GDK 964: That Was a Decent Show
After a few days of rushing, Han Shuo and Wasir finally reached a mountain range some tens of kilometers away from Pandemonium. Han Shuo looked in Pandemonium’s direction and grimaced when he got to know that something had occurred there. As he had a hand in making the formations there himself, he knew their functions and effects well. He could easily feel the abnormal flow of energy from far away.
There were strong yuan energy waves around the Sky Annihilation Formation as well as the secret control chamber. The activation of the former was a sign that a terrifying foe had entered Pandemonium, whereas the latter was a sign that the House of Han members had retreated into the secret chamber due to some extraordinary danger. There was no good reason for the demonic barrier of the secret chamber to activate otherwise. Immediately, he accelerated even more towards Pandemonium.
“Bryan, is there a problem?” Wasir could easily tell something was off about him.
His query caused Han Shuo to slow down slightly. After looking at the energies near Pandemonium again, he took a deep breath to regulate himself, calming his panicking mind. With his mind and soul now still and calm, some thoughts flashed through his mind.
“Something definitely happened at Pandemonium, but the powerful defensive formations I’ve set up at the secret chamber are still operating. That means the last line of defense is yet to be breached,” he explained calmly, no longer in a rush back. “I’m sure Dhaka and the rest entered Pandemonium. However, there is no way they’d be able to barge through all the defensive formations there in such a short time. There must be some other force that is forcing my people to flee to the central control chamber, so something is off.”
He of all people knew the power of the defenses best. Not to mention, he had tested out Dhaka and the rest’s power during the battle at Misty Sea and didn’t think that they would be able to breach all the defenses in such a short time. It was because he was at least that confident about the defenses that he dared to leave for Glacial Peak to save Wasir.
“Perhaps some other enemy infiltrated the place,” Wasir said, given that he believed what Han Shuo said about the defenses of Pandemonium.
“That shouldn’t be possible! Nobody can enter Pandemonium that easily unless they’re one of us!”
“I suppose we’ll see the truth once we get there.”
Han Shuo nodded and was just about to do as Wasir said. All of a sudden, he felt a slight pulse coming from the distance. Immediately, he sent a weak strand of his consciousness out, emanating soul undulations from his body.
“Who are you trying to contact?” Wasir asked. The undulations emanating from Han Shuo’s body were really subtle. He wouldn’t have noticed it if he were leaning directly against Han Shuo. Being a powerful overgod, Wasir knew that it must be some kind of communication technique that relied on two people agreeing on what wavelengths or other features of the undulations to focus on to be able to send information through wide distances.
“You shall see in a second,” Han Shuo said as he motioned for Wasir to come to a corner of the mountains nearby.
Wasir wondered why Han Shuo seemed completely unhurried despite something going on in Pandemonium and tried to guess the person he was trying to contact. Did he set up some other pawn amongst Dhaka, Dagmar, and Asser? Why would he have anything to do with the three of them?
Just as he let his imagination run wild, a weak light shot out from the dark clouds before landing in front of Han Shuo. It looked like the figure of a person.
“Salas!”
“Wasir!”
The two called out to each other as if they were facing off their nemesis. Ice and lightning energy filled the surroundings, as if they would clash immediately.
“We’re all allies!” Han Shuo said, stopping them from acting rashly by charging between them. “Stay calm, we’re allies!”
Both Salas and Wasir weren’t aware that they would be working with each other and had almost got into a fight.
“Out of everyone I could’ve guessed, you weren’t even on the list!” Wasir said, his cold expression melting into a plain smile. “Bryan, you even dragged Salas down. I’m astonished! You truly are terrifying!”
Han Shuo had defeated Salas and took his place in the Fringe, ruining his prospects there. Their grudge should’ve been irreconcilable by all accounts. Yet, they had actually been working together secretly. If Wasir hadn’t seen it himself, he wouldn’t have believed it even if others brought him proof.
“I’m also quite surprised. You’re someone who wouldn’t even submit to Tyre, yet why would you leave Glacial Peak to come here?” Salas looked at Wasir oddly before turning to Han Shuo. “It’s no wonder you were able to firm your hold in the Fringe. It’s only after today that I’m truly convinced of your abilities.”
Now, the two Sovereigns of the Fringe expressed their admiration for Han Shuo at the same time.
“Let’s not dwell on this,” Han Shuo said, not letting it get to him. They had to deal with Pandemonium first. “Salas, you’ve been monitoring Dhaka the whole time, right? What happened?”
As he spoke, Han Shuo sent some demon generals into Pandemonium. However, what they saw wasn’t enough to inform him about what truly happened there, so he still needed Salas’s input.
“First, Dhaka, Dagmar, and Asser went into Pandemonium. The three moved as I had predicted and got trapped like you said they would. However, you might not have realized it, but after Dhaka, Dagmar and Asser arrived, Miller, Isaiah, and Regis came to Pandemonium.”
“What’s going on?” Han Shuo was beyond shocked.
“I didn’t see it with my own eyes, but I can be certain that Isaiah and the rest entered the underground palace in Pandemonium through a direct path. I bet you wouldn’t be able to guess who led them into the underground palace.
“It’s definitely Ossora!” Han Shuo snapped, “Regis, Isaiah, and Miller were targeting Ossora to begin with, so Ossora definitely had a part in their appearance here. Given Pandemonium’s defenses, they wouldn’t be able to enter without Ossora leading the way.
When he said that, Salas’s expression turned grim. “You were able to figure it out after all. I guess you have long put up your guard against Ossora.”
“Dagmar, Dhaka, Asser, Isaiah, Miller, Regis, and Ossora… There are seven overgods within!” Han Suo’s expression grew grave. “We should come up with something together. This battle will not be an easy one. Thankfully, Pandemonium is my turf, otherwise, we wouldn’t even stand a chance.
“Dhaka, Dagmar, and Asser are still trapped since Isaiah and the rest didn’t free them. The only ones we have to take on are Ossora, Isaiah, Miller, and Regis,” Salas said.
“Then it’ll be much easier for us to act.” Han Shuo relaxed and pondered. “The two of you shouldn’t show up yet. Let me go take a look. I believe Ossora still doesn’t know that I’m already aware of what’s happening and will try to backstab me later. I’ll let him do what he wants…”
After their discussion, it was decided that Wasir and Salas would remain in hiding while Han Shuo entered Pandemonium alone.
……
“He’s here!” Ossora cried.
“He finally returned!” Isaiah and the rest were overjoyed. They had been waiting so long just for the master of the place to show up to hand them the secrets of everything in Pandemonium. That way, they could finally take it over for good.
“He definitely doesn’t suspect me yet,” Ossora said, “We should put up a convincing show. As long as I can catch him off guard, I’ll be able to maim him. After that, the three of you will swoop in and we’ll completely dominate him. Later, by blackmailing him using his wives and friends, we’ll be able to make him spill all his secrets.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Isaiah said.
Ossora left immediately and injured himself lightly, trying to look like he was escaping something. Meanwhile, Isaiah, Miller, and Regis tagged along and appeared as if they were about to strike Ossora down.
That’s a pretty convincing show, I’ll give them that. Han Shuo snickered in his mind and willed a grand formation in Pandemonium to start operating. The formation immediately moved to where Isaiah was and enveloped Ossora within it.
“Hey, Ossora!” The Hegemon of Darkness, Asser, called out. He had been trapped within it for a whole day and noticed someone else appeared next to him, though he didn’t expect it to be one of the Five Sovereigns.
“Huh?” Ossora’s face was one of doubt. “Why are you here?”
“I was going to ask you the same thing!” Asser smirked before he turned to attack him. As far as he was aware, Ossora was there to help Han Shuo, so he had to strike first for the advantage.