The Broken Halo

The tunnel was older than what Sonya and Akaza expected.

The walls were rough and uneven, bearing numerous scratches and marks left behind by generations of slaves. Some of the markings resembled simple symbols while others looked completely meaningless.

However, Simon knew that many of them were not random.

They were messages, directions, and warnings.

They were languages that only slaves could understand.

He got to understand what these markings meant after the slaves taught him.

The tunnel sloped downward before gradually curving through the interior of the cliff itself. The air was damp and cold. Water occasionally dripped from the ceiling, creating a steady rhythm that echoed through the darkness.

Crystals that emitted dim lights were hung on the walls of the tunnel.

Nobody spoke for several minutes.

Sunless carried Merath while Akaza carried Jorra. Sonya walked behind Simon while carefully observing the surroundings.

The deeper they went, the more her expression changed.

She had expected hidden passages. What she did not expect was an entire network.

Every few hundred meters, another symbol appeared on the wall.

Some pointed to the left.

Some pointed to the right.

Some had been recently scratched into the stone.

Others looked ancient.

Finally, Sonya could not help herself.

"How many slaves are helping you exactly?"

Simon glanced at one of the markings before continuing forward.

"I don’t know." He answered simply.

Sonya blinked.

"You don’t know?"

"No."

His answer was calm.

"There are slaves I know. There are slaves who know me. There are slaves who have never met me but chose to help after hearing what happened."

The corner of Simon’s lips curved slightly behind his mask.

"And there are slaves helping simply because they want to see the clan suffer."

The tunnel became silent at Simon’s words. Even Akaza’s eyes flickered despite knowing the connection between Simon and the slaves.

But for the first time, he and the others truly understood the scale of what Simon had built.

This was not merely a collection of informants.

It was a hidden network that had been growing beneath the clan’s feet for years. It was a network nobody bothered to notice... except for Simon.

It was a power he controlled.

About four minutes later, the tunnel finally ended.

A stone door opened inward, and the group stepped into an abandoned workshop built into the side of the cliff.

Broken tools littered the floor and dust covered everything.

However, their attention was on a slave... Another slave.

The demon immediately lowered his head when he saw Simon.

"My King."

"What information do you have?"

The slave quickly spoke.

"The Central Plaza has been sealed. The eastern bridges are under heavy surveillance, and several Veilmasters have joined the search."

The slave’s expression beneath his mask became more serious.

"And Black Midnight has disappeared. We have not been able to locate him."

Simon’s eyes flashed with a calculating glint, then he nodded.

It was a little bit troubling that Black Midnight was nowhere to be found and that he had not sensed the Grave Lord with Shadow Sense or his other abilities after so long, but he wasn’t too bothered about it.

He was about to move, but he saw the slave hesitating to speak.

"Speak. What’s on your mind?"

The slave hesitated for a moment before he finally spoke.

"There are rumors spreading throughout the clan."

Simon frowned. "What rumors?"

"Many demons are beginning to believe that you’re not acting alone."

The slave swallowed.

"They think some Veilmasters and maybe even the Grave Lords are helping you. They say that it’s too convenient that you’re attempting to escape after you were prevented from facing judgement for killing the Grey Pact on your first mission."

Simon could not help but frown after hearing these words.

This was not part of his plan.

What was going on?

He looked at the slave.

"Does anybody know the origin of this rumor?"

The slave shook his head.

"I’m sorry my King, but we do not."

"Hmm." Simon hummed softly with a thoughtful expression.

’How strange.’

Pat

Pat

Sonya suddenly gave his back a gentle pat.

"Why are you so worried, little kitty? The more chaos there is, the higher our chances of escaping."

Simon looked at her, then he nodded slightly with a slight hum.

’There are pros and cons to the chaos, but she’s not wrong. I don’t know who started this rumor, but it works in my favour, so I’m okay with it.’

He stretched out his hand, and just like he did for the first slave, he gave this slave a hundred thousand low grade hell stones.

The slave was so shaken to the point that his breathing became rough and uneven.

His eyes could not leave his spatial ring.

Simon had just given him more wealth than he had ever possessed in his entire life.

Simon ignored his reaction.

A moment later, dark silver demonic energy surged around the group.

Space twisted, then the world blurred around Simon and the rest.

They vanished.

When Simon and the others appeared again, they found themselves standing inside a maintenance passage suspended between two sections of the ravine.

The view immediately drew their attention.

The Shadowgrave Clan was burning.

Smoke rose from multiple districts, and fire continued to spread across rooftops and platforms.

Demons rushed across bridges while others flew through the air.

From above, the entire clan looked Iike a wounded beast thrashing in pain.

’I wonder if Black Midnight eventually realizes that his announcement has actually prevented many demons from stopping the flames and destruction of some buildings and structures of the clan.’

’Where is he by the way? Why can’t I sense his presence?’

Just as Simon had this thought, his expression suddenly changed.

He raised a hand at the group, drawing everybody’s attention.

Without having to say anything, they all understood why he told them to stop.

Voices were coming from ahead.

The group quickly moved behind several support pillars.

Approximately four seconds later, a group of demons appeared.

Five demons to be exact.

And among them was a Veilmaster.