"I don't think that we have a choice."
Stating this calmly, Kishibe who was acutely aware of the perilous situation he was in, displayed no signs of apprehension, his demeanor remaining cold as ice.
This was also the case for Makima who mirrored Kishibe's composed demeanor as she redirected her gaze towards the center of the battlefield as she rose to her feet once more.
"Indeed, the choice was never ours, so would you tell us why you are keeping us here?"
With their statement made, both Makima and Kishibe fell silent, anticipating a response, fully aware that the entity at the heart of the battlefield could hear their words with absolute clarity.
1 Second, 2 Seconds, 3 Seconds...
The seemingly brief yet eternal wait persisted for about two minutes until a small laugh suddenly echoed from beyond the horizon, resounding clearly across the battlefield.
"You guys are really interesting, I thought that you'll use the opportunity to try and escape."
Hearing this, Kishibe took another sip from his flask and responded indifferently.
"Useless, it simply won't work."
"It's abundantly clear, furthermore, we also desire an audience with you." Makima added, seamlessly continuing the conversation the moment Kishibe ceased speaking.
Upon hearing Makima's words, Lorien, still confined within his 1-kilometer domain, narrowed his eyes and began to stroke his chin in thought.
'They want to meet me? and why is that?'
'Hmmm...'
'It is most likely because they want to gather some information from me.'
'Is it about the battle or me?'
'Well, it doesn't matter does it...'
'I really don't care about this after all.'
Shaking his head slightly, Lorien smiled as he then mobilized his power, causing a cluster of dream energy to materialize before the two of them.
Then, under the focused gaze of Kishibe and Makima, the swirling multicolored energy began to contort and shape itself, gradually taking on the form of a humanoid figure.
Condensing into a figure draped in a voluminous silver cloak adorned with intricate black and gold markings, the man's facial expressions were obscured with only hints of silver hair and piercing golden eyes being visible, peering out from beneath the hood of the cloak.
Observing the unfolding scene, Makima and Kishine remained vigilant, opting to maintain their silence and await Lorien's words.
After all, now that he had appeared before them, there was no knowing what he'd do next, however, reflecting on their past interaction, Makima and Kishine were somewhat confident that everything would be alright.
Additionally, there was also the fact that the figure before them was nothing more than a clone, condensed from a small amount of energy.
This fact was evident in the figure's translucent and almost ethereal appearance, along with the faint aura it emitted, giving it an otherworldly and transcendent quality.
However, despite how harmless this made the opponent appear, there was still no telling about the true extent of his combat prowess.
"Hi, there! My name is Lorien, it's very nice to meet you!" Lorien spoke, swiftly breaking the silence that enveloped them.
"I am Makima, Chief Cabinet Secretary's Personal Devil Hunter."
"Kishibe, a Public Safety Devil Hunter from Tokyo Special Division 1."
"Hmm?" Upon hearing the full introduction, Lorien chuckled lightly before nodding in acknowledgment and responding.
"Well, didn't know we were going for a full presentation, but I guess it is only fair enough if I responded in the same manner." Lorien remarked with a hint of teasing in his voice before declaring.
"As previously stated, my name is Lorien! A Reality Warper, and most importantly an adventurer who travels across different worlds in hopes of transcendence."
'Reality Warper?'
'Word Traveler?'
Upon hearing this earth-shattering declaration, Makima and Kishibe felt their brains bug and time out for a second, as if some incomprehensible code had been inserted into the system.
Pausing for a moment, the two comically blinked as they attempted to process the weight of the statement.
However, this silence didn't last long as Kishibe could no longer contain his curiosity and finally spoke up with a question.
"The reality warper part, as inconceivable as it is, is clear enough; But, by 'world traveling,' do you mean there are other worlds, or are you referring to planets?" Kishibe inquired, trying to maintain whatever was left of his already shattered perception.
It's just that hearing this, Lorien couldn't help but burst into laughter in response.
"Planets? Well, some worlds are only as big as planets, however, there are also those that are cosmic in size, while some even being multiple or even omniversal." Lorien explained with a hint of amusement.
"So, is that why the battle happened? Does our world not accept external...Visitors?" Makima interjected, abruptly shifting the direction of the conversation.
"Well, to be honest, I wouldn't exactly call myself a visitor in this case; After all, the world thinks of me as an intruder who must be erased," Lorien remarked, before quickly adding, swiftly interrupting any other questions that were going to come his way.
"Alright, let's halt the pointless questions here; I'm pressed for time, so I'll grant each of you one more opportunity to ask, and that's it."
Hearing this, Makima and Kishibe who were about to continue their inquiries about the different worlds, immediately fell silent.
After all, it would be unwise to squander their sole opportunity on inquiries that wouldn't aid them in any significant manner.
As for why they didn't ask Lorien for more opportunities?
It's not that they didn't want to request more opportunities; Rather, upon sensing Lorien's resolute, calm, and indifferent demeanor, they opted not to waste their time.
'...'
'...'
So, after falling silent for a few moments, during which they pondered their next move, Makima suddenly spoke up, swiftly addressing the most pressing issue at hand.
"I'll start first then; I want to ask about the power system that you said you'll be spreading!"
Hearing this, Kishibe, who had been lost in contemplation, immediately snapped back to attention, fixing his gaze intently on Lorien as this was indeed the most important thing to him and to the human race in general.
'...'
However, if we were to talk about the one who was most delighted by the question, it would undoubtedly be Lorien, who struggled to contain his laughter.
'Finally, they chose to ask about this, I've been waiting for it!'
--Note--
You can read the next chapter '281' for free on - P a t r e o n - Go check it out there!
---Author---
P a t r e o n . c o m /AuthorHoussem (Support me there and get to read up to 15 advanced chapters or more) - You can finish reading the 3rd volume now~
You can also find me now by simply typing: 'Houssem'