Chapter 563 - 561: Bad News.

Chapter 563: Chapter 561: Bad News.

The road towards this ducal mansion was packed full of people, as even with how wide and spacious the streets were, it still felt too small a space as bodies were colliding with one another.

"This Raiden Agares seems to be quite the loved figure, huh?" I muttered, seeing the clear excitement on the faces of the people around us.

"You have no idea. The young master has already surpassed the might of his ancestor, Lord Thaddeus, becoming arguably the most powerful figure in all of Althea and he’s barely twenty. People are already calling him the greatest prodigy to have ever happened to Althea, and I don’t believe they’re exaggerating." The man leading us replied proudly.

"So you’re telling me that there aren’t any other geniuses in these lands that can compare?"

"None whatsoever. The only other contestants are the Berserk Prince, the Young Lion Duke, and the Young Demon Duke’s fiancées, but all these people are still part of the young duke’s circle, so they don’t count."

"Now you’ve got me interested."

A genius with no contenders whatsoever? Who knew I’d find something interesting on a planet I’d only come to use as a gateway to the Abyss?

"I guess a little detour wouldn’t hurt," I mused silently as we continued moving through the throng of people, a five-meter radius being kept constantly around us as nobody was allowed any chance to get close.

...

...

"There it is... the grand ducal mansion of the Agares family." The man pointed forward, awe and reverence in his voice.

"Hmm... not as impressive as I was expecting."

Don’t get me wrong, the place was pretty nice to look at, but compared to the structures I’d seen recently, it was a bit lacking.

"You’re comparing structures from worlds that are far more advanced and powerful to something from a minor world? What did you expect?" Sana scoffed.

"I guess you’re right." I shook my head, dispelling my unrealistic expectations as the crowd suddenly went wild.

"OOOOHHHHHHH!!!!!"

"They’re here!!! They’re here!!!"

A man screamed at the top of his lungs, his voice turning crooked from the action.

"I can see them!!! I can see them!!"

A woman to my right suddenly began hyperventilating as her eyes turned into literal hearts, staring dead straight at the massive gates of the building.

"Damn... are people really going this feral for some young Duke?" I couldn’t believe someone that wasn’t me could actually garner so much praise and adoration from people.

"I wonder what would happen if I let my true appearance out?" The dangerous thought couldn’t help but surface as I imagined just how much damage I could cause by simply letting my beauty out.

"Can’t take one minute of not being the center of attention, huh?" Shaia teased.

"I was just wondering, not like I was actually going to do it."

"Sure, I totally believe you."

I ignored the woman’s teasing voice as I focused on the group marching out of the building.

"Ohh? What’s this?" I couldn’t help being surprised as my eyes locked onto the figure at the head of the group.

A head full of pure white hair that fell all the way to his back. He was big—at least seven feet tall—with a body built like a tank that somehow didn’t look bulky, instead adding more of a manly charm to his presence.

He was handsome, and that was saying a lot coming from me, but other than that, the thing that caught my attention more was—

"Chaos energy?" Shaia muttered, unsure of herself.

"You feel it too, huh?"

"I do. But... his energy, it feels impure, unrefined. How’s that possible?"

"Are you thinking what I’m thinking?"

"An Apostle? Highly unlikely. They wouldn’t bother hiding within mortals, and he’d have already attacked you if he were, since, just as you can, most Apostles would be able to sense the chaos energy within you by now."

"Then what is—" My words were cut short as I felt a gaze fall upon me, prompting me to raise my head, my eyes locking onto a pair of bright golden eyes that shone like the sun itself.

"Heh... looks like he noticed after all." I smiled, suddenly very interested in whatever was about to happen.

...

...

"Silence!" A thunderous voice echoed from the gates as a man dressed in pitch-black armor stepped forth, the image of a demonic skull with a sword driven through it emblazoned boldly on the chest plate of his armor.

"The young Duke wishes to address you." The man added before bowing and withdrawing, allowing the tall youth to step forward. And the moment he did—

OMMMMMM!!!!

A heavy pressure descended upon the entire place. It was powerful yet controlled so precisely that even the weak people amongst the crowd were able to withstand it. But—

"Sana, my love, are you sure the highest-ranking people here are below the Law Creation stage?" I asked, an amused smile playing at the edge of my lips.

"This..." Even Sana seemed stunned, as the pressure currently coming off of the young man belonged to nothing but a—

"A Law Manifestation powerhouse in a minor world where they shouldn’t be allowed to even cross the threshold of a Law Creator?" Now, if someone were to tell me that this wasn’t another pure protagonist-level type bullshit, I would have smacked that person in the mouth.

The impure chaos essence. The authoritative aura around him, and now a level of power he had no business wielding on such a world?

"Interesting... very interesting..."

And that level of control? So precise he hadn’t harmed his planet despite being strong enough to crumble the entire thing with just a careless release of his aura?

"Congratulations, you’ve fully piqued my interest." My smile widened as I began anticipating my inevitable confrontation with this man.

...

...

"My beloved people of Althea," the young man’s voice echoed through the now silent region, a brilliant smile on his face, "allow me to first and foremost extend my gratitude to each and every one of you for your most generous welcome. My heart is at peace because of the overwhelming love and support you have given me."

"Don’t mention it, young Duke!!"

A man yelled out from the crowd.

"I LOVE YOU, DEMON DUKE!!"

A delirious scream from one of the women followed right after.

"Oii!! Who’s the banshee trying to monopolize our young Duke!? He’s for all of us!! You hear me!! ALL OF US!!"

"Raiden!! Raiden!! Raiden!!" The crowd suddenly burst into chants as the rowdy atmosphere returned, the young man merely laughing boisterously at the display.

It wasn’t until the crowd had finally calmed down that the young man continued his speech.

"My people, I am here today not just to extend my deepest gratitude, but unfortunately, to bring some bad news..." His words immediately made the cheerful atmosphere turn somber.

The young Duke’s expression finally turned serious as he didn’t bother to keep the crowd in dreadful suspense.

"During our most recent expedition to the demon realm in our attempt to quell the uprising from the Antares ducal household, we came across a very troubling incident..." His face darkened even further as he opened his mouth. "Ladies and gentlemen, I have two pieces of very, very bad news."

The atmosphere turned solemn immediately.

Their young Duke was calling something very, very bad news? Someone who had been unfazed by anything he’d come across throughout his legendary rise?

Someone who had faced demons terrifying enough to give some of the higher nobilities nightmares while laughing?

Raiden’s rise wasn’t a mystery to anyone on Althea, as the young Duke was a very showy and magnetic figure, yet that same unshakable youth was now telling them about some bad news with that kind of expression on his face?

"The first one is a discovery we made deep within the demon territory, at a hidden underground temple within the Hubris Empire, and it was a gate... where it led, we have no idea, but one thing I know for sure is that the energy coming from the gate was enough to give even me a feeling of absolute death."

Silence.

That’s all there was after the crowd heard those words.

Their undying young demon Duke? Having a feeling of death?

Don’t get it twisted; the title Undying wasn’t something they gave out for just how cool it sounded, no.

Their young demon Duke had proven times without number that he truly was unkillable.

From having his entire body reduced to blood mist to having his being erased completely by powers far above him, he’d returned whole, complete, and laughing like a maniac as he plunged his opponents into a world of despair, eventually coming out every time as the winner.

Even his cultivation technique, according to rumors, was one that killed him every time he used it, yet he was still standing, more powerful than ever.

But now, this same figure was claiming to have felt the threat of death? Complete death?

Raiden, for all his worth, didn’t give the audience any chance to finish digesting the bomb he’d just dropped before dropping what was perhaps the most frightening news the people had heard to date.

"And that’s not all, for we have also discovered, to our dismay, that the demon realm we’ve been battling so hard against is nothing but an insignificant offshoot of something far, far more terrifying. And unfortunately for us, that thing might soon be upon us."

The faces in the audience turned deathly pale as many staggered backwards, with most fainting from fear as Raiden dropped the hammer:

"Ladies and gentlemen, prepare your hearts, for Althea might soon face the descent of the TRUE demon realm, and I... I have no assurances that we... will make it out alive."

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A/N: Anybody recognize this character called Raiden agares? No? Yes? Either way....

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Thanks for reading...