Beneath the tower.

Zagu stood within a gaping hole that was clearly smashed open by something, gazing up at the sky above his head.

The sky of the Abyss was always this dim yellow, as if covered by endless sandstorms—there was nothing in it worth admiring.

Naturally, Zagu was not here to sigh over the seasons or appreciate the scenery.

Through the size of the opening and the angle at which it had been struck, he was judging the possibility that the human woman who had been knocked down from the tower earlier had survived.

The possibility was basically zero.

That was the answer given by his reason and by every aspect of his analysis.

Whether it was watching her fall from the tower, or looking at this crater-like hole, a fourth-rank... no, even an early fifth-rank martial warrior had absolutely no chance of surviving.

Not to mention that before that, she had already been severely wounded by him.

He had originally not even planned to come take a look. In his opinion, coming here to see a corpse smashed into pulp was simply a waste of time.

Until he heard the report from his subordinates cleaning up the battlefield.

“The body... is gone.”

Zagu looked toward the very center of the crater.

Cracks spread everywhere there, broken stones lay scattered, and sand swirled continuously in the cold night wind. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

Yet aside from traces of blood found on a few scattered stones, he could not find anything that could be called a corpse.

Even falling from nearly a thousand meters in the air should have left behind a puddle of mangled flesh.

“Still alive?”

Zagu’s gaze moved from the center of the crater to its edges. Beneath several larger stone slabs, he could faintly see a few narrow passages.

Beneath Gutongs Castle lay an extremely complex and vast underground cavern system. Even he did not fully understand the purpose of those underground voids.

But... as hiding places for rats, there was indeed nothing more suitable.

“That woman always manages to surprise people.”

Zagu let out a cold laugh.

Over the past hundred years, he had indeed encountered many powerful humans, geniuses, even so-called “children of destiny.” But someone who could make him feel astonished several times in such a short span of time—this was the first.

What next? The other party should be gravely injured. Should he personally go finish her off?

But at present...

“Lord Zagu.”

Someone suddenly called out.

Zagu turned around. In his sight appeared a maid. She looked almost identical to a human girl, except for a pair of delicate small horns on her head and the demonfolk’s iconic crimson eyes.

A high-ranking demonman.

And one who could qualify to have a high-ranking demonman as a maid...

“Sent by Lord Shenyi?”

“Yes.”

The demon maid bent slightly at the waist and answered respectfully,

“I have come in accordance with Lord Shenyi’s will.”

“What are his orders?”

“Lord Shenyi hopes that you will pursue and kill the human who appeared on the tower earlier,” the maid said.

“On the tower?”

Zagu thought for a moment. “Black hair? Or blond?”

“Golden wavy long hair in appearance, female. But in truth, a man.”

The maid handed over a document.

“You should have heard of his identity as well. A duke of the human empire—the Lion King’s son, Muen Campbell.”

“So that’s it...”

Zagu took the intelligence report, one brow lifting slightly.

Someone who liked stuffing things into his chest.

Someone who liked turning into a woman.

Were human fetishes always this strange?

“But as far as I know, wasn’t this person already teleported away earlier?” Zagu said.

Though he had ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) little presence later on, Zagu had observed the entire intense confrontation at the level of the Crowned Ones. He knew that Muen had been sent away by An using Myriad-Age Cycle’s authority.

“According to Lord Shenyi, the authority she controlled at the time was extremely limited. She had no power to send Muen Campbell out of the city. Therefore, he must still be somewhere within Gutongs Castle.”

The maid pointed to the document.

“What you need is also inside.”

“Oh?”

Zagu flipped the report over and gave it a light shake.

With a soft clatter, a very thin fragment of chain fell to the ground—then floated up automatically, coiling in Zagu’s palm like a small snake.

“At the time, Muen Campbell’s soul was restrained by the soul-binding chain of Myriad-Age Cycle. Residual soul information remained. Lord Shenyi extracted that segment of information. It should assist you.”

“He actually went so far as to pay such a price?”

Zagu was slightly surprised.

“For the sake of killing that human?”

“Not only that. The Enchantress Grand Duke is now gravely injured. Therefore, the Flayers under her command will all obey your orders.”

“Flayers...”

Zagu was even more astonished.

The Flayers were the Enchantress Grand Duke’s most elite special organization—a force composed of succubi personally cultivated by her and savage demonfolk who had knelt beneath her throne.

They were her sharpest hounds, her keenest claws. One or two might not matter much, but once seized by a whole pack of such mad dogs, even he would find it extremely troublesome.

“The Enchantress Grand Duke would agree?”

“She has no choice,” the maid said expressionlessly.

“...”

Zagu fell silent for a moment. He understood that this sentence not only meant that the Enchantress Grand Duke’s injuries were truly severe, but also that the pursuit of Muen Campbell was an absolute order that must be completed and could not fail.

If Lord Shenyi were not restrained by something even more important, he would likely do it personally.

Zagu nodded.

“I understand. Lord Shenyi’s will will be thoroughly carried out.”

“Then I wish Lord Zagu a smooth journey. If you require anything further, you may request it directly from me. By Lord Shenyi’s decree, if the Flayers are insufficient, you are granted authority to mobilize all existing forces within Gutongs Castle.”

“No need. Aside from the Flayers, this city probably only has rotten fish and broken shrimp left,” Zagu said with a dismissive wave.

The principle of hunting prey did not lie in numbers. A thousand sheep could not kill a single lion.

Even if the opponent was gravely injured.

But if it were a hundred wild dogs... then even a lion would become prey awaiting slaughter.

Not to mention that he himself would personally take action.

“Speaking of which, that black flame Muen Campbell uses is somewhat troublesome.”

“According to Lord Shenyi, without the support of the Church of Life, it is merely a rather formidable Evil God’s power. And in Muen Campbell’s current state, he likely cannot use much of it. I believe Lord Zagu, who witnessed the entire battle personally, understands this clearly.”

“Tsk, how ruthless. Now I’m rather curious why Lord Shenyi is so fixated on that human brat. Is it because of her?” Zagu asked curiously. He had never seen the dignified Grand Duke Shenyi care this much about a human.

“I do not know.”

“No matter. I was merely asking.”

Zagu shrugged and did not pursue the matter.

He raised his hand, letting the fragment of chain float upward.

“Hmm?”

Zagu suddenly froze.

The chain that recorded Muen Campbell’s soul information was pointing toward one of the passages around the crater.

And that passage happened to coincide perfectly with a certain analysis he had just made.

“A coincidence?”

That Muen Campbell had also fled here.

“Heh... just as well. Saves me the trouble.”

Zagu smiled.

“Oh, right. There’s one more important question I haven’t asked.”

“Please ask, Lord Zagu.”

“Do we take him alive?” Zagu turned back. “That black flame of his looks rather valuable for research.”

“No.”

The maid did not hesitate.

“Please ensure that you truly and mercilessly... kill Muen Campbell.”

...

“Still not awake?”

Ariel poked at the campfire in front of her and let out a long sigh.

The underground cavern was still as desolate and cold as ever. Looking up, stalactites like bamboo shoots hung from the ceiling, glowing in multicolored hues—quite beautiful—yet not even a single bat could be seen.

Aside from the sound of water and the breathing of the two of them, it was frighteningly quiet.

And compared to the surrounding environment, the small fire in front of Ariel was gradually dying out.

There was simply nothing here that could be used as fuel. Even if she forced the stones to burn using Divine Favor to save some stamina, it would not last long.

It wasn’t that her stamina had weakened to such a degree. It was the problem she had mentioned earlier—

Stamina.

Battle qi.

Magic power.

For her and Miss Muse, who were still within the enemy’s stronghold, these three were things that absolutely had to be prioritized above all else.

Even if Ariel truly wanted Miss Muse to be more comfortable, there was nothing she could do. Miss Muse had already passed the danger to her life. If they wasted vital resources on something as insignificant as “comfort,” that would be no different from courting death.

Though Ariel dreamed of a crystal palace, she would not be blinded by momentary romance.

She was that rational and intelligent. She had not grown to this point by luck and recklessness alone.

“But if I put it that way, doesn’t that make me like some useless husband who can’t even provide his wife with a good life?”

Ariel ground her teeth in indignation, then took out a piece of black bread, broke off a large chunk, and chewed viciously.

At a time like this, only the black bread—unpleasant though it tasted—could replenish a bit of her stamina and bring a sliver of warmth to her cold heart.

“Speaking of food...”

Ariel’s eyes shifted again to Miss Muse’s lips.

At this moment, those lips had regained a trace of color. Under the firelight, they looked tender and glossy, like jelly, constantly tempting someone to lean in and bite...

“No, no, no!”

Ariel shook her head violently, forcing herself to snap out of the improper fantasy.

“I already said it—absolutely not in such a despicable, vulgar way!”

Yes, a true master of emotion always strikes at the heart first. Physical benefits were only temporary.

As long as the feelings were in place, why worry about what came after?

“That was close. How many times have I had such unhealthy thoughts already?”

Ariel wiped away cold sweat.

It wasn’t that she was constantly lusting after Miss Muse’s body—it was simply that Miss Muse was far too alluring!

“But this isn’t the time to talk about that.”

Ariel took out her pocket watch and glanced at it.

They had already stayed in this place for a full two hours. For safety’s sake, they could not remain any longer.

She did not know how long it would take for the enemy to search this far, but the demonfolk would certainly not let them leave so easily.

Especially after causing such a commotion.

“Come to think of it, maybe I dragged Miss Muse down with me.”

Ariel could not help but feel a trace of guilt.

After all, if she had not shown her face before a demonfolk Grand Duke, perhaps it would have been easier for Miss Muse to escape.

But no matter what, she had to move Miss Muse first. Staying in one place too long would most likely lead to discovery.

“So should I carry her on my back? Or in my arms?”

Ariel flexed her fingers and slowly approached Miss Muse, an “indecent” wicked grin appearing on her face.

It couldn’t be helped. Miss Muse couldn’t move right now, so she could only let her—

“Hmm?”

Ariel’s movements suddenly halted.

The campfire flickered violently once, then extinguished on its own. Ariel waved her hand, and even the smoke was quickly swept away by the airflow.

And in the final moment before the firelight vanished, illuminating her face—

It had already become incomparably serious.

Someone had triggered the magical device she had set as a warning.