NOVPUB"What are you on about!?" Soul Emperor Megora questioned. "Just go ahead and spit out what's spinning around inside that large forehead of yours! Stop beating around the bush!"
"...Very well…" Soul Emperor Eraser said with a twitching expression, wondering what had gotten under her skin. "Okay… So Salar wants to die, yes? We all do, but his obsession with suicide is far greater than ours.
And we all know that he's a very lazy and indifferent person who struggles even to find a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Nothing gets him going. Nothing makes him feel the need to do anything excessive, not even miraculous opportunities for advancement.
But that perspective of him came crashing down today when we learned that he's actively mobilizing huge numbers of his troops. This doesn't make any sense… That is unless…
So what I'm trying to say is… What if Salar has found IT?"
"What do you mean by IT?" Soul Emperor Abysoul inquired with narrowed eyes. "Are you implying that…"
"Yes," Soul Emperor Eraser said in a dramatic tone, his spiky face covered in shadows. "What if Salar has discovered a way to permanently disappear!?"
"!!!" "!!!" "!!!"
"Impossible!"
Soul Emperor Megora was the first to raise her objection, finding the notion of true, permanent death for a Soul Eater beyond ridiculous—delusional, even!
"You're definitely getting ahead of yourself, Eraser," said Soul Emperor Abysoul. "There's no way Salar found a solution to a Soul Eater's immortality. We would've known by now if that were the case."
"...Yeah, you're probably right," Eraser sighed. "But what if…? What if I'm the one who's right?"
Silence…
"Let's investigate this matter further," said Soul Emperor Abysoul. "Has anyone been able to get into contact with Salar?"
None of the Soul Emperors responded, giving Abysoul his answer.
"Haiz… It would seem that whatever is going on with him, he wants to keep it a secret…"
"Why don't we just head over there together and personally ask him what's going on?" Soul Emperor Byger asked. "He might be able to ignore one of us, but he can't ignore all of us."
The other Soul Emperors agreed with this proposal, and within seconds, they were already rapidly skimming over the endless sea of fog. Their destination was the Salar Empire, and it would take them roughly two hours to reach.
Meanwhile, from atop the monstrous long-legged creature in the Salar Empire, Emperor Salar suddenly turned his head in the direction of the approaching Soul Emperors.
"They're relentless, huh?" His brows furrowed as he drew dazzling sigils in the air in front of him. "But it matters not. I'll get what I want, and I won't have them getting in the way."
Not all Soul Emperors wanted to die as badly as Soul Emperor Salar. It was certainly a possibility that some of them would attempt to kill the Soul Eater Killer before he could fully develop—if only to ensure their own survival.
"For now, I'll need to entertain them," said Salar, as he motioned for the long-legged monstrosity to pause in its tracks. "While I handle this, my troops will tirelessly work on mass leveling my key to true freedom. No matter what tries to stop me, I'll guarantee that you, Cassius Steele, become strong enough to end my life once and for all!"
A death that wasn't an eternal reincarnation cycle in the Soul Sea—who could ask for anything better!?
— Back in the Land of Beginnings, in a carriage that had just arrived outside a very large castle located on the outskirts of the Mistalore Kingdom… —
"Cass, you really don't have to do this…" Yuna said in a low voice. "Even if you don't come, me and Opal will be able to manage. It's not like our grandparents are big, bad devils or anything. Well… not really…"
Cassius was staring out the carriage window, observing the picturesque landscape outside—a vast contrast to the gloomy skies and eerie howling of the Nightmarescape.
"You don't need to worry about me," he said without turning his head. "I'm waiting for something anyway, so I have the spare time."
"Waiting for something…?" Yuna parroted. "What are you waiting for?"
"Oh, nothing much," Cassius smirked. "Just expecting more guests is all. After all, kill the young one, come the big one. Kill the big one, come the old one. Kill the old one, come the bigger and older one."
"???" "???"
Even Opal, who read his lips, was confused. It started to make her doubt whether she could still read lips anymore. 𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
*Clap, Clap, Clap…*
The carriage came to an abrupt halt outside the entrance to the giant castle.
Yuna froze for the briefest of moments, but seeing as how her younger sister had it worse, she forced herself to snap out of it. And with the grabbing of her hands, she took her out of the carriage.
Somehow, Cassius had moved from the carriage to behind Yuna without making a sound.
"Would you like me to take the lead—" he tried to ask, but was interrupted by Yuna, saying:
"No, we need to do this ourselves."
Cassius smiled, bringing the subject up no more.
FWIP!
"Young Misses, the Mistress and Lord have been expecting you," said a butler-dressed man who appeared in front of the castle's gate. "If you'd please follow me, I'll be guiding you to them."
'Quite the fast one,' Cassius thought calmly as he guessed his strength to be around the Half-step Godlike Rank, or Mid 1st Class Slayer Rank. 'For a servant to possess this much power… the Ashikaga Shogunate is definitely not as simple as it seems.'
Just a mere butler already had strength exceeding that of the King of the Mistalore Kingdom. It was no real surprise that he wasn't capable of putting up much of a fight when his wife was taken away by them.
"And this is…?"
The butler dangerously eyed Cassius, his countenance nowhere near as cordial as it was when speaking to the two princesses.
"He's a friend, Butler Zing," Yuna said with a fierce gaze, her nervousness all but gone. "Don't make things hard for him."
Silence…
"Very well, Young Miss," replied Butler Zing as his barely opened eyes returned to full squint. "Let's get a move on now. Best not to keep the Lord and Mistress waiting."
Opal breathed a sigh of relief at this response.
Even though she knew Butler Zing was unlikely to possess the qualifications to harm Cassius, there was always a chance. Thus, it was best when things were peacefully resolved like this.
'Smart decision.'
Cassius was close to seckilling Butler Zing, but luckily for him, he decided to back down.
Cassius nonetheless followed behind Yuna and Opal as they all entered through the castle gates. Before long, they were walking through a wide garden filled with flowers and plants.
At the far end of the garden was an eloquently decorated gazebo. Sitting inside that gazebo with indomitable postures were the Shogun and his wife, both of whom emitted pressure nearing the later stages of the Godlike Rank.
"You've finally arrived, granddaughters—and you've brought a guest."
A feminine voice laced with venom carried through the fields of flowers. It belonged to the woman known as Precilla, the Midaidokoro of the Ashikaga Shogunate. Her narrowed eyes attempted to pierce through Cassius's aloof veil, yet failed, which annoyed her.
"Grandmother, this is Cassius," Yuna introduced with an emotionless tone. "He's a very talented youth, with potential far exceeding my own."
"Humph, I'd have to believe it to see it," Precilla coldly snorted. "He doesn't look like much."
Besides his exceptionally attractive appearance, there wasn't even the slightest sign of Nightmare Energy fluctuations. No different from a mere mortal.
Opal frantically looked between her grandmother and Big Brother Cassius, not liking the fierce tension growing between them.
"Alright, alright, that's enough of that." Shogun Madai raised his large right hand, urging his wife to settle down. "We didn't come here to start any trouble. I just wanted to see how my favorite granddaughters were doing. But seeing you now, I realize that I was worrying for no reason, haha."
"Grandfather…"
Yuna and Opal rushed over to his side, accepting his open-armed hugs.
"So who's going to tell me all that happened over the last couple years?" Shogun Madai spoke adoringly while ruffling their hair. "You two look like you have some stories to tell."
At his request, both Yuna and Opal blushed, with the image of the same figure filtering through their minds.
"Hmm?"
Shogun Madai revealed a confused expression. However, after looking at who his granddaughters were occasionally glancing at, he pretty much pieced the clues together.
His face twitched a little as he stared at Cassius.
"???"
Cassius was lost.
Now both of the grandparents were viewing him with concealed contempt. And he wasn't even sure why…
Realizing what was happening, Yuna decided to change the subject by answering the question her Grandpa asked:
"I'll keep things brief. So…"
— Some time later, after Yuna finished the recap… —
"So that's how it is." Shogun Madai's expression softened as he earnestly looked at Cassius. "I apologize for my previous rudeness, young man. For saving my granddaughter, I really have no way to properly repay you. But feel free to tell me if there's anything you want."
Cassius shook his head. "I didn't do it for a reward, and neither am I a noble savior. I just happened to come across Opal while she was in a predicament."
Shogun Madai's opinion of him increased tenfold.
A man like this would be the perfect fit for his granddaughters!
If only he was stronger…
