Brillda, the capital of the Creti Empire, nestled beneath the towering Ostro Highlands, embraced by lush, emerald pine forests. At the undulating heart of the city stood a magnificent, beige temple-like edifice.
The Imperial Military General Staff and High Command Headquarters.
As the supreme command organ of the imperial armed forces, it was responsible for formulating the empire's grand military strategy and directing and coordinating joint operations across all branches of service.
From the far-flung frontiers to the vast imperial heartland, every inch of territory was secured through strategies devised within these walls.
At the deepest core of this grand structure lay the Hall of Divine Descent.
Shaped like a subterranean amphitheater, it was encircled by twelve imposing archways. The domed ceiling was inlaid with murals composed of myriad luminous, immortal crystals whose dazzling brilliance cast light across the black marble floor below, making it resemble the center of a celestial galaxy.
This was the exclusive council chamber of the empire's Twelve War Gods, as well as the Creti Empire's most inscrutable forbidden zone.
In times of peace, even a powerhouse of the ninth tier could never hope to breach a defense line held by half the War Gods.
Now, however, most of the War Gods had marched off to war. Even Sixth War God Violet of the Aquamarine Seat, who was stationed in the capital, had departed to survey Lake Stabergen near Botswana Province. Consequently, the Hall of Divine Descent had grown quite desolate.
Typically, only First War God Hyacinthus remained behind to guard the capital.
At this moment, the headquarters' Hall of Divine Descent was completely deserted.
Directly beneath the transparent glass surface at the center of the round table was the Hall of Divine Descent's sealed containment zone.
At the subterranean core, an obsidian chimeric cube glowing with an eerie crimson luminescence was bound to a stone dais by layers of heavy chains, ringed by flickering, mana-inhibiting steel pillars.
Ancient curse seals covered all six faces of the cube. The chains wrapped around it writhed as though alive, coiled like venomous serpents and scorpions while exuding a foul, wicked malice.
No one noticed that within the mirrored interior of this cube lay the boundless expanse of the Illusory Domain...
***
Inside that exiled realm of the void, every speck of color between heaven and earth had been stripped away, leaving only endless gray. It was an utter wasteland where not a blade of grass could grow, strewn everywhere with charred ruins and withered bones.
From time to time, tremors rippled through the black desert, as if something stirred beneath the earth.
A freezing gale howled, kicking up black sand mingled with the faint stench of blood.
Amidst this desolate void, a figure gradually coalesced.
"Fifty-five days..."
Clad in a black robe, he blended almost seamlessly into the gloomy surroundings.
Vigilance etched his handsome, chiseled features. His short brown hair fluttered in the wind, yet his eyes held not the slightest intention of surrender.
He had long lost his former dashing grace, bearing instead the battered, ragged wear of countless wounds.
Upon his weary, weathered face, an uncharacteristic stubble lent his former gentleness a touch of mortal grit.
Loren had struggled within this nightmarish realm for dozens of days.
Ever since he was sealed away by Third War God Goyate of the Sardonyx Seat, he had been trapped within the inner space of this Illusory Domain, unable to find an exit.
This world was no peaceful void; it was a desperate death trap bent on claiming his life at every waking moment.
Black fog surged toward Loren from the horizon beneath oppressive, low-hanging clouds. Accompanied by ear-piercing rumbles, heaven and earth shook ceaselessly.
That was no mere fog—it was a sky-blotting horde of void creatures.
*Boom!*
The ground before Loren convulsed violently. Grayish-black dust exploded into the air along with spewing volcanic ash as a jagged fissure snaked its way from deep within the wasteland, twisting like a serpent, over a dozen meters wide.
Serpentine, colossal void abominations scrambled out of the chasm one after another, leading a swarm of void beasts in an onslaught. Resembling maggots, aberrant monsters, and ghouls, their hideous forms reeked of rot and oozed a virulent malice, like dregs shoveled straight out of hell and dumped into the mortal world.
Right then, a thunderous crack of heavenly retribution tore through the dead void.
Loren brought his hands together, and violent currents of air instantly coalesced in his palms into a silver vortex.
The next instant, the vortex detonated, transforming into a roaring tempest that swept toward the army of void creatures.
Countless razor-sharp wind blades materialized within the hurricane. Wherever they passed, void creatures were shredded to pieces, massive serpents were hacked into segments, and black blood splattered in all directions.
"The one thousand five hundred and sixty-second beast tide," Loren murmured silently. His breath was ragged with fatigue, yet he dared not let his guard down.
The currents swirling around him crackled with icy lightning; the dual powers of wind and thunder roared as they spiraled at his side.
Every time he raised his hand, electrical arcs condensed before surging forth with devastating momentum, detonating in deafening booms across the sky. Nothing in their path was spared.
In the beginning, facing these ghastly, terrifying, and relentless void abominations, he had teetered on the brink of death multiple times.
Yet through endless, brutal slaughter and life-and-death clashes, he had gradually mastered the laws of survival within this Illusory Domain.
Fighting void creatures was a contest of natural selection.
Blades of wind coalesced at Loren's fingertips; with a single wave, he could mince incoming void maggots to shreds. Thunderbolts cascaded from above, reducing colossal void beasts to charred cinders amidst ear-splitting rumbles.
With every battle, the face of this land was remade.
The earth was torn into fractured ravines, crags were pulverized by lightning, and wherever the hurricane blew, everything was flattened.
Gradually, Loren grew composed amidst the bloodshed.
This brutal combat had become his new normal.
*[Witness ▇▇▇▇▇▇ the pow▇▇ beyond li▇▇ts.]*
Even with divine arts assisting his analysis, Loren could not fully comprehend the alien divine whisper echoing in his ears and draping over heaven and earth.
Deep within the storm clouds, a violet-crimson eye as vast as the firmament slowly blinked open, its pupil gleaming with an ominous luster.
Loren knew all too well that several supreme void entities inhabited this Illusory Domain. Within this realm, they were undying and indestructible, practically one with the space itself. Even Loren stood no chance in a direct confrontation and had to do everything in his power to evade them.
The next moment, the earth ruptured, and a multi-kilometer rift tore open before Loren. Void creatures surged forth like a tidal wave, thrashing and shrieking as they charged him.
Loren's gaze hardened, lightning crackling wildly within his pupils.
Thunder struck straight down from the heavens, landing dead center in the howling gale.
Battle erupted once more.
***
An hour later.
A blinding white beam cleaved down from the horizon, reducing the remaining corpses of the void creatures to ash.
Only when the final void beast collapsed did the gale slowly subside and the lightning gradually fade.
Loren stood motionless amidst the sea of blood and mountain of corpses, steady as a rock, like a god of war looking down upon mortal life.
His brown hair was drenched in sweat, sticking in strands to his forehead.
Upon his stern face, his gaze was sharp as lightning. Panting for breath, he could finally catch his second wind.
He had never imagined that the ancient adage—*"Place them in death ground and they shall live; plunge them into mortal danger and they shall survive"*—would one day come true for him.
"Goyate... as you are now, I could fight you with one hand."
Loren clenched his fist. Even he had lost track of just how strong he had become.
"When the day comes that you War Gods let me out, let's see how many of you I can take down with me."
Perhaps with the sole exception of First War God Hyacinthus of the Adamant Seat...
He would never lose to another opponent again.
The air currents around him continued to spiral and roar, faintly blending into a continuous rumble of thunder.
That aura of looking down on heaven and earth and despising all creation began to strike terror even into the hearts of the void creatures.
With that, Loren stepped forward, his black robe billowing as he strode into the storm and disappeared into the distance.
***
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
In the City of Brillda.
Inside Void Gate No. 2, under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Shadow World Administration Bureau.
A threshold space was still in the midst of calculating settlement rewards.
"There are quite a few of us here, so our settlement will probably take a little longer than Lanqi's," Huberian chatted patiently with Antanas and Sinnola while waiting for their rewards.
Looking out from the starry plaza where she stood, mists drifted across the wide canopy of the star-filled sky, refracting the twinkling stars into an ethereal haze.
All four Great Demons who had entered through this portal with her were present.
"It's enough that you're safe. After you left the Demon King City of Naicalis, I worried about you for so long," Sinnola said warmly, holding both of Huberian's hands.
"I actually had a lot of fun at Purgatory Corridor Academy..." Huberian replied sheepishly.
She knew Sinnola had been deeply worried. After all, the two of them were practically inseparable in Ikerite, hanging out every day. They had rarely been parted for over a dozen days like in this Shadow World.
"That's good to hear."
Sinnola breathed a sigh of relief.
She and Antanas had already received their rewards, and they were now waiting for the final rewards for the Great Snow Witch, Pranay, and Huberian.
Sinnola hadn't expected her reward to be related to General Oglin, commander of the Demon Realm's First Army Group during that era of the Shadow World.
[General of Ten Thousand Mights' Gauntlet - Right]
[Category: Equipment Card]
[Rarity: Pink Divine]
[Attribute: Slashing]
[Tier: 8]
[Effect: When equipped, increases the intensity of Slashing-attribute attacks.]
[Note: The fierce sword intent of Lord of Ten Thousand Mights Oglin. The white chainmail gauntlet that accompanied him as he slaughtered formidable foes.]
Crafted from a platinum-colored Naicalis steel, it gleamed with a cold luster in the dim light.
The gauntlet's surface was layered with chainmail plates arranged in a streamlined pattern, with the insignia of the Demon King's military orders engraved upon its flexible structure.
Sharp metal ridges reinforced the knuckles, not only shielding the joints but also granting punches devastating destructive power. A dark crimson, sharply faceted gem was set into the back of the hand, while the soft down lining the interior ensured comfort even through prolonged combat.
A beast-faced metal clasp adorned the wrist, exuding an imposing air while locking the gauntlet securely in place to prevent it from slipping off during fierce brawls.
For Sinnola, the Lord of Ten Thousand Mights' right gauntlet enhanced her second-best attribute. Aside from her specialty in counter-disruption, equipping this gear provided a welcome boost to her primary offensive method: slashing.
"You four had it much rougher, I imagine."
Huberian could tell they had all just emerged from a vicious fight; they weren't in peak condition, yet they had arrived in the threshold space right afterward.
Her only real exertion in this Shadow World had been escorting Tamisha on the run from the Demon King City of Naicalis to Purgatory City Pasqual.
The moment she reunited with Lanqi, she had fallen right back into familiar rhythms.
The more Huberian thought about it, the guiltier she felt.
Those final days had been downright scandalous.
She had spent every waking hour playing and relaxing with Lysandra at Purgatory Corridor Academy. She hadn't experienced such carefree fun even in the real world.
Perhaps it was because back in Ikerite, everyone had treated her as an outsider growing up and avoided playing with her, whereas at Purgatory Corridor Academy, everyone treated her like a princess—and she had a soulmate like Lysandra by her side.
"Uh... actually... actually..." Antanas scratched the back of her head, looking somewhat awkward.
The Great Snow Witch didn't quite know how to respond either.
In truth, the four of them had spent the first dozen or so days in Naicalis living in decadent luxury, feasting and drinking, and only contributed a bit during the final days—in what was practically a guaranteed victory.
It felt a bit like coasting.
Yet because they had managed to land an assist against Third Progenitor Rasheal at the very end, all four received rewards, leading Huberian to assume their contributions had been quite substantial.
Under Ikerite's grading system, Antanas, Sinnola, and Pranay would have gone from levels 81, 82, and 83 to 82, 83, and 84. For the eighth tier, such an increase was remarkably significant.
As for the Great Snow Witch, she had risen from 85 to 86; she had genuinely contributed the most during the battle against Rasheal.
A standout among the rest, so to speak.
Their Pink Divine rewards were essentially the spoils of riding Lanqi's coattails.
Antanas's gear was similar to Sinnola's, also originating from the power of Lord of Ten Thousand Mights Oglin—
[General of Ten Thousand Mights' Gauntlet - Left]
[Category: Equipment Card]
[Rarity: Pink Divine]
[Attribute: Basic]
[Tier: 8]
[Effect: When equipped, significantly increases the four basic attributes: Strength, Mana, Vitality, and Spirit.]
[Note: Lord of Ten Thousand Mights Oglin's recognition of ascetics. The black gauntlet that accompanied him as he guarded the Demon Realm.]
Meticulously fashioned from prime dragon leather, it displayed a deep obsidian sheen. The palm and fingers were overlaid with pliable Naicalis steel that conformed perfectly to the contours of the wearer's hand. Fine herringbone patterns were etched across the metal surface like the hide of a demon dragon, providing not only superb protection but also imbuing the wielder with the blessing of dragon strength.
Around the wrist ran a ring of barbs shaped like Demon Realm brambles, doubling as a formidable defensive measure.
Compared to Sinnola's General of Ten Thousand Mights' Gauntlet - Right, it lacked offensive utility, but it was exceptionally versatile—anyone could equip it.
"If only we could have swiped those swords of his too," Antanas muttered, staring at her new equipment with greedy eyes.
Only now did she realize that all the gear carried by General Oglin, the Lord of Ten Thousand Mights from the Blood Moon Ruined World, was top-tier treasure. Her own equipment cards from centuries ago had long since been confiscated by the Protos Empire when she was imprisoned.
"Forget it. Those swords are probably Epic grade; we aren't qualified to claim his weapons," Pranay said, shaking his head.
Besides, none of them knew how to use a sword anyway.
Pranay had the clearest assessment of the strength of the Great Demons aligned with the Lord of Blasphemy.
Lord of Ten Thousand Mights Oglin was not only the strongest Great Demon general aside from Lord of Blasphemy Melogas; the weapons he wielded were also overwhelmingly powerful. That was the only reason he could overwhelm the immortal Ninth Progenitor, Marquis Bernhard.
In reality, if swapped for a weaker demon general—like their old friend, the Space Demon Yabo—they would have stood no chance against Marquis Bernhard on his home turf.
As they talked, a pink radiance began to manifest before Pranay.
"Pranay, it's your turn to flip your reward!" Antanas pointed excitedly.
Sinnola leaned in curiously to see what her brother had received.
Pranay retrieved the materialized object from the orb of light: a single, translucent magic card engraved with skeletal motifs.
[Skeletal Emissary]
[Category: Summon Card]
[Rarity: Pink Divine]
[Attribute: Undead / Scouting]
[Tier: 8]
[Effect: Summons a clone possessing 10% of the user's Mana and Strength, and 100% of the user's Vitality and Spirit. Perfectly mimics the user's mana and aura. Its actions can be mentally controlled, with a maximum range of 50 kilometers from the original body.]
[Note: Lord of Skeletons Demongate firmly believed that only a living Great Demon is worthy of dealing damage. Thus, upon defeating the Lord of Skeletons, one often discovers that it wasn't necessarily the real Lord of Skeletons.]
"..."
Pranay's expression didn't change.
Yet Sinnola could already sense that her brother was delighted.
He seemed deeply grateful to this fellow civil official of their race, with whom he had briefly crossed paths across tens of thousands of years for a dozen-odd days.
During their stay in the Demon King City of Naicalis, Pranay and Antanas had socialized extensively with the other Great Demons, whereas the introverted Sinnola and the Great Snow Witch had mostly kept to themselves.
It was very likely that Pranay had gotten along quite well with Lord of Skeletons Demongate.
"Pranay, promise me this won't be the last time I ever see your real face!" Antanas stared at the card, finished identifying it, looked away, and warned him sternly.
She strongly suspected that from now on, Pranay would only ever leave a clone in their presence and never let anyone lay eyes on his true body again.
"How could that be?" Pranay answered without inflection.
"You wouldn't actually brush me off with a fake body whenever we hang out, would you?" Sinnola glanced sideways at the card in Pranay's hand, catching on to Antanas's point.
She looked like she was contemplating snatching the card right then and there.
"Could you really not tell your own brother apart?"
Anticipating his sister's thoughts, Pranay bound the card immediately and tucked it away.
"I..."
Sinnola was struck speechless, thoroughly dazed by Pranay's counter.
"Pranay, why are you sounding so Lanqi-esque! That's too foul! You can't use Lanqi's logic against us! The two of us put together already aren't as smart as you, and now you're applying Lanqi's formulas!" Antanas condemned.
"They're so lively..." the Great Snow Witch observed beside them, speaking softly to Huberian.
Four Great Demons whose combined ages exceeded two thousand years, yet after a century apart, the Great Snow Witch was certain that not only Antanas, but even the noble-born Pranay and Sinnola siblings had become thoroughly down-to-earth.
"There's no helping it, Teacher. They've completely assimilated into human society. Ikerite's culture rubs off on them every day, so their way of thinking has gradually become more human. They're bound to be different from before," Huberian replied with a smile.
Having parted from Mother Caliera of the Blood Moon Ruined World era, she now had Mother Great Snow Witch beside her, leaving Huberian bathed in a constant sense of comforting warmth.
"Teacher, if you came to live at Boss Cat Restaurant for a while, maybe you could set aside your heavy duties and relax too?" Huberian suggested as the thought struck her.
She had always felt the Great Snow Witch worked tirelessly like a mechanical doll. Watching her made Huberian feel exhausted, yet the Great Snow Witch herself seemed entirely oblivious to fatigue.
"Theoretically, if Florence takes over the Church of the Goddess of Fate's affairs in Ikerite, I could take some time off. But Florence cannot stay in Ikerite indefinitely." The Great Snow Witch considered it for a moment before shaking her head. "Besides, even if I went to Boss Cat Restaurant, what would I do all day?"
She recalled that Antanas, Sinnola, and Pranay all worked at the restaurant. They weren't just tenants; they were part of the staff, living comfortably among friends every day.
"Boss Cat Restaurant actually needs a resident singer. I heard your voice is more enchanting than a siren's, Teacher, but I've never had the chance to hear you sing your heart out."
Back when Huberian first arrived at the Church of the Goddess of Fate on the Northern Continent, she had heard the priests speak of Chosen Saintess Almis's remarkable talents.
"Demonic melodies are dangerous things..."
The Great Snow Witch shook her head.
Though her singing voice leaned gentle and soft—unlike a certain summon, the Great Compassionate Poet—it could ultimately influence the minds of living beings, so she rarely used it.
As they chatted, the Great Snow Witch spotted an orb of light drifting toward her.
It too radiated a pink, divine aura.
The instant her hand brushed the tangible core within the light, the Great Snow Witch understood. Unlike Antanas and Sinnola's equipment cards or Pranay's summon card, hers was a spell card.
[Body of Quicksilver Illusion]
[Category: Spell Card]
[Rarity: Pink Divine]
[Attribute: Alchemy / Concealment]
[Tier: 8]
[Effect: Liquefies the user's body, drastically reducing physical damage taken and granting an active optical camouflage effect.]
[Note: Lord of Quicksilver Michio only wants to slack off; avoiding combat altogether would be ideal.]
"Whoa, Almis, your card is amazing!" Antanas immediately crowded over, marveling at the spell.
"Turning into liquid... feels strange..."
The Great Snow Witch felt a slight aversion to turning her body semi-liquid, yet strangely enough, it suited her rather well.
Though the Lord of Quicksilver possessed his own unique aesthetic, in the context of human culture, he looked far too much like a humanoid slime.
"Huberian, how about I give this card to you once you reach the eighth tier?" Knowing that all of Huberian's current deck configurations centered around survival, the Great Snow Witch wanted to save all the best things for her.
"Teacher Almis, giving this spell to me would be a waste. I can already turn invisible, and I have more than enough life-saving methods. Besides, heaven knows when I'll reach the eighth tier—by then, we'll probably be in part two!"
Huberian hastily declined, thoroughly embarrassed at the thought of taking any more from the Great Snow Witch.
The witch had already provided her with rank advancement materials for the Priest path and personally crafted a set of divine life-saving spells to replace her basic cards. She truly couldn't accept another Tier 8 natural Pink Divine magic card.
"Very well, then I shall use it."
The Great Snow Witch took the card back and absorbed it herself.
If they ran into dire straits in Brillda—or worse, were forced into combat—it was best for them to strengthen themselves as much as possible. This power from the Lord of Quicksilver was indeed formidable.
"Now all that's left is your reward, Huberian." Antanas rubbed her hands together, waiting eagerly.
Leaving this threshold space meant returning to Brillda, the capital deep in the heartland of the Creti Empire. As Huberian's bodyguards, their espionage work in Brillda would likely be fraught with danger.
For the foreseeable future, there would be no more easy rides like this.
Yet as long as she lived with her friends, Antanas was happy every single day.
Growing old alongside friends was more important than anything else.
"I spent basically the entire Shadow World playing around and only finished the task of escorting Little Spark. I barely contributed anything. Getting even a Pink Divine reward would be lucky..."
Huberian guessed she would only receive a Purple Rare card or something even lower.
Halfway through her sentence, an orange radiance flooded her vision.
In disbelief, she reached out and touched the orb of light that had sought her out.
"Could it be a work of art? Or a tool? Materials?"
Huberian puzzled as she waved aside the outer mist of light.
The moment the orange haze cleared, a poisonous fog reached out, making Huberian's hand tremble. Her instinct was to throw away this magic card that she could hardly control.
"Don't be afraid. A magic card won't harm you; its mana is simply too overwhelming for you to easily master."
The Great Snow Witch stepped up and gently held Huberian's wrist. As frost coated the skin on the back of Huberian's hand, the numbing sensation from the card receded, allowing Huberian to exhale a lingering breath of relief.
She looked closely at the orange magic card again, only to find it bore the insignia of a scorpion intertwined with a heart.
[Melogas's Blasphemous Sovereignty]
[Category: Spell Card]
[Rarity: Orange Epic]
[Attribute: Poison / Enhancement]
[Tier: 7]
[Effect: Upon activation, inflicts a virulent poison state upon the user, drastically increasing Strength and Vitality. Utilizing Melogas's venom carries a probability of losing one's sanity and becoming more like her.]
[Note: Although her love may be somewhat twisted, she does love you, at least.]
"Eek!"
Upon seeing the card clearly, Huberian pulled back as if she had touched something filthy, wanting to fling it away again.
She had never imagined she would actually receive a genuine Epic magic card reward—and a Tier 7 Epic spell at that.
Yet on second thought...
After clearing the first Shadow World with Lanqi, she had indeed seen a chain quest line for the Blood Moon Ruined World series.
She was the only one who had accompanied Lanqi through all four Shadow Worlds from start to finish.
This was an accumulated reward, exclusive to the two of them who had initiated the quest line, which was why it had settled into an Orange Epic upon the storyline's conclusion.
"Why did it have to roll from Melogas's pool..."
Huberian felt deeply conflicted.
She would have been ecstatic to draw practically any other Epic spell, but Lord of Blasphemy Melogas genuinely terrified her.
"Melogas has an excellent affinity with you. Tens of thousands of years ago, you were likely blood relatives in a past life, sharing the same physical constitution and similar genetics. That's why you can wield her power," the Great Snow Witch explained beside her.
She remembered that Huberian possessed high poison resistance; drinking alcohol was like drinking sparkling water to her, and she rarely lost consciousness.
If anyone else used Melogas's venom to stimulate their body, they wouldn't be able to withstand the backlash at all—it would be practically suicidal.
They would poison themselves to death before enjoying any enhancement.
"In any case, Almis has already prepared your engraving materials. Once we return to the real world, we'll first contact Miss Unity from Allied Intelligence, find a secure location, and advance you to Tier 7. We'll protect you, so you can focus on engraving your rank with peace of mind," Sinnola assured Huberian.
Seeing Huberian's long-standing efforts bear fruit brought Sinnola immense joy.
Melogas wasn't just brutally offensive; she was unbelievably tanky. According to Lanqi's debrief after visiting the Demon King City, Melogas had taken a relentless beating from Xigelei without suffering serious injury, proving far more terrifying than a Cardinal.
Sinnola was only grateful that they hadn't attempted to fight Lord of Blasphemy Melogas back in the Demon King City.
Even with all four of them combined, they had no confidence of defeating her. That woman possessed near-bottomless vitality and flew into rages at the drop of a hat.
"To be honest... the first three Shadow Worlds were easy carries too... Lanqi just found ways to inflate my contribution score..." Huberian muttered, her cheeks flushing red.
Where in the world was there another female protagonist like her, barely growing stronger and carried to victory from start to finish?
Lanqi had even told her...
Oh.
She was the base crystal; in that case, it didn't matter.
As long as she accepted her own weakness, she was invincible.
In a sense, she was the lord; win or lose, she would always survive to the very end.
"Huberian, a male lead like Lanqi—born like a god, who gradually becomes human as he grows—is one of a kind. You could say you two were made for each other. You ought to feed him all the experience so he can nurture you in return. It's the ultimate win-win!" Antanas draped an arm over Huberian's shoulder, praising her lavishly.
"Huberian, do not let your guard down," Pranay murmured absently, his gaze distant.
He had an uneasy feeling that the turmoil within the Creti Empire was far from simple.
Returning from the Blood Moon Ruined World era's Horning Empire offered a stark contrast: he realized that the Horning Empire in its late decline was far weaker than today's Creti Empire at the height of its Twelve War Gods.
With only Third Progenitor Duke Rasheal, Seventh Progenitor Marquis Heritier, Eighth Progenitor Marquis Somerset, and Ninth Progenitor Marquis Bernhard—who had likely only recently awakened in the present era—the bloodkin shouldn't have been able to seize complete control of the Creti Empire so swiftly, even according to the timeline Lanqi had foreseen.
"Mm. I'll make sure everyone wins it all. That is my resolve as the Demon Princess." Huberian tightened her fist.
The lord acts as lord, the subjects as subjects; each has their duty.
The Demon Princess had only one goal: don't feed, and hold the line until the demons protecting her tore down the enemy's base.
"It is truly a blessing that you aren't competitive by nature," the Great Snow Witch consoled Huberian, easing her pressure.
Almis couldn't help but feel grateful that Huberian had inherited Iphatia's temperament to some degree.
Otherwise, if someone meant to be king insisted on charging to the front lines like a soldier to show off, that would be an utter catastrophe.
Under current circumstances, Huberian was practically a little angel to them.
Huberian nodded.
"I'll need to use this card with extreme caution."
She looked once more at the orange-shrouded Epic spell card from Melogas.
Huberian wasn't sure whether using Melogas's venom would cause her aura and mana to resemble Melogas more closely.
Fortunately, there was no Caliera in the real world; otherwise, if Huberian turned into Melogas, she would probably disgust Caliera to no end.
Back when Huberian spent time with Caliera at Purgatory Corridor Academy, Caliera's expression had darkened whenever Melogas was mentioned.
After putting away their Shadow World settlement items, the five demons chatted briefly in the threshold space before arriving before the void gate leading back to reality.
That morning, right after arriving in Brillda, the capital of the Creti Empire, they hadn't even had the chance to meet Miss Unity, the allied spy from the Kingdom of Canbera assigned as their contact. They had merely met Miss Unity's subordinate to arrange a new meeting time, then hurried straight to Brillda's void gate, entering the Shadow World right at nine o'clock.
It seemed Miss Unity had a mission to entrust to them. While not exceedingly urgent, she needed to consult Huberian's opinion, so Huberian wanted to report back to the allied forces without delay.
"Let's go find Miss Unity," Huberian said, taking the lead as she stepped through the exit of the void gate.
Chapter 805