“Brock?” The Demon King said, “What brings you all the way here? I remember you should be on the Dawn Continent.”
Brock fell onto one knee. “Your Majesty, I apologize. I have failed.”
The Demon King’s expression remained calm and gentle. “Oh? Now, this is a surprising outcome. The Masefield clan lord reported that the Dark Gospel Howard is on the verge of death from his injuries. With you and George working together, in addition to Master Mitas’ oversight, you should’ve gained a marginal victory if not a big win.”
Habsburg frowned unnoticeably—these demonkin experts were famous experts in the Evernight camp. George was a bit younger than the rest, but Grand Duke Brock was almost comparable to a prince. They had dispatched two famed experts and a warlock to hunt down some escaped vampires from the Twilight Continent.
That warlock was especially impressive. The man hadn’t been seen on the battlefield for quite some time, but Habsburg remembered through Metatron’s memories just how difficult it was to fight an army under his command. His secret arts and superior weapons would improve his troops’ fighting power exponentially. Howard would have a hard time fighting him even if he were at his peak.
Brock bowed deeply. “I rushed too far ahead before they were in position. In the end, I only managed to save a small portion of the vanguard, and my airship was also destroyed.”
The Demon King placed the book to one side, his gentle expression fading away. “This isn’t good news. Did you come all the way here to apologize?”
Brock said, “Before seeking punishment, I have something very important to report.”
The Demon King said, “Habsburg, you don’t need to leave. Brock, you may continue whatever you were saying.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I met Qianye there and engaged in a fierce battle with him. In the end, he used the Book of Darkness, which projected the following scenery.”
Brock produced a mass of demonic energy from his palm, which took the form of Qianye and the evolutionary process of the Book of Darkness.
Seeing how the continents had taken form and how the races had appeared, the Demon King shot to his feet but sat down again after a while. “That’s why I said I’m not so confident about keeping my promise.”
Habsburg raised his head ever so slightly and watched the Demon King in silence. He said nothing, nor was there any emotion on his face. His pair of sapphire eyes contained a hint of coldness in them.
The Demon King looked away. “Demonstrate it to me again.”
Brock replayed the projection again until the world was flourishing. The projection came to a sudden stop there.
The Demon King was fully engrossed. “What happens after that?”
“There’s no more.”
“Qianye withdrew the book.”
The Demon King said with a laugh, “That kid has sharp senses, but he’s also quite careless sometimes. Brock, recount every detail of your battle, do not leave anything out.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Grand Duke Brock began describing how Qianye had charged into the airship and how he had fled in defeat. Not only did he explain Qianye’s techniques and power in detail, but he also added his own analyses about the opponent’s relative strength and law variations. Qianye would be greatly surprised if he were here. This duke had seemingly started off in arrogance and fled in cowardice, but he was a true expert. The Demon King listened patiently and, with due seriousness, asked questions periodically.
After the discussion, Brock said in embarrassment. “It was my fault for underestimating the enemy this time. I hope you will give me another chance. With Master Mitas’ reinforcement, George and I will surely be able to beat Qianye and Nighteye. The Dark Gospel Howard can only sow chaos from the sidelines, he can’t do much now.”
The Demon King shook his head. “It might be fine the first time, but you’ve already traded blows. They will be prepared.”
“They’re just dukes…” Brock wanted to insist.
The Demon King said, “Hmm, have Klaus… never mind, he has other missions. Someone has to oversee Blacksun Valley. Go to Mark and retrieve a token with my seal on it, then seek Sousa out. He has fought Qianye before.”
Brock felt rather surprised at how serious the Demon King was taking Qianye.
Habsburg’s mockery was so obvious that Brock glanced at him in anger.
The Demon King cut the enmity short. “Brock, go and get things done.”
Brock immediately turned around with a respectful attitude and left after performing his salutations.
The atmosphere in the study was no longer as peaceful. Almost as though the air had frozen, there was a hint of coldness.
The Demon King stood up and paced about, something highly abnormal for him.
The dark supremes of the Sacred Mountain were akin to gods in the eyes of many. People like the Queen of the Night would only send their projections to the council, yet everyone felt the urge to prostrate before her. The Demon King might be the closest to the masses, but he had never displayed any sign of hesitation or struggle.
Habsburg closed his eyes, as though he were taking a short nap. He said after a while, “Your Majesty Kane, is it not enough that you killed Lin Xitang? Must you kill everyone related to him?”
The Demon King came to a stop and glanced over at the source of the voice, but Habsburg didn’t open his eyes. In truth, this was the first time the two had discussed this topic.
“Before the Longevity Monarch’s demise, he sent a message about a secret plan to topple the energy system of our world.”
“It’s not something that can be achieved overnight and simply hearing about it sounds ridiculous, but the portion occupied by daybreak energy has been growing all this time.” The Demon King said gently, “The master of the plan for this generation was Lin Xitang.”
“This is an inconceivable scheme. Do you think humans can accomplish something we never even imagined?”
“Dear Habsburg, I’m not the only one who can listen to the laws of this world. I’m also not the only one on the Sacred Mountain.”
Habsburg suddenly opened his eyes and gazed at the Demon King. The latter’s words were so shocking that he almost thought he had heard wrong.
“Whether this information is right or wrong, whether our people believe it or not, it will cause great panic in the Evernight World. That’s why you’re the fourth person to know about it.”
The Demon King had made it clear that Habsburg hadn’t heard wrong. The supremes, who understood the laws of this world the best, had sensed some unnoticed changes and reached a consensus on the matter.
“It’s unfortunate that such a beautiful star trajectory can only last sixty years in this world. It’s not even long enough for our kids to turn into a.d.u.l.ts. What’s worse is that we are merely enemies for him to eliminate, and I couldn't find a way to change his opinion.”
Moments later, Habsburg laughed wryly. “The stubbornness of the short-lived races stems from their short lives. Things that are too far ahead in the future hold little meaning for them. Marshal Lin was even more unmoveable because his fate was set in stone.”
“Yes, humans are such contradictory creatures. Their short lives make them focus on the present, yet this limitation never led them down the wrong path.” The Demon King paused for a bit. “That is our enemy.”
The Demon King remained silent for a good while before saying, “If you’re referring to Lin, I can’t kill him a second time. Besides, I don’t know how he managed to do it, but his life source has been extinguished thoroughly. That’s why his remains are also highly unstable. It will crumble and collapse the moment the origin crystals leave his body.”
Habsburg was surprised. “Life source? Isn’t origin power the source of life?”
“Our demonkin research institution is only there for show. They believe that short-lived creatures possess a type of life source similar to the soul of long-lived creatures. Our souls might awaken in a future generation if they can withstand the grinding wheel of fate. Short-lived creatures cannot do that because their life source will disappear along with their bodies.”
Habsburg said after a momentary daze, “So you plan to eliminate Qianye.”
The Demon King shook his head. “No, Dear Habsburg, Qianye might be important, but the Book of Darkness is even more important. The death of one or two people won’t affect the bigger picture. Once a clean, new world has been established, those who do not fit in will gradually die out.” He sighed. “Only Lin is different.”
A breeze of demonic energy swept through the room, forming the Flourish Chapter’s scene in the air. The Demon King watched it silently until it was cut off. “This never gets old.”
“This is how the purified world should look?”
“To be precise, this is how the world used to be. No matter how hard we try, daybreak origin power has left too many marks on our world. Even if we clean it up completely, we cannot deny the fact that it existed at one point. That’s why the world in the Book of Darkness is just an ideal that can never become reality. However, that won’t stop us from working toward it.”
Habsburg stood up silently and walked out from behind his desk, arriving near the floor-to-ceiling windows. “You seem to be talking a lot these days.”
Habsburg glanced curiously at him. “I thought we were the only ones with such trouble.”
The Demon King laughed. “Dear Habsburg, you’re the one who should have the least problems. What’s the fundamental difference between this ‘I’ and ‘we’?”
Habsburg was somewhat dazed. This went against common knowledge regarding ranks in the Evernight World. How could a supreme be the same as ordinary nobles? But he refrained from arguing. There was little change in temperament between Adventurer Kane and Demon King Kane.
“Fine, I’ll admit you’re right.”
The Demon King picked up a book and flipped through it. “This one is about logistics management during ancient warfare! This is rare!”
Habsburg laughed. Instead of continuing this topic, he asked, “So, Your Majesty, have you decided what your plan is?”
“I’m not going anywhere. I’ll just stay here reading until the gates open in Blacksun Valley.”
“It hasn’t yet? Haven’t we passed the initial estimated date?”
“That’s what’s puzzling me. The will of the new world seems to be resisting our attempts to open the gates. It didn’t respond to our investigations, either. This consciousness is so intelligent that it doesn’t feel like a world anymore.”
“What exactly is the will of the new world?”
“I don’t know, either.” The Demon King was honest.
At this point, Habsburg felt like a young student who couldn’t answer his teacher’s question. Metatron’s memories surged into his mind. From a certain perspective, it could be said that Adventurer Kane was no less difficult to deal with compared to Demon King Kane.
Habsburg shook his head and returned to the desk, where he picked up a random book to read. These were all hidden classics of the vampire race, and many of them he had never even seen before. As for that delicate peace between him and the Demon King, no one knew how long it would last.
…
The Empire, outside the gates into the new world. A mysterious unit was gathering here—their numbers were small, but they were armed to the teeth with the most advanced gear. Their airship was also one of the Empire’s newest models. The airsh.i.p.s looked dark and hazy from the outside, completely different from the Forbidden Guard’s camouflage.
Not far from the fleet, the Radiant Emperor and Zhang Boqian were seated face to face within an unassuming little airship.
“Monarch Zhang, you must be careful on this trip. Your safety is the most important, just retreat if things don’t look good.”
Zhang Boqian said, “This campaign is vital to the entire war. I will look for an opportunity to remove a couple of enemies for the Empire.”
The Radiant Emperor frowned. “Why force yourself?”
“Evernight’s internal situation is already clear. How will the Empire survive if the Demon King eliminates the vampire race and rules over the entire Evernight faction?”
The Radiant Emperor said, “There will always be a way.”
Zhang Boqian said, “Then why do you insist on joining the fight, Your Majesty?”
The Radiant Emperor rubbed his chin, thinking about how to change the topic. “Then, the Red Spider Lily…”
Zhang Boqian interrupted, “Just an external object, makes no difference whether or not I have it. Using it forcefully will just take away its power, why the need? If a Grand Magnum can change the outcome of a war, why don’t you and Lord Riverglance use the Mortal Emperor?”
After being stoppered up a second time, the Radiant Emperor started to understand how his teacher must’ve felt.
Seemingly sensing something, both of them glanced toward the door at this point. A knock came from the door, and a female officer entered with the Emperor’s permission. At a careful glance, it was actually Empress Li.
“How are the preparations going?”
Empress Li said, “The new warsh.i.p.s have returned. They stayed a total of four days in the new world and suffered only minor damages to their machinery. Judging from this rate, they should be able to remain there for two months in total. The environment around the Blacksun Valley is terrifying, so they will only last two weeks.”
“Any omens regarding this battle?”
The Radiant Emperor merely asked without hoping for too much. Even supremes were helpless against the will of the new world. Trying to divine it would be no different from suicide. The Empire’s divination specialists could only skirt around the objective, and all they could see was a cloud of chaos.
Unexpectedly, the Empress said, “The last time… the will of the new world seems to be friendly toward the human race.”
“Friendly?” The Radiant Emperor was curious. Zhang Boqian was also surprised. He had entered the new world several times—both in secret and in plain sight—but he had never sensed it.
“Correct. I found it to be inconceivable, so I initiated contact and obtained some feedback. The will of the new world hopes humans will enter the inner world.”
The Radiant Emperor and Zhang Boqian exchanged glances. “That’s wonderful, but we should also be guarded against a distorted divination result. Monarch Zhang, you must be careful.”
Zhang Boqian didn’t interrupt him this time and only nodded.
The Radiant Emperor glanced at Empress Li with a gentle expression. “Don’t do such dangerous things in the future.”
Empress Li was dazed for a bit. “I obey.”
Zhang Boqian stood up and said, “Since everything is ready, I’ll be heading out now.”
The Radiant Emperor stood up to see the monarch off. “I wish Monarch Zhang a great victory.”
Zhang Boqian’s figure faded away and vanished from the room.
