As Cacillia's trembling eyes opened to the sight of Konrad standing by her side, instead of elation, complex emotions intertwined within her gaze. Involuntarily, she closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and while avoiding her master's gaze, bit her lower lip.
Undisturbed, Konrad stepped closer, sitting on the bed right by her side. Her eyelids and clenched fists trembled while her teeth sank deeper into her lip.
"Master…I'm sorry."
Cacillia muttered following a moment of silence, but even without those words, Konrad could understand what plagued her.
"You know."
Konrad stated, and with those two words, Cacillia curled into a ball — quivering no end. Yet, Konrad's smile remained still, and as she gave a feeble nod of approval, his left hand landed on her shoulder, stroking it in pure gentleness. Thanks to the Nirvana Dust Crown's move, Cacillia suffered a similar event to the 10,000 Tribulations — going through her past incarnations until she landed on the one the rest stemmed from:
White Dragon Heart.
In fact, that wasn't entirely accurate. People like Cacillia, Malkam, and Sakra weren't independent individuals, but avatars stemming from the original self. Their sole raison d'être was to make their original selves grow through innumerable Samsaras until they finally reached Nirvana.
Cacillia was a part of White Dragon Heart, but White Dragon Heart wasn't Cacillia. But now, things were different. Cacillia not only realized the reason why Konrad so effortlessly welcomed and doted on her, but she also possessed the means to turn into the one he truly missed.
But by doing so, her existence would forever vanish.
At first, the knowledge that she merely was a stand-in daggered her heart, filling her soul with unfurling waves of bitterness. But soon, that bitterness made way for a sense of loss. She had no right to complain, if not for her link to that woman, she would still be experiencing a living hell, trapped in a world of eternal darkness. If not for that link, she would never get to meet her master, and experience the warmth and care only he could provide.
If that time spent in Konrad's apprenticeship was but a dream, then the best she could do was to relish in the memories, then give him the one his heart yearned for. As her thoughts reached that point, determination bloomed in Cacillia's mind.
"Master, if you want, I can…"
Cacillia began, but before she could finish her words, Konrad placed his left index on her lips, shutting her mid-talk.
"Shush."
The word carried a soothing force that numbed all of Cacillia's internal struggles.
"Let the past remain in the past. Who you want to be is yours alone to choose. I only hope that you will remember—the one I chose as my disciple is you, and only you."
Konrad declared, and instantly, Cacillia broke into warm tears. Gently, Konrad pulled her onto his lap, letting her unload the weight of the truth once and for all.
…
Meanwhile, the Devil Armies' conquests carried on, with worlds and realms falling one after the other. Konrad wouldn't get to see those three years of warfare, he didn't have the time to. Although the Realm Wills had fallen, making the Chthonian Will permeate the Three Realms, stark differences remained between Devas, Demons and the rest. Although they dared not offend the Chthonian Devils, the rest was another story.
To speed up the integration, Konrad created a multitude of Devil Bases across Heaven and Hell, using the Myriad Dreams Valley as Heaven's Devil Base, and creating a 10,000 Devils Castle in Hell for the same purpose. Those two forces directly subordinated to the Jade Dynasty. A conclave of new elders was selected to oversee the two factions while Konrad returned to the Jade Capital.
As his Chthonian Will filled their realms, the curse afflicting Heaven and Hell finally collapsed, allowing a new generation of children to finally emerge. But this merely was the beginning. To adequately prepare for the upcoming war, the Jade Dynasty devoted all its resources to the development of its military power. The creations of top-level pills, artifacts and cultivation chambers used up ⅔ of state resources. Having no room for failure, Konrad incarnated himself in millions of avatars that directly supervised the main production branches.
In the meantime, his three Devil Bodies diligently cultivated. Having already achieved All-Transcendence through his Devil Refining Incantation, Konrad's prime focus lay on Infiniteness Insight. The first body focused on pursuing Sublime Infiniteness, the second on Devil cultivation and the Void Mirror Physique, the third channeled and supported the progress of the first two through pill refinement.
Naturally, Konrad wasn't the only one diving in deep cultivation. Consorts, children, retainers and servants, the atmosphere of the Jade Capital was one of constant, dynamic improvement. None dared slack off.
And among the zillions of lives populating the Three Realms, talents rose one after another, joining the upper echelon by virtue of will and skills. Two and a half years was all it took for the Devil Legions to put down the five Primeval Verses. Once notified, Konrad dispatched one of his Three Devil Bodies to absorb the wills and instore his sovereign dominion on the six verses.
With the multiplication of the population came a larger pool of talents. The 12 Devil Legion System quickly proved insufficient, in fact, the forces' numbers had long since surpassed the term of "legion." But instead of abandoning the number 12, Konrad changed his forces' hierarchical order. From 12 Chthonian Devil Legions to 12 Chthonian Devil Orders, each led by his dukes.
Even with their rigorous selection process, the Devil Orders swelled unceasingly, rising until they reached a staggering 3,600,000. Af for the Devil Puppets, they'd reached 72 million.
On average, an orderly possessed 20 Devil Puppets that formed a minor household. Of course, the reality was vastly different, with higher-ranked Chthonian Devils boasting a vaster number of puppets than the lower-ranked. For those unable to join the orders, becoming a Devil Puppet soon became a top privilege ensuring immortality, formidable strength and high status.
For the sake of brutal competition, Konrad capped the orders' numbers but allowed challengers to compete to take their spots. In those fights, strength wasn't the rational. So long as the Devil failed to seize his opponent's Dao Heart within five minutes, they would be kicked out from the orders, stripped of their Devil Cultivation, and replaced by the challenger.
Very few ever suffered that shame.
And so time passed, with the Chthonian Devil forces progressing unceasingly. As their sovereign, and the one facing the highest pressure, Konrad naturally didn't idle.
His strength rose unceasingly.
But he wasn't the only one.
