Chapter 295 Looming Threat
Amidst the aftermath of the grueling battle with the Arachnoxus, Alex lay sprawled on the cavern floor, his surroundings punctuated by the lifeless corpses of the giant spiders.
As he was recovering his mental strength while analyzing his battle, a familiar notification chimed, signaling a communication request.
Alex, a bit annoyed for getting his chain of thoughts disturbed, reached for the communication slip, which he swiftly recognized as the one given to him by Omori, so without much delay, he accepted the call.
"Aeon, it's about time! I've been trying to reach you for more than a week," Omori exclaimed, his tone a mix of concern and annoyance.
"I've been outside the human continent for a while, so what's the urgent reason you were trying to get in touch?" Alex inquired.
"First, let me fill you in on what's been happening with the situation of demons," Omori said.
"You should already know about the empire's efforts to find the demon army hideout and the tremendous rewards that they have promised on even the smallest of intel,'
"A large number of trackers and immortal adventurers are combing through the barrier, hoping to be the lucky ones, but the demons are not just sitting silently,"
"The demons have spread a significant portion of their army throughout the barrier to build fake hideouts to not only act as a distraction but to also hunt down anyone they could find,"
"While the lucky few have stumbled upon some smaller demon hideouts, even finding those was not without a cost."
"All the hideouts are blanketed in illusions and laden with treacherous traps, and the demons have even built fake hideouts while the demons are lurking in the shadows, ready to spring ambushes."
"The battles fought are not straightforward clashes but rather a deadly game of ambushes and traps as the demons are sparing no effort to protect the location of their main army's hideout and keep buying time to wreck terror on the human continent,"
"Now that you have an idea of the situation, let me tell you why I reached out to you," Omori said.
"My team and I have been roaming the barrier, searching for any clues, just like everyone else, and even though we've had our share of close calls, luckily, we haven't lost any team members, but more importantly, we believe we've hit a significant breakthrough."
"I think we've found a hideout, and it might just be the main base of the demon army or, at the very least, a substantial one because the security there is incredibly tight," Omori said, his voice resonating with excitement.
"Omori, it looks like you haven't contacted the authorities, which makes me believe you have yet to confirm if it is a real hideout or just a big trap," Alex said, swiftly realizing the big picture and what Omori wanted from him.
Alex understood that Omori was trying to paint a picture, that he wanted his help to confirm that it was a demon hideout and get a great reward from the empire.
However, Alex was aware that Omori's offer might be a trap to further his own agenda of recruiting him into the demonic cult.
After all, Omori could simply provide the information about the hideout to the empire and still receive a substantial reward based on the value of that intel, or there might be no trap, and he was just trying to build trust.
"Aeon, I like you for your intelligence, so you should have already understood that I want your help in confirming the intel, and if I am correct, which I believe I am, then you and my team would have all the glory of discovering a big demon hideout,"
"I have already made preparations for you to infiltrate the hideout area, and everything else besides confirming that the hideout is real would be your choice to make,"
"You will receive 30% of the reward while my team will split the rest, so you are on board with my plan?" Omori questioned after a moment of silence.
"I am in, but I will need a few hours before we can execute the plan, as right now, I am lying deep in an underground cave system, exhausted from long battles," Alex replied, not asking any questions.
"Great. Contact me when you are fully recovered, and now, please don't vanish like a ghost once again," Omori said with a slight chuckle.
"Can't make a promise," Alex said before closing the connection.
"Domain Ruler, Do not get complacent because of your new-found strength, and if there is a situation, make use of the scrolls and leave the barrier instantly," Elder Darrien's voice sounded, and Alex just made a mental note to follow it.
Elder Darrien had told Alex how the demon could very well have an agenda related to him, so even though he was not stopped from going into the barrier, he was given a distress signal badge and a plethora of scrolls capable of pinning down even an Elemental Ruler.
Once he had regained a sufficient degree of strength, Alex departed from the cave network and embarked on his journey towards the nearest city.
Utilizing the teleportation service available, he swiftly traveled to the bustling capital city, Stormward, and then went to a hotel to rest.
Unaware of what the future held for him, Alex was seated in meditation, going over his plans for the future, not knowing things were about to change drastically for him.
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In a large room inside a cave dimly illuminated by the few light crystals ended on the high ceiling, two cloaked figures were kneeling before a man seated on the throne.
"So, the hero finally has decided to grace us with his presence," The man on the throne said.
"Master Caden, I will capture him without fail, and he will be at your mercy in just a few hours," The cloaked figure said.
"I will greet that hero myself, as even if he is not one that I need to find, he sure holds some secrets, so striping him from them would surely relieve some of my boredom, and even if he is the one, then it would be even more fun." Caden declared, a wicked grin curling at "Master, I will make sure things go as you desire," The cloaked figure said and, with the trembling figure following his lead, left the the corners of his lips.
"You just need to make sure he appears at the decided place, and I will handle the rest," Caden said, his gaze firmly fixed on the figure, trembling in fear, keeping his head down.
"Master, I will make sure things go as you desire," The cloaked figure said and, with the trembling figure following his lead, left the chamber.
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After resting for three hours, Alex left toward the dark barrier that was bustling with activity, with tens of warships suspended mid-air and a large area occupied by tents of the army and adventurer.
Upon meeting with Omori and his team, their faces lit up with joy upon seeing Alex, and after exchanging greetings and engaging in a bit of light-hearted banter about his frequent disappearances, they proceeded with their discussion.
Omori took the lead, guiding Alex deeper into the barrier to first show him the area of the hideout before discussing the plan. They swiftly traversed the dense forest, their rapid pace continuing for dozens of minutes until they arrived at a lake area situated at the barrier's edge.
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