As soon as the light faded, familiar faces welcomed us.
“Master! You’re finally here!”
Ember quickly approached, her face covered in large beads of sweat. Noticing her predicament, I quickly turned to scan the surroundings. Around us, there are already about a dozen 9th-stage demons attacking the large shields that Ember erected.
“This…”
We don’t even have time to rest!
As soon as I finished counting the enemies and noticing their close proximity, I quickly used one of my trump cards. I created a clone before letting it use my maximum combo [Lifeblood] at max settings with full power [Echoing Thunderclap] as a clincher.
*BOOOM!* *CRACKLE!* *BOOOM!*
My clone vanished… and never returned. The backlash from using the combination skill was enough to cause irreparable damage, dispersing the clone. Still, the short time that it was active was enough to clear the entire vicinity of demons.
All enemies within a thousand meters around us were completely cleared. I guess even though using a clone is taxing, energy-wise, it was still an efficient way to clear the enemies without getting myself injured.
“Everyone, gather around!”
As soon as we were safe, I quickly called everyone. Looking around, all of the girls look tired, but they only have bruises at most, nothing serious. Still, thinking about where we would be going next, being in tip-top shape would be the best.
“Here, take these potions. Heal while we still have some time.”
I took out normal recovery potions from my [Spatial Storage] and passed one to each of them. After making sure that they finished drinking it, I finally turned to ask Ember about the current situation.
“Ember, can we use your teleportation skill to get out of here?”
With her upgraded powers, we should be able to teleport back to safety. However, unlike my expectations, she shook her head as a frown covered her tired face.
“Sorry, Master, but after detecting the clone in the phone I left at the kingdom, I found that we’re tens of thousands of kilometers away from there. It’s beyond my maximum teleportation range.”
Although Ember is at the 7th stage now, her teleportation range is still about a hundred to a thousand kilometers at most. In short, she lacks enough energy to reach the kingdom in just one jump.
The demons around us were still enraged, rushing closer as if to take revenge for their fallen comrades. Before they could get close enough, Igni set up a firewall in a five-hundred-meter-radius perimeter. The flames were composed of her [Ignis Faatus] flames, so the demons hesitated to dive into the flames and attack.
Some idiots who weren’t aware of the danger of the flames jumped forward, only to end up dead as soon as they passed through the flames.
Still, the flames only covered the ground, so the enemies flying in the air were freely able to close the distance. For those, Threya’s pug transformed into its large form, clad in majestic flames, and flew in the air while turning every demon there into ashes.
“Will, what should we do?”
Fina asked worriedly. After all, as the current situation stands, we are completely stuck in place. I lowered my head, thinking of a way to get out of this sticky situation.
“…?”
An inconspicuous ring fitted on my finger caught my attention immediately. It was the server ring! If I remember correctly, there’s an emergency protocol saved in it that can teleport me and those around me back to the saved location.
I scanned everyone’s faces, each within a range of five meters from me, apart from Threya’s pug. 𝓁𝑖𝑟𝘦𝒶.𝒸𝘰𝑚
“Threya, call Peabody back in three seconds!”
I quickly held the ring on my finger, raising it high above my head. The method of activating the emergency feature was simply to add energy to the gem embedded in the ring, so it didn’t take long.
In an instant, space energy spread around with the ring as the center, covering a sphere of about ten meters in diameter. Everyone was included within the range of space energy, except the pug, who was still fighting in the air.
“Peabody! Come back!”
As soon as Threya’s words echoed, the pug suddenly released a fireworks-like conflagration, covering the entire sky and eliminating the nearby flying pests.
After it fired that attack, it quickly turned around and dove straight into the range of the space energy. Along the way, Peabody undid the enlargement and turned back to its portable, normal dog size before landing straight onto two soft cushions as Threya caught him perfectly.
Without a second delay, the teleportation started. The scenery only blurred, as if we just turned around rapidly, and before we could even blink, the scenery had already changed. Instead of the location that was teeming with demons all around, we were in a familiar office, at a familiar table, along with some familiar figures.
“””Will!”””
The ones who were there in the office were the Wan Sisters, along with Ying Yue. All three of them seemed surprised as soon as we appeared. Seeing them holding cleaning tools, they must be doing maintenance for the office.
Their tails, as if in sync, waved energetically as they rushed to my side.
“Will, good thing you’re here!”
Wan Li smiled sweetly, reaching for my right hand and holding it tight.
“Right! You should go to the meeting room! Mother and Guren are already there, discussing countermeasures!”
Wan Er’s words were lacking in information, but I can guess the rest. Probably, the Seimei and Luo families are currently discussing countermeasures against the tight encirclement of the demons around the kingdom.
“Alright. Lead me to the meeting room.”
As soon as I asked, Ying Yue pulled the hem of my clothes.
“Then I’ll lead the way. Wan Li, Wan Er, keep cleaning the office.”
I didn’t want to waste her goodwill, so I didn’t remove her hold on my clothes; instead, I just followed her steps silently. As we walked away, I also sent orders to the rest through Mental Scape.
Ember and Fang were assigned to snoop around, checking the safety of the surroundings. Fina was tasked with checking for any reports or documents relevant to the Royal Castle or Noir. The rest were told to take a break, especially Fatima, who was almost running out of energy.
She was the one who worked the hardest to protect everyone until we arrived, after all.
“Will, thanks for all the things you’ve done. I’ll be taking my leave right here.”
Before I could leave the room completely, Threya suddenly said her goodbyes as a portal appeared by her side. I guess she ordered her other tamed monsters to fetch her. As expected, she’s definitely stronger than she’s showing.
As Ying Yue was dragging me around, leaving the Debauchery Hall, she was also slowly explaining the bits of information she had access to to me.
Apparently, about a week or so ago, the siege of the demons began. The frontlines fell almost in an instant, forcing them to shrink the perimeter and reinforce their defenses.
The situation was so dire that the god tamers were immediately dispatched, about to clear the frontlines. However, not everything went according to plan.
“As soon as the god tamers were dispatched, god-level demons appeared in pairs to block them.”
Ying Yue’s tone was grim as she recounted. After all, two god-level demons fighting against one was a recipe for disaster. Fortunately, Zeshion and the others were used to fighting in a battle of attrition. They have stretched the fight for a week now, with no clear advantage from either side just yet.
“Then, just earlier, about three hours ago, the god-level demons gained reinforcement. From each side, three of the Zodiacs came and started harassing the god-tamers.”
“The Zodiacs?”
Those are the elite squads under Zeshion’s control, if I remember correctly. Are they actually able to fight together with the god-level demons?
“That does sound troublesome…”
Just the demons alone were enough to use up most of the god-tamers’ concentration. Adding three annoying bugs to the mix can end up destroying the delicate balance of their battle.
As we were talking, we soon reached the main hall and entered a series of sliding doors. After a while, we finally reached the old gathering hall where all the family heads gathered before.
Now, there’s only Guren with a scrunched-up face and Lady Luo with a deep frown sitting before each other, facing a map with several pieces scattered.
“Mother, Guren, I brought Will here.”
“Clan Head!!!”
Lady Luo quickly stood up, noticing our presence. Guren, on the other hand, frowned hard and sighed.
“You… Just where were you loitering to come this late into the game?!”
This… He’s definitely angry beyond reason. I guess since he’s technically left as the leader of the whole Seimei for a short while—the post that he was trying to run away from—the stress got to him.
“Sorry for being late. We’ve been stuck on the Otherside the whole time, after all.”
I quickly explained before sitting in the head seat, placing my hands on my chin, and reviewing the map before them. Ying Yue walked to my back, standing still like a loyal retainer. Did something change while I was away?
“Anyway, first, explain the situation.”
I asked the two, ignoring the questions they raised about us escaping from the Otherside. After all, we don’t have much time to chat.
Long story short, the kingdom’s defenses had already fallen. The ones maintaining the current frontlines are the few civilian tamers and what remains of the kingdom’s military. Hearing this, I felt my blood run cold. Just how many died in the time I was out?!
“… D*mn you, Noir!”