[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]
Chapter 156
In a certain place.
The sandy area was filled with a mix of numerous monsters and humans.
"Kekeke. We must inject more Oblivion energy. With the First Elder gone, this is the perfect opportunity for us—do you understand?"
"Yes, Fifth Elder!"
Humans were not extracting energy from the monsters but injecting it instead.
The scorpion, bound in chains, writhed due to the injected oblivion energy.
Yet, the shackles that bound its body did not loosen; they tightened even further.
"Elder, all the mutated monsters we sent to the north have been killed."
"Hmm, I see they’re still too weak."
"It seems the Poison Lord intervened and dealt with them."
"With him, he could have easily handled it without any damage."
"Shall we send them again?"
"Send them from all directions to incite fear."
"Hehe, I can't wait to hasten our grand plan."
"No need to rush. Other Elders have disappeared from rushing their operations—I won’t make the same mistake."
"Of course. Aren't you handling this so meticulously that even the Poison Lord doesn't know what's happening beneath his feet?"
The subordinate chuckled slyly.
They were progressing with their grand plan in Orchid Kingdom, that too in its central region, right beneath the Orchid Royal Academy.
It was a secret even unknown to the King of Orchid.
The Fifth Elder had even made its entrance in Heike’s quaters.
The woman whom the King of Orchid adored.
By making her quarters the entrance to the hidden territory, he completely avoided the King’s suspicion.
It was a masterstroke.
By transferring the mutated monsters to the outskirts of Orchid to attack the kingdom, they diverted all the suspicion externally.
"Shall we also send the Death Fiends?"
"If we want to establish that this place is unsafe, we must send them too."
"I will execute it immediately."
"And send the King of Death Fiends as well."
The subordinate's eyes widened.
The King of Death Fiends.
Death Fiends themselves carried massive infectious potential.
But the King of Death Fiends had explosive oblivion energy.
A being so contagious that its mere presence contaminated the air and the earth.
Releasing such a creature meant they were nearing the end of their plan.
"You mean, you're planning for Kane Rehinar."
"The Meyer Family has informed us. They said that the Elders are being continuously defeated by him."
"We will not be defeated."
"He will eventually discover this place."
"We need to be prepared."
"We must recognize that we could end up like the others and complete our mission to the end."
"Is there any doubt? I’ll order the children to release oblivion and contaminate the surroundings."
The Fifth Elder nodded.
And he added one last instruction.
"I’ve heard that Kane Rehinar can even purify the oblivion energy."
"Is he really that skilled?"
"Why else would the Elders be defeated?"
"Once the children are out, if it doesn't work, we’ll detonate this place and retreat."
"We will simultaneously prepare for withdrawal."
The subordinates, understanding the Fifth Elder's intention, moved swiftly and precisely.
They had no attachment to the research they’d done here.
If they returned alive to the Meyer Family, the research data would remain preserved.
First, they sent scouts to observe how the Orchid Kingdom would react.
---
Meanwhile, Kane and King Caspian were wrapping up their conversation.
One of Caspian’s close aides rushed over.
He was the continent’s greatest master of poisons.
Neither the Death Fiends nor mutated monsters were more than a mere amusement to him.
* * *
"Hahaha! Let’s kill them and breach the wall!"
The King of Death Fiends spread his poison with a wave of his hand.
As a powerful creature, he didn’t rely on weapons but wielded magic itself.
Clearing any obstacle before him was trivial.
Boom!
A massive shockwave rocked the ground.
As the King of Death Fiends teleported forward, a hand shot out from the smoke, gripping his ankle tightly.
"Where do you think you’re going?"
"Wha—you're still alive?"
"I’m not that easy to take down."
Kane held onto the King of Death Fiends, channeling his blood mana.
"This technique is called Blood Sword. Try to resist it."
Kane’s mana poured into the creature’s body, flooding it entirely.
"Haha! Foolish creature, to me, mana is power."
"We’ll see how long you keep laughing."
The King of Death Fiends began converting the mana into his own power, but soon found it overwhelming.
The excessive mana filled his body, nearing the point of bursting.
If it continued, his body would explode.
"S-stop it!"
"Exactly two minutes. I’m disappointed in myself, it took that long for you to stop laughing; I thought it would be less than a minute."
"Why are you all just standing there!? Attack him!"
The King of Death Fiends shouted to his comrades, but none moved.
They were all ensnared within Kane’s domain, unable to escape.
"Argh... urgh!"
The King of Death Fiends’ body swelled like a balloon.
"S-stop!"
Despite his cries, Kane continued to inject mana, unrelenting.
Finally, the creature’s body exploded with a loud bang.
The remnants of his deathly and poisonous energy spread outward, consuming the nearby mutated monsters and Death Fiends.
Everything around began to dissolve, the ground instantly corrupted.
As the dust settled, Kane muttered.
"Not a bad move."
"What’s that?"
Blata suddenly appeared and asked.
"They noticed I had arrived and immediately unleashed both the Death Fiends and mutated monsters."
"Even had a self-destruct spell ready at the end."
"They knew they couldn’t win. I’ve been eliminating their elders one by one, so they must have realized Death Fiends alone wouldn’t be enough."
"Could it be they’re scared and trying to flee?"
"That’s likely the case."
"Shit! Then we need to catch them quickly!"
"But if we ignore these creatures to pursue them, we’ll be leaving this place vulnerable."
As they eliminated the Death Fiends and mutated monsters, yet another group appeared—this time in even greater numbers, as if determined to hold them back.
"This time, I might not be able to kill that Elder."
"Kane, are you actually being... considerate? You never really struck me as someone who valued life all that much."
"The Orchid Kingdom could become a good ally for the Rehinar family."
The Poison Lord’s misunderstanding was cleared up, though a lingering doubt remained: the matter of Heike being a spy for the Meyer Family. It would be hard for him to accept that the woman he loved was secretly part of such a devious faction.
Perhaps letting the Elder withdraw from the hidden territory would be a better outcome. That way, the truth about Heike’s loyalty would surface, and he would trust Kane’s words completely.
"Heh? Kane, since when did you become so human? Who are you?!"
"Quiet and start absorbing that energy."
"Ugh, it tastes awful...."
"No blood energy for you."
"Fine, I’ll do it, but only because you asked. You hear me?"
With that, Blata began absorbing the poisoned air filled with Oblivion energy.
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]