Under the pitch-black night, a vast and boundless forest stretched out.
This was a forest where the trees grew abnormally tall, their canopies so dense that one might wonder if sunlight could ever penetrate them.
The humidity in the forest was heavy, accompanied by an indescribable, eerie chill. At first glance, it didn't look like an ordinary forest inhabited by flora and fauna, but more like the kind mentioned in folklore—a dwelling place for monsters or witches.
At the entrance of this forest, a magic teleportation circle suddenly appeared, sliding from top to bottom, allowing four figures to emerge in succession.
It was Leon and his group of four.
"Where are we?"
Looking at the cold, unfamiliar forest before them, Yukino Yukinoshita, Asuna Yuuki, and Utaha Kasumigaoka subconsciously turned to Leon.
"This is the Familiar Forest." Seeing the girls looking at him, Leon explained, "This forest is inhabited by many magical creatures. Some you've heard of in various myths and legends, and some have never appeared in the human world. Without exception, they are all magical beings with various abilities that can be contracted by devils to serve as familiars."
Hearing this, the three girls looked toward the forest again.
Although it was late at night and there were no light sources—making it so dark that one couldn't even see their own hand—darkness was no obstacle for devils with night vision. Thus, all three could see the forest clearly.
"Magical creatures?" Yukino Yukinoshita muttered. "I didn't expect such a place to exist in this world."
Asuna Yuuki and Utaha Kasumigaoka nodded in agreement.
However, Leon let out a rather amused chuckle.
"Who told you this forest was in the human world?" Leon said nonchalantly. "This is a forest in the Underworld. You are not in the human world right now; you are in the Underworld."
As soon as these words were spoken, the girls' eyes widened in unison.
"Th-this is the Underworld?!"
Asuna Yuuki spoke in utter astonishment.
"We actually came directly into the Underworld?"
Utaha Kasumigaoka was also shocked.
They knew the Underworld was different from how legends described it, but this was still the world where devils and fallen angels lived, and the destination for souls after death that did not enter Heaven.
Under these circumstances, they really hadn't expected that they could be transferred here in an instant using the magic circle back at the house.
"Generally speaking, newborn Peerage devils like you cannot use a magic circle to jump directly to the Underworld. You must enter through official channels in the human world, handle the immigration procedures, so as not to be punished as illegal entrants."
Seeing how surprised the girls were, Leon explained further.
"But this is a special case. I'm not planning on going home; I just want to help my servants capture familiars. So, I've granted a special exception for you to enter this way once. Next time you come to the Underworld, you must go through official channels and complete the entry procedures."
This was something Leon had specifically applied for through Sona Sitri. It was only after being reported by the Sitri family that this exceptional permit was obtained.
Others did not have such privileges. Leon was given these minor perks because the higher-ups in the devil world were paying more attention to them, especially since he had achieved startling growth in just a few months and had recruited three powerful Sacred Gear users into his Peerage, all of whom possessed infinite potential.
"Entering through official channels is a bit too troublesome; I wouldn't consider it for you until a long vacation," Leon continued. "But a familiar is basic equipment for a devil. Even a familiar without combat capability can assist the master in delivering messages, tracking enemies, and handling chores. It's very useful, so I didn't plan on waiting until the long vacation to arrange this for you."
With the new club established and the Eligos Peerage taking its initial shape, Leon decided to strike while the iron was hot. Using the club activities as a pretext, he intended to help his Peerage members capture their familiars.
"The Familiar Forest isn't the only place to obtain a familiar, but there is no shortage of high-quality magical creatures living here. It is the primary destination for many devils to collect their familiars."
Leon pointed toward the forest.
"In this forest, everything exists, from tiny Slimes to adult dragons. There is even a Dragon King living here—the legendary dragon known as the 'Chaos Karma Dragon,' Tiamat. She is the only female among the Five Dragon Kings and has lived here since ancient times. Yet, not a single devil has been able to tame her."
Hearing Leon's words, the way Yukino Yukinoshita and the others looked at the forest changed.
They were all Peerage devils who had undergone training. Even Utaha Kasumigaoka, who had just joined two days ago, had learned the common knowledge of the supernatural world, so she understood perfectly what the term "Dragon King" represented.
To mortals, dragons were creatures of legend, but to devils, dragons were a real species that had influenced the course of the world since ancient times.
They did not form organized factions but existed as tribes. In fact, many powerful dragons didn't even have tribes and acted alone. However, as long as something was related to the "Dragon" race, none were anything less than powerful.
Dragons were also known as the crystallization of power. Every dragon was filled with strength, free-spirited, and acted willfully. They were synonyms for power, mystery, and enormity in the eyes of the general public.
As for Dragon Kings, they might not be the actual rulers of the dragon race, but they were significantly more powerful than other dragons—powerful enough to be crowned with the title "King of Dragons."
There were currently five such Dragon Kings, hence the name Five Dragon Kings.
Each of the Five Dragon Kings was extremely powerful, possessing at least Satan-class strength, and each was famous in their own right.
The Five Dragon Kings were: the "Prison Dragon" Vritra, the "Gigantis Dragon" Fafnir, the "Mischievous Dragon" Yu-Long, the "Sleeping Dragon" Midgardsormr, and the "Chaos Karma Dragon" Tiamat.
Some had committed evil in history and were hunted by dragon-slaying heroes under various factions; some were tamed by a certain power or lived within its jurisdiction; they left their names in various myths and legends, and some were even worshipped as deities.
The "Chaos Karma Dragon" Tiamat was one of them. Her name in Mesopotamian mythology was a sea goddess, regarded as the mother of the gods and the incarnation of primordial chaos. Her image blended the triple attributes of the ocean, the mother goddess, and chaos. Characters or stories based on her image and legends had appeared in various films and television works.
The Five Dragon Kings had existed for ages, and currently, Tiamat was likely the one living most comfortably.
The "Prison Dragon" Vritra had been slain, his soul cut into several pieces and made into several Sacred Gears by God; his end was quite miserable.
The "Gigantis Dragon" Fafnir had also been slain before but was later resurrected; he now made a living by contracting with others.
The "Mischievous Dragon" Yu-Long was the white dragon horse from "Journey to the West." He had long since submitted to Mt. Meru and became a member of the Buddhist faction.
The "Sleeping Dragon" Midgardsormr was a creation of the Norse evil god Loki. He slept in the sea all year round, and even the Norse gods didn't know how to command him. It was said he would only wake up when the apocalypse arrived.
Some of these Dragon Kings were dead, some became well-behaved after dying once, some were tamed, and some were left at the bottom of the sea to fend for themselves. None of them had particularly good ends, except for the "Chaos Karma Dragon" Tiamat, who had been living quite well, staying in the Familiar Forest where no one dared provoke her.
As the only female among the Five Dragon Kings, Tiamat was now considered the strongest Dragon King. Ordinary Satan-class beings were no match for her and might even be killed by her. Therefore, even among devils, very few went to disturb her life.
"Your familiar wouldn't happen to be this Dragon King, would it?"
Yukino Yukinoshita, for some reason, asked Leon an astonishing question.
"...Am I really that strong in your heart?" Leon's eye twitched as he looked at Yukino speechlessly. "What gave you the delusion that I could tame the strongest Dragon King?"
You must be joking. That was a Dragon King that even ordinary Satan-class beings couldn't reach. Leon was currently just a small character in front of her; what right did he have to tame her?
Setting aside the time before his characteristic awakening, even now, in an all-out state, he could only barely contend with a ten-winged class being, and it would have to be a newly promoted one. If it were someone like Miyamoto Musashi, who was among the top tier of Ultimate-class devils within the ten-winged class, he would be completely helpless.
Even in the future, once he mastered the Balance Breaker of "Zenith Tempest" he would likely only be at the Satan-class. He could handle ordinary Satan-class beings, but against someone like Tiamat, he would still be helpless.
To be a match for Tiamat, he would at least have to reach the ten-winged class in his base strength and then activate the Balance Breaker to have a chance.
As for now?
He hadn't even reached the eight-winged class!
"Then what is your familiar?"
Yukino Yukinoshita also felt a bit embarrassed.
It was just a habitual way of thinking. She had been misled by previous events. As soon as she heard that she was the only female dragon among the Five Dragon Kings, she thought this unscrupulous master—who "exclusively picks high-altitude flowers as servants"—had already made a move on her, while overlooking the issue of his current strength.
"My familiars are the ones in the manor. They have already signed contracts with me and are specifically responsible for the chores at home and assisting with our devil work, like distributing flyers and such," Leon said rather irritably.
"In the past, I was focused on becoming a High-class devil and inheriting the Eligos family, so I placed more importance on performance. I didn't contract any familiars with particularly strong combat power, only some ordinary magical creatures that could transform into human forms."
Having finished, Leon didn't continue the topic and waved his hand.
"Let's go. I'll take you in; take your time picking."
Leon took the lead and walked into the forest.
The girls quickly followed, and they soon entered the forest, disappearing from sight.
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi