Return of the Fallen Volume 8 Chapter 22
Dreunz, I have a mission for you.
Dreunz gave a bow and shouted.
“YES, MY KING!”
King Azar opened a palm, and a sphere of blood formed in his hand. The ball of blood swirled in his palm and radiated power. The blood orb looked similar to a magic blood orb, but there was something slightly different. The moment King Azar took it out, all of the other Ancient beasts gulped as greed clouded their vision.
Dreunz bowed once more.
“My King, such an honor. To share a fraction of your power with one so undeserving such as I. How can I accept this?”
King Azar showed no emotion on his face, but if one knew him well, they would recognize slight signs of annoyance.
“Enough! I’m giving this Blood Essence so that you can fulfill your mission without fail. Absorbing this will allow your strength to explode upwards for a short time, but this along with the elites at your side, there is no doubt you will succeed.”
King Azar flicked the blood essence orb over as if it were nothing. Dreunz almost stumbled as he caught this precious object. This blood essence was literally a treasure to all here. Dreunz examined it briefly. Feeling the overwhelming power flowing within, he sucked in a deep breath.
(With this, I could go toe to toe with that Wolf bastard, Etora, at least for a short while.)
Dreunz promptly stored this treasure as he felt the eyes of the other Ancient beasts staring with such envy that it could bring down a mountain.
“My King, what is my mission?”
“Your Gosechu box, you still possess this rare artifact, yes?”
Dreunz felt the stares on his back press even more. Not only did Dreunz receive such a precious blood orb from his king, but he was also in possession of one of the rarest items in all of the Lower Realms.
Dreunz gave a nod.
“This item is beyond a treasure for me. There’s no way I wouldn’t have it. Also, there’s no way I’d ever surrender it, nor part with it, even in death!”
Dreunz said this to tame the other Ancient beast’s greedy, obsessive hearts, but King Azar took it another way.
“Oh, and what if this King here wishes to possess it? You still won’t hand it over to me?”
Dreunz felt his body turn cold. He absolutely didn’t mean to provoke his King. At the same time, though, thinking about handing it over, even to his King, a bitterness yet hopelessness filled his heart.
“Hmph, Don’t show me such a gloomy expression. Do you really think I would wish to own anything my subordinate does? That Gosechu box is yours and yours alone. Besides, you won’t part with it, no matter what. How could I start taking things from my loyal subjects?”
Dreunz felt King Azar’s words weren’t so simple. He said he wouldn’t take them, but this did not mean he would not use them as if they were his own or something much worse. If Dreunz really did die, the person here who would most likely take ownership of his treasure was no doubt his master. Azar even ended his sentence with how could he take things from his loyal subjects. This sentence could be seen as a threat. There was only one person in all of the east that could determine whether or not someone was loyal to King Azar and that, of course, was King Azar himself.
He could easily come up with some bullshit excuse and claim you to be a traitor. This basically means all of your shit is forfeit and now belongs to me, King Azar.
Tension filled the room with Azar’s threatening, er, reassuring words.
“Dreunz, let me see your treasure.”
Dreunz gulped hard before he took out a small cube resembling a puzzle box. With a curl of his finger, the box flew up and landed in King Azar’s palm as if it belonged there. Azar held it for a moment before closing his hand and trying to crush the box.
Everyone watched on in horror, but the thing they expected did not take place. Opening his hand, the Gosechu box sat there perfectly unharmed.
Dreunz knew how tough the box was and had witnessed his king do this once before. Back then, he couldn’t break it, but still, seeing his king do this sent his nerves screaming.
*Haa*
King Azar sighed.
“Even after this many years, even after my strength has only grown by leaps and bounds, it’s still not enough for me to crush this tiny box. Something that allows one to see the past up to a certain point, to think that you found such an incredibly rare item. Either fate or extreme luck is a part of your life, Dreunz.”
King Azar tossed the box back, and Dreunz caught it with relief.
“Your mission is easy enough. You, along with the lords sitting here, will go back to the battlefield where you fought this Kazuki. Not long has passed. Using your treasure, you should be able to see where he went. Together, all of you will destroy Kazuki and the allies at his side. Afterward, you will join me on the front.”
When King Azar spoke up to here, everyone realized what he meant. He was going to confront Glacious.
Dreunz didn’t understand this.
“My King. Isn’t this too soon? I thought we were waiting for Glacious to weaken. Fighting him now would be…”
Dreunz couldn’t finish his words as a heavy aura forced him to the ground. King Azar, though, finished his sentence for him.
“A mistake!”
King Azar looked over the entire room and asked.
“Tell me wise ones; do any of you think it’s a mistake? Do you think me to be so weak? You believe it will be me who falls, not Glacious?”
Almost unanimously, a chorus of shouts rang out.
“No way would Master ever lose!”
“Right, King Azar is the strongest to ever live!”
“King Azar is undefeatable! There is no other that can go against you!”
King Azar turned back to Dreunz.
“As you can see, my loyal subjects hold no doubt for me. So why do you?”
The pressure on Dreunz increased dramatically, and he was forced onto his hands and knees. The ground lit up with inscriptions as defensive spells tried to protect the ground, but it wasn’t enough, and the floor cracked beneath all of this weight.
Dreunz shouted as loud as he could.
“THERE IS NO DOUBT! NEVER!”
The moment he said this, the pressure immediately vanished as King Azar retrieved his aura. His expression was still unchanged and unmoved.
“Good. You and the lords here will find this human called Kazuki and his allies, and you will slaughter them all. Afterward, meet me on the field of battle. With the Miasma now on the move and its path clear, it’s obvious what the humans are trying to do. They are leading it directly to the Patar desert. No doubt they believe they can starve it there. Without the Miasma getting in his way, Glacious will only have to deal with one of Fera’s fake bodies. This will no longer be enough to stop him from moving to the front and destroying all of the Azirians. I wanted to wait until he was truly weakened by the constant fighting but Fera and the Miasma together have not been enough to push him to his limits. The moment I reach the battlefield, the southern King should be able to detect my presence. He will meet me as agreed, and we will both take on Glacious.”
“My King, what if, during the fight, one of Fera’s fake bodies interferes?”
“That’s why you all will be there. After you kill Kazuki and the others, you and the Ancient beasts of the south will step in if Fera decides to continue. This should also show her that we are serious. It should deter her from involving herself further with the Feya continent.”
Dreunz swallowed hard.
“And if it doesn’t deter her, as you say, what then?”
“Simple, you and the south will combine forces and hold her off long enough for I and the Southern King to kill Glacious.”
Hearing this, all of the beasts became shocked. Even though one of Fera’s bodies was not as strong as the original, her strength was still well above theirs. Even if they all come together, without their king’s help, there would be casualties on their side, while Fera’s fake body would simply be destroyed, leaving her real form on the dark continent completely unharmed. If the battle between Glacious and the two kings took some time, then the number of deaths could be quite high.
The danger was real, and these Ancient beasts, who had lived on for thousands and tens of thousands of years, knew that some of them would not make it back alive. These powerful beings that ruled the land, sky, and sea. These beings that could shatter the continent and overturn the ocean, they couldn’t help but feel a sense of dread wash over them.
King Azar ignored their pitiful looks.
“This world is not meant for the weak. If anyone wishes to stay here in comfort, away from danger. Tell me now so that I can be rid of you. I don’t wish to waste any more time.”
…
A cold silence spread throughout this chamber.
They understood their King’s intent. With no voices of complaint, King Azar stood up and gave his command.
“It’s time…War is calling us.”
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