Short-Lived Solace

The hot wind of summer was blowing harshly throughout the mountains, and the deeper into summer, the hotter it got. It had been months since summer had begun, but it still wasn’t showing signs of ending any time soon. The fauna and flora had to adapt to the heat, but the ease with which they did so clearly demonstrated that such a harsh summer was par for the course.

Still, to mere simple humans who had practised no ways of power at all, the heat was dangerous. Hence, many had to stay hidden within the dark of their homes. Things moved much more slowly for the sapients as they waited for the sun to go down to actually go out and do things.

The air felt suffocating, but once the rays of the sun were no longer striking down upon their bodies, things immediately got easier.

For those with strength–Especially physical strength–The heat remained bearable.

“Do you think I would look good if I got a tan?”

“That’s quite the strange question considering what you are going to get into in a few minutes, Edrick… And I frankly do not know the answer to it. I doubt it will harm your looks, though”

“Well, I guess I’ll let my wives decide if it's a good idea”

At the moment, Anoteros and Langxiong were standing on the mountain borders, enduring the harsh beating of the sun as they stared straight ahead at what appeared to be nothing more than a protruding stone.

“So, it’s right there, isn’t it?”

“Indeed. The insects that had been clinging onto Fingmi confirmed it, and I was able to get corroborating testimonies from several other creatures about the path which those four took. I tried to send insects into the unseen gateway, but it appears to have been shut”

Anoteros made a motion with his hands, and several robed and hooded figures took it as their cue to step forward.

Langxiong readjusted his red-tinted glasses.

“I am surprised that you were able to so easily and swiftly convince the Sect Of The Horned One to send you so many experts”

“It’s all a matter of good public relations, Langxiong. Even if the gateway is well-concealed, they’ll be able to reveal it and force it open enough for me to get in”

“You trust them a lot, don’t you?”

“When it comes to this sort of thing, they are the best. Not only are they knowledgeable and have many talents, but their methods are unique, meaning that basically no one knows how to fight back against them in these domains… But anyway, I can’t believe that Linfeng would be so kind as to point toward a realm for me to conquer! This is going to be quite fun”

“Are you sure you don’t want help? I know you can summon your bestial companions with a snap of your fingers, but that Linfeng already showed the ability to rapidly grow in strength, and you delivered him his Alrinir, whom you knew had what he needed to grow even stronger, even faster”

Anoteros smirked.

“I appreciate your concerns, Langxiong, but I don’t intend on playing nice this time around. Either he pleasantly surprises me, or I’ll crush him quickly… Regardless, I’ll be back”

Edrick extended his closed fist to Langxiong.

“Our first interaction was based on a transaction, but I hope that we will be able to stay in contact. You have a lot of untapped potential... I’ll make sure to help you make use of it. Perhaps you’ll be able to climb your way into a better spot in the clan”

Langxiong stayed silent for a few moments, but eventually smiled. He readjusted his glasses and bumped the fist offered to him.

“Good luck in there, Edrick”

Just as he said this, the people from the Sect Of The Horned One managed to force the portal open slightly, which was the Elt scion’s cue to go in.

“By the heavens, he is fast”

Langxiong sat down on the ground. He would wait for his Valli’s return.

The portal was quick to seal itself again, with the people who had managed to force it open commenting on how strong it was.

“If the Young Master can make it his, he’ll definitely benefit tremendously. Such a strong gateway can not belong to an inferior realm”

“Even if it is an inferior realm, owning a realm isn’t something to be scoffed at!”

‘They seem convinced that he’ll succeed too…’

___

The second Anoteros set foot in Natucor, it was like the realm itself shivered. He wasn’t one to overestimate himself, though.

‘Does it sense that I am married to another realm? I probably have Eltysia’s scent all over me… I wonder if this realm also has a physical body that I could play with’

Edrick began walking through the tall grass, and with how small the realm was and how prominent the oak-like giant tree was, he quickly spotted the nice, idyllic little house in the distance.

‘How cute…’

Edrick bent his knees as he channelled Primal Augmentation into them, all the while transforming them using the various forms available to him to create the best mixture he could muster.

Then… He jumped.

He landed right in front of the house, shaking the ground and destroying part of it. Although his arrival had been known from the moment the portal had been forced open, his entrance took everyone by surprise.

All four of them were right here on the porch of the house, having gotten out just in time to see that the intruder was none other than Edrick Lucien Anoteros himself.

“Linfeng, Linfeng, Linfeng… Have you had fun since you ran away? I hope so. It was my last kindness to you… Oh, who am I even kidding? Your system is unaware of the influence of scripts upon this world, isn’t it? Otherwise, it would have done everything possible to stop you from settling down like this”

The protagonist had no words. He merely made sure to step forward so that the other three were behind him… He had known that Anoteros was a scary man, but the scion looked like a real devil right now. Or rather, he felt like one.

His face was still bearing the same charming smile as he usually wore, but his demeanour and presence were those of a calculating yet savage predator.

Edrick took a good look at the three behind his primary target. Focusing especially on Yen’mila and Fingmi’s stomach areas.

“Good, you impregnated both of them”

Linfeng frowned and finally spoke up as he heard this.

“Why would that be good, Edrick?”

The scion’s charming smile turned horridly disturbing. He showed his teeth in full, and his face contorted as if every muscle on his face were bulging up.

“I am glad that you are not scared… As to answer your question… It was a bit of a pet peeve of mine with my last prey. I didn’t allow him to shoot his seed inside a woman properly before I destroyed him, but you see… He and you are quite special, so I figured that I should let you reproduce before I snatched you up, you know? Don’t worry, I’ll be good to your descendants”

“Over my dead body!”

Edrick’s face softened, but the change was so sudden that it was uncanny.

“Come on, Linfeng… I’ll never kill you. Do I look so wasteful? I am a collector first and foremost. Now, should we fight right now, or do you want to move away from the house first?”

Linfeng stared darkly at the scion.

It seemed like peace was short-lived when your enemy was Edrick Lucien Anoteros…