Ten thousand meters above the sky, two figures tore through the sea of clouds and sped away into the distance.
The wind howled, and the clouds churned.
Kishirika flapped its huge bat wings on its back with all its might, pushing its speed to the limit.
But the figure in front continued to fly as if taking a leisurely stroll, even frequently turning around and flying backwards.
" Rudeus--! Slow down!"
Kishirika's voice, broken and intermittent, was choked with gritted teeth and carried by the strong wind.
"Then hurry up a bit!"
Rudeus replied leisurely.
"Ugh..."
"You were the one who told me to follow you! And now you're complaining that I'm too slow!"
Didn't I just say that?
Rudeus shrugged helplessly.
"If I carried you while we flew, we could go even faster."
"But this Demon Emperor insisted on showing off, saying, 'No need, I can fly by myself!'"
"You..."
Kishirika blushed, then became furious with embarrassment.
"In my thousand-year life, I have never seen such a shameless person..."
"Hey-hey."
Rudeus chuckled softly and didn't tease her any further.
"Alright, we've arrived."
As soon as he finished speaking, he stopped and pointed downwards.
Kishirika also stopped in mid-air, looking down in the direction of Rudeus's gaze.
The next moment, her expression froze.
Below the clouds.
A desolate landscape came into view.
In the center of that land, there was an incredibly huge and deep pit.
The giant crater looked as if the earth had been forcibly torn apart by some supreme force, with its edges covered with shattered rock layers and charred marks.
Within the deep pit, a faint, lingering aura of sacred magic remained.
Even from such a great distance, one can feel a sense of oppression emanating from the depths of one's soul.
Kishirika stared at the deep pit and remained silent for a moment.
"Really..."
"It just seems outrageous no matter how you look at it."
Her lips twitched slightly; even though it wasn't the first time she'd seen it, she still found it unbelievable.
Rudeus did not answer, but slowly dissipated the magic surrounding his body.
The next second.
The body lost its support.
He plummeted straight into the pit like a falling meteor!
boom--!!
The deafening roar echoed throughout the heavens and the earth.
The dust wave instantly spread in all directions.
Gravel flew everywhere.
A fierce wind swept through.
He landed at the bottom of the pit in an extremely domineering posture.
Both feet were firmly planted on the ground.
The hem of her clothes fluttered in the air currents.
It still landed vertically.
The king descended from the heavens once again.
Still an elbow strike to the ground!
Kishirika hovered in mid-air, watching the other party's deliberately nonchalant demeanor, and the expression on his face gradually turned to disdain.
"Loading cargo."
She offered her assessment without reservation.
Then it rolled its eyes, flapped its wings, and slowly descended.
"On another note..."
Looking at the devastation around her, she couldn't help but sigh.
"Even I, the Emperor, would find this level of attack quite troublesome."
How is that possible?
Rudeus dusted himself off and said casually.
"This blow can put you right to sleep."
Kishirika's lips twitched.
"If you spare me even a little more magic, this attack will be nothing more than a tickle to me."
"My beauty, my magic isn't some cheap cabbage at the market."
Rudeus looked into the depths of the pit.
Let's go down and check if Atofe can still breathe.
The words had barely left his mouth.
The two figures leaped simultaneously into the deeper part of the cave.
As soon as they entered the pit, a dense, sacred magical power rushed towards them.
The terrifying aura left by Eris's sword still lingered in the air.
Feeling the fluctuations of power around him, Kishirika couldn't help but say:
"This Eris..."
"Did you really teach him all by yourself?"
Her eyes held a complex expression.
"This is just too terrifying!"
"Heh~ Of course, my skill in teaching children is among the best in the world."
"Would you like to give it a try?"
"Eh? But I don't have any children either?"
"We've become friends through a misunderstanding, so how about this: I'll have one for you for free, how about that?"
"You... you're so shameless! I've already told you I have a fiancé."
"I know, doesn't that mean I only have one competitor?"
"... You!" Kishirika was speechless.
As we delve deeper...
The rock walls on both sides get higher and higher.
Finally, the two reached the bottom of the deep pit.
And there.
A figure stood silently.
To be precise, it was half a body.
The bare upper body has recovered, but due to the impact of the holy magic, the body's recovery speed has become extremely slow.
It was Atofe.
Upon seeing this, Kishirika immediately revealed a gloating smile.
"Yare yare..."
She put her hands on her hips and smiled.
" Atofe, you've finally met your match."
Atofe heard the voice and slowly raised his head.
" Kishirika?"
She paused for a moment, stunned.
His expression immediately turned hostile.
"OK..."
You're actually here!
"Purge back all the wine you stole from me!"
Looking at the demon king before him, who was only half a body but still had his mind on wine the moment he looked at him, Rudeus couldn't help but twitch his lips.
"My body is almost gone."
"You're still thinking about alcohol?"
Atofe then noticed Rudeus's presence.
She turned her head and looked Rudeus up and down.
"Who are you..."
"That handsome young man following the human girl?"
Rudeus ignored her teasing.
He simply took a large cloak from his Magic Pocket and casually tossed it to Atofe.
The cloak unfurled, enveloping her body.
Then, Rudeus raised his hand.
A gentle green light emanated from his palm, instantly covering Atofe's entire body.
The next moment.
Her mutilated body began to recover at a visible rate.
In no time, his severely damaged body was restored to its original state.
Atofe stretched his limbs, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"This magic..."
"That's really interesting."
Rudeus looked at her and spoke calmly.
" Atofe."
Now I'll give you two choices.
"First, submit to me."
"Second, be killed by me."
After a brief silence.
Atofe suddenly let out a cold laugh.
"Oh."
"I don't believe you have the ability to kill me."
She still acted as if she didn't care at all.
Rudeus pointed to the surrounding pit walls.
"Did you see this?"
"After taking that hit head-on, you're probably still not fully clear-headed, right?"
He spoke slowly.
"And I'm going to tell you."
"The person who wielded this sword was someone I personally trained."
"Therefore, I suggest you reconsider your answer."
Atofe fell silent.
She looked at the huge, deep pit around her, her eyes flickering, as if she were thinking about something.
(never mind.)
(It's practically impossible to persuade this kind of dim-witted person with words.)
Rudeus sighed helplessly.
His consciousness immediately sank into the System Shop.
Supply area.
Search -- Fine wines and spirits.
The next second.
Hundreds of pages of product listings quickly appeared.
He quickly glanced through it.
The quality of these Saint Rank wines is quite good, and the price is well within an acceptable range.
The highest possible Emotion Points is no more than 100,000.
soon.
A name caught his attention.
Worry-Free Jade Nectar
Grade: Saint Rank.
Effect:
Mental energy recovery efficiency increased by 30%.
Fatigue recovery efficiency improved by 20%.
Price:
10,000 Emotion Points.
"This one will do."
He directly exchanged for thirty jars and deposited them all into his system inventory.
Then, he took a jar from his Magic Pocket and opened the seal.
In an instant.
The rich and mellow aroma of the liquor instantly filled the entire pit.
Atofe's previously nonchalant expression froze instantly.
Her nose twitched slightly.
The next second.
His eyes suddenly lit up.
"This is..."
She didn't even care about the Demon King's dignity.
He rushed straight to Rudeus, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
"Boss, please!"
Please accept my bow!
Rudeus's lips curled into a slight smile.
"Not bad, not bad."
"You have a good eye."
"This is a reward for you."
After saying that.
He pushed the wine jar in his hand, along with the remaining wine in his spatial pouch, in front of her.
Atofe accepted the wine jar with trembling hands.
The way he looked was as if he were holding some priceless treasure.
Tears of emotion almost welled up in her eyes.
Then, she looked up.
"Gulp--Gulp--"
She downed the entire jar of fine wine in one gulp.
After resolving the matter.
The group left the pit.
In mid-air, Rudeus stopped and stretched out his hand.
The next moment.
A tremendous magical power erupted from the palm of his hand.
The enormous, bottomless pit beneath their feet began to slowly close.
It's as if someone is using invisible needles and thread to stitch the broken earth back together.
A moment later.
Apart from a faint crack remaining in the center.
No trace of the battle that once shook the continent can be seen here.
"Alright."
He clapped his hands.
The misunderstanding has been cleared up.
" Kishirika, you can stay here for now."
Remember to eat sparingly.
Then, he looked at Atofe.
As for you...
"For now, I'll stay in your... whatever..."
" Necross Fortress?"
"Right."
Atofe nodded.
"You just stay there."
"Try to develop your own power as much as possible."
Rudeus for a moment, then shook his head.
"Never mind."
"Let's forget about this last one."
"Given your personality, you probably won't be able to develop any legitimate power."
"Just don't cause any trouble."
The two. "..."
Rudeus gazed into the distance.
"All in all."
"The situation should be relatively peaceful for the foreseeable future."
So take this opportunity to enjoy life.
The words had barely left his mouth.
A streak of light flashed by.
The next second.
Rudeus disappeared from everyone's sight.
Only Kishirika and Atofe remained standing there, looking at each other in bewilderment.