Chapter 123: Absurd and Irreversible
The last layer of the barrier inscription opened. Priam took quick steps out, and the entrance closed behind him in the next second.
He looked completely normal, with his cold and demonic aura flowing sinisterly.
His legs moved forward step by step...
He felt several distant gazes fixing on him.
But...
None of them moved toward him to ask anything.
Obviously, they still couldn’t sense any spatial ring or any change in his fluctuations. Besides, he was already outside the treasury, but still inside the race’s main territory.
They all followed him with their senses, silently watching. If he did anything even slightly suspicious, everyone there could activate the clan’s central inscription and create a terrifying prison.
The level of that central inscription could imprison even a powerful Mage Master. They had absolute confidence in that. And if something had happened to the Elder, they would have already discovered it too.
Of course, they didn’t suspect the Venomous Tree of Chaos, because it was impossible to free it from the seal and use its power without causing a major disturbance. Things of that level would easily trigger an alert throughout the entire race.
No one could even imagine that a demon possessed a Pristine Primordial Core and could perfectly control high-level nature power, capable of creating that perfect scenario.
As for betrayal, that Elder was someone the Supreme General trusted deeply.
With all of that, the fact that this demon had come out alone could only mean that it had somehow been authorized by the Elder. None of those watchers would approach the demon to ask directly, because the Supreme General had warned them to be as careful as possible with that figure’s mood.
The rumors about his short temper and malice were as vast as the sky.
If they didn’t truly have a reason, it was enough to watch from afar.
...
Priam walked at a normal speed, heading perfectly toward the mountain.
In less than an hour, he arrived at the mansion. At that moment, he could already see the first rays of sunlight on the horizon.
He hadn’t slept that night, but he didn’t feel even a little tired.
After all, he was no longer a beginner Mage. At his current level, he could go a day without sleeping or a day without eating, and he wouldn’t become weak.
The Ether in his body recovered his fatigue and gave him energy. Of course, if he were completely out of Ether, those benefits wouldn’t exist.
Currently, Priam had enough Ether to maintain the disguise for a little over an hour. But he still had a few recovery pills, which could make him exceed that a little more.
When he entered the mansion, the Supreme General’s wife hurried out to receive him. When she saw him alone, her eyes changed.
"Senior..."
That figure snorted dryly, with clear impatience.
"The brat stayed behind in the small alchemy laboratory of the medicinal field. Since the herbs we harvested are extremely sensitive to any variation, I ordered him to begin the herbal purification and distillation process immediately there, before the natural essence evaporated. He already has the prescription to completely cure the brat after I leave. He’ll bring that finished medication in half a day. Now, get out of the way. I’ll finish the work on the boy quickly."
Hearing that, the woman’s eyes shone.
The Crucible Devil walked past her brusquely, heading to the room.
As he passed through the door, the Supreme General and Hahho turned to him, excited.
"I prepared everything. I’ll begin immediately, and it won’t take long."
His words sounded dry and emotionless. He approached the bed and extended both shadowy hands toward Hahho.
At that moment, the entire room was covered by a pure and terrifying energy.
The Supreme General and his wife swallowed hard, stunned.
After all, they could feel the intense medicinal power of several herbs, completely without impurities. One alone was already terrifying; several together in perfect harmony and without impurities?
It was something practically impossible to see in the Mortal Plane.
In fact, they had never even heard of something like that existing in the Divine Plane.
This couple had already lived for a few hundred years in the Divine Plane. They had been workers of a sect. Because of that, they had good knowledge.
There was no longer any doubt about that figure’s identity. But that only served to confirm it even more in their minds...
This demon couldn’t be someone who currently lived in the Mortal Plane. He had possibly ascended to the Divine Plane at some point in the past, and the rumors of his death had spread because no one could find him.
The two broke out in a cold sweat.
This demon... with absolute certainty, had to be a high-level Mage Master. Even the Race Leader might not compare to him.
Because of that, they could only be grateful for the divine luck their son and they had received. This demon needed money, and they needed his services. Everything had aligned perfectly.
...
...
...
Less than an hour later.
"Great... it went better than I expected. 89% of his meridians have been recovered." The demon’s harsh voice sounded.
He turned around, meeting the wide-eyed gaze of that couple.
"Even without my medicine, this brat will easily be able to cure himself completely. You can verify it for yourselves..."
He waved his hand, authorizing the two of them to personally see the result.
They practically shot to the side of the bed.
Hahho’s eyes were wide open, but he was trembling from head to toe, and his eyes were filled with tears. He could feel that he had been saved.
The two checked him meticulously for several minutes.
It took a while because they couldn’t believe it at first. Each of them checked and tested him more than five times.
When they were satisfied...
"Senior..."
The Supreme General turned around, murmuring in an emotional tone.
"My time is valuable. I don’t want thanks or anything stupid." In contrast, the demon’s harsh voice sounded, cutting him off.
That figure immediately waved his hand. A spatial ring floated toward the demon.
Priam took it, looking at the contents for a second.
’Perfect... now I have some money for when I arrive at the Divine Plane.’
The Crucible Devil snorted, then turned around, taking firm and indifferent steps.
"As I said, the other idiot should arrive in a few hours with the first dose of the medicine. Just give it to him every day at the same time. My work is done. I hope I don’t have to see you again."
He spoke while leaving, without looking back.
Those two tried to say something. They wanted to make him stay a little longer and try to create some kind of bond. But they didn’t dare stop him.
He went to the door and quickly left.
The couple went out right behind him, watching his back move away as he descended the mountain.
Other figures appeared around the mansion and looked at the couple.
The Supreme General sighed lightly and turned to them.
"Don’t you dare follow him," he said in a rigid voice. "He seems to be in a hurry to obtain resources, which is why he accepted coming to our humble planet for money. Besides, he has many enemies, and the rumors that he is here must have already spread. It’s normal for him to want to leave the very second he finishes everything."
Everyone nodded. If it were anyone else, under any other condition, they wouldn’t have let him leave like that, since he clearly seemed to want to flee the place.
But besides his haste making sense, would they dare poke a tiger with a short stick? If there was no reason for it, it was better to avoid it.
---
The rays of sunlight flooded the planet with a deceptive calm. Everything made it seem like this was just another ordinary day.
Inside the Ylisse clan’s building, the silence was abruptly broken.
The door suddenly opened.
Shione appeared at the entrance, paralyzed when she saw Priam’s figure calmly approaching as he returned.
"?"
His steps froze for a moment.
That was because he noticed something very abnormal, causing his instincts to flare into maximum alert.
Shione’s face was swollen, stained with a vivid red, and the marks of thick tears that were still flowing down.
Right behind her, Lumire looked like a ghost: pale skin, eyes completely empty.
Priam’s stomach turned. Panic shot through his chest, and he ran toward them like lightning.
"What happened?!" his voice echoed, demanding answers.
In silence, the two only lowered their heads and opened a path. Priam stormed inside.
Inside, the shock paralyzed him.
Orlaith, the imposing clan leader, was curled up in the corner of the wall.
She was hugging her own legs, rocking herself in a disturbing, broken way.
What in the universe could reduce that woman to this state?!
The heavy thud of the door closing behind him sounded like a verdict.
Priam turned to the two of them. Despair scratched at his throat, and his voice failed as he asked the question he feared most:
"Where is... Flaris?"
"She’s in bed... sleeping calmly..." Shione’s voice came out weak, melancholic, almost a broken whisper. "Exactly as you left her..."
The air vanished from Priam’s lungs. If it wasn’t Flaris...
"WHAT IS HAPPENING?!" he said, now clearly disturbed by what he was feeling. He had an instinctive certainty that something absurd and irreversible had happened.
Shione and Lumire looked away, unable to hold his gaze.
That was when a thread of voice, hoarse and trembling, crawled out from the dark corner of the wall. Orlaith began to mumble, the words coming out shattered:
"The clan..."
"Everyone..."
"The entire planet..."
The clan leader finally raised her dull eyes toward him.
"Our home... everything was reduced to nothing..."
"They’re all dead."