Whoo—!
The six-metre-tall black Tyrannosaurus lowered its head slightly, emitting a deep growl.
Seated on the dinosaur's back, Luo Shu took the opportunity to survey his surroundings.
After making a round, Luo Shu realised there were quite a few familiar faces present.
Of course, the most familiar one had to be his almost brother-in-law, Shin Natsume.
So after scanning the area, Luo Shu turned his gaze directly to Shin Natsume and asked outright:
"I'm a bit curious, what exactly is the situation here now?"
"Tch."
Seeing Luo Shu look at him, Shin Natsume made a displeased face but helplessly pulled out his cigarette pack and lit one.
Although he was extremely unhappy about Luo Shu taking away his youngest sister, Shin Natsume also knew that if he said anything too harsh to Luo Shu, that leaky cotton-padded jacket of his would probably turn around and deal with him instead.
Furthermore, his other sister, Maya Natsume, was also living under Luo Shu's wing. In this situation, Shin Natsume could only swallow his frustration:
"Nothing much. It's just that the location of the True Dragon Legacy has a guardian. The Apostles sent by the Unions hit a snag and are now trying to figure out a solution!"
"Huh?" Luo Shu was startled upon hearing this, exclaiming in surprise, "Even an Apostle hit a snag? Could that True Dragon actually still be alive and kicking, just as I thought?"
Seeing Luo Shu's astonished expression, Shin Natsume suddenly fell silent, then muttered to himself:
"I knew I wasn't cut out for explaining things!"
Without even thinking, Shin Natsume could guess that Luo Shu had misunderstood.
And from Luo Shu's response, he was probably genuinely under the impression that the Union had dispatched an existence at the Apostle level to seize the True Dragon Legacy.
Realising this, the person feeling the most awkward and looking the most embarrassed there wasn't anyone else, but Evangeline.
She opened her mouth, staring at the man sitting atop the Tyrannosaurus rex – the same man she had regarded as an amateur not long ago – her expression rather conflicted as she said:
"The Apostle dispatched by the Union... isn't the kind of Apostle you're thinking of. It's... it's..."
At this point, Evangeline's face flushed red, and she stomped her feet hard on the ground.
"Then what is it?" Luo Shu looked at Evangeline, puzzled, not quite understanding why this blonde girl was so embarrassed.
Then, Evangeline, as if deciding to throw caution to the wind, shouted at Luo Shu:
"Anyway, just think of the Union's Apostle as someone around my level!!"
"Eh?" Luo Shu looked at Evangeline in utter shock upon hearing this.
Since when did people refer to themselves as 'someone around my level'?
Are sorcerers these days so lacking in self-esteem?
Just then, a sound like soft pads thumping against the floor could be heard.
Everyone turned to look and immediately spotted two figures riding on the backs of dragon beasts resembling Triceratops as they arrived at the scene.
Before they even got close, the black catgirl on the dragon's back called out from a distance:
"So Master, have you found something again, meow?"
"Is it ambergris that boosts Spiritual Power when smelled? Or dragon scales that can be used to make armour? Or maybe a spring that can create dragon beasts... Huh? Why are there so many people here, meow?"
Only after she had blurted all that out and reached the top of the small slope did Kuroka see the slightly dishevelled crowd below.
Seeing this, Kuroka blinked, feeling a bit guilty, and tried to act cute:
"Did I say something wrong, meow?"
Just now, she might have let slip some of the gains Luo Shu had made while wandering around here.
Would this group get any bad ideas about trying to snatch them?
However, before Kuroka could receive a response, Sun Seto, who had arrived a step later, looked at Shin Natsume in surprise:
"Ah, it's the Bujin-shū from that time!"
Hearing this, Shin Natsume also noticed Sun Seto's arrival and slightly furrowed his brow:
"The dragon girl from the Seto Group?"
Then, Shin Natsume glanced at the dragon beast Sun Seto was riding, then at the Tyrannosaurus rex Luo Shu was seated on, suddenly feeling that his younger sister Aya seemed to have quite a few rivals.
No one was aware of Shin Natsume's sudden thoughts, as most people's attention was focused on Kuroka.
A cat girl, riding a dragon beast, with an unreliable mouth—this was everyone's first impression of Kuroka.
In comparison, what Kuroka had revealed was rather insignificant.
After all, having truly witnessed the power of the guardian, no one believed they could seize the spoils from Luo Shu's hands.
In fact, it wasn't even about competing for spoils anymore; they had to consider whether Luo Shu might eliminate them all.
Having seen the strength of a Demigod with their own eyes, they had no doubt that Luo Shu could accomplish this.
Just as everyone was tense and on guard, Luo Shu casually addressed Kuroka, who had just arrived:
"Unfortunately, Kuroka, there are no new toys here that you'd want to see at the moment."
"However, if what I heard is correct, that cave should contain the greatest treasure in this Abyss world, shouldn't it?"
As he spoke, Luo Shu narrowed his eyes, examining the cave not far away.
Then, he shifted his gaze and looked down at Giada Kukulcan in the nearby pit, his tone carrying a hint of surprise:
"But you've really been beaten badly, Giada Kukulcan..."
"As the Chaos Bride, controlling twenty-seven familiars, you still couldn't overcome the Guardian inside?"
Hearing this, Giada, who was still struggling to recover from her injuries, looked up and sensed Luo Shu's aura, asking uncertainly:
"You're the one from the building earlier?"
Before entering the Abyss world, the person who coincidentally attempted to cause trouble at the True Dragon Legacy gathering site was Luo Shu?
So, she had already faced a Demigod back then?
Realising this, Giada immediately understood one thing.
Damn, this guy was holding back when we fought before!
Having witnessed the duplicate's strength, Giada didn't believe that Luo Shu, as the original, would possess only the level of power he showed during their previous encounter.
So, the only possible explanation was that Luo Shu had intentionally cooperated with her to clear the area during their last confrontation.
Although their goals aligned—both clearing the area to force out the mastermind behind the scenes—the thought that the person she had been in tacit agreement with earlier was holding back against her left Giada feeling frustrated.
'So, I didn't even push you to use your full strength?'
"If you're referring to the time you counterattacked in the building, then yes, that was me."
Luo Shu nodded, acknowledging Giada's words, and asked:
"Is the guardian inside very strong?"
Giada seemed to interpret this in her own way and laughed heartily:
"Of course it's strong! So strong that it nearly killed me with a single blow!"
After saying this, Giada looked intently at Luo Shu and said:
"Want to test the guardian's mettle?"
Hearing this, Luo Shu curled the corners of his mouth into a smile and said:
"Of course!"