Chapter 1199: The New Deal
Chapter 1199: The New Deal
What three summons?" Klaus immediately retorted. "I haven’t received even one."
Amun’s eyes widened theatrically.
"Oh my, don’t tell me you forgot."
He shook his head before continuing with an almost sympathetic expression. "We delivered all three summons to your assistant, and he acknowledged every one of them."
With another casual wave, Amun produced a scroll and tossed it toward Klaus.
Klaus caught it and immediately unfurled the document. His golden eyes swept across the contents, and I watched his expression slowly change as he reached the bottom of the three summons. Each one carried the acknowledgment of receipt, followed by the unmistakable soul signature of his own assistant.
"How is this possible?" Klaus muttered.
Amun coughed lightly into his fist.
"Anyway, that’s a matter between you and your assistant, Klaus. I’m sure you can deal with that later."
His smile returned as he looked toward the Prime Territory.
"What I came here to inform you of is far more important. The Prime Territory will be moved. From this moment onward, it will no longer remain under your jurisdiction."
"But this—"
Klaus barely managed to get the words out before Amun turned his head toward the surrounding void.
"Augustus."
The single word carried through the Soul Sea.
Space trembled.
A moment later, another figure appeared between the two groups.
I recognized him immediately.
Augustus Nevermore.
He was the same man I had seen guarding the gates of the Null Realm, dressed entirely in black with the familiar hat resting upon his head. His appearance had not changed in the slightest, but the moment he arrived, the atmosphere around us became noticeably heavier.
Augustus glanced between the two groups and sighed.
"Gentlemen, I see there appears to be some sort of dispute taking place. However, by the authority bestowed upon me by the Null Realm to resolve conflicts of this nature, I must confirm that Mr. Amun is correct."
His cold gaze settled upon Klaus first and then moved toward Theras.
"The Prime Territory will no longer fall under Klaus’s jurisdiction."
Augustus adjusted the brim of his hat slightly.
"So I would appreciate it if both of you stopped making a ruckus in my realm."
Klaus visibly stiffened beneath Augustus’s gaze. Theras’s expression remained composed, but even he did not challenge the declaration.
Instead, he turned toward Klaus.
"Klaus, what is going on?"
Klaus remained silent for several moments before finally answering through clenched teeth.
"We cannot form a new contract."
Theras’s eyes narrowed and he stared at Amun.
Amun simply shook his head, his expression carrying a trace of amusement as he looked toward Theras.
"I do feel sorry for you, Theras, but I’m afraid there is nothing you can do about this anymore. Of course, there is still one option available to you. You could always fight us and attempt to force the matter."
His smile widened as he glanced at Augustus.
"But do you honestly believe that this little avatar of yours can change the outcome?"
Theras let out a quiet chuckle.
"Such arrogance, simply because you have won one battle."
His eyes shifted toward me.
"Enjoy your victory while you can. Your universe is already standing at the edge of collapse. In the end, I will conquer it all. At most, what you have accomplished today has bought your side another week."
His gaze lingered upon me for a moment longer before his expression returned to its usual indifference.
Then his body began fading.
"Until then."
The final word echoed through the Soul Sea before Theras’s avatar completely vanished.
Klaus remained for only a moment longer. His expression was unreadable as he glanced at Amun, Augustus, Aurora and finally me. He said nothing. There was nothing left for him to say. With a slight distortion of space, his figure disappeared as well.
The oppressive atmosphere immediately began to dissipate.
Amun exhaled and turned toward me with a grin.
"Well, Billion, I must admit, you’ve caused quite a mess."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Is that praise?"
"Absolutely."
He laughed before looking me over carefully. "You entered the trial of the Twelfth Soul Current, survived it, conquered the Current itself, destroyed the Eternal contract and then returned strong enough to kill Verilux. And somehow, you managed to do all of that while several Demigods were moving pieces around you."
Augustus gave a rare nod of approval.
"You have accomplished something extraordinary for a Saint."
His cold gaze swept over me before settling on my chest, as though he could somehow perceive the existence of the Null Core and Dawn Core within me.
"The Twelfth Soul Current is particularly special. Do not treat it merely as another source of Soul Force. You should spend time understanding what you have obtained. There may be uses for it that you have not yet discovered."
I nodded silently.
There was something about the way Augustus said it that made me take his words seriously.
Amun’s expression then changed. The playful smile disappeared, replaced by something far more serious.
"There is something else you need to understand."
I looked toward him.
"Theras has marked you."
My expression hardened.
"From this moment onward, you need to assume that the Eternals will be watching you far more closely. They have spies scattered throughout our universe, and once word reaches them that you have conquered the Twelfth Soul Current and dismantled their control over the Prime Territory, those spies will begin searching for you."
"So they will come after me."
"They already were," Amun replied. "Now they simply have a much better reason."
I studied him for a moment before another question occurred to me.
"Something doesn’t make sense."
"What?"
"When did you arrive?"
Amun blinked.
"Arrive?"
"You appeared at exactly the right moment. You knew about the contract, knew what Klaus was doing and even had another contract prepared. When did you enter the Prime Territory?"
A strange smile appeared on his face.
"I was always here."
I frowned.
Amun merely smiled and offered no explanation. Before I could press him further, his attention shifted toward Aurora.
"We should leave the Null Realm as quickly as possible. Our actions here have already begun affecting the battlefield in the real world. The flow of the conflict is going to change."
Amun’s gaze turned toward the distant darkness.
"The Eternals have been relying on the Prime Territory as one of their major sources of reinforcement. With the contract gone, the flow of new abominations and phantoms into our universe should begin slowing."
"They won’t simply sit there and watch their forces disappear. Once they realize no new reinforcements are arriving, they will attempt to withdraw whatever forces they still have inside the universe. They’ll want to preserve as much of their remaining strength as possible before the situation becomes irreversible."
A faint smile returned to his face.
"Which is why we shouldn’t give them the opportunity."
He turned toward Aurora.
"Coordinate with the System. The moment you return, I want a full-scale offensive launched across every active battlefield. Don’t give the Eternals time to reorganize or retreat."
Aurora nodded.
"Understood."
"Kill as many as possible before they realize what’s happening."
His eyes gleamed.
"We’ve just taken away one of their greatest advantages. Now we make them pay for everything they’ve already committed to the battlefield."
Read Novel Full