Aurelius managed a tired smile. “I owe my life to Ms. Lughlin and our brave friend Mr. Chance. Without them, I would be dead.”
Infinides hurried forward, robes swishing, and offered Aurelius a solemn bow. “King Aurelius has endured much. From this moment on, consider every one of us your shield.”
Infinides knew that if Aurelius had not lured the Soul Devourer away, not one of them would be breathing now.
Later, the survivors lowered themselves onto slabs of permafrost that served as both benches and floors. While the dim fire cracked feebly, Infinides recounted everything that had happened since their last parting.
Since their last parting, they had taken some surviving cultivators to hide deep in this snow mountain. The climate was cold, so that the demonic aura was thin, and Demonic Cultivators rarely came to patrol. However, the Demonic Cultivators attacked them a few times, sacrificing several cultivators. Only a few of them left.
“Where is Rylan?” Aurelius asked worriedly. “He was not with you when you fled?”
Yuliana exhaled a tremor of white mist.
“When we were ambushed last time, Commander Drake led the Imperial Guards to hold the cave so we could escape,” said, the words shattering as they left her. “He fought alone in the end… And fell…”
Silence seeped through every crevice of the cavern. Eyes that had seen too much closed against the thought of Rylan’s final stand.
Rylan Drake, once the commander of the Imperial Guard in Celestia, had given his life on a nameless snowswept ridge.
“Rylan is, and will remain, a hero of Celestia,” Aurelius said, each word low, deliberate, unbreakable. “I swear I will see his blood debt paid in full.”
A dull glow of resolve rimmed his eyes, chasing back the shadows.
Those gathered answered with grim nods. The small flame in their heart seemed to flare higher, stoked by shared fury. Maps were unrolled, plans sketched in soot and trembling hope. The cultivators gathered in the cave to lay out their plan.
Their entire force, after sweeping every refuge and ruin-was barely a few hundred. Soul Devourer commanded legions of Demonic Cultivators and demonic souls that could blanket the horizon.
“Soul Devourer now wields the Ritual Manual and commands one hundred thousand demon souls,” a gaunt cultivator said, rubbing frost from his face. “What can our few blades possibly do against power that deep?”
“Are we meant to watch level six burn while we cower in drift and shadow?” another spat, despair widening his eyes even as the words left him.
“No,” Aurelius answered, voice dropping to a steady drum. “Level Six is our home. We hold or we die. Our sole chance is to find help from other realms. Celestials from the Celestial Palace and the cultivators from Celestia have the same blood. They won’t allow their people to be slaughtered. I’ll bring Mr. Chance to the Celestial King Palace to seek Ms. Dusko’s help.”
A spark of hope lit behind every eye. Even the cave walls seemed to draw a cautious breath of relief.
If the Celestial Palace lent its strength, they had a chance to defeat the Soul Devourer. Hope, long thought frozen solid, began to thaw.
Jared stepped forward, snow-crusted boots grinding on stone.
“King Aurelius,” said, calm but unyielding, “Level six bristles with traps. You must stay and marshal what remains. The path to the Celestial King Palace is perilous. Allow me to go alone.”
His words fell. and the cave grew so still the fire could be heard licking its own embers.
Yuliana slipped forward before anyone could react. Her slim fingers fastened around Jared’s sleeve, knuckles whitening with fear.
“Absolutely not…” Her voice trembled. “Going alone is suicide. The Celestial King Palace lies on level eight. You’d have to cross a void passage. One misstep, you’ll be in danger.”
Artemis folded arms, silver brows drawn tight. “Yuliana’s right. Two realms stand between level six and level eight. The void passage is lethal, and you intend to tear open the barrier yourself. We can’t let you shoulder that alone.”
Jared placed a calm hand over Yuliana’s, prying grip loose with gentleness.
“I know the road bristles with knives,” said, each word steady as hammered steel. “That is precisely why the rest of you must stay. Someone has to guard the survivors and watch the Soul Devourer’s every move. If I return with reinforcements, we’ll strike from within and without.”
