The only time the calm expression left his face was when he ate, where it seemed he was enjoying the food so much that a smile always bloomed. From the mercenaries that were with him, I found this esteemed person's name to be Noah Osmont.
All of these were things I found out in a matter of a day after using the full force of my information agency to follow the movements of this person since the day he appeared. But I still had nothing to work with, making me very frustrated.
The nobles that stood against me were met with swift destruction because of the many secrets I was able to dip my hands into, but I had nothing to build on for the current person. My mind cleared as I chose the most simplest approach for now, honesty. I squinted at the face that continued to shine blindingly as I spoke.
"I am the second child of King Roark Belmont of the Frozen Kingdom. The Ice Princess that holds control of the Snowy Peak we stand on. My name is Adelaide Belmont, and it is my deepest pleasure to welcome you here."
Honesty. This was something that many people overlooked, but could always be trusted when used properly. I continued, trying to keep my voice as stable as possible.
"Sir Osmont, I only have the purest of intentions for calling you here, but I do not know how to proceed given the subject of the matter."
Yes. How do I tell someone that I just met about a huge calamity approaching us, and that he would be the one to save me from my untimely death without sounding just a tad bit crazy? How can I build trust with this person without seeming too eager or with a hostile motive? I would see if blatant honesty with no sophistry would do the trick. His gaze that motioned for me to continue felt like a tremendous weight pressing down.
"I...have a peculiar unique skill that tells me who I should associate with, and who I shouldn't. You, are the first person I met that the skill is calling for the strongest association with."
There was silence in the air as the words left my mouth. I had exposed a secret about my unique skill that nobody else knew. My mother died with this secret, as even her husband was left in the dark. But I took this risk because I had full trust in {GOLDEN RULE} that continued to give the same message even now- stick to this person as much as possible. Now, how would you respond to a vulnerable girl exposing her secret to you?
---
The dazzling woman, Princess Adelaide, continued to surprise me with every sentence she spoke. When I heard her last words, I had to take a few seconds and replay them with [Recorder] too see if I heard correctly.
This was the princess of the Frozen Kingdom, someone who controlled one of the peaks and the favored daughter of the current king. From her words, associating with me will be something extremely beneficial to her?
I quickly thought about my own position and the goals I had when I descended into this world. I was someone unique, with nearly unlimited power. I planned to quickly raise my power and influence and disrupt the invasion of demons in this world, ultimately taking it for myself. The things she was saying about a unique skill that informed her of which people to surround herself with did not seem that far fetched.
So lets say she really is telling the truth. My heart increased its beatings as I was fully realizing the new possibilities if the words of this person were true.
I had planned to rise to the top of this kingdom in strength and take the lead of creating huge achievements while fighting the demonic forces that would surely come. Only making grand moves after that. But with this person, I could see another, much accelerated path forming. I looked at the blue haired woman who still had the same cold expression and said,
"You really believe that someone of my level of strength will have an impact on someone of your standing?"
"Yes. I wholly believe in my unique skill. It has never once been wrong. With that being said, I would love to work closely with you for the future. Whatever you need, let me know. I will provide you all the power I hold, while providing you with the most critical of information"
I listened to words that seemed too good to be true. The princess of this kingdom would give me her full support in whatever I wanted to do because her skill told her so? Very well. This is an opportunity too big to pass up. I would use it to potentially take over this land in a much shorter time span then I thought possible. A possible period of a year or more could possibly be cut down to months. Alright, I'll play.
"As a measure of good will to start off our relationship, I will share the biggest secret about the intrusion of Demon Kings that are currently building their forces in the center of the continent . This is a secret that only the royalty of the remaining kingdoms have access to, and something that would definitely be of benefit to you."
With a wave of hand, an exquisite table appeared between us with two seats on opposite sides. Sparkling trays of food began to appear one after another as one of the golden rings on her slender fingers continued to shine. The table was soon filled to the brim with the most ethereal food I had ever come across as she motioned for me to sit
"Let me take some of your time to describe the huge secret of the conspiracy that brought down the most powerful kingdom of this world into the hands of demons."
Chapter 81 - The Fall of a Hegemony
The Draconic Kingdom that was situated at the center of the Beast World was the kingdom that commanded the most power. With the mythical race of dragons at the forefront, the kingdom prospered and took the lead in erecting a stronghold that withstood the test of time for multiple millenia.
In the kingdom, there were multiple floating cities where powerful dragons resided, ruling over the masses of the common beasts below them. Their power boasted such unshakable belief, that the day they fell became the most shocking thing for the beings of the Beast World to hear.
The invasion of demons began abruptly, with multiple Demon Kings descending down in areas not too far from the Draconic Kingdom. They were somehow equipped with all the knowledge of the Beast World as they began waging war right away, causing the battalions of Black Dragons that protected the kingdom to move against them.
The Demon Kings that led hordes of demonic forces had terrible power, using Abyss Magic and Unique Skills that stood toe to toe against the strength of dragons. The war was brutal, causing the other mythical kingdoms of beasts to activate their forces and prepare to reinforce the Draconic Kingdom.
This was when a huge change occured. The daughter of the Dragon King that was fighting in the front lines was defeated and captured. This humiliation caused the Dragon King to go mad as he prepared for a war of mutual destruction with the demons. But the demons began pulling their forces out of the kingdom at this instant, calling for a momentary truce.
They called upon the Dragon King to stop the war that was causing both sides to lose many of their forces and leveraged the life of his daughter to call for an assembly of discussion of how both sides could coexist. The Dragon King naturally knew this wasn't possible, but his dear daughter's life obscured his judgment. His love for her was so deep that he ignored all the wisdom and logic he had and called upon his forces to attend this assembly.
Even with love blinding him, he still didn't act rashly and moved together with the powerful regiments of black dragons as his protection. The Assembly was set on on a grassy plain where the two forces faced one another and the leaders moved to discuss.
Of course, the only thing they faced was betrayal.
But this was the wickedness of the demons. As the Dragon King was approaching the tent placed in the middle of the opposing forces, he was presented with the sight of his daughter being humiliated, and then watched as she was beheaded right after.
The Demon King doing this was one that hadn't appeared in the battles previously. He had newly descended down into the ranks of Demon Kings that were present in the Beast World. He was ranked 32nd, the Demon of L.u.s.t, one of the Seven Deadly Sins, Demon King Asmodeus. With an Ultimate Skill that granted him glimpses of the future, he fought against the maddened Dragon King...and brought him down.
The ruthlessness of demons was seen firsthand as they played with emotions and sought destruction. After the fall of the Dragon King, the rest of the forces went down like dominoes, and the demon forces claimed the Draconic Kingdom.
There was one thing that remained a secret from the outcome of this war though. Whether through means of illusion or Abyss Magic, nobles from other kingdoms were able to see the daughter of the Dragon King alive and well. Spies observed a figure that looked just like her standing besides Asmodeus as he led his forces to take over the Draconic Kingdom.
The figure held the same face of the Dragon Princess, but it was dressed lasciviously with two horns growing a top its head. The forces believed that a betrayal had taken place and was the ultimate cause of the downfall of the Draconic Kingdom.
This increased the Mythical Beasts' apprehension of the terrible magic that the demons wielded, and they chose to prepare on all fronts for the war that would undoubtedly break out after the demon forces power consolidated around the Draconic Kingdom.
They didn't want the same mind games that the demons played before to occur. They didn't want to see their loved ones humiliated or turned to betrayers. Forces began to be bolstered by powerful mercenaries that moved across the kingdoms in these uncertain times, as the demons waited to start an all out war.
"The true terror of the Demons isn't their hordes of demonic soldiers that fight relentlessly. It is the mysterious Unique and Ultimate skills that they possess. Skills that show extreme effectiveness even when matched by the most powerful beings in this world."
Princess Adelaide took a sip of a red drink as she finished her story. More than hour had passed as the drinks and food on the table were emptied, with the man standing opposite her listening with rapt attention while devouring the meals around him.
His eyes seemed to be blazing with fire as a few words escaped his lips.
"Unique and Ultimate skills…"
There was a sense of excitement on Noah's face as he pondered what he just heard. He focused on Princess Adelaide and said,
"What are the movements of demons against the Frozen Kingdom currently?"
"The demons are moving their forces and dividing them across all kingdoms, slowing down their advances quite a bit. From the information I have collected so far, only a single Demon King has been leading his forces towards this kingdom."
Hesitation appeared on the princess' face as she continued with her next words.
"I am also keeping watch of suspicious movements in the kingdom. This isn't based on any conclusive information, but from the use of my skill that tells me who to look out for."
A silence pervaded the room as both people were absorbed in their own thoughts. A clear voice rang out from Noah's side.
"Okay. Let's say we have this cooperation between the two of us. You believe I hold the key to your successful future, and I...well, I have my own aims. What will be the first move of this mutual cooperation?"
A small smile came on as opposed to the normally icy expression on Princess Adelaide's face as a relieved reply came,
"We have to give you a starting position to stand on that would allow you to be next to me with no questions. How do you feel about taking the command position of my Royal Guards?"
---
It was the calm before the storm as many beings moved their forces around and prepared for the incoming collisions.
On the neglected kingdom that had a single Demon King making its way towards it, a single event had occurred that would have tremendous consequences. Schemes continued to be created as battles of wits and of strength continued to be carried out. But in the face of ultimate power, who would come out on top?
Chapter 82 - Wanting to move in the shadows
"No."
It was a simple small word that carried a lot of meaning. I observed the surprise of the princess in front of me as her lips formed a round o and I further clarified.
"I've learnt a few things these past weeks that made me realize being on the spot light isn't necessarily a good thing. Our cooperation can definitely be established, but I'll be supporting you behind the shadows."
Calmness returned on her face as she heard this, and I thought about all the things we discussed today. There were many ways I could go about this new development.
"Well, you may be right. I was going to see if you would join the competition that decides who will be replacing a retiring guard, but to create an identity for you covertly would be even easier."
I recalled the veiled in black woman that called herself Night as the ideas I had came into place. I asked her about the positions of all her different forces and found out that she had a secret division of people protecting her called Shadow Guards.
Instead of publicly joining her and becoming her guard captain, I chose to act as one of the figures of her hidden department. I heard her cold voice that held a tinge of allure in it ring out after deciding this.
"Working as one of the Shadow Guards would mean you would be staying very close to me in the castle, perhaps just separated by a thin wall for you to act whenever the need arises"
My eyes shrunk into thin slits as I heard this, and the discussion continued. One of her golden rings shone again as a black material appeared on the table. I ended up receiving a black suit that tightly hugged my body, visibly showing the steeled muscles all over once I wore it.
The black suit was a rank S item that had the innate trait of blending into the shadows, being great for assassinations and the like. As soon as you filled it with energy, your figure would quickly disappear. With the addition of the few hiding skills I could activate at all times, I was skeptical whether someone of EPIC rank would be able to notice me if I didn't want them to.
For the latter half of the Night, I told the Princess that I had to think about everything as she excused herself into another room of the White Courtyard, telling me to call out if I needed anything.
After talking in the presence of this person for so long, I let out a relaxing breath while going over the entire meeting. I was just met with one of the best possible scenarios by quickly getting in contact with someone of high standard, and it was an extremely high standard as things stood right now.
All she wanted and expected of me was my presence, that I would be the person to protect her against threats she is confident are approaching through the use of her unique skill. When I thought about the idea of Unique Skills and the demon's Ultimate Skills she had mentioned, I couldn't help but feel excited at the possibility of getting them for myself.
I would take it slow though, and focus on the immediate goals I have currently. Firstly, it was matching and taking down the EPIC ranked beast I ran from at the Skypeak Nest. To do this, I had to continue raising the proficiency of rank S skills, as well as carry out combinations of skills that have met the requirements.
On top of the few rank S skills I was able to obtain from my recent trip, I was able to take down even more rank A BOSSes that gave me many rank A items and skills. Putting together the rank A skills I received before leaving the Empire, I had a few additions that were already being used: [Healing Light],[Lion's Roar],[Water Barrier],[Pierce],[Executor's Speed],[Sense Heat Source], and [Silent Communication].
All the ones I learnt were active skills that would become passive through the use of my nearly endless mana. For the offensive skills, I was putting more focus in raising the ones that were currently at rank S, while still bringing up the remaining offensive rank A skills that neared 100 proficiency. It felt like I was already spreading my focus on too many things, and I had to be sure I was going in the right direction as time passed.
As for skills rank B or lower, there were too many to count, and I would only choose a few that I saw were compatible with rank B skills like [Eagle Eyes] and a few others that I still actively used so that I could raise their ranks later.
I was setting my sights on higher places as my rank S skills continued to increase and deserved even
more attention with how destructive they were. Currently, I was sitting alone in the room absorbing the rank S cores so that I could max my attributes to 350. With how many cores I currently had in hand, reaching it should not be a problem.
Testing [Skill Combination], I was able to produce a few more rank B+ skills that didn't need mentioning the way they currently were, and would only show some effectiveness after I combine them later to produce some decent rank A hiding, defensive, and support skills. This process would only repeat itself and produce bulks of rank A+ skills that I will be able to make into rank S as time passed.
Since I had some time and didn't want to play with death testing the EPIC ranked beast that I wasn't sure if it had gone back to the inner parts of Skypeak Nest or still patrolling in the perimeter, I can use the time I have waiting for the skill proficiency to rise while getting to know this Frozen Kingdom I had plans for.
I'll start with the Princess whose face always seemed cold, but the voice betrayed the expectation and excitement when she talked to me. The night passed with me monitoring the many skills I was activating, while also spamming skills like [Saint's Phantom] that didn't shine with outragous effects to continuously increase proficiency.
It would be a sleepless night, but my body that continued to grow stronger through absorbing essence and the multitude of skills would not be burdened in any way.
When morning came, the princess showed herself in a new veil that was light blue. The black clothed Night was besides her as she told me today would be the day of the competition amongst a few rank S mercenaries and adventures to decide who would be joining as one of her new guards.
We stepped out of the building called the White Courtyard as the figures of Night and I became transparent. Night was one of the few Shadow Guards that would keep close proximity with the Princess, with a few other ones similar to her stationed all over the Snowy Peak ready to reinforce the guards that escorted her around if anything were to happen.
Infinite Mana In The Apocalypse c1-705 Page 36
