Chapter 63: Invitation and Challenge Letter

Just as Siegart was about to leave, a dimensional rift suddenly tore open where one of the Evil Eyes had perished, and out crawled a doll-like humanoid machine, shimmering entirely in gold.

"Great Lord of Light, I am the Gold Clown, a loyal follower of Lord Luke."

The Gold Clown gave a comical bow, swaying unsteadily with every step, yet the feat of opening a dimensional rift caused Siegart to cast a sidelong glance of subtle surprise.

"Luke? The builder of the Silent City. He indeed shares a certain bond with my master. What business do you have here?"

Back in the day, Bakal had escaped to Empyrean via Luke's Silent City, thereby initiating centuries of tyrannical rule that lasted until his eventual fall.

During the period when Bakal was secretly resisting Hilder, he would occasionally, with a hint of nostalgia, mention an old senile "Constructor" who had lost his memories and operated purely on instinct—Luke.

"Lord Luke needs light—endless light. And the Castle of the Dead is the highest point of the Arad continent. I wish to construct a light-gathering mirror here."

The Gold Clown's tone was laced with agitation and deep-seated fury. Once the monarch of Heblon, the Emperor of Light and Darkness, and the Sovereign of Mechanics, he had now withered into a hunchbacked old man stripped of his light, his very memories erased.

It must—it absolutely must help Luke recover his former glory and the majesty of the Heblon monarch!

"Why should I help you?"

"Because... we share the same enemy!"

…………

"Siegart."

Where the other Evil Eye had perished, a scale suddenly dropped from its corpse. Phantasmal shadows surged, slowly solidifying into a robust and overbearing man.

"Master!"

"Lord Bakal!"

Bakal nodded, a look of surprise crossing his features. "It seems that old man Luke actually managed to find a loyal and capable subordinate."

"Listen to me..."

——————

"That flame demon? Is it dead?"

Shiat retracted her sword with a lacklustre expression, a profound sense of defeat weighing heavily on her.

Unlike the sheer pressure of Baron von Aingeln's overwhelming strength, Blanz had simply crushed her on every front. Both in martial prowess and combat experience, he handled a multi-person encirclement with absolute ease, playing with them much like an adult amusing a group of toddlers.

"Not dead, just a projection. We might run into him again in the future."

Yelin tossed the Bamboo Bracelet in his hand a few times before casually tossing it to Isabella. "Your Highness, consider this a bit of compensation. I cannot give you what lies at the very top, but I do expect your discretion."

"Hmph~ Such trash."

Isabella caught the bracelet with utter disdain. Equipment of rare grade was meant to appease an imperial princess? This trinket didn't even qualify to be put on display for her.

"Then name your terms, as long as it is within my capacity to grant."

"Tell me what those two things were."

"A book recording various skills, and the horn of a sub-dragon."

Naturally, he could not truthfully tell Isabella what those two items truly were. The implications were far too vast, and it was inevitable that the Empire would harbor greedy designs.

The notes detailed Bakal's various speculations concerning Hilder after he learned of the prophecy of his own death, alongside select techniques and contingency plans left behind in Empyrean.

As for the dragon horn—it belonged to Bakal himself, and its effects remained entirely unknown...

"Really?" Isabella asked, her expression skeptical.

"Bakal died in Empyrean, and the isolation between Empyrean and Arad has lasted for nearly a thousand years. You don't actually think these are personal belongings of Bakal himself, do you?"

Yelin offered a mocking smile, looking at her as if she were somewhat simple-minded.

"Even if they were, I have no inclination to report this to my father."

Isabella's mood suddenly plummeted, her tone freighted with an unsolvable melancholy, accompanied by a faint, indefinable bitter smile at the corner of her lips.

"The Transfer Experiments, the Demon Lance Experiments... I no longer wish to conduct any more Tyrant King Bakal experiments, only to create more formidable enemies for the Empire."

Though those two experiments had forged exceptional powerhouses like Celes and Hyde, an even greater number of test subjects had unhesitatingly stood in staunch opposition to the Empire, such as Natalia and Shiat. This left her deeply questioning: what lay hidden behind the relentless pursuit of power?

Hum~

A black ring suddenly materialized from Isabella's pocket. Amidst the stunned gazes of the onlookers, it shot straight through the magical barrier of Skypiercer, leaving a streak of light in its wake.

"Baron von Aingeln's ring? Damn it, when did he slip that in?"

Yelin's expression darkened. If the news of Bakal's relics falling into his hands reached the ring's original owner, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Swish...

Siegart also lunged out of Skypiercer, yet another beam of light proved faster than him. That was... Yurna's unused talisman!

The talisman collided with the ring, both shattering into fragments simultaneously in mid-air.

"What is the meaning of this?"

Isabella stood dazed. When on earth had an extra ring appeared in her pocket?

"Who was standing closest to you earlier? Have you remembered yet?" Yelin prompted.

"Baron von Aingeln?"

"Most likely. I neither know what this ring is, nor do I have any interest in meddling in your imperial affairs. Keep this item; it should be enough to seal the mouths of both Baron von Aingeln and your royal father."

Tossing a cyan scale to her, Yelin gestured that it was time to leave.

Shiat couldn't help but take a glance, lowering her voice as she asked, "Is that a dragon scale? An extremely precious material. Where did you get that?"

"Where else? It fell off when Thana was taking a bath..."

The Tyrant King Bakal, Hilder the Crying Eye, Yurna's talisman which most likely belonged to Saint Michael, and Skasa the Long-Leg residing atop the Behemoth—four out of the thirteen Apostles had gathered right here in West Coast!

At this moment, he was still unaware that the Gold Clown representing Luke was also present.

Roar~

Just as the group returned to the lower levels of Skypiercer, a colossal behemoth suddenly burst through the thin layer of clouds.

"Good heavens, it's like a floating continent!"

"West Coast—no, perhaps the entire Falo Bay cannot rival the sheer size of this giant whale!"

"What giant whale? That is the Behemoth."

Yelin stood in place for a brief moment, a smile touching the corner of his lips.

The infamous "Ophelia crash" incident had not occurred. Perhaps in the future, some twin-tailed young girl aboard the airship "Dornier" would crash into Skypiercer, but that was a matter for another day.

Rosthes—an Apostle existing in true physical form!

"Stop moping around. I happen to have some invitation letters and challenge decrees here. If you're still feeling unconvinced, another day we can summon an Abyss Demon at the old man's place for you to thrash. If you can't beat them, we'll just call in the heavy hitters."

Seeing Shiat walking dejectedly at the rear, Yelin had to find a way to reignite her fighting spirit. She couldn't afford to stay wilted like this.

"What on earth are invitation letters and challenge decrees?"

"An invitation letter is a polite request for an Abyss Demon to come over and have a bout. A challenge decree is a direct insult to their entire family, forcing them to hunt you down for a fight."

"There are items like that? Fascinating... and utterly shameless!"

Shiat hurried her pace to dodge a stray mischievous hand, her spirits instantly revitalized as her footsteps grew brisk once more.

At the Stone Giant Tower, Siegart was finalizing certain terms with Sharan and her companions.

"As of today, all levels of Skypiercer above the Dragon-man Tower are sealed. Trespassers will be executed!"

"Skypiercer... can it truly lead to Empyrean?"

Sharan couldn't refrain from asking.

"It can, but a section of Skypiercer was severed by a dimensional rift. Its current height sits halfway up the Sea of Clouds, unless you fear no marine predators."

With a wave of Siegart's hand, it was clear he was dismissing them.

"And what about beneath the Dragon-man Tower? Lord Castellan, blind slaughter is hardly the wisest course; many adventurers will still sneak into Skypiercer."

With a piercing gaze, Yelin offered a proposal: "How about opening an aerial restaurant? We can utilize a portion of Skypiercer's lower levels, and in exchange, we will pay Your Lordship a share of colorless and white small cubic crystals."