Both of the teleport crystals are crushed in our fists, and we're brought to the Crimson City.
My double greets us beneath the guildhall, keeping guard over the last remaining isolation pod that's healing Ember.
"Back so soon?" He locks eyes with Rodrigo, then looks back at me before continuing. "It appears everything went exactly as expected. He didn't take the deal?"
I smirk and reply while leading Rodrigo to the stairway upstairs. "No, he didn't. I'm the one making the deals now."
Once we reach the ground floor, another normal day in the Crimson City guildhall is playing out. Dozens of hunters are walking in and out, buying, selling, and commissioning gear and magical loot. All of the workers greet us as we make our way to the second floor, and as we walk through the tables of craftsmen leading to Bri's office, I motion for Rodrigo to knock on the closed door at the back of the room.
There are three knocks and a moment of silence before the door opens and Bri locks eyes with Rodrigo.
It feels as if the world has stopped in time as I watch from the back of the room with my arms crossed and a thin grin. Memories of my first time meeting Bri, when she crafted my Flame Emperor's sword, feel like a lifetime ago.
It was right before my C-Class exams, where I met Rodrigo as a proctor and got a taste of what real power in this world of hunters was like.
Back then, I knew there was an odd tension between a sister being a black market merchant and a brother working as an A-Class Hunter for one of the strongest nations in the world. However, I never expected the roots of their problems to run so deep or for everything to come full circle and be resolved like this.
Both of their eyes widen as Rodrigo's lips move to say, "I'm free."
The siblings jump forward to hug each other tight and begin to cry, making a scene that has all heads in the room turning their way. They don't even notice the eyes on them, and the room doesn't dare break up this moment.
I only entered their lives less than a year ago; there must be decades of sour memories dealing with the Association that I have no knowledge of. It makes me happy to see Bri smile with such genuine joy. She's usually very focused on business; I've never seen this side of her before.
I don't want to ruin their moment, so I, too, stay silent like all the other workers in the room until they finally release their grip after a full minute passes.
Still, it doesn't seem like the right time to go over my own personal goals when this is most likely the first time they've had a candid conversation since childhood. The plans I made with Rodrigo beneath the Apex Region can wait.
I nod and let a weak wave of telepathy hit both of them.
"I'm happy I could keep my word and bring you two together again. Enjoy each other's presence. Please, take as much time as you want."
Then, without waiting for a response, I walk back down the guildhall stairs to the main hall with a smile on my face while they hug again.
I walk out the front door, doing a full scan of the city and surrounding desert moments later. A wave of telepathy reaches the body double that is keeping watch over the city, and it deactivates itself. I respawn a new one right in front of me that has the updated memories of today's events, and it flies off in the direction of the canyon of dungeons to explore the Apex Region's labyrinth and create dungeon walker points for me on every floor.
While it goes off to do that, I fly outside the Crimson Dome and make my way far out into the desert to meet with the Lich King and my four teammates, who sit in a circle of Abby's Restoration magic while slowly refining orange divine energy.
They're extremely focused on not being torn to shreds by the violent threads. I remember the orange fragments were far more violent and painful than the red ones back when I consumed them in the construct.
The only one who greets me upon my return is the Lich King.
"Quite the quick return. Do you bring good news or bad news?"
I let out a sigh and touch down on the desert ground beside him, taking in the view of four orange-red auras bending reality before us.
"Well, the bad news is I'll be losing a very useful shadow summon, but the good news is the Director has been taken care of. Thanks to your help in awakening my True Core, I am now the secret underground leader of the Eight Great Regions."
These words make the eyes of all four of my teammates open with surprise. Even though they were peacefully cultivating, such a crazy statement broke them out of their trance-like state.
I smile and raise both of my hands in the air, opening up my item storage and allowing all of the trapped Soul Energy that I absorbed from the Lich King when I killed him to escape from eternal suspended animation and be free into the universe again.
"I'm a man of my word, so, if it is your wish to die, I'll grant it now."
It takes well over half a minute for the copious fumes of Soul Energy to dissolve into the air, and the Lich King responds.
"It is my wish to die. I will wake up in another 50 years on a planet far from here, in a growing world once it is newly connected to the system. I will have to try my luck in a new era, so I do wish you success here on this human world. Maybe we will meet again one day. However, we are even, so don't expect any more favors. This galaxy is at war; in the grand scheme of things, I am still your enemy."
I let out a chuckle while activating my Dark Magic, creating a jet-black summoning circle beneath him, and begin deactivating the ritual to let his remains truly disappear.
As the circle grows and his shadow form ripples, he points to my hand, specifically the silver [Ring of The Divine] on my finger next to Celia's Purple Ring Artifact.
"That is part of my being as well. I'm sorry to say, you won't be able to keep it as a prize. Maybe one day, you'll receive one to truly call your own."
I sense a final curious and amused aura coming from the Lich King as the ritual continues to reverse. The resentment and ominous feeling he had when I showed no signs of ever letting him go are gone, but I still believe his words that he views me as an enemy.
If we meet again in 50 years' time, I have no doubt he'll try to attack me with just as much killing intent as he did when we first met, his Dark army against my Crimson Troops.
I can't help but smile as the shadows cover his being, then disappear into black fading mist in the light breeze, and his mana control, presence, and status leave my senses.
At the same time, the silver ring on my finger fades away too.
I was hoping that it would be useful to me one day, allowing me to be summoned in place of the Lich King by accident, but it seems I can't cheat my way to becoming a Divine Beast. Like his final words to me said, I'll have to get one for myself.
The desert is filled with silence, and I turn to admire my teammates continuing their divine energy cultivation.
After the initial shock of them overhearing that I killed the Apex Region's Director, most of them closed their eyes again, but Maria's eyes remain wide. I open a telepathy channel with all five of us in it, and she sends a message through to me for all to hear.
"So what does this mean for the Dark Continent? Will the exiles be allowed back into the Eight Great Nations? If you make the rules, this entire abandoned nation could be connected to many more resources and grow faster to help hundreds of thousands here to live in better conditions."
I nod and respond.
"Slowly, yes. The nations will merge, but the assimilation needs to be natural. Citizens still have preconceived resentment for Dark Continent exiles; we'll need to change public perception over time. Growing the Flame Emperor's name and disguising the merge as a trade deal with the Crimson City will be the first stage of my plan."
Maria smirks and nods, closing her eyes again to keep her heart rate and breathing steady while the orange threads tear her body apart over and over again.
Abby's right eye opens halfway and meets mine as she musters out a short message while maintaining her own regeneration and simultaneously healing everyone here.
"What about the other nations? I don't doubt your abilities to conceal yourself and impersonate the Director, but they must have fail-safes in place in case something like this were to happen. All it takes is one person to notice; what will be the plan then? Are you prepared to take on the entire world?"
As I think of a response to her words, in the far edges of my perception, I feel an oddity far to the south.
It's in the direction of the volcanic region that I sensed vaguely when I first awakened my True Core.
It's hard to make out exactly what it is—the distance is too far—but it feels like two large masses of gravity are flying through the air at incredible speed. My intuition is telling me the possibility that Abby just pointed out may be coming true faster than I imagined it would.
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