The Neutral Lands. Mythpoint Reach.
Darkness and warm, moist air filled the centre of the world, making the once gorgeous land seem like a realm for the dead. Crows disgustingly cawed as their black feathers fell from the dried-up trees. The moon hung brilliantly over the smokey, starless skies and the sounds of heaven were utterly drained out. Mythpoint Reach was once lauded as the world's central hub for trade and commerce, a place that knows no war and no battle. Alas, after the advent of the Allfather, the once peaceful region had descended into an abyss that no soul dared to lightly tread.
Nine humongous floating towers encircled the corners of the former trade town, all doing their part to hold onto an impregnable barrier. Illusory chains spread out from all sides of the Payircis as they expanded across the entire Terre Continent, seemingly holding the colossal landmass back in shape. However, those that knew the truth understood that it was far from the case. The gigantic chains were the Allfather's solution to relieving pressure from Mythpoint Reach.
No Spirit Saint in the world could possibly hope to take down the barrier with their own might. Spirit Immortal Dream made sure of that when she designed the blueprints. Using the power of Paradise Hearts scattered all over the globe, the barrier was perhaps the most powerful defensive contraption that ever existed in the mortal world. Even if all the eleven Spirit Saints in the world combined their powers, they were no match for the relic of Spirit Immortal Dream. The only way they could potentially destroy the barrier was to take out all of the Paradise Hearts that powered it. However, that would take a lot of manpower, resources and most importantly, time…
Using that buffer period, the Allfather could move on to the next phase of his master scheme.
The Nine Payircis weren't creating a barrier for no apparent reason… Situated at the centre of it all, was an Obsidian Tree-Like structure. Unlike the World Tree of legend, this Obsidian one lacked the verdant features that any elf would call home. Instead, it was rife with 'dead' branches, blackened by either char or metal. It stood at over three hundred metres tall and possessed an eerie aura that would creep out even the most resilient of minds. It wasn't like the Payircis that protected it. It was an entity on a league of its own. An entity… That ruled over the earth.
A suave, blue-haired man sauntered down the pathway leading into the Obsidian Tree's gates. Thinned down and hollowed eyes, the man seemed to have just gotten out of therapy for his post-traumatic stress disorder. Usually, the blue-haired man would exude confidence with every step that he took, and no one would dare gossip behind his back. However, at this very moment, the man seemed so… small.
Ao didn't really want to show his face after his devastating failure. Not only did he lose the west and the Obsidian Gate that the Black Masks had spent centuries to build, but he had also lost the one human he latched onto the most. Junius, once a rising star for the Black Masks, turned out to be a traitor that backstabbed the Allfather and Ao in the back. Junius had even purified the Allfather's mana that Ao had given him and sent it over to their mortal enemy, the Prince of Water.
The guards didn't utter a single word as the man passed by them. In fact, due to their obsidian masks, Ao couldn't see their expressions at all. However, because of his paranoia, the World Serpent felt that every single one of them were laughing at him. Ao had poured his sweat and blood, nurturing Junius to become the best possible Black Mask operative that he could be. Many wondered why the Tier 9 Spirit Beast cared so much for one human, but the World Serpent didn't heed their words. Ao poured everything he had into that one man, hoping that he could become an irreplaceable asset to the Black Masks.
And look where that got him?
"..." Ao silently walked down the glorious corridors, filled with ostentatious designs fit for the almighty ruler of the criminal syndicate. Tall marbled towers held the ceilings up together as thousands of weird gadgets were encased in glass. Flags with the Allfather's emblem were hung down long poles, creating an atmosphere that could only be described as a throne room.
It didn't take long for the blue-haired man to reach his final destination. A giant obsidian gate with numerous carvings depicting the massacre that occurred five hundred years ago. Thousands of fallen men knelt down in suffering. Some holding onto their throats, some pushing their temples in to withstand the explosive pain, and some simply crying their hearts out. They were all weak and feeble compared to the being that levitated up high in the air.
A single woman looked down without a single trace of empathy. Unlike the brutal massacre that was known throughout the world, the carvings on the gate showed the woman as the one in the right. A monarch punishing the subjects that dared to question her rule. A queen bringing judgement down on those that revolted against her. Ao gazed into the woman's noble visage and let out a humbled sigh.
'Spirit Immortal Dream… The woman that my master reveres… I wonder what she would have done in my situation?' Ao thought to himself before nodding to the two guards holding the door. In response, the muscular Black Masks placed down their weapons and faithfully pushed their palms against the colossal gate. 'Whatever, I can't avoid this forever… Time to face the music...'
Light entered Ao's vision through the slit in the gate. His fate lay beyond the gate and the Tier 9 Spirit Beast would be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. The gates were massive, and it took about twenty seconds for the two doors to be opened in its entirety. Usually, the World Serpent would enter once the gap was big enough, but Ao specifically waited for a reason.
The throne hall, the temple that only the top Black Mask executives could enter, was larger than any structure inside of the Obsidian Tree. Gold and silver towers, laced with exquisite diamonds decorated the imperial hall, making it feel much grander than any other throne room that existed. Although the Black Masks were relatively low-key and spent as little money as they could, the throne hall was an exception for the syndicate.
Why?
Because of the statue that was raised above the most luxurious pedestal in the land.
A young beauty, possibly in her late twenties, was immortalised in stone. No, to call the statue a stone sculpture would be an insult to its maker. Coloured and carved to perfection, it was as if a real person was frozen in place above the marble. It had straight, white hair that flowed down to her waist and a lifelike gaze that would charm any man in existence. Both her eyes highlighted the radiant smile that was plastered on her face. The woman wore a pristine white robe and held onto a thick book, which signified her pure, unadulterated love to the scholarly arts.
The statue was like a deity in a church, ready to forgive the sins of any who prayed using her name. However, the 'people' that were at the bottom of the stairs didn't seem to be in a forgiving mood.
"RARARA! You're finally here, huh?" A fierce crimson-haired man bared his fangs as he watched the World Serpent make his way down the hall. "Rarara! I'd thought that snakes slither fast, looks like that rule doesn't apply to the king of snakes!"
"Akai… Be polite..." A man with roots for legs and thick intertwined branches for arms blocked the redhead from speaking any further. "No matter what... Ao is still our valuable comrade... Aggravating him would do us no good..."
"RARARA! Midori, whose side are you on?! The sinner or mine?!"
"I'm on the side of the Allfather," the Treant promptly replied. Yes, the two voices that sparked through the Throne Hall were that of Akai the Lion Chimaera and Midori the Gargantuan Treant in his dwarfed form. They were both Tier 9 Spirit Beasts capable of destroying a fortress or two with just a flick of their fingers. If the two started to brawl within the hall, it would spell the end for the gorgeously laid out structure. Fortunately, there were seven other entities in the chambers that could keep them in check.
"Ara, ara… Aren't you jumping the gun now, Akai?" A sultry voice, one that resembled that of a courtesan that just got out of bed, broke through the ferocious chatter. Turning their attention to the source of the voice, Akai and Midori saw a half-naked woman with both her breasts out in full view. Boasting vibrant purple hair and white ceramic skin that would make any woman cry in jealousy, the woman was as enchanting as can be. Of course, not that any human male would get hard after seeing her lower body.
"The Allfather didn't say that Ao had sinned. Neither did he say he was going to punish him for Junius' betrayal. Aren't you just conveniently interpreting the Allfather's decision?" The Arachne Queen chuckled as her eight eyes uniformly blinked.
"Rarara, I see that you're still on Ao's side."
"No," the Arachne Queen giggled as her fingers scratched the bottom of her hairless chin. "Like Midori, I'm on the side of the Allfather. Also, if I were you, I wouldn't be so conceited..." Murasaki turned her attention to the pink-haired young girl, who was guarded like a princess by two undead soldiers.
"Nenene, Akai! Since when did you become the Allfather's voice?" Momo cocked her head to the side as she looked cautiously at the Lion in human form. Two rabbit ears popped out from her head, and a pinkish illusory, moon rose out from her back. She looked like she was about to hop right into battle, which looked adorable on the exterior.
Though, Akai wasn't smiling in the slightest. Keeping his sweat in check, the crimson-haired man gulped as he replied: "I haven't… You're still the Allfather's number one."
Momo's rabbit ears twitched twice, and her aggressive mana began to surge down. "Nene! That's more I like it!"
"Hah… Momo you're so easy to control..." The white-haired boy standing next to the Moon Rabbit shook his head like an elder brother looking down on his sister that had been taken in by candy.
"Ey! Shiro! You're mean!" Momo tried to punch the boy, but his reflexes were far too superior. An after-image remained in Shiro's place, and he reappeared just a few metres away.
"Hey! Be careful with that, Momo! You know how powerful your punches are!" Shiro complained.
"..." While the two youngsters were arguing non-stop, Kin and Gin, the only pair that looked like a real family among the entire Nine Coloured Noble Beasts, stared coldly at the pink-haired girl.
'Her relationship with Shiro is getting better,' Kin, the gold-haired woman, mentally sent a transmission to her brother.
'I can see that,' Gin sent back as a frown broke on his face. 'It might be a hindrance in the future… Taking on Momo is hard enough and if we had to fight with Shiro as well...'
'It would be disastrous.' Kin finished Gin's sentence with a grim sneer. 'We should factor in Shiro's involvement in the future if we want to get Momo clean...'
The twins stayed silent, trying not to draw as much attention to themselves as they could. And it wasn't that hard, given that half the group were already in the midst of quarrelling. Ao standing at the centre with Akai breathing down his neck. Though Momo had diffused the situation with her power speech, the two still locked eyes menacingly. And that came as no surprise, given how their elements were literally fire and water.
"Enough..." A low-ringing voice echoed out into the chambers, stunning every single soul that stood within it. The final Noble Beast, the one entity that stood above all of them barring the Allfather, finally made his move. His jet-black hair and equally gorgeous obsidian eyes were stunning to anyone who caught sight of them. However, the real menace was his intimidating aura. The man didn't need to unleash his spiritual pressure to show how powerful he was. Just standing in his presence was enough to force anyone to kneel, let alone the other eight Noble Coloured Noble beasts that were beneath his realm.
With the crowd silenced, Kuro could finally start his interrogation: "Ao… Before the Allfather arrives, tell us what happened." There wasn't any movement by the near two-metre-tall man, but the World Serpent felt that an entire planet had collapsed upon his shoulders. That was the power of a fully grown Primordial Beast, an entity that could make Spirit Venerates cower in fear and Spirit Saints run away. "I don't want a single detail to be missed. I want to know everything… From the first day you've met Junius, to the second he chose to betray us!"
Ao blinked. Like a prisoner put on trial, the World Serpent didn't have the option to remain silent. Not that he had any intention to in the first place. Sighing, Ao finally started to speak...
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