Kae
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Dungeon Diver CH784
🕑 Added 2025-02-20 00:00:06 +0000 UTCAva and I begin to make our way back to the Central Tower in the Ellipsia Citadel.
While floating through the air, I use a light magic perk mixed with my stealth skill to create a reflective bubble around us, ensuring we remain unseen.
In my Demon Lord Form, floating around using the proper airways and ether commands for travel wouldn’t be out of the ordinary. However, a random Lord seeing a human and a Goblin Queen entering the Central Tower in this manner could spark unwanted rumors.
Editing the surveillance system to make it seem as though I’m invisible is easy enough, but editing people’s memories is a skill I do not possess.
Ava speaks up now that we’re alone and slowly making our way to the tower.
“4.1 million Low Quality Ether. That’s what I managed to farm after all of the slaves received their worlds back and ether to live on, plus the full-term contracts for the plot owners were paid out fully.”
I nod with an impressed look on my face.
“Not bad. Keep it all… I can tell a deep pool is enhancing your ether sense a lot.”
My own ether senses are still analyzing her Avatar, trying to make sense of the warm and inviting aura radiating from her. Now that I’m aware of it—combined with Ember’s warning that I’d have to undo my seals to take care of Zashen, and the similarities of the feeling I’m getting from the two of them—it only makes me more curious.
However, my curiosity is cut short when I receive a message from four generals all at once from the Lower Realm.
It wasn’t going to be long before I sent my own message down to have them prepare the necessary mana from Bri to use our [Fast Travel] Rising Emperor perk. I even mentioned that I would notify them again when I was ready. So, a message from them all at once is slightly unexpected and concerning.
I immediately accept the incoming spectate feeds.
Maria’s voice echoes in my ears as a visual of two dozen true-cored demons conversing with an empty suit of armor fills my vision.
“We have a slight situation on our hands…”
Abby’s voice follows immediately after.
“Do you know of a Morvale family from the Upper Realm? Do you have any idea why they would be interested in us, or you…?”
My attention sharpens, the mention of this Family name resonating deeply from my recent talks with Seraphel, and coming up a few times in both Drako and Andras Vermillion’s memories.
While the grunts of the Great Families don’t interact much and only follow orders from their family heads, I have heard of this family name before.
“I have heard of them… but I do not know how or why they would have any issue with you or me yet…”
I try to wrack my brain for ideas, but I’m certain my cover is still perfect. There must be more details that I’m unaware of.
There is a brief silence on the line, but Raven pulls Bri into the Spectate call, and she floods my trading inbox with all of the data from the last few days, complete with full analysis from her and Alveron. She includes the raw data files for me to do my own analysis if I wish.
My eyes widen as I take in the data and watch the beautiful explosion of five moons nearly the size of the human world, followed by the complete destruction of Kelfar as it was turned into Maria’s Soul Weapon.
Although many sensors and close-up imaging devices were destroyed in the blast, I can piece together the extra details and paint a mental picture of how it happened.
Even the live recordings of this spectate conference, capturing the words of these demons and how they scanned Brymia, are transmitted as well.
I take a few moments to process this new information, but the scene inside the slowly orbiting prison continues to unfold as Alveron responds to the Demon’s question about the price of a trip to Kelfar.
“I managed to move my territory boundaries out a few star systems, but you know very well you took nearly ten times that away from me. Plus, over a hundred of the worlds I managed to take back were already infected by your demonic plague. I had to siphon the energy out of those worlds in a matter of years, barely managing to keep half of their energy. Now you come here asking to scan a world I still can’t even extract resources from because of your blood transfusion testing? If I even have an offer for you, it’s not going to be cheap.”
The demon smiles, but it is clearly a performance.
He knows Alveron isn’t truly irritated with him; this is part of the negotiation. If anything, he believes Alveron is stalling for some reason.
Helix, the strongest 1st Class Demon in this task force, replies with a nod.
“Yes, name your price, and I want to go now. Our Lord Morvale wishes for a quick reply. I didn’t cause a scene just to be interrogated. Maybe you have changed, Alveron… Maybe the Lord was right; there is a disturbance in the Lower Realm, and this is all connected.”
I absorb all the data from the last few days and begin cross-referencing it with the brief history of the Great Families that Seraphel mentioned to me. It dawns on me that Maria’s breakthrough must have triggered some kind of reaction from the owner of the throne.
My perception of the human world still feels as if I’m standing right where the throne is, able to feel every action with perfect clarity.
That is, only if I choose to focus on it.
I can assume that this world was claimed by the Morvale family long ago, as this demon mentioned losing it in a territory war with Alveron over thirty thousand years ago. The Vermillion Family wasn’t even founded then.
With this information, it’s impossible to know if the Morvale family witnessed everything that occurred on Kelfar and is now bluffing to reach my generals, or if they are genuinely clueless and seeking more information.
I don’t even know if this is standard protocol or if somehow all of this is connected to the appearance of a new Noble Demon in the Upper Realm. This family head must have been notified by the Death of Andras, and could be setting up a sophisticated trap.
—
The room falls silent as I contemplate my next words. I could be overcomplicating things and covering tracks that were never followed in the first place. However, I still wish to take a safe approach, unwilling to underestimate my enemy.
“Do not directly engage if you do not have to. Do not even attempt to retrieve that sensor. We do not know what they are capable of or how much they already know. However, one thing must be done: you cannot allow them to reach the Kelfar system until my plan here in the Upper Realm is already in motion. I need you to find a way to stall them for at least eight days… One that will keep them there even once you ascend.”
An instant response comes back, and to my surprise, it is not from any of the generals.
It is from the silver knight.
“A pleasure to meet you, Rising Emperor. While I believed it would be under simpler circumstances, what better way to understand someone than meeting them in a high-stakes situation? Eight days of stalling can be arranged, but it will require some assistance on your end. I require the help of your generals immediately, two of your commanders for the full eight days, and a negotiable deal to purchase Low Quality Ether from the Upper Realm on a regular basis.”
Even though Alveron has technically sworn loyalty to me through acquiring one of its worlds in the Upper Realm, there is something off-putting about it. There are no true emotions coming through the link; every one of its words feels like imitations of what it has observed other humans doing.
All of the recordings throughout the last few days, and even months back on the moon bases, give me the same strange feeling—that I’m speaking to a robot that wears many masks. But now isn’t the time to analyze this further. It’s clear in every interaction that this machine is hardwired to create profit, make allies, and gain knowledge.
It would have offered the demons a number right away if it didn’t think I had something better to give.
“Deal,” I reply, as I watch the facial expression of the Demon grow impatient.
Less than a hundredth of a second later, intricate details are sent to the generals, and they exchange transport crystals while Alveron responds to the demon’s request.
“Just a quick trip? To the moon base I’ve established there, for you to use that scanner and come right back… I’ll make it happen for five star systems near the Voltic Spiral Sector. Minimum quality for divine thread and ether count is 3rd Class, with at least one world left with 20% of its mana stores and population in each system. Do this, and you’ll get in and out safely without any problems.”
The Demon’s eyes narrow.
He knows this is an outrageous demand, but he also recognizes that he has come unannounced with an urgent matter to an old enemy. Even considering the circumstances, it is still high for just a scan… However, their Lord has already waited long enough for them to escape the Demonic Realm’s protection cloud and acquire the necessary transport crystals to get here.
So, without any hesitation in the Demon’s voice, he replies,
“Deal. We’ll have it done right away.”
He turns to one of his fellow saturated True Cores beside him, and the nine-meter-tall Arch Demon opens a bright purple system panel, pulling up holographic imagery of star systems matching Alveron’s criteria.
This all occurs in mere seconds, but it is more than enough time for the four generals to surround the outside of the asteroid prison using the maintenance teleport platforms on its outer edges.
It appears to be a massive grey rock, about half the size of the human world’s moon, with an incredibly dense black structure containing five layers of shielding, similar to the walls found in the cultivation chambers where these generals compressed their cores and bonded with their soul weapons.
Maria and Abby borrow my stealth skill, while Arie and Raven use their own, vanishing into the darkness of space as they arrive, monitoring the response to Alveron’s next words.
“Very good. I will gladly accept these star systems, right after you all serve your sentence for committing a Mid-Level Crime on the Great Belt of Brymia. This is purely business; you know better than to flaunt your power with me this far from the Source. Rules are rules, and I cannot have word spreading that it’s acceptable to break them.”
The pressure of divine threads in the room intensifies, as this Demon did not expect such a response.
Helix was uncertain why he was tasked to investigate this system; he initially believed it to be a random occurrence of Demonic Beasts fighting and damaging their leftover artifacts and security failsafes.
However, now he is certain that something significant has happened, altering their Lord's plans, and that Alveron and this new mysterious client are involved and responsible…
“We shall face the punishment for breaking these rules, whatever is necessary to maintain your public perception. But… I hope you do not forget that we allow you to live as a privilege. This is not a polite request; it is an order from our Family Head…”
Bright yellow threads begin to glow from the Demon’s chest, and an aura of darkness fills the room.
Alveron replies calmly,
“Unfortunately, whatever this urgent matter may be, you still must follow my rules on neutral territory. I cannot let a potential threat to my visitors roam freely until your intentions are made clear. I’m happy to finalize our deal once you’ve completed your punishment.”
Helix grits his teeth and opens a dark rift in space before him, replying,
“I suppose we’ll have to do this the hard way then…”
—
At these words, four intense bursts of energy erupt outside the prison.
Even with the hundreds of kilometers of dense Artifact Class walls blocking the demons from perceiving the outside world, the release of 4% of borrowed stats by each general cracks through the walls and sends a ripple of fear through the demons’ minds.
Suddenly, strange arrays begin activating that weren’t there before, and the escape rift forming in front of Helix starts to shrink away.
Their visions tint green, and an overwhelming cold pressure like nothing they’ve ever felt before surrounds them and dulls their senses. All two dozen 1st Class Demons shiver in fear, unable to pinpoint who or what the threat encircling them is.
Comments
Eduardo Lopez
"the hard way"... Yeah, OK! Maria, plz show them the way out.
Tim Scripter
TFTC Kae!
Scott Frederiksen
Dopesauce
Alexander Perez
Ooooh scary
Eoghan Higgins
Tyftc
Bokhos
Big clifhanger 😂
