The Bloody Emperor lowered his posture greatly, almost to the point of humility.
From the information gathered so far, the other side possessed wealth and military strength far beyond that of the Empire.
At the very least, the Empire could not afford such luxury. Even their maids were equipped with complete sets of magic items.
"Um… would the three of you like to ride in the carriage?"
Their base was likely deep inside the forest. If they traveled on foot, it would certainly take a long time.
So the Bloody Emperor made the offer.
At the same time, gaining their favor might allow him to gather more information through conversation.
However, Nabe and the other two simply shook their heads, once again refusing without hesitation.
"That won't be necessary. The Supreme One has already made all the arrangements."
"As guests, all you need to do is follow us."
After saying that, Nabe waved her hand toward the empty air beside her while the Bloody Emperor's group watched in confusion.
Before anyone could ask what she was doing, a sharp cracking sound suddenly rang out.
The previously calm space twisted and warped, as if being violently kneaded by an invisible hand.
With a series of snapping and shattering sounds, a phantom-like vortex slowly appeared before them.
"What… is this?"
Looking at the spatial vortex in front of them, everyone could not help but cry out in shock.
The strange sensation coming from the distorted space made it clear that this was no illusion. It was a real phenomenon.
"How is this possible?!"
"Space… space was torn open so easily! Old man, tell me how this is possible!"
The Bloody Emperor, who was usually calm and composed, now spoke with obvious urgency. Even his expression twisted slightly.
It was not as if he had never seen teleportation magic before.
But in his understanding, teleportation magic could only be used individually.
And every use required extreme caution. One mistake could result in being shredded by spatial turbulence.
"There is no doubt, this is high-tier teleportation magic."
"Judging from what we're seeing, this cannot be done with simple Sixth-Tier Magic. Even Seventh-Tier Magic would struggle to achieve this. It must be an even higher-level spell!"
Fluder's face was filled with excitement.
For someone who pursued the depths of magic, the allure of higher-tier magic was impossible to resist.
Beyond the Seventh Tier?
Although he had received the answer he wanted, the Bloody Emperor felt no joy at all. Instead, his heart sank into darkness.
Beyond the Seventh Tier was the realm of myth.
Even the legendary Thirteen Heroes probably did not surpass that level.
After reaching that conclusion, the Bloody Emperor could no longer remain calm.
Fear crept into his heart, and cold sweat appeared on his forehead. Still, the dignity of an emperor prevented him from losing composure.
"Then please follow us."
Nabe did not comment on the Bloody Emperor's reaction. Her face showed neither ridicule nor contempt.
No matter what, they were guests personally invited by the Supreme One. As a maid, she could not behave rudely.
"Let's go, Jirc~"
Lupusregina smiled and lightly patted the Bloody Emperor on the shoulder, mischief clearly visible in her eyes.
If a simple Tenth-Tier spell [Gate] could frighten him this much, then what would happen when he actually met the Supreme One?
Would he faint on the spot?
CZ said nothing. She simply made a polite gesture inviting them forward.
The Bloody Emperor suppressed the uneasiness in his heart, along with the fleeting thought of running away, and turned to look at the people behind him.
"Remember, do not make any rash moves. Especially you, old man."
His voice was extremely serious.
He had a feeling that what awaited them ahead would surpass everything he had ever known.
But when he saw Fluder standing beside him without the slightest fear, almost looking impatient with anticipation, the Bloody Emperor could only sigh helplessly and offer a brief warning.
The old man could not be relied upon.
He knew Fluder's personality very well. In a situation like this, there was no way the old man could remain calm.
Taking a deep breath, the Bloody Emperor and his group stepped into the black vortex under the watchful eyes of Nabe and the others.
...
Nazarick, Tenth Floor.
After a moment of dizziness passed, the Bloody Emperor opened his eyes again.
Before him lay a massive platform, connected to a dim corridor that stretched into the distance.
His eyes shifted slightly, and the terrifying sight before him caused the Bloody Emperor's pupils to shrink instantly.
At some point, hundreds of dreadful figures had appeared around the group.
They wore black armor covered in red vein-like patterns, with sharp spikes protruding from many places.
Inside their demon-like helmets were horribly decayed faces, and within their hollow eye sockets burned crimson light.
"Death Knights!"
"Amazing! Simply amazing! To control so many Death Knights… what overwhelming power! Hahahahaha!"
Before the Bloody Emperor could even speak, Fluder beside him burst into wild laughter.
Looking at the Death Knights standing motionless on both sides, holding their banners high, Fluder's expression became increasingly manic.
Fluder had once captured a Death Knight himself and tried to bring it under his control, but he had never succeeded.
Even now, that Death Knight was still imprisoned deep beneath the Empire.
"Your Majesty… this is very bad."
"Death Knights are legendary undead. Even if we go all out, we can only deal with two at most."
The two Imperial Knights, [Fierce Gale] and [Lightning Bolt], were drenched in cold sweat.
Although their strength rivaled that of adamantite adventurers, against Death Knights even they were powerless.
Two was their absolute limit.
Fluder could deal with one.
The two of them working together might barely handle another.
"Let's go. Don't waste time."
Nabe's voice cut through their chaotic thoughts.
The Bloody Emperor and the others exchanged glances before gritting their teeth and following.
Inside the dark corridor, the group carefully followed behind Nabe and the other two.
Even though their legs trembled uncontrollably, they did not dare slow down for even a moment.
Along the sides of the passage, pairs of crimson eyes glowed faintly, openly watching them.
The overwhelming pressure made one thing clear.
Any slight abnormal movement would end with their bodies torn apart.
They would be eaten. They would definitely be eaten.
While keeping a wary eye on his surroundings, the Bloody Emperor quietly moved closer to Fluder.
"Old man, how strong are these monsters?"
Hearing the Bloody Emperor's voice, Fluder slowly lifted his head.
His face looked completely broken.
"Hahahahaha…"
"Your Majesty, I can tell you with absolute certainty… those are Demon Gods. Every single one of them is a Demon God!"
"We can't escape. There's no escape at all."
Fluder let out a strange laugh, one that sounded both excited and trembling.
Demon Gods?
The moment he heard that word, the Bloody Emperor's face turned pale.
Demon Gods were symbols of destruction.
Two hundred years ago, when the Demon Gods ran rampant, they directly destroyed seventy percent of the nations across the continent.
Aside from Dragon Lords, no living being could defeat them.
If the Thirteen Heroes had not suddenly appeared, humanity might have already been wiped out.
If Fluder was telling the truth, and all of these were Demon Gods…
That was terrifying.
Hundreds of Demon Gods.
Even the Demon Gods that once ravaged the continent had probably not reached such numbers.
But what frightened the Bloody Emperor most was something else.
If Demon Gods were merely subordinates, then how powerful must the master of this place, the so-called Supreme One, truly be?
The Bloody Emperor could not even imagine it.
Even the legendary Six Great Gods or the Eight Greed Kings probably could not compare.
"Your Majesty, I can say this with full responsibility. If the Empire were to fight them with everything we have…"
"Half an hour. No… ten minutes."
"In just ten minutes, without any suspense at all, the Empire would be reduced to ruins."
Fluder understood the power of Demon Gods very well.
Even the weakest Demon God possessed strength far beyond his own.
With hundreds of them gathered here, Fluder believed that even the so-called Dragon Lords of the Council State would be unable to resist.
Meanwhile, the Bloody Emperor actually felt a small sense of relief after hearing this.
He already understood that resistance was impossible.
If that was the case, there was no point worrying about it further.
Since they had not simply destroyed the Empire outright, that meant there was still a chance.
His mindset had completely changed.
What began as "clearing up a misunderstanding" had now turned into "begging forgiveness from the Supreme One."
No matter the price, as long as he could return alive and ensure the Empire was not destroyed, that alone would be a tremendous victory.
...
Dozens of minutes later, led by Nabe and the other two, the Bloody Emperor and his group finally arrived before an enormous gate.