"Your Lordship, if we keep up with this passiveness any longer, we'll lose." Nefear said nervously.
"Haha, why are you afraid?" In contrast to her expression, Invaderon broke into a mild laugh, patting her head to say, "We have my trump card to pull, don't we?"
"But…" Nefear hesitated, "I don't wish to use it. Or rather, I hate that to the extreme. I'm not willing to do it!"
By the end, her voice was almost loud enough to resemble a shout, causing the believers to look around in surprise in order to see where her shout was coming from. It almost reverberated throughout the Inron.
"There doesn't seem much option at this point, don't you think?" Invaderon patted her and spoke calmly, "Nefear, I know how much you wish to maintain your current position. But you should understand."
"You're squandering your potential tremendously." He spoke in all seriousness, his gaze a glare full of killing intent, "Out of all the Devil's I've led to the creation of, you're the one with the biggest potential."
"You've perfectly absorbed my teachings and made them your own."
"I understand," Nefear shed tears, sobbing for a couple of minutes before she wiped them off, "I'm eternally grateful for your teachings."
Invaderon placed his hand on her head, sucking in all the authority granted to her, "I hereby evict you from my faith…"
Swoosh! Boom!
A torrent of energy exploded out of Nefear, forming a vortex akin to a volcanic eruption as a tremendous amount of fear poured into her from all across the world.
Until now, every time Invaderon raided a region, he didn't just slaughter everyone. He only crippled their ability to recover, perfectly collapsing the societal stability of the place.
And when things went to chaos, thugs took over. People suffered, losing lives, their hopes, and their very future. Killers ran rampant and occasionally, there arose mass murders with resounding fame so infamous they reached other regions too.
And when fear rattled the minds of the populace far beyond the regions where these mass murders operated, it led to the birth of a Devil. It was using this tactic that Invaderon birthed countless Devils.
Among them, he had been nurturing Nefear's infamy. The majority of the times, when she went around causing disasters, Invaderon had prohibited her from using the authority granted to her.
This meant that while using the body akin to a human, she caused countless loss of lives. The name Nefear spread as a tool of propaganda, a word that sent shivers down the spine of everyone that heard her feats.
And Invaderon took great measures to ensure she wasn't linked up to him as his Apostle. That would mess up his plans. As a result, Nefear's potential as a Devil was growing day by day.
But as long as she remained his Apostle, she would be unable to become a Devil due to the conflict of power—fear.
That was why, the moment Invaderon evicted her from his faith, all the fear that Nefear had been generating in her name condensed in her, turning her into a powerful Devil immediately.
Moreover, her infamy was so strong that she almost reached on par with Invaderon in terms of strength. This was the trump card that Invaderon had been preparing all along. And that wasn't all as he placed his thumb and index finger in his mouth and whistled.
Immediately, in a room secluded on the Inron, a secret that no believer was aware of, the doors opened, allowing ten individuals to walk out. Their expressions were tired, their bodies weary, and their health at an all time.
Once they came out, they collectively inhaled as their eyes lit up with Soul Fire. Their bodies resembled old man, but when they took ten steps, their age regressed by an year.
Another ten steps, and they became another year younger. And while walking, their postures became more and more erect while their frames widened. By the time they arrived before Invaderon, they were brisk youths brimming with power.
"You're all here, my elites." Invaderon grinned.
The moment the ten elites appeared, Inron's head peaked out of the water as it unleashed a loud roar, signalling the start of an invasion.
"Another prey to devour?" The one at the vanguard among the ten elites asked, revealing a bloodthirsty grin, "Is it a Deity or a Devil this time?"
"A Devil, a rather tasty one at that." Invaderon grinned and pointed towards the mountain where Peddler was standing upon, "His name's Peddler. He functions as an unscrupulous merchant that can turn you into his slave the moment he defeats you."
"That's pretty dope." The vanguard elite laughed boisterously, "Your Lordship! I thank you for this meal."
Invaderon's power allowed him to create living skeletons that could devour other skeletons and grow stronger. Depending on the foundation of the original skeleton that the body possessed, the potential of a skeleton creature he could create varied.
But, Invaderon of course had his methods. He experimented through his invasions, creating Devils. And when a Devil with a horn appeared, he documented the process and collated his gains.
Of course, he killed the Devil and used it to create a skeleton. Since it was a Devil's skeleton, its potential was unmatched. Following that, every time he raised a region and faced a Deity or a Devil protecting that region, when he killed them, his Devil Skeleton devoured them, thereby experiencing a surge in strength.
During this process, he granted the Devil Skeleton the power of a Saint. And once the devour was completed, he retracted the power and allowed it to rest within a secure house. Over time, he managed to create ten Devil Skeletons, causing each to devour a large number of Deities and Devils.
They were the true elites of his army, sentient undead with power on par with a strong Deity. Aware that his strength would deplete if his foundation was targeted, Invaderon created an army that would never cripple in strength.
And that was his elite ten—Horned Elite!
The ten Horned Elite and Nefear were his true power, refined for almost a century using the blood, flesh, and bones of countless Deities and Devils.
"I'll make us reach the shore first." One of the Horned Elite said as it jumped onto the tail end of Inron and clapped its hand, causing waves to form as immediately, Inron began to move towards the continent.
Once Inron reached the shore, Invaderon commanded his army to charge out as he stared at the figure of Peddler, one that was no longer taunting him.
The opponent was finally serious.
