Chapter 752: A Shared Fate
〈System Alert: You have eliminated the Head Master of the Siren organization, a division under the jurisdiction of the League of the Eidolon.〉
〈System Alert: Your fame with the League of the Eidolon has decreased by 1,000 points.〉
〈System Alert: Your fame with the Order of A Thousand Blossoms has increased by 1,000 points.〉
〈System Alert: You have obtained x1 «Song of the Siren»〉
〈System Alert: Your feat has been recorded as a great contribution to the war effort! [Reward: +800 Contribution Points]〉
〈System Alert: Your Contribution Points has increased by 800! [Total: 5,786.57]〉
Izroth received a barrage of alerts from the system; however, he paid no mind to it as he set his sights on Empyrean.
At the moment, Empyrean was locked in the middle of an intense battle with the Great Duke Murmur's minister, Amplexus. But, just as Izroth was ready to move off to assist Amplexus, the person in question retreated as his shadowy figure became unstable.
Amplexus was not the only one to experience this bizarre phenomenon. The Great Duke, Murmur, the demonic shadow beasts, and his second minister Aurelianus' figures also started to lose their stability as their actions came to a halt.
Murmur's vicious eyes peered towards Izroth as the Great Duke's voice abruptly sounded within his mind.
(Insolent human! Do you have any idea what you have done?! Daring to kill a servant of this noble—did I give you permission?! If this noble were there in person, you would have to die a thousand times over for your arrogance!)
Murmur's voice was filled with a mixture of rage and haughtiness. Of course, the Great Duke was not upset at the fact that Smiling Demon had fallen under Izroth's hands. Rather, in Murmur's eyes, Smiling Demon was its property. And, the fact that Izroth killed Smiling Demon without its permission was a great offense.
As a Great Duke and Royal Demon of the Lemegeton, there were few individuals in the world willing to offend Murmur. After all, offending a Royal Demon was the same as not giving any face to the Lemegeton. And, with the power and influence of the Lemegeton, who dared to undertake such a brazen and impudent act?
"Do I require your permission to kill?" Izroth's noted indifferently.
"No matter who they are or the powers behind them, those who lay a hand on my people have no choice but to answer to me. Even if you were here in person, this fact would not change."
Izroth wondered how Smiling Demon was able to maintain a connection with the Great Duke and its two ministers, as well as the tens upon tens of demonic shadow beasts. Now, it all made sense.
The Murmur before Izroth was only a fragment of its true self that was probably still within the Underworld. In other words, the creatures Izroth and Empyrean faced were only shadows of the real Great Duke as well as its ministers.
Nevertheless, if their fragments gave off this kind of power, then Izroth believed that their true forms had to be on the higher end of the legendary realm. However, to Izroth, it did not matter.
"Demon, noble, deity—none of it holds significance. Regardless of the circumstance, I always pay kindness tenfold and contempt a thousandfold." Izroth stated.
"Initially, I held no animosity towards you or the Underworld; however... You have threatened me more than once." Izroth stated coldly.
"Throughout my life, there have been many who have wanted to kill me but none with the ability to do so. In the end, they all shared the same fate—death."
Izroth turned his back to the Great Duke as he looked in the direction of Siren's main building down below.
"If one day you should appear before me, your life will no longer be yours to do with as you please. And, should you decide to send anyone after me, I do not necessarily mind knocking down the gate to the Underworld to find you."
When Murmur listened to Izroth's words, its already unstable shadow body became increasingly volatile.
(Arrogant! Not only do you dare to threaten this noble, but you dare to claim a boldness great enough to knock down the gate of the Underworld?! Insolent! Hear me, human! In the future, you will not know how you died, but know that this noble will not rest until you are brought to kneel before me! Do you hear me?! You will kne-)
Swoosh!
Out of nowhere, Empyrean appeared behind Murmur as his hand came down and tore right through the shadowy figure. The next moment, the unstable shadow dissolved as Murmur's voice fell silent and its magic was instantly disconnected.
As the shadow was dissolving, it was drawn into Empyrean's palm as if it was being absorbed.
Since the state of Murmur's shadow was on the verge of breaking down, it released a large amount of excess energy. And, with his body's natural ability to dismantle magic, Empyrean was able to forcibly severe what little connection the real Murmur had to its shadow. Of course, Empyrean's main purpose seemed to be geared towards absorbing the remnants of the shadow.
Once that moment passed, there were no remaining signs of Murmur, its ministers, or any of the demonic shadow beasts. Now, the only two figures in the skies above Siren's headquarters were Izroth and Empyrean.
Woosh!
Empyrean moved over to Izroth's side as the latter briefly observed his state.
'Even if they were only fragments, he was still able to hold back three powerful figures and a horde of weaker creatures. It looks like I underestimated his current strength. Though it's a shame the shadows disappeared along with Smiling Demon's death; otherwise, it would have been the perfect chance for him to further hone his skills. It seems I will have to find another opportunity for him.'
Empyrean's clothes were somewhat tattered from his clash against the Great Duke's ministers. There were also some bruises and flesh wounds on his skin—an impressive feat considering Empyrean's unnaturally high defensive capabilities. However, there were no signs of any life-threatening damage.
Izroth nodded inwardly after confirming Empyrean's state.
"Eliminate all the remaining Siren members within the vicinity. None of them are allowed to leave this place alive—even those under the earth." Izroth said calmly.
Empyrean gave a small nod in response before flying away at great speeds to clean up the rest of the Siren members.
Although a good majority of those from Siren were eliminated by Empyrean's Skybreak during the initial attack, there were still hundreds roaming around inside the main building. And, after briefly scanning the area at maximum range with his Energy Vision Sense, Izroth noticed energy signatures moving away from Siren's headquarters.
Given the nature of Siren's existence and present circumstances, Izroth concluded that there were hidden tunnels underground that expanded in multiple directions. The members of Siren probably created these tunnels as an emergency means of escape from a calamity. Unfortunately for them, they could not hide from Izroth's Energy Vision Sense.
Izroth started his descent to the ground at a frightening pace with his Flickering Steps still active. As he descended, Izroth opened his system alerts.
'There's still no response from Azalea after heading into the main building. I hope I'm not too late.'
Earlier, Azalea snuck into the main building of Siren's headquarters to secure the SSS-ranked magic item, Call of the Siren Tapestry. Since the magic item did not come to Smiling Demon's aide, Izroth knew that Azalea must have had some degree of success in her mission. However, her current state was unknown.
Izroth sent a short message to Azalea to confirm her status as he arrived at the ground and made his way into the main building.
Upon entering the building, Izroth did not detect the presence of anyone nearby. Nevertheless, he did not let his guard down as he proceeded to make his way deeper into the headquarters.
Then, without slowing his pace, Izroth accessed his inventory. He was curious about the item he obtained after defeating Smiling Demon.
The following moment, a strange forest-colored trinket in the shape of a crescent moon appeared in the palm of Izroth's hand. Inscribed into the trinket were numerous snakes coiling around one another. And, if one listened closely, they could hear the slight hum of a siren's song.
'Oh? Not bad. This must be why I felt my senses began to dull back there. Still, this is unexpected. To think I would gain access to a second one within such a short time frame. Is it because my luck stat exceeds five now?'
Accessory Name: Song of the Siren
Accessory Rank: Unique
Perception: +3
Accessory Skill: Perceptive Nature(Passive) - Reveals the «Perception» stat to its wearer. This stat cannot be directly increased using stat points.
«Siren's Song» - Releases a song within 60 meters that lowers the perception of all enemies by 50% and increases the perception of allies by 50% for 5 minutes.
Cooldown: 24 hours