Rivers of the Night

Chapter 818: A Gentle Tone

Theron held his blade forward as he looked at the Demon Prince.

It was the first time he had met such a person, and his immediate thought was focused and singular.

This was what a true Transcendent was.

The chasm between Demon Prince DiBarr and Urong was impossible to describe. One was a kiddie pool and the other was the abyss of the ocean. One was a minor ray of light, the last dying embers of a flame, and the other was the inferno of hell itself.

Theron had done a lot of extrapolating to try and guess what sort of power the Demon Prince would have, but the moment he sensed the man, he immediately made the choice to not kill Jun for one very specific reason.

It would have been idiotic.

It felt like this man could kill him with a snap of his fingers. It wouldn’t be a matter of how clever he could be, or how much he could stall. Even if he brought out the Dagger Call Platform, the attempt would be entirely worthless.

This must be what people felt like when they were facing Theron. Cultivation Realm mattered so very little.

Urong and DiBarr were of the same level, and yet the former couldn’t hold the latter’s shoes. And Theron had grown considerably since his fight with Urong, having crossed from Lower to Middle King, and he even had a stronger understanding of Demon Body Realm Cultivation Methods.

Yet it was all meaningless.

Theron’s wrist flickered and his sword slit down Jun’s chest, and he stumbled a step backward.

"You should thank your father," Theron said calmly.

It was just a single sentence, but it took every fiber of Jun’s being not to explode.

For him, he would have rather died than for it to be known that his life was only spared because of his father. He was so distracted he didn’t even notice that the Demon Prince had actually appeared just now.

Then Jun understood the game being played here.

Demon Prince DiBarr took this as an opportunity not only to establish his authority but also to knock his son down several pegs. It made the entire banquet seem like nothing more than a joke.

The Demon Prince didn’t look at his son a single time, though. He was only looking at Theron.

"Ayame is your wife?" he asked calmly.

Theron felt his heart tremble before it calmed itself.

This voice... it reminded him so much of his own.

Theron’s voice wasn’t soft or feminine. It had a deep cadence to it, deeper now that he was past his 17th birthday and quickly progressing toward his 18th. It was probably nearing where it would be for the rest of his life.

That said, his voice was incredibly gentle and soothing, the sort that could rock people into a state of ease and comfort. He had probably never met anyone else in his lifetime with a voice as beautiful...

Aside from Goddess Sacharro herself, and Sadie for that matter.

But this Demon Prince came close, and Theron immediately realized that unlike himself and Goddess Sacharro, there was nothing about Demon Prince DiBarr’s voice that was natural.

It played on his soul, encroaching onto it, and forcing it to relax. And Theron actually found that he was having a hard time deciphering between his own emotions and what emotions were being imposed onto him.

The difference between the two seemed like a thin line.

"Yes. She is," Theron replied.

"Oh?" Demon Prince DiBarr blinked and looked toward Ayame, but Theron also vanished and appeared before her in the same instant, causing him to chuckle.

"You have no need to worry, I am not interested in little girls. She is about 10,000 years too young for me. But I am surprised by your response. I did not know Ayame had a husband."

No. The real reason Demon Prince DiBarr was surprised was that people weren’t supposed to be able to lie to him, not when he was speaking, and not when his Soul Skill was active.

Theron really hated Spirit Mancers.

Even so, he could resist.

Demon Prince DiBarr had probably put quite some effort into researching Ayame. He knew she wasn’t married. He was just surprised that Theron could lie right to his face like that.

Theron could easily see through this. He thought about just telling the truth so that Demon Prince DiBarr wouldn’t be aware of just how strong his soul was. But he ultimately decided against it.

"Well, this is great, then. With two powerhouses instead of just one, and both so young at that, the odds of success will be many times higher."

Theron’s eyes narrowed. Odds of success? The odds of success of what?

He didn’t look back toward Ayame, but he had a guess. Was it a mission? One of the missions she had to clear to become a Demon Prince Chosen?

But Theron knew that Ayame wanted to keep working her way up. She wouldn’t want to become one of DiBarr’s Chosen.

"Originally, I didn’t want to give Ayame the full scope of this mission because it’s too dangerous on her own. But it seems that an exception can be made this time. If you successfully complete this mission, I’ll allow you to go directly to a Demon King. That’s what you want, no?"

Ayame’s pupils constricted. The last time she spoke to DiBarr, he pretended as though he was going to take her in as a Chosen and then gave her a mission. What was he playing at here, exactly?

Why was he suddenly so open to her moving forward? Ayame half expected that she would have to deal with a similar falling out to what happened with Urong...

Why this pivot?

"Ayame can fill you in on the details I originally gave you, but the main mission has now changed. You’ll be infiltrating the Resistance Army with just a single goal in mind.

"Kill General Ameridia."

Demon Prince DiBarr’s smile deepened.

"Oh, Jun, my son. Be a dear and go with them too, please."