'Haa…what an exhausting day.' Damien sighed to himself as he left the courtyard where the three experts were staying at the moment.
After his run-in with the '5th Demigod' whom he still didn't know the name of, he returned to his body and conversed with them a bit longer about their plans for Niflheim. Unfortunately, there wasn't much they could tell him.
As they said before, the overarching goal was to destroy Niflheim to the point where it could never resurge. As for information, they didn't know much besides the strength of the true-blooded Nox in the organization.
But there were a few interesting points Damien learned from them.
For one, Niflheim was not the name of a world, but only an organization. This went against what he originally thought of them, but after understanding their purpose in residing in Sector 3, it was easier to rationalize.
Secondly, Niflheim hadn't managed to completely take control of the world they resided in quite yet. This was the reason why the forces of the Cloud Plane still had a chance to take them down.
There was a resistance in that unnamed world that, whether by coincidence or not, took up the name Asgard and opposed the Nox's reign.
As for how they were able to rebel at all against the strength of the Nox, the reasoning was simple. So simple that Damien almost wanted to facepalm when he heard it.
It was a simple matter of arrogance.
The Nox were beings that looked down on all other races as inferior. The attitude of 'law of the jungle' was far more prevalent in their race than any other. In the same vein, the resistance forces of a few humans didn't catch the eye of those Nox.
Instead, they just made their vassals do the work for them and fight. As such, the fight in that unnamed world had become one of human against human.
Luckily, this allowed the resistance to survive and build strength. Under the noses of those arrogant Nox, Asgard had become extremely powerful, possessing numerous 4th-class existences and even more 3rd-class and below.
'They are our key to infiltrating that world, and they are the key to fighting against Niflheim. Without them, things will get much more troublesome.'
Unfortunately, communication between worlds wasn't yet something that could be done on a regular basis. This was also why Asgard wasn't able to provide sufficient information to the Cloud Plane forces yet. The 6 months gained due to the extermination plan would actually be majorly beneficial in the Niflheim plan as well.
'Well, that's that. Sadly, they won't tell me any of the crucial details until it's time for us to embark on the mission. I guess information control is this strict because of the nature of the mission. It can't be helped.'
Even though Damien was heavily confident in the fact that nobody under the Demigod level would be able to pry information out of him forcefully due to his Void Physique, that wasn't something he could just tell people. Therefore, he accepted their secrecy without much of a fuss.
'Starting next week is the purge. I'll have to go along with them too, so that I can identify Devil Worshippers for them. But, that's not a bad thing at all. Even though it's been so long, there isn't a chance in hell that I would forget…'
The Eclipsing Shadow Sect that humiliated him and Ruyue in the past, forcing them to flee into the 3000 Beast Mountain Range…as a force that was competing for the Death Seed back then, it was natural that they found their way onto the kill list.
Damien clenched his fists, a ferocious grin spreading across his face. 'Just you wait, you shadow bastards. I'll slaughter you all.'
His killing intent flared with so much force that it caved in the ground below him. Seeing the damage he unconsciously caused, Damien quickly recalled his aura.
'Phew, since I have Yun's help, there's nobody in the Cloud Plane that can hide from me. What a convenient assistant he is.'
Damien was feeling conflicted about arbitrarily giving the World Core a gender, but since it made it more convenient for him when referring to it, he just went with it.
Instead of focusing on nonsensical things like that, he turned his attention elsewhere.
'Although I need to participate in the purge, it shouldn't take up all my time. Soon, I'll warp back to Apeiron and bind the World Core over there as well. Then, I need to simultaneously purge both worlds.'
Earth was still there as well, but Damien didn't know if a full-scale purge was necessary there. Last time he visited, he already exterminated the Nox's forces and the Worshippers they created. However…
'You can never be too careful. Those Nox bastards proliferate too fast for me to get complacent. To stay on the safe side, I should purge earth as well.'
Damien rubbed his temples. He seemed to have developed a habit of doing so recently. It couldn't be helped, though, since his plate kept getting filled with more and more tasks ever since he left the 3000 Beast Mountain Range.
'Tch. Forget it. For now, I'll drop everything else. Let me go meet the two women I feel most apologetic to in this world.'
Damien's figure flashed away. As for his destination? It was the residence of a certain pink-haired beauty who he still held unreconciled longing for.
***
Where there were seas, there was land. Where there were mountains, there were valleys, and where there was light, there was darkness.
If the 3000 Beast Mountain Range was the "mountain" of the Central Continent's 5 Forbidden Zones, the Shadowless Forest was the valley.
It was a land of darkness where no living being could reside peacefully. It was a place filled with the stench of death and insanity. Even the beasts that resided in this place could hardly be called living.
Instead, they were commonly of the undead and spirit variety, races with low sentience who didn't need the light to survive.
Deep within the Shadowless Forest, there was an unassuming cave mansion. However, if one entered inside, they would hardly be able to call it unassuming.
A vast throne room, many auxiliary areas, and more, it was the typical setup that a medium-sized sect would have.
But even though the number of personnel made them seem like a medium-sized sect, their average strength didn't lose out to many high-ranking clans and sects.
Within the throne room of this cave mansion, a man sat placidly on the throne. His eyes were closed as if there was a difference between having them open or closed within the Shadowless Forest.
Whoosh!
"Reporting to the Lord."
A shadow conglomerated on the floor in front of him, forming into the figure of a man prostrating himself.
"First Shadow? It is rare for you to report something yourself. Speak."
First Shadow bowed his head deeper. "Yes, my Lord. Although it is not confirmed, it looks like the man who stole the Death Seed has returned from the 3000 Beast Mountain Range alive:"
The "Lord" opened his eyes and looked down at First Shadow. Even though he didn't speak, the formless pressure coming from his presence was enough to cause a cold sweat to run down First Shadow's back.
Seeing that the "Lord" didn't speak, First Shadow hurriedly continued. "A man and woman pair made their debut at the Empyrean Dragon Realm opening one week ago. Based on their descriptions, they are the ones we chased into the mountain range after the auction."
The Eclipsing Shadow Sect Master indifferently gazed at First Shadow. "Why are you telling me this?"
"M-my apologies, Lord. 5th through 12th Shadow have already been dispatched to confirm the information and assassinate the target. I merely felt that moving without the Lord's acknowledgment was unacceptable, so I have come to report."
"Mm…" The Eclipsing Shadow Sect Master made a sound of acknowledgment. Hearing it, First Shadow's figure melted away from the room, leaving the Sect Master alone with his thoughts once more.
'The Death Seed…a brat who managed to escape my clutches. Maybe I should personally deal with him.'
"First Shadow." The Sect Master called out, suddenly remembering something.
As First Shadow's figure reappeared, the Sect Master posed his question. "How?"
First Shadow furrowed his brows in confusion, but soon understood his Lord's question. How did they manage to escape the 3000 Beast Mountain Range that nobody has ever escaped before?
The sweat trailing down First Shadow's back intensified. As he thought of the outrageous scene he witnessed while gathering information, he felt intuitively that it would've been better to not pry at all.
But his Lord's words were absolute, so he couldn't stop himself from answering.
"T-the 3000 Beast Mountain Range no longer exists. The entire area has…been razed to the ground."
