Ch. 851: Chapter 851-860

Chapter 851 Forewarned Is Forearmed

The party ended smoothly, and everyone had a good time, including Lux, Eiko, and Gaap.

King Septimius also said some parting words to end the merry event, after which everyone left the Royal Palace to rest for the night.

However, there was one person who was still feeling anxious even though her birthday celebration had ended two hours ago.

This person was none other than Princess Shayna. Seated on her bed, she stared at the shimmering rows of text that were in front of her.

Even though the Kingdom of Agartha was located deep under the ground, they were still able to hear the worldwide announcement when the first Mythical Guild in the world was founded.

However, Princess Shayna never thought that she would be invited to join that same Mythical Guild, and more especially not by the person who declared that he would go to the Pantheon of Exile in order to free her sister from her dark prison.

Princess Shayna didn't know why Lux decided to invite her to his Guild, but more than that, she was surprised that he did it so casually.

'Does he not know what will happen if this information spreads in Agartha?' Princess Shayna sighed in her heart. 'This might cause a revolution of sorts. Everyone, who has the ambition to achieve greater heights, would definitely fight for the opportunity to join the Mythical Guild that had been the talk of the Kingdom for several months.'

Princess Shayna pondered for a bit when a realization came to her.

'W-Wait! Could it be that he doesn't really care if his Guild's Name is spread in Agartha?!' Princess Shayna felt that she had grasped the reason Lux decided to invite her all of a sudden.

'His base of operations is on the Surface World, so he probably won't mind even if this news reaches the far corners of our Kingdom. Since coming to and leaving Agartha requires a very strict process, this news would likely be contained in our Kingdom, and never reach the surface.

'Also, he understands that Agarthians dream about going above ground, so he is using this opportunity to bait them to join his Guild and expand his forces. Simply put, our Kingdom is the best recruitment place for his Guild, and once he has gained countless strong members, he could potentially use it to conquer territories in the Surface World!'

Princess Shayna's imagination ran wild, and the more she thought about it, the more she believed that her conjectures were close to the truth.

'I underestimated him.' Princess Shayna shuddered after realizing just how formidable the Half-Elf was. 'It seems that the one that has come to free my sister is truly an exception among exceptions.'

The Princess of Agartha then took a few deep breaths in order to regain her calm. Now that she somewhat understood Lux's reason for fearlessly inviting her to his guild, only two questions remained.

The first question was whether she should accept the invitation or not.

The second one was whether she should share this information with her Father and have him deal with the Half-Elf, who planned to use their Kingdom as a recruitment ground for his guild.

First and foremost, Princess Shayna was a Princess of Agartha. Her loyalty would always be to her Kingdom.

If someone dared to cause trouble inside it, then she would definitely not sit idly and let it happen under her watch.

However, after thinking things through, she also felt that she was overreacting a bit.

'Sir Lux seems like a kind and caring person,' Princess Shayna thought. 'He wouldn't use the Agarthians to wage war on those on the surface… right?'

Princess Shayna wanted to know the Half-Elf better before making a decision. Right now, Lux's goal was to free her sister from the Pantheon of Exile, and to this end, the Princess was on her side.

As for the Guild Recruitment, it was still in the gray area.

After taking a few deep breaths, a look of determination appeared in the Princess's eyes. She then moved her right hand toward the rows of text in front of her and chose Yes.

"Welcome to Heaven's Gate."

Princess Shayna heard a voice welcoming her to the Guild, but even with her enhanced senses, she was unable to tell if the voice came from a girl or a boy. Even so, as soon as she had accepted Lux's invitation, she heard a familiar voice inside her head.

"Welcome to my Guild, Your Highness," Lux said. "Since you were taking so long to make a decision, I thought that you were going to reject my invitation."

It took a while for Princess Shayna to regain her bearings after hearing Lux's voice inside her head.

While the Princess was still reeling from the shock, the Half-Elf began to explain that all members of Heaven's Gate had the ability to communicate with each other telepathically, on the condition that they were on the same plane of existence.

"Why?" Princess Shayna asked. "Why did you invite me to your Guild? What is your purpose?"

"Would you believe me if I told you that I invited you because I trust that you were someone who could keep secrets?" Lux answered.

"We've only just met. How did you come to assume that I was trustworthy?" Princess Shayna inquired.

"Half-Elf's intuition."

"Huh?"

Lux's chuckle reverberated inside the Princess Head, making her feel as if the Half-Elf was making fun of her. However, his next words made the Princess' annoyance disappear.

"Jokes aside, I invited you because I could tell that you really care for your sister, Aurora," Lux stated. "Since you care for her, that means that you are on my side. Your father might be scheming something behind our backs, and I need someone in the Royal Family to warn me beforehand if he plans to do something to sabotage my attempt to rescue your sister."

Princess Shayna pondered for a bit, and after careful consideration, she decided that Lux did have a point.

"Forewarned is forearmed, is it?"

"Exactly, Your Highness. As long as our goals are aligned, the two of us can be powerful allies and partners."

"You have taken quite a gamble, Sir Lux," Princess Shayna stated. "Tell me, what is your reason for recruiting people from our Kingdom in your Guild? Do you plan to use them to conquer territories in the Surface World?"

"Expanding lands and territories is not even among my list of priorities, Your Highness," Lux replied. "My goal has remained the same ever since I was born in this world. However, telling you what it is would be too cringey, so I apologize in advance for not telling you about it.

"Just know that the role of Heaven's Gate in the world is not to rule any Kingdom or Empire. We exist for a greater cause, which is something that you will understand in the future."

A few minutes of silence passed before the Half-Elf once again heard Princess Shayna's voice.

"Very well, Sir Lux, I will help you," Princess Shayna stated. "However, if there comes a time when you wish to harm the interest of Agartha, that is the moment when I will become your enemy."

"Good," Lux replied. "If that day comes, please, do your best to stop me, Your Highness."

After talking for nearly an hour, Princess Shayna finally laid down on the bed to close her eyes.

While she was confident that she was a good judge of character, it remained to be seen whether the Half-Elf would truly stick to his original goal or diverge in order to conquer the world, which was something that the Princess felt was very possible.

'I hope I didn't make the wrong decision today,' Princess Shayna thought as she welcomed sleep's embrace.

Although she still felt that Lux was a good person, she understood that people could change over time.

Just like how her loving father changed after the incident that had caused rifts between the members of the Royal Family of Agartha.

 

 

Chapter 852 Bounty Hunter’s Code [Part 1]

"That King is so stingy," Lux complained as he looked at the scenery outside Cleo's carriage. "He could have just made an exception and let us use the Royal Family's Teleportation Gate."

Cleo, who was sitting in the same carriage, could only smile bitterly after hearing Lux's complaint.

Just a day after the party ended, they had asked the King for permission to use the Teleportation Gate, which would have cut their travel time by half.

However, the no-good King of Agartha only smirked and told them that he had only given them permission to travel around his kingdom. As for the use of the Royal Family's Teleportation Gate, the King denied Lux's request to use it, using the reason that he didn't approve of him freeing Aurora from the Pantheon of Exile.

But since he had given his word, he would allow them to go there using the "regular" method, which annoyed the Half-Elf very much.

"Calm down, Lux," Gaap said with a smile. "Look at the bright side. Since we can visit more cities in our journey, why don't we just focus on Guild recruitment for the time being? That way, the King's hospitality won't be wasted."

Gaap's words were filled with sarcasm, but since there was nothing they could do about it, they decided to just focus on Guild recruitment in order to expand their Guild.

"That's a good idea, Master," Lux replied. "Let's do that."

Cleo, who had just been keeping her silence, finally spoke out.

"We will only be visiting one city on our journey in order to stockpile food, water, and other consumable items," Cleo stated. "After that, we will be visiting the seven Strongholds that are built near the borders of the Kingdom. So, if you plan to recruit Guild Members, you can only do it in those places.

"Of course, if you are not in a hurry, I can give you a tour around the kingdom, visiting several cities, towns, and villages along the way. Would you like that?"

Lux and Gaap glanced at each other before firmly shaking their heads.

Their only purpose in Agartha was to find Aurora, and they couldn't stay in the Ancient Kingdom for a very long time. There were many pressing matters that they had left behind, and the Half-Elf didn't want them to overstay their welcome.

Cleo only giggled after seeing Lux's and Gaap's reactions. Even so, as their guide and Lux's temporary Aide for a year, she decided to stay with them for the time being.

She had even gotten permission from King Septimius to follow them back to the Surface World.

This surprised the Saintess, and she thanked her King for giving her this opportunity.

However, contrary to what she expected, the King had other motives for letting her go with the Half-Elf.

He had given the Saintess a communication artifact and tasked her to report everything that was going on with Lux.

Cleo wasn't stupid, and she understood what her King wanted. Even so, she decided to not report everything, unless it was truly important.

Two days later, they arrived at the Border City of El Hazard.

"Well, this place is livelier than I thought," Lux muttered as he looked at the city that was in the farthest Western Region of the Kingdom of Agartha.

"This used to be a small village, but not until the Kingdom expanded its borders to go farther West," Cleo explained. "As many Rankers and Adventurers came here to explore the Kingdom's borders, the village gradually upgraded to a town, and after a few years, it became a city."

A smile appeared on Lux's lips because this was the very same thing that he had envisioned for Leaf Village.

Currently, the Kingdom of Gweliven was starting to expand their borders and explore the Savage Lands, using Leaf Village as the base.

He had also tasked his two new minions, who were also the Head of Merchant Guilds and previous members of Twilight Rain, to fund the expansion of Leaf Village and turn it into Leaf Town.

Cedwyn, who was the current Village Head, was smiling ear to ear after receiving Lux's news that he had found a sponsor for their village, causing the old Dwarf to become more pumped up in making sure that his village would grow into a town.

"I have already made reservations at the most popular Inn in this city," Cleo stated. "Let's go there first before you start your exploration of El Hazard."

Lux and Gaap nodded their heads in understanding. The Half-Elf planned to visit the Adventurer's Guild and post a notice about his Guild Recruitment.

Also, he planned to visit Weapon Stores, Armor Stores, and Miscellaneous Stores in order to buy another batch of equipment that had special abilities in them.

His goal was to make his Guild Members and Summons overpowered by making them overgeared. This was his second top priority aside from saving Aurora in the Pantheon of Exile.

After arriving at the Inn, they managed to get the keys to their rooms without any problem.

However, as they were about to climb the stairs to check their accommodations, a man who was nearly two-meters-tall, blocked their path.

"Can you step aside?" Cleo asked with a frown. "Why are you blocking our way?"

Just like the other Saints who didn't want to garner attention from people, Cleo usually suppressed her power, making others see her as a mere High-Ranker.

Because of this, there were times when she was disrespected by those who didn't know her true Rank. She thought that the man blocking her path was just like any other man who didn't know her true powers.

But this assumption of hers disappeared after hearing the man's reply to her inquiry.

"I didn't come for you, Saintess," the man stated. "I have business with the two Highlanders."

"Business with us?" Lux eyed the man from head to toe.

Even though the Half-Elf was just a D-Ranker, he was able to tell that the man in front of him was at least a C-Ranker. However, aside from that, the man's clothes were normal and there was nothing special about him.

"Yes," the man replied. "My name is Darren, and I am one of the many people that watched the match in the Gladiator Coliseum. I am also one of the very few people who placed a bet on your victory, and I managed to earn a huge sum thanks to your one-sided victory."

Darren smiled, which made Lux and Gaap look at him in a better light. Anyone who placed their bet on them was a friend, and because of this, they no longer treated the person in front of them as an annoyance.

"You said you have business with us?" Lux asked. "What kind of business are we talking about?"

"You mentioned in the tournament that you are recruiting Guild Members for your Guild, right?" Darren inquired. "I happen to be a Bounty Hunter, and I am one of the people that played a role in Leonidas' capture. How is he, by the way? Is he still alive?"

"Leonidas is alive and well," Lux replied as he looked at the Bounty Hunter that had piqued his interest. "You want to join my Guild?"

Darren nodded. "But I am not alone. My friends, who are also Bounty Hunters, want to join your Guild as well."

Lux eyed the man who seemed to be only in his later thirties before asking another question.

"Your reason for joining my Guild is?"

"The Surface World."

Lux nodded. "Ah. So that's the reason."

He understood that going to the Surface World was very alluring to Agarthians. However, he didn't invite Darren to join his Guild right away as he did with Princess Shayna.

He had a feeling that the Bounty Hunter had other motives aside from going to the Surface World, and until he knew the truth, he intended to test whether the person in front of him was worthy of his trust or not.

 

Chapter 853 Bounty Hunter's Code [Part 2]

"So, what do you think of Darren?" Gaap asked.

"There's something fishy about him, Master," Lux replied. "I just can't tell what it is."

"Haha, it seems that your instincts are not half bad, Lux." Gaap smiled.

Lux didn't readily invite Darren in his Guild, despite the latter being a C-Ranker. Although having strong guild members was good, their character was important as well.

Currently, the Half-Elf and the Halfling were inside Lux's room, discussing the things that they planned to do before continuing their journey to the Pantheon of Exile.

According to Cleo, they would be spending two days in the City of El Hazard before continuing their journey.

Darren would accompany them until they reached the Pantheon of Exile, along with his "Merry Band" of Bounty Hunters, whom he claimed that they want to join Lux's Guild.

Lux agreed to this because he wanted to know just what schemes the Bounty Hunter was cooking up.

During the battle in the Gladiator's Coliseum, the ones who fought the battles were Eiko and Lux. Because of this, Gaap's true strength wasn't revealed, making others think that only the red-headed teenager was capable of fighting.

This was also why Lux agreed to let Darren and his band of Bounty Hunters accompany them. If they were to do anything funny, they would find themselves facing a Grade-A Apostle, whose strength surpassed Lux's.

"Master, I'll go shopping in town for now," Lux said. "How about you?"

"I'll just relax in my room for the time being," Gaap replied. "Although Cleo's carriage was comfortable enough, I missed sleeping in a bed."

Lux smiled because he understood what his Master was talking about. Sleeping inside a carriage and sleeping on a bed were two very different things, so he bid his Master goodbye and went to see the equipment that the City of El Hazard had to offer.

When the Half-Elf had left the inn, Gaap waved his hand and a shadowy figure appeared in front of him.

"You called for me, Master?" the Shadowy Figure asked.

"Keep an eye on my Disciple," Gaap ordered. "Although I am confident that he can protect himself well, we are currently in unknown territory. Prioritize escaping with him instead of fighting. Do you understand?"

"I obey, Master." The Shadowy Figure bowed respectfully before disappearing without a trace.

Gaap then glanced outside the window to look at the lively city that they were currently staying in.

'Agartha sure is an Ancient Kingdom,' Gaap thought. 'Even in this city, I can feel the presence of two Saints. I just hope they don't try anything funny during our stay.

———————

Somewhere in Agartha…

"So those are the two Highlanders that I've heard a lot about," an old man, whose hair and beard were both white, said with a smile.

"The kid looks promising. As for the Halfling… he's only a Grade-A Apostle?" a middle-aged man with blonde hair and blue eyes frowned. "I don't know if the Surface World is good or bad. But if someone that old is only a Grade-A Apostle, then we can think of the Half-Elf as a special case."

"Really?" The old man arched an eyebrow. "In my eyes, that Halfling is the more dangerous one out of the two."

"Bah! You've grown too old, Darius." the middle-aged man snorted. "Your eyes aren't as good as they used to be."

"And you still only judge people based on first glance," Darius commented. "That's not a good habit to keep, Sion. Look down on people too much, and you'll find yourself being stepped on by them. Do not think just because you are a Saint, you can trample on everyone you see. The Heavens have eyes, you know?"

Sion shrugged and treated Darius' words like a breeze passing through him.

He was one of the Saints of Agartha that believed that power was the ultimate measurement for how an individual should be treated.

If they were strong, they would be treasured.

If they were weak, they would be discarded.

That had been his belief ever since he became a Ranker, and it followed him until he stepped into the Rank of a Saint.

"I'll say this now, old man. Don't interfere with my game," Sion stated.

"I've grown too old for childish games," Darius replied. "I couldn't care less about your Bounty Hunters. I'm more interested in seeing how the Half-Elf is going to deal with your little scheme. Just remember, don't go overboard. His Majesty still hasn't made his stance known—whether he is supportive of their cause or not."

"Stop being a worrywart, old man." Sion scoffed. "I'm the one calling the shots here in El Hazard, so you can just watch from the side and enjoy the show."

"Don't say I didn't warn you, alright?" Darius shrugged. "You complain a lot when things don't go your way."

"Zip it, old man."

"Tsk. Youth these days have no respect for the elderly."

——————

In the Backstreets of El Hazard…

"I've always wondered why you are very interested in these cheap goods, Lux," Cleo stated. "Why don't you go to those stores on Main Street? I'm sure you'll find better items there."

"I'll go there later as well," Lux said as he picked up a copper ring that had many defects in it. "How much is this, Sir?"

"5 gold Coins," the Merchant replied with a smile. In his eyes, Lux was just some country bumpkin who didn't really understand how the world worked.

"Okay, I'll take it."

"Thank you for your Patronage."

More than an hour had passed before Lux finished his shopping spree in the Backstreets of El Hazard. He then followed Cleo to the popular shops that sold weapons, armors, trinkets, and other miscellaneous items.

"Let me handle the bargaining," Cleo stated. "I'm an expert when it comes to haggling for prices."

The store owner who heard the beautiful lady's words immediately frowned. They really didn't want to deal with these people who liked to bargain and lower the price of their wares.

"Sorry miss, but our shop doesn't allow bargains or haggling," the Owner said as he immediately approached Cleo to tell her off. "If you insist on doing so, we will have no choice but to ask you to leave our store."

"Do you not know who I am?" Cleo asked. "I am the Saintess Cleo. You can't treat me like an ordinary customer."

"It doesn't matter if you are a Saintess or not," the owner replied without batting an eye. "Here in El Hazard, His Excellency Sion and His Excellency Darius reign supreme. If you use your Rank to have your way, then we will have no choice but to report you to the authorities."

Lux chuckled after hearing the Owner's firm words. Usually when people were dealing with Saints in the Surface World, they would always be very cautious.

However, here in Agartha, even if you are a Saint, you wouldn't get special treatment since their city were also protected by Saints.

"Tsk!" Cleo clicked her tongue and crossed her arms over her chest.

She knew who Sion was, and this was someone who she didn't want to mess with.

It was not because Sion was stronger than her.

The Saint of El Hazard was known for being a very stubborn person who would not hesitate to backstab people if they messed with him.

 

 

Chapter 854 A Little Bird Told Me

"Owner, don't worry, I don't plan to haggle," Lux said. "I'm here to buy the most excellent of items, so if you can show me your wares, I'd be very grateful for it. Also, money is not a problem. I have loads of it!"

The Owner immediately looked at Lux as if he was a VIP customer and flashed him an award-winning smile.

"Young Master, the moment you entered my shop, I knew that you are not a simple individual," the Owner said. "You must be Sir Lux, the famous Highlander who had recently won in the Gladiator's Coliseum. Although I wasn't there to watch the battle, I've become your fan ever since. Now, please come with me to the VIP Section where items costing tens of thousands of gold coins are being displayed."

"Lead the way, Owner," Lux replied. "I plan to spend a lot today."

The Owner smiled and escorted the Half-Elf to the VIP section, leaving Cleo behind.

The Saintess no longer felt like staying, so she decided to leave and check out the other stores. She'd just meet up with Lux at a later time.

"Young Master, are you looking for a specific weapon?" the owner asked. "If you can tell me your weapon of choice, I can give you some recommendations. You can rest assured that all of them are high quality because they have been crafted by Grandmaster Blacksmiths and Jewelsmiths who wielded Transcended Flames."

"Really?" Lux was pleasantly surprised after knowing that the items at the VIP section were all crafted by craftsmen who commanded Transcendent Flames. "Now, I'm really looking forward to seeing what you have on sale. I don't really have a specific weapon in mind, but I plan to buy anything that catches my interest."

The owner nodded his head in understanding because he had previously encountered customers like Lux who just wanted to browse their wares and choose what they like before making a purchase.

Since that was the case, he switched to his "business mode" before opening the door that led to the VIP section of their store.

Meanwhile, outside the store, Darren glanced at a man, who was standing not far from there.

The man then scratched his ears before glancing in Darren's direction.

'I see, so Sir Sion has already given the go signal to start,' Darren thought.

He then scanned his surroundings and saw several men and women, who were acting normally.

However, for someone who was in the same line of work, he understood instantly that all of them were Bounty Hunters.

Professionals who only moved to target people who had high bounties on their heads.

'Looks like I have competition,' Darren mused. 'Fortunately, I don't mind competition.'

As one of the best Bounty Hunters in El Hazard, Darren was confident in his skills.

His only advantage was that he was able to make the first move and approach Lux before the others beat him to it.

The Half-Elf didn't know that currently, there was a bounty of five million gold coins for his capture.

The client specified that no matter what happened, the Half-Elf must be captured alive.

If for some reason, Lux died in an accident, then the bounty would be void because this was not part of the client's wishes.

What they didn't know was that, outside of the establishment, a Shadowy Figure was all observing them from a distance.

His Master, Gaap, had given him an order to ensure Lux's safety, but that didn't mean that he wasn't allowed to take the initiative to weed out some thorns along the way, who had plans to harm his Master's interest.

Surprisingly, floating beside the Shadowy Figure was a black coffin.

Similar to Gaap's servant, Blackfire only moved to protect Lux's interest.

After becoming a Divine Artifact, it had gained sentience and could move autonomously, appearing beside anyone who was allied with its Master.

Blackfire only cared about two things.

They were the living and the dead.

If they were dead, it would gladly take them inside its body.

If they were still alive… Well, it could just ask Lux's allies to beat them until they were near death.

That way it could swallow them inside its body and turn them into loyal servants for its Master, who was now going to play a larger role in the world, after becoming the Necromancer of Heaven.

——————

Inside the Store…

"Owner, this is quite an impressive collection," Lux said with a genuine look of surprise on his face as he gazed at all the Mythical and Legendary Items that were displayed in the VIP Section.

"But of course, Young Master," the owner replied. "I don't want to toot my own horn, but we are the best store in El Hazard when it comes to high-quality weapons, armors, and accessories. Everything here is the best among the best."

Lux smiled after hearing the Owner's words. However, his next words made the "businessman" stiffen.

"Are these the only things you have for sale?" Lux asked. "I'm also a collector of sorts, so cursed weapons are also good."

The Owner's body stiffened upon hearing that Lux was interested in cursed weapons as well.

"Young Master, how did you know that we have a cursed weapon in our store?" The Owner asked in a solemn tone.

"A little bird told me," Lux replied.

Truth be told, his Soul Book was currently floating beside him because he was using it to appraise the equipment that was on display.

However, after looking at its mini map, he found a black blinking dot not far from him, and after using his Elysium Compendium to check what it was, the label "Cursed Weapon", appeared on his map.

This was the first time that Lux had encountered a cursed weapon, and he was very curious to see what it was like.

According to the compendium, the cursed weapon was a spear.

As soon as he verified this information, the image of the blood-soaked Leonidas appeared on his head.

He didn't know why he had immediately thought of the Mercenary Leader after finding out about the weapon's existence.

But since he trusted his gut instinct, he believed that this weapon was meant to be wielded by the man who had faced his Deus Gigantia head-on, carrying the weight of the people who trusted him on his shoulders.

 

 

Chapter 855 Where Do You Think You’re Going?

The owner of the store pulled down one of the Axes that were hung on the wall, which seemed to serve as a decoration. Since he couldn't just display a cursed weapon in his store, it was located in a safe place, far away from the browsing of his regular customers.

A moment later, a hidden passage opened.

"Follow me, Young Master," the owner said with a complicated look on his face.

"Okay." Lux nodded and followed the owner inside the hidden passage.

Originally, the owner didn't intend to sell the Cursed Weapon to anyone.

However, since Lux told him that a Cursed Weapon was still a weapon, and it was inside the store, it was meant to be sold as well.

The owner made sure to remind Lux that these kinds of weapons were very dangerous because they could potentially harm their wielders. He added that the weapon inside his store was sealed, and only a Saint could unseal it.

Lux then insisted that since he was able to sense that the weapon existed, it must be fated to become his. The owner was unable to counter this logic, and in the end, the Half-Elf was able to make him agree to sell the weapon to him.

"Here it is, Young Master," the owner said. "Inside that sealed box is a Cursed Weapon with the name, Hellfire Halberd. It's a type of Halberd that releases an intense flame, coating its entire body in it.

"Its wielder would also be set ablaze and will never be able to let go of it until they turn to ashes. This weapon was crafted by a Grandmaster Blacksmith who wished to avenge his wife that had been murdered by a Saint.

"He succeeded in his goal, but unfortunately, after wielding such a powerful weapon, his body was burned to ashes. Some say that the Blacksmith's Soul was trapped inside the weapon he wielded to curse those who wish to use it for their own goals."

Lux smiled after hearing the Merchant's story and looked at the sealed box that was covered by dozens of talismans.

"I'll buy this weapon," Lux stated. "How much is it?"

"Five… no, Ten Million Gold Coins," the owner replied. "And it must be paid in cash."

The owner was reluctant to sell the Cursed Weapon to anyone, so he decided to double the price and scare Lux from buying it.

Unfortunately for him, Lux was loaded with money. Some of his Draconium Ores were passed to Bentley and had been taken to the Auction Houses in the latter's Kingdom, allowing the Half-Elf to earn over a hundred million gold coins.

"Okay. Here you go." Lux casually handed a storage ring to the store owner, which contained the amount of money that he quoted.

"O-One moment please," the owner stuttered. "Let me verify if it has the right amount."

Less than five minutes later the owner verified that the storage ring indeed had ten million gold coins in it, which made him look at Lux in a new light.

He didn't expect the Highlander to be carrying such a large amount of money on his person. If it were to be known, it would be more than enough to make all the thieves in the Kingdom of Agartha target him.

"I have received the payment in full," the owner stated. "Please, take this receipt of the item. Also, as I said earlier, the Cursed Weapon is currently sealed. Only a Saint will be able to unseal it."

"Understood," Lux replied. "Thank you for selling it to me."

An hour later, the Half-Elf left the store with a smile on his face.

Not only did he purchase the Cursed Weapon, but he also got some other items that were imbued with great abilities, which were perfect for his Transmutation [EX] skill.

Lux didn't go back to the Inn where his Master was staying directly. Instead, he went to the backstreets of the City of El Hazard to do more shopping.

Seeing him take a detour, the people who had been waiting for him to exit the shop all moved at the same time.

Darren, who had introduced himself to Lux as someone who wished to join his guild, didn't back down and followed the rest of the Bounty Hunters, who were after the bounty on the Half-Elf's head.

After nearly half an hour of walking, Lux entered the slums of El Hazard, where the most notorious people of the city lived.

The Bounty Hunters who were following the Half-Elf were overjoyed by this development, thinking that this would make things easier for them.

There was not a single City Guard patrolling the Slums of El Hazard, so crime was quite rampant in this area. It was a dog-eat-dog place, where only the most vicious of them all survived.

"I'll take him out before the others do," one of the Bounty Hunters said as he peeked down the alley, looking at Lux's back in the distance. "You follow me right away, understood?"

A raspy, and almost disemboweled voice answered him from behind.

"Okay."

After hearing the confirmation of his 'partner', the Bounty Hunter stepped out of his hiding place and was about to launch a sneak attack on the Half-Elf's back, when something grabbed his shoulder in a firm grip.

"What's the problem man?" the Bounty Hunter asked in annoyance before turning around. "If we dilly dally, others will get him before we d—"

The man wasn't able to finish his words because a shadowy hand covered his lips, and a purple blade pierced his chest, killing him almost instantly.

The Bounty Hunter, whose vision was slowly fading away, looked at the Shadowy Figure in front of him, and the black coffin floating behind its back.

"Take him," the Shadowy Figure said before casually throwing the Bounty Hunter towards the Coffin, who happily opened its lid to store their latest victim.

A moment later, the two disappeared as they resumed their hunt.

Darren, who had been following Lux for quite some time, noticed something strange in the surroundings.

There had been dozens of Bounty Hunters that were trailing behind Lux earlier. Now, he could only see a few of them.

'Did they back out after knowing that I'm also competing for the Bounty on the Highlander's head?' Darren thought.

This idea only lasted for a few seconds before the Bounty Hunter shook his head. They were all professionals, and once they took a Man-Hunt-Order, they wouldn't back away so easily, even if they were competing with other Bounty Hunters.

The other Bounty Hunters who were following Lux also noticed this oddity.

But unlike Darren, they didn't think too much about it and simply focused their attention on the Half-Elf, whom they believed was currently encircled by dozens of Bounty Hunters with nowhere to run.

When Lux made a wrong turn and ended up in an alley with a dead end, the Bounty Hunters knew that the time was ripe and immediately launched an all-out attack on their target.

Four Bounty Hunters immediately ran towards the alley, the sight of which caused Darren to curse inwardly.

'That's Alcapone.' Darren clicked his tongue in annoyance. 'I didn't think that such a High-Ranking Bounty Hunter would join this manhunt operation.'

Alcapone was an A-Ranker and one of the Highest Ranking Bounty Hunters in El Hazard. Darren was only a C-Ranker at the moment, so it was impossible for him to overpower the famous Bounty Hunter by himself.

Alcapone's Bounty Hunter team was called Scarface. Just like other Bounty Hunters, they used all kinds of means in order to complete their mission.

Darren was feeling down because he thought that he had a chance to be the one to capture Lux and, in turn, claim the bounty of five million gold coins.

He had even laid the groundwork to 'join' Lux's guild in order to become closer to him before he went for the Coup De Grace.

Unfortunately, he wasn't the only one who dared to accept the mission, and the result ended in an all-out battle between his fellow Bounty Hunters.

While Darren was lamenting his bad luck, he saw Lux come out of the alley unscathed with a clueless look on his face as he continued to wander the Slums of El Hazard.

Darren and the five remaining Bounty Hunters glanced at each other before nodding at the same time.

When Lux had left the scene, they hurriedly went to the alley where Alcapone and his team had gone to capture the Half-Elf.

However, what greeted them was only an eerie silence.

There were no signs of a struggle, blood, or anything that would serve as evidence that Alcapone and his team had entered the alley.

This made the High-Rankers feel that something wasn't right, so they decided to back away from the scene.

As one of the Bounty Hunters was planning to leave, he bumped into someone behind his back which made him flinch.

"Where do you think you're going?" A raspy and disemboweled voice reached everyone's ears, making all of them unsheathe their weapons.

"M-Monster!" one of the Bounty Hunters exclaimed when they noticed that the apparition that was standing in front of them wasn't a person, but a Shadow Monster.

A moment later, a scuffle broke out and screams reverberated from that alley, spreading to the slums.

Some of the people who lived in the surrounding area heard this, but they paid no mind.

For them, this was an everyday occurrence, and they just thought that some poor souls had wandered into their territory, never to be seen ever again.

 

Chapter 856 Battle Of El Hazard [Part 1]

"N-No! Stay back!" Darren backed away at the very end of the alley with a frightened look on his face. "I-I'm not with them! I'm just a passerby!'

He had witnessed how the Shadowy Figure had easily neutralized the other Bounty Hunters, who were now laying on the ground unconscious.

'Why is an Empyrean-Ranked World Boss inside the city of El Hazard?!' Darren screamed internally. 'How come no one noticed that a Monster had snuck in?!'

While the Bounty Hunter had these thoughts running in his mind, a Black Coffin materialized above the Shadowy Figure, making his face turn grim.

He had seen that Black Coffin during the battle in the Gladiator's Coliseum and understood what it was capable of doing.

Darren now understood why Alcapone and his team suddenly disappeared from the alley without a trace!

Seeing that he had nowhere left to go, Darren gritted his teeth and took out a crystal from his storage ring. He then threw this crystal upwards, making it explode after reaching a height of two hundred meters.

Suddenly, the Shadowy Figure felt a powerful presence flying in their direction. Knowing that the Bounty Hunter in front of it had called for backup, it no longer hesitated and went in for the kill.

All the color in Darren's face disappeared when he saw that the Shadowy Figure was moving in his direction, holding a purple blade in its hand.

He could only watch immobile as the Monster raised its sword and slashed down with the intention of ending his life.

A second later, a loud explosion rocked the alley of the Slums.

The Shadowy Figure that was about to deliver a killing blow to Darren was blown away, smashing into the wall on the other side of the alleyway.

"I didn't know that a Rat had managed to sneak inside my turf while I was taking a nap," Sion said coldly as he looked at the Monster that had propped itself back up and pointed its weapon at the Saint who had come to the Bounty Hunter's rescue.

The middle-aged man with blonde hair and blue eyes stared at the Shadow Monster with a determined look on his face.

"Where are the others?" Sion asked without looking at Darren, who was behind him.

"G-Gone," Darren replied. "It looks like that Monster got them."

"All of them?"

"All of them. Including Alcapone."

"Hoh~"

Sion narrowed his eyes before cracking his knuckles in preparation to fight. The Bounty Hunters of El Hazard all worked under him. He was also the one that had given the order to capture Lux for five million gold.

After finding out that all of his men had been dealt with by the Shadow Monster in front of him, the Saint, who had a very short temper, felt like running amok.

"It has been a while since I had a good fight," Sion stated. "After becoming a Saint, no one has dared to challenge me again. Tell me, Darren, is that Half-Elf behind this as well?"

"I-I'm not sure, but that Black Coffin over there is something that belongs to him," Darren pointed at Blackfire, who started to sneakily devour the fallen Bounty Hunters on the ground.

Without another word, Sion disappeared from where he stood and smashed his fist against the Black Coffin that was about to swallow the last Bounty Hunter on the ground.

As if expecting something like this, Blackfire immediately phased out of existence, completely avoiding the Saint's attack by a hairs' breadth.

"Hahaha! So, that Half-Elf is the one that brought this Monster inside my territory." Sion grinned. "Since that is the case, it is within my jurisdiction to punish him according to the law."

"Oh really? Are you able to do that?"

At that exact moment, a voice that was filled with contempt reached Sion's ears, which made the Saint look toward the East.

He had sensed that the voice came from that direction, but after tracing it back, he was unable to find the source of its origin.

Standing on the roof of the Inn, Gaap looked at the Western Side of the city with contempt.

"Come," Gaap stated.

Immediately, twelve creatures answered his call and materialized around the Halfling, waiting for his orders.

"A Saint dares to use force to bully my Disciple. I guess the Saints in Agartha think they are big shots after stepping into that rank," Gaap said in disdain. "Baal, take care of that lowly dog for me. Make him understand that there are some people that he can't offend no matter what."

Baal, who was covered completely in black armor from head to foot, bowed respectfully to his Master.

"I hear and obey, Master," Baal replied. "However, we can't leave you here unprotected. Carol, please see to it that the Master is safe."

A young lady wearing a Gothic Lolita dress nodded her head in agreement.

"Leave Master to me," Carol replied. "I'll make sure that he is safe."

Gaap could only smile bitterly because his Thirteen Named Creatures treated him as if he was a helpless child, who didn't have Antero to protect him.

Even so, he didn't reject Baal's proposal and simply nodded his head to ensure that all of his Summons would fight to their fullest.

"Go," Gaap ordered. "Show him who calls the shots around here!"

"""Yes! Master!"""

Gaap's Named Creatures all replied in unison before flying towards the slums of El Hazard, where one of their comrades was currently facing off against a Saint of Agartha.

Half a minute after all of them left, an old man with white hair and white beard landed on the opposite rooftop where Gaap was standing and nodded at the Halfling in greeting.

The Halfling nodded back for he knew that the person in front of him was a Saint.

Carol, who had been tasked to protect her Master, summoned her two maids. They both immediately stood on Gaap's left and right side.

The Gothic Lolita, on the other hand, stepped forward and stood between the newcomer and her Master, making sure that the old man wouldn't slip past her defenses.

"I knew that you were a bigger threat than that Half-Elf," Darius, who had been paying close attention to Gaap said with a smile. "It seems that I was right."

Gaap didn't reply and simply smiled at the Old Saint, who wasn't showing any signs of hostility to him.

"Your name?" Gaap asked.

"Darius," Darius replied. "And I believe that your name is Gaap."

"That's right."

"Quite a unique name for a Halfling. But don't worry. I didn't come here to fight you. All I ask is that you tell your subordinates to not fight inside the city. I don't want any of the innocents to suffer because of Sion's schemes."

Gaap nodded and ordered his servants to lure Sion away from the city to prevent unnecessary deaths.

After being around Lux for so long, the Halfling had softened up a bit and no longer killed just for the sake of it.

Darius nodded his head in appreciation as he gazed in the direction of his comrade, who was now running out of the city in pursuit of the Monsters that had suddenly appeared uninvited.

Deep down, the Old Saint was secretly rejoicing because it had been a while since he saw Sion get beat up.

Although he and the hot-tempered Saint got along quite well, there were times when Darius wished that he could beat the crap out of his comrade without making the other hold a grudge against him.

Since there was someone who was willing to do that instead of him, he decided to just sit back and watch the show from the sidelines.

From the very start, he believed that Gaap was not an ordinary Grade-A Apostle, and this battle, which would happen on the outskirts of Agartha, would prove that his guess was correct.

 

 

Chapter 857 Battle Of El Hazard [Part 2]

"Before I kill you, tell me who you are," Sion demanded as soon as he landed three miles away from El Hazard.

He had followed the Shadowy Figure, who told him that if he wanted to fight, they should fight outside the city to prevent unnecessary deaths.

The Saint found this proposal quite amusing. However, since he was still one of the Protectors of El Hazard, he decided to agree to the Monster's request and followed him outside of the city.

"My name is Naberius," the Shadowy Figure then transformed into a Demi-human Raven, standing nearly two meters tall. "And you are?"

"Sion," Sion replied in a heartbeat. "They also call me the Juggernaut of Agartha."

After finishing his introduction, Sion's entire body turned silvery-black that glistened under the sun. He then pointed his finger at his opponent and smirked.

"Be honored, Naberius," Sion stated. "You will die under my hands."

To his surprise, Naberius nodded his head in agreement.

"Alone, it is true that I am not a match for you," Naberius replied. "But, I am not alone."

As if waiting for that cue, Sion felt eleven presences descending from the sky.

"So… you have reinforcements with you." Sion narrowed his eyes at the newcomers who all landed beside Naberius.

While the Juggernaut of Agartha was eyeing Naberius' reinforcements, Baal glanced at his comrades.

"Four of you can join Naberius in this battle," Baal stated. "Who wants to fight that Saint?"

Nearly all of Gaap's subordinates raised their hands after hearing Baal's question.

"Okay, let's just decide this the old-fashioned way," Baal said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Rock, scissors, papers."

This scene made the corner of Sion's lips twitch. He could tell that all of the Monsters that were standing in front of him were Empyrean Ranked World Bosses.

Although he was powerful, he wasn't that confident about fighting twelve of them at once.

However, after realizing that they only planned to send five of them to fight him, he felt as if he was being belittled too much.

'Sending only five to fight me? These monsters really don't know who they are fighting against,' Sion mused. 'No matter. I'll just kill one or two of them quickly then pick them off one by one.'

Sion was a battle junkie.

He found the idea of fighting many opponents at once to his liking. Also, he was confident that even if five Empyrean Ranked World Bosses were to fight him at the same time, he would be able to deal with them without too much effort.

Summoning his Great Axe, Sion prepared himself to fight to his heart's content.

Fortunately, he didn't have to wait for too long because his five opponents stepped forward in order to face him.

"This reminds me of that Gladiator Match against that Half-Elf," Sion stated as he casually swung his axe as if he was doing practice swings. "That boy fought against 300 C-Rankers as a mere D-Ranker. Similarly, I'm now facing five Empyrean Ranked World Bosses. But this is not enough. Why don't you all join the fight as well?"

The Saint of Agartha looked at the black knight who had his arms crossed over his chest. He had deemed that Baal was the one who called the shots among his opponents, so he decided to offer a proposal to him.

"We are already giving you a great handicap by allowing five of us to fight you," Baal replied. "Challenging all of us will just end up in you receiving a one-sided beating. You're not James Von Ainsworth, so don't be delusional, okay? If you really want to fight all of us, beat these five first."

Sion snorted after hearing Baal's reply.

He had no idea who James was. But, from the name alone, he could tell that the Black Knight was referring to some kind of Old Bandit who liked to scam people and could probably destroy an entire continent if he farted in the wrong place.

(E/N: Fufufu. Shameless plug for any of you who haven't read Reincarnated with the Strongest System yet!)

"Fine," Sion replied. "I'll hang your corpse and display it in my Manor after I kill you,"

Baal only shrugged and told his comrades to take it easy on the Saint.

"We don't want a war with Agartha, so just beat him until he's half deaf," Baal ordered before looking at Blackfire who was hovering nearby. "Blackfire, you're not allowed to eat him. You don't want to create trouble for your Master, right?"

Blackfire moved its body to the side as if averting its gaze. The Black Coffin was giving off the vibes of "I didn't hear anything" and "I didn't see anything," which gave Baal a very bad premonition.

"Pay attention to Blackfire," Baal communicated to his subordinates through telepathy. "If it moves to swallow that Saint, stop it at all costs."

All of his comrades nodded their heads at the same time.

Gaap had ordered them to beat up Sion, but he didn't give any orders to capture him.

Since Blackfire wasn't part of their group, it wasn't obligated to listen to their Master's order. However, Baal wished to believe that the Black Coffin wouldn't do anything that might potentially make its own master the enemy of Agartha.

"Let's go," Naberius said before opening his black wings.

The black raven then flew toward the sky and started to bombard the Saint with black feathers, who simply blocked it with his Legendary Weapon.

Naberius' four teammates then charged at Sion with their weapons drawn. They were unable to defeat the Saint in a one-on-one battle, but as a group, they were confident that they would be able to neutralize him.

Seeing that his opponents had decided to close the gap between them, Sion sneered before slamming his axe toward the ground.

The ground broke apart, sending rocks, and dirt surging upwards, blocking everyone's view.

"I got you!" Sion snarled as he swung his axe towards one of the monsters that had been tossed high up in the air by his disruptive attack that was very effective against those who fought in groups.

Just as his axe was about to hit its target, a whip sword wrapped itself around his arm, preventing his weapon from cleaving forward.

"Wrong," the monster, who looked like a Satyr replied in a teasing tone. "It is us who got you."

Twisting its body in mid-air, the Satyr, whom Sion was about to hack earlier, did a roundhouse kick and smashed his hoof on the Saint's head, sending Sion flying.

"First Blood," Baal commented.

His comrade by his side, who looked like a Djinn, blew his pipe and created circles.

"He called this a fight," the Djinn commented, "but for us, this is just practice. It seems that the Saints of Agartha haven't had a good fight in many years."

Baal and the others smiled at their comrades' comments.

After being hunted down by Saints and spending a lot of their time in Zangrila fighting Abyssal Creatures, the battle-hardened World Bosses under Gaap's commands were not even fazed by Sion's arrogance.

"Let's teach him how to be humble," Baal said. "That way, he will understand how to pick his opponents in the future."

All of his comrades nodded in agreement.

Blackfire nodded as well, but no one knew whether the Black Coffin was going to behave or do something mischievous.

If only Lux was there to witness the battle, he would probably do his best to stop his Black Coffin from running amok and devouring everyone that it found to its liking.

 

 

Chapter 858 Battle Of El Hazard [Part 3]

Sion regained his balance mid-air and skidded on the ground.

Although his body was coated in hard metal, the kick he received from the Satyr stung a bit.

"What a hard-headed baboon," the Satyr commented after landing on the ground. "If that was any other Saint, he'd probably have a big bump on his head right now."

"Are you sure you didn't hold back, Adonis?" a handsome Drow, who held a Sword Whip in his hand, asked with a smile.

"Of course not," Adonis replied. "You also knew it after stopping his blow earlier right? We got a real sandbag here, Tharin. You better sharpen that Whip Blade of yours."

The Drow, Tharin, smirked after hearing his comrade's reply. These kinds of exchanges during battles was a norm for them, especially since they already knew how to work as a team.

Although he admitted that Sion's protective metallic coating in his body was hard, it was nowhere compared to Antero when the Golem of Destruction fought for real.

"Focus on the battle, you two," a Foxkin commented. "You don't want to get nagged by Baal later after you somehow lose to this pathetic worm."

"Harsh as always, Hana," a beautiful Naga said to the Foxkin with a smile. "But then again, you are right. We can't have Baal reprimanding us later because these men made a fool of themselves."

"Oh, shut it, Mia." Adonis scoffed. "How can we lose against the likes of this… pathetic worm—as Hana called it."

Mia, the Naga, giggled before nocking an arrow to her bow.

"He's coming. Get a grip boys," Mia stated before releasing the arrow from her bow.

A whistling sound spread in the surroundings as her arrow flew straight and true toward the Juggernaut of El Hazard, who was now charging in their direction.

As if taking that as a cue, the party of five all moved to intercept their foe according to their respective roles.

Sion didn't stop his charge and used his axe to deflect Mia's arrow to the side.

Although the force behind the arrow was strong, his strength as a Saint wasn't just for show.

However, his mad charge, which had already gained momentum, slowed down for a brief moment, proving that Mia's attack was capable of delaying his advance.

"Cold Wind and Ice herald your arrival," Hana chanted as a magic circle appeared above her head. "Let your tempest cover the world in your white embrace!"

"Come forth, Shiva!"

A beautiful Ice Queen materialized in the sky and countless ice blades circled around her like floating fallen leaves on a stormy night.

"Chaos Tempest," Shiva said in a cold voice before the countless Ice Blades descended from the sky, freezing the ground and pelting the Juggernaut of Agartha with razor-sharp blades that could cut through flesh.

Sion cursed inwardly as he used his axe to block the countless ice blades that were falling on him like rain, but his charge never stopped.

His goal was to attack the Naga, who was firing arrow after arrow in the distance and using the Ice Blade Storm to her advantage.

Just as he thought that things couldn't possibly get any worse, a sword whip wrapped itself around his leg, preventing him from moving forward.

"Chain Lightning!" Tharin shouted as a bolt of lightning snaked through his Sword Whip and shocked Sion with its might.

"Layer upon layer of agony, crush my foe now!" Naberius shouted as a giant blade that was as dark as the night appeared above his head.

"Ultima Blade!"

The Black Raven swung the giant blade without any mercy at the immobile Sion, creating a powerful explosion that shook the land and sent tremors all the way to the City of El Hazard.

The guards, who were guarding the city wall, saw the powerful attack in the distance and looked at their Guard Captain for further orders.

"Sound the alarm!" the Guard Captain of El Hazard ordered. "Tell the citizens to seek shelter in their homes while we conduct an investigation!"

Immediately, the loud tolling of bells spread inside the city, causing everyone to stop whatever they were doing and stare at each other in surprise.

The bells of El Hazard would only be used if the city was under attack or was about to be attacked by something that could potentially destroy it.

However, before everyone could panic, a firm and calm voice reverberated in the city, telling everyone that it was going to be fine.

"Worry not, people of El Hazard," Darius said. "Sion is merely sparring with some friends outside the city. There is no need to be alarmed. However, no one is allowed to leave the city, or else you might get caught in the aftermath of the battle."

As if to reinforce this order, a white dome appeared around the city, shielding it from any stray spells that might destroy it by accident.

It also prevented curious people from leaving the city to watch the battle taking place in the distance.

After making his speech, Darius glanced at Gaap who was sitting on the rooftop, with Carol beside him, holding an umbrella to shield him from the sunlight.

"It will take more than that to beat Sion," Darius said. "Although their combination attacks are powerful, it is not enough to bring that monster wearing a human skin down."

"True," Gaap agreed. "But that's fine. My servants are doing their best to not accidentally kill him, so they're not using their Killer Moves right now."

The corner of Darius' lips twitched after hearing Gaap's reply. If that Ultima Blade that descended on his comrade's head wasn't a Killer Move, then he had no idea what the Halfling considered a Killer Move.

Naberius, who had unleashed his attack, narrowed his eyes as he looked at the dust cloud that was preventing him from seeing the outcome of his attack.

When the dust cloud receded, a red barrier with several cracks in its surface appeared in his vision.

"Congratulations," Sion stated as a mist of steam rose up from his body. "All of you have successfully made me angry."

Adonis, who was standing not far from the Saint, chuckled.

"Did you hear that, guys?" Adonis said. "He said we have successfully made him angry."

"Well, we're not exactly here to make him laugh, no?" Tarin sneered. "Just remember, our Master said that we shouldn't accidentally kill him, so hold back a bit, okay?"

The Drow's words were like taunts to Sion's ears, so he no longer held back and roared, creating shockwaves in his surroundings.

A moment later, his body grew bigger until he towered six meters above the ground.

"Annihilation Crash!" Sion roared as he smashed his axe towards the ground.

This time the ground didn't break, or sent dirt and rocks flying in every direction.

However, steel spikes that were over three meters tall jutted from the ground, and spread for several thousand meters around him, creating a Slaughter Domain under his control.

After becoming a Saint, this was the first time he had suffered a beating like this. His ego was bruised, which was why he was very mad.

Someone as powerful as him was revered by the people of Agartha, and they even treated him as one of their Sacred Guardians.

Yet right now, he was being one-sidedly pummeled by his opponents without getting a chance to counterattack.

Because of this, Sion thought that enough was enough and no longer held back, unleashing his Slaughter Domain, which he had not used for many years.

"No more games," Sion declared coldly. "I will now kill all of you for real!"

Baal, who now hovered in the air with his arms still crossed over his chest sneered at the Saint from a distance.

"Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall," Baal stated before glancing at Blackfire who was now hovering beside him. "If you plan to really devour him later, at least make it look like it was an accident, okay? We don't want to be blamed for the aftermath of this battle."

Blackfire nodded its head happily because it had been granted permission from its allies to devour Sion "by accident".

As to how the Black Coffin would be able to pull it off, not even Baal, the leader of Gaap's subordinates, had an idea.

How would the Black Coffin make it look like an accident?

 

Chapter 859 What If We Accidentally Kill Him?

"This?" Eiko asked as she showed something to Blackfire.

The Black Coffin shook its head.

"Bigger?" Eiko asked again.

Blackfire nodded.

"This one?"

"Still no?"

"How about this?"

At last, Blackfire nodded its head and thanked Eiko.

A few seconds later, Lux got out of the bathroom and glanced in the direction of the bed, where the Baby Slime was currently sitting.

"Who are you talking to, Eiko?" Lux asked.

Eiko shook her head and only gave her Papa a mischievous smile.

A single glance was enough to tell the Half-Elf that the Baby Slime was hiding something. However, thinking that it wasn't a big deal, he no longer insisted she tell him and started to dry his hair.

Not long after, a powerful explosion sounded in the distance, making Lux shake his head.

"It seems that Master's Covenant is still having fun playing with that Saint," Lux said before yawning. "I guess I'll just take a nap for the time being."

Lux wasn't interested in watching the battle between his Master's servants and the Saint of Agartha.

But there were some who were quite interested in it, namely Diablo and the others who had asked the Half-Elf if they could watch the battle.

Lux didn't find anything wrong with their request, so he gave them permission to leave the city and head to the battlefield. His only order was for them to not interfere with the battle and to keep a safe distance from it.

Eiko, who also had nothing to do, decided to take a nap with her Papa as well.

In just a matter of seconds, both were sound asleep, while the rest of the city was starting to feel anxiety due to the sound of powerful explosions that occurred every half a minute.

——————

At the outskirts of El Hazard…

"I can do this all day," Adonis said before casually combing his hair while looking at his hand mirror. "Damn, why do I look so handsome?"

"Bastards…" Sion said through gritted teeth as blood dripped at the corner of his lips.

Earlier, he was quite confident that he would be able to deal with his opponents one by one.

However, it didn't take long for him to realize that no matter what he did, he was unable to even get close to his enemies because their coordinated attacks would push him back every time.

This was the first time that he had seen such flawless teamwork, and he now understood why the Black Knight had been so confident that five people would be enough to defeat him.

Wiping the blood off his lips with the back of his hand, Sion stood up and understood that his usual tactics wouldn't work on his enemies.

The slaughter domain that he had created didn't hinder his opponents one bit, and most of them even found it quite amusing.

His surroundings which had been covered with steel spikes that jutted off the ground were now nearly flattened as his opponents unleashed one powerful attack after another, forcing him to be on the defensive.

The Juggernaut of Agartha looked at his enemies before taking a long, deep breath. He then hunched his body, preparing to charge again, the sight of which made the Satyr, Adonis, yawn.

"Here you go again." Adonis shook his head helplessly. "Are you some kind of one-trick pony? Is all you can do charge at us like a madman, hoping that your attack will connect?"

Sion didn't reply and, instead, focused his full attention on the attack that had gained him the title of Juggernaut of Agartha.

A moment later, a spark flickered under the Saint's foot, that slowly traveled up his body.

A few seconds later, more sparks appeared and before Adonis knew it, a blaze had started to circle around Sion's body, raising the temperature to scorching levels.

"Hoh?" Adonis arched an eyebrow. "Not bad."

Before the Satyr could say another word, the flames surrounding Sion grew bigger and brighter, similar to a miniature sun that was slowly expanding outwards.

Darius, who was watching the battle from the City of El Hazard, frowned because he knew that his comrade was about to use his strongest attack after several years of peace in Agartha.

'So they managed to push you this far,' Darius mused. 'I guess this is where everything ends then.'

The Saint of El Hazard then glanced at the Halfling, who was still sitting on the rooftop with a calm expression on his face.

"I'm afraid that my comrade has finally decided to end the battle," Darius stated. "If you care for your subordinates, it would be best if you make them leave before it is too late."

"Thank you for the warning, but they will be fine," Gaap replied.

"You're that confident in your underlings, eh?"

"Of course."

Darius chuckled internally because he thought that Gaap was just trying to act tough after he warned him.

'It seems that you're underestimating Sion too much,' Darius thought. 'This will make you understand that the Saints of Agartha are not pushovers.'

What Darius didn't know was that Gaap was actually feeling very worried about Sion's fate, instead of the Fate of his servants.

'I wonder what Blackfire is planning?' Gaap mused. 'He can't possibly do what I'm thinking, right?'

Baal had already informed him that he had given the okay signal for Blackfire to capture Sion after the battle ended, as long as the Black Coffin would make it look like it "accidentally" devoured the Saint by accident.

Gaap almost cursed out loud after hearing Baal's report because there was simply no way that the Black Coffin could pull off such a thing.

'Blackfire… oh, Blackfire… please don't cause trouble for me and your Master,' Gaap said in his heart. 'We still need to go to the Pantheon of Exile, and we don't want King Septimius to have a reason to hunt us down.'

———————————

Back in the outskirts of El Hazard…

Adonis was no longer smiling as he looked at the blazing fireball in front of him that was still getting bigger.

Currently, the fireball was ten meters tall, and he had a feeling that it would continue to rise the longer they waited.

"Guys, are we just going to sit back and watch and let him charge up until he's ready to go?" Adonis asked with concern.

"I have analyzed this skill, and it is indeed quite a domineering one," Hana replied. "If we attack him now, our attacks will only increase the output of his power, making his Trump Card stronger. The best course of action is to let it take its course until he has reached his limit."

Tharin frowned after hearing his comrade's explanation. "Looks like we all need to take this more seriously guys. It looks like we no longer have the leeway of holding back."

Mia, the Naga, nodded her head in agreement. "If we don't use our Trump Cards, the ones who will perish will be us."

"What if we accidentally kill him?" Adonis asked worriedly.

"Don't worry," Naberius commented as he hovered in the sky. "Master is a Necromancer. I'm sure he can think of something."

After hearing Naberius' assurance, the members of Gaaps Covenant exchanged glances with each other and nodded their heads in agreement.

Since the situation had already come this far, it was time to unseal their powers and fight the Saint, without care if he died or not.

 

 

Chapter 860 Even I Didn’t See That Coming

Sion's eyes burned with power as he gazed at his enemies, who were now looking at him with serious expressions on their faces.

'That's right,' Sion thought. 'Those are the faces that I want to see.'

He had gathered all the power inside of his body, which had now reached its limit. Since that was the case, it was time to show the fools who looked down on him earlier why no one in the Kingdom of Agartha dared to challenge him in a fight.

"Juggernaut Onslaught!" Sion roared as he stomped his right foot forward in preparation to dash with wanton abandon.

The ground under his feet shattered, and a second later, he shot out like a blazing meteor toward his opponents.

"Evade!" Hana shouted as she waved her hands to create several magic circles in her surroundings.

Adonis, Tharin, and Mia all jumped on the Magic circles that Hana created and were instantly teleported hundreds of meters into the sky.

The Foxkin also disappeared from where she stood and reappeared in the sky alongside her comrades.

"It's no use!" Sion sneered as he jumped upwards.

Since the Juggernaut of Agartha was at the center of the blazing ball of fire that was now over fifteen meters tall, those that were on the city walls of Agartha were able to see this destructive scene, and their faces turned pale instantly.

"H-His Excellency Sion is using his strongest attack!" The Guard Captain's eyes widened in shock after seeing the blazing meteor rising towards the heavens. "Is this really a sparring match?!"

The Guard Captain was truly worried because Sion's Juggernaut Onslaught was capable of destroying the landscape spanning several miles after it was used.

The moment the Saint unleashed his most devastating attack, anything it hit would be completely obliterated, causing a powerful explosion that would spread in his surroundings.

Simply put, the destructive power of this attack was similar to Eiko's tactical Nuke that was used against the Rankers of the Divine Army of Light.

It was Sion's do-or-die Trump Card, and it only had one result.

Complete and utter destruction.

Darius narrowed his eyes as he strengthened the barrier surrounding the city of El Hazard. He even activated the city's magical defenses to help reinforce the barrier that he had created to ensure that they would be able to withstand the aftermath of Sion's Final Gambit.

Hana once again waved her hands and created magic circles around her teammates, allowing her comrades to use them as their footholds.

Adonis, Tharin, and Mia all jumped in different directions to make sure that they would be separated from each other.

Naberius and Hana did the same, distancing themselves from their opponent who had far exceeded their expectations.

"Should we go as well?" An Arachne who was standing beside Baal asked. "I have a feeling that we will be targeted as well."

Baal glanced at his comrade who had the lower half of a spider and the upper half of a woman.

"Worry not, Arania," Baal replied. "If he dares to attack us, I'll personally deal with him."

"That's quite reassuring." Arania smiled. "I'm not good at dealing with those who play with fire."

A chuckle escaped Baal's lips because he understood this part. All of them had strengths and weaknesses, and one of Arania's weaknesses was fire.

Even so, her comrades would always be there to fill in the gap of her weakness, allowing her to fight against those who wielded the power of fire.

Sion clicked his tongue as he continued to trail across the sky in pursuit of the pesky Monsters who were doing their best to evade his attack.

None of them bothered to shoot spells or attack him directly, focusing on running away.

With each passing minute, Sion's anger grew, making the flames around him burn even brighter.

Suddenly, something unexpected happened. The meteor in the sky suddenly disappeared without a trace.

A few seconds later, it reappeared dozens of meters behind Adonis, catching the Satyr by surprise.

"Sh*t!" Adonis cursed out loud as he braced himself for the impact.

However before the Meteorite hit him, Hana reappeared beside him and kicked the Satyr away.

A moment later, the Meteorite crashed into her body, dragging her through the sky and making her cough out a mouthful of blood.

"Die, wench!" Sion shouted as he increased the power of the flames with the intention of incinerating the beautiful lady, whose face had turned ashen due to the force of the impact that hit her.

"It's no wonder you're not popular with the ladies," Hana commented as her body was engulfed by flames. "You don't know how to treat a lady right."

A sneer appeared on Sion's face because he couldn't care less about his enemy's dying words.

However, instead of seeing helplessness and a distraught look on the Fox Lady's face, he only saw a smile that made him wonder if his enemy was smiling through the pain she was feeling.

"Through Hellfire and Beyond, I call upon thee," Hana shouted as her entire body was set ablaze. "Lord of Flames, bestow your powers upon me!"

"Ifrit!"

The beautiful fox lady then transformed into a fiery demon, who merged with Sion's fireball and reached out toward the Saint, who didn't expect this sudden turn of events.

Even so, the Juggernaut of Agartha regained his composure and grappled with the so-called Lord of Flames that had possessed Hana's body.

While the two were fighting in order to overpower each other, the blazing fireball remained stationary in the sky and continued to grow bigger and bigger.

It also raised the temperature in the surroundings, forcing all Agarthians to seek shelter in their homes to avoid the scorching heat wave that washed over their city.

"Master, it might be best if you return inside the inn," Carol said as she stood in front of Gaap, protecting him from the heat wave that made her gothic dress flutter.

"No need, Carol," Gaap replied. "I trust them."

As if waiting for that cue, Adonis, Tharin, Mia, and Naberius, who were all standing on the ground now, chanted in unison.

"Exalted spirits of the world, we need you in our troubled hour. Grant us the power to vanquish our foes and overcome all obstacles that stand in our way. Let those under the heavens witness your illustrious might!"

"Azure Flames!"

A giant magic circle appeared in between the four of them and summoned blue flames that rose toward the heavens.

The Azure Flame then collided with the miniature sun, but instead of making it explode, it lifted it upwards.

From the eyes of the people, what they saw was like a burning comet that was shooting toward the sky, leaving a blazing trail of blue flames behind.

With every passing second, the tip of the comet rose higher and higher until it was several thousand meters up in the sky.

Finally, after reaching a certain threshold, the miniature sun exploded creating a powerful shockwave that spread outwards.

At the same time, a strong earthquake rocked the surface world, with the epicenter right under the Empire of the Divine Army of Light.

If not for the Divine Sovereign and the Supreme, who had almost made a full recovery, guarding the fort, their entire domain would have crumbled into oblivion.

Using their Divine Power, they forcefully prevented the collapse of their empire, until the tremors came to a complete stop.

Meanwhile, back in the Kingdom of Agartha…

Two figures fell from the sky.

Hana, who had reverted back to her original form, was caught mid-air by Naberius, preventing her from falling directly to the ground.

Her body was nearly burned to a crisp, and only her beautiful face received less damage, having only received minor injuries.

"Looks like you won't be on active duty for a while," Naberius commented as he held his comrade firmly in his arms.

"Only for a month or two," Hana replied weakly. "I just hope that Baal won't nag me later."

"I'll put in some good words for you."

"Thanks, Naberius. I'll go take a nap for now, okay?"

"Sure."

A moment later, the beautiful fox lady turned into particles of light, which flew towards the City of El Hazard, where her Master was waiting for her return.

Sion, who was caught by nobody, crashed to the ground, creating a crater that was hundreds of meters wide.

To everyone's surprise, the Saint was still alive, but he received very serious injuries.

Sion slowly propped himself off the ground, and blood spilled from his ears, nose, and mouth.

He was in a very weak state, and if one of his enemies attacked him now, he wouldn't have the strength to defend himself.

That was when he saw it.

Dozens of meters away from him, a black coffin moved in an erratic manner as if it was drunk.

Little by little it made its way towards Sion, which made the Saint's face turn solemn.

He had heard what this Black Coffin had done in the Gladiator's Coliseum, and he had a feeling that it was planning to do something fishy.

As a Saint, he wouldn't allow himself to be devoured by such a thing, so he clenched his fist and prepared to smash the coffin and break it to pieces.

The wobbling coffin continued to slowly make its way toward Sion like a drunk old man that had been wasted in a tavern and was on his way back to his home.

Finally, when it was only five meters away from the Saint, it collapsed on the ground, with its lid sliding off its body, revealing its dark interior.

However, nothing happened.

Sion watched the coffin cautiously with his right arm ready to strike.

Although he didn't have much strength left, he was confident that he could smash the coffin the moment it reached his striking range.

A minute passed…

Two minutes passed…

And still, nothing happened.

Sion didn't lower his guard and his attention was still focused on the Black Coffin, which seemed to be immersed in its acting of playing dead.

Because the Saint's full attention was on the Black Coffin, he didn't notice that a Blast Bomb that was over a meter tall had rolled up behind him.

Suddenly, and without any warning, the Blast Bomb exploded, sending the Saint and the Black Coffin flying.

The first one to drop on the ground was Blackfire, and after rolling for several meters its body faced upwards with its cask open wide.

Sion, who no longer had the strength to regain his balance mid-air turned pale when he found himself falling towards the Black Coffin, which lay idly on the ground where he was going to land.

"Noooooooooooooooooo!" Sion shouted in fright as he landed face-first in Blackfire's open casket. It was as if it had carefully calculated where he was going to land and was waiting for the Saint with open arms.

The black coffin shuddered a bit after the Saint entered its body.

A few seconds later, it groggily stood up and walked like a drunken old man towards its lid that was lying a few meters away.

When it reached its destination, it lowered its body to "pick up" the lid and return it to its rightful place.

Not long after, it continued to wobble away like a drunkard before disappearing from everyone's sight.

The corner of Baal's lips twitched after seeing this scene.

The members of Gaaps' Covenant also had dumbfounded looks on their faces.

After a minute passed, Adonis spoke out, breaking everyone out of their daze.

"That was an accident, no?" Adonis asked his comrades who all looked at him weirdly.

"Um, yeah, it was an accident," Tharin commented. "I mean, who would have thought that a Blast Bomb would appear out of nowhere? Totally unexpected, yup."

"Right, it was an accident," Mia stated. "A totally unforeseen outcome. Even I didn't see that coming."

"People should really pay attention to their surroundings, especially during a battle," Adonis stated. "You never know what will pop out when you least expect it."

Baal looked at his comrades before looking up at the sky.

A moment later, he nodded his head in agreement.

"Although it was unfortunate, accidents do happen," Baal stated. "Some things are simply out of our control."

All of his comrades nodded their heads in agreement.

Their leader was right.

There were things outside of their control, and an accident caused by a stray Blast Bomb was one of them.

Darius, who saw what happened from the city of El Hazard, couldn't stop his eyes from twitching.

He then glanced at the Halfling sitting on the rooftop, but the latter only shrugged as if telling the Saint that he had nothing to do with it.

However, deep inside, Gaap didn't know if he should laugh or cry at Blackfire's latest antic.

The only thing he could hope was that Lux could talk to his greedy black coffin and ask Blackfire to spit out the Saint of Agartha before a bigger problem fell on their heads.