The aura around the Ice Witch Almis was as cold as ever, yet it brought Hyperion boundless warmth. It was her teacher who had looked after her so attentively every day on the Northern Continent, and the bond between them would never fade.
"Long time no see."
The Ice Witch had initially meant to push Hyperion away, but seeing her like this, she couldn't bring herself to do it.
With Talia not around to care for Hyperion, she seemed to have become Hyperion's sole guardian.
She gently rested her hand on Hyperion's back.
Then the Ice Witch looked up, her gaze shifting to the three employees inside the restaurant behind Hyperion.
That greeting was meant for them as well.
She had never imagined that the surviving great demons of the old era would meet again in such an unremarkable human restaurant.
Although the three employees in the restaurant wore faces she had never seen before, their familiar demeanor and fluctuations of mana allowed the Ice Witch to recognize them at a single glance.
The woman seated before the bar counter watched her with a serene expression, dressed in a black gown like a noble lady of high standing—Sinora the Spellbreaker.
And the casual, playful woman with short hair, sporting a leather vest, tight leather pants, and knee-high boots, was clearly Antanas of Protection.
The man behind the dimly lit counter in a dark brown suit vest, projecting a restrained, profound composure, was Pranay of Truth.
"Almis, it's been over a century, hasn't it?" Antanas said to her with a relieved smile.
She had always gotten along well with most demons, including the half-demon Ice Witch.
"Did you seek us out for something?" Pranay asked, expressionless, his eyes fixed on Almis.
Sinora had been about to greet the Ice Witch as well, but seeing her brother's attitude, she instantly swallowed her words and remained quiet.
Upon further thought, Sinora understood why her brother was so cold toward Almis.
Compared to visiting Hyperion, Almis had clearly come primarily for them.
At present, the Allied forces suffered from a dire shortage of tier-eight heroic units. They were falling back across the front lines, constantly retreating and shrinking their perimeter. The three tier-eight great demons concealed in Ikerite represented a force that could not be overlooked.
However, their duty was to protect Hyperion; they could not assist the Ice Witch with any redeployment of military strength.
"I want to ask for your help," the Ice Witch said, finally pressing Hyperion's shoulders gently to move her aside as she looked at the three great demons.
She knew that Pranay, the Demon Sage, could see through her intentions in an instant.
That being the case, there was nothing to hide.
"Impossible. We will not leave Hyperion's side. Her safety takes top priority," Sinora replied decisively.
Even if this hadn't been an assignment from Lanqi, she would still safeguard Hyperion. Hyperion was her irreplaceable close friend, and she would not let her take the slightest risk.
"Almis, it's not that we don't want to help you, but guarding the princess is our most important mission," Antanas added from the side.
At this moment, they all belonged to the Southern Continent's Allied faction. If the Allies lost, they too would be displaced, but they had their own duties to uphold.
"..."
Pranay regarded the Ice Witch in silence for a moment before speaking. "The greatest source of calamity in the Creti Empire at present appears to be Duke Rasheal, the Third Progenitor of the Blood Clan. His authority, Blood Mind Control, stands at the pinnacle of mental and illusion magic. The heavier an enemy's negative emotions, the easier it is for Duke Rasheal to locate a flaw in their mind, achieve mental control, and enforce brainwashing."
He chose to speak after all, sharing both the intelligence and Lanqi's prophetic dream with the Ice Witch.
Although the Blood Clan within the Creti Empire had yet to step from behind the curtain into the open, the outbreak of war was inextricably tied to their manipulation.
There was no need to broadcast this intelligence gap that only they possessed. For one thing, the Allies' front lines could not threaten the Blood Clan in the rear; for another, doing so would alert the enemy and provoke heightened vigilance from the Blood Clan deep within the empire's heartland.
Perhaps due to the interference of multiple factors, the world line the Goddess of Fate had shown Lanqi had already shifted. For instance, the Creti Empire's war had begun several months earlier than anticipated, indicating that the Blood Clan's preparations were not as thorough as they had initially been.
Even so, the Blood Clan would still stop at nothing to eliminate Hyperion.
To the Blood Clan, the true significance of Princess Hyperion's death was shattering Duke Mikhail's mental defenses.
Only then could Mikhail be reduced to a slave of the Blood Clan and forced to surrender all his original magics.
Duke Mikhail's dark magic was far too vital to the Blood Clan. It could serve as their protective umbrella even in daylight, and only by conquering the daytime could the Blood Clan vastly accelerate their erosion of the Creti Empire.
If they could also locate the Ninth Progenitor, Marquis Bernhard, they could have him assimilate Mikhail to maximize Mikhail's value.
Should anything happen to Hyperion, Duke Mikhail would become a puppet under Duke Rasheal's mental domination.
Even though Duke Mikhail's direct combat prowess was only around the quasi-cardinal level, his research capabilities, if aligned with the empire, would bring catastrophic consequences.
"The Blood Clan..."
The Ice Witch pondered for a moment. She knew that rumors of the Blood Clan had always circulated within the Creti Empire. Previously, the one who fought Loren in Hutton's South Vantina fief had been a formidable tier-eight member of the Blood Clan.
And this so-called Third Progenitor, someone titled a Duke of the Blood Clan, was without doubt a terrifying tier-nine being.
Ever since all tier-nine entities had been forcibly drafted by the tier-nine Shadow World that appeared only once every century or two, whoever broke through to tier nine first would naturally become invincible in the contemporary world.
Yet if a tier-nine being had been placed under an immense seal and happened to be freed at this exact juncture, that would represent an overwhelming, premature power.
Coupled with the ability known as Blood Mind Control, it would undoubtedly become a true realm-stealing power, re-enacting the ancient tragedy of the Horning Empire.
Having grasped the cause and effect in such short order, the Ice Witch pressed a hand to her forehead in exasperation.
She had no idea how to counter a tier-nine member of the Blood Clan lurking in the empire's interior either; it seemed completely insoluble.
Perhaps the only one with any chance of defeating the Third Progenitor was Loren's student, Lanqi. He possessed a flawless mind impervious to Blood Mind Control and wielded solar power capable of weakening the Blood Clan tenfold, appearing born to be the Third Progenitor's natural nemesis.
The problem was that Lanqi's tier was still too low. Even if he managed to track down the Third Progenitor, he could not overcome this nemesis for the time being.
"Why did you say 'appears to be'?"
Recalling Pranay's words, the Ice Witch murmured under her breath.
He had said that the greatest source of calamity in the Creti Empire at present appeared to be Duke Rasheal, the Third Progenitor of the Blood Clan.
When the fundamental problem with the Creti Empire was clearly the Blood Clan pulling strings from behind the scenes, why had Pranay added the caveat 'appears to be'?
"Pranay, did you see something?" the Ice Witch asked.
"..."
"I saw a terrifying man," Pranay replied in a low voice after a momentary hesitation. "When I looked at him, it felt as though he could see me as well."
Ever since then, he hadn't dared cast his gaze toward the Imperial Military Staff and Headquarters in the Creti capital of Brillda.
"Who?" the Ice Witch asked.
"The First God of War, Hyacinthus of the Diamond Seat," Pranay answered.
"In your view, is he even more dangerous than the Blood Clan's Third Progenitor?" the Ice Witch asked after some thought.
Tier nine was a realm comparable to gods. Reaching it was equivalent to arriving at the zenith of mortal existence; there was no further room for base attributes to grow. To become stronger from that point, one could only refine one's condition, hone skills and techniques, or acquire more powerful epic items.
Meanwhile, certain beings who lingered at the peak of tier eight for long periods lacked only the raw attributes of tier nine—no one could say whether they had achieved ultimate perfection in every other aspect.
Just as legends of the Age of the Gods told of tier-nine beings who could threaten deities and fight on behalf of their patron gods and factions, throughout the long ages since that era, there had undoubtedly been tier-eight beings unreasonably strong, carrying even the potential to strike down a tier nine.
"No, that's hard to say..."
Pranay didn't know how to describe it.
In short, he had a faint intuition that the empire's impending calamity was far from simple.
"I understand the general picture. Rest assured, I would rather take risks myself than put Hyperion in danger. She matters more to me than anyone else," the Ice Witch promised the three great demons.
"Teacher..."
Hyperion looked at the Ice Witch, deeply touched.
Yet her teacher clearly seemed to have her hands tied. The Allied forces' situation was evidently hanging by a thread—perhaps even worse than what was being reported in the news.
"The technique you used in the Protos Empire to transform into tier-eight epic magic cards—can it still be used?" The Ice Witch sighed, changing her approach to negotiate.
"Lanfu left behind the core principles of her modified Forbidden Curse Seal and the summon-sealing component of Nuclear Fusion Wolf," Pranay replied after a brief pause, looking back at the Ice Witch. "Theoretically, if Talia were here, it could be replicated."
In truth, as long as it didn't compromise their primary duty, anything was open to negotiation, and they would do their best to help the Allied cause.
Among the surviving great demons, aside from Talia, the one most skilled in magical engineering was Almis.
Previously on the Northern Continent, Almis had crafted cards for Hyperion to guarantee her safety.
"With the current battle lines collapsing, pressure on the Allies' main front continues to mount, and intelligence operatives are constantly being rooted out and persecuted by imperial hounds. I might need to find a way to infiltrate the Creti Empire myself. Paladin Commander Florence of the Church of the Goddess of Fate is an influential parliamentarian in the western hub of the Kingdom of Canbera. She can arrange an excellent cover identity, and her current stay in the Hutton Kingdom allows her to take over Loren's duties. But if tier-eight beings like us attempt an infiltration, the probability of our mana and aura being detected by the imperial city defense barriers is enormous. Hyperion's tier six is just right."
Almis explained, putting forward her proposal.
"Could we do this? I join you in protecting Hyperion, and she infiltrates the Creti Empire."
The Ice Witch believed her proposal would allow the three great demons to continue protecting Hyperion while adding her own protection to the mix; in return, Hyperion would join her as an Allied intelligence operative infiltrating the Creti Empire.
Having previously helped Hyperion replicate Polymorph: Human on the Northern Continent, she could disguise Hyperion as anyone.
Hyperion's talent for stealth was exceedingly rare. Trained as an operative by Almis herself, she could slip away right before a tier-eight's eyes; in the past, only the tier-nine great demon Caliera had ever made Hyperion feel too intimidated to run.
If Hyperion could carry the four great demons transformed into magic cards, she could go wherever she pleased.
"Consider it a favor owed to you. If you ever need help in the future, I will do everything in my power to assist you." The Ice Witch bowed earnestly toward them.
Once she finished, the entire ground floor of Boss Cat Restaurant fell silent for a long time.
The three great demons exchanged glances.
For the Ice Witch, she would never have turned to fellow demons for aid unless pushed to absolute desperation.
It seemed the Allied spies had uncovered critically dire intelligence, leaving no room to sit and wait. She had no choice but to appeal to their shared kin and past bonds to lend a hand.
"Brother, what do you think?" Sinora looked at Pranay.
"I'll go with whatever you decide," Antanas chimed in. She never made decisions. She was a hands-off support by nature, having mastered the art of coasting along to climb the ranks.
"..."
Pranay sank into deep thought.
He had initially been unwilling to consider such a risky proposal.
Yet if Hyperion vanished from the map, that too was an extraordinarily safe alternative—perhaps even safer than staying in Ikerite. After all, when she had gone to the Northern Continent back then, the Southern Continent's Blood Clan had lost track of her entirely.
The Blood Clan possessed an astrologer, the Seventh Progenitor Marquis Heriteer, but Pranay possessed an unstable clairvoyance of his own to counter her, capable of mutual interference and illusory misdirection to keep the enemy from pinning down Hyperion's whereabouts.
More crucially, if Hyperion infiltrated the Creti Empire carrying the four great demons, what had been idle defensive strength would transform into offensive firepower.
"Hyperion, you decide," Pranay sighed.
They couldn't ask Lanqi for his assessment right now.
The Ice Witch's arrival truly offered a new possibility. She could craft cards and bolster the strength protecting Hyperion, tipping the scales of what had originally been the optimal strategy.
"Yes, thank you for your trust, Pranay," Hyperion nodded earnestly.
Having listened to the four great demons speak on the restaurant's ground floor for so long without finding a moment to chime in, Hyperion seemed to have made up her mind long ago.
"Teacher, this time master and apprentice stand as one. Let's do our best together." Hyperion stepped forward and clasped the Ice Witch's hands tightly. "No matter how evil the imperial hounds may be, I won't be afraid."
She had long wanted to embark on a journey filled with the unknown, duty, and purpose alongside her teacher, the Ice Witch.
With four great demons as her guardian spirits, she truly had nothing to fear. Now, she was the real modern-day demon princess.
She would become a spy for the Allied forces of the United Council of Kingdoms and gloriously fulfill her calling as a priestess!
Chapter 724