756 Protector of the Seat of Diligence [3]

"What are you doing over here?"

Emma's voice was laced with a hint of confusion as she looked at me standing at her doorstep.

I knew it was a strange move on my part, showing up unannounced at her house, but I had my reasons. I peeked through the door and pointed towards the interior, hoping she wouldn't turn me away.

"May I come in?"

The strangeness in Emma's expression became more prominent, but after thinking for a while, she stepped to the side, letting me in.

"Well, sure, I guess. It's not like I can stop you anyways."

"Thanks."

I grinned, relieved that things were flowing more smoothly than I had expected.

As I stepped into her living room, I took in the surroundings. The hall was cozy, with warm lighting and a plush sofa. But my eyes were drawn to the tall chandelier hanging from the ceiling, sparkling in the soft light. 

For a moment, I thought that I felt something. I was sure of it. 

I must have been staring at it for too long because Emma's voice broke through my thoughts.

"So, care to tell me why you're here?"

Clank!

She closed the door behind her and crossed her arms.

"I'm just…" I paused, looking around the place until my eyes fell on the chandelier once again. Sensing something, I smiled. "…you can say that I'm here to meet your father."

"My dad?"

Emma's eyes widened in surprise.

"Do you have an appointment with him or something?"

"Well… You can say so, I guess."

I didn't have an appointment with him, but I had a feeling that he would be willing to meet with me.

Emma's expression was a mix of confusion and curiosity, and she tightened her robe around her waist, a sign that she was becoming more guarded.

"That makes sense."

She muttered, looking around the room as if trying to spot her father.

"I'm not sure where he is now, so I guess you can wa―"

"There's no need for that."

I cut Emma off, and she looked at me with a confused expression.

"Huh?"

Once again, my gaze drifted toward the chandelier, and I smiled.

"There's no need for me to wait. He's already here."

***

"Huaaa..." 

Jezebeth's chest heaved up the moment he stepped into the planet. The fresh air of the world filled his lungs, and a smile spread across his features as he took in the vast vegetation that surrounded him.

"Hm?" 

His breath caught in his throat as he looked around him, taking in the thousands of elves that were gathered, their bows drawn and exuding an incredible pressure that upset the air around them and caused them to distort.

"Haha." 

Jezebeth recognized them immediately. 

They were the last remaining elites of the elves―those that hadn't gone to earth―with their job to guard over the demon world that connected to this world.

Jezebeth felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him as he gazed at the familiar faces before him.

He had missed them dearly.

Addressing the crowd, his lips curled ever so slightly. 

"It looks like you all caught on to my presence?"

The elves remained silent, their gazes fixed on Jezebeth.

"Demon King." 

Suddenly, an ancient voice spread across the world, and the space distorted open. An elderly female figure walked out from the void, followed by a younger female elven figure.

The younger one was rather handsome, with crystal-clear blue eyes and long silver hair. Surrounding her body was a silver armor that shone under the sun that hung in the sky.

The presence of the two instantly took over the previous pressure emitted by the thousands of elves and focused it on Jezebeth.

It was a pity that Jezebeth showed no reaction to the pressure he was subjected to. 

Staring at the two, Jezebeth smiled. It had been a long time. He missed them. 

Placing his hand over his chest, Jezebeth elegantly bowed his head.

"It is an honor to meet you again, Protector of the Seat of Patience… Protector of the Seat of Charity."

Raising his head, he grinned, exposing his pearly white teeth, and continued.

"I've missed the two of you so… so much."

The air stilled at his words, and the two elves stared at Jezebeth from above. Their gazes were still, and there was no apparent change in them.

In spite of that, one could feel their demeanor slowly shift as a white glow started to surface from within their bodies.

The elderly elf raised her hand and brought it down. 

"Attack."

Swoosh―! Swoosh―! Heeding her words, the elves surrounding Jezebeth all let go of their bows, and over a thousand different arrows shot in his direction.

Xiu! Xiu! Xiu! 

The power contained within each arrow was strong enough to distort the space in front of them, and it wasn't long before they all appeared before Jezebeth, who remained calm despite the situation.

Extending his hand, the arrows came to a sudden stop.

"Now... now..." 

His gaze never left the two figures in the air as his hand gently moved, and the arrows slowly turned away.

"It isn't that bad of an attempt, to be honest."

A white glow similar to the two figures above surfaced within his hand as the arrows that were pointing at him all turned to face the opposite direction.

"Now…"

Jezebeth let out a satisfied smile when all the arrows turned, and his head cocked to the side. With his eyes on the two protectors, a light breeze brushed past him, scattering his hair forward.

Feeling the power surfacing his body, the faces of the two protectors changed, but it was already too late.

"…Watch as I exterminate all of your forces while all you can do is watch."

Snap―!

It was just a snap.

A single snap was all it took.

At that moment, the arrows disappeared from the spot, and red rained across the plain, basking Jezebeth underneath it.

"Haaa… It's been many years since I've felt like this… I guess I missed it…"

Extending his hand and letting himself get basked in the red, Jezebeth took another deep breath. 

He relished the smell of blood that lingered over the air. 

Cra― Crack! 

Waving his hand, the world behind him distorted, and several portals appeared behind him.

The portals were black and twisted, and the very air around them seemed to be infused with demonic energy.

From behind the portals, several demons emerged, each releasing an incredible aura that filled the air with ominous energy.

The demons knelt before Jezebeth, their heads bowed in deference to their leader.

"We greet his majesty."

"We greet his majesty."

"We greet his majesty."

Jezebeth paid no mind to their words as his gaze continued to lock toward the Protectors above. 

Gradually, more and more elves appeared from out of the trees, bows, and staffs drawn. They formed a formidable line, determined to protect themselves from him and his army. 

"Yeah... this is how it should be..." 

It wasn't long before he was faced with a number that was drastically above the one from before, and a gradual smile formed on his face as he took in the view.

The thought of what came after their death made his blood boil, and as he opened his mouth, he directed his voice toward the demons behind him.

"Kill anyone that puts resistance. Take in those that are willing to surrender." 

His words were like a call to arms, and the demons eagerly obeyed. With a fierce battle cry, they charged toward the elven army, their demonic power unleashed in a fury of fire and brimstone.

"Within the next few weeks, I want this place cleaned."

Those were the last words he said before appearing right before the two Protectors. His gaze fell on the woman wearing the silver armor, and he happily smiled at her.

She was someone he'd never forget. 

"…Your race does not belong to in this universe, was it? ...An unwanted Parasite? Their existence is a threat to the universe?"

He nodded his head, a smirk forming on his lips.

"I guess you were right."

***

I walked down the dimly lit hallway, the soft glow of the flickering light illuminating my path.

As I approached Waylan's door, I found that my legs were becoming heavier the closer I was to the door.

Secretly, I hoped that whatever I was assuming wasn't true and that I was simply making a mistake, but... 

To Tok―!

I knocked on the door. 

"Come in."

It was only after his confirmation that I finally walked into the office. 

"If you'll pardon my intrusion." 

Pushing the door open, I stepped inside the office, the familiar scent of old books and paper hitting me.

Looking around the room, it seemed like a rather normal office with a classical desk in the middle, a large window behind him, and pictures of… Emma around. 

'Yup, very normal indeed.'

"What brings you here, Ren?"

Waylan stood up from his seat and greeted me. He seemed rather pleased by my appearance as he had a large smile on his face.

"It's nothing much."

I greeted him back with a smile and shook his hand. I then found myself a seat in front of him.

Making myself comfortable, I took a good look at him. At a glance, there was nothing abnormal about him.

He looked like the Waylan that I knew, the man who had been with me in the dwarven domain and the man whom I risked and entrusted my life with back at the inferno headquarters. 

"Nothing much? Does that mean you've just come to visit me for the sake of visiting?"

Waylan made himself comfortable in his chair and similarly leaned back.

"I didn't think someone as busy as you would have the time to visit me out of nowhere."

"Hahaha…"

I laughed while scratching the back of my head, the tension in my body slowly easing.

I wasn't actually busy.

To be honest, although I was the current Alliance Head, I pretty much designated all of my work to Ryan and Octavious.

They were the ones that actually did most of the work. All I needed to do was sign some papers and show my face once in a while.

'I guess I now know the reason why Kevin became an Alliance Head…'

"There are times when one needs a break. I had so much work lately that I needed to take a breather, and since Kevin's not here, I decided to visit you."

I held my breath as I muttered those words. I pleaded with every inch of my body that he'd answer differently from what I assumed he would, and... 

"Ah."

Waylan nodded his head in understanding, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"That makes sense. Kevin doesn't have it easy either, does he? I must say, he's probably having a harder time than you with all the Alliance stuff and all…"

My heart sank, and I leaned further back onto the chair. 

My mind flashed back to the events that had led to Kevin's disappearance and what came after. Everything pieced itself together, and I let out a soft breath. 

So... 

"Funny that you mention Kevin…"

I pursed my lips and stared him directly in the eyes. 

"Thing is… he doesn't really exist in this world anymore. So how is it that you still know about him?"