Chapter 98: Right to remain Silent
Sara and Blade appeared beside him from their hiding spots, staring at the dark tunnel with deep apprehension.
Night asked, "Should I pursue them?"
Sara shook her head firmly. "I am entirely certain this unnatural tunnel will lead us straight into the Death Zone."
Blade, however, narrowed her eyes. "Let’s try to see for ourselves, then..."
And just like that, they boldly stepped into the ominous tunnel.
...
Meanwhile, in the Desert City:
A young boy was currently seated in front of Diana in a office inside empty Desert City.
The boy, Alze-beus, asked respectfully, "Why has the Lord gone silent?"
He was referring to [Zethe-thoth], completely unaware that the Lord he was so piously referring to was currently hiding like a rat, desperately nursing its injuries.
He didn’t know that, but even if he knew that the Void God had just given the Devil enough trauma to last a lifetime, he simply wouldn’t believe it.
If someone said the God had almost died, he might just laugh in their face.
Diana looked deeply at him with an amused, sinister smile. "The Lord is always watching."
Alze-beus immediately showed a joyful, pious face, while inwardly heaving a sigh of relief. For highly obvious reasons, he did not even dare to generate a single rebellious thought in his own mind.
He was resolved to flawlessly play the role of the perfect devotee.
Diana just kept the sinister, knowing smile plastered on her face.
Alze-beus then asked, acting as if he just randomly recalled it, "Do you happen to casually know where I can find my brethren who were stationed in this city?"
He was specifically referring to the hidden Devils in the Desert City, which was actually one of the tasks assigned to him by the Devil Monarch Aathan.
As for exactly why he was still trying to see if he could accomplish His Highness’s task while currently serving the Void God, it was simple: Devil Monarch Aathan was terrifyingly strong.
He was certain that if there was a single entity on this planet that could give [Zethe-thoth] a run for its money, it would be Aathan.
He was currently the strongest being native to the planet, after all.
Even those pesky, self-righteous pigeons in Heaven couldn’t compare.
Though that terrifying hammer guy who had smashed him to pieces and even made the Void God wary, at the end of the day, that guy was merely a mortal.
Meanwhile, Devil Monarch Aathan was a truly godlike being.
And if he could somehow pit them against each other, it would be the best outcome for him.
Diana replied simply, "They are gone."
Alze-beus’s pupils constricted. "Gone?"
Diana giggled, daintily covering her mouth. "I mean that Sara took them as well when she mass-teleported everyone with her."
Alze-beus calmed down instantly.
For a second, he thought he was completely screwed.
His Highness was not fond of failures, and while this specific incarnation was currently stuck dealing with [Zethe-thoth], his true main body was still in Hell, under the watchful eye of Devil Monarch Aathan.
Then suddenly, Diana adopted a serious look on her face, as if she had just received some vital information.
Pondering silently for a second, she looked closely at Alze-beus and gave a wide smile that honestly looked downright scary.
Alze-beus, sensing something terrible, suddenly tried to stand up and bid his farewells, but paused when Diana commanded, "The Lord has a specific task for you."
Alze-beus chuckled awkwardly, sweating slightly. "What exactly can this poor, weak servant possibly do that the almighty Lord cannot easily do Himself?" he tried to dodge the bullet.
Diana continued as if she didn’t hear him, but her sinister smile deepened. "Sara is currently outside the Dream City, right near Death Zone No. 2."
Alze-beus looked at her in resignation. "The previous City Ruler?"
Diana stressed meaningfully, "The Stand-in City Ruler..."
"Yeah..." Alze-beus sighed.
He genuinely wondered how someone could make [Zethe-thoth]’s Chosen her like this and still roam the world freely, even having the free time to casually admire the Death Zones.
Diana told him her intention. "I want you to go capture her... or simply kill her."
"She is outside the city limits and looks weakened as well. And she is currently traveling with some unknown being and a child."
Alze-beus narrowed his eyes. "What exactly is their combat strength?"
Now that his mind was practically made up for him, it was better to know more about them.
Diana smiled sweetly. "Nothing a mighty Demigod like you cannot handle."
Alze-beus’s lips twitched. That is the same as telling me nothing!
Sighing heavily, he got up and turned to leave.
Diana then casually gave a warning, acting entirely as goodwill. "Be careful of the child."
Alze-beus paused his steps. "What exactly is so special about this random kid?"
Diana said simply, "He is a Chosen."
Alze-beus shook his head dismissively.
Even that Arthur guy was a ’Chosen’, and Alze-beus had still made him run with his tail tucked between his legs during their last encounter.
Diana, easily seeing that the Devil’s natural pride was getting to him, reminded him sternly, "He is the Chosen of a Primordial God... [Blaze]."
Alze-beus froze upon hearing the Primordial God’s name. He instantly decided to be careful.
Among the 12 Primordial Gods, [Blaze] was well-known for being protective of the people close to him.
The many destroyed cosmic Empires and shattered Pantheons were bloody, historical proof of that exact fact.
....
On a Faraway Planet...
[Blaze] immediately became aware of Diana and Alze-beus the exact moment his name was uttered.
Looking at this sudden development, [Blaze] was unsure whether he should warn Night beforehand or not.
But looking closely at Night doing pretty well for himself after acquiring the [Nightmare Fire], he decided to just let it be.
Some harsh setbacks were necessary for growth, or the kid might get too careless.
Beside him, [Aqua] watched it as well and asked softly, "Are you really not going to warn him?"
Looking gently at Aqua, [Blaze] didn’t know what to say.
Ever since she had found out about the boy, Night had actively gained a +1 Viewer.
[Blaze] muttered, "It’s unlike you to do this..."
[Aqua] raised an elegant eyebrow. "To do what? Stalk?"
Haha, [Blaze] thought nervously not going to step on such an obvious landmine. "I mean... to care so much about outsiders."
[Aqua] pressed further, her eyes flashing. "He is your Chosen. Which means he possesses a lot of your Records."
"And it’s highly likely he possesses even more of your Records than our actual descendants! As far as the greater cosmos is actively concerned, he is closer to you than even your own descendants, and possibly even closer than me."
"How exactly is he an ’outsider’?"
"If he is an outsider, then what exactly am I?"
[Blaze] paused completely, not expecting such a strong opposition.
He decided to excercise his right to remain silent.
However, [Aqua] was not done. "Doing something so careless and not even taking responsibility. And you ask me why exactly I am here?"
It was not that [Aqua] was just being overly nosy. In the ancient tradition she hailed from, they treated bloodlines and connections as sacred.
It was exactly who she was at her core, and it was also exactly how [Blaze] fundamentally was as well.
It was not without any reason that he was playing the nanny for the entire Human race in the Cosmos, after all.
And that’s exactly how [Blaze] and [Aqua] decided to spend their lovely, romantic evening together.
....
Back on Earth
Night covered himself in flames and took the lead. He was, in fact, thoroughly enjoying himself.
This intoxicating feeling of rapidly growing stronger and actively exploring the unknown was finally making him feel like he was doing something significant with his life.
The tunnel was thickly covered in moss in some places, a clear indication it had been quite some time since it was originally dug out.
After walking silently for many kilometers deep into the mountain, Night finally came to a complete stop.
Up ahead, he saw a huge cave-like structure.
But he couldn’t see inside it clearly even with his Mystic Eyes; the vast cave was dark, completely devoid of any light, except the glow radiating directly from Night’s flames.
Night turned back to them, and he only entered the cave after receiving a nod from Blade and Sara.
Nothing was out of the ordinary as he took a couple of slow steps.
It was just that the ground just felt like it was covered in ice.
After they had crossed a significant distance into the vast cave, Sara suddenly exclaimed, "The entrance is gone!"
Surprised, Night looked back, only to see that the entrance was really gone.
The next thing he heard was the unified buzzing of IceHoppers...
Buzzz! Buzzz! Buzzz! Buzzz! Buzzz!
It felt like the sound was directly from all directions at once
Despite the treacherous situation, Night’s mind somehow had the free time to casually muse.
It feels like we are inside the stomach of a huge insect, Night thought blankly.
The ’entrance’ was probably just the inside of its mouth, and it naturally closed it completely after its food walked inside.
Night was pulled out of his morbid thoughts when he felt something was wrong.
The icy ground he was standing on suddenly started... moving.
To get a clear look at their surroundings, Sara quickly summoned her Tome, and from it sprang a small magic circle.
Immediately, the entire massive cave was covered in bright light, exposing everything.
The purpose of this magic circle was nothing more than to practically act like a light bulb.
But being able to see clearly only made them feel chills.
The entire cave was occupied by thousands of IceHoppers. Every single inch of the cave was covered in IceHoppers.
Night finally realized why it felt like they were slipping and walking on ice. It was not that the cave floor was covered in ice.
They were literally standing on top of thousands of IceHoppers, which natural ice their bodies.
Basically... they had been walking on thin ice all this time...
....
Outside the Dream City
Looking silently at the Dream City that was getting closer, Jeffy walked in silence. His steps casually covered significantly more distance than they should have.
Beside him, Teffy complained, "Seriously, what an ungrateful Witch!"
Jeffy muttered, "We are almost there," looking closely at the Dream City that was drawing closer with each step.
But Teffy continued complaining. "We just stepped out to take the trash out for a bit, and there she went! Taking everyone with her, leaving our beloved city entirely barren!"
"Does she truly not have even a tiny bit of concern in her cold heart for her most loyal, dedicated guards?! Leaving us high and dry like that?!"
Jeffy paused his steps. "She must have had her reasons," he reasoned, and continued walking.
Teffy scoffed. "And she didn’t even bother informing us brothers?! Where exactly is the comradery?! Where is her human spirit?!..."
They walked on through the peaceful forest, one stayed silent, and the other refused to stay silent.