"Trust? Forget it."
Yan Huan held out no hope for that.
After the crash in the previous cycle, he and Dan Heng had run themselves ragged, only for Aglaea to test them in the end. It had left a bad taste in his mouth.
This time, Yan Huan really wanted to become the ruling class himself.
"I remember people calling Kryudera a 'tyrant.' Getting her to trust us would be a real pain."
"How about I put her under house arrest and take the Core Flame for myself..."
"How frightening." Cyrene smiled.
"But let's head to Okhema first. People come and go there, so it'll be easier to ask around."
The moment she finished speaking, a commotion rose nearby.
"Tyrant! Take your executioners and get out! You're not welcome here!"
"Silence! You colluded with Xuan Feng and plotted rebellion. For that, you deserve death—"
"Fuck off... Even the Xuan Feng people are more trustworthy than you dogs!"
"Hm?" Yan Huan froze and looked into the distance. "There are still people alive here?"
"Oh, right. The priests of [Years] should live here."
He vaguely remembered that in the previous cycle, Phainon and Tribbie had come to Deep Abyss to bring these priests back to Okhema.
For now, though, the priests probably still considered this place home.
Yan Huan and Cyrene walked a little farther and found the walls around them growing more intact. It was as if only the area they had just left had been ravaged by war.
As the shouting drew closer, Yan Huan climbed to higher ground and peered down.
Two groups stood facing off.
On one side were the city guards of Okhma Holy City. On the other were the priests and the Heavenly Condemnation Legion of [Strife].
Surrounded, a priest leveled an angry accusation at them: