Chapter 497

Thump... thump...

In an opulent corridor within the Imperial Palace, a young boy engaged quietly with his ball. His eyes instinctively shut as the approaching footsteps reached his ears. Upon reopening them, the once-dazzling blue orbs had assumed an ordinary appearance.

[Kain, do you understand? Endeavor to conceal from others that you are the apostle of God or a member of the Valkyrie Race. I've chosen to trust you, but the eyes of the world may not.]

[How come, mother? I am the proud servant of God Neltarid...]

[I'm sorry, but Neltarid is not a god recognized in this world. While this world allows for diverse beliefs, openly flaunting that fact won't yield positive results.]

Illyna, the blonde girl whom Kain referred to as his mother, indeed had a valid point. Despite Kain proclaiming himself as the apostle of God Neltarid, he had never laid eyes on the deity. Only his friend, visible through a mirror, had encountered and communicated with the god.

"You there, were you playing with your ball?" inquired a man who towered over Kain, his voice calm.

It was challenging to discern the man's thoughts from his composed and expressionless face, but if Kain had to make a guess, he seemed exceptionally aloof.

"It's Kain," the boy replied quietly, recalling Illyna's repeated instructions never to address others as he did with Davey if he wished to remain with his mother.

"Right. I've heard the name," acknowledged the man, casting a glance at the ball near Kain's feet. "Do you have anything to say to me?"

"...No," Kain hesitated.

"I believe you have something to say," the man insisted.

While talking and harboring hostility were distinct, Kain was convinced that Sullivan de Pallan, the human crown prince standing before him, was an exceedingly malevolent individual.

'That's right. He's a bad guy! He always scolds my mother whenever they meet!'

Truth be told, Kain felt a strong urge to unleash the power of the God he served and direct it toward the man immediately. However, he restrained himself. His mother had imparted a crucial lesson — that within the bonds of family, harboring hatred was discouraged. In the present moment, despite the tension, they were bound by the ties of kinship.

'My mother is very kind and sweet! I will definitely protect her!'

There was no way Kain could become attached to someone with such a cold face. Moreover, this man had consistently berated his precious and dear mother! Most importantly, he had...

"Everyone, get out," Sullivan, who had been silent for a while, said sternly.

The maid and servant accompanying him, as well as the maid standing by Kain's side, immediately withdrew at his command. Kain looked up at Sullivan the moment they left.

"Tch."

Sullivan de Pallan was a man devoid of any affection in his bones.

"Brat, be honest. What in the world did you tell Illyna?"

"Hmph. From my perspective, Crown Prince Sullivan is a narrow-minded person."

"Kghhk. This...!"

Seeing Sullivan tremble in anger, Kain immediately discarded his caution. Kain had revealed to Illyna that Sullivan had scolded him, prompting her to question why he would treat a child in such a manner. A relaxed smile hung on Kain's face, as if everything before was nothing but a fabrication.

This man in front of Kain had discerned his true nature from the very beginning. He was remarkably quick-witted and sharp. However, it wasn't as if Kain wanted to win him over to his side... Hmph! He simply disliked him! Kain was the epitome of someone with a different attitude than their appearance suggested.

"Damn brat. Illyna has to know how rude and impertinent you are."

"Hmph! The only humans aware of my true temper are the crown prince and that damned human being! In front of my mother, I am nothing but a good son."

"Damned human being? Davey O'Rowane?"

"So, you know!"

"You're quite a fearless bastard, huh? Do you know what kind of person he is, huh?" Sullivan squatted and made eye contact with Kain, who had been looking at him incredulously.

However, before Kain could avert his gaze, Sullivan had grabbed him by the head and forced him to look at him. "I can't believe I'm being forced to accept a bastard that looks nothing like a member of the Imperial Family."

Others openly criticized Illyna about Kain's unclear roots. However, for some reason, the man in front of him did not outright reject his existence. Kain seemed to understand the reason why. Kain had heard from the head maid before that the more Illyna acted as she pleased, the more precarious the position of the princess' palace would become.

'Perhaps this human is trying to accept me because he wants to diminish my mother's position and influence!'

However, no one knew the truth.

"Hmph! I don't have time to listen to someone who's giving my mother a hard time!"

"Ah! This goddamn brat!"

"Are you going to hit me? Come on, hit me!"

"Damn you!" Sullivan jumped up in irritation, his eyes fixed on Kain. "Hey, you. You already know who I am, yet you're still acting like this, huh?"

"Hmph! I know. You're my mother's ill-mannered older brother!"

"What an impudent brat!"

"Ill-mannered human!"

A childish stare-off ensued, the two glaring at each other as if in a battle of wills. However, it was Sullivan who looked away first.

"Hmph! I should go back right away and add more etiquette lessons for you!"

"Bleeeh! I'm smart, so I learn those things very quickly!"

"I will be the one to test your manners and etiquette, bastard. You better keep this in mind. Many people are watching your every move. Remember this. Every move you make, Illyna will... No. If you act like that as a member of the Imperial Family, I will make sure to cast you away, even if Illyna tries to stop me."

Kain stuck his tongue out as Sullivan turned around and left. However, the child frowned slightly not long after. The moment Kain disappeared, a voice rang in Kain's head.

[It seems like he's the only one who knows how cheeky and impudent you are. The others seem to be unaware.]

"Hmph. I don't know, I don't care. That human being my mother calls 'older brother' is making my mother suffer."

[Keke... It's quite funny, don't you think? The other humans here welcome you. In fact, they even want you to go crazy and go on a rampage. But that human is scolding you and stopping you from doing so, no?]

"Even so, I hate him! I don't want to listen to the words of someone who makes my mother suffer!"

The owner of the voice chuckled when Kain grumbled like a grumpy child.

[He's quite skilled at showing off a different attitude on the outside and not letting his emotions show, don't you think so?]

"Hmph! I don't know!"

[Then, do you know what's going on with him?]

"How would I know!" Kain pouted, looking like he had absolutely no idea about what the voice was hinting at. "Ah. That's that. I want to go on a picnic with my mother. Eating packed lunch with my mother inside a quiet forest is nice! How is it? Don't you think she'll be happy?"

[With that prince named Sullivan? Sure. That will be very interesting.]

"I hate that human! He always, always bothers my mother! I heard from my etiquette lessons that doing things like that is something that only thugs would do! Just like that damn bastard named Davey!"

That wretched human teased his mother and bullied me! In that case, Davey and Sullivan could be said to be similar. However, Kain's mother had a very pleasant attitude toward the human being named Davey.

The voice chuckled loudly at Kain's grumbling.

[Kain, my dear and precious friend, I don't care nor do I want to interfere with your life as a Valkyrie. However, I must fulfill my lifelong mission. I have to do something before that disgusting black world devours this world.]

"Hmph. I already told you I'll find it for you."

God Neltarid's revelation and oracle were something that had been carved into their soul since birth.

[Find the jewel no matter what.]

"Find the jewel no matter what," Kain mumbled at the same time as the voice.

Apart from protecting his precious mother, Kain, as the apostle of God, was born with a mission.

"But before that, let's go and eat more cookies. Let's play a bit more before going to find it! I still have to sleep, and I'm not yet done reading all those fun and interesting novels!"

Only Sullivan knew that the Valkyrie named Kain was becoming lazy inside the room that he had been living in for a few weeks.

***

The aftermath of the collision was truly astonishing. Calculating his recovery rate was challenging for Davey unless he faced an existence like the Princess of the Abyss, where risking his life was necessary.

The results of devouring mana, divine beast energy, and spirit mana in the Forest of Trials during his complete metamorphosis were now apparent. Davey's recovery rate exceeded his expectations, but the problem was that the limits had changed.

In simple terms, Davey's mana volume received an additional boost during his metamorphosis, growing far beyond its original capacity.

Crack, crack, crack!

A screech resonated loudly as the surrounding air evaporated into nothingness. Alongside temperatures soaring tens of thousands of degrees beyond normal, a storm of blazing flames raged in the area.

Ragnarok, a magic creating unquenchable flames, could be considered a strengthened version of Hellfire. Among Davey's arsenal of magic, his favorite was the 9th Circle Hellfire magic. However, he knew it was insufficient against Urd.

Ping!!!

In fact, even the magic he just used was still not enough. Davey frowned as he witnessed the magic slowly fading into nothingness. Describing Ragnarok's flames as unstoppable was not an exaggeration—they nearly burned everything to the ground. However, the two women managed to cancel the magic in the end.

"Haa... Haa..."

Davey observed the little girl with glasses gasping for air as she sat on the ground. The disappearance of the magic was likely due to her power.

Each Princess of the Abyss possessed a unique power. Versha's power related to curses, Sleesia to dimensional interference, Urd to encroaching, and Verdande's power remained unknown to Davey. Nevertheless, the little Princess of the Abyss wearing glasses seemed quite similar to Rinne—analysis and hacking. That was probably her power, as Davey felt his magic was interrupted by another force.

"No!"

Skuld hurriedly approached the silent, curled-up woman. She moved so swiftly that the space distorted as she blocked Urd. Then, she glared sharply at Davey. "Human! I will never forget you!"

"You're saying that you won't forget me? Don't say that, let's see things to the end here," Davey said as he took a step forward.

Skuld shivered at the sight. Besides her unique power, it seemed she was among the weaker ones among the Princesses of the Abyss.

At that moment, Urd, silent since their arrival, extended her hand and pushed Skuld away. She then slowly looked up and said, "My sister..."

"..."

"I won't let you touch her, even if I die."

"Since when did the disgusting creatures of the Abyss show affection for their blood?"

Urd frowned at Davey's sarcastic words.

Baaaaaaang!!!

Simultaneously, an immense amount of power began bursting out of Urd's body, pushing back God's power. She resisted, but it wasn't complete.

Urd encroached upon the surrounding area as quickly as possible, moving her blood-dripping arm when the area was nearly covered with her powers. Although her body had turned completely black, it was evident at a glance that the previous attack had dealt significant damage.

The more Davey's power recovered, the more he maximized his use of magic. This was evident. Magic that wouldn't have worked before could now pierce through Urd's defenses. The results were quite satisfactory, but that didn't mean everything was over.

Urd looked at Davey with a sharp and terrifying glare, a gaze enough to make one feel numb. It seemed like she was telling him she would stop him here even if it cost her life.

Grim's body had been reduced to ashes after Ragnarok. However, an ominous black light still surrounded the remains. Was whatever that demon or something really important? Either way, Davey wouldn't yield or give them anything. It truly had nothing to do with that demonic species or whatever.

Riiiiiip!!!

The gruesome sound of skin tearing apart rang loudly as a gash appeared on a portion of Davey's shoulder.

'Good. I'm not going to die just like that. Let's see this through until the very end.'

A powerful burst of power started to spread out from Davey. Now that Urd realized Davey was not an enemy she could easily deal with and win against, she immediately released the dark energy around her and surrounded Skuld to protect her.

'The other Princesses of the Abyss would have already collapsed if they received an injury at this level.'

Strangely enough, that was not the case for Urd or Skuld. Then...

"It's obvious that this is the realm of that disgusting God."

"..."

"However, don't think that I'll die so simply in a place like this, disgusting human."

The black energy surrounding Urd's body started to change. At the same time, Davey's body paused. It was because the aura of the changing energy was very, very familiar to him. Why was she using that? It was almost unrecognizable with how weak it was, but Davey could clearly tell the source of that power.

Just when Davey was staring at the source of the power that Urd was releasing, a voice that should not be heard in this place suddenly floated into his ears from far away.

Thud... thud...

"Daveeeey~ I baked some cookies, would you like to eat them with me?"

It was an innocent, pure, and naive voice. Who? It was none other than Lena. She even gave Davey a bright and pure smile when she saw him and banged on the walls of the barrier that quarantined the space he and the Princesses of the Abyss were in.

Davey was very surprised to suddenly hear her voice. However, he had to wonder if she could see the situation in front of her? No, there was a high chance that she did not. After all, she had a few loose screws in the first place.

A completely absurd and ridiculous situation had now unfolded with Lena's sudden appearance. Of course, several paladins with pale faces frantically ran after her.

"H-Huh?"

"Miss Saintess Candidate! Forgive me! I'll receive the punishment for touching your body. We have to escape for now!!!"

The paladins grabbed her and tried to force her away from the place.

In fact, it was not just Davey who had been left speechless by this very absurd situation. Urd, who was releasing that eerie power, suddenly stopped in her tracks. Even her expression had turned blank.

Just when Urd's and Davey's powers were about to collide, a glow suddenly appeared in Lena's eyes, and holy mana, along with the great one's will, began to spread and circulate all over Davey's body.

Saintess Candidate Lena had sent her will. Well, it was not her will exactly. It was the will of someone watching this situation. They just used Saintess Candidate Lena as a medium.

"..."

Boom!!!

At the same time, Skuld realized that there was a gap in Davey's offense. She immediately grabbed Urd, used her powers, and disappeared quickly.

A moment of silence enveloped the area. Davey did not take any actions even though he saw them start to disappear. He stared blankly at the space where they disappeared before turning to look back at the paladins, who now had turned stiff with fright. Then, he turned his attention to Saintess Candidate Lena, who was under their protection.

"What were you thinking approaching this place without any fear?"

"Ehehehehehe! Mister Daveeeeey! Long time no seeeeee!" Lena shouted with a relaxed tone that extended the end of her words.

To be honest, it was quite hard for anyone to hate her.

"Do you think you have ten lives? What will you do if you get caught up in something bad, huh?"

"That... I asked Mister Davey before if you want to have some cookies but you did not answer..."

"So, you came to ask?"

'This idiot! For real?!'

Davey angrily pinched Lena's cheeks upon hearing her absurd excuse.

"Are you out of your mind, human? Have you lost it? Coming fearlessly to such a dangerous place?"

To be precise, Davey was the one who brought the Princesses of the Abyss here. Nevertheless, in moments like this, he had to stay cautious and shift all the blame onto the others! It wasn't him! It was the fault of the Princesses of the Abyss.

"Aaaaah! It hurrrrrrts!"

The paladins turned a blind eye to Davey, even though he tugged and pulled at Saintess Candidate Lena's cheeks for a prolonged period. Instead of getting angry, some of them even looked as if they were being refreshed, like they were very pleased that he was doing that. They probably felt the same way as Davey when she suddenly barged in like that.

Saintess Candidate Lena groaned in pain after enduring corporal punishment for an extended period. "But I don't remember anything after that..."

That meant that from the moment Lena realized that Davey had appeared, God's power had already started to dwell in her body. In the end, Davey could only sigh. It was truly very difficult to get angry with Lena.

"Hehe. Mister Davey, I baked some cookies. They're really delicious; would you like to have some with me?" Saintess Candidate Lena smiled brightly as she took out a bag from her robes and shook it in front of Davey.

Normally, Davey would acquiesce and ask for one. He was not some kind of pious and righteous man who would care about the sanctuary even after turning this place into a mess. After all, his current self was confident enough to use even the three empires' imperial castles to eliminate his enemies.

However, that wasn't the point here. Davey glanced at the smiling Saintess Candidate Lena and the paladins who began to chant and recite their prayers before shaking his head. Then, he used the remaining mana in his body and immediately jumped through space.

Grim, who had been taken away by Skuld in the end, was no longer important. He was done with that demonic bastard or whatever he was. Right now, Davey's main concern was those three troublesome sisters from the Abyss.

Baaaaaang!!!

After three space jumps, Davey entered the quiet forest. He wasted no time striding over to the black-haired girl sitting on a tree branch and playing with the grass beneath her.

"Hmm? When did you c..."

Grab!!!

Davey didn't let her finish. He grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up as a formless killing intent burst out from his body.

"What are you doing? Did you come here to kill me?"

"Speak." No emotion could be seen on Davey's face as he continued, "You said Urd is your sister? Speak, what the hell is your relationship with Hercules?"

The will that Saintess Candidate Lena had passed to Davey contained a message from the God, who had weakened considerably. Perhaps it was only able to happen because of the combination of Lena's 4D personality[1] and her few loose screws and God's strong will that she was able to contact Davey.

Usually, divine oracles and revelations were very vague and difficult to understand. However, thanks to Daphne's teachings, Davey was able to interpret God's oracles with his own method.

To put the oracle simply...

[Heed my orders, priest. Bestow mercy upon the traces of the Evolved One while I'm still speaking nicely.]

There were three things that Davey had confirmed.

Firstly, although weak, the power that Urd used was very similar to the power that Davey used and was not the power of encroachment and erosion that she usually employed. Taboo's Karma was not something that anyone could use. However, despite the different methods, it was obvious that she had used the same power.

Secondly, there was that voice that communicated with Davey through Saintess Candidate Lena, something similar to an oracle.

Finally, Verdande seemed to know what Taboo's Karma was when Davey used it before. Initially, Davey thought that she had encountered it before since he found traces of the Abyss and Hercules fighting. But now the oracle said something about 'The Evolved One's traces?'

With a bitter tone, Davey asked, "Who is your father?!"

Would she answer that their father was the King of Survival? In the first place, was it truly necessary to ask this question when he already had the answer? It was because Davey was very confused. The Evolved One was a title that only referred to one person and one person alone. And the traces of the Evolved One meant that they had the blood of Hercules in their bodies.

Verdande's eyes turned to Davey's own when she heard his words.

1. Quirky, unique, and unpredictable behavior ☜