“Work hard, make the Fifth Demon Cult great again!” Mike pulled Michael aside, lowering his voice. “The Fifth Demon Cult has an annual budget of 1 million Lord merits for… activities.”
“I got it, I got it!” Michael, a seasoned leader, understood perfectly.
“How about a 30/70 split on the profits?” he suggested, quickly adding, “70% for you, of course!”
Mike frowned. “I’m not just after the Demon God’s money.”
Michael was confused. If not the Demon God’s money, then whose?
“Whose money are you after?”
“Who else has money?”
“The Demon Cult members, the moles embedded within the human ranks, those guys are loaded!”
Michael’s eyes widened in realization.
Many members of the Fifth Demon Cult were hiding in the Fifth Abyss, having embezzled a fortune.
And the Fifth Demon Cult had also planted numerous moles within human society.
As the acting leader of the Fifth Demon Cult, Michael could easily target these individuals while managing the cult’s daily operations.
Mike clapped Michael on the shoulder. “Once you meet your KPI, you’ll be promoted from acting leader to the real deal!”
“Really?” Michael asked cautiously. “What are my KPI?”
“Kill the Fifth Demon God.”
Michael: “…”
“Good luck, and I hope to see you alive next time!”
Mike waved goodbye, sending both Michael and the Fifth Demon God away.
As he left, Michael called out, “Thor, you have to believe me, I’m a good person!” Michael’s appointment as the acting leader of the Fifth Demon Cult seemed comical. But both the Fifth Demon God and Mike understood the true purpose of this arrangement. Michael’s primary role wasn’t to manage the Fifth Demon Cult or kill the Fifth Demon God. He was a communication channel, a messenger between Thor and the Fifth Demon God.
The Fifth Demon God’s son, Shadow Two, had run away from home and was currently under Thor’s care.
And the Fifth Demon God, desperate to die, had given up on the first three Supreme Beings. Thor, although still weak, would eventually become a true Supreme Being.
Perhaps, someday, Thor would be in a good mood and crush his skull with a hammer.
The Fifth Demon Cult drama was over, for now.
Mike glanced at the battlefield. Terenas was still purifying the Blood Shadows, and Blaze seemed to be on the verge of breaking through to Lord tier.
With his inner turmoil resolved, Blaze’s strength would likely skyrocket.
But that wasn’t Mike’s concern.
He was now capable of facing a Nine-Star Lord in a one-on-one fight.
“Where’s Shadow Two?”
“Shadow One just found them,” Shadow Three replied, “but Bad Man and Bad Woman are throwing a tantrum. They refuse to come back.”
Mike raised an eyebrow. “Oh? What’s the problem?”
“Shadow Two said it’s demoralizing to work hard and not get paid, especially with their travel allowance canceled.”
“Well, I was just messing with him. Tell Shadow One to let Shadow Two know that he’ll get every penny he’s owed.”
After a moment’s thought, Mike added, “Tell them to hurry back. I have some questions for them.”
Shadow Three paused, then said, “Alright, they’ve agreed to come back.”
“Good. Have Shadow One bring Shadow Two here. Keep an eye on them.”
Mike had played a part in Blaze’s Memory Seal.
Who knew what memories might resurface after his breakthrough?
The safest course of action was to have Shadow Two monitor him.
With Shadow Nine gone, the most knowledgeable individual in the Guardian Shadow regarding Soul Element matters was, ironically, the schizophrenic Shadow Two.
With that settled, Mike turned to leave, Shadow Three following close behind.
They strolled through the Ninth Abyss battlefield, observing the aftermath of the battle. Most of the fighting had ended.
The Ninth Demon God had been cooperating with the humans all along, his demon army merely putting on a show.
And the human corps, well-prepared, had inflicted heavy losses on the invading forces from the Fifth Abyss.
Joseph, the Nine-Star Lord, had returned to the battlefield, leading the counteroffensive. The Fifth Abyss invasion had been crushed.
Mike, previously swamped with tasks, now had some free time.
“Ah…” He stretched, sighing contentedly. “I’m exhausted. I need a vacation.”
“You deserve a break,” Shadow Three agreed.
“What about you? What are your plans?”
Mike was a smart guy, very smart.
When Shadow Three had volunteered to be his bodyguard, no one else had suspected anything. But Mike had visited the Tower of Truth, confirming his suspicions.
He knew that after this trip to the Ninth Abyss, Shadow Three would likely have other tasks.
In fact, one of the reasons Shadow Nine hadn’t assigned a bodyguard to Thor was that Thor no
longer needed one.
He had grown into a capable leader.
And so, Shadow Three had other duties to attend to.
“I made a promise to Apollo,” Shadow Three said, struggling to find the right words. “I have
to… dig a path.”
“Got it.”
Mike nodded, not pressing for details.
“How long will you be gone?”
“A month at the earliest, six months at the latest.”
“Alright. Be back soon.”
They fell silent again, continuing their aimless stroll.
As they reached the edge of the battlefield, Mike stopped, Shadow Three halting beside him.
“There’s an old saying,” Mike said. “Even a journey of a thousand miles must come to an
end.”
Shadow Three shook his head. “I’ve read all the human books. I’ve never heard that saying.”
Mike: “…”
“I just made it up. I’ll be an ancient figure someday, won’t I?”
He paused, then continued. “Before we part ways, don’t you have anything to tell me?”
He was dropping hints, hoping to glean some information about the origins of the top three
Guardian Shadows.
Shadow Two was the Fifth Demon God’s son.
Shadow Three had definitely been a Demon God at some point.
What about Shadow One?
Clearly, Shadow Three knew the answer.
Shadow Three scratched his head, looking troubled. “I can’t reveal Shadow One’s identity.”
“No worries, I understand.” Mike waved a dismissive hand.
“There’s something I’ve been wondering about ever since we were at the base of the Tower of
Truth,” Shadow Three continued. “I wanted to ask you about it.”
“What is it?”
Shadow Three’s expression was earnest, his voice a low rumble. “Why doesn’t the Tower of
Truth have a shadow?”