Boom!
A black card the size of a tall human swept down, splitting a large beast in half. The massive worm-like monster was dissected, its two halves falling and then landing with a thunderous boom!
Snap!
While lazily stepping past the creature, Petik snapped his fingers, and the black card dissipated into elemental energy, rained down, consumed the corpse, then scattered.
As the group passed leisurely, Gillion asked, "If I remember correctly, the realm restriction was the Golden Core realm for those who wanted to register, but there are so many fourth-order magic beasts here. Isn't this a bit ridiculous?"
Without looking back, Raina responded, "It should be an oversight. From what I've found, they had only opened this secret realm once before, and during that time, it was still consolidating its final form. It's very likely that back then, there weren't many fourth-order magic beasts, if any at all."
"Can there be such a huge change in only a few hundred years?"
"You never know what can happen when a secret realm closes its doors. For all we know, thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of years have silently passed. It's impossible to tell." Raina shook her head.
She and the other four figures appeared to almost be taking a leisurely stroll, because nothing here could pose any real threat. At best, they may encounter something slightly annoying, but nothing here could really kill them.
They were currently walking through a long tunnel that seemed to split into countless branches, all leading into a large labyrinthine underground cave system that ran beneath the mountain, perhaps even reaching through the entirety of the secret realm.
Petik clapped his hands. Beside him, two more normal-sized playing cards formed from the darkness element, floated up and down, peacefully swaying behind him.
Raina's eyes swept over, quickly taking a close look at these two playing cards.
For a guy who could change his face at will, he truly did have a talent for the four noble arts.
Both cards were pitch black, formed from dark-type elemental energy, with golden trim written in special runes that only Petik seemed to understand.
Petik was one of the most unique demons throughout the long history of the demon race. If the old demons, those that had followed the Original Demon King, were considered bloodthirsty monsters who put all of their points into powerful abilities, such as size, weapons, and destructive power, then the new demons, those that followed the Second Demon King, were more unique. Each of this generation's demons held abilities that were more suited to their personal traits; for example, Petik's playing cards, or Hirano's dark magic, or even the missing Lilith's transformation curse…
It should also be said that the cultivation path of these demons was entirely concentrated on the summoner pathway, only with more of a focus on personal strength rather than summoning large numbers.
The Summoner Pathway was rather unique, with many opportunities to create and apply.
The Summoner Pathway was also called the Path of Faith by a small few, because at the end of the pathway, not only could the summoner open up a small personal elemental realm similar to a divine kingdom, but they would also unlock the ability to be summoned by others. This was on top of being able to summon a large number of creatures that followed the summoner's command.
It was entirely a matter of perspective…
As for why the Demon Clan still could not advance despite other summoners having no problem, well, this was related to the Second Demon King, and the structure of the Demon King's Army…
The Summoner Pathway was all about refining the body with elemental energy and connecting to the so-called 'main elemental realm'. The elemental realm was something unique to each world, and it could be integrated with real space, or it could exist as an isolated realm, but each summoner could connect to it to summon elementals of their respective element.
But that also didn't mean that there was only one elemental realm!
An elemental realm was not unlike a secret realm, they were another small, special space that just so happened to overlap with the world in the void, only a bit bigger. However, the elemental realm a summoner could connect to could also be changed, and as long as it existed, then things would be fine.
In addition!
On one hand, the main elemental realm of the world of Pillomal could be considered the unseen battlefield between the Demon Clan and the Church of Light. But on the other hand, because the Demon Clan had fallen so far, their ability to 'protect their territory' could be said to be severely lacking, leaving the world with a slight lack of the darkness element on a fundamental level.
Because most elemental energy originated from the elemental realm and then seeped into the main world through some kind of membrane, the elemental levels of the elemental realm had a direct influence on the levels of elemental energy in the main world.
In other words, if there was a lack of dark-type elemental energy, or an abundance of light-type elemental energy, this would naturally also be reflected in normal space, which was also part of the reason the Demon Clan couldn't progress through the fifth realm and accumulate enough of the already dwindling dark-element elemental energy in the world.
The world would top this up over time, sure, but that didn't mean that it would be abundant…
Not only would the lack of dark-type elemental energy continue to be a problem, but this would also leave many hidden dangers that powerful people could see and abuse.
With the added threat of the Church of Light constantly lurking in the dark, even absorbing the darkness element could potentially reveal their location at any time.
In other words, they could advance through the fifth realm, but even if they reached its peak, without advancing further, they would slowly leak this spiritual energy and regress back to the beginning. Doing this would not only reveal their location, but also waste a lot of time for gaining very little strength.
As for advancing to the sixth realm…
The reason why their cultivation had regressed to the fifth realm and couldn't advance to the sixth was related to the structure of the Demon King's army. When the Second Demon King disappeared, all the demons, or more specifically, the 'elemental cores' that had been moved into the personal elemental realm of the Second Demon King, lost their connections, effectively cutting off their paths and leaving them helpless.
It was true that through these stored elemental cores, the Demon Clan could be revived, but with the Demon King sealed, and the likelihood of the world ending upon its reappearance...
That wasn't very different from death, was it?
-
Boom!
Gillion kicked a large boulder away from the path before pushing forward and continuing his excavation.
The five demons faced a collapsed tunnel and were currently digging their way through.
"I really didn't expect these tunnels to be so unstable," Gillion muttered. "If we go too deep, it's very likely we could get trapped and have to dig ourselves out like the last time."
"Tsk-tsk! Why do you seem to be smiling when you say that, Gillion? If I didn't know better, I'd almost think you wanted to get buried~!" Petik teased.
"Humph!" Gillion snorted, his huge body carrying a large boulder four times his size.
While breaking it into smaller and more easily disposable pieces, Gillion looked over to Raina and asked, "That compass can only point in the cardinal directions. What if what we're looking for is underground or up in the clouds? Won't that be a problem if we just pass right by it?"
Raina, sitting to the side and not helping, took a swig of water and nodded. "You're right, that might come up. But it's strange, when I look forward, I almost feel as if I know where the destination is, I just can't see it clearly, at least not yet."
"Could it be the compass?" Hirano asked.
Before Raina could shake her head, Nodaba spoke. "It very likely is. That Black Compass was an artifact created by the Demon King. It should have additional functions that surpass normal black compasses." He said these words, but in truth, even he did not know for sure which demon created this black compass.
Gillion asked, "But if that's the case, why would it only have activated when coming in contact with that, uh… the princess? Surely the Demon King could have made things less, you know…"
"Yeah! Now that you mention it, Little Green doesn't seem to be able to be divined, right?" Petik asked with some doubt. "That's why that bounty was so high. Erm, or at least it was one of the reasons. If she can't be divined, then how can the compass lead us to her?"
Hirano explained, "It is precisely because of that that the compass needed to touch Petra before it could be activated. If it is truly a backup plan as we suspect, then the Demon King should have predicted the princess would have some kind of special physique capable of blocking divination. Since that is the case, then something must have attached itself to her when she touched it, allowing the compass to bypass the block and track her fate."
Raina pursed her lips, her index finger tapping on her leg. "You haven't met her... but I have. After meeting her, I feel like it's not that simple…"
For once, Petik agreed. "I also met Petra. There is indeed something strange about her. Although she did seem to have a special physique, it shouldn't be the reason she can't be divined."
Boom!
Another large stone was moved away, causing a small clearing to open.
"Then perhaps it's an item she keeps on herself?" Gillion asked again, slightly more distracted.
Hirano shook his head. "That makes no sense. I've heard that the princess only appeared a few years ago. Before that, her background can't be traced. We did check, so we can be sure that there was no artifact, so whatever is causing it should be something else..."
"Perhaps it's a kind of inheritance, or an innate ability?" Gillion muttered.
"It's possible, but either Raina or Petik should have felt it if it was..." Hirano responded with a frown.
Petik suddenly asked, "Does it have to be something left by the Demon King?"
"What do you mean?" Gillion and Raina asked in unison.
Hirano closed his mouth, but Nodaba slowly turned.
"Couldn't it be left by—"
The speaker didn't finish, but all of them knew who he was referring to…
"Indeed, it is possible," Nodaba grimly concluded. "Perhaps that person left some kind of mark?"
Rumbel…?
"A mark? With that person's abilities, preventing divination attempts could easily be done, but if that's the case, then doesn't that mean—Ah? What's that sound?"
Petik didn't finish.
Rumbel!
Gillion looked around. "What sound?" He genuinely couldn't hear anything, but because he was half deaf, perhaps that was a normal occurrence?
Raina and Hirano also looked at Petik, confused.
None of them could hear anything, which was already strange.
"Can't you guys hear it? The rumbling?" Petik turned to the duo with a strange expression
Gillion, Raina, and Hirano shook their heads, looking around.
"I can hear it," Nodaba spoke. His voice was low and cold, a bit grating. "There should be a problem below us, but…" His finger pointed forward, "There's something else… Look there."
All heads turned, and not far away, a few lights had suddenly appeared. They were approaching from a distance, seemingly having followed in their footsteps. After looking a little closer, there were five people, each possessing a powerful aura no less than their own.
Raina frowned, but Petik wanted to take a closer look.
After his collar was yanked back by old man Hirano, he grumbled, then just watched quietly.
While they were still approaching, Raina asked, "Why can't I hear it?"
Rumble!
"Hehehe! Maybe I'm just more sensitive than you!" Petik laughed, causing Raina to glare at him.
Tsk!
"Ah! There it is! I can hear it now!" Gillion exclaimed. He kneeled down, then put his ear to the ground and listened closely. Time seemed to slowly pass, but soon—Rumble!
"Huh! It's getting louder! Everyone, focus!" Gillion shouted loudly.
"Those people, they seem to be from the dragon clan…"
Petik chuckled, "I heard that the more noble the bloodline, the more they weigh? Is that true?"
"Not the time to joke around!" Gillion cursed with a dark expression.
Raina and Hirano jumped up, their eyes widening. Nodaba stepped forward, his spear already ready, and Petik began to sweat. Their focus was not on their approaching guests; no, instead… Rumbel! Such a noise! There was only one thing it could be! His eyes turned, and after meeting Nodaba's gaze, he instantly understood the seriousness of their situation.
"Shit! It's a cave-in!"
Right then, the legendary red dragon and notorious hothead, Rifrit, one of the five approaching lights, roared with a face full of provocation, his foot stomping down with an explosive force! "Yo~! If it isn't you gloomy guys! Haven't seen you in a long—"
BOOM!
"Eh?!"
The earth below their feet cracked and shattered, completely opening up the floor and connecting it to a bottomless abyss that led down into the darkness.
"Ah!!"
Everything fell…
* * *
Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom!! BOOM!
-
While the demons were falling down into the darkness, they just so happened to coincidentally pass a cliff during their descent. As their clothes fluttered, fire and ice were spat out in a panic, forming a kind of spinning light wheel that zipped past. It was also here that the camera swept up, quickly focusing on another group of five, but this group was made up of a small green-haired child and four maids.
Petra, while wearing a cute little miner's outfit and swinging around a large pickaxe, turned her head. "Did you hear anything just now!?"
Her voice was a bit too loud, like someone who had just been deafened.
Whoosh!
As she asked, a sudden wave of dust violently spilled down from above, filling the surroundings.
Not long after—
"Cough-cough-cough-cough!"
"Fuck!"
Emerging from the dust, Petra waved her small fist and tried to clear the air. Her little eyes watered as she quickly rubbed them with her sleeve.
She cursed!
She had not received an answer, so looking behind her, she faced Rose and Lira, who were both extremely dishevelled, with their heads down and their ears drooping. Wind was currently lecturing them, clearly enraged, so Petra discreetly turned back.
She took a look around, only to see the sight of the explosives that had caused the instability in this part of the tunnel. These explosives were the leftovers from when the pistol guy attacked the Sea-Spearing Centipede back in the Verdelith Castle. Petra had wanted to test them, but she seriously underestimated the potency of whatever fueled them, causing the disaster that they were now facing.
As for those guys above?
What guys above?
Mm!
Her eyes turned, trying to lower her presence as Wind continued to yell in the background.
Looking at the damage, Petra really hoped that these explosives wouldn't attract anything too troublesome. "Probably should have saved some... Whoops!" With her back still to Wind and the others, Petra knocked herself on the head, then stuck out her tongue in a cute gesture while facing the camera.
Before Wind could turn to her, Petra had already swiftly trotted away.
Her little feet tapped as she approached the drop.
Looking around one more time, she suddenly felt the urge to shimmy forward, then got down on her knees before leaning over the cliff and looking down into the darkness below. This was a large, hollow shaft that was about thirty meters across, but as one went further down, its diameter only seemed to increase, and it was impossible to see the bottom.
"Mm~? Where did this come from? Was this here before—?"
She looked over the edge, trying to see the source of that initial screaming sound, but to no avail. Petra shrugged her shoulders, then looked back.
As the dust settled, what was revealed was a huge vein of some unknown ore that completely covered the cave wall. "Hehehe! It looks like we really struck gold this time!" Petra rubbed her hands together in anticipation just thinking about what they had found!
But just then—
"Petra!!!"
"Eek!"
The roar cut off her thoughts, causing Petra to stiffen. Her head slowly turned, only to meet a certain silver-haired sister's lashing gaze!
* * *