Ducolles Abyss was where I met Lunea for the first time. Coincidentally, it is also the farthest place from Cresundia and Antares which must be the reason why the Heroes decided to show up there. This is the only place that they are sure doesn't contain any Teleportation Magic Circles. This way, they can kill me without worrying that I might run away.
At least, that is what they want me to think is going on.
Their target in this operation is not me. They are targeting the citizens of Antares for a stupid reason: since they haven't managed to hurt me yet, they want to take something away from me. For this reason, even though they are fully intent on killing me, the Heroes won't try too hard. Their main task is to keep me occupied for as long as they can.
They will send some groups of elite Paladins to Antares during that time who will then wreak havoc and do as much damage as they can to Antares. This will only happen if Velucan and Lemius are absent, of course.
That is why I told them to get out of Antares like they were in a hurry. I need whoever made the plan to believe that his plan works. Just like how he tries to fool me by making the Heroes seem like they are going fight to the death, I make it as if Velucan and Lemius are watching for the Heroes. In reality, they are just waiting for the Paladins to come while hiding.
Whoosh!
"When you said Genelos was fast, I didn't expect him to be this fast."
"It is ironic hearing you say that. With how much power you have, you should have a high standard of what you consider fast, Eliseus."
It has only been two hours but we have already covered three fourth the distance between Ducolles and Antares. Eliseus still can't wrap her head around the fact that Genelos can maintain flying at 20,000 Mph for hours. It is abnormal for a Wyvern to be that fast. Genelos is the first in history to be able to fly that fast and I take pride in it.
This is only possible thanks to Luxia's tips on how to train my Wyvern. She informed me that Beasts can evolve with the help of Nature Essence and I have been hunting for it for three months so Genelos can consume it, which is why I am rarely in my office.
Nature Essence is the liquified Nature Energy that manages to solidify. It has the same concept as Mana Core but it is produced by the world itself. It is way harder to collect because it can only be found in places with an extreme Mana density. Such places are well-hidden but thanks to Luxia, finding them is not hard.
Still, extracting Nature Essence is not easy. The place where it can be found is inhabited by some fearsome Beasts, so it has been a struggle.
It is worth the trouble. Thanks to the Nature Essence that I have managed to extract, Genelos' top flying speed is 55,000 Mph. Of course, that is only the icing on the cake. Genelos can now cast Spells which makes him even more abnormal as a Wyvern.
"There will be a Demon King Summit soon," Eliseus remarks out of the blue, surprising me slightly. "Every activity in this world shall cease during the summit. When the nine Demon Kings meet, no one will dare to venture outside their territories. They will stay behind and guard their territories."
"Has it ever happened? Demon Kings teaming up to go against the world?" I ask in interest.
"It has. It happened very recently—slightly more than a decade ago." At this, Millonia faintly shakes. "Five Demon Kings decided they should put an end to this ridiculous war. They took their strongest Warriors with them and went straight to the Holy Land. Every King of the existing races in this world died like ants that day. Things were going well for us until…"
"God decided to intervene," I finish, prompting Eliseus to widen her eyes as she looks at me. "It is my first time hearing this story but it is not that hard to deduce what happened. The only thing that stops us from ruling this world is God."
"As bright as always. As expected of Layland." Eliseus nods her head before continuing. "Anyway, the five Demon Kings sustained heavy injuries because of their clash. One of them, however, managed to force God to retreat and he was Lord Ilschevar. He could have won but he needed to take care of something. His strongest Warrior—"
"His injuries would have killed him should he proceed," Millonia interjects. "Some trouble did occur upon his return but it wasn't the reason why he…"
My gaze is already on Millonia the moment she interjected Eliseus; therefore, I can see her look of horror as she realized what she just did. She looks at me tensely for a few seconds before turning her head away. 'What a perfect time to find things out!' I remark mentally. Hiding my bitter smile, I ruffle her hair to tell her that I don't mind.
This is not that surprising to me. I have had a hunch that she used to be Ilschevar's ace. It is not hard to deduce that. What is surprising is her highly likely identity which I can't confirm yet. Judging by how she looks when she uses [Bottomless Abyss] which removes her limiter temporarily, there is only one moniker that suits her: Crimson Maiden.
That moniker only belonged to one person. The previous owner of Rexorem, the fallen Earthling whom Ilschevar summoned to inherit his throne. It remains an assumption before the person in question confirms it but I strongly believe it is the case. Every available information is pointing at her. Added to that is Eliseus' expression.
"Our Demon King is strong, isn't he?"
Eliseus is looking at me with a small smile as if she is expecting me to praise her. I am grateful for the piece of information she gave me but I don't think I find her action commendable. The timing was not right. It feels like she is trying to turn Millonia and me against each other.
'Oh, wait…she may be also warning me. In other words, she didn't only expose Millonia but also herself,' I muse as realization dawns upon me.
If Millonia is who I think she is, she is also a Demon King Candidate. Ilschevar and Valeria may call her a fallen Candidate but that doesn't mean she won't be one once she retains her power.
Eliseus is telling me that I should be careful of Millonia. This indicates that she knows I am a Demon King Candidate and is a Candidate herself since no one knows about Demon King Candidates other than Demon King Candidates themselves.
Shaking my head faintly, I put an end to my musing. I am going to fight a group of decent fighters, so I can't let unnecessary thoughts distract me from my fight.
"Yeah…he is strong. I bet that is also why he is not so welcome among his fellow Demon Kings," I finally respond to Eliseus.
"Power invites envy, they say."
Everything goes silent afterward. Millonia is intentionally avoiding talking to me, meanwhile, the quiet Eliseus remains silent because she has nothing more to say. The situation has gotten a little bit awkward but thankfully not tense. Half an hour passed like this and we finally arrived at Ducolles Abyss.
The Heroes are waiting for us; they don't even bother to hide it. Standing side by side, they intensely look at us as we land. The aura they are exuding is hostile but they are very calm. They are eager to kill but not bloodthirsty. They possess the quality that the Heroes of Antares didn't.
"Do you notice something?" I ask Teanosvera as I get down from Genelos.
'There is no sign of spatial manipulation, master,' he answers.
"Ah, then I was right. The Relic doesn't manipulate space but your perception." I smile. "The reason why it worked so well on Lemius is the Energy that fuels it—Divinity. It has never been used to create an illusion. What a revolutionary Relic."
Noticing me muttering to myself makes Eliseus turn to me. I immediately gesture for her to charge, prompting the hiding Weapon Masters and Knights whom the Heroes brought to come out. Millonia follows suit a second late. Genelos remains in his place but I tell him to watch after Millonia. She is a hot-headed woman—who knows what she might do.
Clank! Clank!
When the clash began and the first blood is spilled, the Heroes and I look at each other. We immediately decided to change places. Dashing to somewhere in the north, we stop when we are three miles away from the others. I summon Rexorem from our Bond Seal and the Heroes take out their Relics.
"I heard there are seven of you. Do you think four of you is enough?" I taunt. "I don't think that strange Relic you used on Lemius will work as well as it should if it is only powered by your Mana."
Ignoring me, one of them takes out the said Relic. It is a hexagonal box with Runes decorating its surface. When they channel their Mana into it, I immediately sense an abnormality in the space. Teanosvera also confirms that the space is being manipulated which confuses me greatly. They brought a different Relic.
Flash!
A blinding light covers my vision for a few moments. When I regain my vision, another two people join the Heroes. A disbelieving smirk creeps up my face as I look at the two. Someone thinks her dish is already cold enough to be served.
"Well, look what we have here."
"You will pay for what you have done today, Layland."
How amusing. The prey serves itself to the predator.
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