren't you in cohort with him? You clearly said it is impossible to enter this place without correct coordinates, and no outsider can join the Union without being a native. 

"If I'm not wrong, he should have been here before everything started and from his style of doing things. That message 'So long Master' is clearly a mockery to someone, and by that guy's reaction, it's not hard to guess for whom, either. 

"So, he should have come in contact with him at some point, but he was clearly gone unnoticed. Furthermore, you've told us that the White Crown has long been dormant, and their whereabouts were unknown. That's why I'm asking you, how the hell this happened?" 

Dream Shatter deeply looked at Edward's cold eyes as he could sense the deep murderous intent. He sighed ruefully and shook his head, "I have no clue. This is something not even the Prime One couldn't have guessed. That thief is too mysterious and evasive. I'm also not part of a Union. I've come here for the first time with you guys." 

"White Crown?" The blurry gray human figure looked at Edward with a peculiar glint in his blurry eyes as he asked, "Can you, gentlemen, tell us what this is all about and why it is related to the White Crown?" 

The other corporeal figures were also lost at what was happening here and wanted to know why they were reacting so strongly and where the hall was their promised materials. 

At this moment, before anyone could react, the Union Leader suddenly vanished from his spot and appeared right in front of the gray human figure. His aura explodes as killing intent rages in his eyes, "Clavus! You better spit out everything about the White Crown, or you can forget about living!" 

"Calvus!?" 

"Humane Sage Calvus!" 

Margret and Edward's eyes went wide as they looked at the blurry human figure. It was hard to tell how he looked, nor did they pay attention to his statue since it had been too long since they had last seen the nightmarish Humane Sage. 

But they never even dreamt that he was still alive and imprisoned in the union, no less. However, Dream Shatter didn't seem so surprised, as if he had already known about Calvus for a long time. 

As for the Demon Ancestor, he also snapped out of his rage and turned back. His killing intent was even deeper than that of the Union Leader. If anyone was frantic to search for Ace, it was Albert!

Calvus's blurry figure trembled slightly under the Union Leader's pressure since he had no real body and was just a soul, and because he had just been set free, he was nowhere near his peak. 

But at this moment, the other nine also released their auras. Although they might be no match for the Union Leader alone, they were more than enough to wreak havoc if they joined forces. 

That's how they also forced the Union Leader to yield and can't take the risk of losing even one of them as that would greatly limit them, and they wouldn't be able to stand against the Union Leader. 

Furthermore, they had been imprisoned together for thousands of years and knew each other pain and suffering. They were even closer than their own kin with each other now. 

The blurry devil figure spoke coldly, "Why don't you try answering us first? Where the hell is our materials, and what is this all about? Who is that Sky Stealer, and what is this White Crown? Unless you're not planning to be honest, we don't mind teaching a lesson on how to treat your seniors!" 

The Union Leader's expression was twisted as his face was crimson with anger. How could he tell them that he not only let the thief infiltrate the Union right under his nose he even took him as his disciple? 

Not only that, but the most infuriating part was that he was the one who handed that inheritance token to him so he could use it to reach his goal. But now, it turned out it was completely the other way around from the start. 

Normally, it was he who tricked others and used them like his pawns, but now, for the first time, he tasted that same feeling, and it was extremely unpleasant and awful. 

Now, everything started to make sense of how he was so talented, and his reason for destroying the union was simple. 

He couldn't help but let loose a furious roar as he couldn't suppress the raging wrath and humiliation he was feeling for the first time in his long existence, "That wretched thief wanted all the treasures from the start and destroyed everything while doing it! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE THAT BACKSTABBER!!!" 

The Union Leader's infuriated voice rang in the entire Union Continent that day!