Nameless King

All the keys served the same purpose of opening the gate to the Great Tree, so they were connected to each other and could help find the others.

"Looks like we didn't wait for nothing." Ern smiled, "Axalts, Plants, and Constructs just got the timing wrong. They got here after someone started the trial, but I wonder... what the trial was."

"One of the hardest..." Alas muttered before pointing to the massive crown mark on the root.

"Hmm? A crown? What does that mean?" Erza frowned.

"It's Pride." Alas said calmly as he prepared for battle.

A beam of energy disappeared, and a silhouette revealed itself. It was a tall man with long white hair, pale skin, and amber eyes.

"Is that Ashen?" Ern muttered, for some reason he wasn't sure, though the appearance fit perfectly, "His aura is kind of strange, it's too calm for the always-active Ashens."

"Look..." Erza pointed to his back in a dazed voice.

"That's..."

There were two terrible scars on the man's back. They were huge as if something had been ripped out of his back.

"He's not Ashen but an Angel." Ern said in a serious voice as he activated his Beyond.

Angel noticed these energy fluctuations and looked at them. Although their auras were powerful, Angel's gaze was calm.

"Who are you?" Angel asked, "Were you waiting for me?"

"We were waiting, but not specifically for you, it's just a coincidence." Wain said as he jumped off the root and headed towards Angel, "The thing is, we need a key."

"A key?" Angel said slowly.

"Yeah... One like these two." Wain pointed to the Greed Key and Gluttony Key floating beside him.

"Considering the keys are pointed at me, there's no point in me lying, right?"

Wain nodded slightly.

"My name is Markaz." He said quietly.

"Hmm? Are you the type who prefers to be polite even before a fight?" Wain grinned, "Well, I like that. My name is Wain."

"Not a bad name, but I'm not particularly polite. I just want you to remember who takes your keys that you got with a lot of trouble." Markaz sighed as he stepped forward.

Whoooooosh.

He was instantly beside Wain and reached for the keys. Markaz just wanted to get the keys in the bravest and quickest way possible.

"Huh, not so fast." Wain snapped his finger as the keys returned to the ring while Markaz clenched his hand into a fist, but he grabbed air instead of the keys.

Wain tensed his muscles as he kicked Markaz in the stomach with all his might. However, Markaz didn't even fly aside, his abs were like steel, so he was able to withstand one punch without serious damage.

Bam.

Markaz folded his arms in front of him as a shield and took the next blow. He was unharmed again, but the impact knocked him back several meters.

"What? Was he able to block two of Wain's blows? Why is he so tough!" Erza exclaimed.

Alas and Ern frowned. They sensed that something was wrong with their opponent since this Angel was different from anything they had seen before.

'An Angel without wings...' Ern muttered inwardly, 'Moreover, he has such a strange name, it is not at all appropriate for Angels. Markaz... If I had heard that name in another situation, I would have thought it was the name of a Demon... Hmm... it doesn't seem to be his real name, at least it wasn't given to him at birth.'

"Hey, you're not going to attack me with the four of you, right?" Markaz said with a faint smile on his face as if the answer wasn't important to him.

"Do you have a problem with that?" Wain smiled back as he shrugged, "Aren't you strong enough to handle us all?"

"I'm not interested in them. I'll smear them on the floor like little bugs, and I won't have to use even a tenth of my strength to do it." Markaz said arrogantly before pointing at Wain, "You will be my opponent. Your aura is similar to mine, just as detached and lonely."

"What? You think you can handle us?!" Ern exclaimed as Markaz's words were a humiliation to him.

"Yes." Markaz nodded weakly as dark streams of energy burst out of the ground, and tremendous pressure came down on everyone.

Alas, Erza and Ern were very strong, but this pressure tossed them aside and pressed them to the ground. Even Ern, at most, could get up on one knee.

"Darkness?" Alas exclaimed, "Are there Angels who use the attribute of Darkness?"

"Yes... But he should have been killed a long time ago. It's the greatest sin for Angels, but it looks like it's not the first time he's been a sinful one." Ern frowned as he clenched his teeth before slowly standing up.

"Oh, you were able to stand up. Your physical strength is amazing, but I don't think you could fight under that much pressure." Markaz said with a faint smile on his face.

"Ern, no need." Wain waved his hand as he prepared to fight, "I can deal with him myself, but before I do, I want to ask you something."

"What are you interested in?" Markaz muttered in a calm voice.

"What happened to your wings? I've seen Angels with six wings and gold wings, but you're the first one without them." Wain asked as a dark crown, and gray energy appeared on him.

"Huh, I thought you would ask me about the darkness first, but okay, I'll answer you." Markaz smiled before touching the scars on his back, "The angels didn't want to accept me and my power. Others in my place would have obeyed, but I chose to go my own way, so I decided to get rid of what bound me to them. I ripped the wings out with my own hands."

"Perhaps it was fate that you passed the Trial of Pride. Getting rid of your wings... it's worse than a nightmare for an Angel..." Wain sighed, "But, don't think I'm going to feel sorry for you because of that! If I have to, I'll rip the key out of your chest!"

"Sure. That's what I was counting on." Markaz muttered before looking up at the sky.