246 Dekan’s Promise
“Tarlomati… Tarlomati…”
Altice softly repeated “Tarlomati” twice as if to memorize the name.
“Tarlomati, go quickly to the fifth level. I sincerely hope that you can rescue the Dark Saintess and put an end to this war.”
Altice gave her blessing.
“Um, I will.”
Dekan waved his hand and finally walked towards the door without looking back.
Just as he was about to leave the study.
“Tarlomati…!”
A voice suddenly came from behind, Altice’s.
“Hmm?”
Dekan paused slightly, turning his head.
“If one day this war ends, could you rescue me?”
Altice asked with a tone of entreaty.
She seemed to realize herself how unreasonable this request was.
But she still mustered up the courage to say it.
“I cannot guarantee such things.”
Dekan answered very resolutely.
This was not part of the mission.
At least in this Shadow World, he couldn’t achieve it.
And whether he could come back to the Demon Realm Shadow World again was uncertain.
This shadow world might be the epilogue of his journey to the Demon Realm.
Even if he could really rescue Altice, there would be no meaning.
He couldn’t change history.
Altice’s end had already been predetermined.
Of course, Dekan could have chosen to tell Altice a comforting lie.
But he was unwilling to do so.
Even though this was the Shadow World, the projection of a certain period in history, compared to reality, everything here was more like an illusion. Dekan could arbitrarily exploit or deceive the characters here.
But Dekan never deceived his friends.
Even if she was just a phantom, a friend was a friend.
After a moment of thought, Dekan added:
“But I can guarantee that if one day we meet again, we will no longer be enemies, and I will be your most trustworthy companion. If you are in danger, I will rescue you.”
After speaking, Dekan walked out of Altice’s study.
Hearing Dekan’s words, Altice first stood there stunned, then smiled with a look of relief and nodded her head.
“Thank you.”
Looking at Dekan’s figure leaving the study, Altice did not say goodbye until the very end.
…
In the real world.
“Ice Snow Princess, what’s wrong with you?”
Judith noticed that the Ice Snow Princess beside her seemed a bit down.
She was staring at the screen, looking like she had just woken up from a dream.
“Hmm? I was wondering if Altice would regret not leaving with Dekan… no… with the person that Deksan pretended to be.”
The Ice Snow Princess looked at Judith, with a trace of sadness in her eyebrows as she said.
She felt that she could empathize with Altice.
She knew that in Altice’s long thousand-year life, the brief meeting just now would bring her so much hope and disappointment.
The Ice Snow Princess also inexplicably felt that even if the war could end, Altice would almost certainly have no chance to return to her homeland.
But Altice sincerely hoped that her homeland would remain as beautiful as her memory. Therefore, she risked punishment from the Demon King to fully support Dekan.
“The Shadow World is nothing more than a projection of a lost history from thousands or even millions of years ago, we don’t even know which world it came from. Everything that Dekan and the others are acting out now, are ultimately illusions. There’s no need to be emotionally invested in the characters within it, you understand this, don’t you?”
Judith countered with the question.
“Ah…”
The Ice Snow Princess thought for a moment, then let out a sigh.
For some reason.
She felt an inexplicable and irreparable regret in her heart.
…
Demon Realm Prison.
At the teleportation entrance from the fourth floor to the fifth.
“By the way, Morion, do you know who the last Challenger was, other than us?”
As Dekan activated the teleportation gateway, he asked suddenly.
“I have no idea. I haven’t teamed up with anyone.”
Morion quickly waved his hands in response.
“I promise you, I won’t cause any trouble this shadow world. And please don’t plan to betray me, alright?”
Dekan suddenly turned toMorion and asked with an unusually serious expression.
This shadow world requires a high level of coordination.
After realizing the importance of time, Dekan didn’t have the luxury of slowly dealing with Morion.
Whatever accounts are to be settled can wait until he finds his true form in the real world.
After the shadow world ends, everyone will only be sent back to where they entered the shadow world.
So it’s impossible to directly capture him and bring him back to the Norton Kingdom from within the shadow world.
“Rest assured, I also know the severity of the seventh-tier shadow world. I don’t want to be wanted by the Kingdom Union.”
Morion sighed helplessly.
Being wanted by the Rebirth Church and his own father at a young age, Morion already felt extremely exhausted.
If he were wanted by the Kingdom Union, he would only be able to escape to the Empire.
But since the Kingdom Union and the Empire have established diplomatic relations, fleeing to the Empire could also result in his capture and extradition.
Therefore, regardless of how reckless Morion currently was, he dared not offend all the major forces.
Seeing Dekan still eyeing him with suspicion, Morion said listlessly,
“Do you know how I spent the last month? The Rebirth Church’s manhunt for me has reached the same level they have for you. I’m completely fed up with the Rebirth Church, and if I’m wanted by the Kingdom Union as well, I can’t handle it. Playing recklessly in a seventh-tier shadow world at this point would be no different from going to the Lord of Calamity to form a brotherhood.”
Dekan: “….”
Morion: “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
Dekan: “I’ll tentatively trust you. Let’s go to the next level.”
Dekan, seeing Morion’s attitude, relaxed some of his suspicion.
Because Dekan himself wasn’t sure if the next level would encounter Cornelia or Chloix, or that unknown Challenger.
Therefore, before heading down, he had to confirm that Morion wouldn’t cause trouble.
Without further ado, the two walked into the teleportation gate, arriving swiftly at the fifth level.
The moment they stepped through, the icy cold air made Dekan shudder involuntarily.
This level was exceptionally vast, like a hell constructed from ice and steel.
And it looked very similar to the first level with its stark, harsh atmosphere, though it was much more brutal compared to the first.
Rather than a prison, it resembled a slaughterhouse’s refrigeration room.
This environment made Dekan scowl, feeling somewhat discontent.
After enduring the third and fourth levels, he’d almost started thinking of the prison as a massive shopping mall.
The fifth level once again reminded him clearly that it was indeed a grim demon realm jail.
So, both he and Morion put on their coats, rubbed their hands, and inserted their hands into their sleeves.
“Oh my goodness, it’s freezing!”
