Chapter 80
If audio player doesn't work, press Stop then Play button again
As Lars brought along the mass of children, he rubbed his forehead once more in stress.
Just what was he going to do with this large group?
And as he literally "kid-napped" the kids, he sensed two familiar auras in the distance converging on where he had last sensed Charley.
'What are THEY doing here...???' As he saw Seline beside Charley, he looked surprised as well as somewhat undecided just how to react to the girl who had left him stumped and of two minds after their last encounter.
He had to admit though, she was truly a bombshell and a greatly attractive woman and also intelligent. And from what had happened the last time, she wasn't as cruel or heartless as he had thought... Maybe... She wasn't that bad after all...
Lars shook his head, snapping himself out of it as he neared the trio of his companions. Regardless how great a girl she might be, he still had Moira!
'I wonder how you're doing right now...? Are you well...? Surely you are, right...? As a princess and all... Just wait for me! Just 6 months, just 6 months and I'll make sure to come back for you!' He promised himself as he now had a better grasp of this country and the relative power levels.
He realised that he was still on the weak side, but with just a couple of Abyss Point (AP) exchanges, a rune and an artefact, he was confident he could bridge the gap in power with even the Mythical hero - King Vishnu himself!
Or at least he could, assuming that he could amass enough wealth (AP and money) to obtain top-class boosts to his powers!
So it came down once more to only one thing: MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY!!!
Money truly did make the world go round, and his eyes turned green with greed as he thought about robbing the nobles blind once he settled things with this devil invasion!
And with his secondary identity as Mikael...
'Heh heh heh...!!!!' His corrupted brain and soul that had already fallen into the depravity of the Deadly Sin of Greed hatched countless schemes to cheat and connive money from those bloody rich fops!!!
Within a short few minutes, the boy disguised as a middle-aged man reconnoitred with his companions, two of which he had not met for over a week while he had just seen Charley a moment ago... But he had to play his part as a middle-aged eccentric cultivator.
What he didn't expect were expressions of horror when he approached his old friends...
And the words that left their lips without their realising it.
"P-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p..."
Upon hearing them stutter incessantly, "Mikael" frowned in irritation. What was this? Were they that stunned upon coming face to face with a near-Mythical realm powerhouse?
So he spoke crossly and finished their sentence for them.
"Yes yes yes, I know I'm powerful, or were you going to say powerhouse? Indeed, I slew the two Devil Lords. But let's not waste time. You two, help me to arrange for these children I caught, I--"
"PAEDOPHILE!!!"
The one who had the least tact among the trio yelled at the top of his lungs, almost as if though he no longer valued his life as they were still in the middle of a devil invasion, granted, one that looked to be lessening as pressure as the bloodfield faded away. However, until the devils were finally routed by the city guard and the Four Families Patriarchs, it was not fully over yet.
As was evidenced by the hundreds of annoying flies (actually mighty Elite to Grandmaster level demons) - which Lars incinerated impatiently as he stood mouth agape at the horrendous misunderstanding he had just caused.
Even as his "friends" were not yet finished with their reaction of terrified disgust - so shocked that they didn't even pay attention to the countless enemies who were turned to ashes by Lars/ Mikael!
"MEGA HYPER ULTRA SUPER CALIFRAGILISTIC EXTREME SUPREME....."
Then the three screamed together, united in their thoughts and words in their lambasting of the devil in human form before them:
"PAEDOPHILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The trio, "Sharon"/ Sarin included, stared at him with eyes as if though they had just seen a mega paedophile - no, in their minds, they had really and truly seen an incomparably monstrous paedophile!!!
'OH MY GOSH!!!!' Lars/ Mikael turned his face away, heart pounding furiously as he realised just what kind of scene he had just displayed to the entire public.
Hundreds of children in various states of nakedness.
With signs of injuries or trauma to their privates.
Sobbing, crying in fear.
Restrained by bonds of wind, albeit for their safety and to bring them away quickly.
Brought along by an unknown, suspicious, scrawny and ragged looking middle-aged man?
Paedo-alert! Paedo-alert!!! Even Lars himself could find no words to defend himself, only to shake his head in denial, lips trembling as he did not know how to respond.
All he could do was bury his head in his hands and cry.
* * * * *
"Foolish humans! Don't think that you've won just like this... Kuahahaha! Prince Morrow's plans are endless, today is not the end! Live in fear forever of tomorrow! To Morrow's side we return!!! Kuahahahah!!!"
The Devil Lords retreated with haughty words, yet in truth they were fleeing like a cat with its tail between its legs! They had been beaten back soundly the moment the bloodfield had fallen, experiencing the backlash as the world will bore down on their powers, limiting their strength to perhaps to between 70-80% of their earlier might.
Not missing a beat, the Patriarchs of the Four Great Houses struck in the window of time when their opponents were disorientated, managing to critically wound 3 of the abyssals while the last one, the hyena Devil Lord who had left the parting remark and bad pun had escaped with only medium injuries.
Yet despite it being a "victory", the four elderly leaders who between them controlled more than 70% of the city could find no joy in the outcome of this whole turn of events.
On the contrary, they were more than heavy-hearted, bordering on despair as they faced the monumental task of consolidating and recovering from the near collapse of Gorun city!
In the aftermath of the battle, countless lives were lost while more than half the city had been reduced to rubble or debris.
The situation in the heavily protected royal grounds was far better as homes of the rich and the famous were still standing, nearly untouched by the devil attacks, though a multitude of lives had been lost while defending through a human-wall strategy...
However, things were exceedingly bad in the poorer areas of town - in fact, if one did not know better and wandered into the slums and the commoners' market areas, they would think they were in the ruins of an ancient civilisation!
Except for the fact that there were still many injured, bleeding, broken or dying people everywhere one turned. And even for those who were only lightly hurt or uninjured, there was no light or rejoicing anywhere to be seen, only the numb and unfeeling eyes of those who had lost too much to even process the emotions. It would be quite some time before those had were struggling from lost loved ones would be able to mourn and experience catharsis from this traumatic ordeal.
The city guards were decimated, left with probably only one out of ten combatants still in workable shape. As a result, the city guard were unable to lend a hand in helping the populace get back on their feet again, as they themselves were reeling from the near collapse of their entire organisation!
The military, the questers and the other groups of combatants such as mercenaries or even bandits who happened to be in the city fared not much better off - but at least they could claim to have a survival rate of upwards of 30%, much better than the city guard!
And as she surveyed all of the mayhem and bedlam that broke loose in her city which had lost all semblance of law and order, Duke Leanne de Caldis sighed as she returned to her personal chambers in the palace grounds, bypassing the guards by soaring over their heads - not like they were in any shape to stop her in the first place!
Once she reached her office chambers, she hurried into the now empty rooms; rooms that would normally be full of frantic royal administrators and the hectic hustle and bustle of bureaucratic matters.
She arrived before her personal room and quickly rummaged around in her desk drawers before withdrawing a golden emblem upon which was engraved an easily recognisable mark - a coat of arms depicting an eagle's head but with the eyes of a snake - Duke Silvan's crest.
She channelled her mana into it, coughing slightly as she still had not fully stabilised from the great exertion of power. After but a short few seconds, she heard a voice speak directly into her mind, travelling through the golden emblem straight into her thoughts.
"Leanne, what gives...? It's shocking for you of all people to look for me...! Haha! I thought you weren't going to give me a chance anymore...? Are you like, finally up for a date...?"
The dignified and regal manly voice echoed in her mind and but spoke in an aggravating way that got on her nerves. She tried to hold her anger in as she snapped back at him.
"Shut up! You and your dates, going on and on and on about that! Don't think I don't know about your endless droves of scantily glad women you keep in the prisons and torture chambers! And don't think I haven't heard about the two new high-class girls you brought back from the Arena of Valour last week!" Her chest and shoulders heaved as she spoke resentfully - there was no way she was going to forgive that snake in sheeps' skin for playing with her feelings! She'd never trust him or any other handsome man again!
"Err... Calm down, calm down... I was just kidding, I know you wouldn't have gotten in touch if it weren't something important. So, what is it...? Oh and just so you know, those two were definitely NOT part of my harem... N-not that I have a harem, just saying, okay? One of them is Princess Moira, King Vishnu's daughter, while the other is the girl I sent over to Gorun city. Oh yes, by the way, how is she doing? Has she settled in with the life in court over there...?"
The nervous man who had just been berated by the violent woman spoke rapidly, clearly shaken by her outburst. So much so that he had even let slip a dire secret - how could he have indirectly admitted about his harem??? The voice seemed to sweat even over the telephone[1] mental call!
Clearing her throat even as a knot of anger rose in her heart and throat, Duke Leanne fumed for a moment silently before deciding that the silkpants playboy was not worth her time of day!
So she ignored everything he had just said and went straight to the point.
"Silvan! I need your help urgently. We just received a devil invasion and could only get through it by virtue of an unknown and unexpected visitor's assistance! I couldn't get in touch earlier due to a bloodfield surrounding nearly the entire city and a Devil Prince's peak-Legendary avatar obstructing me!"
"W-what!?! Why didn't you say so earlier! Okay, help is on its way right now as we speak!!!"
And the two began to talk in length to plan the reinforcements and supplies needed from Silvan.
Of course, all at a heavy cost, made even more so high by the fact that she was in no position to negotiate...
When the conversation ended, Duke Leanne sat numbly in her chair, wondering how she would make it through the largest crisis in her entire life, maybe the largest crisis to have ever hit Gorun city...!
She noted the return of Prime Minister Gurdev, nodding in his direction stiffly and receiving a nod in return. They were colleagues and both appointed by the crown, but didn't really get along too well. The tan-skinned and tall man with a broad frame looked injured as well, though still in workable shape. Clearly he had gone to the ground to fight and not just sat here in the offices - as was characteristic for the hands-on head minister.
She sighed and allowed herself a moment's respite. Prime Minister Gurdev stayed silent and then decided to hold his report for later. He left as quietly as he had arrived, off to attend to the million and one items he had to settle.
And when Leanne finally came back to her senses, she sat up straight in her seat, troubled and startled.
She felt the arrival of a multitude of people. Only, strangely, the groups composition was exceedingly odd...!
Several hundred flickering, weak lights of life which were led by a couple powerful auras, one of which was familiar - the saviour of the city, the unknown mage who had delivered the city from a far worse fate had all those at the Gorun Stadium been killed!
She flew out of her office windows and headed straight for the courtyard from which the group would approach.
And anxiety gripped her heart as she saw something which she thought would never be unearthed to see the light of day again.
The signs of her sins were staring her right in the face - in the forms of the hundreds of individuals who had been defiled by the royal household of Gorun city.
Lars, Seline, Sharon and Charley were leading a group of several hundred children, heading straight over to meet her.
'Sh*t... Looks like things are going to get hairy and nasty...'
Please report us if you find any errors so we can fix it asap!
As Lars brought along the mass of children, he rubbed his forehead once more in stress.
Just what was he going to do with this large group?
And as he literally "kid-napped" the kids, he sensed two familiar auras in the distance converging on where he had last sensed Charley.
'What are THEY doing here...???' As he saw Seline beside Charley, he looked surprised as well as somewhat undecided just how to react to the girl who had left him stumped and of two minds after their last encounter.
He had to admit though, she was truly a bombshell and a greatly attractive woman and also intelligent. And from what had happened the last time, she wasn't as cruel or heartless as he had thought... Maybe... She wasn't that bad after all...
Lars shook his head, snapping himself out of it as he neared the trio of his companions. Regardless how great a girl she might be, he still had Moira!
'I wonder how you're doing right now...? Are you well...? Surely you are, right...? As a princess and all... Just wait for me! Just 6 months, just 6 months and I'll make sure to come back for you!' He promised himself as he now had a better grasp of this country and the relative power levels.
He realised that he was still on the weak side, but with just a couple of Abyss Point (AP) exchanges, a rune and an artefact, he was confident he could bridge the gap in power with even the Mythical hero - King Vishnu himself!
Or at least he could, assuming that he could amass enough wealth (AP and money) to obtain top-class boosts to his powers!
So it came down once more to only one thing: MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY!!!
Money truly did make the world go round, and his eyes turned green with greed as he thought about robbing the nobles blind once he settled things with this devil invasion!
And with his secondary identity as Mikael...
'Heh heh heh...!!!!' His corrupted brain and soul that had already fallen into the depravity of the Deadly Sin of Greed hatched countless schemes to cheat and connive money from those bloody rich fops!!!
Within a short few minutes, the boy disguised as a middle-aged man reconnoitred with his companions, two of which he had not met for over a week while he had just seen Charley a moment ago... But he had to play his part as a middle-aged eccentric cultivator.
What he didn't expect were expressions of horror when he approached his old friends...
And the words that left their lips without their realising it.
"P-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p..."
Upon hearing them stutter incessantly, "Mikael" frowned in irritation. What was this? Were they that stunned upon coming face to face with a near-Mythical realm powerhouse?
So he spoke crossly and finished their sentence for them.
"Yes yes yes, I know I'm powerful, or were you going to say powerhouse? Indeed, I slew the two Devil Lords. But let's not waste time. You two, help me to arrange for these children I caught, I--"
"PAEDOPHILE!!!"
The one who had the least tact among the trio yelled at the top of his lungs, almost as if though he no longer valued his life as they were still in the middle of a devil invasion, granted, one that looked to be lessening as pressure as the bloodfield faded away. However, until the devils were finally routed by the city guard and the Four Families Patriarchs, it was not fully over yet.
As was evidenced by the hundreds of annoying flies (actually mighty Elite to Grandmaster level demons) - which Lars incinerated impatiently as he stood mouth agape at the horrendous misunderstanding he had just caused.
Even as his "friends" were not yet finished with their reaction of terrified disgust - so shocked that they didn't even pay attention to the countless enemies who were turned to ashes by Lars/ Mikael!
"MEGA HYPER ULTRA SUPER CALIFRAGILISTIC EXTREME SUPREME....."
Then the three screamed together, united in their thoughts and words in their lambasting of the devil in human form before them:
"PAEDOPHILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The trio, "Sharon"/ Sarin included, stared at him with eyes as if though they had just seen a mega paedophile - no, in their minds, they had really and truly seen an incomparably monstrous paedophile!!!
'OH MY GOSH!!!!' Lars/ Mikael turned his face away, heart pounding furiously as he realised just what kind of scene he had just displayed to the entire public.
Hundreds of children in various states of nakedness.
With signs of injuries or trauma to their privates.
Sobbing, crying in fear.
Restrained by bonds of wind, albeit for their safety and to bring them away quickly.
Brought along by an unknown, suspicious, scrawny and ragged looking middle-aged man?
Paedo-alert! Paedo-alert!!! Even Lars himself could find no words to defend himself, only to shake his head in denial, lips trembling as he did not know how to respond.
All he could do was bury his head in his hands and cry.
* * * * *
"Foolish humans! Don't think that you've won just like this... Kuahahaha! Prince Morrow's plans are endless, today is not the end! Live in fear forever of tomorrow! To Morrow's side we return!!! Kuahahahah!!!"
The Devil Lords retreated with haughty words, yet in truth they were fleeing like a cat with its tail between its legs! They had been beaten back soundly the moment the bloodfield had fallen, experiencing the backlash as the world will bore down on their powers, limiting their strength to perhaps to between 70-80% of their earlier might.
Not missing a beat, the Patriarchs of the Four Great Houses struck in the window of time when their opponents were disorientated, managing to critically wound 3 of the abyssals while the last one, the hyena Devil Lord who had left the parting remark and bad pun had escaped with only medium injuries.
Yet despite it being a "victory", the four elderly leaders who between them controlled more than 70% of the city could find no joy in the outcome of this whole turn of events.
On the contrary, they were more than heavy-hearted, bordering on despair as they faced the monumental task of consolidating and recovering from the near collapse of Gorun city!
In the aftermath of the battle, countless lives were lost while more than half the city had been reduced to rubble or debris.
The situation in the heavily protected royal grounds was far better as homes of the rich and the famous were still standing, nearly untouched by the devil attacks, though a multitude of lives had been lost while defending through a human-wall strategy...
However, things were exceedingly bad in the poorer areas of town - in fact, if one did not know better and wandered into the slums and the commoners' market areas, they would think they were in the ruins of an ancient civilisation!
Except for the fact that there were still many injured, bleeding, broken or dying people everywhere one turned. And even for those who were only lightly hurt or uninjured, there was no light or rejoicing anywhere to be seen, only the numb and unfeeling eyes of those who had lost too much to even process the emotions. It would be quite some time before those had were struggling from lost loved ones would be able to mourn and experience catharsis from this traumatic ordeal.
The city guards were decimated, left with probably only one out of ten combatants still in workable shape. As a result, the city guard were unable to lend a hand in helping the populace get back on their feet again, as they themselves were reeling from the near collapse of their entire organisation!
The military, the questers and the other groups of combatants such as mercenaries or even bandits who happened to be in the city fared not much better off - but at least they could claim to have a survival rate of upwards of 30%, much better than the city guard!
And as she surveyed all of the mayhem and bedlam that broke loose in her city which had lost all semblance of law and order, Duke Leanne de Caldis sighed as she returned to her personal chambers in the palace grounds, bypassing the guards by soaring over their heads - not like they were in any shape to stop her in the first place!
Once she reached her office chambers, she hurried into the now empty rooms; rooms that would normally be full of frantic royal administrators and the hectic hustle and bustle of bureaucratic matters.
She arrived before her personal room and quickly rummaged around in her desk drawers before withdrawing a golden emblem upon which was engraved an easily recognisable mark - a coat of arms depicting an eagle's head but with the eyes of a snake - Duke Silvan's crest.
She channelled her mana into it, coughing slightly as she still had not fully stabilised from the great exertion of power. After but a short few seconds, she heard a voice speak directly into her mind, travelling through the golden emblem straight into her thoughts.
"Leanne, what gives...? It's shocking for you of all people to look for me...! Haha! I thought you weren't going to give me a chance anymore...? Are you like, finally up for a date...?"
The dignified and regal manly voice echoed in her mind and but spoke in an aggravating way that got on her nerves. She tried to hold her anger in as she snapped back at him.
"Shut up! You and your dates, going on and on and on about that! Don't think I don't know about your endless droves of scantily glad women you keep in the prisons and torture chambers! And don't think I haven't heard about the two new high-class girls you brought back from the Arena of Valour last week!" Her chest and shoulders heaved as she spoke resentfully - there was no way she was going to forgive that snake in sheeps' skin for playing with her feelings! She'd never trust him or any other handsome man again!
"Err... Calm down, calm down... I was just kidding, I know you wouldn't have gotten in touch if it weren't something important. So, what is it...? Oh and just so you know, those two were definitely NOT part of my harem... N-not that I have a harem, just saying, okay? One of them is Princess Moira, King Vishnu's daughter, while the other is the girl I sent over to Gorun city. Oh yes, by the way, how is she doing? Has she settled in with the life in court over there...?"
The nervous man who had just been berated by the violent woman spoke rapidly, clearly shaken by her outburst. So much so that he had even let slip a dire secret - how could he have indirectly admitted about his harem??? The voice seemed to sweat even over the telephone[1] mental call!
Clearing her throat even as a knot of anger rose in her heart and throat, Duke Leanne fumed for a moment silently before deciding that the silkpants playboy was not worth her time of day!
So she ignored everything he had just said and went straight to the point.
"Silvan! I need your help urgently. We just received a devil invasion and could only get through it by virtue of an unknown and unexpected visitor's assistance! I couldn't get in touch earlier due to a bloodfield surrounding nearly the entire city and a Devil Prince's peak-Legendary avatar obstructing me!"
"W-what!?! Why didn't you say so earlier! Okay, help is on its way right now as we speak!!!"
And the two began to talk in length to plan the reinforcements and supplies needed from Silvan.
Of course, all at a heavy cost, made even more so high by the fact that she was in no position to negotiate...
When the conversation ended, Duke Leanne sat numbly in her chair, wondering how she would make it through the largest crisis in her entire life, maybe the largest crisis to have ever hit Gorun city...!
She noted the return of Prime Minister Gurdev, nodding in his direction stiffly and receiving a nod in return. They were colleagues and both appointed by the crown, but didn't really get along too well. The tan-skinned and tall man with a broad frame looked injured as well, though still in workable shape. Clearly he had gone to the ground to fight and not just sat here in the offices - as was characteristic for the hands-on head minister.
She sighed and allowed herself a moment's respite. Prime Minister Gurdev stayed silent and then decided to hold his report for later. He left as quietly as he had arrived, off to attend to the million and one items he had to settle.
And when Leanne finally came back to her senses, she sat up straight in her seat, troubled and startled.
She felt the arrival of a multitude of people. Only, strangely, the groups composition was exceedingly odd...!
Several hundred flickering, weak lights of life which were led by a couple powerful auras, one of which was familiar - the saviour of the city, the unknown mage who had delivered the city from a far worse fate had all those at the Gorun Stadium been killed!
She flew out of her office windows and headed straight for the courtyard from which the group would approach.
And anxiety gripped her heart as she saw something which she thought would never be unearthed to see the light of day again.
The signs of her sins were staring her right in the face - in the forms of the hundreds of individuals who had been defiled by the royal household of Gorun city.
Lars, Seline, Sharon and Charley were leading a group of several hundred children, heading straight over to meet her.
'Sh*t... Looks like things are going to get hairy and nasty...'
As Lars brought along the mass of children, he rubbed his forehead once more in stress.Just what was he going to do with this large group?And as he literally "kid-napped" the kids, he sensed two familiar auras in the distance converging on where he had last sensed Charley.'What are THEY doing here...???' As he saw Seline beside Charley, he looked surprised as well as somewhat undecided just how to react to the girl who had left him stumped and of two minds after their last encounter.He had to admit though, she was truly a bombshell and a greatly attractive woman and also intelligent. And from what had happened the last time, she wasn't as cruel or heartless as he had thought... Maybe... She wasn't that bad after all...Lars shook his head, snapping himself out of it as he neared the trio of his companions. Regardless how great a girl she might be, he still had Moira!'I wonder how you're doing right now...? Are you well...? Surely you are, right...? As a princess and all... Just wait for me! Just 6 months, just 6 months and I'll make sure to come back for you!' He promised himself as he now had a better grasp of this country and the relative power levels.He realised that he was still on the weak side, but with just a couple of Abyss Point AP exchanges, a rune and an artefact, he was confident he could bridge the gap in power with even the Mythical hero - King Vishnu himself!Or at least he could, assuming that he could amass enough wealth AP and money to obtain top-class boosts to his powers!So it came down once more to only one thing: MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY!!!Money truly did make the world go round, and his eyes turned green with greed as he thought about robbing the nobles blind once he settled things with this devil invasion!And with his secondary identity as Mikael...'Heh heh heh...!!!!' His corrupted brain and soul that had already fallen into the depravity of the Deadly Sin of Greed hatched countless schemes to cheat and connive money from those bloody rich fops!!!Within a short few minutes, the boy disguised as a middle-aged man reconnoitred with his companions, two of which he had not met for over a week while he had just seen Charley a moment ago... But he had to play his part as a middle-aged eccentric cultivator.What he didn't expect were expressions of horror when he approached his old friends...And the words that left their lips without their realising it."P-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p..."Upon hearing them stutter incessantly, "Mikael" frowned in irritation. What was this? Were they that stunned upon coming face to face with a near-Mythical realm powerhouse?So he spoke crossly and finished their sentence for them."Yes yes yes, I know I'm powerful, or were you going to say powerhouse? Indeed, I slew the two Devil Lords. But let's not waste time. You two, help me to arrange for these children I caught, I--""PAEDOPHILE!!!"The one who had the least tact among the trio yelled at the top of his lungs, almost as if though he no longer valued his life as they were still in the middle of a devil invasion, granted, one that looked to be lessening as pressure as the bloodfield faded away. However, until the devils were finally routed by the city guard and the Four Families Patriarchs, it was not fully over yet.As was evidenced by the hundreds of annoying flies actually mighty Elite to Grandmaster level demons - which Lars incinerated impatiently as he stood mouth agape at the horrendous misunderstanding he had just caused.Even as his "friends" were not yet finished with their reaction of terrified disgust - so shocked that they didn't even pay attention to the countless enemies who were turned to ashes by Lars/ Mikael!"MEGA HYPER ULTRA SUPER CALIFRAGILISTIC EXTREME SUPREME....."Then the three screamed together, united in their thoughts and words in their lambasting of the devil in human form before them:"PAEDOPHILE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"The trio, "Sharon"/ Sarin included, stared at him with eyes as if though they had just seen a mega paedophile - no, in their minds, they had really and truly seen an incomparably monstrous paedophile!!!'OH MY GOSH!!!!' Lars/ Mikael turned his face away, heart pounding furiously as he realised just what kind of scene he had just displayed to the entire public.Hundreds of children in various states of nakedness.With signs of injuries or trauma to their privates.Sobbing, crying in fear.Restrained by bonds of wind, albeit for their safety and to bring them away quickly.Brought along by an unknown, suspicious, scrawny and ragged looking middle-aged man?Paedo-alert! Paedo-alert!!! Even Lars himself could find no words to defend himself, only to shake his head in denial, lips trembling as he did not know how to respond.All he could do was bury his head in his hands and cry.* * * * *"Foolish humans! Don't think that you've won just like this... Kuahahaha! Prince Morrow's plans are endless, today is not the end! Live in fear forever of tomorrow! To Morrow's side we return!!! Kuahahahah!!!"The Devil Lords retreated with haughty words, yet in truth they were fleeing like a cat with its tail between its legs! They had been beaten back soundly the moment the bloodfield had fallen, experiencing the backlash as the world will bore down on their powers, limiting their strength to perhaps to between 70-80% of their earlier might.Not missing a beat, the Patriarchs of the Four Great Houses struck in the window of time when their opponents were disorientated, managing to critically wound 3 of the abyssals while the last one, the hyena Devil Lord who had left the parting remark and bad pun had escaped with only medium injuries.Yet despite it being a "victory", the four elderly leaders who between them controlled more than 70% of the city could find no joy in the outcome of this whole turn of events.On the contrary, they were more than heavy-hearted, bordering on despair as they faced the monumental task of consolidating and recovering from the near collapse of Gorun city!In the aftermath of the battle, countless lives were lost while more than half the city had been reduced to rubble or debris.The situation in the heavily protected royal grounds was far better as homes of the rich and the famous were still standing, nearly untouched by the devil attacks, though a multitude of lives had been lost while defending through a human-wall strategy...However, things were exceedingly bad in the poorer areas of town - in fact, if one did not know better and wandered into the slums and the commoners' market areas, they would think they were in the ruins of an ancient civilisation!Except for the fact that there were still many injured, bleeding, broken or dying people everywhere one turned. And even for those who were only lightly hurt or uninjured, there was no light or rejoicing anywhere to be seen, only the numb and unfeeling eyes of those who had lost too much to even process the emotions. It would be quite some time before those had were struggling from lost loved ones would be able to mourn and experience catharsis from this traumatic ordeal.The city guards were decimated, left with probably only one out of ten combatants still in workable shape. As a result, the city guard were unable to lend a hand in helping the populace get back on their feet again, as they themselves were reeling from the near collapse of their entire organisation!The military, the questers and the other groups of combatants such as mercenaries or even bandits who happened to be in the city fared not much better off - but at least they could claim to have a survival rate of upwards of 30%, much better than the city guard!And as she surveyed all of the mayhem and bedlam that broke loose in her city which had lost all semblance of law and order, Duke Leanne de Caldis sighed as she returned to her personal chambers in the palace grounds, bypassing the guards by soaring over their heads - not like they were in any shape to stop her in the first place!Once she reached her office chambers, she hurried into the now empty rooms; rooms that would normally be full of frantic royal administrators and the hectic hustle and bustle of bureaucratic matters.She arrived before her personal room and quickly rummaged around in her desk drawers before withdrawing a golden emblem upon which was engraved an easily recognisable mark - a coat of arms depicting an eagle's head but with the eyes of a snake - Duke Silvan's crest.She channelled her mana into it, coughing slightly as she still had not fully stabilised from the great exertion of power. After but a short few seconds, she heard a voice speak directly into her mind, travelling through the golden emblem straight into her thoughts."Leanne, what gives...? It's shocking for you of all people to look for me...! Haha! I thought you weren't going to give me a chance anymore...? Are you like, finally up for a date...?"The dignified and regal manly voice echoed in her mind and but spoke in an aggravating way that got on her nerves. She tried to hold her anger in as she snapped back at him."Shut up! You and your dates, going on and on and on about that! Don't think I don't know about your endless droves of scantily glad women you keep in the prisons and torture chambers! And don't think I haven't heard about the two new high-class girls you brought back from the Arena of Valour last week!" Her chest and shoulders heaved as she spoke resentfully - there was no way she was going to forgive that snake in sheeps' skin for playing with her feelings! She'd never trust him or any other handsome man again!"Err... Calm down, calm down... I was just kidding, I know you wouldn't have gotten in touch if it weren't something important. So, what is it...? Oh and just so you know, those two were definitely NOT part of my harem... N-not that I have a harem, just saying, okay? One of them is Princess Moira, King Vishnu's daughter, while the other is the girl I sent over to Gorun city. Oh yes, by the way, how is she doing? Has she settled in with the life in court over there...?"The nervous man who had just been berated by the violent woman spoke rapidly, clearly shaken by her outburst. So much so that he had even let slip a dire secret - how could he have indirectly admitted about his harem??? The voice seemed to sweat even over the telephone1 mental call!Clearing her throat even as a knot of anger rose in her heart and throat, Duke Leanne fumed for a moment silently before deciding that the silkpants playboy was not worth her time of day!So she ignored everything he had just said and went straight to the point."Silvan! I need your help urgently. We just received a devil invasion and could only get through it by virtue of an unknown and unexpected visitor's assistance! I couldn't get in touch earlier due to a bloodfield surrounding nearly the entire city and a Devil Prince's peak-Legendary avatar obstructing me!""W-what!?! Why didn't you say so earlier! Okay, help is on its way right now as we speak!!!"And the two began to talk in length to plan the reinforcements and supplies needed from Silvan.Of course, all at a heavy cost, made even more so high by the fact that she was in no position to negotiate...When the conversation ended, Duke Leanne sat numbly in her chair, wondering how she would make it through the largest crisis in her entire life, maybe the largest crisis to have ever hit Gorun city...!She noted the return of Prime Minister Gurdev, nodding in his direction stiffly and receiving a nod in return. They were colleagues and both appointed by the crown, but didn't really get along too well. The tan-skinned and tall man with a broad frame looked injured as well, though still in workable shape. Clearly he had gone to the ground to fight and not just sat here in the offices - as was characteristic for the hands-on head minister.She sighed and allowed herself a moment's respite. Prime Minister Gurdev stayed silent and then decided to hold his report for later. He left as quietly as he had arrived, off to attend to the million and one items he had to settle.And when Leanne finally came back to her senses, she sat up straight in her seat, troubled and startled.She felt the arrival of a multitude of people. Only, strangely, the groups composition was exceedingly odd...!Several hundred flickering, weak lights of life which were led by a couple powerful auras, one of which was familiar - the saviour of the city, the unknown mage who had delivered the city from a far worse fate had all those at the Gorun Stadium been killed!She flew out of her office windows and headed straight for the courtyard from which the group would approach.And anxiety gripped her heart as she saw something which she thought would never be unearthed to see the light of day again.The signs of her sins were staring her right in the face - in the forms of the hundreds of individuals who had been defiled by the royal household of Gorun city.Lars, Seline, Sharon and Charley were leading a group of several hundred children, heading straight over to meet her.'Sh*t... Looks like things are going to get hairy and nasty...'
