Chapter 389 The Demon Kings Summit (End)
Never judge a book by its cover. The prettiest flower hides the most poisonous thorn. The Mana Pressure and the unadulterated killing intent that Havelar's companion exudes are enough to make my spine tingle. I quirk an eyebrow as I turn to him. I am not one of the challengers, so I don't get why he is being hostile toward me.
Unsurprisingly, the hooded bastard doesn't even turn to me. He keeps looking at his three challengers as if they are the only people present. I want to be petty, but I figure I don't want to be involved in the whole shenanigans any further. I counter the pressure just enough to negate it. My action causes the hooded bastard to turn to me instead.
"Are you not going to join us?" he asks softly with a hint of expectation in his tone.
"My Liege is not interested in your alliance," I answer neutrally.
"You can test yourself against me."
"I am afraid I will break you."
The hooded man raises his head slightly, allowing some sunlight to land on his face. I can only see the lower half of his face, but that is enough. I only need to see his faintly quirked-up lips. A faint sneer creeps up my face. It is not apparent given my nigh eternally stoic face, but I am sure the guy gets it.
"I see…." He turns his head away from me. "Well, let us make it quick, then," he says to his three challengers. "We may not have the chance to test ourselves against each other, but I want you to remember my name, Layland Kleinhaus. My name is Vincent Primagna."
I say nothing to his unnecessary introduction. He also doesn't seem to expect me to react if his walking away is any indication. Four people disappear from the meeting space in the blink of an eye. Havelar waves his hand, causing a circle of Runes to glow in the center of the table. An ethereal screen materializes a second later, projecting the battlefield where Vincent and his three challengers have their fight.
Havelar is using a different type of Projection Array. I can't detect where the scene being projected is through the Mana Flow. It is not that surprising. He is a Demon King, after all, so his understanding of Magic must be higher than mine. I could easily dissect Rusceus' Array because he underestimated me. That seems to be enough warning for Havelar to not do the same.
Whoosh!
I watch as a gale sweeps the area behind Vincent. They have their fight on the ground, entirely dismissing the weird creatures that lurk around them. I can't tell if it's arrogance or stupidity. I understand that the creatures are not that hard to defeat, but their tenacity is their strongest point. I spent a day and a half flying above this accursed region and ten of those accursed creatures were enough to make me sweat.
In short, they are a nuisance. If those four want an uninterrupted fight, they should have fought in the air. Well, not all Demons are as pragmatic as I am, so it is not that surprising. Clearing my thoughts, I watch the projected scene curiously. None of the four speaks. They wordlessly distance themselves and then assume their stances.
Their Mana pressure kicks up dust into the air and attracts the attention of the tenacious abominations who are native to this abandoned region. They pay the creatures no mind as they rapidly approach them. The wind buzzes. In the blink of an eye, three of them appear in front of Vincent. They appear to cooperate, which is a sight to behold.
Boom!
Vincent raises his sheathed sword to block the fists coming to take his life. He remains unwound even though his opponents grunt in exertion. He swings his sheathed sword, causing his opponents to back off. The air buzzes again before the three of them rush at Vincent again. I am sure they are using their Origins this time. They are smart enough to not declare their Origin's name.
As if noticing the urgency, Vincent unsheathes his sword. A blinding golden light sweeps the entire battlefield, wholly covering the projection screen. My Mana Sense picks up Divinity from a few hundred miles away as it occurs. I face the direction where it comes from and so do the other Demon Kings. Their looks tell me they are as flabbergasted as I am.
'A Demon King's successor using Divinity, eh? That's unheard of, I believe,' I muse.
When the light dies down, we can see Vincent's three opponents bound by golden chains not far away from him. Vincent is holding his sword vertically with two hands right before his face as if he is about to bless the three poor Demons. His golden hair bellows in the air. His sword shines brightly in gold, giving him a holy look that doesn't belong to the Demon world.
"My name is Vincent Primagna and my Class is Crusader."
Only a few blink their eyes in surprise, but every one of the Demon Kings turns their curious gaze to Havelar. Ilschevar doesn't seem to be that curious, but he still expects an explanation. Roping in someone blessed by God is something else. Havelar has recruited a Hero and made him his successor. It is as astonishing as it is absurd.
"Humans disappointed him. He finds comfort in my company," Havelar explains simply.
'So, he is not summoned directly like me,' I mentally note. 'It is still laughable that God can't take away the System he has given to the Heroes once they betray him. Ilschevar should have let God summon me first before recruiting me. I am sure I wouldn't hesitate to ditch that hellhole. If that had been the case, I would have God's power to boot.'
As tempting as it is, I don't envy Vincent. I am sure God is not stupid enough to let a loose canon roam freely. He must have let Vincent keep the System for a reason. From what I can think of, it is highly likely espionage. I don't fully understand how the System works, but if it works like a game's status window, I am sure God limits what he gives to Vincent.
'Unless Havelar is working together with God, he won't help Havelar nurture Vincent,' I muse as I watch Vincent approach his three bound opponents.
The air around them bubbles up. Their expression turns fiercer as Vincent inches closer. The chains binding them are preventing them from assuming their True Form. It is not that surprising considering what those chains contain: Divinity. Vincent stops when he is right before them. He flips his sword upside down and then plants it into the ground.
"Will you yield peacefully or with a fight?" he asks calmly, reminding me of one of the obnoxious Paladins I killed.
"Take these chains off us and we will give you a fight!" one of the bound Demons shouts.
Vincent seems to weigh in on his decision before nodding his head. "Very well."
The chains unwrap themselves from the three Demons, allowing them to unleash their power. Vincent remains unfazed. He calmly rests his hand on the hilt of his glowing sword as he looks at the three opponents ready to butcher him. As one of them leaps at him, a shadow is cast upon them. The three Demons don't get to look up before the native creature of this region swallows them whole.
"It's late, but I want to know what that creature is," I comment.
"It is called Abhorrent Child. They are born from the remnants of Ragnar?k," Ilschevar answers. "You may have noticed that you can't measure their power and that is also the case for me. It is debatable, but some of them may be strong enough to defeat a Demon King."
Pocketing the information, I watch as the Abhorrent Child swallowing Vincent's opponents retreats. I turn to their Demon Kings to see their reactions and find none. They are either confident in their companions or apathetic about their survival. I return my gaze to the screen at the same moment Vincent turns his back on the Abhorrent Child. The fate of the three Demons has been sealed.
When everyone is about to stop paying attention, the Abhorrent Child bloats before exploding. The bits of the exploded Abhorrent Child rain on three figures. Each of them lost either some of their limbs or a chunk of their flesh. They still look intimidating, but the three Demons are far from dignified.
Vincent stops in his tracks and asks, "Do you still want to try your luck?"
My expectation is blown when the three Demons shake their heads faintly. It seems not all Demons lose themselves to their bloodthirst. It also may be a publicity stunt to show off what Vincent is capable of. Regardless, their decision to call off the fight is wise. They need time to recover from their injuries and Vincent will abuse that chance to his heart's content. Either way, they are destined to lose.
"If any of you wants to ally with me, I encourage you to let your companion challenge mine now. Of course, you may also do it in private," Havelar declares as he sweeps his gaze over the Demon Kings. "You may ally with anyone other than me and have your companions fight now. This is not about me, after all."
Vincent returns to Havelar's side at this moment, hooded once again. The meeting space remains silent as everyone keeps their thoughts to themselves.
"Very well. I hereby declare the summit is concluded!"
Everyone but Ilschevar and Havelar stands up and leaves with their companion. No one says goodbye or exchanges pleasantries. The moment they separate their butts from their seats, they act like strangers. Ilschevar and Havelar spend a few seconds looking at each other before standing up. So much was said without saying anything.
A Portal appears and we step into it. The Demon Kings Summit has ended, so we return to our home.
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