Chapter 580: 58. The Person Behind the Door
Fisher is of Mythical Rank, and while Jasmine is not mythical, she is at least of Fourteenth Rank and a member of the Whale Folk. Thus, although the Competitive Gate is quite far from the Dragon Court, at the beginning, Fisher did not take it to heart when considering their pace.
They would reach their final destination in just about a morning, and indeed, as Fisher had anticipated, they set out in the morning and by noon were able to catch a distant glimpse of lush greenery from the foot of the Southern Branch Mountain.
“Cheep cheep cheep!”
Fisher’s geographical sense was poor, so he could not pinpoint the exact location of the Competitive Gate. But after a couple of “zombie birds” flew by, similar to the situation in the morning, he knew the Death Lord and the Competitive Gate were likely nearby.
In reality, it was Jasmine, sensitive to the aura of death, who noticed those undead creatures first. Perhaps due to her blessing and her identity as a Whale Folk, her perception of life was quite sharp, which also reminded her of what Raphael had said last night, giving rise to an unformed worry.
How could that friend Fisher mentioned use such a suspicious method, or was what Raphael said true? The means Fisher would have to use to save the Dragon Court must be extremely dangerous.
“We’re almost there; let’s keep moving, Jasmine.”
Jasmine instinctively nodded while following Fisher but could not help but ask,
“Fisher, are those things the means of that friend you mentioned?”
“Um, think of him as a… somewhat special human. He means no harm.”
“I see.”
Jasmine quickened her pace to walk alongside Fisher and brought up another matter,
“By the way, Fisher, I wanted to ask. If the Demon Dynasty is the stronghold of those demons, won’t they notice our entry? They are formidable, and if Barbatos discovers us, we might…”
Fisher slowed his pace a bit, his expression thoughtful. After a moment of silence, he shook his head and analyzed,
“It’s unlikely they would know. Both Barbatos and Ag believe they are truly released and are unaware that the seals on them have merely been temporarily lifted by the Base. The one who let them out deceived them. Unless that person is willing to expose their lie and tell them, they won’t notice our actions for now, but that will only be temporary. We need to hurry.”
Emhart, who was nearby, also chimed in, “He’s not wrong. The Demon Dynasty isn’t even a stronghold for the demons. Not to mention that the places where they reside are quite far apart, even when they were free back then, most wouldn’t be together in the dynasty. Most of them don’t like each other much, so as long as you don’t enter the places where those two Demon Gods reside, they won’t find out you’re here. There’s one exception: you cannot enter the residence of Barbatos and Ag, or a place where someone named Cidi lives.”
“Cidi… why?”
Both Fisher and Jasmine looked at Emhart curiously, but he hesitated before finally saying,
“Just a rumor, it’s said that his relationship with Barbatos is… special. You know, that kind of special. Legend has it that this Demon God Cidi possesses an indescribably unparalleled beauty; regardless of gender, anyone who sees him becomes infatuated and crazily in love. As a demon, Cidi enjoys engaging in relationships and reveling in pleasure. Even the most majestic kings of the central human kingdom fell under his spell, to the extent that there were scenarios where a grandfather and grandson both sought him as a partner.
“And Barbatos, as a Demon God, is said to be the opposite. He is reputed to be very righteous, extracting Fallen Nature through animals rather than intelligent beings. Almost all hunters on the continent worshipped him and the gentle breeze that symbolizes him, aspiring for freedom and a refined spirit.
“As a Demon God who seeks pleasure, Cidi certainly took notice of this upright Demon God and became very intrigued, attempting to seduce him, but he never succeeded. After what felt like an eternity, it was instead Barbatos who became attracted to Cidi. Since then, he hasn’t tried to seduce anyone else and only appears together with Barbatos.”
Fisher paused slightly, exchanging glances with Jasmine, and repeated a certain pronoun from Emhart’s words.
“He’s?”
“Ah, yes. You know, demons have genders; Cidi and Barbatos are both male demons in the traditional sense. But that Cidi fellow, well, he appeals to both genders and is quite skilled at it, so it’s hard to say. But anyway…”
Jasmine’s small face flushed as she averted her gaze, while Fisher rubbed his temples and quickly motioned to Emhart to stop, indicating he didn’t want to hear any more about the romance between the two male demons; just knowing they shouldn’t go near their residences was enough.
They should focus on their current task of entering the Demon Dynasty.
In Fisher’s view, Hela and the two demons were not strictly on the same side; if anything, she was likely just using them to destroy the Apocalypse Prophecy initiated by Raphael, rather than truly wanting the demons to be released.
Once the two Demon Gods realized that no matter how much they listened to Hela, they’d never regain their freedom, they would automatically detach from their “enemy status” concerning Fisher. For the past four and a half years, they had hidden among the human armies, engaging in petty skirmishes with a Fourteenth Rank Dragon Race for freedom. If that goal of freedom were to be thwarted, they would actively obstruct Hela’s plans.
Two Eighteenth Rank Demon Gods would likely be quite troublesome for Hela to deal with. More importantly, she had hidden them within the Nali Army for so long; if they were to be exposed now, her efforts would be wasted.
Of course, Hela could remind the two Demon Gods to pay attention to the Demon Dynasty for some reason, but doing so would transform Fisher’s purpose of going to the dynasty into a fuse; they would soon notice the tricks Hela was playing, and the target of their attention would shift from Raphael to Fisher himself.
Fisher would rather bear the risk of facing the two demons himself than let them be manipulated by Hela to destroy the Dragon Court and kill Raphael.
And Hela had mentioned that she would not personally take action against Raphael. It was unclear whether she was worried about the effects of getting involved with the Apocalypse Prophecy or because of Fisher, but in any case, Fisher could only assume she would adhere to that agreement.
Now, both Hela and Fisher needed time. Hela needed to maintain the loyalty of the two Demon Gods until the time for the Apocalypse Prophecy arrived to kill Raphael, while Fisher needed time to find the Base and re-seal both Demon Gods back into the dynasty.
Thus, Hela would likely not directly reveal the truth to the two Demon Gods but also would not overlook Fisher entering the dynasty to seize the Base.
Next, Fisher could only take it one step at a time and see what this wicked angel would do next.
Crossing the Southern Branch Mountain and at the northern end of the Southern Branch Mountain, they followed a clear river winding through the jungle upward. With the number of bird corpses around increasing, the environment became more primitive and remote, leaving one to wonder how long it had been since any other intelligent beings had visited this place over the long years.
“Are we here?”
Not far ahead, Fisher spotted the hunching figure of the Death Lord Holland, surrounded by curling smoke, atop a tree that had been cut in half. Hearing the noises behind, he “cracked” his neck a bit like a zombie, glancing back at the two coming behind him and greeting them.
Of course, he seemed not to expect Jasmine to come, or perhaps those corpses of small birds did not communicate the message clearly. Nevertheless, he didn’t dwell on it, turning his attention back to Fisher.
“Think of a way, Fisher. I’ve been here studying for a morning, and I don’t know how to go down, or this really isn’t the Competitive Gate; have I remembered or found the wrong location?”
Surrounding the Death Lord were piles of various bird corpses, forming a path leading to a cave at the foot of a mountain covered in greenery.
The cave was quite large and deep, exceedingly dark. Even peering in from the bright noon sunlight outside, one could not make out the specific contours. Only faintly could it be seen that the cave had a steep gradient leading deep underground.
Jasmine didn’t like the strange aura of this odd human. She couldn’t quite express what she disliked, but if she had to specify, it was more like the feeling of desecrating life that the Death Lord emitted was what made her uncomfortable.
So, she didn’t engage with him in conversation; after greeting him, she stood beside Fisher, away from him.
Fisher glanced at the cave hidden within the mountain and quickly noticed many weathered and eroded symbols etched next to it, which were hard to make out. However, based on memory, he nodded confidently and said,
“This is indeed the entrance to the dynasty; it should be the Competitive Gate. The marks beside the cave are ones I’ve seen on another demon teleportation door in Nali, which had seventy-two in total, while this only has part of one. It should only bear the mark of the Demon God living behind this door.”
“In the morning, I tried to send my undead creations to explore the situation inside the cave, but every time they went in for too long, they lost control and completely vanished. Moreover, any light sources quickly dimmed inside, including oil lamps, torches, and magic. It’s left me puzzled about its structure, but this cave has always given me a dangerous feeling. Are you sure you want to go in here?”
Fisher thought for a moment, looked back to the Death Lord, and spoke,
“We’re pressed for time. Let’s set off. I’ll go first, Jasmine in the middle, and you take the rear.”
The Death Lord shrugged in agreement; he wouldn’t die anyway, just feared not finding the right entrance.
“I’ll go first. If anything happens, I can give you a warning. You go last to safeguard the two of us; your strength is the greatest; that should be more stable.”
Fisher turned to Jasmine, saw her nod in agreement, and stepped forward with the Death Lord to the cave’s entrance. He raised a hand, and the bird corpses lying on the ground began to “struggle” and rise up, flying toward them.
“Let’s go.”
Jasmine covered her neck and quietly followed behind Fisher. Fisher glanced at the birds while they entered the cave with the Death Lord and asked,
“To what extent have you read your manual?”
“I’ve just read the beginning; if possible, I’d really like to share with you, but Fate Lord advised me against it.”
“Because it would provoke opposition and rejection between us?”
“Very smart. Before my manual truly belongs to you, the manuals are subconsciously wired to reject the owner leaking and sharing knowledge, which is also why that knowledge can’t be recorded in ordinary ways. Moreover, trust me, even if you find the right method, you still won’t be able to record it. The moment you attempt to do so, your previously completed manual will turn into a pile of blank pages.”
As Emhart explained, Jasmine and Fisher soon stepped into the deep darkness one by one.
Emhart in Fisher’s arms snuggled deeper for fear of any terrifying things leaping out around them.
Fisher rubbed the wall with his hand, causing his Magical Circuit to shine brightly, instantly illuminating the darkness with a dazzling light.
However, in an instant, that light was swallowed by the surrounding dark, and the Magical Circuit shut down uncontrollably. When Fisher tried to activate it again, he could not summon his Magical Circuit no matter what.
The darkness here truly consumes brightness.
Fortunately, their formation was reasonable, and with the seemingly noisy but in fact alerting undead birds, they walked for quite a while without encountering any incidents.
The depth of this cave was hard to gauge; Fisher felt they had walked for at least an hour or longer, continuing deeper beneath the ground yet seemingly standing still.
“Thud!”
The entrance behind them was completely out of sight. Even with Fisher’s Mythical Rank vision, only an expanse of darkness remained, but shortly after, a dull thud echoed in Fischer’s ears—something had collided with the birds ahead, stirring echoes that seemed to pierce through the darkness.
He quickly turned to look and found that the cave had expanded more than double its original size, transforming into an extremely spacious area resembling an underground plaza.
In the darkness ahead, the voice of the Death Lord drifted over,
“There seems to be a door ahead.”
“It’s not just a seems; there really is a door.”
Both Fisher and Jasmine, whose vision in the darkness was much better than the Death Lord’s, looked ahead simultaneously and easily saw the door emitting faint glimmers in the darkness.
It was a massive door approximately thirty meters high, shining silver overall with an extremely smooth surface. Fisher could not tell whether it was the material itself or if it had a layer of frost due to the cold weather, but considering the current temperature, it was likely the former.
The Death Lord settled the undead birds down on the ground, bringing them back to calmness. The three of them gradually approached the enormous “frosted door.” In the dim darkness, the light radiating from the door became their only source of light, helping them discern its structure.
Above the door, in ancient human writing and chaotic demonic script, was inscribed its name.
“We’ve arrived at the Competitive Gate.”
“But the problem is, how do we get in?”
The Death Lord scrutinized the heavy, tightly sealed Competitive Gate and voiced his doubt.
Fisher remained silent for a moment, then reached out his hand to touch the slightly chilly door. In the darkness, his body structure began to change, taking on a shape more suited for exerting force. He then started to push with all his might, trying to open the door before him, but to no avail.
“It won’t work; brute force won’t open it.”
He murmured, slowly reverting his body back to his human form to inform the two beside him of his conclusion.
The strength of this Competitive Gate exceeded his expectations; it was certainly beyond what an ordinary Mythical Rank could physically open. He even suspected that it might require Jasmine’s mother, Xu, to come here in person to open the door.
And what about those rocks next to the door? If the door wouldn’t budge, knocking off the stones beside it could also bypass this door, smashing some rocks should be easy for Fisher now.
But just as he thought and prepared to do so, he suddenly realized that neither the Death Lord nor Jasmine had responded to him, even those undead birds on the ground had abruptly gone silent, as if they had evaporated.
“Jasmine?”
“They… don’t seem to be here anymore!”
Emhart, in Fisher’s arms, also noticed this strange scene and quickly nestled deeper into Fisher’s embrace, saying so.
Fisher frowned, turning to scan the endless darkness beside him, but saw no signs of anyone.
“Buzz buzz buzz…”
They didn’t know where they had gone, but the next moment, the surface of the colossal door in front of Fisher began to ripple like frost, slowly clearing away that indistinguishable “frost,” making the door instantaneously translucent like a mirror or glass.
Within the door, a shadow similar in height to Fisher emerged, seeming to stand on the other side of the door and slowly approach.
“…”
Fisher, covering Emhart in his arms, cautiously took a step back, keeping a tight gaze on the figure within the door as it grew closer, until its true appearance was fully revealed.
But when he saw that figure, Fisher was left dumbfounded, frozen in place.
Inside that door stood a figure roughly the same height as him, but with a much more slender frame.
That so-called “slightly slender” appearance was actually a far cry from his own body type—a stark contrast.
The figure wore a set of clothing in a color similar to his Dragon Court attire, but while his was designed for males, this figure wore a set of form-fitting androgynous long garments, which left ample space where needed to accentuate its graceful curves.
The appearance of this figure also shared the same features as Fisher; black hair and eyes, defined facial features. However, she had long flowing hair, rosy lips, and in comparison to Fisher’s short hair and slight stubble, the figure’s skin was delicate and soft, exuding both charm and a hint of ethereality.
By now, Fisher gradually began to realize this woman’s appearance resembled his own by a good eight or nine parts, or rather, excluding gender, everything else was identical!
That woman had a stern expression, as if she had just arrived at this door, probing the secrets of the “Competitive Gate,” only to discover other suspicious figures hidden within.
She instinctively locked eyes with Fisher here, momentarily surprised, projecting an unprecedented wariness.
She too covered her chest and took a step back, reshaping the soft contours prominently displayed in front of her, which prompted Fisher to also bewilderedly touch his own chest muscles, checking to confirm nothing inappropriate had grown there—only to find the solid form of Emhart.
Sensing Fisher’s touch, Emhart in his arms quickly asked,
“What’s wrong? Why are you suddenly not speaking, Fisher?”
He was evidently scared, thinking they had encountered something filthy like “Baemon,” terrified of looking up.
But after a moment of thought, he felt that the atmosphere was off.
For instance, if Baemon had arrived, she would likely have said something flirtatious to Fisher by now. Why was it so quiet currently?
Something was wrong, something was wrong.
But if it wasn’t Baemon, could there be something else terrifying in this world?
As Emhart pondered, an almost limitless courage surged within him.
So, he hastily struggled to peek out from Fisher’s embrace and surveyed the situation outside.
“This is…”
As he poked his head out, he quickly spotted the “female counterpart of Fisher” within the door. But before he could open his mouth in astonishment, the next moment—just as he had poked his head out—the “female Fisher” suddenly had her bust gently tremble, and then likewise produced a wisdom book from within, its cover pink.
On that pink-covered book, a single conspicuous eye adorned with long and curled black eyelashes peeked out, the small mouth beneath it slightly open, looking equally shocked.
Emhart stared blankly at the scene within the door, inadvertently opening his mouth to mumble,
“Your mother…”
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(The End of This Chapter)
