Chapter 1109: Messenger

Anna shuddered. If this was truly the Spirit Fusion Ability, everything would definitely change.

"A single attack that can decimate a thousand demons..." Anna couldn't help but remember the Ancient Demon Spider's poison ray and compare it to this attack.

It was actually similar in terms of the destruction. Noel's Spirit Fusion Ability had a big radius, while the spider's poison ray had a very long range.

If positioned correctly, they could kill the same number of enemies in a single shot.

However, just like the spider's poison ray that required a lot of time to recharge, Noel also had to wait for a long time to use the Spirit Fusion Ability once again. The Ancient Demon Spider had the privilege to actually focus on charging its power, while Noel had to fight the demons with his sword, which would prevent him from charging that power.

Anna gulped down. "This kind of power is something that I will get after becoming a Spirit Transcendence expert. It's kind of amazing."

Anna looked around. The Spiritual Barrier Rune had been destroyed because of Noel's Spirit Fusion Ability, but the demons were actually hesitating to attack as if they realized the difference in their power.

The Superior Demons understood it more than anyone else. The moment Noel joined the battle, they would definitely die.

And the first ones to act were none other than the Superior Demons under the Ancient Demon Spider.

The Grass Demon noticed Noel's spiritual energy. The rampaging energy coming out of his body had gradually calmed down, stabilizing itself inside Noel.

It could only mean one thing. Noel was about to wake up.

The Grass Demon had to choose whether to use all they had in order to stop Noel from advancing to the next level or retreat before Noel woke up.

Considering they didn't have a lot of demons after Noel and Anna killed more than three thousand of them when running away, they realized it was better to actually conserve their energy.

They had to wait for their master, the Ancient Demon Spider, to fight Noel again. In that case, there was one more thing he had to do before anything else.

Roar!

Roar!

Roar!

The demons from all directions let out a roar as if signaling their retreat.

"!!!" Anna raised her head, feeling something was weird. Their movements looked coordinated. "This is... the demons from the north and south are retreating toward the east. Are they planning to join hands and attack us together? No, looking at the demons on the west, I'm sure that they are trying to gather all the demons, especially Superior Demons, under the Ancient Demon Spider.

"That's the only way to actually fight us... Should we give chase?" Anna thought for a moment. Considering Noel hadn't officially advanced to the Spirit Transcendence yet, she decided to stand by his side and summon the Spiritual Barrier Rune with her own power so that no one could launch a sneak attack. "We'll meet again anyway. At that time, I'll definitely kill those demons."

Her decision was the correct one. After the demons retreated, Noel gradually opened his eyes.

"Huu..." Noel let out a long breath.

"Mhmm?" Anna turned around. "Are you done?"

"Yeah." Noel nodded. "I guess this is still an incomplete transformation."

"Incomplete transformation? Is that the reason why, despite showing such a reaction during your advancement, there is really nothing much going on in the last few minutes?" Anna asked.

Noel confirmed, "Indeed. Right now, I have advanced to the Spirit Transcendence rank. It's just... only my ice spirit has been upgraded. Because of Ardagan's current state, he can't transform accordingly. That's why it's incomplete. In addition, the mission to become a Spirit Transcendence hasn't been completed yet.

"At the same time, this is also why there aren't any reactions between the fire and ice. For the time being, you don't have to worry. I've officially become a Spirit Transcendence expert for my ice spirit, so I should be able to protect you during your advancement and kill that spider."

Anna looked down, contemplating. "As long as you're fine, I can't really complain."

"Mhmm... Still, I need to stabilize my power. Because I used that ability earlier, my energy is currently unstable."

"In that case, we don't have to chase those demons. There will probably be at least ten Superior Demons and a few tens of thousands of lower level demons when we fight the Ancient Demon Spider again."

"Are you scared that you're unable to defeat them?" Noel smirked.

"You're joking. Killing them is easy, but protecting you from thousands of attacks is hard. I'm just saying that we need a bit more planning. I'm not saying that we'll fail."

Noel smiled.

Anna paused for a moment. "By the way, Dimitri should have told the Zaecuria Kingdom about our plan, right?"

"Yeah. If we get the help of Duke Briton, the royal family will know and start suspecting us of doing something. That's why I have to send him." Noel nodded.

"Him?"

A sly grin appeared on Noel's face.

...

Zaecuria Kingdom.

The king was holding a meeting with his ministers to discuss the matter regarding the kingdom before a messenger came inside, bringing certain news. The content was only known by the king and the prime minister, who personally received the letter.

The king, the prime minister, and the minister of defense ended up excusing themselves to a hidden hall for a secret meeting.

They all had serious expressions, showing the importance of this meeting.

The doors were knocked as the soldiers outside opened the door for the visitors.

The first one was easily recognized because he was one of the ministers in the kingdom. However, the second one was actually a person who was supposed to be dead.

"Huh?" The king widened his eyes in shock. "Why are you still alive, Khalid?"

Yes, the messenger that Noel sent to the Zaecuria Kingdom was none other than the former royal alchemist, Khalid.

Khalid smirked. "Oh, please, Your Highness, don't kill me just yet. I just didn't like the politics in the court back then, so I chose to hide myself."

The king frowned. "So you're the one spreading the rumors about your own death..."

"Of course. I just want to research medicine peacefully."

"It seems... that your new master has been spoiling you..." The king squinted his eyes.

"But of course... other than some normal work, I can research everything I want with unlimited budget." Khalid shrugged.

"Oi, Khalid! I've been tolerating your behavior, but this is not how you should behave toward your—" The minister of defense smacked the table while glaring at Khalid. Sadly, he was stopped by the king with a wave of his hand.

"That's enough. If he wants to serve the new master, that's his choice. We always knew that his behavior was problematic. Instead of focusing on that useless thing, what I want to know more is the meaning behind sending me this letter..." The king raised the letter with black seal on it. "Minister Qaize, why do you purposely choose the black seal that represents the entire fate of this kingdom?"

"That's because..." The minister next to Khalid wanted to answer, but Khalid took a step forward, personally answering, "Let me answer that question. My master is planning to speed up the cooperation between the Ardagan family and the Zaecuria Kingdom."

"A cooperation?" The king frowned.

"Yes. I'm sure that you will definitely be interested in this cooperation. It's been what this kingdom has been doing this whole time after all." Khalid smirked. "Isla Project."

"!!!" The king and the two ministers widened their eyes in shock.

"Isla Project, the sea expedition to explore a new land across the ocean and find survivors other than us."

"What? Are you insane?" The prime minister stood up, his body was trembling. They had been doing it but didn't get any results due to the sea demons. However, he couldn't disclose that information to Khalid, not that it mattered to him anyway.

Khalid shook his head. "My master and the lady would like to lead an expedition that has a very high chance of succeeding. He will provide security as well as runes for the success of the expedition."

"High chance of succeeding?" The prime minister gritted his teeth. They had sent more than twenty expeditions, but none of them came back. If Noel and Anna joined the expedition and ended up dying, it would cause a lot of problems for them as well, especially regarding the runes. In addition, how could they actually trust the two people who had never gone to sea?

Duke Briton might have praised Noel as a genius on the battlefield, but fighting on the land was different from fighting on the sea.

But the king actually asked, "What do you demand from us then?"

"Your Majesty." The prime minister wanted to warn him, but the king raised his hand, stopping him.

Khalid raised two fingers. "Build a giant ship twice as big as what Duke Briton is currently building, but with the design you got from us, so that we can draw the runes. The time limit is six months.

"That's all we ask. As for the details... my master will be attending the auction held by Windblew Company in one month. I believe that the details can be discussed during that time."

"Suppose I accept it. In that case, how many people do we need to build that ship within the allocated time?" The king glanced at the prime minister.

"Your Majesty. This matter is huge and needs to be carefully considered." The Prime Minister warned him again. However, his heart sank when the king glared at him as if he didn't want to hear 'no' from his mouth. The Prime Minister bit his lips and said, "1,000 to 1,500 people."

"Get 2,000 people and immediately work on it."

"Y-Yes." The Prime Minister reluctantly agreed.

"That's all. In that case, I shall not disturb you anymore, Your Highness. I will take my leave." Khalid politely bowed and turned around. However, he remembered one thing. "Ah, that's right. My master also asked me to pass on this message. Bring at least the captain of the royal knight if you don't want the next negotiation to become a mess."