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In the end, Azell was able to explain the entirety of Saibein’s situation to Niberis before he exited the place.

Laura had been in a far away location, so she could harass their enemies. She had remained inside a barrier. Laura asked him a question.

“What if we.......”

“Mmm?”

“Wouldn’t it have been better to kidnap her?”

“You’ve seen Niberis’ personality. It wouldn’t have been strange to see her kill herself if we did that.”

“However, we could’ have completely subdued her. Couldn’t we have just taken her straight to Sir Saibein?”

“...we were in debt to the Simpleton Prince, so we carried out the promise we made him. Still, I don’t want to go that far in trying to fulfill that request. Moreover, our opponent isn’t that easy.”

While Azell taunted Niberis, he thoroughly assessed her intentions.

However, this didn’t mean Niberis was a foe that we could take lightly. In the process of pulling her up into the air, he could have killed her at any moment. However, once she regained her footing in the air, it had been hard for him to pierce through her defense.

The biggest problem had been the time limit.

“I believe Sir Almarick is here.”

Laura was using a mid level Magic Eye. She had been monitoring the waypoint in the far distance.

While he had been having a conversation with Niberis, Kieren had exited the collapsed cave. Then Almarick revealed himself through the recovered waypoint of the Road of Darkness.

However, they were too late. Azell and Laura was already exited the location at full speed.

Azell let out a bitter laugh as he spoke.

“If we could defeat that bastard, we wouldn’t have to do this.....”

The tracking of the Dragon Demon general’s Dragon weapon was an ability possessed by Almarick. Aincera didn’t have that ability. Basically, Azell’s party would be freed from the pressure of moving endlessly if they killed Almarick.

However, it wasn’t time yet.

They had to get rid of as many waypoints to the Road of Darkness. At the very least, Azell had to create a scenario where he could fight Almarick or Reygus in a one on one fight. He had recovered the strength he possessed during his prime, but he couldn’t guarantee he could win in a battle against two of them.

‘The opportunity will come.’

Azell buried the humiliation he had suffered in his past battle, and he made a cool judgement.

Laura queried him.

“What are you going to do about Niberis?”

“I’m not sure.”

Azell told her the truth.

He told her how her mother had died, and he had told her what her father had suffered within the Plain of Darkness.....

At first, she had been incensed. However, her face started to turn pale as the story continued. At the end, she was frozen. She didn’t even think about catching Azell, who was making his exit.

It was all a lie. That was what she had thought. It was all bullshit that was meant to deceive her.

However, there was something she could not deny. Azell knew too much details into her personal affairs. Laura used to be a high ranking officer in the Plain of Darkness, but there was no way she would have known about Niberis’ personal affairs.

“If possible, I would like you to come to a sensible decision. She was someone I wanted to kill at all cost in the past, but.... I’m reluctant to do so now, because of Saibein.”

Azell let out a bitter laughter as he asked Laura a question.

“Which option do you prefer?”

“I’m of the same mind as you.”

Laura didn’t like Niberis. From Laura’s perspective, Niberis was someone that hadn’t grown up doubting her own existence. She was someone that had been revered by everyone. Of course, Laura had become jealous of her.

However, such emotions became faint when she became Azell’s comrade.

Laura already lost the source that had caused her to be jealous of Niberis. She wasn’t a tool within Azell’s party. She had comrades, who respected her. She was treated as someone with feelings.

“Maybe... I might be feeling sympathy towards Niberis.”

Laura wasn’t sure of her emotions, yet she continued to speak.

In the past, Niberis and Laura didn’t care about each other’s personal life. The only thing that was important to them was the way they treated each other as competitors.

It was different now. She had learned the truth about Niberis through Saibein. Laura knew the truth now, and she could no longer look at Niberis with the same eyes.

Azell spoke.

“That might be true, but it is as you’ve said. She had been deceived and lied to by the specters of the past that refuses to die. She lived her life by being blinded by their fanaticism.”

In the past, Azell had considered Niberis only to be an enemy. However, his perception went through a change when he met Saibein.

He saw Niberis as a person now. She was a person that could cry, laugh and grieve.

It was an unwelcome change. It was best to only have hatred and hostility towards one’s enemies. Once one found a reason to be sympathetic towards an enemy, it was inevitable that the sword would be dulled.

Laura spoke.

“I no longer want to fight Niberis.”

“If I’m being truthful, I feel the same way. I suffered a big loss in trying to keep this promise. I just have to hope her choice won’t let this end on a sour note.”

Azell had suffered a lot of losses in this venture.

The fact that he could have eliminated a strong foe like Niberis was a big loss in itself. Even if he knew information that made him feel sympathy towards her, this might result in her killing one of his allies in the future.

Moreover, he had revealed the extent of his powers to her. He hadn’t shown her everything, but every information about his Dragon weapons would have already been transmitted through the Great Darkness.

Azell had shown good faith in keeping Saibein’s request. If Niberis chose to fight him despite all of this.....

‘At that point, it can’t be helped.’

7

While Azell’s party took a break, the Guardian Shadows and the Dragon Demon king worshippers continued their fierce battle.

The damage to both sides was proliferating.

The role of attacking and defending was flipped, but it wasn’t as if one side was overwhelmingly superior to the other. The Guardian Shadows were a bit ahead in terms of gathering information, so they were able to take the Dragon Demon King worshippers by surprise. However, one couldn’t underestimate the fighting strength of the Dragon Demon king worshippers.

The members of the Guardian Shadows in each country were dying in ones and twos.

The spirits of the Guardian Shadow were no longer immortal, and their numbers were steadily decreasing.

“It is unfortunate that the continent was divided into seven kingdoms.”

Kairen was commanding the Guardian Shadows from the Rulain Kingdom.

He was taking a break from fighting, but he still had to play his role. He gathered the information being sent to him from all over the place, and he was giving orders in real time.

Arrieta, who had been monitoring the situation from his side, let out a bitter laugh.

“It might have been better to have this war out in the open.... No, if that happened, I doubt we would be able to unite our forces.”

If the Plain of Darkness declared their existence as they waged a war against the world again, would the world really fight back under one banner like the Dragon Demon war?

She didn’t think so.

Aside from the kingdoms closest to the Plain of Darkness, the other kingdoms wouldn’t consider it to be their problem.

The fear of the Dragon Demon war was etched in history, so there would be some sort of cooperation between the kingdoms. However, the loss of one kingdom meant the gain of another kingdom. She was sure each kingdom would try to maneuver, so they would benefit the most.

Kairen let out a sigh.

“This is frustrating. I am a noble of another kingdom. I hate the fact that I have to think about using someone in a similar situation as me. I am capitalizing on their deaths.”

Kairen was tied to the position of duke in the Rulain Kingdom. That fact made it difficult for him to reveal to the others that he was the commander of the Guardian Shadows.

A member of the Guardian Shadow had died moments ago.

After seeing how the enemies were being mobilized, he had ordered a retreat. However, this person hadn’t listened. It was something that happened often in battle even if the command structure was crystal clear. The command structure hadn’t been established in the Guardian Shadows, so it wasn’t surprising to see this occur.

A noble from another kingdom had died, and he was troubled by it. Moreover, it was also a loss to the organization called the Guardian Shadow.

However, there was a more important factors that troubled him. The dead member was in the same position as Kairen in the past.

This person had become a member of the Guardian Shadow, because he had enmity towards the Dragon Demon King worshippers. This was the reason why he had fought with his life on the line.

Instead of feeling respect and sadness towards the dead member, Kairen felt revulsion towards himself.

“Someone has to do this task.”

“...it seems I’ve lived long enough, since I’m being consoled by you.”

Kairen let out a bitter laugh. He had only seen her as his young student, who he had to look out for. However, he realized that she was an adult in her own right.

Soon, he changed the topic of conversation.

“How’s your Dragon Soul coming along?”

“It keeps on staying at the precipice of succeeding and not succeeding.”

They had decided to move independently from Azell and Laura. This was why Kairen had decided to return to the Rulain Kingdom, and his party had joined up with Seigar. Moreover, he started teaching Arrieta and Seigar about the Dragon Soul in earnest.

Both of them were Dragon Majins, but they possessed as much Dragon Demon magic as Dragon Demons. This was especially true for Arrieta, who had gone through the Dragon Slayer’s Ritual. She had grown in leaps and bounds.

On top of that, she had learned the forgotten techniques. She possessed all the prerequisites needed to learn the Dragon Soul.

However, the Dragon Soul wasn’t that easy to awaken.

Kairen spoke.

“There is no other way than to be make steady progress. You’ve already learned the method, so you just have to work on it. It’ll awaken before you know it.”

“How long did it take for Leticia and you?”

“It took us about a month and a half. However, your environment is inferior to what he had.”

Kairen didn’t think he was better at teaching the Dragon Soul than Reshoo. Reshoo was the founder of the Dragon Soul, and he possessed deep understanding of this technique.

On top of that, Saibein’s absence was the biggest factor. Reshoo had driven Kairen and Leticia to their limits, because Saibein possessed a healing ability. He couldn’t do the same with Arrieta and Seigar.

Arrieta asked him a question.

“I see. So who awakened the Dragon Soul first between you and Leticia?”

“.......”

At her words, Kairen visibly frowned. His expression was an answer in itself.

“She was ahead of you, teacher. She’s amazing.”

“That is.......”

Unlike him, Leticia had known about her own nature. He was about to make an excuse, but he shut his mouth. He thought it would be unmanly of him to do so.

Kairen grumbled.

“You learned all the bad things from Azell, while you traveled with him. That is why you are being so mean.”

“If it isn’t now, when will I get to make fun of you? Hmmph. I should try hard to break your record. I can understand falling behind Leticia, but my pride as an elder sister would be hurt if I fall behind my brother”

On the other hand, Seigar’s pride as a man would be hurt if he came in behind her. This was why he was trying very hard. The two siblings didn’t look alike, but they were alike in every other way.

Arrieta spoke.

“However, it seems we won’t be able to rest until Seigar and I awaken our Dragon Soul.”

“That’s right. Our absence is putting a lot of stress on our side, so we’ll be moving in four days.”

In four days, it would exactly be two weeks since they decided to move independently from Azell and Laura. Everyone was well rested, and they were back to peak condition.

Currently, they had destroyed 40 waypoints. There were 182 left.

“The deciding battle will start when the number of waypoints falls below 100. We just have to hope that our forces will be able to hold out until that time comes.”

Kairen was planning on dispatching Reygus or Almarick at that point. He would set up a stage where they would be able to kill either of them for sure.

However, it was always true that no plan survives contacts with the enemy.

8

It had been 220 years since they had started the battle behind the scenes. This was the first time the Plain of Darkness had their hands full.

They knew the value of the Road of Emptiness. They knew it better than anyone. It was a relic left behind Atein, who they had deified. This added to the value of the relic, and they decided that they would have to protect it no matter the cost.

They could no longer leave the fight to the younger generation. The survivors of the Dragon Demon war had pulled the strings from the background. Now they would have to move their heavy butts.

Of course, if one thought logically about it, not much would change even if they did move into the field. It was the same as the elders of the Aunsaurus tribe. They were Dragon Demons, but they had all weakened from old age. It had been too long since they had abdicated their places from the front line.

However, those that were swept up by fanaticism usually made irrational decisions.

Reygus spoke.

<Hmm. I shouldn’t be saying this, but what an ungainly sight. >

“I feel the same way. However, the extra forces will be useful.”

Almarick smirked.

Laura and the younger generation were told that only 20 survivors of the Dragon Demon war were left within the Plain of Darkness. Everyone else was dead thanks to passage of time ....

However, that wasn’t the truth.

There were some amongst survivors of the Dragon Demon war, who had voluntarily changed themselves into the Undead.

If one thought about it rationally, it was truly a foolish choice. Even if one became an Undead, one couldn’t maintain one’s sanity for long. Of course, if the Undead was made well, there were various methods that could be used to maintain the Undead. One could last for another several dozens of years, but this time period would be filled with pain.

However, these beings wanted to see the revival of the Dragon Demon king with their own eyes.

It was as Saibein had told Azell. It didn’t take too long for the Plain of Darkness to be changed into a religiously fanatic organization. Those at the top were filled with madness, so it wasn’t strange to see them act in such extreme manners.

When they changed themselves into the Undead, they had put themselves into a long hibernation in order to maintain their sanity.

However, the upper echelon of the Plain of Darkness had no choice, but to wake them up. This was how desperate their situation was.

Reygus shrugged his shoulders.

<How much help can they be? I guess the magicians might help, but those that wield swords need a lot of time to re-attune their senses.>

Spirit Order practitioners and the Dragon Arts practitioners lost a lot when they became Undead.

When they became Undead, they lost all reference points for their techniques. They had to re-tune their techniques to the standard of the Undead, and it wasn’t a thing that could be solved in a short amount of time.

Almarick let out a bright smile as he asked a question.

“Are you speaking from experience after being drubbed by Azell?”

<...ughh. You are poking at a painful memory.>

When he became an Undead, Reygus had lost all his Dragon Demon magic. As a Dragon Arts practitioner, he had lost a lot of his skills in comparison to his past self. However, he had used battles to get used to the senses of an Undead.

Almarick spoke.

“Anyways, just the magicians will be of big help to us. These bastards have a lot of things hidden away, so it has been nice to continually use their resources. However, it seems the well is about to dry up, and I’m not too happy about it.”

For the most part, he had Aincera’s support, so Almarick had been acting as the supreme commander within the Plain of Darkness. However, those that were in power respected him, but they refused to reveal all they possessed to Almarick.

<Mmm?>

Suddenly, Reygus raised his head. Almarick asked in puzzlement.

“What is it?”

<Someone is coming.>

“Is it someone that is worth paying attention to?”

“How could it not be?”

However, the one to answer Almarick wasn’t Reygus. Almarick and Reygus became surprised.

<Who are you?>

Someone had entered into the room after tricking their senses. After being revived, this was something both of them had experienced for the first time.

The other person had his head covered with a black hood. No, if one was to be precise, a magical power was creating a curtain of darkness beneath the hood. It obscured the identity of the being, and it also modulated his voice.

“It seems a lot of time has passed.”

The being in front of them took off his hood as he spoke.

When his face was revealed to Reygus and Almarick, they felt more surprised than the surprise they had felt when their senses were deceived.