Chapter 267: 267

The mutants exchanged wary glances but slowly straightened, still cautious but slightly less fearful. Phantom took a moment to observe each of them closely, his talent allowing him to sense the depth of their emotions and aspirations.

“I understand your plight,” Phantom began, his tone empathetic. “You have been cast aside, your unique potential ignored because you have yet to show results. But I see more in you than just failure. I see untapped strength and a burning desire to prove yourselves.”

The gargoyles’ eyes widened in surprise. It had been a long time since anyone had spoken to them with such respect and understanding. Phantom’s words stirred something within them—an ember of hope.

“I offer you a chance,” Phantom continued. “Join me, and together we will rise. I will help you unlock your potential, and in return, you will have the opportunity to regain your honor and status. We will achieve greatness together.”

Before the mutants could respond to Phantom, a robed gargoyle came beside Phantom, looking at the mutants with disgust.

Looking over to Phantom, the demon asked, “What are you doing?”

Phantom was taken aback but felt the eyes of the other demons on him. Feigning ignorance, Phantom responded, “Huh, am I missing something?”

Now it was the robed demon’s turn to be confused as he tilted his head, “Miss what?” he asked.

Turning to the robed demon and flaring his wings, Phantom said, “Did I miss when we made you the leader of this gathering?”

Hearing the word leader, the robed demon and the other gargoyles had different reactions. Most of the gargoyles turned their eyes to the robed demon, filled with ill-intention and questioning gazes, waiting for his answer.

The robed demon, meanwhile, was now panicking as he realized he had overstepped. He was strong, but so were many of the other demons gathered around. He had been carried away by his previous actions, making him think he was greater than he was, which is why he dared to question Phantom.

Phantom seemed to know what he was thinking as he pushed forward, “Because of your insightful speech earlier and everyone cheering with you, you think you have suddenly risen to the status of questioning us?”

“Wow, calm down, calm down. I was just curious about what you plan on doing with the slave mutants,” the robed demon said, turning the question to Phantom, who frowned as now the other demons were staring at him.

His actions indeed could be considered weird in the eyes of the demons as such situations rarely happen. He needed a convincing answer to get everyone off his back, even then he was sure many would keep an eye on him to see what he was planning.

Ikenga and Keles, who were watching and now eating fruits grown from the seeds Ikenga had thrown out, stopped as they watched silently. They understood that Phantom was now facing a big problem and was possibly at risk of being found out.

Phantom was truly tempted to change his facade, as he had one perfect for this situation. Not showing any emotion outwardly, Phantom began speaking.

Patting the shoulder of the robed demon, he said, “You yourself already stated how the situation in this layer is about to change. The two gods mean a lot to all demons, especially the two demon kings.”

Phantom pointed at the mutants as he continued his speech, keeping his tone authoritative yet composed. “I believe we need every bit of manpower we can get if we want to have a chance in the upcoming conflict. These mutants, despite their current state, possess untapped potential that could be harnessed for our benefit.”

The robed demon hesitated, sensing the shift in the atmosphere as the other gargoyles turned their attention back to Phantom, curiosity piqued by his reasoning. Phantom seized the moment, his mind racing to solidify his stance.

“Think about it,” Phantom urged, addressing the entire group now. “We are on the brink of a significant upheaval. The arrival of the two gods has thrown everything into chaos. To survive and thrive, we must be strategic. We cannot afford to discard resources, especially when they can be molded into something valuable.”

There was a murmur of agreement among the gathered demons. Phantom could see some of the gargoyles nodding thoughtfully, reconsidering their initial disdain for the mutants. He pressed on, reinforcing his point.

“These mutants,” he said, gesturing to the group behind him, “may have been demoted to slaves, but their ambition remains. With proper guidance and training, they can become a formidable force. They have something to prove, and that makes them dangerous to our enemies. It’s a risk, yes, but one that could pay off immensely.”

The robed demon’s expression shifted from confusion to reluctant acceptance. He could see the logic in Phantom’s words and recognized the potential advantage in having more allies ready to fight. “Very well,” he said grudgingly. “But know that if this fails, the blame will fall on you.”

Phantom nodded, maintaining his calm demeanor. “I accept that responsibility.”

With that, the robed demon stepped back, and the tension in the air began to dissipate. The other gargoyles returned to their activities, albeit with newfound respect for Phantom’s behavior and strategic thinking. The mutants, now standing taller with a spark of hope in their eyes, looked at Phantom with a mixture of gratitude and determination.

Ikenga and Keles, watching from their secluded spot, exchanged glances. “He handled that well,” Keles remarked, a hint of admiration in her voice.

Ikenga, meanwhile, had a frown on his face. Contacting Phantom, Ikenga said, “What you did was very risky; you put yourself at risk of being exposed.”

“Why are you in such a hurry that you forget to look around where you are? How arrogant of you to solicit power in front of other gargoyles when you could have done that from the shadows and slowly achieved your goal.”

Calming down, Ikenga added, “Good job, but next time, think about your actions.” Phantom felt the sting of Ikenga’s rebuke in his mind, but he kept his face impassive. The mutants were looking at him with newfound hope and determination, and he couldn’t afford to show any sign of internal conflict. He gave them a reassuring nod before turning away and walking to a secluded spot where he could respond to Ikenga in private.

Phantom nodded, both to himself and in his mind. “I will heed your advice. We must proceed with caution from here on.”

Ikenga’s voice took on a warmer tone. “Good. Now, continue building your base of power. We are relying on you.”

With the connection severed, Phantom took a deep breath and returned to the mutants. They were waiting for him, eager for guidance.

“Let’s move forward,” he said, his voice steady. “We have much to do.”

Over the following weeks, Phantom focused on training the mutants and integrating them more effectively into the gargoyle ranks. He took Ikenga’s advice to heart, working more from the shadows and ensuring his actions were less conspicuous.

He carefully selected a few trusted gargoyles, slowly building a network of “loyal allies” without drawing too much attention.

Today, as Phantom was about to exercise with the mutants, a female flying gargoyle flew into the sky and screamed, “The hounds are on the move!”

Almost on command, all gargoyles with wings took to the sky, following the female gargoyle. Soon, only Phantom and the mutants were left in the camp.

“Armor up,” Phantom said to the mutants. “We can’t fall too far behind.” The mutants immediately reached for their weapons.

Flapping his wings, Phantom slowly took off into the sky. The mutants followed behind as they quickly climbed down the mountain.

With Phantom flying slowly in the sky and the mutants following closely behind as they sprinted to catch up, they soon began seeing other demon figures who seemed to have the same plan: trailing behind a large group of hellhounds.

In the Abyss layer, hellhounds are known for their extremely sensitive noses, and this was what all demon parties were relying on. They were waiting for the hellhounds and their three-headed leader to catch a whiff of the gods so they could benefit from it.

The demons didn’t know how the two gods did it, but since their first appearance, no news or sight of the gods had been seen, leading some demons to believe that the gods had either found a way into the next layer or were long gone from the Abyss.

The hellhounds’ current movement indicated that the gods were still in this layer. Phantom followed behind as his expression turned grave. He noticed that the hellhounds had led most of the available demons to where Ikenga and Keles were.

The three-headed leader of the hellhounds was sniffing at the place where Ikenga and Keles had been sitting before sending off Phantom. Confusion flashed across the hound’s eyes as it strongly sensed that the scent was still there but couldn’t find the gods.

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