NOVPUBEven Shogun Madai couldn't tell precisely how strong Cassius was, but he didn't give off the air of an expert.
"Well, no matter," he said as he changed the subject. "Now that we've seen and spoken to you both, we'll be taking our leave."
"So soon??" both Yuna and Opal said in unison, a bit disappointed that he was leaving so shortly after arriving.
Midaidokoro was vexed by their lack of reluctance when it came to her departure. But given her negative personality, it didn't surprise her that much.
But she still didn't like it!
"Unfortunately, the Netherworld is showing unusual signs of activity," Shogun Madai exhaled in a tired manner. "They even sent out an entire army to this Kingdom! Luckily, an unknown expert was here to negate the disaster, though we still can't figure out who he is or what his purpose for hiding is."
'Hiding? Who says I'm hiding?? I simply see no use in revealing anything when there's no need to. After all, with my highly improved Magic Sense, I can tell with absolute certainty that there's at least one Transcendent Class Slayer in this congregation of the Island Nation.'
If he and this Transcendent Class Slayer were to, for some reason, clash, the Mistalore Kingdom was sure to suffer—something that Cassius wished to avoid if at all possible.
Furthermore, even though he couldn't say for certain just yet, there were small signs that the Azure Archipelago was not the limit of this boundless Land of Beginnings…
Yuna and Opal simultaneously stared at Cassius when their grandparents mentioned the mysterious expert behind the disappearance of the Soul Eater Army.
"We need to go, husband. If the Netherworld made a big move like that, then they're sure to do it again; we don't have time to waste."
With the goading of the Shogun's wife, he was forced to hurry along with his speech.
"Young man, you take care of them, okay? Yuna and Opal are still new to the cruelties of this world, and— Ah, ah, okay, okay, I'm coming!" Shogun Madai was pulled into the background, but not before getting out a few last words. "I'm entrusting their safety to you, young man. But maybe try doing a few push-ups or something to become stronger— Alright, alright, bye Little Yuna and Opal; do be careful! Oh, also, you can come and visit your mother another time! Just contact Butler Zing, who'll be staying at this residence!"
With that, Midaidokoro Precilla finished dragging her husband away and into the air. But before she fully disappeared, she muttered just loud enough for her granddaughters to hear, "I love you both. Just be cautious around that 'friend' of yours; something is seriously off about him. Goodbye for now."
Yuna and Opal happily waved them off, giggling a little all the while.
"Your grandparents are quite the… unique couple…"
"Yeah, they are," replied Yuna, her eyes creased up brilliantly. "But they aren't bad people per se. Grandma can just be a little scary sometimes. Oh, and the matter with our mother is more the fault of our father. You see, he wasn't supposed to take more wives and concubines after marrying Mother, but…"
"Oh… Yeah, then things make a lot more sense," said Cassius, already badmouthing King Mistalore inside his head.
"Hmm?"
Cassius suddenly looked to the skies, sensing something similar to earlier.
"Don't freak out, but I'm just going to send you two a safe distance away," he stated and did as he said before they had the chance to decline. "This one feels a lot more dangerous than the previous one."
"Wha—"
Before they knew it, Yuna and Opal had been teleported to the other side of the Kingdom.
That was when they saw it—
Several humongous tears in the skies.
All of which oozed out astronomical levels of Netherworld Miasma.
"!!!" "!!!" "!!!"
Powerhouses from all over the Azure Archipelago felt it.
Even the three Transcendent Class Ancestors buried in their seclusions in order to prolong their lives were distressed.
"This sort of power…"
"It exceeds our own!"
"The Azure Archipelago is doomed! What should we do!? Leave for overseas!??"
"For now, let's wait and see… If things get out of hand, then we'll leave. However, it may not come to that."
But who was he kidding?
With the aura waves rolling out from the tears in the sky, complete and total annihilation was almost certain…
It was around this point that a booming, sinister shout reverberated throughout all of the Azure Archipelago, causing tsunamis to rise and fall:
"Where are you cowering, puny human!? We know you're here somewhere, and we've come to extract your soul on behalf of Soul Emperor Salar!"
Soul Emperor!?
An actual Soul Emperor personally set their sights on the small Azure Archipelago!?
For what reason!??
"We're going to have to abandon the Forgotten Shores…" One of the hiding Transcendent Class Slayers quickly got past the wave of dread washing over the three of them. "If a Soul Emperor really has plans for this place, then staying here is akin to a death wish. Even the Soul Kings floating up there are stronger than we are, let alone a mythical Emperor existence only described in storybooks."
Meanwhile, within the Mistalore Kingdom, Cassius was currently staring up at the sky dotted with overwhelmingly powerful presences.
"It would seem that what the Netherworld sent last time was but a mere taste of what they're actually capable of," he mused to himself. "No Expert from the Azure Archipelago is willing to be the first to go up there and confront them either."
From a third person's perspective, this was most certainly a hopeless situation.
"I guess I should go to them and have a talk about life."
But not Cassius…
With his Origin Progenitor Bloodline flaring, he flickered out of reality.
FWIP!
Reappearing directly opposite the massive army of Soul Eaters, Cassius smirked.
"Do you bunch want to have a conversation, or should we get straight to the main course instead?" he asked while slightly tilting his head. "You're the guests, so you can choose."
The Soul King that spoke up earlier revealed a sinister grin at the sudden and quiet appearance of this human with an unfathomable aura.
