There was nothing they could do about the power difference. Ri couldn't only hope that the grade of the demon generals could match up.
From what Dyon had told Ri about their origins, it was very likely that they were strong… But, it was hard to put in perspective the strength of the demon generals because these were only the surviving members of the demon sage's army.
According to Dyon, all of the demon generals that headed armies in higher level gates had been killed for their threat. But, the remaining demon generals were the much younger ones that had yet to grow to that level of strength. On top of that, they were demon generals the demon sage had accumulated near the end of his life, because many of the demon generals that had been there during his prime, and before he entered the Timeless Library, had been dead before he even returned…
So, the question was… Did these demon generals match up to the demon generals the demon sage had in his prime?... Or… Were they lesser versions? The answer to that question could quite literally decide the fate of the lotus alliance.
'Lower 3rd grade essence gathering experts… about 82-84 opened meridians… This'll be troublesome…' thought Ri.
Still, she stepped forward as her hair darkened and her black tails whipped out from her.
Ri winced as she felt a drastic drop in her stamina. But, she knew she had to push herself to the limit or else she wouldn't be of much use on the battle field.
Without her faith seed, she was still powerful, but only when compared to lower meridian formation warriors… If she didn't use her faith seed in combination with her god level constitution, it was impossible for her to fight against enemies as strong as these.
So, she ignored her groaning bones and her tearing muscles, gripping her sword tightly as she stomped into the ground viciously.
Cracks spread through the trembling grey ground, steeling the frayed nerves of the lotus alliance.
"Let's go." Ri leaped forward, charging with the demon generals at her back.
Silvyr's eyes flashed, not having expected the lotus alliance to initiate the attack. But, soon, a smile spread across her face as she leisurely climbed back onto her throne. "Let them feel despair. Then…" Silvyr's light laughter sent shivers down the spine of her army as she absentmindedly groped her chest. "We'll make them turn against each other."
**
Away from that battle field, Dyon had brought Alidor out to the first floor of the Epistemic Tower. It seemed he could will himself to different levels, but, there was also a cap. Much like what the old man had said, Dyon would need to have sufficient success outside of the tower to earn higher levels within the Epistemic Tower.
"Big Brother!" Kaeara ran over to Alidor, happy to see him again. But, when she saw how weak he looked, she snapped an unhappy gaze toward Dyon. "What did you do to my big brother? You bully!"
But, before Dyon could answer, Alidor suddenly kneeled down, pulling his little sister into a tight embrace. He didn't say anything, but this was the most emotion he'd shown in a long while. Even Kaeara was confused about what was going on. She was being hugged so tightly that she couldn't even lift her arms anymore.
Dyon smiled, walking passed the siblings and toward his own.
"Successor, you finally came back! I beat this persona game months ago, how could you leave your mistress bored for so long!"
Dyon's brow twitched at Fraenor's antics. 'Mistress? Madeleine would laugh but Ri would kill me! You're too much…'
"Sorry, sorry. I didn't expect to take so long either," Dyon patted Lyla and Zaire's heads. It seemed they had been bored for a long time too.
Fraenor smiled. Although she liked teasing Dyon, she really did appreciate this successor. They could have very well ended up with a horrible leader, but, Dyon was caring and thoughtful much of the time. He was definitely someone Fraenor found worthy of her loyalty.
"What do you plan on now, successor?"
Dyon thought for a bit, looking back at the two hugging siblings. "Alidor, what do you want to do? Do you want to stay here? But, if so, what about your little sister?"
Alidor looked up, wiping his face to try and hide his glistening eyes. But, he seemed unwilling to let go of his little sister. "I don't think I can leave her…"
Dyon thought for a bit. 'The basilisks are the only ones truly under Alidor's control. He simply uses them to manipulate the other parts of Uidah universe…'
"Alidor. What exactly is the nature of the relationship between you and the basilisks?"
"It's not complicated. It's just that I saved Bas and Liska once and they're fiercely loyal beasts despite what the legends say. They agreed to help me, and I agreed to help them rank highly."
"Alright. Then, come with me. You'll stay in my ring along with everyone else."
"Ring?" Alidor looked up in confusion.
"Yes. I have a spatial ring capable of holding living people. Aside from that, there's no real use in letting you stay here if you want to stay with your little sister. The gates would only be useful to you if you were in the Epistemic Tower."
Alidor nodded, patting his little sister's head before composing himself.
Kaeara's large black eyes blinked as she looked up at her elder brother. She had never seen him act like this, so she was surprised into silence.
"Let's get going." Everyone flashed into Dyon's ring as he stepped out and into a void tear, heading toward lotus tower.
What Dyon didn't know was that as he made use of the Epistemic Tower's key to speed through the gate, a massive shadow was lurking and waiting for the opportunity to strike.
In fact, describing this shadow as massive didn't do it justice… This entity was so large that it dwarfed planets and even stars… Maybe if Dyon had had the proper perspective, he would have realized that much of the darkness of the spatial pockets weren't just darkness at all… It was the body of something unimaginable…
Suddenly, a booming voice rang out, causing the shadow to tremble with anger. "It will never be your time to prey on my grand disciple. It's best you continue to be quiet. Know your place."
The old man's voice raged at the shadow, his anger clear.
A raspy voice rang out in response. "We'll see how long you'll last. You want to put your hope into another little boy? I'll tear him apart like I did the last one and make sure you watch."
