The Adventures of an Overpowered Knight in Another World

Chapter 716- Stirring Undercurrents (2)

Reinhardt fell silent. The evening wind passed between them. Eventually, he grabbed her and locked his fingers with hers.

"I’ll come back. Because there is now a woman waiting for me." He spoke in a gentle tone.

A breeze brushed past them, fluttering their hair. A handsome man and a beautiful woman with the sunset as a backdrop painted a beautiful scene.

Aurelia lowered her head slightly to hide her expression. Unfortunately, the faint redness on her ears betrayed her completely.

Seeing this, Reinhardt wanted to say the words he had been holding inside him for so long. "I..." However, just as he opened his mouth, a finger pressed against his lips.

It was Aurelia. She looked at Reinhardt with an intimate glint in her eyes and spoke. "Shh... Now is not the time. Say those words after you come back from the war. I will be waiting here for you. For now, go and do what you must".

Reinhardt nodded, suppressing his feelings. He had waited so many years, so what was a couple more compared to that?

Having said that, he did not let the moment go to waste. He took her hand, bent elegantly, kissed her hand, and made an oath.

A promise to protect her at the cost of his life. This was the very first promise that Reinhardt, in his second reincarnation, had made.

Although it was just words, the gesture and the feelings behind it made Aurelia happy.

"Then you better protect me well... my knight".

At that moment, call it misfortune or fate, but coming into contact with Reinhardt had awakened the fragment within her, causing a faint trace of divine power to leak from her.

.

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Deep within the Tainted Lands. A place where direction had no meaning. Where the sky and earth blended into an endless sea of black and crimson.

Rivers of viscous shadow flowed through jagged landscapes and countless malformed creatures crawled beneath cliffs of flesh. Most noticeable was the colossal dark black trunk of a tree that had long since died, and became a nesting and breeding ground for Abyss Nests.

The place looked so ominous that the weak would lose their minds simply by looking at the things here once.

Once a thriving land, it was now nothing but a forbidden land... Elfenheim.

Inside the court of ruins.

Upon a throne carved from the bones of colossal creatures sat a being that radiated absolute menace. He had a humanoid form, with a tall stature. His skin resembled black metal heated in a furnace, with countless cracks running across his body.

Two horns curved backwards from his head like a crown, and his crimson eyes burned like magma. With every breath he took, the air distorted.

The figure was donned in an ancient looking armor made of exquisite craftsmanship. Needless to say, the figure seated atop the throne was no ordinary demon, but one of the rulers of demonkind.

The Seventh Heavenly King... Mammon. The Devourer of Kingdoms. The Tyrant of Ruin. The demon who had personally destroyed more than a hundred nations from history.

The Seventh Heavenly King who stood at the apex of demonkind. Yet at this moment, none of his arrogance or malice could be felt. Instead, a bone deep fear could be seen in Mammon’s face.

A creature that looked like a black eclipse floated before him.

An unmoving sun of darkness with tendrils drifting from its edges. The creature was as big as a football, had no eyes or facial features. Only a single vertical mouth stretching from top to bottom.

The mouth slowly moved and a voice came out. Given by the make-up of the voice, it was hard to estimate whether it was male or female, young or old. Nonetheless, it held an absolute commanding tone against the Devourer of Kingdoms.

"I felt the divine power of Odeth’Rhea. One of the surviving fragments has successfully reincarnated into the body of a human. Find her and kill her. Do not allow the remnants of the surviving Seven Gods to return to this world. Make sure it is done. Or else you know the consequences of failure".

Hearing this, the Seventh Heavenly King’s body immediately stiffened. Fear exuded from his body, a true fear. One that could only be felt when prey stands before an apex predator.

The Devourer of Kingdoms lowered his head respectfully.

"It shall be done. I swear upon my existence that the remnants of the Seven Gods will perish."

Hearing this, the voice fell silent. The next instant, the eclipse slowly dissolved into black smoke. It was just a messenger.

Even after the dark eclipse had left, Mammon could not help but tremble in fear.

After a while, he forcefully controlled his emotions and summoned his commanders. "Summon the Generals."

Moments later, powerful presences arrived one after another. Towering demons, winged abominations... each of them possessed the power to single handedly destroy a city.

Demon Generals... The true elite of demonkind.

Mammon’s voice echoed through the chamber. "Activate every espionage network. Search the Seven Kingdoms. Any woman displaying unexplained healing abilities, abnormal affinity with divine power or unusual influence over others, investigate them thoroughly. Find the reincarnation of Odeth’Rhea and kill her."

The generals immediately bowed. "As you command." The next moment, they disappeared like shadows scattering into darkness.

After a while, the Seventh Heavenly King raised his hand and summoned another being.

Moments later... A green gate slowly formed before him. Through the gate, stepped a figure.

She had emerald green hair that cascaded down her back like liquid jade. She had a beautiful face, dark kohl eyebrows, and green markings that resembled thorn vines. Majestic horns protruded from her head and curved backwards like a crown.

She had long legs, a curvy body that evoked one’s desires, and long dark emerald nails. Donned in a black dress and dark fur coat, she looked like a peerless beauty. Yet this beauty hid a lethal danger, like a flower with thorns. Captivating yet deadly.

The figure was none other than the Ninth Heavenly King... Duvessa. The Sovereign of Graves.

Looking at Duvessa, Mammon asked. "How is the progress to weaken the Seven Kingdoms?"

Duvessa smiled faintly. "As expected of Lord Mammon, your first concern is always the war."

She did not tease Mammon too much, knowing full well how short tempered he was. She immediately began her report.

"Out of the Seven Kingdoms, Aetherion, being the strongest, continues to prove troublesome. They have many Holy Institutions within their land, training and nurturing future knights for their kingdom. What’s more, their internal security is exceptional"..

"Although some mid ranking demons have successfully infiltrated several influential circles, destabilising Aetherion from within will take considerably more time. The Eleventh Heavenly King Malcroth and Twelfth Heavenly King Skarnys are eyeing Aetherion. They have refrained from using any direct assault for the time being".

Mammon clicked his tongue. Though he wasn’t surprised. Aetherion had stood at humanity’s summit for centuries. Breaking them would never be easy.

Duvessa gave her next report. "The progress in Lunaris is much faster and favourable". When talking about Lunaris, Duvessa’s smile deepened. In fact, her current appearance was exactly like the Queen of Lunaris.

"Societal and wealth division in the country continues to worsen. Thanks to my efforts in fanning the flame, existing tensions have already intensified. Unfortunately, the existence of their Heroes and the protection surrounding the Great Demon Prison complicates matters. Freeing the Eighth Heavenly King Astaroth will require additional time."

Duvessa moved on.

"Drakmor remains difficult to infiltrate politically. Their culture values strength above status. Because of that, bribery and manipulation prove less effective. Instead, we have focused on destabilising trade routes and provoking conflicts among their many clans. As a nation that values pure blood, we can threaten their unity by manipulating some individuals to marry people from other clans, breeding discord between different clans".

Mammon nodded.

Duvessa then moved to the next of the Seven Kingdoms.

"Surprisingly, Paradoxis proved more vulnerable than we anticipated. Their thirst for knowledge breeds ambition. Ambition breeds envy. Several of their influential sages are now unknowingly working towards our interests. Their academies now teach different philosophies. It won’t be long before these academies that nurture the future knights tear at each other for the forbidden knowledge. Beleth is eyeing the country, to bring it down".

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Finally, it was Solaris’ turn.

When talking about the Kingdom of Solaris, Duvessa’s eyes turned amused. "Speaking of Solaris, they are the easiest target."

"Is that so?" Mammon was suddenly interested. What did the Ninth Heavenly King do to make one of the Seven Great Kingdoms an easy target?

"Longevity remains humanity’s oldest weakness. And the greed for such a forbidden fruit is stronger in Solaris. Several members of their Council of Elders, who have the second highest authority after the king, have accepted our gifts"...

"When I gave them Demon Hearts, they could not reject the temptation of power, influence, and eternal life. Their greed made them remarkably cooperative. Many of the upper echelons of Solaris are now mostly loyal to me."