"Repeat it again."
Inside the Demon's sect, Dyrathos received a baffling message while he sat in a chair with a woman on each leg. He had been planning on tasting the two beauties in his arms, but a puzzling message entered his ears.
"Lord Dyrathos, the Silent Fang Sect has been annihilated, our attacks are being nullified by complex military tactics, and the Steel Back Wolves have become Yasenia Dravory's pawns. We have gained a few forts and cities, but they are nothing but empty shells as if the general on the other side purposely gave them to us."
The messenger was the right hand of the Demon General leading the Continental Shadow army, so his face was full of frustration. "While we are winning space, and we've even managed to completely push back the Wolf Clan for several parts of the continent, the land we've recovered is too spread out. I fear that we are falling into some kind of ploy because, other than land, we've yet to kill an important leader of the other side. Those that died are, sadly, our spies."
Dyrathos frowned deeply and threw the women in his arms out of anger. "USELESS!" Like two comets, the women flew and smashed against the walls, dying on the spot.
The man kneeled, gulped once, and thought. 'Thankfully, I am more useful, so he probably won't kill me out of anger.'
Dyrathos looked over and clicked his tongue. "Why are they so weak? What a waste…" He shook his head and asked with slightly less anger. "Regardless, that's not important. Who is the general on the other side? Why is that woman, Glier, having so much trouble? She is the daughter of a famous Demon General! She should be able to stomp these people."
The person informing answered. "We thought Yasenia Dravory was the one ordering the entire army at first. However, we've discovered that the one leading the Silent Fang Sect's annihilation was her. Therefore, after a bit of digging, we discovered that the person leading the Astral Sky Alliance army is someone called Tatyana Dravory… A… um… pregnant woman."
Dyrathos looked at the man for a few seconds with a bewildered expression. "What? A pregnant woman is outsmarting Glier?"
The man just nodded, but he wanted to say that "outsmarting" was an euphemism for what was truly happening. He had recently seen that demon, Glier, leveling an entire mountain out of anger because of how absurdly she was being outclassed. 'If her anger tantrums continue, we'll have to name the new plains she is creating from a mountain range the Anger Plains or something. Heavens have mercy; these demons are so scary.'
Dyrathos stood there, thoughtful. Eventually, he spoke aloud. "Kyril!"
The female, blue-skinned demon appeared from the shadows with crossed arms. "What?"
Dyrathos spoke. "Gather everyone, we are going in person to level this place."
Kyril sighed. "Sure."
Dyrathos smiled and commented. "I thought you would mock me again. Call everyone and prepare for a full offensive. We are attacking the place that has given us the most headaches. The Astral Sky Sect."
Kyril looked at him for a few seconds and melded with the shadows, leaving a sentence behind that answered his first sentence. "Why mock you? I am tired of being surprised at your stupidity, so I'll just go with it..."
His smile became stiff, and the man kneeling managed to control his laughter because of his desire to live. Sadly for him, Dyrathos turned to him and remarked. "You are her right-hand man, but you managed to help her with nothing."
A chill ran up the kneeling man's spine, and he shouted. "Lady Glier will become upset if you kill me without her consent, Lord Dyrathos. Mercy!"
Dyrathos commented. "Hm… You are a mid-level Epoch Core, not so useful in battle or as a guard. Amputating your limbs should be enough punishment. Glier will also be able to continue asking you for advice that way."
Right after, a piercing scream of pain sounded. However, no one reacted, as those echoes had become strangely common lately.
Meanwhile, on another part of the continent, the otherworlder human group was gathered together in a room. An Meiling spoke slowly while placing her arms on the armrest. "Yasenia Dravory is not our enemy."
The rest of the humans didn't have a reaction, except one of them. "Big Sister Meiling, are you really going to trust that? It can easily be a planned show and lie to us."
An Meiling looked at the man who spoke, and her tone became frosty. "Dai Longwei, do you think that I am that easily deceivable?" Her eyes sharpened, and she added. "Don't think that I don't know you've been going into Tang Xian's room at night when you want to have a bit of fun. However, don't you dare take her side over ours. Tang Xian is a demonic cultivator who is on the verge of going completely insane. The reason we allied with her is not pity; it is because she was the only option."
An Meiling leaned forward on her chair and looked at him coldly. "Yasenia Dravory comes from a mixed world, but mainly human-dominated. Beast humans in her world are slaves for the most part. And, yes, their slaves are treated with much more dignity and are even protected by laws. Unlike slaves here, those in their main world are just low-class citizens, but citizens nonetheless. Still, that doesn't mean much."
An Meiling's cadence was slow but measured. "The reason she is not our enemy is because Yasenia Dravory is neutral. In her sect, humans and beast humans live together. In a world were beast humans see humans as dirt and tools, she has managed to educate a large part of those that joined her into a relatively fresh and respectful interaction between races."
Dai Longwei frowned. "They are still being isolated! Moreover, they weren't even allowed to walk outside until recently. She was just imprisoning them and-."
Ou Junwei, a human male of similar strength to An Meiling, spoke. "Can you use your brain? If Yasenia Dravory proclaimed her stance from day one, what would've happened?"
Dai Longwei answered loudly. "She would've become the hero of humans! A beast human protecting a human is nothing but an obvious outcome!"
There were seven people in the room, and after his words, six looked at him in silence. Their eyes were locked on him, carrying weight. An Meiling asked, her face devoid of outward emotions. "How many times have you spoken with Tang Xian?"
Dai Longwei felt something was wrong with the atmosphere, but he knew he was right. After all, how could saving humans be unethical? It was something that everyone should do. Yasenia Dravory was just another evil "master" of the people. As a beast human, she didn't have the right to poke her nose into human business!
"Why are you asking that, Big Sister Meiling-."
"Don't call me that." An Meiling cut him off coldly and asked again. "I am asking, so you answer. How many times have you had intercourse with Tang Xian?"
The man frowned. "Why are you getting so angry, big sister? Isn't it normal for humans to defend our rights? We are being treated like cattle! We need to defend our honor and race!"
An Meiling looked around and asked. "Anyone else that thinks like him?"
Dai Longwei was stunned to see complete silence in the room.
The woman stood up and approached Dai Longwei, lifting his chin with her hand and looking down at him while exerting terrible pressure. "Are you going to let your mind be manipulated by that woman?"
The man stuttered. "W-What are you talking about!? Big Sister Meiling, you are scaring me!"
An Meiling's lips arched. "Good. That's my intention: to make sure that you feel that I am not bluffing. Also, I think I told you not to call me like that. Now, answer my questions!"
The man pushed her hand aside and stood up with a frown, shouting at her. "An Meiling, what's your problem!? We managed to win first place thanks to Tang Xian, and now you are throwing her away!?"
An Meiling laughed and muttered. "What a snake-like woman. Thankfully, that dragon called me at this time, or else…" The human woman could guess what was happening, and the thought of it made her feel amused. 'Really, a white rabbit appearance-wise, but inside, she is one of the most cunning, insidious, and venomous snakes I've seen in my life. This could've been really bad.'
She pondered what to do, and it didn't take long to find an answer. "We are going to speak with Yasenia Dravory; things have gone a bit out of hand."
Ou Junwei asked. "Senior Sister An, what are we going to do with Longwei?"
An Meiling looked at the man, and her body blurred. Before Dai Longwei could realize it, his vision went black, and he fell limp, caught by one of An Meiling's arms. "Take him with us. Don't startle Tang Xian. As always, tell her that we are going on a trip and don't tell her the destination. We never did, so there is no need to overexplain things this time around."
On a large mountain in the west, the undead were looking at a large altar with a pondering expression. Wu Rongyao asked. "Seniors, do we really do this now?"
Yan Baimei, a female undead who constantly released ice particles around her, asked. "Why shouldn't we?"
Wu Rongyao commented. "Well, this is a time of a lot of Death, so it is certainly an opportunity for us. However, I think we could profit more if we spoke with Yasenia Dravory and her group."
Yan Baimei looked at Wu Rongyao and asked. "I admit that the red-eyed woman by her side seems to know a lot about Death Arts. However, she was still a Level 1 Dantian Spiritualization Realm Cultivator when we met her. What can someone like her know that we don't?"
Wu Rongyao sighed. "It's something like an instinct, senior. I understand that for us to gain a foothold, we need to activate this [Soul Path Conversion Altar]. Still, if the Astral Sky Clan doesn't like it, our relatively good relations might sour. To be honest, I don't think she would be against it; she seemed like a reasonable youngster."
Yan Baimei hummed and looked at the large altar with a pondering expression. "But… Well, we are just taking a piece of the souls of the dead, right? It's not like we are doing something… really bad. Like, this is a mischievous prank!"
Wu Rongyao saw her doubtful expression and smiled. "That young dragon didn't seem repulsed by us at all, Senior Yan. I think we should give it a try."
Yan Baimei blinked her dry eyes and asked, her undead and lifeless eyes looking a bit more sparkly. "Really? She was not repulsed?"
Wu Rongyao laughed at the child-like insecurity of the powerful Ice Undead. "Not at all, Senior Yan. She even spoke to us with respect."
Yan Baimei nodded and muttered. "I see, I see. Perhaps I can make a living friend after a long time? But… Ugh… What if she betrays me again, little Rongyao? I think that my icy heart will crack again… I don't like that."
Wu Rongyao held back his laughter from increasing. "Let's go ask. I guarantee that nothing bad will happen."
Yan Baimei paced around the massive altar a few times and finally nodded. "Okay, after ten thousand years, I think it is good to give it a try again. Hmhm. I think I can. I think I should be able to! I think… I think I am getting nervous, Rongyao!"
Wu Rongyao and the other Undead burst into laughter.