"Damnit..." The Fairy King spoke from within his hallowed space.
Surrounded by darkness—with the only source of light coming from the bright screen in front of him—Beruel's eyes remained fixated on the two unwelcome guests he had.
'I would have attacked them before they even infiltrated my hideout, but that would have caused too much commotion, and if the Cult gets a hold of my signature, then...!'
Beruel didn't completely trust the Nether Cult—just like he didn't put his faith in just about any institution.
After being betrayed, it would be foolish for him to make the same mistakes again.
Besides, the Nether Cult didn't care about his most trusted subordinate's death, and the members hardly shared his values.
He was simply using them.
'They can't know of this place, though...'
To the outside world—and even the omnipotent clairvoyance of their leader—this was simply a mountain.
And that was simply because of his strong efforts to hide this location. He was also the most intelligent and skilled when it came to mechanics, which was why none could track him down.
'I've been using clones to cater to my affairs and responsibilities so far...'
Never had he once exposed his real body to them—and for good reason. Perhaps most would call him paranoid, but he was simply being as cautious as he could.
Hubris was the cause of his previous downfall, after all.
"Speaking of clones..." Beruel sighed, instantly regretting the actions he'd made prior to his notice of Kuzon and Ana's assault.
"... All of them are scattered around the world—looking for clues for the Arcanas."
The recent meeting with the Cult had ended with the conclusion that all of the Arcanas had been found, making his efforts worthless.
'I've called back the clones, but it'll take some time for them to get here, especially since they're doing it discreetly.'
He had a few left as backup clones, but it was regrettable that he was limited in his arsenal.
After all...
'They're more pesky than I thought...' Beruel sighed.
So far, Ana and Kuzon had been avoiding the traps he set while also defeating the enemies he was sending to them.
Advancing to the deeper portion of his base got progressively more difficult, but they surprisingly got closer with every attempt he made.
'I didn't think they would have Aether... or at least the Midas boy.'
Since he was being absolutely cautious, he had used Aether as the base of the Automatons he was using as security protocols.
Normal Mana or Miasma didn't work on Aether, making his Automatons practically invincible—or at least, that was how the story was meant to be.
Instead, Kuzon kept destroying them with relative ease.
It frustrated him beyond words.
"I would have sent a few clones, but he's clearly proven he can handle them. It's better not to spread them out, but gather them to form an airtight formation."
Beruel's beef was with Kuzon—since he had killed his subordinate. As for Ana... well, no one could know his secret base and live.
"I'll kill you both for sure."
*
*
*
>WHOOOOOSSSSHHHH<
Ana's eyes sparkled with wonder as she saw Kuzon obliterate the several Automatons that tried to attack them.
She couldn't count just how many he had defeated at this point.
Not only was he faster than any of them, but even before they could utilize a single skill in their arsenal, he destroyed them.
His fierce gaze and precise attacks caused her heart to race every moment she saw him in action.
Ana wished she had realized it earlier, but she was now too far gone to care.
'I'm falling hard for this guy... no way!'
"Are you alright? Is it ready yet?" Kuzon suddenly asked her after taking care of the final threat.
"Y-yes. On both counts." She found herself laughing nervously.
'What am I doing?!'
Ana brought out a glowing shard from her clasped hands. The object was similar to a blue stone, and it warbled the moment it became exposed outside the covering of her palms.
She had been working on this for some time now, and it was finally ready.
"What exactly is it?" Kuzon asked, drawing his face closer to the stone.
The closer he got, the more it warbled. It's glow intensified, causing Ana's eyes to widen in surprise.
"I-it's for detecting a certain kind of power I'm currently researching. I discovered it not too long ago, but after recent events, my perspective is shifting..." She murmured.
"What do you—?"
"It'll serve as a guide. I'll configure it to gravitate towards the strongest source of the power. That way, we'll be able to navigate our way through this place." Ana interrupted by speaking over Kuzon's voice.
"Okay...?" The young Midas responded, still curious about certain things.
An awkward moment of silence existed between the two after this. It was pretty obvious that each had something to say to the other, but they decided to keep their mouths shut instead.
"Once I release this, it'll move in the direction of the strongest signature. Try to keep up with it."
"Haha... I'm not worried about myself." Kuzon responded to Ana's words of caution, causing her to give him an annoyed glare.
"Sorry..."
Ana sighed, shrugging upon hearing the apology. While it warmed her heart, she didn't want to show any weakness at this point.
"You're right. My equipment probably wouldn't work due to the overriding energy that's coursing through this place. It's hard enough to even maintain focus due to the insulation I have on."
"You could retreat, you know—?"
"No."
"Fine..." Kuzon sighed, swiftly moving close to Ana before she could react.
"Kyaaa! W-w-w-what are you—?!"
Kuzon lifted her off the ground, cradling the flustered young girl like a baby. Her blushing face warped into complete shock and embarrassment, and even though he was grinning... the young Midas was also blushing pretty hard.
"It's necessary. We have to hurry, right?" He whispered, trying his best to maintain his cool.
"... Right..." Ana had no choice but to respond.
Though hesitating slightly, she released the small blue stone into the air. And then—
>VWOOOOOOOSSSSSHHHH<
—It instantly zoomed off.
"Haha. You're right. It's quite fast. Brace yourself."
Golden lightning appeared all over Kuzon's body, sending waves of energy surging through him.
And then—
>WHOOOOOOOOOOSSSHHHH<
—Off he went as well.
