CHAPTER 388: A DUEL? NO. THIS IS A FIGHT TO THE DEATH

“Who gave you that mission?” The shadowy Nightmare Steed pressed me anxiously.

“An esteemed personage…” I deliberately said so. Had I thrown out Lucifer’s name directly, they would have probably doubted my words. Also, my instincts told me that I shouldn’t. There was no real reason why I should feel this way, but I chose to trust them.

None of the Overlords present asked me who was this esteemed person. Instead, they were staring intently at me, scrutinising me for any hints of deception.

Naturally, I was telling the truth. It was just that the truth sounded laughably implausible, that’s all. At least that was how I saw this whole matter. In reality…

“So it was true then…” As the Hellhounds’ clan head left those words trailing, I could visibly feel the agitation in his voice. His body trembled slightly as he eyed me strangely. “And what else did his Excellency say to you?”

“Ah?”

‘He actually believed that? No way… are you sure you won’t at least question me? Are you very sure?’

‘I know for sure that I spoke the truth, but as an Overlord, someone who had even comprehended a part of the world’s laws, should you really believe such an outlandish claim at face value?!’

“What do you mean ah? Just spit it out already. Other than conquering Sable Radiance, what else was said?” The Overlord cat impatiently snapped while licking the fur on his paws. He then wiped them on his face as if he was washing it. “Like when can we leave this place?”

‘Leave? I guess he must be talking about when the seal on Sable Radiance will be lifted.’

This was the key point of this discussion. Not only was the Hellhounds’ clan head interested in my answer, the other three Warhorses were also eyeing me eagerly.

“His Excellency did not say when exactly, he just said that when the time was right, the seal would undo itself automatically.”

“So… it’s really because of your arrival then?” The shadowy Nightmare Steed suddenly asked this unrelated question.

However, I understood his meaning perfectly. Had it not been for me coincidentally ending up in Purgatory, Sable Radiance would have still been in a completely sealed up state, unlike right now where there was an endless stream of Devils appearing. And there definitely won’t be any talk of the barrier lifting.

“No matter how you look at it, the only plausible answer is me…”

So who was it that brought about all this change? That was a question that didn’t need answering. Every Overlord present already had an answer, and it was the same answer.

That’s right. Petty. If I were to say that he specifically intervened to help me conquer the whole of Purgatory, that would have made more sense. But if it was just to conquer Sable Radiance, then it could be said that his goals were too small for someone of his stature. While Sable Radiance was sizable in its own right, coming in at roughly the same surface area as Earth, it was still just a small portion of Purgatory.

Just like how an emperor wouldn’t personally intervene in some random subject’s problems, an esteemed Devil like him wouldn’t interfere for something as insignificant as Sable Radiance. That’s right, the conquest of Sable Radiance was the equivalent of Peasant A’s everyday problems. Even if someone of his stature were to really care, he would have sent a subordinate instead.

“Other than that, what other mission were you given?” Asked the shadowy Nightmare Steed once more. Of all the Overlords present, it had to be said that this Nightmare Steed was the calmest and sharpest; every question he asked so far had been to the point. In contrast, the Hellhounds’ clan head was more like the old man of the lot. That Overlord cat clearly had a screw loose, while the corporeal Nightmare Steed was more on the rash side. As for that Purgatory Warhorse Overlord, he barely spoke at all.

Going back to his question of whether or not I had another mission, that was obviously a yes. I was also given the mission to bring about the apocalypse, but I didn’t want to divulge that.

“War is about to start.”

Fine. That was a little cutesy of me to do that. In truth, there really wasn’t much point in me hiding this mission from them. In order for me to gain all of their support, there were only two options. One: I beat them up all, but that clearly wasn’t possible. More than likely I would be the one who ended up bruised and crying.

That was why I chose option two: gain their recognition. As long as they recognised me, they would support me.

The moment they heard those five words, their bodies shook.

That Overlord cat was the first to react. His eyes lit up with a frenzied fire as he pressed me further, “With who?”

“The Human Realm… apocalypse…”

“MEEOOWWW! Finally! The seal is finally going to be broken! HAHAHAHA…” As he meowed into the skies, he started waving his paws about in an elated dance.

If the objective was to war with the Human Realm, it naturally meant that the seal on Sable Radiance had to be lifted before the upcoming apocalypse. Since I was here preparing for the apocalypse, it meant that the time for the breaking of the seal wasn’t far either.

This seal on Sable Radiance had severely restricted an Eight-star’s comprehension of the world’s laws. If one wasn’t able to comprehend the laws of the world, it meant that they couldn’t form a territory. However, this seal wasn’t airtight either; it was still possible to rise to Nine-stars. However, it had to be said that an Eight-star who managed to comprehend the laws of the world in such a state definitely had the potential to become a demigod. In other words, once the seal was undone, one of these five might just become a Ten-star!

That was why my answer was definitely a welcome surprise for all of them. Not only did that Overlord cat rejoice, the remaining four Overlords were all visibly happy as well. It was just that they weren’t as flippant as that cat in their expression. However, don’t think for a second that you had me fooled… I saw you four grinning away.

“That’s why I need all your help.”

Jokes aside, what had to be said still had to be said.

The three Warhorses exchanged a look with each other then nodded in unison. In the end, it was the shadowy Nightmare Steed who spoke up once more. “I understand your meaning, but you’re still too weak. We will never bow to someone like you.”

They were right. I was too weak right now. Had it not been for my Devil King Idol, I wouldn’t even have the ability to fight these Warhorses head-on.

Seeing as I was silent, the shadowy Nightmare Steed continued, “Even if that mysterious person is behind you, our clan still won’t bow to you. We only serve the strong.”

“I know that. But I’ve already explained my situation to you, and I do need that horn direly.” I breathed in deep at that point. Now was the time for some oral fireworks. If this part went well, the following matters would proceed smoothly. “I intend to repair a certain magical array. But the ingredients required are rather difficult to acquire. One of them is a horn from a Nightmare Steed.”

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“In that case, we’ll give you the horn you need, seeing as it was his Excellency’s will that you came here. But you must leave immediately after receiving it.” The shadowy Nightmare Steed firmly stated his terms.

“That won’t do. I went through all that trouble to get here. Do you really think a single horn is enough to send me packing?”

“Then what do you want?” Before the shadowy Nightmare Steed could reply, the corporeal Nightmare Steed abruptly interrupted us, clearly irritated by my response.

“What do you think?”

The Corporeal Nightmare Steed’s gaze turned sharp at that point. “Are you not afraid of death?!”

‘A threat? Hmph, you think I will cave in so easily? Either way I still have Lucifer’s protection on my side. At the very worst, both of us die.’

With the guarantee that the Overlords were indeed restricted from acting, I was more than confident in standing my ground this time. “What do you mean by that? Are you trying to start a fight?”

“Watch it. Don’t push your luck or we can both find out who will die first!”

To be honest, I still wasn’t all that confident about going through with that bet entirely. Even though I knew that the probability was low, there was still that slim chance that this Nightmare Steed might just be mad enough to attack me. After all, there was no shortage of madness in this world, and one couldn’t be too careful.

“Fight. Fight. Fight. Now I really want to know what would happen if you hit her.”

At first, that corporeal Nightmare Steed and I were in a glaring match with each other. Yet after that Overlord cat opened his wretched mouth, whatever hostility lingered in the air instantly vanished. Sometimes, I couldn’t help but wonder if this was reverse psychology on his part or was he really hoping for us to fight.

“We will never serve you, not unless you have the strength to defeat us. However, we can allow you to recruit warriors from our clan.” Now that the hostility was gone, the shadowy Nightmare Steed used this opportunity to make his suggestion known. “If you can triumph over the most talented warrior amongst our younger generation, I will allow you to freely recruit from our clan. They will be yours to command at that point.”

“You want me to duel with your younger generation?”

“It’s a death match.” The shadowy Nightmare Steed corrected me immediately like a teacher scolding his pupil for his crass words.

‘If it’s just a fight, there’s no reason for me to back down. I still have my Devil King Idol so as long as it’s not against an Eight-star, I definitely won’t lose.’

“You mean those below Six-stars? If that’s the case, I accept.”

“She’s a Five-star. As long as you can defeat her, I will allow your recruitment.”

“A Five-star, huh? Alright, I accept.” I immediately accepted his terms.

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“Are you sure you accept this fight?”

“Positive.”

“Good.” The shadowy Nightmare Steed swept his eyes across the rest of the Overlords, finally stopping at the Overlord cat. “If you all would so kindly be our witness.”

The Overlord cat licked his paws once more then threw me a quick look. “No problem. There’s nothing I like more than to watch someone else fight.”