Chapter 377 Stoking A Flame One Can't Afford to Put Out (End)
After passing through the Portal, Aurelia and Millonia were greeted by the silent confrontation Layland had with the seven Demon King's Generals. They were pinning their gaze on Layland, but no one commented. Lemius and Velucan were looking at Layland neutrally whereas Holcio, Tiatus and Alvina were looking at him disapprovingly. Jovenus and Bacchus were merely looking at him curiously.
"Wipe that displeasure off your face, runt. You are going to have an audience with our Liege," Tiatus reprimanded with a low growl.
Millonia didn't like Tiatus' condescending tone but agreed with him. Layland was not in a good mood. He had to reign over his rage, lest he would challenge Ilschevar for his throne. It would be a disaster no one wanted to see. Layland merely glanced at Tiatus, paying no mind to his words. He walked past all of the Demon King's Generals as if they weren't even there.
Fortunately, no one took an unnecessary confrontation. This might be attributed to the fact that Aurelia was glaring at Tiatus as if she wanted to chew him. The said Gryphon didn't dare to look at her. Gryphons had a long-lasting rivalry with Dragons but had always ended up as Dragon's snacks. Even if Tiatus was a strong Gryphon, the cautiousness against Dragons was deeply engraved in his mind.
"Uh…I followed Layland here without thinking. What am I going to do now?" Aurelia muttered as the Demon King's Generals chased after Layland.
"Let's go to the Arena. If Lord Ilschevar is doing what I am thinking, he will bring Layland and the Generals there," Millonia responded calmly. "You seem to have a lot of questions. I will tell you what happened."
Aurelia smiled motherly and put a hand on Millonia's shoulder. "I will say what Layland couldn't say: This is not your fault."
Millonia frowned lightly but nodded her head. Recovering from her self-reprimand, she led Aurelia to the Arena. On the other side, Layland and the Generals were standing before the throne chamber. Some of the Generals sent a frown at Layland as he didn't make a move to open the door. He was the youngest and the lowest-ranked, so he should be the one to open it.
Before anyone could comment, the door opened by itself. At the other end of the room, Ilschevar sat on his throne with a cold, uninterested look. The Generals immediately watched their behaviour. Ilschevar rarely had such a look on his face. Given his past reputation, he would make the world-renowned cruellest Demon King like a joke if they displeased him.
The Generals stiffened when Layland strode in as if he didn't notice the gravity of the situation. His eyes were planted solely on Ilschevar, refusing to move them to Valeria or Eliseus who were also in the chamber. He didn't want to let Valeria see his eyes at the moment. They were filled with anything but positive emotions.
"Is it such a revolting experience for you to be called by your King?" Ilschevar asked neutrally, sending chills down the Generals' spine. "I can't help but notice your unbridled rage."
"I wouldn't be here if that had been the case, My Liege," Layland answered calmly.
"Then, what got you worked up?"
"Let's get to the point."
Everyone widened their eyes at Layland's dismissive response.
"You, insolent runt! Apologize to our Liege!" Tiatus shouted.
This time, the Generals collectively agreed that Layland was going too far. Regardless of his achievements and contributions, he meant nothing before Ilschevar's eyes. He shouldn't be trying his luck. With that thought, they were baffled to see a small smile perching on Ilschevar's lips. They wondered if Ilschevar was riling Layland up intentionally.
Inwardly, they were glad that nothing happened. As much as they didn't approve of Layland's behaviour, he was a priceless asset. It would be a huge loss to kill him. Even Tiatus who had never appreciated Layland's behaviour agreed with this. Unfortunately, as they were about to heave a sigh of relief, Ilschevar stood up from his throne and lifted Layland by his neck. It happened faster than they could blink.
The Generals instinctively turned to Valeria. It was a general secret how maiden-like she behaved around Layland. She didn't react even slightly. It was as if she had accepted what was about to befall her lover. Ironically, it was a joyous development. Verniculos would be flat to the ground if she had decided to confront Ilschevar.
"Do you no longer have respect toward me, Layland?" Ilschevar asked serenely, betraying the killing intent he was leaking.
"Get to the point," Layland answered coldly, staring down at Ilschevar.
"It seems the Dragons rubbed off on you more than I wanted. Do you realize how arrogant you are right now?"
"I am not in the mood to be concerned about that. Get to the point or things are going to get ugly," Layland warned calmly as his killing intent swept everyone in the chamber. "It would be sad to end our good relationship like that, My Liege."
Ilschevar widened his eyes slightly at the suffocating killing intent. He was familiar with it. Dragons had overwhelmed their opponents with their killing intent during the Ragnar?k. Layland's killing intent gave off the same feeling but more sickening, unlike Dragons' pure domineering killing intent. He noted in amusement that even his Generals found it hard to keep their knees from shaking.
"Someone has stoked a flame that he can't put out, huh?" Ilschevar remarked. "Very well. I will get to the point." He let go of Layland. "The Demon Kings Summit will be held in a week. Rusceus suggested we should hold it as soon as possible and everyone accepted. Therefore, I need to select my companion sooner than planned. I think you understand where this is going."
"I will gladly forfeit my position," Layland answered firmly.
"Then, die at the hands of your challenger," Ilschevar responded nonchalantly.
Layland intensified his gaze. "That fake God will be happy to know that seven Demon King's Generals and one Demon King will perish in a week."
Ilschevar merely chuckled heartily, taking no offence to Layland's words. The watching Generals looked at Layland warily. They weren't stupid enough to not get that Layland was referring to them and Ilschevar. The star was shining brighter; alas, it would soon explode and perish.
Snap!
With a snap of his fingers, Ilschevar relocated them to the Arena. The Warriors immediately vacated the Arena at their appearance. No one dared to make a sound, making it eerily silent. Ilschevar pointed to the sky, shooting light out of his forefinger. A dome covered the Arena, protecting it from external disturbances and the people from the brunt of the clashes that were about to occur.
"Generals, you are here to fight for the spot as my companion in the Demon Kings Summit. Per the rules, you are required to defeat a Demon King Candidate to win the spot. Layland is allowed to defend his spot by fighting the one who wins against a Demon King Candidate. If no one can, Layland will keep his spot," Ilschevar announced, quelling the audience's curiosity.
"I have received your list of opponents and I approve all of them. It is time to battle it out!"
Ilschevar and Valeria disappeared from the Arena and reappeared in the Special Seat. They calmly watched as the Generals' eyes widened. Some had a disbelieving look. Some were ecstatic. Some wore a crazed look. They could determine one of the Demon King Candidates.
They couldn't challenge Ilschevar's companion for his spot directly. They did that, but Ilschevar approved of their challenge. That means his companion was a Demon King Candidate. It wasn't unexpected but was surprising nonetheless. It was too obvious.
"I challenge you, Eliseus Frachtus," Velucan and Lemius exclaimed.
Unlike the two, the rest of the Generals pointed their fingers at Layland. The young Demon ignored them and shot Ilschevar a look as if urging him to make it quicker.
"Velucan and Lemius may battle their opponent first," Ilschevar exclaimed.
Layland and the others moved to the sideline, leaving Lemius and Velucan in the Arena with Eliseus. The white-haired Demon merely quirked an eyebrow at the two before motioning for them to come at her at the same time. Velucan and Lemius looked at each other before distancing themselves from one another. A Mana blast swept the entire Arena as they released their restraint.
Velucan grew twice taller. His body was packed with more muscles and his gaze became even more feral. Lemius didn't undergo any physical change, but matters in his surroundings were quickly disintegrating. "Riot," he muttered. His Origin was in use, sending the sense of foreboding to the audience's spine.
Eliseus watched the two of them calmly. She took out her sword and muttered, "Famine." With her Origin in use, a crazed look appeared on her face. Her stomach rumbled. She was quickly feeling hungry. At the same time, her senses and strength were amplified. Looking at her opponents, she could think of nothing other than eating their flesh. Her Origin made them no more than nutritious meals for her.
Kicking the ground, she disappeared from the view and then reappeared before Lemius. Lemius had his hand outstretched, gripping Eliseus' quickly disintegrating sword. Eliseus immediately let go of her sword and punched Lemius' head. He couldn't block it, so he was sent flying. Despite so, he still managed to hurt Eliseus as her hand exploded upon contact with his head.
Eliseus frowned at her quickly regenerating hand. She turned to Lemius with a challenging look, prompting the Demon to shake his dented head after dusting himself off. She scoffed and then shook her regenerated hand before turning to Velucan. At that exact moment, Velucan slammed into her, sending her crashing to the dome protecting the audience.
This 𝓬ontent is taken from fre𝒆webnove(l).𝐜𝐨𝗺