In the past two years, the seven sets of large teleportation arrays that had gradually deepened had long been repaired by experienced experts. While repairing the two sets of arrays closest to the bottom of the Abyss, the cold sweat-soaked mages were preparing to escape every second.
However, the nineteenth generation Demon King was unexpectedly quiet. Except for the occasional rumbling sound from a distance underground, no sense of oppression leaked out.
Although scholars couldnât determine whether the rumble was the migration of the lantern blind bugs or originated from other things, the Demon King didnât come near the teleportation array as Karapan from the Mooney Sect said, which was considered to be a good sign.
[While they were gathering for dinner, I asked Bagelmaurus to change the coordinates of the teleportation array. The teleportation array would take the expeditionary force to a more suitable location. The underground stone city has a lot of sharp corners, and I donât really want to see a bunch of people falling from the sky and skewering themselves bloody on them.]
In memory, Nemoâs voice came from the phonetic crystal extremely clear, with a little bit of helplessness.
[Humans are relatively disciplined, remember to keep an eye on the elves, and donât let the Gatekeepers run around.]
His lover instructed in a rambling manner, his voice a bit vague. His Majesty the Demon Kingâs words were mixed with whispered crisp chewing, as if he was gnawing on fresh fruit.
In the past two years, a lot of images, sounds, and photos had been exchanged, but no kind of magic could replace the body temperature that the other party couldnât touch. The longing didnât diminish as a result, but only became heavier.
Oliver took a melancholy bite of a raw carrot and stuffed the leftover part to the black horse. The black horse raised its lips, sprayed his nose on the carrot in disgust, and then turned its head resolutely.
Oliver had to throw the carrot into the wide stone crevice in the distance and watched a small group of abyssal insects carry it away with joy.
Unlike the escort mission two years ago, this expedition would inevitably include top knights of various religions, as well as powerful mounts that were connected to their hearts. Not to mention the black horse or the fuller goat, even if the notorious Tumbleweed led a goose down, the human team could only turn a blind eye and didnât bother to argue with such gangsters.
At present, the expeditionary force had just passed through two large teleportation arrays and was resting in a calm windless zone. Looking down from the protruding cliff, the armies of various forces even had regular meals.
Of course, it was natural to ignored Tumbleweed that slipped onto the cliff.
âHow are you feeling?â Adrian Cross patiently broke open a piece of soft cake sprinkled with sugar and handed the larger piece to Jesse Dylan.
âWell, just like I said beforeâ Our Pillar of the World is awake, but he doesnât regard me as a hostile object now, Iâm so comfortable that I can sleep.â
Jesse chewed the soft cake and looked into the bottomless Abyss. âIs that parrot ready?â
âBagelmaurus will not make mistakes on this kind of thing.â Oliver still stared at the organized army below.
âDonât look. They wonât take the opportunity to get lost quickly if you turn away for a few seconds.â
âAnything can happen in reality,â Oliver responded worriedly. âItâs not convenient for us to let go of our aura, in case we suddenly encounter a demon similar to WitherspoonâŚâ
The girl with braids sat in the distance snorted coldly. She played with the bagel in her hand casually, without meaning to eat. âI have checked. There are no powerful demons that would threaten the army within 30 kilometers. In the past few hundred years, the route of the expedition has been relative fixed, which isnât unreasonable.â
âBy the way, Witherspoon has moved to the area farthest from the scope of human activities.â The slender fingers poked into the hole of the bagel and spun it in circles at will. âI guess he hasnât figured out what the hellâs going on with that flat snake. Well his muscle brain will be barely able to discover anythingâ Donât worry about him suddenly popping up.â
However, these words didnât have a practical effect, and Oliver still looked nervous. The fierce leader of Tumbleweed carefully rubbed off the mud spots on his armor while checking the surrounding conditions.
âI think our Mr. Ramon is nervous for other reasons.â Jesse dragged his cheeks with one hand, still holding the soft cake in his mouth. âLeave him alone, lovely lady.â
Telaranea thought for a moment and decided to pretend that she hadnât heard anything.
The cliff was full of the smell of a picnic, and in the tent under the cliff, Godwin mechanically stuffed soft-boiled jerky into his mouth, devouring lunch like he was chewing wax.
âThis afternoon, we will advance to the vicinity of Phantom Throat. If there is no reaction from the Demon King when we get there, I suggest an immediate retreat.â
The leader of the elves tapped his finger at a certain point on the map of the Phantom Throat, and a golden fork was left on the paper.
âItâs impossible for the nineteenth generation to fail to perceive the activation of a large teleportation array near the bottom of the Abyss. It would be more prudent for the army to retreat, with some of the scouts bringing along mages who are good at illusions to take the lead in feint attacks.â
âIt will waste a lot of supplies to retreat!â the representative of the one-eyed dwarf screamed against it, âJudging from the changes in the landscape at the bottom of the Abyss, this may be a prolonged battle. Even if the supplies are sufficient, we must considerââ
The male elf leader by him didnât look very good. âTo gamble with the lives of expeditionary warriors for a little bit of supplies?â
âSince we are all here, whether for fame or profit, there will be no shrinking wimps!â There was a hint of mockery in the voice of the one-eyed dwarf. âExcessive caution equals cowardice, and we can certainly consider other solutions. As soon as weâre here, we decide that everyone should retreat⌠Ha.â
Godwin sipped the hot jerky soup in the bowl in silence.
There were a lot of people in the huge tent. Just as there were several powerful humans from various countries and political backgrounds sitting behind him, whether elves, dwarves, dragons, or other intelligent races, behind the silk threads were countless forces involved.
Of course, no one would really be timid, but no one wanted to be this heroic bird of prey.
If he didnât know the situation of the Demon King at the bottom of the Abyss, and was still himself a few years ago, he would probably need to use all his strength to suppress for boiling hot blood and the excitement inside, howeverâŚ
Godwin gulped down a mouthful of soup. The sound wasnât loud, but it was particularly clear in the silent confrontation. Although this was a nominal lunch gathering, in fact, he was the only one who was eating politely.
Everyone swept their eyes over in an instant. The elf who had just spoken narrowed his eyes and looked up and down at the power man on the human side with a boorish gaze.
âYou seem quite sure of yourself.â The voice of the male elf was very pleasant to the ears.
In the eyes of most humans, elves were undoubtedly beautiful, although their appearance was far from that of humans.
This woodland race had finer and softer hair than humans, with a soft glow like fine satin. The elvesâ limbs were longer and slimmer, their noses more protruding, their large, moist, beautiful eyes tilted to the sides of their heads, and their eyelashes long and thick, full of the fragile beauty unique of herbivores.
Although elves and humans were more similar in size than the one-eyed dwarves or dragons, they prefer flexible and strong enchanted leather armor that didnât make a sound compared to the cold armor of humans.
As an omnivore, Godwin Lopez slowly swallowed the bacon in his mouth and coughed. âYes, Phantom Throat is still some distance from the bottom of the Abyss. Since many arrangements have been made at the bottom of the Abyss, I donât think the Demon King will act so earlyâ But this is just my guess. I understand your love for your people very well.â
The male elf blinked, obviously not buying this conciliatory speech.
âThen we see eye to eye,â he said coldly. âAs agreed at the beginning, the plan must be adjusted accordingly according to the situation underground. I think this is the right time to adjust the plan.â
âPerhaps a portion of the delegates can take the lead and the rest of the troops will follow in a triangle formation.â The dragon, who had remained silent, finally joined the conversation.
âThe triangular formation must require a head formation. This brings us back to the topic just now, doesnât it? No one wants to suffer.â A swordsman behind Godwin spread out his hands and swept the spoon toward the commander of Horizon in dissatisfaction.
âJust screen it according to the proportion. Itâs the fairest way.â
ââŚWe can transport most of the expedition warriors. Rashly putting dragons in the position of scouting is a bit inappropriate. The one-eye dwarves focus on intelligence reserves and spell responses while elves and humans are the most flexible races.â
âWe are good at long-range attacks and are accustomed to acting in groups. Individual soldiers are only used for surprise attacks.â The male elf took a sip of leaf tea. âIf you are not willing to mobilize manpowerâŚâ
âI am willing to take Horizon to the forefront.â Godwin put down the spoon and sighed.
âLopez!â The mercenaries of Horizon were calm, while the other powerful men from other mercenary groups and organizations raised their voices in opposition. âYou have to think aboutââ
âIt will be fine.â Godwin waved his left hand; his tone flat and determined.
With a spoon in his right hand, he stirred the cold broth. Facing the forces surging in the peaceful atmosphere in front of him, the commander of Horizon suddenly felt a little tired.
Unfortunately, the people following behind didnât think so. Everyone present was a smart person who was proficient in human affairs. It was impossible for them not to hear the confidence and certainty in that sentence. It wasnât blind confidence in his own strength. Godwin Lopez was very sure he could handle everything.
Maybe this was the real strength gap. With a hint of awe for the stronger, the part of the human warriors with impure intentions began to readjust the proportion of the interests of all parties in their hearts and pressed a few weights to Horizonâs side.
When the expedition army arrived at Phantom Throat, this indescribable sense of awe reached its peakâŚ
The magnificent white ground of Phantom Throat was completely buried by black gravel. Here, they could even see sharp stalagmites from the bottom of the Abyss emerging from the gap.
Godwin Lopez didnât show half a worry, as his command was calm and steady. All the way to the final large teleportation array, they didnât know if it was coincidence of the blessing of God, but they didnât encounter any demons that could be considered an opponent.
Facing the large teleportation array leading to the unknown, the leader of Horizon didnât hesitate to advance, and according to the agreement, he took the lead in stepping in.
âThe Pope of the Laddism Church wonât admit it, but I think heâs probably the swordsman of the prophecy.â
ââŚAt this time, no matter what you say, we should let the Lopez of Tumbleweed go in first.â
âIf Tumbleweed really fornicates with the Abyss, the situation over there would be difficult to control. Thereâs no problem with Godwinâs decision. Moreover, he himself rushed ahead. If he needs Tumbleweed, they have no way to directly refuseâ Those bastards have indeed done a bunch of appalling things, but cowardice has never appeared.â
The mercenariesâ guess was quickly âfulfilledâ.
After crossing the final teleportation array of Phantom Throat, the army finally reached the bottom of the Abyss. And the moment they stepped on the ground and saw the scene in front of them clearly, almost all creatures shudderedâŚ
Contrary to the previous peaceful and abnormal atmosphere, the fighting spirit and sense of oppression here was so heavy that people couldnât straighten up. Unlike any previous expedition record, this time there was light at the bottom of the Abyss.
The skulls of hundreds of superior demons were bloomed with silver light, hovering over the bottom of the Abyss. The dark stalagmites were facing straight towards the surface, and the top couldnât be seen. The black stones formed a weird lair, and the teleported army was in the center of a deliberately enclosed open flat ground.
This site was square, and it wasnât naturally formed no matter how you look at it. The sense of horror that fell into the net was too strong, and several visitors who were relatively mentally fragile and were more like commanders than warriors softened their knees and sat directly on the ground.
Although Godwin Lopez showed a bit of surprise, he didnât even frown.
The blacks tone lair in front of him had a weird beauty, like a bustling town had died and dried up into a dark corpse.
The high âcity wallâ surrounded everyoneâs sight, and under the light of the wandering skull, the solemn atmosphere made people unable to breathe. Coupled with the magic pressure poured from the distant, the expedition army froze in place for more than ten seconds.
Godwin drew out the holy sword, and the blade lit up with a hazy warm halo. The Hero stepped forward indifferently, observing the terrain.
And as soon as he stepped onto the ruins, the entire ground trembled violently.
An exceptionally huge serpentine demon raised its head from the corner of this weird dead city, spitting purple-black flames, and the blood-red sparks flashing between the scales were almost connected into a lineâŚ
It opened its mouth and let out a sharp and unpleasant roar. Accompanied by the gas explosion generated by the sound waves, the poisonous smoke swayed around it, and stone debris instantly crumbled creating dust everywhere.
There were no other tiny creatures living naturally in this dead city, and no one would think that this superior demon just happened to pass by.
âOliver Lopez.â Godwin took a breath and immediately ordered. âThis thing is yours. Can you handle it?â
âI said that Tumbleweed wonât accept commands.â
âIâll allow you to choose reinforcements. If you can kill it, its body will be at Tumbleweedâs disposal.â
âWellâŚâ
The villain who was wandering at the end of the team finally pulled the reins and approached closer on his black horse. His tone of arrogance was as offensive as possible. âItâs not impossible if everything goes to us.â
âI need a more definite answer.â
âYes.â The leader of Tumbleweed tightened the skeleton helmet on his head and glanced at the turbulent expeditionary force behind him. âBut I donât need reinforcements. Cross, Dylan. Iâll leave that thing to you. Go early and return early. Remember to bring back the most valuable part.â
âYes, captain.â Jessie the viper blew a kiss. His voice sweet and greasy. âLetâs go, darling Adri.â
âTwo people?! Even if itâs Tumbleweedââ
However, before the human team had time to raise objections, a greater crisis came.
Behind the ominous serpentine demon, a larger demon appeared in shadow. It was still far away from them, but it was extremely large, and people could see it quite clearly in the dim light.
The four alien wings were spread wide, and the edges shone with an icy glare. The black beast bent its neck and let out a series of low growls in the direction of the expeditionary army. A hurricane with cold wind instantly rolled over, and the lights, which werenât bright to begin with, dulled by even more.
Like a sponge soaked in water, the fear engraved in instinct was wrenched out of all the living creatures present by this roar. Several younger soldiers even peed their pants.
Compared with that aura, the extremely powerful serpentine demon in front of them became like a decoration.
âItâs the nineteenth generation Demon King.â
Whispers passed between the gaps of the army.
ââŚItâs the Lord of Illusion.â
But most of the people present were strong men who had been tested by life and death. Even under the pressure of this mind-swelling horror, the soldiers still barely maintained their formation and clustered together vigilantly.
There was still some terrifying calm on Godwin Lopezâs face. He shook his head and whispered in the ear of the leader of Tumbleweed, looking a little tired, but without the slightest fear.
After saying that, Godwin neatly adjusted the direction of the march, avoiding the serpentine demon, and leading the army in another direction.
In the mouth of the bard decades later, that whisper was the last warning to Oliver Lopez, who was hopeless as a blood relative.
However, in fact, Godwinâs words were unexpectedly brief.
âTake care of your parrot,â he muttered dryly.
The author has something to say:
Godwin: Iâm tired and donât want to accompany the performance but considering the peace on the surfaceâŚugh. (dead eyes)
Expeditionary Force: Calm and compose, without fear! This is a real powerhouse.
Oliver on the other side: Cross, Dylan. That thing (Bagelmaurus) is up to you. Go early and return early. Remember to bring back the most valuable part (the flesh in the parrot). (We really canât give that thing snacks and fruits in that size)