Setting Off

Apeiron seemed surprised by the fact that Richard was actually asking her for help, but she quickly nodded, “I’ll try my best.”

Richard smiled, “I’ve gotten authority of island 1-1, and that came with a few secrets about Faust. This isn’t a city, but a lost warship from some ancient race. It has some powers that would be really useful when I return to Arbidis, so I want everyone in the city and on the islands to leave. I’ll activate it and head into the depths of the abyss.”

Apeiron had lost her calm and stood up in the middle of the explanation, but as she listened to the request she sat down, “I never would have thought… But do you really not need me?”

Richard shook his head, “This is a singular fight; if I can’t win, you won’t be able to help either. The Alliance needs someone to keep watch, there isn’t someone to take over if both of us fall in the alter world.”

Purple energy rolled around in her eyes as she stared at him, the struggle evident in her gaze. However, she eventually sighed, “Alright. I’ll wait here… for the both of you!”

……

Shocking news spread through Faust that afternoon. Empress Apeiron had decreed that the city and all islands had to be evacuated in three days, an order that was personally enforced by Julian who brought a number of royal warriors around to kill anyone who vocally refused. The decree did not mention the Church, and some nobles tried to appeal there, but they were merely greeted by a large notice on tightly shut gates by High Priestess Noelene: there would be no offering ceremonies in the near future.

Faust’s Fourteen were far more practical than the rest. Seeing the royal palace and Orleans Family evacuating at maximum speed, they maintained their silence. Once they found that the priestesses and paladins were leaving as well, they started moving with haste as they grabbed all the valuables they could.

Only the Archerons did not move, but at this point no one was foolish enough to doubt the true rulers of the city. Once three days had passed, everyone gathered in the Eternal Plains and watched as the entire city rumbled and flew into the sky, opening an enormous portal and disappearing from view. Silence reigned in the aftermath for the longest time, with everyone refusing to believe what they had just seen. It was only at night that Apeiron finally turned around, flying into the distance with Julian in tow. The nearest royal castle was at the northeastern border of the plains.

……

Norland wasn’t the only plane to be shocked by a flying city. The abyss erupted in activity as many archlords were faced with threats for the first time in millennia, fear filling their minds as the enormous city jumped into existence a thousand kilometres away. For the first time ever, they stood rooted in place and didn’t order their armies to charge.

Without any leadership and supervision, the regular demons quickly retreated and opened up the passages; the giant city exerted a type of pressure unto itself, but the fierce aura emanating from within was something no demon wished to offend. The Rainbow of the Moons shone with a splendid radiance as Faust flew from layer to layer without issue, quickly heading towards the deepest point in the world.

The city seemed to advance slowly, but that was only in relation to its size. Many demons were actually ploughed down in its path, some lesser lords turning into offerings because they couldn’t escape in time.

Within the control shrine, Nasia was constantly adjusting the city’s direction to have it follow the same path the first expedition had taken towards the Eternal Battlefield. In the meanwhile, Richard was at the mouth of the volcano in the Archeron tombs, silently pondering over everything he had experienced from birth. In his hand was the final destiny crystal, glittering with a faint radiance that could almost make one believe in its lie. He had realised at this point that the voice ringing in his mind when he broke the first two had actually been Ferlyn’s manipulations, and try as he might he couldn’t even break this last one. However, force of habit allowed him to feel more confident whenever he so much as touched the thing.

Their journey this time was exceptionally smooth, with only one brave archlord charging them down during the entire journey to Arbidis. However, that archlord’s end was tragic; with the city eliminating all abyssal laws within a few kilometres, he had been thrown off significantly and was cut down before she could recover.

The battle went surprisingly smoothly, to the point that Richard even suspected that the archlord was suicidal for some reason. No fool could grow to such heights in power even amongst the demons, but he brushed it off as a brief interlude and nothing more. All of his focus was currently on the man who had sent him to the Darkness, and the effort it would take to defeat him.

The flying fortress eventually arrived at the depths of the world in Arbidis, prompting an unprecedented silence on the Eternal Battlefield. Demon and devil alike paused their battles as they noticed the enormous city flying through the sky, watching in a daze as it flew overhead.

Almost all of Richard’s powerful followers had been gathered for this expedition, From Nasia and Waterflower to Tiramisu and even Ironshield. There were a total of three epic beings as well, Richard, Zealor, and Mountainsea. In her Queen form, her level had been synchronised to twice that of the broodmother; having become a matriarch, that meant she was now level 32 and the highest-levelled being to ever come out of Norland. She was almost unequalled in power as well, giving her name a new meaning. It had once meant her wealth could equate to the mountains and the seas, but now she herself had the power to match.

Zealor had risen three levels in the past two years, reaching a height of level 30 that was frightening to most others. While Richard was touring the planes and the void, he had digested the essence of the Forest Plane’s world tree. That had brought him to level 28, but as a being built to seek perfection he hadn’t stopped there. With the broodmother’s clone and the Golden World Tree unable to guide him much further, he had been directed to look for either Richard or Nasia. The former was missing, and while the latter was only level 21 she was known as the second strongest being in all of Norland. She also wasn’t difficult to find, always stuck in his study taking care of his endless paperwork and politics for him.

……

“You want to become stronger?” Nasia had asked him the moment he walked through the door, not even looking up from the documents she had buried herself in.

He had been stumped, but while a strange sense of unease rose in his heart he still answered, “I want… to become perfect.”

“Perfect? Ha, ambitious. Do you want to become omnipotent?”

He had felt like perfection and omnipotence weren’t exactly the same, so he had eventually nodded. She had then directed him to Mountainsea in Faelor, stating that the main body was the best person to solve the problems of a clone’s creation. She had also mentioned a book that Mountainsea had found during her advancement to become a matriarch, and that it would be quite suitable for him.

When the young night elf still hesitated after that advice, Nasia had finally raised her head to look at him. He’d immediately grown nervous, feeling like she could see into his very soul. Just as he felt the urge to flee, she had finally spoken once more, “Go to Faelor. You need to find your chance, and grab a hold of your direction.”

Zealor had tried to find deeper meaning in Nasia’s words, but he failed constantly. With hesitation flooding him and the allure of powering keeping him awake for days thereafter, the perfect elf had eventually succumbed to the desire and headed over. The poisonous thought that he was already likely to be at a higher level occupied his mind more than once, but he chased it out every time and eventually arrived at the Land of Turmoil. The powerful laws overflowing from the matriarch’s body had shocked him, and the moment he saw Mountainsea he knew that it was someone with a higher level than even himself. Fervour had filled his mind at that moment; if the matriarch could bring Mountainsea to such a level, what could she do for him?

“I want to be perfect!” he had started, “Lady Nasia said you would be able to help!”

Mountainsea had finally opened her eyes and scanned him, speaking without enthusiasm, “You just want to become perfect?”

“Yes!”

A heavy, ancient book had materialised in her hand, “What you want is inside. It can let you become omnipotent, but you need a firm grasp of direction.”

These words had been very similar to what Nasia had said, but the excited Zealor didn’t pay any attention and took it with trembling hands. The book should have contained all of the broodmother’s experiences from when she had advanced to become a matriarch, but as he flipped through eagerly he had found that its mere seven pages were completely blank. Understanding dawned that the book would only tell him what he wanted to know when he was worthy of it, and with that newfound knowledge he had turned it into a stream of light that merged into his body.

Ever since then, it had been like a highway had been opened in front of him. He jumped a level every year, having reached a frightening level 30 by the time Richard returned and brought his army to Faust. Even now, no one but he and the broodmother knew exactly what he had seen in that book, except perhaps Nasia herself.