Chapter 725: The Ice Witch and Hyberrian's Double Surprise
Chapter 725: The Ice Witch and Hyberrian's Double Surprise
The aura around the Ice Witch, Almyce, was as icy as ever, yet it filled Hyberrian with a sense of warmth. It was her teacher who had taken care of her every day in the Northern Continent, and the bond between them would never fade.
"It's been a long time," Almyce said, her voice soft. She had intended to push Hyberrian away, but seeing her like this, she just couldn't bring herself to do it.
Without Tallia to look after Hyberrian, it seemed that she had become the princess's only guardian.
Gently, she placed her hand on Hyberrian's back.
Then, the Ice Witch lifted her gaze to the three employees in the restaurant behind Hyberrian.
Those words, "It's been a long time," were meant for them as well.
She never imagined that their reunion, after over a century, would take place in such an ordinary human restaurant.
Although she didn't recognize the faces of the three people in the restaurant, she could instantly identify them by their familiar auras and magical fluctuations.
The woman sitting at the bar exuded a calm demeanor, her black dress reminiscent of a noble lady from a prestigious family—it was Sinora, the Breaker.
The short-haired woman with a carefree and playful demeanor, donning a leather vest, tight leather pants, and tall boots, was undoubtedly Antanas, the Guardian.
And the man in the dimly lit bar, wearing a deep brown vest over his suit, his expression subdued and profound, was none other than Pranai, the Sage.
"Almyce, it's been over a hundred years," Antanas said with a relieved smile. She had always gotten along well with most demons, including half-demons like the Ice Witch.
"Did you come here looking for us for some reason?" Pranai asked, his face expressionless as his eyes fixed on Almyce.
Sinora had been about to greet the Ice Witch, but upon seeing her brother's attitude, she immediately stopped and remained quiet.
After a moment's thought, she understood why her brother was being so cold to Almyce.
Almyce had clearly come looking for them, perhaps even more so than for Hyberrian.
At present, the Allied Forces were desperately lacking eighth-rank hero units and were continuously retreating and shrinking their defenses. These three eighth-rank demons hiding in Ecclesiate would be an invaluable asset.
However, their duty was to protect Hyberrian, and they could not assist Almyce in any way that might compromise that responsibility.
"I want to ask for your help," Almyce finally said, gently pushing Hyberrian aside as she turned to face the three powerful demons.
She knew that Pranai, the wise demon, could see right through her intentions.
Since that was the case, there was no point in hiding it.
"Impossible. We will not leave Hyberrian's side. Her safety is our top priority," Sinora stated firmly.
Even without Lanchi's instructions, she would protect Hyberrian with all she had. Hyberrian was her irreplaceable dearest friend, and she wouldn't let her face even the slightest danger.
"Almyce, it's not that we don't want to help you," Antanas added, "but guarding the princess is our most important task."
At this moment, they were all part of the Southern Continent Alliance. If the Allies lost, they, too, would be displaced. However, they also had their duties to fulfill.
"…."
Pranai stared at the Ice Witch for a moment before speaking again.
"The greatest threat within the Kreise Empire right now seems to be Lashiel, the third progenitor of the Bloodline. He possesses the power of Blood Control, which places him at the pinnacle of spiritual magic and illusionary magic. The heavier the negative emotions of his enemies, the easier it is for Lashiel to find cracks in their minds and exert mental control and forced brainwashing."
He shared the intelligence and Lanchi's prophetic dream with the Ice Witch.
Although the bloodline within the Kreise Empire had not yet revealed themselves, their influence on the empire's decision to go to war was undeniable.
There was no need to publicly disclose this information, which only they possessed. On the one hand, the Allied Forces on the front lines could not threaten the bloodline in the rear, and on the other hand, doing so might alert the bloodline in the empire's heartland and cause them to be more cautious.
Perhaps due to the interference of multiple factors and the manipulation of the Goddess of Fate, the world line that Lanchi had seen had already shifted. For instance, the Kreise Empire's war had been advanced by several months, indicating that the bloodline's preparations were not as thorough as originally thought.
Even so, the bloodline would stop at nothing to find a way to kill Hyberrian.
The true significance of Princess Hyberrian's death to the bloodline was to shatter Mikaya's mental defenses.
"The only way to do that is to turn Mikaya into a slave of the Bloodline and hand over all his unique original magic."
Duke Mikaya's Dark Magic was far too important to the Bloodline. During the day, it could serve as a protective umbrella for the Bloodline, and only by mastering the day could the Bloodline significantly speed up its invasion of the Kreise Empire.
If they could also find the Ninth Progenitor, Marquess Bernhard, they could have him absorb Mikaya and maximize his potential.
Should anything happen to Hyberrian, it would mean that Duke Mikaya would become a puppet under the mental domination of the third progenitor of the Bloodline, Lashiel.
Even though Duke Mikaya's direct combat strength was only quasi-bishop-level, his research capabilities would be catastrophic if he joined the Empire.
"The Bloodline..."
The Ice Witch pondered for a moment. She was aware of the persistent rumors about the Bloodline within the Kreise Empire. Previously, during the battle in the South Vanettina Territory of Herton, there had been a powerful eighth-rank Bloodline creature.
And this so-called third progenitor, worthy of being called a Bloodline Duke, was undoubtedly a terrifying creature of the ninth rank.
In the past, whenever a ninth-rank creature appeared, they would immediately be forcibly conscripted by the Shadow World, which only manifested once every century or two. Thus, the fastest to reach the ninth rank would be the undisputed ruler of their era.
However, if a ninth-rank creature were to be freed from an extremely powerful seal at this particular moment, their strength would be unprecedentedly formidable.
Coupled with the ability known as [Blood Control], there was no doubt that it would become a true nation-stealing power, replicating the tragedy of the ancient Honing Empire.
After a brief moment of understanding the cause and effect, the Ice Witch rubbed her forehead in distress.
She had no idea how to deal with the ninth-rank Bloodline creature hidden in the depths of the Empire; it just felt like an unsolvable problem.
The only one with a chance of defeating the third progenitor was perhaps Lorren's student, Lanchi, who possessed an unblemished mind that couldn't be influenced by [Blood Control] and wielded the sun's power that could weaken the Bloodline tenfold. It was as if he were born to be the third progenitor's arch-nemesis.
However, the problem was that Lanchi's current rank was still too low. Even if he could locate the third progenitor, he wouldn't be able to defeat his arch-nemesis just yet.
"Why 'seem'?"
The Ice Witch recalled Pranai's words and murmured, "Why did you say that the greatest threat within the Kreise Empire 'seems' to be the Bloodline's third progenitor, Lashiel?"
Clearly, the root of the Kreise Empire's problems lay in the Bloodline's manipulation behind the scenes. So why did Pranai add the word "seem"?
"Pranai, what did you see?" she asked.
"..."
"I saw a terrifying man. And when I saw him, it felt like he could see me, too," Pranai replied hesitantly, his voice deep and subdued.
After that, he dared not look in the direction of the Brilid Empire Military Headquarters and the General Command of the Kreise Empire again.
"Who is it?" the Ice Witch inquired.
"The First War God, seated upon the Diamond Throne—Haxintos," Pranai answered.
"In your opinion, is he more dangerous than the third progenitor of the Bloodline?" the Ice Witch asked thoughtfully.
The ninth rank was akin to the domain of the divine, and upon reaching it, one would be at the pinnacle of existence, with no further room for growth in terms of attributes. The only path to greater strength lay in refining one's state, enhancing one's skills and artistry, and acquiring more potent epic artifacts.
There might be creatures who had lingered at the eighth-rank limit for a long time, falling just short of the ninth rank in terms of attributes, but no one could know if they had reached perfection in other aspects.
Just as the legends of the Divine War told of ninth-rank beings capable of threatening the gods, fighting for the gods they believed in, and the possibility that, in the long years since the Divine Age, there might have been unreasonably powerful eighth-rank beings or even those capable of overthrowing the ninth rank.
"Well, it's hard to say..." Pranai struggled to describe his intuition.
In any case, he felt that the calamity facing the Empire was not as simple as it seemed.
"I understand the situation now. Rest assured, I would rather put myself in danger than let anything happen to Hyberrian. She is more important to me than anyone," the Ice Witch assured the three great demons.
"Teacher..." Hyberrian looked at the Ice Witch with tearful eyes, deeply moved.
However, the teacher's words also hinted at the dire state of the Allied Forces, which seemed even worse than what the news had portrayed.
"The technique you used in the Protoss Empire to turn into eighth-rank epic magic cards... Can you use that again?" the Ice Witch asked with a sigh, changing the subject.
"Lanph left behind her improved version of the [Forbidden Curse Seal]..."
"As for the core principle of the fusion wolf's sealing summon, theoretically speaking, if Tallia were here, we should be able to replicate it."
Upon hearing this, Pranai paused for a moment before turning to the Ice Witch for a response.
"Actually, as long as it doesn't interfere with our primary duties, anything can be negotiated, and we will do our best to assist the Allied Forces."
Among the surviving great demons, aside from Tallia, Almyce was the most skilled in magical engineering.
Previously, while in the Northern Continent, Almyce had helped Hyberrian create cards to ensure her safety.
"The current battle situation is deteriorating, and the pressure on the Allied Forces' front lines is increasing. Our intelligence agents are also being persecuted by the Empire's hounds. I may need to find a way to infiltrate the Kreise Empire personally. The Grand Knight of the Fate Goddess Church, Florence, is an important parliamentarian in the western hub region's Cambela Kingdom. She can arrange an excellent cover identity, and her presence in the Herton Kingdom can also take over Lorren's work. However, if we eighth-ranks attempt to infiltrate, there's a high probability that our excessive magical power or aura will be detected by the Empire's city defense array. On the other hand, Hyberrian's sixth-rank is just right for such a mission."
As Almyce spoke, she proposed her idea:
"How about this? I'll join you in protecting Hyberrian, and we'll have her infiltrate the Kreise Empire together."
The Ice Witch believed that her proposal would allow the three great demons to continue protecting Hyberrian while adding her own protection. In return, Hyberrian would need to accompany her on a spy mission into the Kreise Empire.
Previously, in the Northern Continent, she had helped Hyberrian mimic the spell [Transformation: Human], allowing her to change into any form.
Hyberrian possessed a unique stealth talent, trained personally by the Ice Witch. She could even escape right under the noses of eighth-rank beings, and only the ninth-rank great demon, Kaliella, had ever prevented her from fleeing.
If Hyberrian could turn them into magic cards and carry them with her, she would be free to go wherever she pleased.
"Consider it a favor I owe you. If you need my help in the future, I will do my utmost to assist you."
The Ice Witch bowed sincerely to them.
After she finished speaking, the entire Cat Boss restaurant fell into a prolonged silence.
The three great demons exchanged glances.
In the Ice Witch's opinion, if it weren't absolutely necessary, she wouldn't have sought help from these demons.
It seemed that the Allied spies had obtained some extremely unfavorable intelligence, and they could no longer afford to sit idly by. She had come to them out of desperation, hoping that they would help her due to their shared demon heritage and old friendship.
"Brother, what do you think?"
Sinora looked at Pranai.
"I'll follow your lead," Antanas chimed in. She usually refrained from making decisions and was more of a non-operational support type who excelled in a variety of fields.
"..."
Pranai fell into deep thought.
He was initially reluctant to consider such a risky proposal.
However, having Hyberrian disappear from the map was also an extremely safe option, perhaps even safer than staying in Ecclesiate. After she had left for the Northern Continent, the vampires in the Southern Continent had been unable to locate her.
There was a seer among the vampires, the seventh progenitor, Marquis Heritier, but his unstable clairvoyance could be interfered with, creating illusions and preventing him from grasping Hyberrian's whereabouts.
More crucially, if Hyberrian carried them into the Kreise Empire, their defensive strength could be converted into offensive power.
"It's up to you, Hyberrian," Pranai sighed.
There was no way to ask Lanchi for judgment at the moment.
The Ice Witch's appearance did present a possibility. She could create cards and further bolster Hyberrian's protection, tilting the balance of the previously optimal strategy.
"Mhm, thank you for trusting me, Pranai."
Hyberrian nodded earnestly.
Having listened to the conversation between the four great demons for a long while, Hyberrian, who had been unable to join the discussion, seemed to have already made up her mind.
"Teacher, let's work together as master and disciple this time," Hyberrian said as she stepped forward and tightly held the Ice Witch's hand. "I won't be afraid of any evil imperial hounds."
She had long wanted to embark on a journey filled with unknown challenges and responsibilities alongside her teacher, the Ice Witch.
With the support of four great demons, she had nothing to fear. Now, she was truly the demon princess of this era.
She would become a spy for the Allied Forces of the Kingdom United Parliament and gloriously fulfill her divine mission!
(End of Chapter)
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