"There's a traitor here!" Pei Yan explained his actions in one sentence as he pulled out a cigar, snipped off the end, and slowly lit it up.
"A traitor? Who? Them?" Old Samikina asked, still shaken, pointing at the two corpses before him.
"I don't know, and I don't need to know! I think that's also what your Demon God means!" Pei Yan said nonchalantly, holding the cigar in his mouth, "Twice, the Candle Dragon has launched sneak attacks twice! The first time I came out to bring Thanatos out might have been an accident, but he still managed to rescue him in the shortest time. The second time, I was here refining the Divine Artifact; the time, place, and people were all arranged by the Demon God, and yet the result? The Candle Dragon could still pierce through the Holy Hall's defense layers and break the space at the perfect timing for a sneak attack on me. Hmph, if the Demon God hadn't invested heavily in me, I would have been suspicious that you all were colluding to trap me!"
Saying this, Pei Yan exhaled a cloud of smoke with resentment, "I have records of everyone present; those who appeared here also appeared three days ago to welcome me out of the Sealed Land. The problem must be within you people since it can't be the Demon God. Mr. Samikina, out of friendship and the cooperative relationship between our families, I excluded you, but I don't care to find out who else it might be."
Listening to Pei Yan's explanation, Old Samikina gradually calmed down, turning to glance at the Demon God, who was still standing there watching coldly. He understood that the other party had endorsed this behavior. He felt grateful for avoiding disaster today by befriending Pei Yan but also a sense of desolation from being overlooked—the feeling of "the rabbit dies, the fox grieves." Everyone here was influential within their clans and the Demon Race but became disposable pawns in the eyes of these two people.
Perhaps noticing Old Samikina's concern, Pei Yan took a puff from his cigar and mused, "I know you're disheartened, but it's unavoidable. From the moment I arrived here, my first impression was that you weren't professional. Ha ha ha! You told me the Demon God was familiar with everything within the Holy City, but now I see it as full of loopholes. Not to mention the two sneak attacks by the Candle Dragon, during the past five years of fighting with the Disaster Legion, how many times has intelligence been leaked allowing ambushes? Even our small investigation department ensures to clear out suspicious personnel before war, and yet, you fight battles between two planes with such intelligence work? Yes! Those who died today might be innocent, but the situation has reached this stage; this secret cannot be leaked. If I were you, I'd thoroughly investigate all the guards on duty today from top to bottom! Better to kill a thousand mistakenly than miss a single one!"
"Better to kill a thousand mistakenly than miss a single one! Well said! To preserve the dignity of the planes, I have been too lenient with the dormant pieces within the Holy City! Now the Holy City is seen by others as a soft target, and my race has fallen to such a level; why bother with appearances? After this personal competition ends, I'll launch a thorough investigation into every clan in the Holy City. I want to see how many people have betrayed us from within!" Despite the disrespectful words from Pei Yan, the Demon God wasn't angry, spurred by the two Candle Dragon sneak attacks to agree wholeheartedly.
"See, your Demon God also acknowledges my viewpoint, so Mr. Samikina, step aside! Don't make me deal harshly with him; I have many things to do!" Pei Yan said, gesturing with his cigar towards the trembling elderly man hiding behind Old Samikina.
"He can't be the traitor! Pei Yan, believe me, he can't be the traitor!" Old Samikina anxiously stood in front of the elderly man, blocking him protectively.
"Why? Just because he's pure-blood nobility? I've killed a pure-blood before, haven't I? There are pure-bloods among those in the Demon Race who sided with the Blood Slaughter too, right? Why are you so sure?" Pei Yan flicked the ashes off his cigar and continued unfazed.
"Because we're close friends! Because of the millennia of camaraderie between our two families! Because I grew up and fought alongside him! Is that enough?" Old Samikina panted in rage, roaring. Then he turned to the Demon God, eyes full of pleading, "My Lord, you know the Agares Clan has always been your right hand, ever since you led us to peace by suppressing revolts; never have our two families skipped a battle. I'm willing to stake my life to guarantee that Agares absolutely won't betray you!"
"Demon God!" Hearing his old friend plead desperately, Agares was moved to tears, kneeling before the Demon God, kissing his shoe, silently awaiting his fate without any explanation.
The Demon God didn't speak, but he bent down softly to pat Agares's head. Seeing this gesture, Pei Yan immediately understood the Demon God's intention. Since the Demon God chose to trust, it was pointless to pursue endlessly. With that thought, he withdrew the blade in his hand and sighed, "I won't kill, but before I leave the Hell Plane for the personal match, he cannot contact any outsiders. That's my bottom line!"
"No problem!" The Demon God nodded with a smile, patting Agares's shoulder, gesturing him to rise, before turning to Pei Yan, suggesting with a smile, "With this matter settled, shall we find somewhere else to talk?"
"Sure!" Pei Yan agreed without much conversation, nodding. Immediately, both figures vanished from Old Samikina's sight.
"Huff! Huff! Huff!" Agares, once a formidable figure in his clans, collapsed onto the ground once they left. Only when his old friend reached out did he timidly place his hand, and under support, slowly stood up, still shaken, "What kind of monster has your clan brought back? I sensed from him the aura only our original bodies can emit; although still weak, I'm certain he already exists on another level from us."
"Yes, now I don't know if my original choice was right or wrong. I once believed no matter how strong he became, relying on the few major clans' strength could keep him within our grasp to serve us, but that fantasy shattered with time as he grew stronger. Only just now did I truly awaken from the dream; we've been reduced to mere pawns in his game," Old Samikina murmured despondently in the direction they disappeared.
