"What did you do back there?" Forfex asked, breaking the silence that had settled over them. His voice carried an undertone of awe and concern as he glanced at Minos, even though they were traveling through space via the powers of Devdar's pendant.
Minos reclined slightly, his expression calm but thoughtful. "A trick," he said, his tone asured. "Sothing I learned from a rather interesting individual not so long ago."
At his words, Ruth, Gloria, and Abby turned their attention to Minos, their shared bond allowing them to sense the unspoken na behind his statent. Vicente.
Minos continued, his voice taking on a contemplative edge. "After witnessing our reality from a different angle, I gained a deeper understanding of certain things… including the true nature of Hell itself.
It's not just a place of tornt or an abstraction—there are universal chanisms underlying it. And, as terrifying as it may seem, there are aspects of Hell we can use to grow stronger. Power that extends beyond external resources and our individual abilities, power that exists at the intersections where the rules of reality blur." He glanced off into the distance, as if the mories of what he'd seen had montarily drawn him back to another plane of existence.
"Back there, I kept that Entitled Deity charging at us," Minos said, his gaze hardening as flashes of his conflict with Omus flickered in his mind, "long enough for the Devil that I summoned to arrive."
Forfex frowned, shaking his head slightly, trying to decipher Minos' cryptic response. The explanation wasn't exactly straightforward, though it struck a chord with Ruth, Gloria, and Abby, all of whom had previously set foot in Hell.
Forfex seed troubled, though he did his best to follow Minos' train of thought. Yet one specific worry remained rooted in his mind—a worry heavier than the thods Minos had used. "Won't that be a problem?" he pressed, his insectoid features glinting faintly under the ethereal glow surrounding the pendant. "That Devil… the aura of the entity that appeared while we were escaping—it was… overwhelming. It felt even stronger than Senior Devdar's!" Forfex's voice betrayed both reverence and unease, as though simply speaking of the Devil summoned in those last monts risked drawing its attention.
Minos t Forfex's gaze and shrugged lightly, a small, resigned smile crossing his lips. "I can't guarantee anything," he said with disarming honesty, his tone just light enough to sting with irony. "But think of it this way—it's unlikely that Devil will co after us. At least, not directly."
Forfex narrowed his eyes, unconvinced, but Minos continued before he could object. "The death of an Entitled Deity isn't just uncommon," Minos explained, his voice growing sterner. "It's an event that ripples through the very fabric of the Upper Realm. Sothing on that scale… the strongest will take notice, and they'll act accordingly. Trust , their attention won't remain on small flies like us. Not when forces far above this plane will jockey for influence over what's just happened."
The ambiguity of Minos' answer did little to ease Forfex's worry. If anything, the insectoid man's expression darkened further as he processed the enormity of the events they'd just escaped. The Upper Realm's strongest elite, aware of them—even peripherally—was no small thing to dismiss.
"You keep gambling your life away," Forfex muttered under his breath, bristling slightly as he glanced toward Minos' companions.
The sight of Ruth, Gloria, and Abby—a trio who had walked upon his howorld—reawakened mories. Forfex sighed heavily, recognizing them as part of the group to whom had been on his ho planet and handed over part of his inheritance to his people.
When the fragnt of his soul disintegrated, Forfex received the flood of mories from that part of himself, gaining insight into how far Minos had co.
"Anyway, thanks for saving ," Forfex said, his voice tinged with gratitude and exhaustion. "After my last encounter, that group of high-level Supres controlled by the Entitled Deity started tracking down, dragging back into the sa dire situation. If you had delayed another day, I'm afraid I would have finally t my end."
"That wouldn't be much of a defeat for you. You should already be dead, Forfex," Minos replied casually, his tone light but the underlying truth unmistakable.
Forfex didn't take his friend's words badly. The mory of his precarious situation before mastering the absorbable weapon separation technique was still fresh in his mind. He recalled the day he thought he would perish, caught in the last phase of Devdar's inheritance trial.
Reflecting on it now, Forfex felt an overwhelming sense of relief that he hadn't succeeded in the second phase of the inheritance. Competing with Minos would have been an impossible challenge.
"You're right," Forfex admitted, a chuckle escaping his lips. "I'm living beyond my original ans. Whatever cos now is a bonus." He laughed, the sound carrying a mix of acceptance and relief.
Minos nodded, a smile playing on his lips. He turned to address his companions. "Don't worry about that Devil from earlier," he began, his voice steady and reassuring. "There's a deeper reason soone of that Devil's rank appeared, and it has nothing to do with us directly. There's a silent war raging between Hell and the Upper Realm. There always has been, I'd say. But we're at a critical juncture in the disputes between these two dinsions."
He paused, allowing his words to sink in.
"What happened earlier seems to be tied to this ongoing conflict," Minos continued. "But the man who attacked Forfex likely had broader motives—perhaps he intended to strike at to affect Devdar, or maybe to seize what I'm after. Things are complicated. This could be a simple power struggle within the Upper Realm, or it could be part of the larger conflict between dinsions.
But, let's not forget," he added with a hint of gravity, "I was once a Devil."
"That sounds worrying… But what are you getting at?" Segiel asked, glancing between Minos and the void ahead.
Minos felt the subtle vibrations from Devdar's pendant, signaling that their arrival on the planet he had fled to was imminent. "Nowhere for now," he replied, his tone asured. "Rember this situation today, but don't dwell on it too much. That's sothing for the future. For now, let's focus on taking advantage of the opportunity that Forfex has presented us."
Forfex sighed deeply, a bitter expression crossing his face. "I thought I'd found sothing for myself, but in the end, I won't even be able to use it," he muttered, frustration evident in his voice.
After surviving his defeat in the last phase of Devdar's inheritance, Forfex had lived in hiding, biding his ti until he felt confident enough to seek strength once more.
He had explored uncharted worlds, eventually discovering signs of a great opportunity he believed would speed up his growth. Unlike Minos, who had reached the pinnacle of the 12th stage, Forfex was still at the beginning. However, that very fact beca his downfall. Upon finding what he sought, he realized that without being at least a high-level Supre, he couldn't withstand the pressure of the special dinsion he had uncovered.
Knowing about Minos' situation, he thought of trading information with his old ally. But ti was not on his side. After his discovery, he was relentlessly pursued until Minos saved him.
"I feel like I'll owe you for that," Minos said, looking at Forfex, who nodded in agreent.
"It doesn't matter," Forfex replied seriously. "It wasn't for . At least this will give the chance to see soone who truly has a shot at entering the Upper Realm." He glanced back at Minos, his gaze intense. "I hope you'll only repay once you're in the Upper Realm."
"That's your choice."
"I prefer it that way."
"Then I'll pay you back when I get the chance. For now, tell how to get to that violet dinsion. We don't have much ti before beings stronger than that Entitled Deity co after us." Minos felt Devdar's pendant cease its vibrations, indicating their arrival. However, he was ready to use it again in a few minutes to reach their ultimate destination.
Forfex raised one of his hands, summoning an old, seemingly simple map. As his energy flowed into it, the map transford into a three-dinsional hologram. "I don't know exactly how you'll get there, but we are here," he indicated their current location with a point of his finger, "and the entrance to the dinsion is here."
"I see," Minos muttered, focusing intently on Devdar's pendant. He ignored the surroundings of the place they had arrived at, where a group of creatures watched them with wary eyes.
The Divine Dragon and Minos's companions surveyed the area, but their expressions remained unconcerned. The planet they had landed on was not strong enough to pose a threat to even the weakest among them.
Minos's mind raced, paths forming rapidly in his thoughts as he found the connection between their current location and their destination. "I've found a way," he said after a mont, his heart pounding with anticipation.
'Go on.'
Suddenly, a voice resonated within Minos's mind. He wasn't surprised.
'We'll see soon enough. I personally hope to see how you've grown after these centuries.'
Minos silently acknowledged Devdar's words, then turned to his companions, signaling that it was ti to continue the last leg of their current mission.
"After today, it will be ti to prepare for our entry into the Upper Realm. There is nothing more for us to do in our universe than that."
With those words, he activated Devdar's pendant once more, initiating the last phase of their journey!
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