Aliquin and His Cat

Inside the Metal Lifeform, the three of them—Luo Ya, Milia, and Morti—were looking outside through the transparent windows.

They and the other participants in the Fiend Assessment had been traveling aboard the Metal Lifeform for two days. Its destination would be the site of their Fiend Assessment mission.

"The people from Fiend Castle are here!" someone called out from the rear cabin.

Everyone else perked up and looked toward the three people standing at the front of the rear cabin. They were the organizers sent by Fiend Castle for this assessment, led by a handsome young man with scales on his forehead.

"Everyone!" the handsome young man said cheerfully. "A total of one thousand people are taking part in this Fiend Assessment! I imagine you all know that the assessment is extremely dangerous, with a very high chance of death. And yet, you still came... At least in terms of courage, you're worthy of becoming Fiends."

The handsome young man's expression turned serious. "But courage alone isn't enough. You also need strength!"

"This time, the assessment site is a place called the Shadow Swamp, more than twenty million li from House City. At the Metal Lifeform's current speed, it should take about twenty days to reach our destination," the handsome young man continued.

The rear cabin fell silent.

The thousand Midgods taking part in the Fiend Assessment listened closely.

"Anyone familiar with Fiends should know that Fiends can accept missions from Fiend Castle. These missions are divided into ranks!"

"As for your assessment mission, we selected a one-star mission suitable for you from among a large number of options!"

The handsome young man swept his gaze over everyone. "Once you complete this mission, you'll become one-star Fiends!"

"As for the mission details, Terci will explain them." The handsome young man stepped aside, and a young woman who looked like a mermaid stepped forward from behind him.

The girl named Terci spoke in a gentle voice. "The mission site is the Shadow Swamp. An ancient powerhouse lives there. He is terrifyingly strong and commands hundreds of Shadow Guards, as well as thirteen Blood Shadow Guards!"

"Your mission is to kill one Shadow Guard. Remember... After killing one, bring their identity token back to Fiend Castle. That token will prove that you completed the mission!" As she spoke, Terci used the Floating Shadow Technique to display an image of the Shadow Guard Token.

The Shadow Guard Token bore the image of a black, Evil spider.

The Blood Shadow Guard Token bore the image of an even more sinister and terrifying blood-red spider.

"That's all." The mermaid-like young woman spoke in a soothing voice. "I've finished explaining."

The rear cabin immediately erupted into noise as everyone began discussing the announcement.

Terci continued, "If anyone has questions, go ahead and ask. I'll answer them."

"Lady Terci," a Midgod stood and asked, "does every Shadow Guard carry an identity token?"

What if they happened to run into one who wasn't carrying a token? Wouldn't all their effort be wasted?

"According to Fiend Castle's intelligence, the ancient powerhouse has very strict rules. All of his subordinates are required to carry their own tokens. Of course, special cases can't be ruled out."

"If you kill a Shadow Guard and find that they don't have an identity token, then you'll just have to consider yourself unlucky..." the mermaid-like young woman replied patiently.

At that moment, Trey, the Dragon-man Race youth sitting not far from Luo Ya, stood up. "My lady, that ancient powerhouse is so powerful, and he has many extremely powerful Blood Shadow Guards. What about them?"

Trey's question immediately drew the attention of the other Midgod candidates.

Of course, these Midgods weren't fools. When they noticed veteran Fiends among their fellow passengers in the rear cabin, they had already guessed the answer.

"As you've probably noticed, you aren't the only ones heading to the Shadow Swamp this time. There are also several three-star and four-star Fiends, as well as one extremely powerful Five-Star Fiend." The mermaid-like young woman glanced at Trey and revealed the answer.

"Extremely powerful?" Luo Ya was somewhat surprised to hear Terci describe the Five-Star Fiend that way.

Clearly, the people from Fiend Castle thought this Five-Star Fiend had a good chance of passing this promotion assessment.

Terci continued, "The thirteen Blood Shadow Guards and the formidable ancient powerhouse are the targets of the other Fiends' missions. You don't need to worry about them."

Based on what Terci had explained, everyone had already guessed that the Shadow Guards were Midgods. The Blood Shadow Guards, on the other hand, were certainly all Highgods. As for the ancient powerhouse, he was probably a mighty figure who could dominate a region even among the Highgods.

After spending a full twenty days aboard the Metal Lifeform, they finally reached their destination.

"Once you get outside, head east for a few li, and you'll see the Shadow Swamp."

The handsome young man spoke loudly from the rear cabin. "The Shadow Swamp has a unique terrain, giving the Shadow Guards an advantage on their home ground. Don't let your guard down. We'll wait here for you. Anyone who successfully obtains a Shadow Guard Token can return to the Metal Lifeform."

"A swamp?" Milia had encountered swampy terrain in the Material Plane before. But since the Fiend Castle representative had gone out of his way to warn them, the Shadow Swamp must have something extremely unusual about it.

"Let's go." Luo Ya, Milia, and Morti followed the crowd through the passageway and headed outside. The throng gradually disembarked from the Metal Lifeform.

At that moment, two or three dozen Fiends had gathered on the vast land outside the Metal Lifeform. They surrounded a mysterious black-robed figure as if he were the center of attention.

The black-robed man was turned partly away from them, so they couldn't make out his face. The one thing that stood out was the golden-furred kitten nestled in his arms.

From the respectful attitudes of the other Highgod Fiends, the Midgod candidates could just about guess that this mysterious man in black was the Five-Star Fiend Terci had mentioned earlier.

This time, the man was taking the assessment to advance to Six-Star Fiend!

"Mr. Aliquin, with you here, we can finally put our minds at ease..."

"With Mr. Aliquin taking the lead, the mastermind behind the Shadow Swamp will surely meet his end this time..." The crowd gathered around the man in black, and the Highgod Fiends occasionally showered him with loud praise.

It might have seemed undignified, but these Highgod Fiends knew Aliquin's strength and temperament.

If they managed to win Aliquin over, perhaps their own missions would go much more smoothly.

"Of course, of course..." Aliquin wore a smile befitting an aristocrat at court. He stroked the golden kitten's sleek, lustrous fur, his eyes narrowing slightly. Clearly, he thoroughly enjoyed being the center of attention.

"Aliquin?" When Luo Ya heard the somewhat familiar name, he was taken aback. The moment he noticed the extraordinary-looking golden kitten in the man's arms, he quickly remembered who Aliquin was.

"So it was him..." Remembering the tragic fate of a certain burly man, Luo Ya couldn't help feeling a second of sympathy for him.