Chapter 559 The Annual Euphrates Exam!

Chapter 559 The Annual Euphrates Exam!

The planet where Abaddon and his friends were located was truly enormous.

As one of the largest in his collection, it was equal to the size of around ten jupiters mashed together.

It's atmosphere was unpredictable and unfriendly, and the environment is a harsh one.

There are sections of the planet that see near-endless thunderstorms, tornadoes, hailstorms, deserts that beat down on the body with blistering heat, and even an indescribably large jungle.

Along with some... minor magical alterations made by Abaddon himself to make this place feel unwelcoming to even his apex creatures.

If he weren't consciously protecting himself and his companions in a magical bubble, little Courtney likely wouldn't even survive the temperature or the gravitational pressure.

"How are you liking Ke'el, my friends? Is it comfortable?" Abaddon asked with a grin.

The dragons below grimaced as they smiled wryly.

The air on this section of the planet was hot and humid underneath the world's hopeless black sky, so it was no surprise they elected for silence as an answer.

Abaddon dragged his eyes over every applicant present and noted the attendance of a few familiar individuals.

"You are all worthy of commendation for even making it this far, but for those of you who are undergoing this examination for a second time, I am especially pleased to see you here.

It does my heart good to see that you haven't let last year's set back derail your determination. Such a quality is more admirable than you know."

Next to Monica, Adeline Argrona felt her eyes sparkle as she heard those words.

She was usually quite the icy and serious woman, but on the inside she was fawning all over her emperor like a schoolgirl at a Justin Bieber concert.

'H-He looked at me, he acknowledged me! My heart feels like it is going to burst from this feeling! No matter what, I will become a Euphrate and earn your acknowledgement and affections!'

*She would only earn one of those things, but whatever.*

"Now, I hope you all rested properly last night, kissed your loved ones, and even ate a filling breakfast. Because that will be the last time you get to do those things for two whole months."

At this, the applicants sucked their teeth as they tried to stop their eyes from bulging out of their heads.

Abaddon smiled evilly, slightly enjoying this look. "When you arrived at your bases this morning, you all should have received a storage ring from whoever checked you in.

Inside of it, you should find a single week's worth of rations, a sleeping bag, and a flask. Nothing else will appear no matter how much you wish for it."

The dragon held out one of his hands and gestured to the lands around him.

"For a full sixty days, any resources you require must come from this world itself. As you can imagine, this world is harsh so the creatures living here are just as fearsome.

If you want to eat, I guarantee you that it will not be as easy as simply taking something out of the fridge at home.

Forming small cooperative parties between each of you is permitted, but I warn you that it will severely affect our criteria for grading, so I would avoid it if I were you."

The applicants listened to every word of Abaddon's decree, and once they got over the initial shock of it all, they realized that it wasn't quite that bad.

Sure they had limited resources to work with but if it was just living out in the wild... they were still dragons.

They were pretty sure they would be fine.

"Alright, I think that about covers the basics..." Abaddon had to check his fingers to ensure that his notes were right before he continued.

"Now, let's get to the main challenge."

A large hole suddenly opened up in the middle of Abaddon's hand.

Turning his palm downward, he allowed his golden and black blood to fall until it hit the ground underneath him.

From those first few drops, a massive pool suddenly formed.

Just as monsters come out of his flesh; from his blood a trio of enormous abyss walkers appeared.

Each one of them were over one hundred meters in height; slightly bigger than the largest dragon taking the examinations.

Finally, Abaddon waived his hand and the thunderclouds above finally released the deluge of his blood that he had been keeping stored away; signifying the start of the exam.

"Right, now we should... Hm?"

Abaddon looked down to where Mira was tugging his hand and wearing an anxious little look on her face.

"Daddy... can I pleaseee join in too?? It sounds so fun!"

'Sister Mira is a nutcase...' Courtney realized. '...She's so funny!'

Abaddon shook his head as he took Mira under his free arm. "Afraid not, dear. You're already a member of the Euphrates, and the vice captain I might add.."

"S-So? I-I'm not cut out for all this administrative stuff, I can just leave it all to Aunt Kanami!"

Kanami: "Hey!"

"See, she agrees!"

Abaddon smiled as he took his daughter underneath his arm. "Mira darling, I think you're forgetting something. This is the wilderness, so there are no home-cooked meals out here, or pastries of any kind."

Mira took a moment to think about it before she lowered her head in understanding. "O-On second thought maybe I'll just sit in the viewing room with you guys..."

"Speaking of a viewing room, can we go there now??" Belphegor suddenly asked impatiently. "I was promised something important to me and it's time you delivered, nephew."

"Yes, yes."

Abaddon summoned his largest portal yet and swallowed everyone present with it.

The moment that they all left, the unified roar of billions of abyss walkers coming into being was heard throughout the entire planet.

-

Abaddon and his companions suddenly appeared in a room that looked like an upper echelon style country club.

In side of a space with handcrafted hardwood floors, there were several deep leather couches seated in circles around at least ten magical monitors.

A team of maids were already waiting inside; bowing respectively and awaiting to be of service.

The head maid was an older woman with vibrant purple hair and warm olive skin. "Emperor and esteemed guests. Please make yourselves comfortable in this-"

*Whoosh!*

A large gust of wind was created as Belphegor rushed past the maids to head directly for the breakfast bar.

He ignored all of the cooked food and fruit and instead focused on one thing.

The coffee.

"Which one of these is triple shot?"

"T-The one on the far left, General."

Instead of using one of the little coffee cups that was already available, Belphegor summoned a thermos into his hand and pored every drop of dark roast into the pot.

Throwing his head back, audible gulping noises filled the room as he downed every drop in concerning fashion.

Once he was done, he wiped his mouth and let out a satisfied sigh before turning to the head maid; obviously in a much better mood than before.

"Thank you for that, my dear. If it's no trouble I'm going to need another pot in around an hour."

"I shall ensure that there is a constant rotation, General."

"Good lass."

Abaddon rolled his eyes before turning to everyone else.

"As you've just seen, you should all do your best to make yourselves comfortable. We're going to be here for a while."