Chapter 330: Encounter

To each of them, the name seemed very strange as soon as they heard it. The girls exchanged several looks of confusion among themselves, trying to make some sense of that word.

The sound of that word was unlike anything they had ever heard before in their lives.

'It's normal that they don't understand it,' Ryan thought, noticing the obvious reactions on his group's faces.

Ryan thought it was very natural for them to react that way to such a strange name. He knew very well that this word shouldn't exist in that world under any circumstances. After all, that name represented a very ancient part of the mythology of his own world.

"Don't see it as an official title I'm giving you right now. See it as a sort of test you must pass. That name will represent a very difficult path between life and death," Ryan clarified from his seat. He took a brief pause, making sure everyone was assimilating his words.

The girls immediately gave him their full attention, hoping to understand the true purpose behind that strange name. Then Ryan continued in a serious tone.

"That is the path you must follow from now on to reach the pinnacle of your power. Only by following that path will you be able to reach the nearly impossible SSS rank."

He looked each of them in the eyes, noticing how the confusion gradually disappeared. Upon hearing those last words, astonishment completely replaced the doubt on the girls' faces.

Explained that way, the value of that strange name changed entirely for all of them.

Each of them stood firm immediately, setting aside any hesitation they had before. The girls gladly accepted the dangerous new path they would have to follow from that day forward.

They demonstrated with their attitude that they were willing to face whatever was necessary to reach that new level. And finally, the grand meeting to hand over their powerful new weapons ended.

The atmosphere in the room relaxed a bit after the delivery. The girls began to admire their weapons silently, feeling the great power they now held in their hands.

However, the demon workers approached Ryan before the meeting completely dissolved. They stood before him with a very clear request, showing a lot of respect in their attitude.

The demons asked Ryan to let them stay there longer than they had initially planned.

Ophelia had given them that special permission before they left for this place to work.

The demon queen had clearly indicated to them that they must decide what to do after helping Ryan.

They had complete freedom to choose whether they wanted to serve him for an extended period or return home immediately. The demons stated that, initially, their intentions were simply to help create those weapons and leave.

But things had changed a lot for them in their last days of work inside the castle.

"After working with such talented people, we have changed our minds," explained one of the demons.

They spoke with great admiration, pointing directly at Mika, Runa, and Alisa.

"We now have the firm intention of continuing to exchange knowledge with them," added another of the workers.

The demons seemed very enthusiastic at the simple idea of learning more about the techniques of this place.

Ryan listened to the demons' request very carefully, without interrupting them at any point. He analyzed the situation for a brief moment before giving them a positive response.

Ryan gladly accepted the demon workers' request so they could stay in the castle.

'This will be very good for all of us,' Ryan thought, seeing the clear enthusiasm on the workers' faces.

He knew this wouldn't only benefit the demons who wanted to learn new things. It would also be a huge benefit to him and his own group of creators. Simply having those demons here would allow Runa, Mika, and Alisa to expand their knowledge even further.

It was a perfect deal where both sides gained a lot of experience.

And then, as everyone returned to their tasks, the throne room became much quieter.

The hours passed slowly and silently inside the grand castle. The sun slowly began to set on the horizon, announcing the arrival of dusk.

The daylight completely disappeared from the windows, leaving the hall illuminated only by the relics Runa and Mika had created. Meanwhile, Ryan rested on his stone throne after a rather busy day.

He maintained a relaxed posture, resting his face in one of his hands while enjoying the momentary calm.

But that tranquility didn't last very long.

Suddenly, a very familiar presence made itself felt in the middle of the wide hall.

Beatrice appeared before him, emerging from nowhere in front of the stone steps. The infernal was enveloped in a dense manifestation of darkness that vanished the moment she touched the floor.

She took a step forward, looking as serious and serene as ever.

"Ryan, they are very close to the town now," Beatrice reported, breaking the silence of the hall.

Her voice resonated clearly, directly announcing the arrival of the S-rank heroes.

Ryan opened his eyes immediately and straightened his posture on the stone throne.

His relaxed expression completely disappeared, replaced by a much more attentive and cold look.

"Gather everyone," Ryan ordered aloud.

He didn't want to waste any more time; he needed his entire group to gather in the throne room right now.

Beatrice nodded, perfectly understanding the urgency of the situation.

She didn't say anything else and disappeared again, using her shadows to move at high speed through the castle's corridors. Ryan brought a hand to his left ear, touching the small communication relic he was wearing.

He needed to contact someone else immediately to prepare the reception.

"Alicia, go get those annoying outsiders," Ryan ordered through the magical relic.

He spoke with a firm tone of voice, expecting a quick response from his assistant.

"After you are in the castle, send the demons and wolves that brought William here to rest," Ryan added.

The response didn't take long to arrive through the small device in his ear.

"Yes, I will go immediately, Your Majesty," Alicia answered with great certainty.

Alicia's voice sounded very clear and willing to carry out the order without questioning anything at all.

'Good,' Ryan thought, lowering his hand from his ear.

He knew Alicia would handle guiding them to the throne room without causing any problems.

'Now I'm very curious to know who else you brought with you, William,' Ryan thought, remembering the hero with a bit of intrigue.

With that thought in mind, Ryan settled back into his large stone throne.

He waited patiently as his whole group gathered in the hall exactly as he had ordered a few moments ago.

Gradually, the large wooden doors began to open, letting the girls of his group enter.

Each of them took their place in an orderly fashion, preparing to receive the impending visitors.

Mirian and Helen walked with a firm step until they reached the stone throne.

They positioned themselves right next to him, acting as Ryan's loyal personal guard.

Helen kept a hand very close to her weapon, ready to react to any threat.

Mirian, for her part, looked toward the door with utmost attention, analyzing every detail of the surroundings.

Karol and Beatrice were the next to take their respective places in the room.

Both girls stood facing each other, each positioning themselves on opposite sides of the huge central carpet.

That long carpet separated the main path toward the throne where Ryan awaited them.

Chloe walked with somewhat nervous steps and stood right next to Karol; she sought to adapt to her new position within Ryan's group.

Irina walked with much more confidence and stopped right next to Beatrice, maintaining a firm posture.

The formation made it clear who had control and power in that place.

Lise was the last to take a position in the room.

The imposing dragoness remained standing next to the large entrance door of the throne room.

She crossed her arms over her chest, guarding the only escape route with a very serious expression on her face. The hall fell completely silent, with all the girls waiting patiently for the outsiders to arrive.

Only a few minutes passed before unfamiliar footsteps were heard approaching down the outer hallway.

And finally, Alicia arrived at the door of the massive throne room.

The four outsiders followed closely behind her, looking at everything around them with evident astonishment and some tension.

Alicia did not stop at the entrance to wait for them.

She advanced very calmly until reaching the center of the grand hall, stopping right in front of the carpet.

The visitors walked behind her, feeling the heavy and intimidating gaze of all the girls upon them.

Alicia turned slightly to look at the guests and then looked up at Ryan.

"Your Majesty," Alicia spoke, breaking the tension of the place with her calm voice.

She gave a slight bow out of respect before continuing to speak and introducing the visitors.

"These are the four heroes who came to our kingdom," Alicia reported, pointing at the people behind her with a hand gesture.

The outsiders looked quite tense before the imposing presence of Ryan's entire group.

"I will introduce them now," Alicia added, preparing to say the names of the newcomers.