‘I suppose this eliminates one of my greatest concerns.’
Even Izroth, with his Energy Vision Sense, could not see any flames within the Death Emperor that matched the same death energy he sensed just moments ago.
Initially, he was uncertain—no, he knew exactly how those in the Mortal Realm would react to someone like the Death Emperor’s appearance. The sudden presence of a powerhouse from another realm would immediately draw the attention of everyone.
Not to mention, the Mortal Realm was not on the friendliest of terms with the Nether Realm. It was possible that Izroth would be viewed as a traitor and someone who sided with the likes of the League of the Eidolon.
“Of course you can’t. Even those old monsters will have a hard time discovering this emperor. Although I’m not afraid of them, there are more important matters to attend to with my time.” The Death Emperor said with a vicious gaze. The cycles he spent in this place on the brink of death only served to further fuel his hatred towards the Netherworld Monarch.
He then continued, “I’ve been trapped in this place far too long. My power has deteriorated to the Primary stage. With this amount of strength, it may pain me to admit it, but I’m not that person’s equal. I need to regain my previous strength.”
‘Primary? That means his current strength has to be around the same level as Zarolas.’
However, Izroth believed that if Zarolas were to face the Death Emperor, they would not be his match. After all, the Death Emperor’s power may have been weakened, but his skills were probably still present—skills only attainable to those who reached the Peak stage of the legendary realm.
“How do you plan to accomplish that?” Izroth inquired. Since the Death Emperor would be serving him for the next one hundred years, he wanted them to be at full strength.
“Simple, I just need to absorb a large quantity of death energy. Live sacrifices or being around the presence of mass slaughter would be the best methods.” The Death Emperor responded casually.
“The first is out of the question, but the second… It may be possible.” Izroth said calmly.
“Oh?” The Death Emperor was a bit surprised by Izroth’s response. He expected to be rejected immediately, given how fickle and indecisive humans were when it came to killing or not killing.
Aurie inwardly sighed. A person like the Death Emperor was not a gentle soul by any means. If Izroth did not keep a close eye on him, then who knew what kind of atrocities he would commit to reclaim his previous strength?
Aurie hoped that she made the right choice by not persuading Izroth against accepting the Death Emperor’s deal. If things went south, then the Mortal Realm would have another calamity to face!
Nevertheless, Aurie was aware of what Izroth meant by his words. Indeed, providing living sacrifices was a line she would never allow to be crossed. But, there was a war currently taking place in the Mortal Realm, which unfortunately meant that countless lives would be lost to bloodshed. If it were this method, while Aurie would not personally approve of it since it made light of the lives lost on the battlefield, she would not disapprove of it. After all, no one was being hurt as a direct consequence of the Death Emperor’s actions.
“We should return soon, Captain. We have to report this situation to General Solomon.” Aurie stated.
“General? What’s this? Are you planning to use me for your human wars? A waste of this emperor’s talents.” The Death Emperor scoffed.
“You overestimate your own talents, Death Emperor. The enemies of this war are not simple. Besides, I thought you detested the Netherworld Monarch?” Izroth noted.
“Kid, you’ve got a sharp tongue to dare say that this emperor overestimates his talents. What does your war have to do with that person?” The Death Emperor scowled.
“I will explain on the way. However, Commander Aurie is correct. We first need to return to the Mortal Realm.” Izroth said calmly.
“There’s no need to explain along the way. You can just do it now.” The Death Emperor said as he held his hand forward. The next moment, a spatial corridor manifested a few steps before him that mimicked the one Izroth, and Aurie used to travel to this area of the Minor Realm! However, this spatial corridor was stable even without the use of Zhi’s medallion.
He then continued, “Also, from now on, call me Satoras. I’m sure I don’t need to explain anything.”
Izroth understood the Death Emperor’s, or rather, Satoras’ intentions. If he went around calling them by either of their previous names, even if one would not make the connection to him being the same entity who once ruled over the largest portion of the Nether Realm, it would attract too much attention.
Traveling around with either of those names in a place like the Mortal Realm was asking for trouble. One would easily be mistaken for a fanatic of the Nether Realm or a member of an organization like the League of the Eidolon.
“So, what’s the deal with that abomination?” Satoras asked as he pointed towards the unconscious Dolos. He noticed Dolos from the beginning but having his tombstone restored held much greater importance than some lobotomized abomination.
“I suppose I should start with the current state of affairs,” Izroth said as he walked forward into the spatial corridor along with Aurie, Satoras, and an unconscious Dolos drifting at their side.
…
Several minutes ago in the Mortal Realm…
“Strange, the Great Blazing Azure Bird has never been wrong before. It definitely tracked Dolos Jestal to this location.” Solomon frowned.
But, what concerned him was that Dolos Jestal was not alone. The Great Blazing Azure Bird also picked up two other presences that he had come into contact with—Captain Izroth and Commander Aurie!
Solomon landed on the small hilltop where Dolos first confronted Izroth and Aurie. The small hilltop had been badly damaged, and it looked as if an intense fight broke out.
“These battle scars on the earth are only a few minutes old at best. They couldn’t have escaped the range of my Great Blazing Azure Bird’s perception that fast. Could it be related to the Jestal family’s unique spatial magic? No… There would have been no point in setting up a powerful large scale restriction on the surrounding space if he planned on moving away from this vicinity. Then, where could they have disappeared-” Solomon abruptly halted his words as he narrowed his eyes.
“Come out, or don’t blame me for being impolite,” Solomon said in a stern tone. However, there was no response.
“Very well, if you don’t want to come, then I will force you out,” Solomon stated as a small golden orb appeared in his hand.
All of a sudden, a large spatial vortex formed in front of Solomon as a voice sounded from within, “General, is there a need to be so overbearing towards your own allies?”
A few moments later, three figures stepped out of the spatial vortex. In the front was a middle-aged man with gray hair that contained very few traces of black stripes, and behind him was one man and woman. The man at the back was also middle-aged and had half black and half gray hair, while the woman looked to be in her early thirties with black hair containing stripes of gray.
Besides their similar hair colors, these individuals all shared one common trait—their eyes possessed no pupils.
“This battlefield is under my jurisdiction, yet I have not received any official reports regarding your arrival. Even you are not above the rules and regulations set by the alliance, Jestal family.” Solomon said solemnly.
Solomon did not believe that it was a mere coincidence that three Jestal family members just happened to be here at the time of his arrival.
“General, you speak as if it is prohibited to go for a stroll. Still, since the General is someone who can be trusted, I suppose it will do no harm in letting you know. We are here to deal with some personal family matters—I’m sure General Solomon is willing to show my Jestal family some face regarding this… situation.” The man at the front of the group said with a meaningful look in his eyes.
“As you say, going for a stroll is not prohibited. However, I must say that you have chosen a strange place to do so. A battlefield is no place for a casual family stroll, Orcus Jestal.” Solomon stated.
The one at the front of the group was called Orcus Jestal, an important member of the Jestal family.
“This is a waste of time! We’ve shown this insignificant General enough face by revealing ourselves, yet he refuses to respect our Jestal family!” The woman in the back scowled.
“Is that any way to treat a respectable General, Anaemia?” The man at her side chuckled.
“So what? Does a mere General deserve our respect, Leuko?” Anaemia scoffed.
