“Darknorth, Ecatra, Scheherazade, and Relia. These are the four cities that will be suffering attacks in the coming days.”

“Even if we split up, we won’t be able to cover them all. And all four will have the same lineup as we faced today. If we split up, we’ll have to face four Demon Generals each.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem though. It’s not like we had difficulties dealing with the ones from earlier. Well, I can’t say the same for Miss Queen over here, can I?”

“Hey! I could’ve finished them off easily if I was actually trying. Plus, I fought two while you each only fought one. It can’t even be compared.”

The trio began discussing their plans forward, and in the end, they decided to split up. Damien would go to Scheherazade, Feng Qing’er to Ecatra, and Qing Tan to Relia. Luckily enough, Darknorth seemed to have been occupied by another faction of geniuses who came to the secret realm.

Feng Qing’er had assured him that it’d be fine, but frankly, he didn’t trust those normal geniuses. Although Qing Tan’s presence surprised him, he knew for certain that there weren’t any other outliers like the three of them present.

And against Demon Generals, those normal geniuses would have to give their all. To do so while protecting a city? He didn’t think they were up to the task._-?(0??)?.

Not to mention, they most likely wouldn’t care enough to stick around and protect the city. Once things started looking bad, their desire to live would overcome their greed for contributions and they would flee immediately.

As such, Damien chose to go to Scheherazade, since the distance between it and Darknorth could be covered in a few hours if he abused teleportation and moved at full speed.

“Hmph! Just because you’re closer to Darknorth, don’t think you’ll be able to hog all those points to yourself! I’ll be the first to get a White Star!” Feng Qing’er harrumphed.

Qing Tan giggled at her provocation. “If the Queen says so, then it must be true, but how about you leave a few points to this retainer?”

“You don’t even work for me, why would I leave anything for you?”

“Oho, then please do not fault me if I accidentally reach Darknorth before you.”

p??(?)? ?o??? Damien watched their quarrel with a light smile before turning to look in another direction. There, far in the distance past where his eyes could see, was Scheherazade.

Bidding farewell to the bickering girls, Damien parted ways, immediately rushing in that direction.

‘There should still be plenty of time before the armies reach Scheherazade, but I don’t want to risk it. If I can intercept them before they get close to the city, it’s even better.’

Damien had a wry look on his face. Thinking of the massive wave of enemies he’d have to face, he began to miss Zara.

After all, even if it was a horde of 2nd class beings, they’d still waste his mana. If Zara was with him, they’d be able to sweep a situation like this much faster and without problems.

Sending his awareness into his shadow, he was once again met with her sleeping figure. Even after so many months, she hadn’t moved in the slightest.

But he definitely noticed the changes in her body. Her coat had become much silkier and full, her wings had become more expansive, and even her tail seemed to possess a sort of whipping power it didn’t have before.

The most striking change was probably the silver fur that began to grow on her forehead like a marking. It gave her a mystical feeling she didn’t possess before.

‘Will she still be the same Zara when she wakes up?’ The aura she gave off had gone through so many changes that he almost doubted it, but he decided not to dwell on it.

Whatever she was when she returned to his side, she would still be his Zara. That wasn’t something that’d change regardless.

Damien spread his awareness to the far reaches of his limits, observing carefully to find traces of the Demon army that was approaching.

And as he got closer and closer to Scheherazade, the traces of activity and slight hints of mana in the surroundings only got more prevalent.

‘I’m getting closer, but from Elitra’s information, Scheherazade should still be a few days away. Good, I should be able to intercept them before they can surround the city.’

It was much more beneficial to him if he could do so. Spreading his attacks to cover the radius of the entire city and beyond wasn’t difficult per se, but as always, being able to concentrate his strength in one direction would yield much better results.

Swoosh!

The whistling winds became fiercer as Damien suddenly increased his speed. Even the sky began to crackle with signs of a storm.

***

The Trial World in the Primordial Undying realm looked massive if one stood at ground level, but if they managed to make it to the peak of the tallest mountain, they’d realize that the size was somewhat of an illusion.

While the size of the realm was indeed large, it wasn’t to the point that it’d warrant marvel. After all, in its totality, it was only the size of a portion of the country of America. Compared to the grandiosity of other locations Damien had visited in the past, it wasn’t much.

But it could only be considered normal. In the end, this trial world was only one of many. There were 8 more trial worlds of similar size that operated semi-independently where the rest of the hundreds of geniuses were undergoing their own trials.

That was why, although the location of the Demon City stayed hidden to Damien and his companions, it wasn’t actually far beyond their reach.

Located on a mountain a few hundred kilometers away from the city of Astoria, a sprawling city stood tall. It was comparable to the cities Damien saw in the outside world, taking up almost the entire slope of the mountain. And in comparison to the cities below, it was a true behemoth.

Thousands of seemingly human creatures lived within this city. The only thing differentiating them was the occasional non-human traits they carried, such as horns and tails.

The city’s architectural style couldn’t be considered as anything special, but the ambiance was indeed somewhat odd. Despite the jovial and calm atmosphere surrounding the people who lived within it, the aura the city gave off was dark and gloomy.

And near the peak of the mountain where the city was located, there were 4 towering castles carrying a similar black theme to them.

Perhaps when one saw these castles, they’d immediately be led to believe that they were the most important part of the city, the thing that the people in the city would worship most.

But that assumption would be proved wrong the second one gazed upon the peak. At that peak, there was a massive pantheon that outstripped the castles in grandiosity by leagues.historical

The dark aura congregated in this pantheon was far greater than anything the city or even the castles could produce, but the scenes beyond its walls were something that normal citizens wouldn’t be able to witness even if they offered their very lives in exchange.