"After fall?"

"Aren't you all a bit too overconfident?" Kael asked, his eyes widening in shock.

The others around him also nodded slowly.

Yeah.

It sounded like too much bullshit.

Did you really think that it's an Empire for nothing?

We still have Demi-Gods you know?

"You won't say that after you hear what they are planning," Gyno scoffed, his voice low and grim.

"And what is that?" Duke Serpentine asked, his brows furrowing.

"Why do you think they aren't advancing after conquering the Eastern part?"

"???"

The question rang a bell in everyone's mind.

"It's because…" Gyno paused, his lips curling into a bitter smile. "They are trying to sacrifice the entire region and open a portal to the Abyss!"

A deadly silence fell in the room.

For a moment, no one spoke. Everyone sucked in a sharp breath.

Then—

"Holy shit!"

"FUCK those bastards!"

"Are they really going to open a portal?" Duke Serpentine asked, his face turning pale.

"Yes," Gyno nodded. "I heard something about an Abyssal army."

Duke Serpentine and Melvin immediately started firing questions at him, voices overlapping. But Kael stood still, lost in his own thoughts, his mind screaming.

'How the hell is this possible?'

'The descent of an Abyss army?'

'What about the world restriction?'

'Knowing those Goddesses, they should have acted first.'

Back in his time, if something like this even showed signs, the Church would already move. Either he would be sent, or higher-ranking Paladins would descend through an Oracle.

So why were they staying quiet now?

Unless…

'They want the Evil God to create chaos first.'

'After that, they will grant salvation and defeat them.'

Kael's eyes darkened.

If the Outer God resisted the will of this world, it would weaken itself. Then the Goddesses could step in and "save" everyone.

But..

What if the Outer God's had found a way to step in.

'Aren't you all gambling too much?'

'Did you get addicted last time?'

Kael felt dizzy just thinking about it. His head throbbed as he finally spoke.

"We can't let them do this shit. Once the Abyssal forces arrive, and if the Church doesn't help, we are done."

SWOOSH!

The discussion stopped instantly. Everyone turned to look at him.

"What happened?" Kael asked, confused by their expressions.

"How did you know that?" Duke Serpentine asked slowly.

"That's common sense," Kael replied bluntly. "I also have intel. Now, Duke Serpentine, prepare the army. We need to move."

......….

While Duke Serpentine and Melvin rushed out to organize the forces, Kael turned sharply and hurried toward Ariana, who was practicing nearby.

"Ariana…. Help."

"Yes, my Lord," Ariana answered, taking a deep breath.

She almost jumped back in shock when she saw Kael running toward her like a madman, his eyes burning with urgency.

For a moment she even saw her life flashing before her eyes and wondered when she offended him.

"Tell me what happened last time," Kael said. "Did the Eastern region get devastated?"

"..."

Ariana's entire body froze.

Kael immediately realized his mistake and bit his lip.

'Damn. I failed to cover my words.'

Still, he exhaled slowly.

'It's fine. No need to pretend anymore.'

"What do you say?" he asked again.

"Let's stop the act," Kael continued. "I know you are a seer who can see past lives. Maybe you even have the power to transmit visions backward, right?"

He gave her a convenient excuse.

Ariana swallowed hard. She hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"Yes… yes. How did you know?"

"Forget that," Kael said impatiently. "Tell me. What happened here?"

Ariana steadied herself and spoke.

"From what I saw, the Abyssal army did descend… but not this time."

Her voice trembled slightly.

"It happened years after Nightstar had already fallen."

"The Abyssal Sect took full control over Nightstar and turned it into a small portion of hell. It became a sanctum for the Abyssal Lord."

"Nightstar…" Kael muttered.

Things were starting to connect.

"Rein became the Emperor previously, right?" Kael asked.

"Hm," Ariana nodded.

"I see…"

Now he understood.

With all the support, Rein took over the throne of Heizen. But knowing Rein's personality, even with all that power, he wouldn't become a puppet of the Abyssal Cult easily.

That would cause internal conflict and Heizen resisted.

So they shifted their focus and moved to Nightstar.

Just like this time.

They took down the royal family first, then sacrificed the entire kingdom.

They probably tried it this time too but Rein might have resisted, forcing them to delay and use Nightstar as an alternative base.

After piecing it all together, Kael grabbed his hair roughly.

"AHHHHH! FUCK!"

"That's why I hate those bastard strategists," he growled. "Too much planning with too many layers of thought."

Ariana watched him curse and pull at his hair.For some reason, her chest felt tight.

She had seen him like this before.

"My Lord…" she said softly. "Calm down."

"We will find a way."

"You are not alone."

Kael suddenly stopped."Huh?"

He looked at her with a startled look.

"What did you say?"

"I said calm down."

"No after that!"

"Uhh…I think I said you aren't alone..There are people around you."

"You are right," he said quietly.

For a brief moment, the weight on his shoulders felt lighter.

......

After talking with Gyno, Duke Serpentine sat alone and pondered over the deployment of troops.

He had become extremely cautious after the betrayal. No matter how much he tried to calm himself, a lingering doubt remained in his heart. What if there were more traitors hidden among them?

That thought refused to leave his mind.

Still, with the Iron Knights from the Empire stepping onto the battlefield, he could finally breathe a little easier. Their presence alone was enough to suppress most schemes.

Just when he thought things were finally moving in the right direction—

"What did you say?"

Duke Serpentine almost lost his footing as he heard Sol's words.

"Who is missing?" he asked sharply.

"It's Sir Kael," Sol replied. "He is missing."

"… "