Dekan's Promise

"Talomati... Talomati..."

Altis murmured "Talomati" twice, as if trying to remember it.

"Talomati, hurry to the fifth floor. I sincerely hope you can rescue the Saintess of Darkness and end this war."

Altis offered her blessings.

"Yes, I will."

Dekan waved his hand and finally walked out the door without looking back.

Just as he was about to leave the study.

"Talomati ...!"

Altis's voice suddenly came from behind.

"Um?"

Dekan paused slightly and turned his head to the side.

"If this war ends one day, can you rescue me?"

Altis asked with a hint of pleading in her voice.

She seemed to realize herself that the request was unreasonable.

But I still mustered up the courage to say it.

"I can't guarantee that."

Dekan's answer was very resolute.

This is not within the scope of the mission.

He can't do that, at least not in this Shadow World.

Whether they will be able to return to the Shadow World of the Demon Realm is uncertain.

It's quite possible that this Shadow World will be the final chapter of his journey through the Demon Realm.

Even if we could actually rescue Altis, it wouldn't make a difference.

He cannot change history.

Altis's fate was sealed long ago.

Of course, Dekan could also choose to tell a comforting lie to Altis.

But he was unwilling to do so.

Although this is Shadow World, a projection of a certain period of history, compared to reality, everything here is more like an illusion, Dekan can manipulate and deceive the characters within it at will.

But Dekan never lies to his friends.

Even if she's just an illusion, a friend is a friend.

After thinking for a moment, Dekan added:

"But I can assure you, if we ever meet again, we will no longer be enemies. I will be your most trusted partner. If you are in danger, I will rescue you."

After speaking, Dekan left Altis's study.

Altis heard Dekan's words, she was taken aback at first, then smiled and nodded in relief.

"Thank you."

Watching Dekan leave the study, Altis never said goodbye.

In the present world.

"Ice Princess, what's wrong?"

Judith noticed that the Ice Princess beside her seemed a little down.

She stared blankly at the screen, as if she had just woken up from a dream.

"Hmm? I was wondering if Altis would regret not being able to leave with Dekan, no... with the person Dekan was playing."

Ice Princess looked at Judith, a hint of sadness in her eyes, and said...

She always felt that she could empathize with Altis.

She knew how much hope and despair that brief encounter had brought Artis during Altis long, thousand-year life.

Ice Princess also inexplicably sensed that even if the war ended, Altis would almost certainly have no chance of returning to her homeland.

But Altis sincerely hoped that her homeland could remain as beautiful as she remembered, which is why she risked being punished by the Demon King to wholeheartedly help Dekan.

"The Shadow World is nothing more than a projection of a lost history from thousands of years ago, and we don't even know which world it comes from. Everything that Dekan and the others are performing now is ultimately an illusion. There's no need to get emotionally involved with the characters in it. You understand that, don't you?"

Judith countered with a question.

"Well..."

Ice Princess thought for a moment, then simply sighed.

I don't know why.

She felt a deep, indescribable, and irreparable regret.

Demon Realm Prison.

The portal from the fourth floor to the fifth floor.

"By the way, Morion, do you know who the last challenger besides us is?"

As Dekan activated the portal, he suddenly asked a question.

"I was unaware of this; I did not team up with anyone."

Morion quickly waved his hand in reply.

"I promise you the Shadow World won't cause you any trouble this time, so please don't try to trick me, okay?"

Dekan suddenly turned to look at Morion and asked with an unusually serious expression.

This Shadow World demands a high degree of collaboration.

Having realized the importance of time, Dekan didn't have the time to slowly deal with Morion.

We can settle any scores with him when we find his true form in the real world.

After the Shadow World ends, everyone will be teleported back to where they entered Shadow World.

Therefore, there's no way to directly capture him from the Shadow World and bring him back to the Norton Kingdom.

"Don't worry, I know the seriousness of the seventh-tier Shadow World. I don't want to be wanted by the Kingdom Association."

Morion sighed helplessly.

Being wanted by the Resurrection Church and his own father at such a young age, Morion was already feeling exhausted.

Wanted by the Kingdom Association, he had no choice but to flee to the Empire.

Now the Kingdom Association and the Empire have established diplomatic relations.

Even if they fled to the empire, they might still be caught and extradited.

Therefore, Morion, no matter how reckless he is, dares not offend all the major powers.

Seeing that Dekan was still staring at him with a suspicious look, Morion said weakly:

"Do you know what I've been through this past month? Their efforts to hunt me have escalated to the level you're being treated. I've really had enough of the Resurrection Church. I can't handle being wanted by the Kingdom Association any longer."

Dekan widened his eyes and asked:

What do you mean by "my treatment"?

Morion: "Don't worry about the details. I really don't dare to cause trouble this time. Who can stand being an enemy of the whole world? In my current situation, destroying a seventh-tier Shadow World is no different from running to the Lord of Calamity to become sworn brothers."

Dekan: "..."

Morion: "Why aren't you saying anything?"

Dekan: "I'll trust you for now, let's go to the next floor."

Seeing Morion's attitude, Dekan was temporarily relieved.

Because Dekan didn't know Cornelia, Croix, or that unknown challenger on the next level.

So before going down, he had to make sure Morion wouldn't cause trouble.

Without saying anything more, the two entered the portal one after the other and quickly arrived at the fifth floor.

In an instant, the chill made Dekan shiver.

This floor was exceptionally spacious, like a hell made of ice and steel.

Moreover, it has a very pure prison style, which brings back the feeling of the first level.

However, compared to the first level, the fifth level seems more difficult to survive on.

It's more like a slaughterhouse cold storage room than a prison.

The environment made Dekan frown in displeasure.

After passing through the third and fourth levels, he almost mistook the prison for a large shopping mall.

The fifth level made him realize once again that this was a cruel Demon Realm Prison.

So he and Morion put on their overcoats and rubbed their hands together.

Then he crossed his hands and tucked them into his sleeves.

"Oh my god, it's freezing cold today."