Arriving at the Dwarven Kingdom earlier, Adhara quickly announced the Dwarves and Elves to scout the Rastrikan Demons that Rex suspected were already drawing near. It's a matter of utmost importance right now.
Only a few hours have passed since then, and a report already crawled back.
Seems like finding the Rastrikan Demons is not hard.
Although it remained uncertain whether the Rastrikan Demons were indifferent to being observed or actively sought to be discovered to spread fear, the crucial point was that they were now aware of their location.
It's a good thing for Rex would come soon enough to lead the onslaught.
Receiving the news, Adhara went outside to meet with the scouting party that came here personally to deliver the report. It was a group of six Elves, and they didn't seem to be in a good condition.
Cloaked in a dark green hooded unified robe, these Elves seem exhausted.
Most of them sustained burn marks and torn outfits.
In addition to that, their bodies also emanate a seething vapor, showing the high temperature, almost as if they were coming out of a boiling pot. A sight that made Adhara frown in confusion.
Upon finding that Adhara heading towards them, the six Elves knelt on the ground in respect.
"Greetings to the Female Alpha of the Silverstar Pack, Lady Adhara..."
"Lift your heads up"
Adhara was troubled by the sight of them.
It was as if they had just crawled out of hell to reach this place and convey the report.
Desiring not to idle around and get on with the report this instant, Adhara told them to lift their heads. However, weirdly enough, none of them budged. All of them kept their heads hung low, facing the ground.
Frowning, Adhara decided to say it again with a louder voice.
"Didn't you hear what I said? Lift your heads up"
"My apologies Lady Adhara-"
Only then that the captain of the Elves snap his head up and apologize.
Pointing at the squad of Elves that were acting weird, Adhara turned her head towards Skoghad who was standing beside her questioningly. "What's wrong with them? Why are they acting like this?"
"Forgive them, it's not their fault" Skoghad sighs dejectedly, finding this unavoidable.
Gazing at the squad of Elves that were struggling to keep their balance, he then continues. "It was obvious that they would be in this state after meeting with the Rastrikan Demons. Maybe you misunderstand, but the fear they induced on others was not entirely because of their brutal nature. It was also because of their displays"
Skoghad then proceeds to explain the unique sensation that the Rastrikan Demons bring.
Like a fairy tale, the Rastrikan Demons' aura is devious.
Wherever their travels took them, their aura exuded a searing heat, stifling all within a couple of mile's radius with an unsettling discomfort. Moreover, the air around them carried the insidious whispers of their malevolence, warping and distorting sounds, while a noxious, unpleasant odor clung to their claws. Rumor said that the whispers and odor were the remnants of the fallen souls.
Each of them was trapped, unable to go to the afterlife, and clung to their claws.
"Thanks to that warping and distorting whisperers, these six must be suffering from the side effects and have their hearing impaired. It would take a while for them to recover, so be a little patient with them"
Adhara could only massage her forehead uneasily.
It was a never-ending rumor when it came to these horrifying Rastrikan Demons.
Knowing the condition of the six Elves that had done well in finding the Rastrikan Demons' location, Adhara decided to start over with more patience this time and listen to them reporting about their findings.
Just a moment later, Adhara went back inside with a pondering look on her face.
From the report of the squad of Elves, she finds that the Rastrikan Demons were heading towards the Dwarven Kingdom but also ransacking everything they saw along the way which made their advancement slower.
Having slumbered for thousands of years, the urge to satiate their bloodthirst is too strong.
Due to that, they need to search for victims along the way.
On top of that, the Rastrikan Demons were divided into five legions, each led by a demon general who has a higher-rank race than Archdemons, Demon Lords. Each general exhibited the same ferocity and ruthlessness as the next.
Along the way, these legions spread out in search of villages or cities to violate.
None has been spared by them so far.
It was quite barbaric when Adhara heard that the lower-rank races along the way, including civilians who already swore to not fight were killed mercilessly. Not even children were spared from their lethal claws and demonic laughter.
Humans disrespecting civilians is bad, but this is an entirely different thing.
Despite the moral qualms surrounding the killing of Supernatural civilians, an objectively bad thing, humans don't know clearly how the Supernatural's oath works. In stark contrast, the Rastrikan Demons were fully cognizant of how the oath works and yet still continued these heinous acts, a completely savage and barbaric force.
'Huh... No wonder even Elder Tilrith wanted them gone' Adhara mused in disgust.
Also, 8 squads of Elves and Dwarves were obliterated when they ventured too close. Apparently, one of the Demon Lords, the strongest of them all called Kirzil is very alert and was able to take them all down in a heartbeat.
But through that, they managed to decipher the strengths of the Rastrikan Demons.
It was without a doubt that the Demon Lords were at the very least in the ninth-rank realms prior to the First Breath and now retain around the early and mid-seventh-rank realm. However, a surprise came from a couple of captains beneath them, Archdemons.
Some of them are also nearing the seventh-rank realm, a pseudo-seventh-rank realm.
Just this information alone surprises Adhara to her core.
'Elder Tilrith must've been really annoyed that the Rastrikan Demons were one of the Demon forces that were not wiped out by the Ancient Humans. Judging from their wicked nature, I'm surprised the Ancient Humans didn't aim them first'
Pausing for a second to think, she was now certain that their forces were at a disadvantage.
Only the Silverstar Pack can make a difference here.
'If I activate my Herald Mark, I would perhaps barely reach the seventh-rank realm. So that means some of these captains were in the early ninth-rank realm prior to the First Breath...' Adhara pondered, a chill can be felt climbing up her spine.
The Rastrikan Demons are not a force to be underestimated.
Seems like their overbearing advancement, ransacking everything is not without a reason.
Compared to them, even the Elves, Dark Elves, Dwarves, and Tigerman races were akin to a child's play despite each being an entire kingdom commanding countless people. An Imperial force of the Demon Race.
But since the plan was to attack them first, they had the element of surprise on their side.
'Having them split into five legions is good, we could take them out one by one' Adhara thought, a ridiculing smirk crossed her face. 'It will be their arrogance that will lead to their downfall, this is not the same era as all of you came from, Demons'
~
Meanwhile, in the Executor's castle, it was already nearing dawn.
Ever since the departure of the Executor to the Great Barricade, Gistella has been cramped inside the spacious room without any distractions whatsoever. But now, there were guards assigned inside.
It was thanks to the figures that tried to break in a couple of nights ago.
All of the personnel here become alert.
Gistella glanced at her surroundings with her hazy blue eyes and found that there were eight Awakened stationed to keep an eye on her. A sudden change of shift happened a couple of hours earlier, and the Awakened that replaced the previous Awakened were all females.
None of them say anything or move from their spots, standing still like a statue.
However, this change didn't come as a surprise for Gistella finding that the previous eight Awakened were clearly distracted. Every time she moved, those Awakened's eyes were instantly glued to her, a mix of wariness and something else.
Just her appearance and presence alone have an impactful influence over these Awakened.
Due to that, the Awakened assigned for her are now all females.
Gistella's charm was too much for the male Awakened, so one of them suggested this change to the captains and was accepted. But in contrast, Gistella herself didn't seem to mind about this.
Feeling the fading moonlight energy, she sighs and closes her eyes again.
It was then, her ears perked up.
A familiar footsteps can be heard approaching the door, and instinctively, Gistella pulled back her hair and tidied it up before the door swung open, revealing a man with a huge frame that seemed a little bit off.
King John enters the room and scans his eyes around.
"Hmmm...? Was there a change of shift? Who authorized that?"
"General Balin authorized the change, the male Awakened is not fit for this task"
Upon hearing this, King John cast a glance at Gistella.
Gistella was still restrained and on the same spot, she was sitting on her heels with her silvery hair falling down to her side, looking as stunning as ever, especially since she was looking at him with a peculiar look.
Catching sight of this, King John cleared his throat awkwardly, "I understand"
"King John..." Out of nowhere, Gistella called with her dulcet voice. "Are you okay?"
Some of the Awakened turned hostile when they heard her speak, but King John raised his hand, signaling them to stand down. Pausing briefly, he then decided to wave his hand, gesturing them all to leave.
"Leave us for a moment, keep guard in front of the door"
"King John, we have specifically been told to not leave her si-"
"Didn't you hear what I said...?"
Giving the Awakened a sharp look, she then quickly bowed apologetically.
Not wanting to rebut a direct order from a superior, she left the others to leave the room.
After all of the female Awakened left the room, he cast his eyes back to Gistella who seemed rather worried. It was not that she was worried about the situation, but she looked to be worried about him.
It could be seen through her eyes that the worry was directed at him.
"How do you know that I'm not okay?" King John asked.
But it was then that Gistella's face bloomed with a knowing smile. "It's not something one can easily explain. It's just that some people are... unique, and their emotions, well, they have a way of revealing themselves to those who pay attention"
Her words carried a subtle air of intrigue, leaving King John to ponder about her insight.
"Really...? Nobody can tell that I'm in pain except you"
"Do you want me to ease it?"
Upon hearing this, King John's body instantly tensed in alert, and he looked at Gistella warily. However, she responded with a smile, "When I was turned by him, all the hatred I had for humans vanished. So, there's no need to be afraid. Come closer"
Albeit hesitant, her inviting allure made it hard for King John to reject.
Guided by Gistella, King John lay on her lap before she caressed his hair gently.
A brief pause of silence envelops the two.
Finally, Gistella was the first one to break it, "Be at ease and let out your thoughts..."
"Tell me, what has been causing you pain? While you are with me, it's your safe space"
Like being under a hypnotic spell, her words and gentle caresses had an enchanting effect, soothing his soul. It made him feel like he was special in her eyes, casting a misty allure over his mind. He couldn't quite explain it, but he felt an inexplicable urge that he could open up to her like never to anyone before.
Due to that, his lips trembled before eventually, a whispering voice came out.
"It's- It's a price I need to pay for power..."
"A price that I was forced to pay for being tricked... A price I need to pay to the Executor..."
This 𝓬ontent is taken from f(r)eeweb(n)ovel.𝒄𝒐𝙢