Sanya was standing on top of the tallest snowy mountain as she looked down at the chaos that was happening on the edge of her vision. She saw explosions, shockwaves, thunderstorms, and fires that burned fiercely even amidst the heavy storm. Her expression was calm and collected even when she heard bad news one after another.

“The enemy is growing exponentially stronger,” Larc said, his voice deep like rumbling thunder and standing behind Sanya with Vijser and Koria.

The three elders were there to witness the threat that had made their move onto the land of Orthias. The battle was no longer Sanya’s alone because the threat was too big for her to handle on her own.

“In just a week, they have marched this far. For humans to reach this far, they would have died from the extreme cold and the beasts that lived here. However, these things, the Corrupted Ones are so powerful that the beasts were like rabbits in the face of hunters,” Vijser’s eyes narrowed as he tried to understand where the demons could gather such power in just a short amount of time.

“They were gone not too long ago, all of them suddenly disappeared and we took that chance to push them back. But now look at them, even our soldiers are struggling to deal with them,” Koria crossed her arms, her gaze sharp and cold, calculating the enemy’s threat and how to deal with them in the future.

Even during the conversation, Sanya stayed quiet and never blinked her eyes as she observed the battle. She noticed that something was amiss, and after a long time of observation, she finally realized it.

“They’re this powerful even without their leader,” Sanya pointed out, her tone flat and calm. “Not to mention, that human girl that they took, she’s also not there with them. They’re not here with them, where are they? What are they doing? Why they’re not here?” She asked, her eyes narrowing slightly.

The three elders had never seen the demons’ leader or Ermaine, but they heard enough from Sanya based on what Sanya had encountered during the expedition beyond the Blackcliffs. The reason why they came in the first place was to see the leader of the demons, but after Sanya mentioned that the leader wasn’t there, that made them feel unsettled.

“Illidan was taken, she held the knowledge of every corner of our land and our weaknesses. Could it be, this is the result of the information the demons have possessed about us after they took her memories?” Koria glanced at Sanya with her brows furrowed. “If that’s the case, what’s the reason for their leader’s absent?” She asked.

Sanya thought for a moment and knew that this would happen sooner or later. However, what bothered her the most was the fact that Satan wasn’t there among her army. She had many possible answers, and one answer that bothered her the most was that thing that could endanger not only Orthias, but all living beings in Neva.

“The Dragon’s Maw,” Sanya answered.

Sanya’s answer made the elders flinch for a split second, and that terrified them that it should. That possibility of where Satan went to check the Dragon’s Maw made them think of the worst outcomes that would fall to the world. They knew that demons were capable of bringing things back to life, and the only place where the world buried the power that could rule over it was the Dragon’s Maw.

“We should send someone to that place, Sanya. If they managed to get in there and bring back the True Dragons, the world is going to fall to their hands,” Koria suggested.

“The only ones who have been there were me and Aristoria. I don’t think any of you will be able to enter that place whether you want to protect it or not. That place doesn’t care your intention, and to send our strongest warriors would be pointless,” Sanya answered, her gaze pointed in the direction where the Dragon’s Maw was located. “If there was one who could go there and protect that place, that would be me,” she pointed out.

Sanya remembered the day when she came with Aristoria to the Dragon’s Maw and the secret she kept from the elders. She then wondered how Aris was doing because there was no news about her, and she wondered if Aristoria’s plan was working or not. She knew that she alone wouldn’t be able to stop Satan because she wasn’t an Aristoria, she wasn’t chosen, and she had reached the growth limit as an Orthias.

“Would that be enough?” Larc asked out of curiosity. He knew that Sanya was one level above from Koria and two levels above from the rest of the elders in terms of power, and that one level alone could overpower all the elders if she chose to fight them all at the same time.

“No,” Sanya answered without hesitation. “I’m not an Aristoria,” she pointed out as she shook her head.

That answer alone was enough to tell the elders that they were doomed, and they had to think of a way to deal with this. However, there was an idea that came to Koria’s mind that might be able to help them with the situation.

“Can you find Aristoria and tell her that we need her help?” Koria asked.

“I don’t know where she is, and I don’t think she cares about us anymore. She stripped away her status, her swords, and her armor. She owes us nothing, and she has chosen her path,” Sanya answered, her response sounded like she was dismissing the question.

“So you’re really going to let this happen again? To let another Aristoria to die pointlessly?” Vijser asked, staring at Sanya with a bit of hostility in his gaze and words.

“If you think I can stop an Aristoria, you must be a fool,” Sanya turned her head to stare back at Vijser. “If you think you can do it, then go ahead, find her and force her to come back. See how your world fall before you could even blink your eyes,” she warned, her gaze mirrored the same hostility and coldness as Vijser’s.

“That’s enough,” Koria said as she stood in the middle in between those two. “We can’t force Aristoria to come back, and the one she follows. Rasmus Blackheart? If we approach him, he might be able to persuade her,” she suggested a solution as she stared into Sanya’s eyes.

Sanya raised her brows when Rasmus’ name was being mentioned, and she thought about it for a moment. She was the one who had suggested Rasmus to Aris before, and now that she had heard a lot about him, she began to grow a curiosity about him as well.

“Rasmus Blackheart…” Sanya muttered as she stared at the battle. “I could do it, but you need to prove it to me that you can handle the enemy while I’m asbent from this situation,” she said as she looked at the three elders. “You have to understand that the enemy will be able to turn our kin into their minions. I don’t want to risk our kin just for a mere man,” she added with a serious expression.

Koria, Larc, and Vijser looked at each other, thinking if they could prevent that from happening especially when Satan was nowhere to be found. However, they knew that their hope was in Aris’ hands, and without her, the world would turn into chaos.

“We have lived and witnessed countless civilizations before humans, and we have faced many enemies just like this. We will take this problem seriously now, and you can rest assured that we can handle this,” Koria said with a serious expression.

“Then go and end this battle,” Sanya said as she turned around and walked past the elders. “I’ll pay Moriganne a visit since she should know where Rasmus Blackheart is,” she said before she flew and disappeared into the vast sky.

(At the same time at the official airfield of the Brithia Kingdom)

Rasmus and the others landed safely, to the Brithia Kingdom where the expedition team should have gathered in the palace. They were welcomed with three carriages that belonged to the royal family with the flags on top.

“We will take our leave now, Count,” Javi said, standing behind Rasmus.

“Go, and do what you must,” Rasmus nodded, his voice quiet.

Javi nodded and then he led the Blackhands to their rendezvous point to gather information about West Neva. Rasmus didn’t need to look at their departure and focused on the tall mountains and the palace in his field of view.

“Two continents down, now we are on the third,” Videl said with a smirk on his face.

“This one will be different,” Rasmus said under his breath as he fixed his suit. “We need to understand what Satan wants from this continent, and we need to stop her from getting what she wanted,” he added.

“The Womb of the Mother,” Videl answered.

“Hmm, that’s why we are here,” Rasmus nodded. “Let’s meet with the others,” he said as he turned around to look at everyone.

They all nodded and followed Rasmus into the carriages.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep