Facing a fatal attack.
Alka struggled to raise his head, looked at the Devouring Mouth, and smiled brightly.
Seeing that smile, the Devouring Mouth, as if by reflex, began to sense any signs of trouble around it.
Though it might have dreamed of an ambush, or something like that.
But it quickly regained its composure.
"Die!"
The heavy pressure brought on a tremendous force, crashing down fiercely.
Smoke and dust billowed.
The soldiers outside had already fled.
The area where Alka, Sofia, and the other two were struck was the area.
Narmins and the others, pinned to the ground by the weight, glared in anger, but could hardly even utter a cry.
The immense force completely destroyed the entire floor, punching through it.
Below was a hollow, seemingly a cargo basement.
He fell down with him.
Enduring the burning, Devourer's face gleamed with ferocity, for Alka and the others before him had long since vanished.
At some point, before he could react, they had vanished from the spot they had been standing on.
But his body was already rapidly collapsing. This time, the time he had to prepare was too short. He hadn't been able to properly adjust his form, nor had he found a new source of strength.
Devourer's head rose in anger.
He could already sense the fluctuations in space. Alka stood alone above the breach. He smiled and waved at Devourer below.
"I forgot to tell you, the thing stabilizing the space is remote-controlled."
After saying this, Alka waved the object in his hand.
It was a blue dagger, seemingly made entirely of crystal.
Looking at the dagger, Devourer's rage was almost unbearable, and the flames of the abyss ignited within him.
But the flames were immediately suppressed by the light and then vanished, as if extinguished by water.
He felt his body. He now wore only this glove-like piece of equipment.
It was a treasure capable of generating immense pressure and shockwaves.
He had taken over Creel's body, and naturally, his treasure as well.
"When did you take it, you damned thief!" Devouring Mouth calmed down, but still cursed.
He stared at Alka and asked.
Alka looked at him, at Devouring Mouth's rapidly declining strength.
And at the rapidly melting muscles on his body.
He smiled and said, "Do you think I'll tell you?"
Devouring Mouth took a deep breath.
"I sensed your arrival, didn't I? This is just a brief meeting.
You'll come to the Scar of the World, won't you? You won't flee that place. We'll continue the game then.
Until then, I hope you can keep winning like this."
The Devouring Mouth gazed at Alka with its crimson eyes. Then, the power and soul attached to Kriel vanished with the gaping maw in the ground.
Leaving only the body, rapidly fading from demonic form.
In the real world, Alka had no power to retain the power of this soul.
He couldn't do whatever he wanted like in his dreams.
Kriel's body fell to the ground.
This time, the situation was resolved more quickly, so some of his power remained, but his soul was shattered.
He was losing a lot of life force, almost dying.
The pressure on everyone also dissipated. Some saw Kriel, left behind in the deep pit after the demon had departed.
At this moment, Kriel's face was covered with the same cracks he'd always had on Kaluo, as if his body had become porcelain.
He had completely lost control of his body, unable to move an inch. With half-lidded eyes, he watched the shoe in front of him gently spin.
He looked at Alka, who had jumped down and was staring down at him.
In a broken, low voice, he said, "You won. If I had known this would happen... I should have tried my best to kill you."
Hearing this, Alka shook his head helplessly, almost wanting to roll his eyes.
He saw it all: Kriel's shattered soul was filled with resentment and regret.
"What a classic statement! You'd better save some energy to live another second or two. You'll be gone soon, what a shame.
The most regrettable thing is that you died at the hands of such a reckless demon. When you go to hell, those demons will surely laugh at you.
In your next life, you'll find a brain that matches your ambition. Promise me, okay?"
Hearing this, Kriel no longer had the heart to refute. With a final stab of resentment, she closed her eyes, her life completely drained away.
Her soul drifted into the air.
Sofia and the others watched from above.
"He's already dying, why are you talking so harshly?" Jason grumbled from the side.
Hearing this, Alka shrugged. "I wanted to talk it over with him, but you heard it too. He's still farting until his death.
He can only leave with a grudge."
Hearing this, Sofia beside him smiled helplessly. Alka truly had a strong desire for revenge.
Minask sat on the floor, leaning against a nearby stone pillar.
"It seems I can't offend you anymore."
Hearing this, Alka smiled at him. "It's good you're scared."
Everyone rested there, chatting casually.
They all had needles inserted into their bodies, receiving treatment.
Some soldiers had already entered. They were just soldiers, loyal to no one but their country. Some of them were also involved in the conspiracy.
At this moment, the situation at the scene was being handled.
Narmins forced himself to stand up and began to preside over some matters at the scene.
They deliberately avoided the area around the large hole in the center, allowing Alka and the others to rest there.
Lucille lay in Alka's arms, sound asleep, her body covered in the blood of others.
Sofia rested on Alka's shoulder, recovering his depleted magic and physical strength.
"When did you steal his treasure?" Sofia asked.
Hearing this, Alka stared ahead and smiled, "The moment the demon possessed me, I realized it was the Devouring Mouth. So, without hesitation, I paid the price of my own death to steal the treasure from Kriel."
At that moment, the situation was clearly amiss. Alka had instantly unleashed a large amount of pink mist, surely with a purpose.
That was also when the Devouring Mouth possessed Kriel, and her thoughts were in a state of confusion.
This greatly increased the probability of Alka stealing.
This was the ability Alka had observed the Devouring Mouth use after possessing it. Besides some demonic abilities, it also boosted the host's strength. However, its primary power was actually the treasure already possessed by the host.
It wielded it with great skill, even utilizing strength superior to that of the possessed, to enhance the treasure's power.
This was the perfect time to steal.
Kriel had revealed the treasure to Alka because the pink mist could affect the mind.
"What a pity! I had originally intended to steal a treasure that would inflict pressure.
That would have significantly reduced his strength. He stole something else, and now he's forced to release the spatial lock," Alka said.
If there were any unexpected developments in this battle, they were two.
One was the sudden projection of positive holy light, strongly connected to the world.
Such a powerful energy must have either been presiding over a ritual, or perhaps a powerful being was providing assistance.
It must have been Urulius's ritual.
Secondly, they hadn't expected the arrival of the Devouring Mouth.
The moment the demon appeared, Alka had already suspected that Kriel might be colluding with the demon.
In his previous dream, he had already learned information about the demon from the captain of the guards' mind.
Overall, this was a close call.
Alka stared at the gaping hole.
It seemed they had to quickly improve their strength and head for the World Scar.
The Devouring Mouth had completely set its sights on them, and it must have some means of locating them if Alka and the others stopped.
It might even have some kind of foresight in place.
It would find the perfect opportunity to annoy them at any given moment.
Alka might be able to evade them once or twice with some ability and strength, but as the exchanges grew, both sides would understand each other better.
The Devouring Mouth, lurking in the shadows, would have a huge advantage, for Alka couldn't always be on guard against him.
Who knew when he would suddenly appear, or strike at the most unexpected moment?
He would only grow more patient as time went on, and his patience would give him ample time to plan his attacks against Alka and even against Sofia and the others.
Until one fateful moment, a piercing blow to Alka's heart.
He would plunge him into eternal despair.
This was what Alka and his companions learned as they learned of the Devouring Mouth's deeds.
The next time such a situation arose, it would likely result in a price Alka could not afford.
To annihilate the Devouring Mouth once and for all, they must journey to the Scar of the World.
There, they would confront this damned demon head-on. Because his true form is there.
‐‐ It's just as dangerous, but there won't be a situation where the enemy is hidden while we are in the light.
‐‐Thinking of this, Alka made up his mind.
‐‐This world's scars must be healed.
‐‐…
‐‐After a brief rest, Narmins, the prince and future king, began to attend to the kingdom's affairs and calm the aftermath of this battle.
‐‐The captain of the guards wasn't dead, merely nearly crippled.
‐‐And his treasure had already been taken by Jason.
‐‐It was a gauntlet-like item.
‐‐"Do we need to share some of the spoils with the others?" Sofia asked from the side.
‐‐After all, they weren't solely responsible for this battle.
Alka shook his head. "This battle was agreed upon beforehand. All the treasures and spoils belong to us.
We don't need all the wealth."
So this treasure naturally belonged to them.
Unless Vimins hadn't let Andak escape and rushed to support them.
In that case, Alka and his men would have no reason to take the spoils.
As for the treasure on Krill, it belonged to Alka and his men.
Alka looked at the arm armor in his hand, his figure ethereal as he entered a dream. Then he withdrew and said, "This treasure isn't suitable for us. Using it to settle the previous contract is fine, right?"
Alka turned and spoke to the crowd.
Everyone shook their heads.
Treasures that didn't suit them could only be sold, but at this stage, they truly had no shortage of money.
Alka took the treasure and approached the busy Baraz.
"Alka, don't you want to rest for a while?" Balazs asked, smiling.
Having achieved great revenge, Balazs now felt relaxed, radiating a sense of ease from head to toe.
Looking at Balazs like this, Alka smiled, then placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him aside.
He handed him the small box he was carrying.
This was the box Alka and his friends had previously used to store their treasures, though some of its features had recently worn away.
"What is this?" Balazs asked, puzzled, looking at the box.
"You deserved it, didn't you? Remember the contract we signed back on Border Island?"
"You mean that? Didn't I cancel it earlier? You should have sensed it."
Due to an unexpected situation, almost all the profits from that time fell to Alka and his friends.
As the non-beneficiaries, Balazs himself canceled the contract.
"As a saint of the Virgin Mary, I can't refuse to fulfill my contract just because it's canceled. The Virgin Mary might be displeased."
She handed him the box. "The gains from last time, plus the help you've given me this time, are more than enough.
I also want to thank you for lending me the treasure; the cost of the loan is included in this."
"Don't refuse. You deserve it, and it's a gift from a friend."
Alka patted him on the shoulder and walked away.
Balaz looked at Alka's back, then opened the box, took a quick glance, and quickly closed it, his eyes widening.
Alka and the others had brought him a treasure. If he wasn't mistaken, it might be the treasure of the legion commander he had fought before.
The surprise on his face slowly faded, and then he smiled helplessly.
"What a great gift!"
Although he later learned that the treasure on Border Island contained a treasure.
But throughout the entire incident, his contribution was minimal, even a drag.
Even if the spoils were ultimately divided equally, he would only receive a small portion of the wealth as a reward.
And this time, it had already been agreed that all the spoils would belong to Alka and his team.
And he himself was merely playing a coordinating role.
All of this, combined, was certainly not worth a single treasure.
But he still took the treasure; he needed it, and he was grateful for Alka and his team's gift.
…
Alka and the others returned to the Voice of the Dawn.
After boarding, Alka patted the mast: "Voice of the Dawn, set sail."
"Huh? You're not staying a few more days?" Jason was a little surprised when he heard Alka's words.
"Our goal has been achieved. What else is there to do here?" Alka turned and looked at him and asked.
"Uh..." Jason thought about it, and it seemed to make sense. Their purpose had already been achieved, so staying here didn't seem to matter.
"Not attending the coronation ceremony?"
Lucelia sat on Alka's shoulder and said slowly, "According to the normal preparation process, Narmins' coronation ceremony should be held in five months."
"Okay, okay," Jason said helplessly. This was indeed a bit too long.
"We don't know how far our destination this time is, so we need to get there soon," Alka explained with a smile.
At this point, Jason remembered: "You mean, the place Ululius mentioned?"
Alka nodded.
At this moment, Ululius performed the ceremony, and the first thing he did was
Love is like a deep sleep.
Jason walked over and shook her awake.
"What? Let me sleep a little longer. I'm so tired!"
"We need your directions!" Jason shouted in her ear.
They had previously asked Ululius if he knew the exact location, but the answer was no.
She only had a clear sense of direction, meaning she knew the direction.
She knew she was in the correct direction, but she wouldn't know exactly where she was until she got there.
This meant their voyage could be described as aimless, and who knew how long it would take.
After all, this was the vast ocean.
But the problem was that Ululius claimed it was important, so they definitely had to go.
The main point was that both the World Scar and the Trial Island required a certain level of strength.
Alka's current strength hasn't reached the middle stage yet, and reaching the fourth stage of perfection will take at least two to three years.
This assumes they've made some breakthroughs in their research on the Magic Gathering Stone.
They've also calculated the potential for future breakthroughs in Magic Gathering Stones, and based on this estimate, they can accept this voyage taking one or two years.
After all, on the vast ocean, the Devouring Mouth clearly poses no threat to them.
Urulius stood up, shook her head to wake herself, and raised her head to the sky.
She was getting a more precise sense of her direction.
After a while, she finally sensed something and spoke in a certain direction.
"Over there."
As she spoke, the Voice of Dawn immediately turned and began to move forward, following her guidance.
Looking at Ululius, who was about to go back to sleep, Alka suddenly asked, "Why did you use the positive energy holy light imbued with world power in that ritual?"
This puzzled Alka.
Hearing this, Ululius said, "I have a vague sense of the future. There were several equally powerful rituals at the time.
I simply chose the one that might be the best for the future."
"This best option might only provide a subtle enhancement compared to the other rituals at the time.
It might also have had a significant impact on the battle situation at the time. But overall, it was the best choice.
Why I chose this, I don't know, but following my senses is always a surefire way to go."
Ululius, speaking, curled up in a daze and fell into a deep sleep.
Alka nodded thoughtfully.
Some kind of innate perception?
Although I can't predict the future, I do have a vague sense of it.
Racial talents are amazing.