Chapter 421 - Lord And Deliverer.
Sapphire City...
Tretch Forest...
A group of Ten men and women stood right at the entrance and viewed the forest with serious faces while the one woman leading the group turned to address the other nine,
"It's time for inspection. Remember, kill every Beast that has advanced to the Aurora Beast realm and all those at the late and Peak stages of the Phenomenon Beast realm.
It has not been too long since we were last here and whatever beast actually advanced to the Aurora best realm before our arrival can't be experienced enough to make use of their human forms efficiently."
As she said this, she retrieved something from her spatial ring. The tool was flat and circular. Much like a disc and it gave off a whirling sound even though it did not move before it created a projection that was no more than an inch above the disc.
She studied it for a while and then her brows furrowed,
"Strange" she said.
The others also brought out similar discs and their expressions were more if the same as hers.
The disc was a beast tracker. Once close to a beat regardless of the form they take, it will locate them. The range, for now, was only Tretch forest but even then it encompassed the whole of the forest, and the fact that it was showing that there were no Demon beasts present was baffling, to say the least.
"Damn tools. Always so fucking unreliable. Let's split up" the leader said and they all did and went into the forest
It quickly became clear that the disc had not been faulty or unreliable as there truly was no Demon beast in Tretch Forest.
There wasn't even a single Wild beast.
Since in the cosmic realm, cosmic energy was enough for the steady germination of plants, the plants in the forest were growing ever bigger and bountiful as there were now no longer any beast to consume them.
Sure they were still harvested by humans, even more so now that it was their main meal, but Hal had laid down subtle formations that would enhance the intake of Cosmic energy by the plants, thereby enhancing their growth.
The others converged with the leader soon enough,
"Maria, there is not a single beast in this forest. Demonic or Wild."
Maria's eyes widened and she could hardly keep from shaking,
"Where are they? Where the hell did they all go?"
...
Sapphire city was Bustling...
And once the Hunters were out of the Forest and sought to investigate the sudden disappearance of thousands of beasts, it was naturally where they went to.
It was then they could finally appreciate the city's beauty.
They had come here by first arriving at the Barony center's teleportation circle and then traveled from there in a carriage but did not actually stop to view the sights and instead went directly to the forest to hunt down the beasts.
Now they were in here, deciding to move by foot so that they would not draw too much attention to themselves, they saw this 'subordinate city was actually on another level to the Barony's center.
They were quite stunned and who could blame them?
Since Hal left the city, it had gone through stringent renovation to bring it to standards befitting of a city governed by the Benevolent Lord who they had now dubbed a more fitting name.
Upon entry, Maria's group of Ten divided into two as a much smaller group was much less likely to draw attention.
"This is... Salmon city?" Maria asked mostly to herself.
While the hunting squads were usually rotated, this was not her first time in this city. The same could be said of many other veterans in her squad.
"Salmon City? Miss, you can be a visitor and stranger all you want, but we will not condone such an insult" said a vendor in a stall.
How could she possibly know how much the denizens of Sapphire city hated to be reminded or related to the days of the past where they were governed by power-hungry fools.
The era before their Master's rise.
His words took Maria aback and she looked him in the eye while those in her squad frowned,
"Did I say something wrong?" Maria asked.
"Yes, you called us what we are not" the vendor said, and in a bid to quell this annoyance, someone with Maria showed off the pressure of his cultivation but the vendor who was clearly only at the Cosmic Armament realm only sneered,
"What? You want to threaten me? Just try it. You'll realize Sapphire city is not a place where you can act however you please. There are rules here and you must follow them. Visitor or not." He said and other vendors nodded in approval to his words.
"Is this man insane...?" The man said and took a step forward but was stopped by Maria who told the vendor,
"I apologize for my companion's attitude but did you say, Sapphire city"
The Vendor put on a proud smile,
"Oh yes. Our City was renamed after our Lord and Deliverer. The Benevolent One. The Sapphirine Prince"
"The Sapphire what?" Maria was confused,
"The Sapphirine Prince" the vendor clarified and when Maria was just about to ask further questions, a few men and women arrived.
All dressed in Black and Blue military apparel and they frowned at Maria and her group,
"Is there a problem here?" Asked the man leading the group of arrivals.
"Law enforcement? In a city like this?" The one who had released his pressure earlier said in a low tone of voice that only those in his group heard.
Of course, that's what he thought but the Law enforcers had heard it as well, but were willing to ignore it.
"No problem. We've not been to the city in a while and are just having a look around" Maria said with a smile.
Then with a subtle now, she left with her group.
They wee not here to cause trouble. They were here to learn what they could about the disappearance of the Beasts in the Tretch forest.
"Maria, how could you have sounded so apologetic back there?" Asked another one in the group. Actually beating the others to the punch as they had been planning to ask that very question.
"So what would you have done if I let you all have your way, Sean? Burst out your Cosmic Aurora Realm cultivation and beat down a practically defenseless vendor to showcase dominance?
That's pointless. And is certainly not why we are here." Maria said with a frown.
At that time, someone called out from the middle of the city.
It was far from where they were but the voice still reached them as the one calling out had infused his voice with cosmic energy and was able to broadcast aloud to anyone who could and would hear,
"Hear ye, Hear ye. Today is the day. The Ninth day in the Inaugural annual nine-day worship of Sapphirine Prince which is to be conducted by the Priestess of our Lord's cult."
After this, the man stepped off the pedestal he had been standing on and while everyone in the city stayed where they were to begin the worship of the Sapphirine Prince, the two groups of the Hunter squad had dashed to the source of the sound and arrived just in time to gaze upon the Priestess...
Chapter 422 - Cult Of The Sapphirine Prince.
Horst Manor...
The mayor of Sapphire City, Ford Horst was having a meeting with the other members of his council which were no more than those you are already familiar with (Darryl and Marlon Edgar, and Edvard Krast) and some newcomers who were mostly those who had only recently become Blessed Families.
Anyway, the topic of the meeting at the moment was whether or not they should continue to pay Tribute to the Barony and that was an issue they were able to get past quickly as they all agreed on independence.
They did not wish to be under the Barony anymore and any further payment of Tributes would be against that cause.
Then came the other issue which was the retaliation from the Barony.
No one outside of the Barony would assist. Not even the county.
They had done their research and the new Baron of the Kirsten Barony, Aaro had no connections with the Count or other influential individuals that would prove troublesome should they push for independence.
Those that had attended his party had mostly been to endure he was on the seat and the post of Baron was occupied.
At least that was the news the council's spies had brought.
Now, first and foremost, this was still a Cultivation world where only the strong deserve to rule or in this case, deserve to ask for tribute.
It was highly possible to become independent and not pay tribute to the Barony but a show of strength was required.
In this situation, the Barony was quite confident. After all, no city under them could actually hope to attain their level of strength and so when Sapphire city would refuse to pay tributes, they would be confident in getting them to submit
Alas, it was not only in name that Sapphire city had changed from Salmon city.
Thanks to Hal, the true lord of Sapphire city, even the lowliest of families were favored with a Green grade cultivation Technique and for those who were already close to the Cosmic Phenomenon realm already, they got ever closer and some had even advanced.
Everyone in the council was at the Cosmic Phenomenon realm and they were about twelve in number, excluding the Mayor of course.
Then there were the Blood knights who were stronger than any of those in the Council could even begin to imagine. They never slacked off in their cultivation and despite the absence of Blood essence and battle, they cultivated conventionally and were advancing steadily.
In a few months, they would be required to pay the tribute but they would refuse and there would be trouble. But if the growth so far was anything to go by, then the city was going to be more than ready to face any threat by then.
It was then that they heard the call from the Man who introduced the Priestess and stepped off his pedestal.
Ford could not help but roll his eyes at all this and Edvard sighed because he knew who the 'Priestess' was.
The prime council members, namely the members of the old Great families saw this whole Cult thing to be an unnecessary facade and had been ready to shut it down when it first began.
After all, the denizens of Sapphire city knew who they served. They knew who their Lord was, so a phony religion was quite pointless. Or so they thought.
Before they could shut it down, the entire city took it up like hotcakes and did not look the slightest bit interested in letting it go.
True, they knew who their Lord was but they did not really know anything about him. The cult was a way to finally know all they could about the Sapphirine Prince as they had already taken to calling him by then.
No matter how embellished the tales were.
In fact, they preferred the embellishment as it painted him more as the god they already saw him as.
Especially since the majority of them had not been fortunate to meet him in person.
"What would Lord Hal say?" Ford had made a last-ditch attempt to stop it by bringing Hal into it but the Priestess was ready,
"He will be up for it. If not for his love for theatrics alone, there are also some advantages to the cult." She had said.
"Like what?" Marlon Edgar had asked.
"Like Fame. Once we have completely perfected the foundation of the faith, we can send out emissaries to spread the word. Lucky fur us, there is no law in the Haron continent that bans religions thanks to the sheer number of different cosmic lords, different families worship.
(Cosmic Lords are what gods are called in the Nexus World)
Hell, even Duchys don't serve one god.
The only exception is Devil worship and they don't have to know that we ARE worshiping a Devil.
The most important rule to the Continental power is that all must serve the Emperor. We are all his subjects.
We have a chance to take the gospel of the Sapphirine prince to the Barony and then the County and maybe even the Duchy as long as we polish up our foundation.
We don't need them to actually believe without proof but just spreading the word is enough for now."
The whole logic seemed weak to the council. At least to the Prime council members. The newcomers were very enthusiastic about it.
"Be honest, you're really doing this because he left" Marlon said in a tactless manner.
The Priestess turned to him. Clearly, he had touched a sore spot,
"If that's what you think. That's your problem. The cult will happen though. Whether you want it to or not. Besides..." she paused and walked away only to turn back,
"... The Sapphirine Prince is surely on my side in this matter. Also, I have devoted myself to him because I know one day he will return to claim me. Body and soul" she had said.
Listening to the call,
Ford could not help but agree that regardless of what he and the council thought, the cult would happen regardless.
...
Outside...
The Priestess ascended the podium. She had brown hair and brown eyes and she was quite beautiful and seductive. Despite her considerably small frame, her breasts were large and were no doubt, wonderful attention grabbers.
However, as she was wearing in the Sapphire Blue robe of a Priestess of the Sapphirine Prince's cult, no one was looking at her assets among the denizens who all knelt and prepared to pray.
Selina Krast looked at those closest to her and then the strangers who were not kneeling and she ignored them to begin prayers.
"Maria, do you think this 'Sapphirine Prince' has anything to do with the disappearance of the Beast?" Asked Sean.
"That would be assuming he was real in the first place" Was Maria's reply.
Selina ignored their mumblings and began with her voice broadcasted throughout the city,
"Oh Great perverse Lord of Depravity. Prince among men and beautiful beyond compare, we, your humble servants have come to offer prayers."
"WE OFFER PRAYERS" the city chorused
Selina continued,
"We are not here to Demand from you as we are not worthy of such by we are here to offer thanks"
"WE OFFER THANKS" the city chorused.
"What bullcrap is this?" Sean asked in a carrying tone but no one among the denizens acted as though they had heard.
In fact, he stood right in front of one, and that one only seemed to be looking through him at something behind him and far away. Something he could not hope to reach.
He seemed blissfully oblivious.
Selina ignored as well,
"While we shall not demand from you, we implore that you continue to watch over our city and bring us to new heights beneath your all-seeing eyes"
"WE IMPLORE YOU" the city chorused and then they continued along with Selina,
"GREAT SAPPHIRINE PRINCE. YOU ARE SUPREME AND YOU HAVE NO EQUAL. WATCH OVER US"
Sean gaped at this display and then turned to Maria,
"Well, that settles it..." He said.
"Settles what?"
Sean seemed surprised that she did not seem to have caught on and clarified,
"The Beasts were probably offered up in some depraved ritual because everyone in this city is undoubtedly insane"
Chapter 423 - The Presence Of The Prince.
The Prayers ended and the denizens closest to the Priestess stood from where they had knelt and eyed the Visitors with a whole range of expressions, ranging from pity to scorn.
Pity that they were so ignorant of the power of their Lord.
And scorn because...
"Couldn't you just let us pray in peace, you damn, bigots?" Asked an annoyed city folk who then walked away in anger.
Sean was taken aback but when his eyes turned back to the front, Selina had stepped off the Pedestal and was walking towards their group with three other young men with her.
They were one other than Jack the Ex-commoner, Frank Horst, and Alexander Edgar.
With the grown-ups not ready to allow them to take part in their plans on account that their cultivation was still relatively low and they were not yet 'experienced' enough, Frank and Alexander had decided to join up with Selina and become full-time members of the cult.
"And who might you all be?" Selina asked the group.
"What's it to you?" Asked someone at the forefront of the group on the left side of Maria who was eyeing Selina with eyes filled with scrutiny,
Selina smiled sweetly,
"Well, you came to our city and have shown absolutely no respect for our beliefs. You even made attempts to disrupt our prayers, I think that warrants an explanation." She said.
"Where is the Mayor?" Maria asked.
"You're not answering her question" Jack pointed out with a frown.
"Well, I thought it would be prudent we don't talk about it out here. Besides, I believe what we are here for will go faster if we simply discussed it with the Mayor" Maria said.
Selina frowned,
"I could indeed direct you to the Mayor's manor but I doubt he'll be able to see you as he is having a meeting with the city council right now"
"Surely, nothing is more important than us who are under the employ of the Emperor himself" Sean said with a small smile however, the expression of Selina and the young men with her did not change,
"Well, aren't we all?" Asked Frank Horst.
"Aren't you all what?" Sean asked in confusion,
"Aren't we all under the service of the Emperor? After all, we are all his subjects" Frank clarified and Alex continued,
"Yeah, what makes you more important than we are?" He asked.
Sean's eyes widened in surprise,
"Are you seriously asking me that?" He asked.
But the four faced him with defiant eyes.
True, they could indeed sense that Sean was at the Early stage of Cosmic Aurora realm and the rest of the nine in the squad were sure to be in the same realm with the strongest at the mid or late stage, however, unlike the Mayor and the Council, they knew the true strength of the cultivation Blood Knights and Emissaries.
And while they had not yet crossed to the Aurora cosmic realm, the strength of their Fiendish Bloodline and Devil marks which had been enhanced by Hal in their Lieutenants would more than make up for the deficiency.
Not to mention, those in this group were only Ten and would be outnumbered in an instant by the Blood Knights who would gladly welcome a battle that would speed up their cultivation.
Maybe they were being a little overconfident, but the fact remained that they would not allow themselves to be pushed around in their own city.
Maria who had been studying Selina saw nothing but resolve in her eyes and once again reiterated to the others in her squad that a battle with this common city folk was not why they wee here.
In fact, if things had not been so weird in Tretch Forest, they would have never even visited the city itself.
"We'll wait" she said.
Selina chuckled,
"Nonsense. Why would we delay you? You are under the employ of the Emperor, after all. Whatever you wish to ask the Mayor and the council, you can ask us. No one knows more about the City and its beliefs than we, the Sapphirine Prince's Cult.
If you would just follow us to our temporary base pending the construction of the Temple"
Selina said and the men led the way while she followed behind them and the Hunters followed behind her.
...
The Temporary Base of the Sapphirine Prince's cult,
The base was Melinda's Mansion which Selina and other core members of the cult had taken to using in her and Hal's absence and now Alexander, Frank, and Jack stood behind the sofa which Selina sat comfortably in.
With their guards still up, Maria was the only one among the hunters who sat down while the others stood in a bid to look as imposing as they possibly could.
"So, we are here and out of earshot of common city folk, surely you can speak now" Selina said.
Maria frowned,
"We are Hunters" she announced.
Selina's eyes widened not out of recognition for their profession but out of wonder to how it concerned wherever they wished to ask,
"Um... Good for you. Are you here to sell us pelts?" She asked and knew before any answer that that was quite unlikely considering their cultivation and the and fact that they already claimed to be under the employ Of the Emperor.
Maria chuckled,
"No. Not those types of hunters. We hunt beasts who have advanced to the Aurora Beasts realm."
"Oh, is that so?" Selina nodded in understanding and Maria continued,
"Yes. But you see, upon arrival, we noticed the whole forest was completely empty of all beasts. Both wild and Demonic" she said.
But it was not Selina who spoke next,
"And you came to ask the council about this? How is it any of their or our business?" Jack asked with a deep frown.
"Because we say it is, Punk" said Sean, and the others clearly shared his sentiments.
Maria cleared her throat,
"Well, you live in this city and the forest is under your care..." She began but was quickly interrupted.
"Care? We hunt the beasts so they won't hunt us. How does that classify as care?" Frank asked
"If they are gone now. All the better. Us poor city folk can finally live with a peace of mind and without fear for any more sudden Beast rampages." Alexander said and was definitely stretching the truth.
He had never once witnessed a Beast leaving Tretch forest to rampage in the city.
That was not to say it had never happened before in the city, just that he had never witnessed it.
"True. It seems like you came here to hunt the beasts in the first place so why the worry now that they are gone?" Selina asked.
Maria frowned,
"We did come to hunt the beasts but only those at the Aurora beast realm. We did not come to eradicate them all." She said.
Selina shrugged,
"The result is the same regardless. In fact, is it not safer to kill them all and remove any possibility of any becoming Aurora Beasts?" She asked and stumped Maria who held her tongue and thought better of her next words.
This was pointless. She was not here to explain herself,
"So, do you know what became of the Beasts? She asked.
Selina sighed,
"Nope. I have no idea" she said.
"Me neither".
The young men denied any knowledge as well.
"You can ask the council once they are done with their meeting but I assure you their answers will be the same. We went to the forest one day and they were gone" Selina said.
"Just like that?"
"Just like that"
"What about... The Sapphirine Prince?" Maria asked and Selina grinned,
"What about him? Do you wish to convert to our faith?" She asked.
"So... He is real?" Maria asked.
"As real as any god you all serve" Selina replied and Maria smiled inwardly as she seemed to have successfully trapped this so-called Priestess,
"If that is the case, you should be able to tell me where I can find him. He must have the answers I seek. After all, if anyone can facilitate or know about the disappearance of thousands of Demonic and wild beasts, it should be him who is, as you claim, 'All seeing'"
Sean who had been worried Maria was buying into this Mumbo-Jumbo was glad when she said this and thought;
'What will you say now?'
However, Selina's expression remained the same,
"If you were actually paying attention to our Prayers rather than attempting to disrupt them, you would have heard the part that stated 'We are not worthy to Demand from the Prince'"
Maria would not be daunted,
"I am sure you will make an exception in this matter as it refers to the security of the empire" she said.
Selina's expression changed and she stood to her feet in annoyance,
"What an insult! Do you ask your gods to make exceptions for the empire? Do you demand them to follow the rules of man?
What? Because our Faith is young and you don't believe in it, you will disrespect us and our Lord this much? The millions who live in Sapphire city all believe in the Sapphirine Prince and do not need your validation.
This is not our issue. You are the ones searching for Beasts and it is you who should try to find them as we could not care less.
That said..." Selina paused and sat back down.
Her change in countenance had actually had an effect on Maria and her squad who had no idea why they were so fearful.
How could they have known that Emissaries of the Sapphirine Prince were in the hall that surrounded the lounge and were lurking out of sight with the Devil shrouds activated which was making everyone in the lounge feel fear?
Well, everyone except Selina and the guys.
The feeling left as soon as she took her seat.
"What was that feeling just now?" Maria could not help but ask.
To sell it, Jack looked awed,
"For a brief moment. You felt the presence of the Prince. He must have reacted to his Priestess' emotions." he said.
Sean in particular did not want to believe it but what other explanation was there for the feeling of fear he felt when he could not sense anyone else around all through the time that feeling pervaded.
(Remember, Devil Shroud can cloak its bearer's presence)
Selina continued,
"That said, the disappearance of the beasts is indeed the doing of the Prince. He did it to protect us from their rampage. Another sign of his benevolence and grace" she said and Jack, Frank, and Alex fell over to give their thanks and Selina nodded along.
Maria exchanged looks with those with her and knew they were all thinking the same thing,
'What they had felt might be a trick but this Prince, whoever he was, must be real and be responsible for the Beasts' disappearance'
One thing they all knew was not to be so quick to discredit crazy rantings such as this. They usually had some form of truth within them.
The question now was;
Did he kill all the Beasts or did he cart them away?
And for whichever the answer was, there was another question;
Why did he do it?
A simple show of strength or a much deeper, nefarious plot...?
Chapter 424 - Welcome Bonus.
Thanks to his seed planted in Sapphire city, there was nothing that happened there that he did not know about and the whole idea of a cult dedicated to had been quite surprising.
Not because he saw it as silly but because he had planned to do something of that nature eventually.
He was impressed by how Selina had stuck to her guns in regards to it and was quite intrigued at the idea of her as his priestess.
However, what really got his attention, of course, was the arrival of the hunters who he had not thought would come to Tretch forest so soon. His subtle array on Tretch forest was what had first alerted him and then they moved into the city and it all became even clearer.
He had to say, he liked Selina's innovativeness at proclaiming the Sapphirine Prince responsible for the disappearance of the Beasts and could not help but wonder about all the mischief he could cause with that persona.
Anyway, that was all for later.
There was another more pressing matter at the moment and it was none other than the acquisition of the Primal fruit.
Earlier in the day, Rita had come to him to say she was taking a short trip away from the Sensual palace, claiming she needed to really enjoy her return to her home.
Of course, while she never actually said it, Hal knew where she really wished to go and she knew that he knew as well.
Some things needed no words.
Anyway, Rita had left but Karmen was more than ready to go off into the garden and kick some peril butt.
Hal left the Harem space very close to noon and Amelia was waiting for him in the room,
"Took you long enough" she said with a pout.
Hal chuckled,
"Something kept me" he told her, able to mask his disappointment at not comprehending the Ordinance of fire quite well.
He had tried so many times and many ways but nothing seemed to be working. He just didn't seem to be getting the hang of it.
'Connection with Order, my ass!' he thought in annoyance but kept it off his facial expression.
"The others already left without us." She said.
"Does that actually disappoint you?" Karmen asked as she could not even fathom such a scenario considering how little Amelia got along with them.
Amelia smiled,
"No, no it doesn't. Anyway, we can catch up. They didn't leave too long ago" she said and led the way out of the residence.
"Okay then, we can take the Golden chariot"
Once outside, Hal stretched his hand forward about to summon the carriage when Amelia closed her hand around his arm,
"No need. We can just have one of the Antonov family drivers take us. Then we don't have to worry about steering it"
"Good point" Hal said with a nod and Amelia led the way to where a carriage had been packed.
The driver looked at Hal for a while and then looked away to Karmen before he opened the carriage doors for the three and once they were in, he set off for the Garden of peril, having been told the destination by Amelia beforehand.
...
The Garden looked very much like a forest. It was a little larger than Tretch forest but was shrouded in mist and giving off chills both in winds and presence.
As cultivators at their level, normal temperature meant next to nothing to them. It did not really matter if it was noon or midnight, the atmosphere would always feel comfortable to them.
And yet this garden's air, or more accurately, air that was coming off the garden was causing them to feel mildly chilly.
How much worse would it become once they were inside?
From the distance, they could see five individuals about to venture into the Perilous garden and they were none other than the Antonovs.
Hal, Amelia, and Karmen walked away from the carriage and closer to the garden and immediately they got close enough, Helena looked back at Hal and her eyes widened as she dashed over to grab his arm and squish it between her sizeable breasts,
"Oh, I'm so glad you caught up. I wanted to wait for you but THEY wouldn't let me." She said and pointed at Cheslav and Boryan who were frowning deeply at Hal.
Hal looked at Jelena and smiled lightly,
"Oh? You wanted to wait for Amelia?" He raised his brow skeptically.
"I wanted to wait for YOU, not her" she said with a glare at Amelia.
"I see" Hal said and patted her hand.
"Mmm..." Jelena began toon and quickly let go of his arm in embarrassment.
She could not believe how good his touch had felt but her reaction had been so shameful.
'I should have better control of myself' she thought while Hal was glad {Erogenous touch} had gotten her off him.
Then he looked over at her sisters and... Were they blushing?"
Vanya, he could still see blushing, but Nicole?
The Icy Nicole was blushing?
What had happened in the last two days that had thawed her expression in regards to him?
She had been so much better at hiding any attraction to him that she felt at the dinner. So what was different now.
He got his answer soon enough...
"You must be proud of yourself." Boryan said with a frown.
"I am proud of myself. For so many reasons too, so you need to be a tad bit specific" He said with a smirk.
"How dare you defile my beloved aunt with your commoner hands?" He clarified and clenched his fist.
"Oh" Hal said as understanding dawned on him.
He should probably have expected this but it had been his opinion that being a Dual cultivating sect where such moans were common (although, maybe not at that volume), that no one would have batted an eye to the sounds.
"Leave him alone, Boryan. He did what many had accepted as impossible. He made Aunt Emiliana feel pleasure. Deep, loud passionate pleasure. Many, many times.
Tell me, Hal, what techniques do you have that actually helped accomplish this? Do you mind sharing them or better still, showing me?" Jelena asked with a sultry smile.
Before Hal could reply, Cheslav spoke first,
"You can touch Amelia all you want since she's half a dirty Silva anyway. But stay away from my Aunt who is truly a noble..." He began but before he could complete his words and before Hal could even think to react, Amelia vanished from his side.
He saw a trail of purple and knew her speed must have been boosted by her strengthening herself with her succubus bloodline.
When next she appeared, it was in front of Cheslav,
"What the...?" The Antonov only had time to say before attempting to protect himself with cosmic energy but Amelia's blow seemed to burn right through it.
It only seemed that way because her blow had been faster than he could defend against,
*Bam!*
"Ack" Cheslav groaned as the blow hit.
Boryan turned to Amelia in shock and made to retaliate but a well-placed kick to the side of his face...
*BAM!*
... Had him spinning to join his brother on the ground.
Then she took a deep breath,
"Oh, it feels so good to let off steam. Getting to shut you guys up was just a welcome bonus."
Hal chuckled as he moved over to her side,
"That's my girl."
"Are you sure you didn't overdo it? They seemed completely out of it" Karmen said and eyed the brothers on the ground.
Amelia waved her off,
"I held back. I might absolutely detest them but I'm not going to kill them...
She said and turned to the sisters,
"... At least not in front of witnesses"
Chapter 425 - A Weird Dude.
Jelena and Vanya gulped at the display and the malice in Amelia's eyes which they had not expected or known she had in her.
Nicole however, frowned.
The pressure Amelia was giving off was that of the mid-stage of the Cosmic Armament realm and she just knocked out two Mid-stage Cosmic Phenomenon realm cultivators.
That was a whole realm above her.
And she had been holding back? This was insane.
So, truth-telling time;
Amelia had not been holding back in her attack on her cousins as they were both a whole realm above her. She had only said that to be intimidating.
The main reason her attacks had been successful was because of surprise and which stemmed from the fact that the two had not expected her to act.
Quite stupid on their part.
Since she had arrived, they had not been secretive about disliking her, and knowing that they were above her in cultivation, Amelia bid her time.
And her silence to their taunts was taken as acceptance of her inability to defeat them.
And in part that was true as Amelia merely focused on her cultivation, the speed of which had been a cause for the jealousy from all of them.
Anyway, her silence was one of the reasons that the brothers had not expected an attack and why she had been successful.
As for her speed in cultivation, first, they all had to accept that she was indeed a genius but so were they.
Even geniuses have limits and the fact that she was eighteen and at the Cosmic Armament realm made no sense whatsoever to them.
Once they learned that Amelia indeed had a Dual cultivating partner, they believed it was the reason for her drastic cultivation speed as she must have lucked out in a good partner.
Imagine their surprise and borderline shock to learn her partner was nineteen himself and his cultivation even surpassed hers.
First, they refused to believe and once they believed, it roused two sets of emotions,
For the brothers, it roused envy at the resources and fortuitous encounters Hal must have lucked out on, and following the events two days ago, the feeling only increased as they termed his speed to be a result of cultivating with their Aunt whose cultivation surpassed his greatly.
After all, they all knew how advantageous it was to have such a partner.
Of course, it is difficult to get such a partner.
Why?
Well, Dual cultivation is all about sharing, and even if the give and take are not exactly equal, it should at least be equal enough that one of the participating partners does not feel cheated.
So, no Cosmic Pagoda realm expert would want an Armament or Phenomenon realm partner as that would hardly help their cultivation.
In fact, that would hamper it.
And yet, that was the situation with Emily and Hal!
The mere thought of it made them green with jealousy.
Who would not want such a partner?
The thoughts were the same for the sisters but also different,
They were envious as well, but not of Hal but Amelia.
Their Aunt was not stupid and if she was still cultivating with Hal after the curing of her condition, then he must have something that covered up for the difference in their cultivation.
The only thing they could think of was 'Primal seed' but as that had once been proven to be useless against their Aunt's condition, then he must have something even better.
And Amelia was enjoying it.
It made them so mad.
Their Aunt, they could understand as she was perfect and the one they looked up to regardless of their different personalities but Amelia, who was half a Silva Duchy commoner, they could not accept.
She was enjoying resources they would kill for.
If anyone had lucked out, it was Amelia and that must be the reason for her fast cultivation.
Looking at their Aunt, they saw no sign that cultivating with Hal. was hampering her cultivation.
She left the Doxon Duchy as a Cosmic Aurora realm cultivator and returned in Twenty years as a Cosmic Pagoda!
That speed was mind-boggling.
Nicole might be cold and Vanya might act indifferent but they were both like Jelena and wanted Hal... In different ways of course.
For one, the other two had no intentions of flirting.
It did not matter how it happened as long as it happened.
Anyway, after the intimidating show of strength, Hal put his arms around the shoulders of both Amelia and Karmen,
"That's enough for now. Might as well save your strength for the Garden" he told Amelia and led them towards the Garden.
"Wait for me" Jelena called and joined them to walk towards the Garden.
Neither Hal nor Amelia acted like they had heard.
Karmen however, talked to the Antonov lady,
"Why don't you lead the way?"
"What?" Jelena asked.
Karmen turned around, leaving Hal's hold,
"You have been in there before, haven't you?" She asked and walked closer to her,
"Barely. I didn't go too deep. I was hardly strong enough or stupid enough to risk my life for some ingredients when I could get complete pills in the comfort of my home" Jelena said.
Karmen shrugged with a wide grin,
"Well, now you are strong and stupid enough to go in there for a piece of fruit, right? So why not go ahead."
Jelena folded her arms,
"I don't want to"
Karmen scoffed,
"Coward" she said and skipped to Hal's side and together with Jelena following close behind they entered the Garden.
The other Antonovs joined soon enough as Nicole had woken the brothers up and they glared at Hal's group, specifically Amelia all through the journey.
"Just you wait" Cheslav said with a frown but Hal's group. ignored him.
"So... we are in here now. Where's the peril?" Hal asked with skepticism.
Just as he said that, a thick grey fog began to roll over from either side of them, and the first thing Hal noticed was that it stripped him of any sense of where he was.
The effect faded away soon enough though.
"You just had to jinx it didn't you?" Amelia asked with a frown.
Hal put on his best innocent expression,
"How was I supposed to know the garden was waiting for a challenge?" He asked just as Jelena attacked the fog with Cosmic energy.
However, while Hal had expected it to pass harmlessly through, the fog actually absorbed it and shot it back at her.
However, the force was not the same. It was doubled.
She only leaped away just in time to avoid an absolutely bruising hit.
The fog got too close to Boryan and he summoned his war-hammer Cosmic Armament to try and strike the fog.
They all seemed to think it was something physical that they could actually hit.
However, that thought seemed to have credence when the fog grabbed his hammer from him and swallowed it up only to spit it back at him with enough force to burst his head... had it hit.
'Lucky Bastard' Hal sneered and then he said,
"Run" as he had no intentions of facing the fog when there was a clear path in front of him.
Also, it was getting closer and he did not wish to find out firsthand if it could swallow a person and spit them back out.
They all ran forward and continued to run for what felt like an hour while along the way they seemed to join up with others who must have been in the Garden long before them.
Eventually, they were in a clearing in front of a raised hill.
Looking to their sides, Hal, Karmen, Amelia, and the Antonovs noticed that they were far from being the only ones in the clearing.
There were thousands of people there and they all looked like they had been running for an hour too.
"Just my luck. I've been here since last night and was already close to the center of the garden only to be chased by some fog..." One said.
"Did anyone else notice that the garden has been... Peaceful so far?" Another asked.
Many more arrived after the thousands already there and soon, Hal was quite certain everyone in the garden at this moment in time were now in the clearing.
Clearly, he was not the only one who thought so as a weird Dude suddenly appeared on top of the hill which no one dared or thought to climb since their arrival, and was nodding satisfiedly at them all,
"Good. This should be enough to send a message"
Chapter 426 - Respectable Gardener Of Peril.
The weird dude had purple fairly translucent skin that seemed to shimmer occasionally and he was dressed in leaves and vines with a horn right over his left eye which was completely black to match his right eye.
Also, he was bald.
The weird dude was facing where Hal was and he eyed them all with his black eyes while his satisfied smile slowly became nasty.
Almost like he was imagining them all with their heads squashed or simply dying so many types of horrific deaths.
He began to turn slowly as though he wanted to get a good look at all of them and creep them out with his nasty smile so his back was turned to Hal's side.
"Hey, who the hell are you? Are you the one who caused the fog? Are you the one who stopped me right at the cusp of success?" Yelled out a guy not far from where Hal was standing.
In all honesty, he was not the only one who felt the way he was feeling. He was not the only one who felt he was close to the fruit but the others were bidding their time.
After all, it was now clear that the fog was to herd them over here and this purple dude could very well have been the source of the fog.
The weird dude said nothing as he was still making his turn but for some reason, the vocal guy seemed quite peeved about the whole situation and was not going to take silence for an answer,
"Hey, I'm talking to you. Look at me when... Ack"
It was so sudden.
One moment he was ranting or at least beginning his tirade, the next, a large purple spike was materializing from the ground and stabbing right through his stomach to stick out the back.
It even raised him off the ground.
The spike had been so fast, the vocal guy did not even have time to react.
No one screamed hysterically.
Not even those who had come with the victim.
They were devastated, more so because they were family, but no one here came without appropriate knowledge on how dangerous it would be.
No one came here without the choice to send a representative but most would prefer to come themselves as it is always much easier to trust yourself to get things right than to trust others.
Instead of any hysterical screams, they summoned their Cosmic Armament and veiled them thinly with Cosmic Phenomenons and their expressions showed a readiness to gut the fucker who killed their companion but none of them made a move. Yet.
Throughout the spike attack and the subsequent summoning of Cosmic attacks, the Wierd dude still had his back turned to it all.
He had killed someone so accurately without lifting a finger and seemed quite nonchalant about it all.
Hal frowned at the display.
'What are you, a god?' He thought.
He felt it made absolutely no sense that this purple weird dude was so overpowered. At least some sort of gesture should have accompanied that attack.
That there was no gesture was quite frankly mind-boggling.
The weird dude sighed and finally he spoke in a quite the mellow tone,
"I hate nuisances. I detest them actually. You humans, Nay, you beings whether human or beast have absolutely no respect for someone else's solace.
For millennia, I have tricked you. I have ambushed you. I have killed you, all from the shadows of course but you always come back. You never stay away.
You just can't help yourself.
Are the resources that grow here so important that you are ready to risk your lives to get them?"
Hal looked at the faces of everyone he could spot which was quite a lot thanks to his cultivation and their expressions showed they were all thinking 'Yes' in their minds.
Now the Wierd dude was facing Hal's side again and his eyes paused on his face but moved on soon enough,
"Or maybe I have been too lenient?
No matter, I will not be lenient anymore.
And what better day and way to show the end of my leniency than this. Clearly, the best of the young generation have gathered here. Killing you all should be enough to send a message. And a message that would be heard this time.
Not ignored like before"
Before the weird dude could continue his chilling words, a group dressed in practical battle-ready but expensive attires began to advance from behind and everyone made way for them.
Looking at their eyes, Hal knew the reason for the respect they garnered from all those present.
They all had deep blue eyes.
They were all Doxons.
The one at the forefront of the group was a handsome young man with his black hair held up at the top of his head with an expensive-looking male hairpin.
Everything about the group screamed status.
"That's Ivan Doxon" Jelena told Hal and he looked over at her with a raised brow,
"What gave you the impression that I wished to know?" He asked.
Jelena shrugged,
"Nothing. I just feel like making idle talk." She said and then continued,
"The one behind him grinning like an idiot is Artyom Doxon. They are cousins but from the way they relate with each other, you would think they were brothers.
The Bitch behind them is Elora. Not exactly an immediate sibling to Ivan and Artyom but she is a Doxon nonetheless and regarded as a genius in the use skills." She told him with a frown.
"Is there bad blood between you two?" Hal asked with an amused smile.
Jelena shook her head,
"None at all. What makes you even think that?" She asked and Hal shrugged it away just in time to hear Ivan speak to the Wierd dude in a deep voice.
"You say we are nuisances but have not once introduced yourself. That's a little rude, don't you think?"
The weird dude paused and looked into their eyes, there was almost a sense of familiarity in his expression before he said,
"I'm about to kill all of you and you want to know my name?" He asked, almost confused.
Ivan nodded,
"That's right. I would hate to die at the hands of someone whose name I didn't even know. Besides, you're strong enough that I actually care to know" he said.
"Very well, I am Embry. Tender of this garden. I am its caretaker, its Gardener"
Artyom chuckled,
"So that would make you what, A Gardener of Peril?"
He must have meant it as a joke and a play on the Garden's name but Embry looked thoughtful for a second and nodded,
"I guess it would. Now that you know my name, you can all Die figh..."
Almost as though everyone here had been expecting those words, they all poured out cosmic attacks, cosmic phenomenon, and in some cases, cosmic Auroras at Embry.
Hal did not participate. Neither did Karmen and Amelia but the Antonovs all did.
*BANG!!!*
*BOOOMMM!!!*
When the dust settled or more accurately, once the attacks had hit and fizzled out. Embry stood where he had been before looking completely unharmed.
In fact, it seemed as though not one of the attacks had hit him.
It was as though the attacks had all simply canceled each other out.
Embry sighed,
"So impatient. Well, it's all well and good. I suppose. Now you know it is absolutely pointless to try attacking me as your attacks will have absolutely no impact on me whatsoever."
While almost everyone was looking speechless and stunned with Ivan frowning with suspicion, Hal was looking around and noticing that the fog which had chased them here and had been behind them was now gone.
He could not help but smile and did not look like he cared about the ineffectiveness of the attacks.
"Is there something funny?" A familiar voice asked him actually beating Cheslav to the punch.
The speaker was none other than Vihaan and Hal's eyes widened when he saw him.
"Hey look, it's Vivi. Fancy meeting you here. Come on Karmen, say hello" Hal said with a bright smile.
"Hello" Karmen said with a feral smile while she cracked her knuckles.
Then Hal recognized the one beside him,
"Delaney" he called to her and was in front of her in the blink of an eye.
He took her hand and kissed it before leaping away before Vihaan could attempt a swipe at his head.
"Bastard" Vihaan fumed and the exchange between the two was already garnering the attention of others.
Especially the Doxons who were quick to notice the color of Hal's eyes.
"I can't believe you're wasting your time and beauty by being here with this idiot" Hal told Delaney who almost looked like she was also thinking she could do better.
Then her eyes went to those closest to him apart from Karmen who she recognized. The closest apart from Karmen was Amelia and being a family friend of sorts, she already knew who she was.
Also, since two days ago when they first met, she already knew the identity of the one who had come to the restaurant was none other than Emiliana Antonov and she had also been privy to the Legend of the young man who made her scream in pleasure later that night.
Just thinking about it was making her feel flushed.
"I ask again, you blue-eyed bastard, what's so funny?" Vihaan asked again and actually got into a battle stance.
Hal sneered,
"Do you really have to ask? You all could not even wait to hear what this respectable Gardener had to say and were so quick to attack."
Respectable Gardener?
Vihaan looked shocked and so did all who heard Hal,
"What he has to say? After he just said he wants to kill us?"
Hal nodded,
"Yes"
And then he faced Embry who actually looked surprised at how things were turning out,
"Come on Emy, continue what you were saying. I promise I will not interrupt"
Chapter 427 - Die Fighting Each Other.
"Ivan, that must be him" said the Doxon Lady who Jelena had identified as Elora.
Ivan remained silent and was merely eyeing Hal with scrutiny,
"Yes, it must be." Artyom said with a nod and a frown.
"The rumors don't do his looks justice." Elora said and licked her lips.
Artyom seemed disgusted by this for a few seconds before he shook his head and said,
"But he's surely not a Doxon"
Ivan turned to him,
"Oh, You really think so?" He asked.
Artyom scoffed,
"Great in numbers as Doxons might be, I believe I can recognize a member when I see one" he said with smug confidence.
"Oh really now? Why don't you take a closer look and tell me who his face reminds you of? It shouldn't take that long, it's a face that constantly haunts us and our development and position in the family" Ivan said with a sigh.
This time, Artyom did indeed take a closer look and so did Elora before the eyes of the two widened.
The resemblance might be minimal but it was surely there.
Even then, they could only deny it.
"No way. The Duchess doesn't have a child" Elora said with a shake of her head.
"That we know of" Ivan corrected her.
Anyway,
Embry was nodding to Hal's words,
"Indeed human. You have spoken well. I was indeed interrupted. What I was going to say was that you can all die fighting each other." Said the Gardener.
"Well, that's a new approach to the usual." Cheslav said quietly and Embry heard,
"Indeed it is. The fog that chased you all here was simply guiding you to the center of the Garden. It was guiding you here." He said.
"Impossible. We were close to the center before the fog chased us away from there and over here" said one of those in the party of the one who had been killed with a spike.
They were the ones most disappointed by the lack of effect of the conjoined attacks.
"Oh? If that's the case, then the fog merely chased you to run around in circles to eventually arrive here. For this is the center" Embry said in a nonchalant voice.
"That's... Not possible. This looks nothing like where we were before" said another one from that same party.
Embry eyed the one who had spoken for a while before then saying in a patient voice,
"Well, that means you were mistaken before and headed in the wrong direction. For this is the center"
"No, my sense of direction has never once failed me" the speaker insisted.
Embry smiled nastily,
"Well, why not enlighten us as to which side of the garden we are in right now?"
"West" the speaker announced confidently.
"Really?" Embry asked still with a nasty smile,
"No, it's East. I mean south or maybe... North?" The more the speaker attempted to pinpoint, the more confused they became.
Embry's nasty smile remained,
"Well, clearly you can no longer identify your bearings for some reason so I will tell you again, we are at the center of the Garden."
"The fog" Hal mumbled, remembering the brief loss of direction he had felt when the fog first rolled over.
Embry continued,
"So, this is where the fruit you all want so desperately is in. Right underneath the hill I am now standing on. I have covered it up so that it will not distract from the proceedings"
"What proceedings?" Boryan asked and by turned to him with a smile,
"Well, for the battle royale, of course" Embry said with a bright smile.
"Battle royale?" Chorused many in the crowd and Embry nodded,
"Oh yes. I would love to kill you all and it would be so much fun to do so but it will be even more fun to watch you all kill one another.
All for a piece of fruit.
It's very amusing to think about.
Group yourselves or fight individually if you wish, it's your choice.
Of course, you can decide not to participate. In which case I will simply kill you all regardless.
At least this way, by which I mean the Royale, I let some of you leave with the fruit" he said.
Elora sneered,
"Like anyone will believe you. After you just said you won't be lenient anymore.
If you won't be lenient, then why not just kill us regardless. What's the point of giving us a chance to survive?
Clearly, you're going to kill the survivors anyway"
"Perhaps..." Embry said with a smile.
Hal's eyes widened and he closed one hand each on Amelia and Karmen's hands beside him before leaping back and pulling them with him.
Not a moment too soon for three spikes rose where they had been standing before and would have skewered them had he not moved away in time.
Others... were not so lucky or attentive and all around, there were at least a hundred victims, male and female all skewered on purple spikes.
Interestingly,
The area Elora was in was completely spike-free despite it being her loose tongue that had caused all this.
Embry looked over at Hal, Amelia, and Karmen,
"Some of you escaped. I must be getting slower." He said with a nasty smile and then two fists made up of what seemed to be the grey fog that had chased them all here, appeared on either side of someone else's and...
*Bam!*
... It smashed and crushed said person's head before they could attempt a defense with Cosmic energy.
Hal and his ladies were glaring at Elora who gulped at the display,
"Oops" she said with a halfhearted and nervous smile.
It seemed to have finally sunk in that this Gardener was not playing around,
That said, there was someone else who could still speak,
"You can't get away with this. Killing this many members of prestigious families will only bring trouble. You might be able to do as you wish with youngsters who are weaker than you as we are but you will not be able to handle it when Semi-saints come knocking"
The speaker's voice was shaky but determined to tell this murderous mad man what was up.
However, there was no fear in Embry's eyes as he said,
"Let them come"
Then to Elora, he said,
"You see miss, I can do whatever I want and It is talk like that that will get you all to die even faster. Speaking of which, if someone doesn't kick start this battle royale with a kill soon, I will get very, very impatient."
As soon as he said this, Purple spikes materialized in mid-air and looked ready to launch at the next set of victims.
"What the hell have we gotten ourselves into?" Someone asked in a low voice.
Yeah, they had all been prepared for perils and even those back home knew there were sure to be victims and those who would not return alive but they saw this as a teaching moment.
That said, there was no way they would expect the outcome of this little outing for the primal fruit.
No way could they have been prepared for the sheer number of casualties.
"Ivan, do we use it now?" Artyom asked.
"This is new territory, Artyom. We planned for traps and chaos, not for a gardener who has never been heard of before today. That seal is our trump card. I would rather not use it now"
"So what do we do?" Artyom asked.
"We wait..." Ivan began but was quickly interrupted by a scream of pain.
"Arrgghhh"
The scream called everyone's direction to a young man with eyes filled with battle lust who had just cut someone down with multiple strikes from his two daggers-connected-with-a-chain cosmic Armament and went on to attempt to slit the throat of a lady who acted quickly to leap back.
Her leap saved her and she sent a cosmic attack to Bray Kruger who cut through it with his daggers and sent a cosmic attack of his own that knocked her back and into a spike in mid-air.
The spike stabbed through the lady's back end out the front.
However, it had been more on her side and while it bled profusely, she was still alive.
Bray did not spare her a second look,
"You can all keep talking and mumbling all you want, but the Kruger family group will be the ones to survive this Battle royale. Come on Brad, let's cut stuff"
The one who must have been Brad frowned,
"If it's survival of the fittest, then we indeed should 'cut stuff' you crazy Battle loving fool. But didn't give me orders, I'm older and wiser than you"
Bray burst out laughing and the chaos began in full swing.
He and his Kruger family group kick-started the battle royale and things were about to get incredibly crazy.
Before going into battle, many had fired their signal flares which were to alert their families that they were in danger.
On a norm, communication devices don't work well in the Garden of Peril and the situation was even worse now.
So the fares were their best option to call for reinforcements.
Alas, Embry saw to it that the flares never showed up above the garden skies.
"Master, what do we do?" Karmen asked as she summoned her Cosmic Armament and eyed the Antonov brothers who seemed to be readying themselves for battle.
Hal reached out to Karmen and Amelia telepathically,
'This is not the center of the garden. That purple freak just wants us to think so. Which means we are running. Let everyone bash each other up while we get the fruit and get the hell out of here'
Chapter 428 - Look At The Ground.
Roxy's Shop...
Roxy was in his basement workshop where he had been for the past two days as he worked on making accurate adjustments to his Closed void scroll and felt he was getting ever closer to success when the first set of his trap runes went off upstairs.
Immediately, he began climbing up the stairs to where the intruder was.
He was careful to be light on his feet so as not to alert the intruder to his presence before any actual use of cultivation senses.
The first set of traps had shut the whole top floor down and completely shut out any light from the outside and that sent the room into perpetual darkness.
"State your Purpose here" Roxy said as he was now on the controlling Rune circle of the many trap Arrays in his shop and even as he asked for a statement of purpose, he was already activating the array's offensive powers.
"She said you would be unreasonable and possibly shoot on sight but I never thought it would be this bad" said a deep voice before there was a bright glow, following which the Rune attacks completely shut down.
The windows even opened up and cast the room into the brightness of the afternoon.
The light revealed the intruder to be a tall and buff man with rippling muscles.
Roxy took a battle stance as he frowned at how his Rune traps had been deactivated.
He still had some that were not yet in use but he had been hiding out and had been paranoid long enough to know it was pointless to use it now as the cause of the deactivation was none other than the energy of a semi saint which Rune attacks were useless against.
That said, he had other contingencies planned for this sort of situation.
A rune circle rolled out from a corner of the store and joined the one he had been using to control the traps.
Immediately, Cosmic energy in the atmosphere began to converge around him,
"I don't know who the hell you are, but... I'm not going down without a fight." He said and his frown deepened.
The intruder pointed the seal in his hand towards the Runemaster,
"Calm down old man, I'm Ehrlich, the princess sent me." Ehrlich said and after a closer look at the seal, Roxy concurred but his frown did not lessen,
"Why didn't you say that in the first place. Activating these Arrays are tiring, you know"
"I apologize" Ehrlich said as Roxy relaxed his stance to lead the way down to his basement.
While they walked, Ehrlich asked,
"The map. Is it with you?"
Roxy seemed to find the question amusing as he turned to face the tall and buff man,
"Why would it be? It wasn't me who stole it, was it?" He asked.
Ehrlich exhaled as an expression of his impatience.
He had planned to just drop by, get the map and return to the princess before the day was over.
He did not particularly like being in the Doxon Duchy.
"Well, the moment I arrived, I attempted contacting him but for some reason, I cannot seem to connect with his communication Talisman. Where is he?" He asked
Roxy shrugged,
"Who knows. It is hardly my business what he does with his time. Whatever business I had with him ended the moment he arrived here safely after getting the map." He said and then paused before taking on a thoughtful expression,
"Although, I hear almost every youngster who is at the Cosmic phenomenon realm and Cosmic Aurora realm is at the Garden of Peril attempting to get the Primal fruit that is said to have grown there" he added almost like an afterthought before bending down to peer even harder at the scroll on his work desk.
"Garden of Peril. What's that?" Ehrlich asked
"Oh, it's just a treasure trove for cultivation resources where chances of survival are very low. However, if one can brave the dangers, the rewards are quite enticing.
It's hard to tell if the kid will return alive"
All this, Roxy said with a nonchalance that Ehrlich found hard to agree with,
"If he dies, what becomes of the map?" He asked.
Once again Roxy shrugged,
"I reckon it will be on his body awaiting retrieval. If you prove brave enough to attempt the retrieval, that is. You happen to fall quite nicely in the category of those who lose their lives in the Garden."
Ehrlich frowned but said nothing.
Eventually, Roxy looked up from his project,
"So, what are you going to do? Are you going there? Cause if you are, I can offer you directions. Your presence here is distracting me anyway..."
Once again, Ehrlich said nothing as he looked unable to make a decision.
...
Meanwhile, in the Garden,
Proclaiming that they were not at the center and that they were going to slip away to find the actual center and get the Primal fruit had been easy for Hal, however, the situation proved not to be cooperative with his plans.
The Antonov brothers did not face Hal and his ladies. After all, they might dislike Amelia but she was still an Antonov (half an Antonov at least) and they had no real intentions of killing her.
Putting her down was very much on the table but killing was not.
Besides, there was so much more at stake now than petty dislike.
The one who tossed the first attack to Hal was Vihaan. (No surprise there)
The battle royale was truly off to a carnage start as people did not fight just for the Primal fruit, no, the fruit was now at the back of their minds.
What they fought for was survival.
They needed to survive.
The situation finally let it sink into many of their heads that family name and power were not helpful when they were truly alone... And when your fate is to be decided by a psychopathic freak who grins with joy at the brutal wrenching loss of body parts.
Cosmic Aurora realm cultivators among those present could not truly take advantage of their superior cultivation as there were other cosmic Aurora who challenged their strength and drew them into grueling one on one battles.
However, one on one battles soon lost any appeal after a cosmic Aurora realm expert nearly lost his life to the partnership of the Kruger brothers.
Brad was at the Cosmic Aurora realm and challenged the Cosmic Aurora expert but it had only being to distract him so that his brother Bray could attempt to pierce the Cosmic Aurora expert's chest from behind.
The way they saw it, it did not matter which realm of cultivation their opponent was, as long as they could get to stab said opponent in the heart.
Their plan actually had a bit of merit.
The distraction had worked well enough and the target was only able to survive thanks to his constant use of Cosmic energy to shield his body.
However, there was no rest for the weary as Bray yelled cheerfully,
"So close. Let's go again. One more time. I have a good feeling about this one."
"Young masters Brad and Bray, be careful" said a fairly older man who was fending off attacks from another Cosmic Aurora realm expert and was one of the experts of the Kruger family and had come along for extra protection.
He was not the only bodyguard present of course as many were actually thanking their lucky stars for the foresight that had seen them bringing guards as they were now proving quite handy.
Anyway,
Hal summoned his Cosmic Armament in a second and cut through the cosmic attack that had come from Vihaan and was quick to deflect the one that came after with the flat side of his blade.
He sighed in annoyance as their surroundings were suddenly filled with battling people and he groaned at the inability to leave here and search for the garden center.
Maybe others were panicking but Hal and his ladies were not.
You see, while the Garden prevented communication-talisman signals, it did not prevent Hal's telepathic connection with his ladies.
He had already told Emily of the situation in the Garden but told her not to move in an attempt to protect them just yet.
When she asked why, he simply said he saw no reason to do so until things were really desperate.
'When things are desperate? There's a gardener intent on killing all of you. How much more desperate can it get?' She had asked with a slight hint of panic in her voice.
'First off, this gardener doesn't fear semi saints which means he has enough confidence to at the very least hold them off' Hal had argued.
'Then I'll bring a Saint' Emily said determinedly.
'Or you can calm down and stand by. If things get too upsetting, I will contact you. I just wanted you to be ready.'
He cut off the connection then.
"Die Bastard" Vihaan yelled and boosted his speed with an explosive blast of cosmic energy.
However, while he did become fast, he lacked the ability to change course and a sidestep saw him running past Hal who took his time to blast him in the back with a Cosmic attack imbued with a cosmic phenomenon.
"Ahhh" Vihaan yelled as he was hit into the ground by the attack.
He rolled and returned to his feet quickly while ignoring his pain but Hal was no longer where he was before.
"What the...?" He began to look around to spot him but before he could complete his look-around,
*Bam!*
Hal was punching the side of his face.
"Ack" he groaned.
"Vihaan" Delaney yelled and ran to his side along with others from their group. Those from her family as well as Vihaan's.
They were quite a number.
Hal relented his pursuit to continue going on the attack as he had a sudden idea.
He looked over at Amelia and Karmen who were making subtle use of their Demonic bloodlines to imbue themselves and work in a partnership to hold back attackers and if possible, defeat them.
"Everyone, listen up. Before you go completely nuts and kill each other, this is not the Center of the Garden" he said in a loud voice that only those in his area really heard.
However, many would soon notice something when his side stopped battling in confusion,
"What are you talking about?" Cheslav asked with a frown, sporting a few bruises.
Hal turned to him but spoke in a still loud voice,
"This is not the center of the garden. We are being tricked" he said.
"And how do you know that?" Jelena asked.
Hal shrugged,
"Simple, look at the ground"
Chapter 429 - A Chance At Success.
"Look at the ground?" Nicole repeated in confusion and many did indeed look down while the others wondered if this handsome blue-eyed guy did not have a screw loose.
Hal was undisturbed,
"Correct me if I'm wrong, but is this not supposed to be a treasure trove of cultivation resources?" He asked.
The one to speak was Vanya in what was her first-ever vocal expression in Hal's presence,
"Well, it is. I mean we are literally trampling what many Alchemists such as myself would kill to gather" she said.
"So why don't you gather it?" Hal asked with a shrug as it seemed like she was making a point to mention the trampling of these precious resources.
Vanya rolled her eyes,
"Oh, I don't know, Hal. Maybe because since I entered this stupid garden, I've been running and fighting for my life. You know, this is why I never actually came in here. I was much better off paying some guy to get it for me" she said with a hint of annoyance.
Hal waved off her tirade as he crouched and said,
"My point is, the deeper you go into the garden, the denser it becomes with cultivation resources. I mean the Primal fruit we are all here for did not just happen to grow in the center, did it?"
Even as he said it, he wondered why he was the first to think of this. Especially since there were many among those present who had been to the Garden before today.
"He's got a point." Jelena said.
Amelia joined Hal on the ground,
"This place is littered with pointless unimportant shrubs." She said.
Hal nodded,
"Yes, it's certainly not the center"
"Oh, then where is the center?" Asked someone among those on his side.
Hal shook his head,
"I have no idea"
"Screw this. Are we supposed to believe you when the Gardener said this is the center? When you have no idea for sure if he is wrong or right?" Vihaan asked.
Karmen made a threatening movement towards him and he actually flinched while Hal replied,
"Well, you do have a point, Vihaan. Why WOULDN'T you believe a psychopath who looks to have every intention of killing everyone here? Now if you are done asking me stupid questions,
I'm going to invite anyone who feels like going about killing each other without any thorough knowledge of whether this is truly the center or not to get back to it.
As for those who truly wish to find the fruit, you can wait calmly for my plan. Cause we only have a few more seconds before the purple freak's attention is turned back here."
The Doxons, who by the way are actually more than Ivan, Artyom, and Elora but a group close to twenty-five, were doing a good job fending off attacks which were already minimal.
Only the truly brave ones (or stupid ones) attempted to attack them for everyone had heard takes of the might of the Doxon Trio.
And none of the three had made a move thus far as Artyom looked at those battling as though they were savages and to be fair, with the way they tore into each other, he was not totally off base.
"What do you think is going on over there?" Elora asked Artyom and gestured towards the direction of Hal and the Antonovs where no one was battling.
Artyom looked over,
"Beats me. Maybe planning a revolution against their oppressor" he said with a shrug.
"Don't you mean our oppressor? Seeing as we are in the same situation they are" Elora pointed out but Artyom simply shook his head,
"Nah. Don't lump us in with those dingbats. We have a plan..." he said.
He had only just said this when Hal's mellifluous voice sounded out,
"Here goes!" He said loudly and slammed his hands into the ground and began releasing tremendous amounts of Astral energy which he had stored in his body into the ground.
In fact, he began to absorb from his surroundings and passed it all directly into the garden floor. While he did so, he was also passing Devil energy into the ground but at a more conservative rate.
Embry, who had been laughing at the horrific display paused as his eyes widened and his translucent skin became even more transparent and shimmered even more than before.
He turned slowly, almost disbelieving, to where Hal was,
"Impossible" he groaned.
Hal grinned at him,
"Gotcha"
Right from the moment by had showcased dominance by attacking without a gesture or a look at his opponent, Hal began to wonder what the hell was going on.
Especially since the attack (purple spike) was giving off faint signatures of Astral energy. When he thought deeply on it, the fog had been the same.
He refused to believe the Gardener was indeed that powerful and so he began to attempt inspection with his Astral perception but not at the purple gardener but at the garden ground.
He felt nothing but that did not deter him as he began passing Astral energy into the ground with his idea being that wherever there was a formation, he would feel a reaction thanks to his still tethering connection with the energy.
Anyway, wherever, his energy reached, there was a reaction which was usually its revocation.
And through moving it around, he could map a large formation in the garden and it was then that it all made sense.
Thanks to his own subtle array in Tretch forest, he could better understand that the reason for the Garden being such a treasure trove of cultivation resources was because of the inlaid array in the garden.
It was why the attacks had been ineffective on Embry and why his skin was translucent; Embry was an Astral construct and the energy he gave off reminded Hal mildly of the Salmon back in Sapphire city which had been an Astral beast.
Embry was similar, except that his formation was different.
The Array, according to further investigation by Grimoire was almost definitely a Divine Array and had been drawn to exist separately from its creator. It could remain eternally activated as it had been granted the ability to reason and absorb Astral energy to act.
Thus able to manipulate properties of the garden as it so wished. Making the Garden its domain.
And Embry was an avatar the Array created to act as its body. As it's representative. Through which it could speak what it wished to make known.
It was why Embry had not needed to look at the one he was driving the spear through since it was not actually him that was acting. It was the Array itself that was acting.
Embry was simply its figurehead.
As an Astral construct, just like an Astral beast, Embry can not be affected by energy below the Semi saint realm.
So, once Hal told the others his plan which was simply to hold the Gardener down and create a window where they could all leave here and either seek the center of the Garden or seek an escape from the Garden, he had actually said it without any real idea how to hold the Embry down.
For one, it was a construct made by a possible Divine Array and his Rank 4 Astral sense and energy could pose a threat.
But then it hit him, what actually had a chance of success:
Sealing.
Chapter 430 - [Bonus ]Boryan States The Obvious.
Sealing.
Maybe he could not battle the Array but at least he could attempt sealing a part of its offensive abilities.
Not a big part but at least a part that would allow them to leave here.
This seal would not last long.
In fact, the moment they were all gone from here despite their considerable cultivation, the seal would be broken but it was well worth the effort.
Besides, sealing the array was only part of the plan.
The other part would involve using anyone who was not Karmen and Amelia as a shield in his bid to get the Primal fruit.
So now he was flooding the Array with large amounts of Astral energy as only he could while also adding Devil energy.
As Embry groaned at the impossibility of such immense discharge of Astral energy, the Rune circles took shape.
There were eight of them, all shining a bright Royal blue color that looked beautiful to behold.
It was not only their color, it was the workmanship in the drawing of the array. No single flaw could be pointed out on them.
Hal was not the only Runemaster on scene and those others could appreciate the sheer difficulty and the high demand in skill to do what he had just done.
Also, what was with that immense Astral energy used in the creation of the Rune circles?
Who was this Guy?
To say they were shocked would be an understatement.
Hal was, however, in no position to enjoy the admiring and envious looks being thrown to him at the moment as he completed the drawing of the eight Rune circles, and then they were all connected with lines to form a pentagram shape in which two of the circles were situated.
Then the lines became Royal blue Astral chains and it was then that Embry realized what the Rune circles were truly about,
"I don't think so" he growled and a Purple spike formed in mid-air and shot towards Hal but Hal was still grinning as the Devil energy finally took its place in the Sealing Array and streaks of nightmarish black could be observed and it corrupted the spike that was tossed to him.
It drastically reduced the Spike's speed and gave Karmen the time to intercept it with a strike of her broadsword cosmic Armament with her strength enhanced by her Fiendish bloodline.
She destroyed it successfully, proving that what the Spike had actually had in its favor were speed and sharpness.
Take away its speed and destroying it was relatively easy.
"Grr" Embry growled but by then the Array took effect and bound the offensive part of the Array which saw to Embry's skin turning transparent before vanishing from existence.
"What just happened?" Elora asked in a carrying voice.
She was not the only one confused by the display and the disappearance of the one who had caused so much panic and bloodshed.
Hell, even the Runemasters present had no idea what just happened.
At first, no one made a move, and then everyone who was not on Hal's side and had not heard his proclamation that this was not the center of the Garden, made their way to the hill which they began attempting to borrow through.
Hal stood up,
"Well, goodbye to you all" He said and ran off. Followed closely by Amelia and Karmen who unlike all others knew what was about to happen and did not want to be here when it happened.
"What's the rush? You did it" Cheslav said.
"If you say so" Hal called back and almost immediately, purple spikes began to appear on numerous places around the hill and successfully skewered the unlucky ones before others leaped back quickly but that was hardly a move towards safety as spikes began propping up in numerous locations in the Garden.
Then a Grey fog began rolling in but this time it was not to chase or herd them anywhere but to attack any living being on the garden grounds.
The Array was acting out its anger at Hal but just as Hal had suspected, it could not actually 'see'.
It could feel anyone in its domain but it could not pick them out singularly and was all the more reason Embry had been important as he acted as the Array's eyes.
Since Embry could not return, for now, it decided to simply kill them all. Eventually, it would get the blue-eyed bastard that had drawn the sealing Array.
That Talent though. It reminded the Array of someone...
Anyway,
No place looked safe anymore and those who had been on Hal's side of the Garden were quick to follow after him in search for the Center of the Garden.
As for the others, they attempted to battle the fog, which kept swallowing their attacks and launching it back at them, just so they could continue boring through the hill where most still believed the Fruit was.
"Where are they going?" Elora had the time to ask.
"To the center of the Garden. Or at least they are searching for it." Ivan replied looking as calm as could be.
"The center? Is this not it?" She asked.
She could not really be blamed though as this was her first time in the Garden.
"No. I knew it the moment we were in here. The resources here are too thin for it to be the center. But to think many would figure it out as well. It must be that boy." Ivan said and then turned to face his Artyom and Elora,
"As you saw, he's a Runemaster. And a talented one at that. Do you still refuse to think of a possibility that he is 'Family'?" He asked.
Artyom frowned and looked to still be in denial but said nothing.
Neither did Elora.
"No matter. We are going as well. I am not leaving this garden without the Primal fruit" he said and there was a glint in his eyes as he said it.
Then a spike appeared to begin forming right behind him. In an angle that would see it stabbing through his back but he spun so fast away from the spot and then slammed his palm against it to destroy it once it was fully formed.
An impressive display of speed and strength.
Then together with the other Doxons, they made their way out, fending off spikes and escaping the fog as they went.
Meanwhile, things were far from rosy for Hal and the hundreds with him either.
With no real sense of direction, they all made an unconscious decision to follow the only one among them who had been able to point out that they had not been at the center of the garden in the first place.
That he had displayed impressive, or more accurately, monstrous skills at Rune casting and Array mapping did not count against him either.
Hal was quite glad they were there as that had been his main reason for proclaiming his discovery to them. After all, it was even harder for the Array to pinpoint him as an individual when they are a large group of hundreds.
However, it was then that the Array proved its ability to reason.
Grey fog began to roll in from all directions and Hal who was still not quite ready to know if the fog could swallow beings like it did attacks frowned but then the fog took the shape of five fog giants all positioned to surround their group of hundreds.
Hal felt that the fact that it had not come forward and simply swallowed them meant it could not and despite its ability to absorb and return Cosmic energy-based attacks it was still fog and was useless against actual physical objects it could not manipulate.
Which meant they could probably go through them.
That thought lost all credence however when the fog giants' large foggy fists became encased in large purple spikes which definitely affected physical beings.
Boryan gulped,
"This is bad. This is really really bad"