Tyre hadn't noticed anyone spying on him when he produced the magic mirror to contact Dhaka.
As soon as the image of Dhaka, the leader of the Godhunters, materialised on the mirror, Tyre quickly said, "Elder brother, there's been a change in the situation!"
"What is it? We are still forming an invasion plan over at my side. Why do you seem so desperate?" Dhaka, inside the magic mirror, raised his eyebrows and replied in his deep voice.
"One of the Overgods just came to the Fringe! We four Sovereigns were almost wiped out!" It seemed that Tyre had not yet recovered from the shock of being visited by the Overgod of Death. There was a hint of fear in his voice as he spoke hurriedly.
"An Overgod almost killed you? What exactly happened?" Although slightly taken aback, Dhaka did not seem too concerned. He had misheard or misunderstood Tyre.
"I did not say an Overgod, I said the Overgod!" a disturbed Tyre insisted.
"What?" Dhaka flipped out, finally realising how urgent the problem really was. He exclaimed, "What are they doing in the Land of Chaos?"
Tyre smiled wryly and told Dhaka the details of their encounter.
Dhaka's face grew more and more solemn as he listened. After a long while, he suddenly broke into an evil laugh and muttered, "Hahaha, I know why he came to the Fringe! Haha, that's too bad for you, Dagmar, but I guess now you have no hope of ever getting your hands on that thing!"
Dhaka continued to cackle for a moment before becoming serious again. "There's no need to worry, the Overgod of Death is not after you Sovereigns. Very well, I will have my people postpone the invasion until the Overgod has finished his business here. His presence in the Fringe creates too many uncertainties for both of us and could affect the outcome of our master plan.
Having said these words to reassure Tyre, Dhaka told him about the Quintessence Shard on Han Hao.
Tyre was surprised by the revelation, but also envious. He muttered, "They are such lucky bastards!" He paused for a moment before adding, "Bryan alone is a real pain in the neck; and now that Han Hao has a Quintessence Shard, he's going to be an even bigger scourge!"
"You must not reveal this information to anyone. Only I, Dagmar and Asser know that Han Hao has a Quintessence Shard. Only I, Dagmar and Asser know about it. If this gets out, our relationship could be exposed. Even as we speak, some are becoming suspicious of me for knowing too much about what goes on in the Fringe. If we are to succeed in our master plan, we must watch our every move," Dhaka warned in his deep voice.
"Understood," Tyre nodded before smiling, "The Fringe may be vast, but I don't think it will take the Overgod of Death long to go through the names Logue gave him. Han Hao will eventually meet his doom!"
"Yes, and all we have to do is sit and wait! And keep an eye on Han Hao. As soon as he is dead or the Overgod of Death leaves the Fringe, notify me immediately and we will proceed with the invasion. When this is over, you will command the Fringe while I command the Godhunter Alliance. With our combined forces, we will have a real chance of entering Aethernia," Dhaka said.
Tyre nodded and smiled. He then casually exchanged a few words with Dhaka about the current situation before ending the call.
...
Not far from Tyre was a puff of smoke that gave off not the slightest aura of life. It drifted unnoticed into the distance.
After travelling a hundred miles from Tyre, the puff of smoke stopped and gradually transformed into Han Shuo. After spying on Tyre for nearly half a month, Han Shuo finally confirmed Salas' suspicion - Tyre, a sovereign, and Dhaka, a hegemon, were indeed brothers. Han Shuo was stunned by this discovery.
Had Han Shuo been unaware of this fact when the war broke out, he would have found himself in a dire situation. Both Tyre and Dhaka cultivated the power of destruction. Since Tyre was the strongest sovereign in the Fringe, Dhaka, his older brother, should have even greater strength. The combined power of the two could be even more formidable than the combined power of Wasir, Ossora, Logue and Salas.
Han Shuo was fortunate to have been tipped off by Salas, leading to his discovery on this day. With this knowledge, Han Shuo was now able to make the necessary preparations before the traitorous brothers struck. What's more, Han Shuo could even use this information to plot against them.
With a plan in mind, Han Shuo didn't stay any longer and immediately returned to the Pandemonium.
The biggest challenge he now faced was not the Tyre and Dhaka brothers, but Nestor, the Overgod of Death, who had come to the fringe. Han Shuo was aware of the fact that although his strength had increased by leaps and bounds, he was still far, far from being a match for the Overgod of Death.
Since Han Hao was one of the names that Logue had reported to the Overgod, this meant that Han Hao's life was now in great danger. Given the Overgod of Death's mighty power, it would only be a matter of time before he found Han Hao hiding in the Fringe. Han Shuo had to find a way to keep Little Skeleton alive in the little time he had left.
He returned to Pandemonium at top speed and immediately summoned Han Hao. Without delay, he informed Han Hao of the dire situation, then added, "We must find a solution or he will eventually find you!" After a short pause, Han Shuo continued, "You said that you've merged with the Quintessence Shard. If the Overlord of Death were to stand next to you, would he be able to tell that you have it?"
"Yes," Han Hao nodded after thinking for a moment.
Han Shuo had a terrible headache. He was certain that the Overgod of Death was now searching high and low for the Death Energy cultivators that Logue had named. By the time he was done searching, Han Hao would be the last person left on his list. The Fringe was limited in size, but the power of the Overgod was not. It wouldn't be long before He came knocking on their door.
Even though the Pandemonium was defended by layer upon layer of demonic formations, Han Shuo doubted that they could stop a Quintessence Overgod. With nowhere to hide and no way to fight, Han Shuo had no idea how to keep Little Skeleton alive.
Han Hao, seeing the anxiety on Han Shuo's face, thought for a moment before suggesting, "How about I leave the Fringe and temporarily hide in other Dominions?"
"You can, but it will only be a temporary solution. If this guy can't find the Shard in the Fringe and realises that you happen to be missing, you will be his number one suspect. And if that happens, you will be in an even worse situation," Han Shuo explained, grimacing in frustration.
Han Hao did not reply, but thought carefully for a while. And indeed, he could not come up with a good solution to the crisis. There was no way to truly resolve it unless he and Han Shuo could suddenly raise their powers to the level of a Quintessential God. As fast as Han Shuo had progressed in the demonic arts, he would still need centuries, if not millennia, to reach that level. And even though Han Hao had just fused with a Quintessence Shard, it was still impossible for him to fight the Overgod.
Even if Han Hao mastered the use of the energy from the shard, there was still no way he could use the quintessence to fight the Overgod. Han Hao racked his brain, and he too could not come up with a solution.
"We need more minds to work on this so that we can come up with a solution as soon as possible!" remarked Han Shuo, before immediately summoning those who knew of the Shard's existence. As Bollands, Gilbert, Sanguis, Scarlett and the Five Elite Zombies gathered in the underground gymnasium, Han Shuo hastily informed them of Han Hao's dire situation before gravely saying, "Things look grim and we don't have much time, so I've called this brainstorming session. Please try to find a solution.
The atmosphere became tense as the people realised the gravity of the situation. Just like Han Shuo, they furrowed their brows and racked their brains for ideas.
In this universe, an Overgod with the Quintessence was virtually invincible. Except for other Quintessence Overgods, no being in the universe could even come close to fighting them. And now, with this terrifying being hunting and searching for Han Hao, and with the futility of fighting it, Han Hao could only try to run or hide.
But even if Han Hao were to leave temporarily, having crossed everyone off his list and failed to find the shard in the Fringe, the Overgod of Death would immediately regard the missing Han Hao as the prime suspect. Until then, the Overgod would concentrate on hunting down and killing Han Hao.
It seemed an impossible challenge. A day passed in the blink of an eye. Although a few seemingly viable ideas were proposed, they were all rejected after a round of scrutiny.
Gradually, the discussions began to die down. The impatient Gilbert began to grow restless. He argued that they might as well put everything on the line and fight the Overgod.
"He can kill you with the flick of a finger. You can try, but you will undoubtedly die," Han Shuo replied to Gilbert with a disapproving look on his face.
"I've already died once, I don't mind dying again," Gilbert replied.
"His expertise lies in the soul. If he kills you, he will surely destroy your soul as well. And until then, no amount of power can bring you back to life. You will be dead forever," Han Shuo said after snorting and rolling his eyes.
"This guy is a master of soul energy. When you die this time, you won't be able to keep your soul temporarily like the last time. Once he breaks the seal of your soul, I won't be able to resurrect you no matter what, and then you will be truly finished!" Han Shuo looked at Gilbert and snorted coldly.
"Senior, that reminds me - can Han Hao separate his soul from his body and possess another body? This body of his was fused with the shard. But if you forged a new divine body for him and let him possess it, the Overgod wouldn't find any trace of the shard on him, would he?" Boland's eyes lit up as if inspired by Gilbert's words.
Han Shuo was startled and opened his eyes wide. He immediately turned to Han Hao and asked, "You have practised demonic arts and your soul is different from an ordinary being. Can you separate your soul from your body?"
Han Hao thought for a moment and vaguely tried. He nodded, "I think I can."