The Kodesen Mountains were shrouded in gray mist all year round, their steep slopes crisscrossed with ravines.
Even the nearest city was hundreds of thousands of miles away.
The Kede Sen Bandit Group had a fearsome reputation in the area and frequently plundered passing caravans.
Their stronghold stood in a valley deep within the mountains, surrounded by peaks on three sides and facing a winding gorge.
The castle was especially lively that day. Several hundred members of the bandit group were gathered in the banquet hall, indulging themselves.
Jar after jar of fine wine was carried in, and the scent of roast meat mingled with the smell of scented powder throughout the hall.
The bandits played drinking games and teased the slave girls serving them, their raucous laughter nearly lifting the roof.
Derrick sat at the head of the hall with a scantily clad woman of another race nestled against each side of his chest. One fed him wine while the other slipped peeled fruit into his mouth.
As the nominal leader of the Kede Sen Bandit Group, Derrick had always lived this way.
His strength rivaled that of a Five-Star Fiend, allowing him to do as he pleased in these mountains.
"Come on, drink some more!" Derrick wrapped an arm around a woman's waist and tipped his head back to gulp down a mouthful of wine, his face full of smug satisfaction.
Just then, an overwhelming pressure descended from the sky. A God's Domain slammed down over the castle like an enormous invisible palm. Derrick's hand froze in midair, and his wine cup slipped from his fingers, shattering on the floor with a crack.
The banquet hall fell silent in an instant. Every servant below Deity level froze like a statue. Some were still pouring wine, while others had