Chapter 411 - The Trio.
With the way Roxy was cradling that scroll, Hal could tell it was an ingenious invention of his,
"What is that supposed to be?" He asked the Runemaster who was now snuggling the scroll against his cheek while his eyes seemed to be sparkling with stars.
"This is most likely my favorite invention and I will never share it with anyone.
Normally, I would explain it to others as they would not be able to recreate it anyways but I have to be extra careful with you as you are a Runemaster" Roxy said and Hal frowned lightly but said nothing.
Eventually, the Runemastsr sighed,
"Anyways. You should try your absolute best to not become engaged in conflict with the top echelons of the Kruger family, but should you face someone with stronger cultivation than yours, then charge this scroll with a lot of cosmic energy and when it is completely charged, the scroll will let you know.
Then it would have become a time-bomb of sorts in the sense that you only have a few seconds at best to get it on the body of your powerful opponent or else...well, let's just say it could be dangerous to you"
Hal took the scroll from him and eyed it for a while before asking,
"What does it do exactly?"
"Can't say. I don't want to ruin the surprise" Roxy said with a particularly nasty smile that put Hal ill at ease but oh well, might as well get this over with.
...
Kruger Estate...
Brian Kruger, Patriarch of the Kruger family was ecstatic. When he had gotten that map at some auction in a black market town, he had absolutely no idea it would bring him such good fortune.
The map had gone for one million blue gems because it was clear that it had value and was important but it was at the same, kind of useless as it made absolutely no sense and no one could read it or make sense of it.
At the time, Brian had mocked whoever was auctioning it out, as he felt they were just too simple-minded to understand it and was sure it would not be the same for someone of his intellect.
(For the Record, Brian is actually a complete idiot)
However, once he got the map and then spent months studying it, he found it truly made no sense and he began to ache at the million blue gems he had practically given away for something so useless to him.
He had begun to despair when he then received a message that someone wanted to acquire it from him.
The map, useless as he thought it was, was still worth a million blue gems and so mostly out of spite for what he believed he had lost, he said he would not give the map up for less than 20 million blue gems.
He felt that should take care of that pestering annoyance so you can imagine his surprise, shock even when a message was returned to him that they were happy to pay the sum.
Brian had shaken with joy and at the same time, his greed swelled as he sent a message to this individual or group,
"Did I say 20 million? I meant to say 30 million. 30 million blue gems"
The reply came slower this time and Brian began to wonder if he had pushed them away with his greed but eventually, the message returned that they would be happy to pay the sum.
In fact, the tone of the reply did not make it sound like it would be a problem for this mysterious buyer and Brian began to wonder if this map was not more valuable than all these riches.
After all, if they were ready to fork out 30 million blue gems, and quite enthusiastically mind you, then surely the map must lead to something even more.
Could it be that it could lead to a wealth greater than the Antonovs or even greater than the Doxons?
Brian shook his head.
He was getting ahead of himself.
It was better he let the map go and accept his 29 million profit.
Or maybe, he could have both.
He thought, why couldn't he keep tabs on them once the map was with them and have them lead him to the treasures?
Brian grinned and licked his lips in anticipation but one thing was for sure which was that for this greedy plan of his to even have a chance of success, this transaction needed to be successful.
And for that, his servants were working around the clock to prepare a wonderful meal for his customers and seal this with a wonderful dinner.
At that time someone ran into the lounging room he was in. He was one of the Kruger family servants and he clearly had news to deliver,
"My lord, they're here" the servant said and Brian's eyes brightened,
"Well, what are you waiting for? Hurry and invite them in" he commanded and the servant bowed out and returned a moment later followed by three.
To be honest, Brian felt a tad bit disappointed as they did not fit the bill at all.
The one in front and seemed to be leading the trio, was a man with multicolored hair and dark green eyes that seemed to have slits in them but that might nave very well being a trick of the light.
However, peculiar as he looked, the other two were far more eye-catching.
The one on the multi-colored man's right was shirtless and showcased his bulging muscles and even then he had a large Axe which he slung over his shoulder and eyed Brian with eyes filled with malice.
And last but not least was the young man with brown hair and golden eyes that even with Brian being born and bred in Doxon knew was a trait of the Dane family on the Silva Duchy.
What was a Dane doing in the Doxon Duchy and in the company of this bunch who did not look like they were on official business for the prestigious family?
The man with multicolored hair bowed slightly to Brian and the other two followed his example.
"Lord Kruger, I am glad we finally meet face to face. I am Pietro and I will be conducting the business to relieve you of the map."
At first, Brian was a little stunned and did not know what to say. The manner in which this multi-colored-haired man had spoken was like a nobleman.
Also, despite the honorifics to his name and the polite bow, there was no respect for him or his position whatsoever. This man was clearly setting a precedent.
A precedent that he was in charge here and this transaction was completely in his control.
Stupid as Brian Kruger was, he knew how best to at the very least regain a semblance of control and that was to try to regain his calm which he did by taking a sneaky deep breath and then he replied in a clear and level tone of voice,
"Welcome, Mister Pietro. I have prepared a nice spread just for you, my servant will lead the way" he said, and said servant who had been sweating bullets at the slight tension in the air, turned to lead the way to the dining hall.
Brian held himself in dignity as best he could and followed after his servant. After all, he was the man of his house and should walk ahead of his visitors.
At least that's what he thought.
Pietro and his fellows did not seem in a hurry to follow after and stayed back a while,
"I still don't get why you insisted on coming personally. Me and pretty boy here could have handled the transactions ourselves." Said the man with the large Ax called Ergo.
Pietro looked back at him and smiled,
"It's fine. Besides, my being here makes sure things go smoothly" he said and led the way after Brian Kruger and his servant.
"Okay then. But since we are both here, I feel it's unnecessary to have had pretty boy come with us"
"Shut up, Ergo" Cirk said with his eyes closed while the ax-wielding muscular man scoffed at how cool he was trying to act.
"He could use the experience" Pietro said.
This only served to irritate Ergo all the more,
"What experience? We are exchanging money for something. How hard can that be...?"
...
At that time,
Hal arrived in front of the Kruger Estate and then put on a mask he had gotten from Roxy. The mark had no straps but had runes etched into it that would stick it to Hal's face.
The only opening on the mask were two slits through which the color of his eyes would be hard to detect and yet were quite easy to see through for the one wearing the mask.
"Just this once" Hal said and tied his long back-length hair into a ponytail.
He was never really a fan of this and always liked to let his hair be free but this was not time for fashion sense as his face wouldn't be seen anyway which was the whole point of the mask in the first place.
Then he activated his {Invisibility} and vanished from the senses of all those two realms above him before he dashed right through the front gate, past the guards, and into the Kruger Estate.
His excitement was palpable...
Chapter 412 - A Leap Attack
With him not being able to use any form of energy, Hal was unable to make use of his Astral perception as even that contained Astral energy. However, being a Devil, his senses had been honed and heightened and while not having the wide range of his Astral perception, it was enough for him to be on the lookout and avoid all those who were above him in cultivation.
Of course, while his senses were heightened, it was impossible for him to know the cultivation of those who were not releasing their pressure or even showing off an inkling of their cultivation base but that was where Grimoire came in handy.
The Artifact could sense the cultivation of any cultivator as long as they were not taking deliberate steps to hide it and even then, as long as those steps did not surpass the Aurora grade, then it would still see through them.
An example of those measures was Emily's mask which was a Saint Rank artifact of concealment and blocked Grimoire's senses on account of the host's (Hal's) low cultivation.
It directed him in regards to the areas where he was to avoid and not to be but its range was not as wide as Hal's Astral perception.
He was still in the peripheral of the estate for now and pushed his speed which he was privy to by virtue of his body being strengthened by his bloodline to hurry to the main part of the estate where the dinner was going to be held.
Once he was in a location that was completely devoid of anyone who could see through his Invisibility, he spread out his Astral perception which in itself was still a risky endeavor as there could very well be a Runemaster on high alert with his perception spread in case someone like Hal was trying to snoop into the estate.
That was why Hal focused his perception on the hallway he and Roxy had decided on earlier which was where the Map was bound to be taken through in order to arrive at the dining hall.
Fortunately, it was free of any foreign perception and he was able to scout ahead before he reactivated his invisibility and snuck fully into the main building of the estate.
Once he was in, a couple of guards were patrolling the building but since they were only at the early stage of the Cosmic Aurora realm, they could not see him,
"The Patriarch is really hyper about this meeting, isn't he? I've heard he has had a nice spread prepared for the visitors" said one of the guards while the other looked at him with a scoff,
"What are you doing trying to be mysterious about the bit of information you got from your lady friend in the kitchens. As though I don't know about your little love affair.
Anyway, you can't blame the master when millions of blue gems are in question. 30 million for that matter" the second guard said with a smug smile on his face.
The first one's eyes widened,
"How can you be so sure of the price?" He asked in awe while the other crew himself up to his full height.
"What do you mean how? Just because we are both guards, don't think you know all there is to know about me. I am connected to someone who serves very close to the Patriarch." The second guard said with his hands folded in front of his chest.
"Really?" Asked the first guard.
Yes, you lowly one. Now bow to my awesomeness" the second guard said clearly being carried away.
At this point, Hal moved on deeper into the building.
If the visitors who wished to buy the map were already here, then the map was sure to be moving to the dining hall soon.
He needed to hurry.
All those he met were mostly at the Cosmic Aurora realm and the most powerful of all the guards and important members of the Kruger family he met were all at the Cosmic Pagoda realm so he was able to move unseen and eventually lie in wait in the corridor for the map.
The hall had arches that were way high up and disconnected from the ceiling so he climed the wall and squatted on one of the arches as he waited.
He did not have to wait long though as soon, the map arrived... In a chest that was being carried by four guards.
The chest he knew must contain the map had handles on its four edges and all handles were being grasped.
Hal's eyes narrowed.
Just how heavy was this map that it required this number to be carried.
He received his answer soon enough,
"This thing is incredibly light. Even with the chest, surely only one of us is required to lift it. Why do we have to be huddled in this manner?" one of the guards whined.
The one in front and was leading, frowned and said in an impatient voice,
"As I have already explained a thousand times already, the Patriarch insisted we lift it this way and so this is how we will lift it"
The whining guard continued to whine while Hal wandered along with Grimoire,
'If he insists they carry it together despite it only containing one map, there must be something to it' Hal thought and studied the chest even more and spotted something that caused his grow to furrow behind his mask,
'Runes'
'Runes'
He and Grimoire said at the same time.
He as a sudden discovery, Grimoire as an answer.
'The runes are way too intricate and attempting to decipher them and know exactly what they do will only give the map more time to get to the dining hall.
Except If you tell me what it is of course' Hal said to Grimoire and the Artifact taking the hint did not even attempt to be difficult.
'If one hand goes off that chest, it will release a pulse that will alert the whole estate'
Hal frowned and while that could very well be troublesome, he decided he could still deal with it if he was quick enough. While it would alert the estate, the first to actually show up would be those at the cosmic phenomenon, Cosmic Aurora and Cosmic Pagoda.
He could simply turn invisible and hide from their sights.
And so with a deep breath, his eyes turned Devil dark behind his mask and he condensed Devil energy into a blade.
Before the guards could begin to notice the appearance of a nefarious force above them, he leaped down and stabbed the whining guard in the heart.
"Ack" the guard only had time to groan in sudden pain before his eyes went lifeless and he let go of the chest.
Of course, before he let go of it, Hal was already grabbing it.
That was enough to stop the alarm from going off but that had never been the point of him grabbing the chest and it would have been pointless had that being the case as the other three immediately let go of it and summoned their cosmic Armaments.
"The Fuck... Who the hell are you?" Asked the leading guard just as the chest let off immense vibrations that reached all parts of the Estate while the guard's eyes widened in surprise.
The vibrations were then followed by blaring alarm sounds that Hal had to admit sounded very earth-like...
...
The Kruger Estate dining Hall...
Minutes before the alarms went off...
The visitors as well as Brian Kruger we're seared at the dinner table with a large spread of delicious meals rich in cultivation resources were laid on the table.
As this was a business meeting first and foremost, there were none of Brian's family members present, and the only one there with him apart from the visitors and himself was his right-hand man, Xerx who was at the late stage of the Cosmic pagoda realm.
Xerx was frowning at the blatant lack of respect for his master that these men were exhibiting. Especially the shirtless man who had been introduced as Ergo.
The moment they were in the dining hall, he made way for his Ax on the dining table before pulling all meals in reach of his hands towards himself without even one word of thanks to his master who made this happen.
Not to mention the uncultured manner in which he ate.
The other two were far more proper in their eating habits but the lack of respect remained evident.
"So where is the payment for the map? Not that I don't trust you of course, but I am old and my poor heart cannot handle the suspense" Brian said.
Ergo still stuffing his face scoffed at the nonsense while Pietro's smile remained the same.
"Of course you can" he said and withdrew a spatial ting from his spatial ring and presented it to the Kruger patriarch fit inspection and after the inspection, Brian's eyes widened at the sheer amount of if blue gems it contained.
He was already fantasizing about what he would use it for when it was snatched from his hand by Pietro,
"You'll get it after I get the map. Speaking of which, what us taking so long?" He asked.
"Please be patient. I have already sent for..." His words were soon interrupted by intense vibrations which were followed by alarm wails.
"What was that?" Pietro asked with a frown.
"I'm sure it's nothing. Just a mist..."
This time he was interrupted by a loud *Bang* that was surely not a mistake and surely demanded attention.
Chapter 413 - You're Scary
Ergo paused stuffing his face and Cirk also perked up to that bang which the Kruger Patriarch could not possibly say meant nothing.
With both Ergo and Cirk knowing how paramount it was that they acquired the map, they both stood up from their seat immediately with Ergo grabbing his ax and they dashed over to sound.
Pietro was however still seated with his brows furrowed while he sighed.
Brian looked over at the two whose backs were already gone from his sights and then to Xerx who seemed to still be tethering on the edge if whether he should go after the sound or stay with his lord in case this multicolored aired man-caused any trouble.
"What are you still waiting for?" Brian asked with a frown and it seemed to jolt Xerx out of his trance-like stare at Pietro.
"I'll be going now, my lord" he said and dashed after the two leaving Brian and Pietro alone.
It was silent for a while and then eventually, more to ease the tension than anything else, Brian asked,
"You won't be going with your companions?"
Pietro's brows relaxed a bit and he said,
"It's not that serious. Yet."
...
So... Hal knew he was in trouble.
Killing the rest of the guards had been incredibly easy as none of them stood a chance against him once he brought Devil energy into play. The energy alone already caused them to feel fear and then he manipulated it into spikes that stuck out all around his body and made him seem like a human porcupine.
However, the lead guard, after getting stuck with multiple spikes and falling fast found the strength to grab the lid of the chest in a last desperate attempt to get the chest from Hal before he died which was still a pointless endeavor regardless.
However, once his hand was on the lid, he slumped backward finally but had a good hold on the lid as he fell and as it had never actually been locked, he was able to open it.
"No!"
'No!'
Hal and Grimoire yelled at the same time and it was because they had both seen the inside of the chest were etched with runes as well and Hal attempted to close the lid shut but it was already too late...
*Bang!*
The activation of the runes once the lid was opened caused a loud bang and a ripple that spread across the entire hall.
Hal instinctively protected himself with Astral energy but that was pointless for two reasons.
First, the runes were of a higher rank than his Astral sense and,
Second, the runes were never meant to harm him physically and that was clear from the fact that they went right through his protection but left him the same as before.
Hal grabbed the map from inside the chest and sent it into his Inventory just as he discovered what the runes had caused; they were anti-concealment runes at the sixth rank and would render all concealments useless for thirty minutes or so.
So you can see how he was in trouble. The most important part of his getaway plan was now ruined and the impact became all the more clear when a swarm of guards arrived and the one leading pointed at him,
"There he is, there is the intruder!"
Hal resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he thought,
'What gave it away, you idiot? My totally black clothes or my mask?' and formed blades on his arm with Devil energy while he began to radiate fear by also initiating the Devil shroud so that his whole firm seemed to be releasing nightmarish vapor.
"The hell..." Began one of the guards before he was stabbed by Hal and his body kicked back into other guards.
The rest were quick to summon their cosmic Armaments and swarm him.
With this first response team of guards being mostly at the peak of the cosmic Armament realm and the mid-stage of the Cosmic phenomenon realm, Hal was far from worried.
However, he was not here to battle and knew from what Roxy had told him that it was not the guards he really needed to worry about.
It was the Kruger estate protection itself that was worrying.
Once they put up their protective Array which would not allow anyone to come in or out, then it would be so much harder for him to leave.
Even with a portable teleportation scroll.
And then, to use the teleportation scroll itself, he needed to at least be a little out of range of the guards to get the required breathing room.
This was getting more difficult by the second.
Funny thing was, Hal was still quite excited as he worked through the guards and cut down as many as made the mistake to get close to him, and then he sighted someone staying a few meters away from where he was with the guards.
The young man had also summoned his cosmic armament but his clothes were different from that of the guards. He was dressed as a man of status.
Probably one of Brian Kruger's children or at least a member of the Kruger family.
Hal felt it was to be expected that members of the family would be alerted to the commotion but he had thought it more likely that they would let the guards handle it rather than get their hands dirty.
And for the most part, he was right.
Members of the Kruger family were not too worried as they felt their family had good enough security to take care of an intruder, this particular member was just a little peculiar.
He was releasing the pressure of his cultivation as he looked at Hal who was still cutting down guards and getting ever closer to making it out of the main part of the Kruger estate and Hal could feel they were actually in the same realm of cultivation.
The young man's eyes were wide with battle lust and he dashed towards Hal.
He moved so fast in fact that it almost took Hal by surprise. His cosmic Armaments were two daggers connected by a chain making it more clear how he preferred to fight;
Up close and personal.
Hal sidestepped and the young man's dagger stab missed him.
"Young master Bray" chorused a number of the guards while the young man ignored them while he licked his lips and looked closer at Hal's mask,
"Oh look, I missed" he stated the obvious before he whirled around and attempted another stab which Hal deflected with his arm.
As this was battle mode, Hal's cultivation was out on display but it made more for comparison as he was mostly relying on the power of his Bloodline...
Speaking of which,
"You're scary" Bray said, obviously referring to the fear Hal was radiating which he could definitely feel.
The weird part was that he could fight despite that.
And he was quick. Too quick in fact, it almost felt as though his feet were not touching the ground.
Looking down at his feet, Hal understood why,
"Body skills" he said in a low voice indicating the skill circles that showed wherever Bray's feet touched.
"Good eye" the Kruger youth said before twisting in incredible speed to stab at the top of Hal's head...
Chapter 414 - If A Chance Should Present Itself...
Hal parried the dagger with the blade formed from Devil energy and struck towards Bray's midsection but he was able to evade thanks to a healthy combination of his Body skill and good instincts.
At this point, the guards had given the two a wide berth while they made a circle around them. Some of them. actually attempted to move closer but Bray glared at them. with eyes filled with malice,
"Get back!" He said and they did so with a frown.
Everyone in the family knew how battle-crazy Bray was but none of them really believed he could defeat Hal on his own since guards with the same cultivation had fallen in a matter of seconds.
Of course, the speed of their death was mostly due to the paralyzing feeling of fear Hal was exuding.
Hal, however, smiled behind his mask but was in no mood to drag this out as he initiated {Fear!},
The degree of impact was so much more than the fear he had been radiating and as cold sweets covered the Kruger youth's back, he attempted to fight despite the feeling and then Hal said,
"Kneel!"
The tone of his voice contained such authority that Bray's body was already reacting before he could try and fail to snap out of it, and then...
*Bam!*
Hal closed the short distance between them and kneed Bray's jaw so hard that it caused him to blackout and then Hal made to stab him with his Devil energy blade but just then, someone forced their way into the encirclement of guards, knocking some of them out un the process and swung his ax at Hal,
"I'll be taking the map back now" the new arrival said,
Hal's eyes widened behind his mask at the sheer force behind the ax swing and only just made it out of the way before it could hit him.
Only just.
Ergo looked the masked man up and down and felt the fear he was giving off before grinning,
"You seem like a worthy foe. A little on the weak side but I'll make it last" he said and gripped his ax tighter.
Hal frowned as he noted that getting the map back seemed a secondary concern of the newcomer,
'Great' he thought 'Another battle crazy asshole'
That said, the pressure this shirtless arrival was giving off was one of someone at the mid-stage of the Cosmic Aurora realm and while Hal could see himself probably holding out against such, the ax in his hand made things difficult.
Unlike when he had sparred against Cirk, Ergo was flooding his ax with cosmic energy and it was giving of the energy signature of an Aurora grade Artifact.
Suddenly, Hal felt a sharp pain in his thigh and looked down to see Bray grinning,
"Gotcha" he said with blood trickling down the side of his lips.
Hal groaned but was not too worried as he could feel the wound already closing up just as the Kruger youth's cosmic daggers dispersed.
He made to retaliate but never got the chance as Ergo was swinging his ax at him again and forced him to leap back and out of the line of attack.
However, Ergo the shirtless was not going to let Hal out of his range of attacks and pursued.
Soon they were crossing weapons: Artifacts against Devil energy blade and Hal was losing big time.
His strength was far from enough to hold back Ergo who, apart from having a higher cultivation base was also bulky and that added to the physicality of Contact. So he decided on a different approach.
Actually getting the idea for Bray the grinning battle-crazy idiot.
At this point, more guards were in the courtyard but none of them interfered with the battle and eventually, two others arrived at the scene.
They were none other than Cirk and the Kruger Patriarch's right-hand man, Xerx.
Xerx ran towards Bray who was still on the ground,
"Young master Bray" he said with concern and lifted the wounded Bray away but not before the Kruger youth snarled,
"I want to fight him" he said, obviously referring to Hal but Xerx just lifted him away and gave him to some of the guards who looked relieved to be able to leave here without looking like a bunch of wimps,
That said, the reality at the moment was that they were useless whether they stayed or left.
Hal on the other hand, while still attempting to fend off Ergo was more than a little surprised to see Cirk here. His presence here as well as his next words made more than clear that he was a part of the Organization the princess was against.
"Need any help?" Cirk asked.
Ergo scoffed,
"From you? You must be out of your mind." Ergo said.
It was no wonder why he said so. Hal was giving off the pressure of a mid-stage cosmic phenomenon realm cultivator and yet he had so far avoided all his attacks and even though Ergo was sure evasion could not work forever, this opponent was still leagues above Cirk who was one stage higher in cultivation.
That said, he could have at least accepted Cirk's help and have them overwhelm this thief.
How long had Cirk been a part of the organization? Hal could not help but wonder before he smiled to himself and decided, that if a chance should present itself, he would kill the bastard now that he was no longer under his father's and family's protection.
Cirk was also wondering why this thief felt familiar. Even the fear he was feeling despite not being close to him was familiar and he could not for the life of him put his finger on why.
Anyway, Hal felt it was about time he tried that different approach and so he switched from Devil bloodline to Shadow demon and even summoned Reaper with the scythe looking wickedly deadly.
Ergo grinned even wider at this,
"Oh, what is this? A different weapon, well, two can play that game..." He said and summoned his cosmic Armament which was a grey battle ax but did not keep his Ax artifact away but would instead dual wield.
Hal was not worried though as the Shadow demon bloodline transition was mostly to buy himself time to run down the clock and be able to turn invisible to their senses again.
Also, he had the scroll from Roxy in his hand and was charging it with Astral energy as had been instructed by the Runemaster and could not wait to see what this puppy could do.
Ergo soon found out that the weapon change went farther than simply preferred choice when Hal began to move so fast, he could barely keep up but on the one occasion he was able to catch Hal in a physical standoff, Ergo let his frustrations show.
"Nggh" Hak groaned in pain as he was hit to the ground and Ergo grinned before bringing down his cosmic armament on a prone Hal who raised Reaper to intercept.
Then Ergo took advantage of having two weapons as he struck with his Ax artifact while Hal's hands were busy holding back his cosmic Armament with the scythe.
However, just then, something sprung out from Hal's sleeves, so fast that Ergo did not get a good look before it sunk its fangs into his wrist and disappeared back into Hal's sleeves.
Ergo groaned in pain as the point that had been bitten swelled while the poisonous vapor Sassy had passed into him caused his hand to turn green. Ergo stood upright and quickly used cosmic energy circulation to eject the poison and he was able to clear it all up since his cultivation surpassed Sassy's.
He knew he had brought this upon himself because, despite the dual wielding, he was still toying with Hal.
Hell, he had not even used a cosmic aurora so far.
However, it had given Hal enough time to not only shake off the effects of the trap runes but also charged up the scroll which caused his hand to tingle as a signal that it was ready.
He then smacked it onto Ergo's body and it immediately caused spatial distortion as barely a second later...
"What the hell is this...? Arrhhhhhh"
... Ergo was forcibly sucked into the void.
Chapter 415 - Closed Void.
Author's note: There's a bit of an info dump in this chapter but it is unavoidable and much better to get out of the way now because it might be a very important part of the story going forward.
For what reason this is... Well, a certain granny who can manipulate space thanks to the Ordinance of space does come to mind.
-----------------------------------------------------
In the Void...
Ergo looked around at the eerie emptiness and then wondered, despite already sensing the similarity between this space and the path between teleportation circles,
"Where the hell am I!" He had just asked this when a sharp pain descended on him and he yelled,
"Ahhhhh"
As he screamed in pain, he raised his hand, which had already dropped his ax, to eye level and his eyes widened when he see it contorting and deforming in shape.
It was not just his hands that were getting deformed, his legs were also getting deformed, and he forced cosmic energy circulation and his own physical strength to bring it back into its normal shape.
However, this was only a temporary solution as the process once again began from the beginning.
To make things worse, his cosmic energy was getting expended at an insane rate...
...
Back on the outside,
The eyes of everyone at the scene widened as they all wondered what the hell just happened but it was Cirk who vocalized their thoughts,
"Where is he? Where the hell did you take him?" He asked.
Hal's eyes narrowed behind his mask as he was asking himself that very question.
From the spatial distortions, he knew Ergo must now be in the void, but where exactly in the void and what was his fate in the void was the real question,
Grimoire, however, chuckled,
'That Roxy fellow is really ingenious. Actually having the guts to actually weaponize a closed Void. Impressive indeed' it said.
While Hal had never really dabbled in spatial and void runes, he knew the gist of the situation even better now that Grimoire had used the term: Closed void.
Basically, the making and use of Teleportation circles were through two types of Runes, Spatial and Void.
Spatial Runes are employed in the making and operation of Spatial treasures and the logic behind them is simple enough.
The spatial Runes are manipulated to create a different dimension within the spatial treasure. Of course, the treasure in question, be it a bracelet, a ring or a pouch must have been made with space in it no matter how small and it is this space that becomes a base and foundation for the dimension it is to contain.
So in essence, even before the addition of spatial runes, the rings and bracelets are made to be hollow and then later fortified with strengthening runes to improve their durability.
Anyway, it is simple when written or spoken but the actual making of it is tedious and dangerous. More so for rings and bracelets where the space to be used as a foundation is tiny at best and minuscule at worst.
It does not matter how experienced a ringmaster is in the manipulation of spatial runes, they need to be incredibly careful with it. It is why they cannot implement it for attacks during Rune battles.
Then you have those who are involved in the making of Teleportation circles who not only need spatial Runes, they need Void Runes as well.
When two circles have been drawn in different locations, the spatial rune creates a dimension and Void Runes connects those dimensions. Not to mention, it also takes care of the movement through the void.
Now, a closed Void is a dimension that is only meant to be opened once. In other words, there is no designated way out and it lacks the stabilizing runes of a spatial treasure and will harm all things within it.
In fact, it is impossible to stabilize and is essentially a mistake.
A dangerous one.
One that has caused the brutal and wrenching loss of body parts.
Once it occurs in the process of spatial and void rune manipulation, it must be closed immediately or it would swallow all things in its immediate vicinity before imploding. It can not be outrun.
And yet, this closed void that is a mistake, a dangerous mistake, is what Roxy had found a way to manipulate and turn into a weapon.
He somehow found a way to make a deliberate mistake. A deliberate mistake that had the potential to swallow him whole.
Hal and Grimoire could only imagine how many errors he had made and now Hal could understand why there were so many spatial distortions in his workshop.
"That crazy bastard" Hal mumbled and he was absolutely right.
Roxy was crazy.
But craziness in his case might truly be another word for genius.
This was a type of Rune technology that runemasters could spend so much time and resource on and not be able to reciprocate.
The funny thing is that what some Runemasters don't know about spatial and Void Runes and why they are more difficult to use is because they were a blatant attempt to make use of an Abstract Ordinance.
What they lose body parts for is something someone like Isabella Dane who merely has insight into the Ordinance of Space as of now can do without batting an eye.
Hell, the way she moves by warping space is a clear example of a manipulation of space and void.
Anyway, Hal did not allow his one-second contemplation slow him as he turned and sneered at Cirk from behind his mask and answered the Dane youth's question,
"Hell if I know" he said and vanished only to appear in front of Cirk, swinging his scythe to skewer him.
There was no way Cirk could hope to avoid the strike but it would seem that in his excitement to kill Cirk, Hal had forgotten there was someone else here and this was not referring to the guards who he could never be worried about,
Fast as he was, he was nowhere as fast as Xerx who, being at the peak of the Cosmic Pagoda realm, vanished and stabbed him with his sword cosmic Armament while there was a faint outline of a complete Pagoda with four floors behind him,
"Too slow" he sneered as his sword went right through Hal before he had any hope to dodge.
However, before he could celebrate his successful attack, he noticed his sword did not feel like it was inside something real. It felt like it was in... a shadow... a mirage.
The shadow mirage looked at him and strolled closer in barely a blink of an eye,
"Well, aren't you chipper?" He said with a cheerful voice before melting away.
Xerx turned towards the real Hal who waved at him.
In truth, he was actually relieved as had he been a second later in the creation of his mirage, he could very well be at the business end of the angry man's sword.
Also, Grimoire had an alert,
'Super strong dudes incoming' it said.
'*sigh* Guess I'll let Cirk live for now' he thought as he felt it would be quite unwise for him to pursue when this was his time for a quick getaway.
"See ya" he told Xerx with a wave and turned invisible just as a Cosmic Aurora was sent to where he had been but a moment before.
*Bang!*
Normally, it would gave hit but Hal was already changing direction before he even vanished and so the attack missed.
Chapter 416 - Escaping By An Inch.
Just as he ran as fast as his legs and body could take him out of the sight of those super strong dudes who would definitely be able to see through his invisibility,
Brian Kruger and Pietro arrived at the scene and once Pietro who had sensed the disappearance of Ergo's energy beforehand saw that he was not there, he feared the worse and frowned deeply while releasing his pressure and unleashing a terrifying area of effect attack.
The thing was, despite this, his cultivation remained hidden from their senses as the attack spread out,
*Boom!*
The attack was impressive and had Hal been closer it would have blasted him so hard he would hardly have any strength to defend himself. Especially since he was not making use of any energy in his invisible state.
Luckily, he was already far away (never underestimate his natural speed even without the use of energy as this was a part of him that was always improved and strengthened whenever he advanced to a new cultivation stage or another Bloodline stage) and the farther the attack from the source, the weaker it was and the easier it was to evade with a well-timed leap.
The same could not be said for the guards however as not only were they close to the source of the attack, they were also not powerful enough to defend against it like Brian and Xerx, although it was far more difficult for the latter.
Also, they had not been exempted from it as Cirk had been.
"He's still here" Pietro said in a low voice that seemed close to a snarl and then,
*Bang!*
Something sounded but they had no idea where it came from and then it sounded again,
*Bang!*
And this time, the sound came with a visible crack in the space before them, and through that space came to struggling deformed arm holding an Ax tightly in its fist which against all odds was actually still normal.
Soon, Ergo dragged the rest of his body out of the void, and the space imploded behind him along with a force that blew away all the guards who had actually remained standing.
Brian frowned at the treatment of his guards but said nothing while Pietro could not care less about them and focused on the bloodied and deformed Ergo.
His exit from the void should have been impossible but as Roxy had been working to weaponize Void space, it was not yet completely sealed and as such, once Ergo fought against the pain of deformity while it was taking his all to retain his head as well, he began attacking the little crack he noticed and forced it open despite the pain he was feeling.
That he had done so without losing body parts even though they were deformed was quite commendable but that was where it ended as he fainted while Pietro's frown deepened before his form shimmered and...
*Boom!*
He released an explosive sound as he went at the full speed of his cultivation and covered the distance that had taken Hal minutes in barely a second but then the energy signature he had been sensing vanished suddenly and he lost his sense of direction.
He did not stay there for long though as he went to search any traces of the thief who dared harm his companion and steal something his Master wanted.
Meanwhile, Hal was inside the Harem space...
He had sensed the super-fast super strong dude getting closer and Grimoire had also alerted and said the newcomer's cultivation was impossible to sense.
He made a snap decision to hide out in the Harem space.
However, there was a reason he had not done this from the beginning and that reason was none other than the Kruger family Array.
You see, the Harem space was a dimension but it was unique in the sense that it was not enclosed in anything. It was not in a ring, a bracelet, or a pouch. It simply existed in the space around Hal.
However, it was anchored and Hal was its anchor.
He kept it grounded and tethered.
He was the key to entering it.
It was why, even though he had given his ladies permission to exit and enter the Harem space when they wished, they could only do so when they were close to him.
No spatial ring, bracelet, or pouch could enter into the dimension it contained but Hal could enter the Harem space and leave at will which was already a unique privilege.
However, the Kruger family Array was sure to force him out should it be activated.
Before he left, Hal had asked Roxy about the Array while they planned for the worst-case scenario and the Runemaster had insisted that it was incredibly powerful and intricate.
Once he revealed the true nature of the Array to him (After fishing for a compliment by emphasizing how dangerous it was to get the information despite Hal knowing the truth which was that his urge to research all things relating to teleportation was what had led to discovery) Grimoire had pointed out that should the Array be activated, it would not only make it impossible to Teleport out it in, it would also make it impossible to hide in a pocket dimension.
Funny thing was, the Array had not been created with this in mind. This was just an unplanned advantage through an endeavor to make the Array stronger by boring down on Spatial runes and it ended up being a bane to Hal's entry of the Harem space.
While the Array could not possibly force the ladies in the Harem space out, it would still force Hal, the Dimension's anchor out.
Of course, there was a way around this which was for Hal to surpass the array. Either in Astral sense or cultivation.
However, as the Array was Rank 7, that was impossible at the moment.
Hiding out and waiting for the Array to force him out was only going to spell trouble.
After all, once back outside, he could not be invisible forever. The ability drained his energy as well.
The best plan was to use the teleportation scroll and leave here soon as possible.
Time was running out.
Outside the Harem space, Brian had summoned the Rune circle that commanded the Array and had begun its activation.
Even retrieving thousands of Blue gems to power it.
There was no half-assing this. You either power the Array completely or you don't power it at all.
He groaned at the amount he was spending but satisfied himself with what he would gain once he had the map and could finally complete this transaction.
Fortunately, Hal was in the mansion and the time-warping Array gave him time to think up a plan.
And he really needed one.
The moment he went of the Harem space, he would be sensed by Pietro and with such a terrifying speed, he truly doubted he could have time to charge the Teleportation scroll before he was snatched off of it.
That said, it would only take the Kruger patriarch 6 seconds to power the Array, and that only gave Hal 60 seconds in the mansion to come up with a plan.
The plan he came up with was simple but needed accurate calculations.
He charged up the Teleportation scroll and then opened the portal of the Harem space and dropped it on the ground.
The scroll was ready to go and should it leave before him, that was the end, but Hal was confident.
He stepped out of the Harem space and immediately, Pietro's widespread senses picked him up. Even easier now as Hal was no longer attempting invisibility.
Just as his feet touched the scroll, Pietro was suddenly reaching towards him having noticed the scroll as well,
"You're not getting away" he snarled and was an inch away from his long ponytail but Hal's calculations had been on point and he vanished into the void right as Pietro's hand tightened around nothing but air...
Chapter 417 - Paranoid Or Cautious?
Hal's timing could not have been better, especially since right at the moment Pietro's fist was closing around thin air, the Kruger family Array was also activated.
The whole Estate was enclosed in an Array dome of swimming runes but none of that mattered to Pietro whose frown got deeper and it took all he had not to yell at the sky in frustration.
While he was still rooted to the spot with his fist clenched, Brian and Xerx joined him while Cirk was not too far behind and had the deformed Ergo on his shoulder.
"Where is he?" Brian asked and Pietro turned his head to look at him and the look in his very annoyed eyes struck fear into the heart of the Kruger Patriarch and for a split second, he thought he saw a shadow of something monstrous and immense behind Pietro.
"He's gone" Pietro eventually said and lowered his hand before turning away from the frightened Kruger Patriarch and to Cirk,
"How is he?" He asked Cirk who knew the question referred to the deformed man on his shoulder and when he made to answer he was interrupted,
"I'll live... My ax...?" He asked.
Once Cirk got over the fact that, injured as he was, Ergo could still speak, he answered,
"I have it with me. In my spatial ring"
Ergo nodded as best he could,
"Good. I still need it to kill that little fucker for what he did to me" he said.
Cirk surprised his brows and decided not to point out that they had no way of knowing who the 'little fucker' was. That said, he was still feeling a sense of familiarity with the stranger and he had no idea why.
"Deactivate the Array" Pietro told Brian in a slow and dangerous voice that jerked the Kruger Patriarch back into awareness.
"What about what we agreed upon?" Brian asked.
Pietro took a deep breath and let it go,
"Take down the Array... I won't ask again"
This time, his eyes flashed and Brian finally took It as a sign that without the map, there could be no transaction and he had now not only lost the thousand blue gems he used to activate the Array for nothing, he had also lost the million blue gems he had used to purchase the map in the first place.
He waved his hand and the Rune circle which controlled the Array moved over to where he was and he deactivated it right there and then but his blue gems could not be recovered.
His heart ached as he watched the swimming runes disperse but there was nothing to be done.
"Let's go" Pietro said and walked away with Cirk close behind towards their carriage to finally leave the Kruger Estate.
The whole trip had been filled with nothing but disappointment.
...
Meanwhile...
While Disappointment and loss was very palpable in the Kruger estate air, Hal appeared above the Teleportation circle in Roxy's workshop and immediately fell down as his legs shook.
They shook partly from excitement and partly from how close he was to be at the mercy of a semi-saint.
After all, while he could not tell what the multicolored-haired man's cultivation was, the fact that he could see through his invisibility put him at least in the semi-saint realm.
"Well, color me surprised. You actually survived. Did you try my invention? How was it?" Rocky said?
"Would you allow me a second to breathe before asking your questions? Also, you didn't expect me to survive?" Hal asked.
Roxy shrugged,
"Well, the whole idea was insane and since you said yes, I actually believed you were just a brain-dead daredevil" he said.
Hal narrowed his eyes as he took off his mask and placed it on the runemaster's desk but said nothing.
"So did you use it?" Roxy asked again and his eyes were wide and bright.
"Yes, I did" Hal told him and the Runemaster clapped with joy,
"What did you think?" He asked.
"That you are insane" Hal told him but the runemaster waved him off,
"Oh stop, you're making me blush" he said and Hal gave him a look that showed it was not meant to be a compliment. Roxy took it as one all the same.
"So you sent someone to the void" Roxy said and he seemed to find it amusing and Hal could not help but find that reaction creepy.
Don't get him wrong, he could not care less if someone died, but the possible cataclysmic consequences of tampering with a Closed Void were so dangerous not to anyone else but to Roxy himself in the process of his research that the Runemaster's amusement truly... Creeped him out.
If this was not suicidal tendencies, Hal did not know what was.
"It took me so long to get it right. It's a shame I did not get to see its effect on someone. The most I've done is use it on pieces of furniture." He said with a grin and turned to his desk.
"I doubt there's that much difference" Hal said and the Runemaster turned to him sharply.
"Of course there's a difference. Furniture doesn't scream" he said.
Hal could concur with that but did point out,
"The one I used it on didn't scream either"
Roxy picked up a scroll and from the Runes and Spatial distortions, Hal knew it was another closed void scroll,
"I'll just do a little more tinkering and have it ready for the next time they come to my shop" he said.
"Who are 'They'?" Hal could not help but ask.
Roxy shrugged,
"Could be anyone. Influential families, secret Organizations. Literally, anyone who would love to employ my service. 'They' could even refer to the Duchess"
"Because you work for the Princess?" Hal asked.
"No, I don't. I work for no one and this was me doing her a favor. I made my own choice" Roxy said.
"So... You really think everyone is out to get you? That's overly paranoid, don't you think?" Hal said.
Roxy looked up from the scroll he was inspecting with his Astral sense,
"You say Paranoid, I say Cautious. Doesn't change the fact that I've survived this long regardless." He said.
Hal nodded as he could not argue with the results. At least not for now.
"Thanks for your help" Hal told him as he made his way towards the stairs that led back to the ground floor.
"You're welcome to stay and watch me tinker with this scroll. Closed Void is super fun"
"And super dangerous. Besides, I already had plans that did not involve losing body parts" Hal replied and continued up the stairs before,
"Oy" Roxy called and tossed his mask to him, "I already have them spying on my shop, I don't need them thinking I know the thief as well." He said and Hal caught the mask right as Roxy added,
"That's yours now"
Hal nodded and stealthily kept the mask in his Inventory before crossing the rest of the stairs and was out of the basement workshop.
He went out of the shop and out into the Capital streets where he once again brought out the golden chariot and drove it to the Sensual Palace where he was allowed entry.
It didn't take him that long before he was at the main part of the palace which was residence to the Antonovs.
He went into the Harem space first to freshen up and change out his dark clothes into something more homely and when he came out of it, he headed right for the dining hall where the Antonovs were already seated.
Chapter 418 - Meet The Antonovs!
Walking into the dining hall, the first thing that came to Hal's mind was,
'I'm in a world of grey'
All eyes that turned to him were grey as synonymous with the Antonov bloodline. Not one of all those present had a different eye color.
These were the core of the Antonov family. Emily and Amelia's immediate family.
The two young men sitting side by side on the right side of Anton who was at the head of the table looked to be in their thirties.
Of course, their actual age was sure to actually surpass that and they had inherited the Antonov good looks.
On the other side was Emily right after Anton and then Amelia who smiled at Hal.
After Amelia was Rita and Karmen and then a seat was skipped after which we have the cousins.
Children of the Antonov brothers.
There were five of them. Two young men and three young ladies whose countenance as they looked at Hal went from an interest in his looks accompanied by a lick of the lips to cold indifference.
In case you are wondering, they are all older than Amelia. Having been conceived long before Emily even decided to leave the Doxon Duchy.
If there was one thing Antonovs or even cultivators, in general, had in common, it was that when they were ready to procreate, they had the number of children they were satisfied with, and then focused on cultivation.
Especially for ladies who would actually be handling the childbearing which would halt their cultivation until they had delivered.
Only the Antonovs were at the dinner table. Occasionally, the family had dinner together which usually, included the partners of the Antonov brothers and mothers of their children, but it was not the same for today.
Even Noelle was absent.
"Sorry I'm late" Hal said and moved over to the seat beside Karmen which had been saved for him.
Anton smiled lightly, but it was one of the brothers who spoke up,
"No worries. We only just arrived." He said while stroking his jaw and occasionally pulling at his beard,
"Speak for yourself, Dimitri" Emily said.
"You always take forever to get ready" added his brother who unlike Dimitri was beardless.
"I do not" Dimitri said and then cleared his throat before adding,
"And even if I do, it's only because my beard needs extensive grooming. I get that you're smooth as a baby, Andrei, and won't be able to understand the responsibilities that come with having a beard" he said.
There was a collective groan after this and the only one who did not make the unanimous sound apart from Dimitri was Anton who simply shook his head, seemingly at his family's absence of manners.
"That's all you talk about now, your Beard. I could grow one too you know. I just don't see the point of having hair sticking out of my face" Andrei said.
"Well, of course you don't see the point. You can never pull it off" Dimitri said with even more exaggerated stroking of his beard.
"I'd like to pull it off your face" Andrei said and there was a seriousness to his smile after he said it that made Hal think he was genuinely serious about it.
From this exchange, Hal had gotten the gist of the two brothers' personalities.
Although it would be presumptuous for him to assume he already knew everything about them from just one meeting and a few words, he felt Dimitri was the more laid-back one while Andrei was much more serious.
"I'd like to see you try" Dimitri said with another stroke of his beard while Anton glared at the two,
"Boys, we have guests" he pointed out and the two went quiet for a while only for Anton to say,
"But you really are obsessed with your Beard, Dimitri. Not everyone is as enthusiastic with facial hair as you." He said.
"Ah ah" Andrei said in triumph but Anton was not done,
"That said, you truly can't pull off a beard son" he said to Andrei whose face blanked while Dimitri bellowed out his laughter.
Emily rolled her eyes,
"Do you always have to give these arguments credence by participating?" She asked her father.
"Well, I can hardly help it. They usually raise some good points." Anton said with a smile.
"Good points? Last time, it was about whose favorite color is best, Dimitri's red or Andrei's white?" Emily said in an exaggerated tone of voice.
There was a collective sigh of concurrence following her words as the young generation agreed with her.
Anton nodded despite her reprimand,
"And I still say red. I mean, what sort of favorite color is white? Sorry son, but you're boring" he said.
Andrei clutched his chest,
"Father, you hurt me" he said in a falsely pained voice while Dimitri tilted his head upward with smugness.
Then Anton cleared his throat,
"Well, I guess it might be seen as rude if we just jabber on in front of guests." He said.
Hal shook his head,
"Not at all. You're just conversing with your family, there's nothing rude about that" he said.
"If one can't be free with family, then who can one be free with?" Rita added.
Anton nodded,
"Wise words. I have a feeling we are going to get along swimmingly" he said.
'Don't encourage him' Emily told Hal and Rita telepathically but Hal only chuckled.
"Let me introduce the family, these are my sons, Andrei and Dimitri and these are their children..." Anton said and then began to introduce them one by one,
The two boys were brothers born to Dimitri and were named Boryan and Cheslav with Boryan already following in his father's footsteps to spot a beard.
Hal's observation of the two boys was that they did not like him. The only difference lay in their degree of dislike for him.
The three girls were named Nicole, Jelena, and Vanya.
Hal's observations of the ladies were as follows;
First, they were all very beautiful with nice assets. Well worthy of being related to Emily and Amelia.
Second, Jelena could not stop staring at him and that went beyond simply admiring his looks. She wanted him and she was not hiding it as she winked at him constantly while also blowing kisses.
But it was also clear that she was the most outgoing of the three sisters and probably had the most partners.
Once she aged further, she would most likely have a dual cultivating cauldron as well.
Second, Nicole was cold. Her expression and her attitude. She was still a dual cultivator. Just more of the Dominating and sodomizing type.
As for Vanya. She was kind if in the middle. Not as outgoing as Jelena and not as cold as Nicole, but she was trying her best to act indifferent to him.
That said, the three ladies regardless of how they acted to Hal were all intrigued since, although their Aunt had not outright said it, they knew he had something to do with the curing of her condition.
"So... The man from Silva" Andrei said and his eyes narrowed and seemed to be the start of a deep tension but then he smiled widely,
"Well, maybe not all of them are actually prudes. Is the righteous path of Dual cultivation finally gaining more ground in that uptight Duchy or are you only one of the few?" He asked.
Chapter 419 - Adversity Breeds Growth.
"One of the few, I'd say" Hal said with a small as maids walked into the dining hall and began serving the meal.
Andrei snorted,
"Silva Duchy. What about an absolutely boring place to be" he said and Hal chuckled but did not deign to respond.
In truth, no Duchy other than the Doxon Duchy, actually put as much stock into Dual cultivation as they did, after all, they were called the Dual cultivation capital for a reason.
So, the dislike Andrei felt for Silva was not just because they were 'prudes' but also because of the rivalry that always existed among the two differing Duchys.
"I'm just glad that our dear niece followed along the righteous path. Clearly, Emily did not slack off in her parental duties. She was firm and did not allow any of that conventional nonsense to gain ground within lovely Amelia" Dimitri added.
Hal smiled inwardly and knew both Emily and Amelia were having the same reactions. Mainly because Emily would have gladly let Amelia go down the 'Conventional' path.
After all, why else would she allow her daughter to become a disciple of the Fiery Lotus sect?
Hell, she even facilitated it all by introducing Amelia to her friend who took her in as a personal disciple.
Speaking of which, said friend was already contacting her to request Amelia's return and did not look ready to let go of her role as Amelia's Master anytime soon.
According to her, once Amelia was a disciple once, she was a disciple forever.
Of course, Emily was not actually worried.
For one thing, the moment it became public knowledge that Anelia was an Antonov, the Fiery lotus sect itself would disown her as a disciple.
The part that actually surprised Hal in all this was how well Amelia was taking the fact that she would no longer be a disciple of the Fiery Lotus sect. According to her, the only one she would miss was her master but she did not need to be a disciple to meet her.
But we digress,
"I wouldn't go as far as to say she is " all there", Uncle. I truly see my Aunt's attempt and I respect them but there is only so far one can lecture to change how the other person is fundamentally." Jelena said while the meals were getting served and with another wink at Hal who eyed her with a look of indifference.
She would never admit it, but it affected her.
Why was this unbelievably desirable man looking at her like that?
Amelia chuckled,
"If not for my always increasing respect for uncle Andrei, I would have 'fundamentally' marred that face you're so proud of" she said.
"You go, girl!" Karmen cheered without any attempt at lowering the volume of her voice.
"Oh? You're that eager to be manhandled? Even a 'genius' can't handle a three-on-one handicap" Jelena said with a sneer.
'Now that is thoroughly untrue' Hal thought but did not actually say.
"Girls, play nice" Emily said and Hal knew that was the most she would say on the matter.
"And leave me out of your issues" Nicole said with an icy stare at her sister while she began to eat her meal just as everyone else picked up their cutlery.
"What, Nicole, are you scared?" Jelena asked in a mocking tone.
As nonchalantly as possible, Nicole replied,
"Fear? I don't know such an emotion"
Jelena scoffed,
"There you go, acting all cool. No one is buying it" she said and Nicole actually looked up this time and into her eyes,
"Whether you're buying it or not, I don't need other people with me to deal with her" she said and looked at Amelia who was dutifully eating her meal without any acknowledgment that she had heard the two.
Talking was not going to do anything. Action would.
The whole reason she was not too against the idea of going to the garden of perils with her cousins was because she knew it was going to be an avenue in which they would attempt to harm her.
Maybe not to the point of killing her, but causing her immense injury was very much on the table and she could not help but smile to herself at the surprise they would be getting.
Unfortunately for the trio of bitches, thanks to her boyfriend, she was a succubus.
And while that did not actually cause that much of a change in her personality, she had never truly been against the use of dirty tricks.
"I don't need you either. It's just to guarantee a win" Jelena sneered.
Hal could almost not believe what he was hearing. Here, they were at the dinner table with Anton and his children eating while his grandchildren were planning to bully his other grandchild and he simply acted as though he did not see it.
Actually, he did act as though he saw it, he even gave a nod of approval once in a while.
"You are really going to let this go on?" Rita asked him suddenly and all eyes turned to her but the Antonov Patriarch only smiled,
"Without adversity, there cannot truly be growth. My sons got bullied a lot in their youth..." He began but Karmen interrupted with a question,
"By each other?"
Anton shook his head,
"No, by Emiliana. She made their lives hell. It was much worse cause she was younger..."
"Father!" Dimitri protested and actually stopped stroking his beard,
Emily chuckled,
"What, are you embarrassed. Widdle Dimitri?" She said in a mock baby voice that turned his face red.
Anton cut in,
"Anyway, it made them grow. Pushed them to better themselves and look at them now. they are the pride of the Antonov lineage.
Unfortunately, the bullying left them scarred and they remain scared of their little sister" he said with a sigh.
"We're not scared of her" Andrei said and Emily chuckled,
"Keep telling yourself that" she said.
Andrei furrowed his brows and then sighed before looking at his daughters,
"I think it goes without saying that killing and maiming each other is out of the question."
"You're sucking all the fun out of it, but oh well, what that heck?" Helena said.
Amelia however sneered,
"No promises"
It was quite incredible how deep the rivalry and dislike between the two already were despite not even knowing each other for a month yet."
Andrei's lip twitched and then he said,
"The one who returns with the Primal fruit among you is named the victor. That should settle things for a while" he said.
"What are we, invisible?" Boryan asked in outrage.
"Yeah. We need the Primal fruit too, you know." Cheslav said.
For the first time, Nicole actually chuckled.
It was a small restrained sound but it was a chuckle all the same,
"Why? Because you are men? Haha, I'll just stick the fruit down the throat of some poor sucker and then suck him dry before he can actually make use of it. That fruit is important to me too"
After which she began to imagine the level of progress she would make once she had the fruit.
In case you are wondering, the fruit in question is of a grade that is only useful to cultivators at a particular level of cultivation. Cosmic Aurora realm and below.
Of course the lower the cultivation, the more dangerous the fruit is.
Jelena then turned to Hal,
"So Hal, you have the eyes of a Doxon but are not one so why not tell us a little more about yourself." She said and cleared a space before her to place her elbow and rest her cheek on her fist.
Hal took a long swig of wine and then said,
"Well, I killed my entire family and took over my city while also unraveling quite a conspiracy and plotting grander plans in secret. I think that about sums it all up"
Chapter 420 - Budding Legend
Jelena burst into laughter,
"Yeah right. You could have just told me you weren't a sharer. You didn't have to come up with such tall tales.' She said, making her disbelief known.
Hal studied the other Antonovs and realized their reactions were similar to Jelena's.
"Just tell the truth. You're a commoner. You're a commoner who lucked out on some fortuitous encounter" Cheslav said and, fun fact, Hal's relationship with his aunt which was ambiguous at best and was one of those fortuitous encounters he was referring to. The rest were the unknown reasons why his cultivation was so speedy.
Hal chuckled.
"Actually, back in my city, I was a man of status. My father belonged to one of the four great families. But I do admit that before those of your status... I am probably no better than a commoner." Hal said.
'Never be alone with me though. Cause I'll kill you' he added in his mind and his eyes flashed.
'You're taking this really well' Grimoire said and Hal could not believe the Artifact was still surprised by his reactions.
Anton surely was not surprised and he had only met him today.
The Antonov Patriarch had noticed a subtle change in his expression and Hal's words now reminded him of what he had said when they had met earlier today,
How he preferred to be underestimated.
Cheslav noticed Hal did not admit or dismiss the idea of a fortuitous encounter,
"So you know your place then" he said smugly but Hal shook his head slowly,
"Actually, no. No, I don't think I do"
...
The dinner, sans all the unpleasantness, went quite nicely. Having being told beforehand, none of the Antonovs asked Hal why he had eyes like the Doxons and were quick to accept that he truly was not a Doxon.
Now he was on his way to Amelia and Emily's joint residence with Amelia, Rita, and Karmen.
Emily stayed behind with her father after dinner after she told him there were things they needed to discuss and after Hal asked if it concerned them (By them, he meant their own family which consisted of Hal and his ladies) and she said 'Not necessarily'.
At the residence, the ladies were more than ready to roll in the sheets which Amelia defended as her right since she had been away from him for so long.
Hal replied that there was never a need for justification. Why else was he here if not to fuck them into oblivious pleasure?
But first, while they waited for him in the Harem space, he retrieved the map he had stolen from the Kruger family.
He unrolled what had caused him so much trouble to get and what he had almost lost his life getting;
"It's blank" he said in a shocked tone.
Indeed, the scroll was completely absent of any writing and when Hal rubbed his hands over it, he observed there was nothing to feel. It seemed like a normal piece of parchment simply rolled up into a scroll.
'Not exactly. Inject Cosmic energy into it' Grimoire instructed and Hal did so.
The paper while remaining blank did glow faintly for a few seconds.
To this, Grimoire seemed quite satisfied,
'It's not blank. Just concealed. I reckon it requires the cosmic energy of at least a semi saint to reveal what is written on it.' It said.
'Can you read it?' He asked but the Artifact said no.
'Unless the concealment is lifted, there is nothing I can do' it said.
Hal sighed and returned it into his Inventory before he went into the Harem space and conducted an Orgy with his ladies. Starting with Amelia, Rita, and Karmen and once they were all thoroughly satisfied, he soaked in the pool before returning to the outside.
There, Emily was already waiting for him with a silk night-robe on.
She seemed quite pleased to not have been part of the Orgy as now she could have him all to herself,
"You can keep going, can't you?" She asked as she pulled him towards her bedroom.
"Forever" Hal told her as she took off her robe and revealed she was wearing nothing underneath.
Hal let his eye roam over her beautiful body, taking in her wide hips, thin waist, and shapely, perfect ass, and then her ample breasts that stood out perky and firm as ever.
He grinned as he could already feel a stirring down below and judging from Emily's roaming grey eyes and sultry grin, she noted the stirring as well.
With a wave of his hand, He opened the portal to the Harem space but Emily's hand closed around his wrist,
"No, I want it here. For so many years I had to listen to moans and groans of indiscriminate pleasure. Never to enjoy it for myself because of my condition. I always fantasized to one day yell out my joy like that..." Emily said in a low voice.
Hal smiled,
"So you just want to scream out your pleasure indiscriminately?"
"Very much so. It happens all the time anyway, so why not happen right here, right now... Unless you're scared..." She said and sauntered even closer to him.
Hal's clothes hit the floor right that second and he was naked just like she was and pulled her closer to him to join their lips in a passionate kiss in which Emily's delectable tongue probed his mouth.
Then he separated to say,
"Scared? Of having sex? You take that right back" he said in a tone of mock outrage and Emily chucked before pulling him back to the kiss.
While her breasts were smashed against his chest, Hal reached down to her wonderful, oh-so squeezable ass and kneaded it.
"Mmnngghh" Emily moaned into the kiss as she felt this and then distanced their lower half just enough to grab Hal's hard cock which had been pressed against both their stomachs and begin stroking it.
Then she leaned her head back to allow him to dip his head into the crook of her neck and kiss it.
His kisses went lower and soon he was at her breasts and grabbed one of her nipples into his mouth to give it a hard suck while she continued stroking his cock.
Especially the head of it.
His ministrations were already getting her inner thighs wet with her juices and her pleasurable stroking, despite dry, had actually managed to coax precum from his cock.
Not an easy thing to do considering his immense stamina and ability to hold back and make the experience last longer.
Needless to say, the act only got more steamy from there and well into the night, Emily's cry of pleasure would spread about her surroundings and for those who had not heard it in the main part of the Sensual Palace, which was already a little percentage, by the way, they would hear the tales from the maids who were actually even closer to the action.
Though never actually seeing it for themselves, what they said had credit all the same.
Anyway, after that night, Hal's relationship with Emily was no longer ambiguous and Hal himself could never have imagined how much of a legend this would make him among all those who had heard.
...
Two Days Later...
Days which Hal had spent either in Emily and Amelia's joint residence or inside his Harem space, not going outside even once, many were already beginning to venture into the Garden of peril.
By fairly accurate calculations, this was the day the Primal fruit would ripen and some had even gone the night before to get a headstart.
Hal who was sitting cross-legged in the Harem space with the Fire crystal in front of him was not in too much of a hurry. At least he could spare some time to continue attempting comprehension of the Ordinance of fire.