Chapter 297 Kingdom's Pinch
As I put down the phone, I started pondering the details that King Leonard told me.
Apparently, the kingdom is currently under siege by 9th-stage demons, just like before. However, this time, there were five god-level demons that participated, making the defensive lines fall like dominoes.
The God Tamers quickly moved to handle the threats but couldn't eliminate them easily. After all, Noir and his twelve zodiacs were there, backing up the army and targeting anyone who wanted to face the god-level demons. Due to that, the god-tamers were held in place, while the other tamers were struggling against the 9th-stage demons swarming around.
"Five god-level demons, in short, one for each god-tamer."
I contemplated the implication of this and quickly noticed that they were simply there to "delay" the strongest force of the entire kingdom. It is child's play to realize that Noir must be planning something for the castle now that its defenses have fallen.
"The King himself sounds tired, so even if he didn't say it, the Royal Castle must be under attack too."
Of course, I don't really have many ties with the kingdom, nor do I have the duty to protect it. However, with the Luo and Seimei under my control, I am technically forced to protect those territories at least.
"But the main reason I'm called back is..."
I turned to face upward, wondering about that specific question. I doubt the King would call just to gain the help of some 7th-stage, 8th-stage brat. Other than my power, the only thing that's worthy of attention is probably my Administrator Rights, and my position as the System's Crowned Successor.
"..."
Both of those are being targeted by Noir, however. Given the fact that the King "forgot" to mention that bit...
"... I guess the castle is already under Noir's control."
The call is a trap to get me to return post-haste, but since we need to pass through a beyond-god-level monster guard, we'd definitely be tired after escaping. Noir must be planning to take advantage of that and capture me, or possibly eliminate me entirely.
We did get enough powerups to be able to fight fair and square with Noir, but he wouldn't pull such a stunt if he wasn't confident he could win.
"I guess... He's really returned to God Level."
His presence that I felt back when we got teleported to the Otherside was faint, but something that was way beyond what a 9th-stage tamer could possess. I thought it was my imagination, but looking at the clues, it must be true. Using some unknown methods, he managed to reach God Level once again!
As I was lost in thought, I noticed Ember staring at me with a worried gaze. She must've heard what we talked about, given that her clone was the one that was used as a transceiver for the phone.
"It's fine."
I patted her head before returning the phone to her, out of charge. As I did, I suddenly recalled the "artifact" that I had bought before but didn't have time to pass it on to her.
"Ember, take this. It's a sample of a real and working [Smartphone]. You can study it or dismantle it as you wish."
Of course, I kept the part that it cost me a pretty penny out of her ears. Some things are better left unsaid.
"Master, this...! I-I'll make sure to use it to the fullest!"
Like a kid receiving a new toy, her eyes sparkled with excitement and curiosity. She then bowed lightly before running back to where she came from.
"We have a big fight tomorrow, so don't forget to rest!"
I shouted at her back, but looking at her giddy appearance, she probably didn't hear it. Well, I guess if I can detect her still awake a few hours before the gathering time, then I'll just go and forcefully make her sleep.
Even though I made everyone rest, I myself can't sleep. The matter of the kingdom and Noir just wouldn't leave my head. No matter how I turned in the bed, I was still unable to find peace of mind.
"..."
In the end, just like last time, I decided to take a walk in the night breeze. The scenery was just as dark as it was before, making it hard to see the surroundings.
As I followed the path leading to the gazebo, I didn't find a single soul around. I was hoping Fatima was there, but unfortunately, she wasn't. I sat alone at the gazebo, trying to relax and release the tension on my shoulders.
"... Tomorrow..."
To be precise, it's today since the clock had already struck midnight earlier. Anyway, we will soon be facing an enemy that is leagues above us. I wonder, will we even be able to survive?
Just imagining the strength of a beyond-god-level attack was enough to make my heart palpitate. However, it wasn't that I was scared of losing my life, but more of the danger to everyone's lives altogether.
The cold night wind was blowing, but my head was hot from overthinking.
"... I really should rest now."
As a last resort, I cast [Sleep Powder], one of Judy's skills, and afflicted myself with it. However, it seems like I underestimated its potency. As soon as I came back to my senses, it was already morning, and Fang was trying to wake me up.
"Leader, Namia is already calling for us."
"Oh, it's already that time!"
Today was the deadline for the 1 week she allowed us to stay in her God Domain. It was a little bit worrying now that we're going to be returned to the surface, but we already did all we could.
I entered a red portal nearby with Fang and came to the gathering area from before. There, everyone was already standing in attention, geared up, and prepared to battle at any moment.
"You're here at last."
Namia sighed after seeing our figures pop out of the portal.
"It looks like you did reach the next stage of bonuses, seeing that there are multiple 7th stages within your group now."
As if praising us, she nodded her head lightly with a thin smile.
"Alright, listen closely. After this meeting, you will be dropped at the same spot where I saved you. There's no more demons there yet, so rest assured."
As she spoke, she waved her hands and revealed a red fog in the middle of the gathering space. The fog slowly turned into a terrain map that looked pretty familiar. It was the map of the part where we were fighting multiple god-level demons!
"Your position would be here. Take note of this. Then, the exit, the location of the beyond-god-level monster, is right here, approximately 50,000 kilometers east of your initial position."
I don't know what the cardinal directions are without a compass, but the east she claimed was just the same direction we ran to after leaving the anthill. However, 50,000 kilometers? How long would it take to travel that far?
"Can't you just drop us right at the entrance?"
I asked without much hope. As expected, Namia scoffed and even berated my thinking.
"Idiot. If I drop you before the beyond-god-level monster without any preparation, you'll die before you can even see its face. In the first place, I can't move your exit position."
Right... Just because it's a monster and not a demon doesn't mean we'll be safe. But still, 50,000... Even if we run at the speed of sound, it'll still take about two days of running before we reach it.
"Don't worry, Master! I've got this!"
Just as I was starting to worry about how to cover that wide distance, Ember's words reached my ears. Her voice sounded confident, so she must've made a vehicle of some sort that could take all of us to our destination faster.
"Are you done chatting? Then I'll continue."
Namia waved her hand once again, and this time, dots of various colors appeared on the map. The dots varied in hues under the mix of green and red, with some black dots spread far from each other.
"The dots here represent the demons around the entire Otherside. Green ones are weak, while red ones are strong. The black represents the god-level demons around."
"Black... God level?!"
Hearing her words, I felt a shiver run down my back. After all, the straight path toward our location and the exit was literally filled with hundreds of those black dots. If we pass through there, then we will be caught in a battle, 10 out of 10.
We could detour and take a curved path around, but that would extend the distance we need to travel by more than 20%. I turned to Ember, gauging her reaction to knowing the position of the demons, but she was still sporting a confident smile. Is the vehicle she made that good?
"You remembered everything?"
Namia snapped her fingers, erasing the map before us.
"Then everyone, I already did my share of helping you. From here, it'll all be your responsibility."
Without doing anything else, red portals suddenly appeared under our feet. As we were falling down, at the very last moment, I could see Namia mouthing a couple of words.
"Good Luck."
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