Published at 5th of January 2020 7:01 am

Chapter 237: Split Paths

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Dorian breathed in deeply and then exhaled. The rush of air fell from his lips and dissipated into the gale of wind he left behind as he moved forward, his eyes constantly scanning his surroundings for any potential attack by an enemy.

He was currently half sprinting/half flying across a forested World Bridge, using his Aura to cling down as he blazed forward. He simultaneously maintained his Super State and his Speedy State, taking this opportunity to balance practicing both of them.

His Speedy State still attempted to make him reject all other forms of energy, but Dorian's practice using it had begun to pay off. He was now able to partially 'speed up' the energy he got from the Law of Pride's Super State, letting him integrate the power.

He had, by no means, mastered this yet. He was only able to reproduce around 10% of his Super State's normal effects while operating in his time-accelerated Speedy State. But even that was great progress considering the amount of time he'd had to practice.

Dorian's right foot elegantly tapped down on the top of a tall oak tree. In his Empyrean Vampire form, everything he did couldn't really help but look elegant. He was using this form, instead of his Balance Demon form, as a way to help him focus on balancing his Speedy State and his Super State without relying on that form as a crutch.

He didn't let himself use any of his other active powers, he solely drew upon these two Laws and their respective States. Right now, the one thing he needed the most practice in was using the power of various Laws.

The moment he stepped on the tree, he immediately jumped forward, rocketing through the air as he blasted off down the length of the World Bridge.

The tree he jumped on collapsed into fractured pieces of wood as it literally blasted apart. However, thanks to his careful control, there was no massive shockwave destroying a hundred meters of land or anything like that. Merely, the tree suffered a silent, grievous end.

It took more energy to prevent something like that, but Dorian didn't want to accidentally wipe anyone out as he jogged by. Ever since he grew this powerful, this had actually cropped up as an issue he wanted to prevent. He didn't want to have to deal with the guilt of killing someone innocent simply because he was impatient.

The Exotic World of Phenshrip was a beautiful planet with a rich history, one that Dorian mostly ignored as he ran by. He didn't let himself explore it or even take that many looks at it as he rushed through it and onto the World Bridge that connected to a neighboring planet, blazing forward without hesitation.

Dorian had then crossed that World Bridge, arrived on another planet and promptly left it as he moved onto another World Bridge, making absurdly quick progress.

And now he could already see the end of this World Bridge, his mad rush paying off.

In terms of time, Dorian had been running for more than 24 hours straight. He could move extremely quickly, but when it came to crossing tens of thousands of miles, even he had to take his time.

His body and mind felt fine, the lack of sleep having no effect on him; One of the perks of being an abnormally powerful Anomaly. In the time that he had been running, he was constantly balancing the Law of Pride and the Law of Lust, trying to successfully combine the two States.

Perhaps if he had been able to do this before, he might have fared better against Zero and stopped Mello… He tossed the thought from his mind, noting that it was counterproductive. He needed to focus on what he could do right now.

"This is… the Lesser World of Kale, right?" Dorian spoke to himself as he squinted, his Demonic Eyes piercing forward through a layer of fog.

Past the end of this World Bridge, Dorian could make out a large, sweeping ocean. A plethora of sea life dotted the insides of this ocean, nothing escaping Dorian's gaze. Blue colored dolphins, large, green sharks with three fins, a giant squid hiding curiously close to the World Bridge's shoreline…

He could see a veritable kingdom of life living underwater.

"Yeah, that's Kale." Just a few heartbeats later, Dorian finished crossing the World Bridge and arrived at its end.

This World was a curious planet, according to the intel the Aurelius had gathered. Some argued that it should be considered an Exotic World while others argued that it was merely a special Lesser World.

It was a small planet that was roughly 95% covered in water. There were two small kingdoms that inhabited the planet, both seafaring nations that warred with one another. Because there weren't any particularly lucrative resources on the world, it was left on its own.

Dorian mentally adjusted as he leapt away from the World Bridge, feeling gravity shift and turn downward. He kept using solely the Law of Pride and the Law of Lust as he jumped out, falling towards the water below.

'Transform.' His body abruptly shifted, a layer of light blurring around him for a split second.

A moment later, his Empyrean Vampire form was replaced with his Sun Eagle form in all its majestic glory, literal flames falling from its wings as he flapped several times to regain his sense of balance.

'Let's see…' He thought, looking to his left and right as he used his perfect memory to consult a map of this planet.

'If I fly in that direction for around 1700 miles, I'll find the next World Bridge.' He instantly began to soar forward, his Sun Eagle form blasting through the sky like a jet. He winced as a shockwave expanded out behind him, forgetting that when he went this fast, he would explosively break the sound barrier if he wasn't careful.

He didn't actually forget this, his perfect memory prevented that, but the thought had been stored in the back of his mind and left out of his immediate focus.

'After I cross this planet, there are only two more planets left.' He was making great time. At this rate, he would reach his final destination in less than 48 hours. He might have to slow down and take a small break while he flew to regain some energy, but at the rate he was absorbing energy and replenishing his energy supplies, he'd only need to do that once.

"Alright, then. Full speed ahead! Our next stop, Monta!" The words came out of his Sun Eagle's beak as an unintelligible warble, but Dorian didn't care as he smiled (a horrifying grimace in his Sun Eagle form) and shot through the air, determination burgeoning in his heart.

.. .. .. .. .. ..

Meanwhile…

.. .. .. .. .. ..

On the Lesser World of Twinto, a planet on the border between the Shade Empire and the Aurelius Family's territory, there existed a small valley.

This valley was wedged between a series of large hills, each one dotted with grass. There wasn't a tree within a dozen miles of this valley, giving the area a rather picturesque sight.

In this valley was an ancient stone building. It had grey, faded walls, a white tiled roof, and several large, open windows that let in light. No animals, not even bugs, existed within 100 meters of this ancient house, making it give off a slightly unnatural feeling.

Within this decrepit one-floor home, an old marble table was set up, surrounded by a dozen wooden chairs. Sitting around this table were half a dozen cloaked figures arguing with each other.

"I say we launch a frontal assault. The Destroyer is a tough foe, but if we go all out, our chances should be high as long as we work together!" The burly figure of Damal, the Demonic Master of Pride, shook slightly as he spoke aloud, his voice filled with emotion.

"Damal, the entire 2nd Main Division of the Borrel Autarchy went for a frontal assault, aided by three of the Autarchy's Walls, one of them an Angelic Class expert, and still failed. A frontal assault isn't going to cut it." Hallow's blue eyes glowed as he adjusted the gold mask he wore, ignoring the blue essence that floated off of his hands. He kept his voice cool and logical, attempting to be the voice of reason.

"He has a point, though, Hallow. Howarewe going to kill him?" A sultry voice cut in as Priscilla, the Mistress of Lust, added her own reply. She sat across the table from Damal, dressed in a shadowy robe that did nothing to hide her fantastic figure. She kept her face hidden, as did all the members of the Demonic Council, a white mask shielding her features.

Hallow rubbed his forehead, unable to come up with a response. They had debated this topic seemingly endlessly for days on end.

"Well, waiting for Leader to finish his scouting mission will be a good start. We can base our plans on what he manages to uncover." Hallow pivoted to the only real plan they had managed to agree on.

"We have no guarantee he'll find anything of value, though, no? It's like I said before, we should have spread our own teams out in a wide net. At least that way we'd get something." The obese Master of Sloth, and one of the Shadow Dukes of the Shade Empire, Duke Orbit jutted in his own opinion as he held a glass of wine in his hand, taking a long draw from it.

"I think he shows promise. Lord Obelisk would never allow an incompetent warrior to serve him." The Master of Gluttony, the elderly Baron Radishow, bit back at Duke Orbit, his tone frosty. Of all of the members of the Council, after Leader, Baron Radishow was Dorian's most fervent supporter.

"I still think we should ransack the Empire's treasuries, load up on Artifacts, and set out multiple minefields of traps. We can never win in a direct fight, even if we use our final trump card." Kandor's, the Master of Greed's, raspy voice added on to Baron Radishow's opinion, contrary to what Damal wanted.

Hallow sighed as he held his head in his hands, frustration welling up.

The Council was finally willing to work together after all of these years, and they had even gained a new member…

But they simply could not decide on what to do. They had met several times to discuss this andstillhadn't managed to form a consensus.

"Perhaps we should reach out to Lord Obelisk." Hallow offered up a new line of thought as he went on,

"The true Great Lord is no doubt planning his own attack on the Destroyer."

Baron Radishow offered his immediate approval, while the other Councilmembers began to argue. Most of them seemed to want to solve this issue on their own, despite their appreciation of Lord Obelisk. This was the sacred mission of the Demonic Council, something they had been raised to prepare for their entire lives.

However, just as the arguing was getting intense, as Hallow was about to break in and settle things down…

WHOOSH

A flash of light caused everyone to freeze up.

A split second later, a glowing blue portal appeared in the air. The edges of this portal seemed to merge with reality itself, a hole ripped in space and giving off energy.

From this portal emerged the figure of a plain-looking man, dressed in a set of simple grey clothes, with a small dagger on his waist.

For some reason, Hallow found this figure's appearance surprisingly difficult to remember. If nothing else, he was a completely forgettable humanoid that had no features that stood out.

None of the Councilmembers panicked. Instead, 6 overwhelmingly strong Demonic Auras blast out into the air as they all stood up. The air was wracked with energy, visible distortions rippling as they all prepared to either attack to defend themselves.

"Greetings, those of the Great Council. I have come in peace." The grey figure's voice remained perfectly calm and assured as he spoke, as if he wasn't in an extremely precarious position.

Hallow stared at the figure, as did the others. He then exchanged glances with a few of them before taking a step forward.

"You come in peace, yet drop in without warning? You have little regard for decorum." Hallow's heart was pounding. For a split second, he had thought it had been HIM.

"Alas, in this day and age, decorum is a luxury I have no time to afford." The grey figure shook his head as he continued,

"I have come here with an offer for you all." Mello's stolen eyes glinted as he spoke, unfathomable power rippling within them,

"It concerns a mutual enemy of ours…"

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