Stray

The Border Forest between Alban and Garland was deep, close to the area of the Ash Mountains.

The sun had already set, and the trees were soaked in the aura of the Abyss, slightly distorted and dark. In the blur of the night, the weird tree shadows were like ghosts in legends, which would sway from time to time. The gray-red moss engulfed fallen stones, and the sticky vines snaked down from the branches, swinging ominously in the night wind.

The air was filled with a weird watery smell, which smelled like wet stones on the riverbed.

Under the shade of dense leaves, when it reached the ground, there was hardly much moonlight left. A pair or several eyes reflecting green light quickly crossed the darkness, and the small body rustled through the bushes— Several animals were fleeing there quickly for some reason.

In the opposite direction from where the creatures fled, there was a clearing with sparse trees.

At this moment, there was a hazy glimmer of light, but the light was extremely cold, and it had nothing to do with “hope” and “peace of mind”.

“The magic formation over there is unqualified, so it should be redrawn.” Telaranea knocked on the bucket with a silver spoon in his hand with a hint of command in his tone.

Ann gritted her teeth, clenched the handle of the bucket in her hand, and squeezed it so hard that it started to crack.

“It’s the fifteenth time,” she whispered annoyingly. “This lawn is about to be rubbed bald by me.”

“Your mind is not calm. You’re distracted, aren’t you? The lines of the magic array never lie.” Telaranea responded unceremoniously. “Even if you dig all the way to the skin of the Pillar of the World, I will not allow this quality of magic array to take effect under my nose.”

The Queen of Alban looked around, and after confirming that her nagging knight wasn’t present, she decisively grimaced at the Sage of the Abyss.

“…Okay, the sixteenth time.” The soles of her boots rubbed the painted lines, and Ann sighed. She used a weird silver spoon to scoop up the silver-gleaming liquid in the bucket and redrew it.

“Ramon, your painting is crooked— Take a step back to the position of the tree behind you.” The white behemoth floated in the sky, flicking its tail while glancing with blue eyes at the people below who were trying to draw a complex array.

Eventually the huge array gradually took shape.

One set at a time, complicated and beautiful, like the dazzling embroidery on a noblewoman’s dress.

And in the middle of that large array, there was a smaller and more exquisite set of magic arrays embedded.

Unlike the complex array on the periphery, the small array was made of metal condensation. The smooth and uniform metal filaments were wrapped around the rune-carved magic stone, which was as beautiful as a work of art. In this way, they overlap each other to form a more complex three-dimensional structure, which looked like a magnificent hollowed out altar from a glance.

The Demon King’s skull was placed safely on it, and the surface was painted with black lines full of large and small runes. If you only look at the silver metal altar and the pale skull, this scene had a kind of distorted and cold beauty.

The aura belonging to the magic of the Abyss wandered near the altar, so strong that it was uncomfortable.

Jesse was able to roughly calculate the approximate effect of the “altar”. If they only wanted to summon the Demon King’s consciousness to this point, the peripheral magic array didn’t need to be painted so large.

If it hadn’t been for Oliver Ramon’s explicit rejection of Telaranea’s proposal, Jesse would have been convinced that Mr. Ramon was about to imprison the Demon King’s consciousness, and then take the opportunity to kill the body of the Pillar of the World.

As for now…

Jesse smacked his lips and licked the fur around his mouth and decided to look at his most powerful dependent…

Adrian seemed to have made up his mind not to ask anything. He just drew the formation quietly. Even if Jesse looked hard at it with eyes of finding fault, he couldn’t pick out anything wrong.

‘Forget it,’ the God of the surface thought seriously. This terrible array had consumed them for four days and nights, and now it was about to be completed. No matter what Ramon’s idea was, he would be able to see the results soon.

The moment the formation was completed, the chill and murderous aura instantly swayed away.

As an exhausted human, Ann dropped the spoon and sat down paralyzed against the tree. Bagelmaurus flew to Ann’s side, pulled a small bag from her waist bag, and pecked at the nuts on its own.

The huge magic array glowed with a soft orange light, illuminating the nearby large twisted and terrifying woods from the bottom up. The scene looked like an upside-down dusk.

Spectacular but ominous.

Oliver walked to Ann’s side, took out some fruit from the place where the luggage was piled up, and slowly chewed it. He was still wearing the black armor without a cloak— The armor had obviously been well repaired and cleaned just right. There were no traces from the previous battle on it.

The Rest in Peace was inserted into the white ukulele and was carried on the back of their leader.

“The formation is complete.” Ann chewed on jerky and raised her eyebrows at Oliver.

“I know.” Oliver finished eating his fruit as the gray mist swept over, and the seed dissipated directly in the air.

“Don’t be too brave, Captain. If you’re nervous, we all understand.” Ann grinned weakly. “…After all, no one knows what will happen next.”

At this point, the consciousness of the Pillar of the World was very likely to appear, but no one knew whether it would be the “Ulysses” who didn’t have feelings, or the “Nemo” they once knew.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t thought about asking about the details of Oliver’s plan, but every time she saw him carefully pondering the array that could theoretically imprison his lover, she couldn’t ask. Oliver never hesitated to ask for help. Since he didn’t ask for help, the members of Tumbleweed tacitly remained silent about it.

The curious Jesse tried to ask. Oliver was just taken aback, and he didn’t seem to have any intention of concealing it, but he seemed a little embarrassed.

Unfortunately, before he could speak, the behemoth retreated unnaturally. Adrian sighed, grabbed its furry tail, and dragged Jesse out of the room.

Since Oliver didn’t say a word, there must be a reason for not speaking. Naturally, they could question him and make him reveal his plan, but in this torturous moment, a little trust may make their leader feel better.

It was estimated that Adrian Cross had the same idea.

Now, the answer they were waiting for was coming soon.

“Do you remember Karapan from the Mooney Sect?” Ann tried to suppress the tension in her voice and asked casually.

Unlike the last time he parted from Nemo, Oliver didn’t soulfully squeeze the communication crystal. The current Oliver Ramon looked calm and reliable. His worry and nervousness were hidden in the depths of his eyes, but Ann was still keenly aware of them, and decided to change the subject.

“Remember. He’s the man who survived the expedition with my dad on the last reconnaissance team.” Oliver nodded and cast his gaze in the direction of the alter.

“The other day, Mr. Mad Dog gave me a heads up. The old man Karapan is actively promoting the next expedition.” Ann took a sip of the wine in the jug and wiped her mouth. “What an acute man.”

“Alban has weaponized bone jade in large quantities, and Willard’s condition is estimated to be similar.” Oliver tugged at the corner of his mouth. “It’s not too urgent to ensure energy consumption beyond weapons.”

Those emerald eyes kept looking at the Demon King’s skull not far away.

“I have read before that the so-called ‘eighteenth generation’ Demon King Ulysses was killed, but it was only sixty-five years after the ‘seventeenth generation’… And in the early literature, the difference between the two generations of demons can be hundreds of years, or even thousands. The interval between expeditions has been getting shorter.”

“This time it’s only less than 30 years apart. The Pillar of the World don’t have it easy.” Ann smile dryly. “Oliver, if you need me to find a way to postpone the expedition—”

“No need, this is just right.” Oliver let out a long sigh, his tone serious.

He stood up, glanced at the position of the moon, and then pulled the Rest in Peace from the ukulele and held it tight in his left hand.

Oliver was undoubtedly right-handed, so this action caused Ann to raise her eyebrows even higher.

“Time’s up, Ann,” their leader said softly.

“I… It’s time to fulfill my promise.”

The moon traveled to the right place, and the brilliance of the magic array was in full swing.

Telaranea sat on a branch of the tree closest to the formation and pointed his finger at the head of the gray parrot hiding among the leaves not far away.

The Sage of the Abyss eagerly glanced back and forth between Oliver and the skull, his whole face full of curiosity.

Jesse dropped to the ground and glanced at the huge skull. He hesitated for several seconds whether to create a protective cover, and finally gave up bitterly. The white beast wrapped its tail around the ankle of Adrian Cross, who was standing next to it, ready to withdraw when the situation turns wrong.

Ann was still leaning against the tree, watching Oliver Ramon who was advancing towards the center of the magic array.

The pale skeleton helmet and the white ukulele were all carried by him on his back, and under the orange light, there was a strange sense of harmony.

After Oliver walked into the formation, he released his power unreservedly.

The night sky, which was originally clear, was suddenly overcast, and the fluctuation of the power of the magic array rolled up the wind. Several people seemed to be standing in the calm eye of a tornado, and the forest behind them swayed in the violent wind and was blown upside down.

The excessive concentration of power began to make the air sticky and scorching. They kept twisting, and even the scenery behind the air began to tremble together. The air current enveloped the gravel. Fine sand and grass leaves slowly rose and rushed in the direction of the sky.

Accompanied by the orange light of the magic array, some kind of invisible flame seemed to be ignited in the forest. The earth rumbled, as if it would crack in the next second.

Ann was in a daze for an instant. Less than a year ago, the young man in front of her could still be beaten to the ground by her.

But now he was walking towards the Demon King’s bones, and the aura he released was so powerful that it was unimaginable and incomprehensible.

It was just that there wasn’t much sense of oppression. If Jesse Dylan’s power was like a tsunami that slammed down onto one’s head, Oliver’s power was closed to a warm and calm ocean.

Before she could figure out whether she should be more scared or calm, Oliver stopped in front of the Demon King’s skull.

He was only a few steps away from it.

The brilliance of the magic array began to become dazzling. In the middle of the huge magic array, the altar built from the metal magic arrays was as dazzling as the sun.

“Now,” Telaranea shouted. “Throw up the things that belong to ‘Nemo Light’!”

“But Light doesn’t have much possession,” the gray parrot next to Telaranea muttered, shrinking its neck. “Things that belong entirely to him… If we’re talking about clothes and equipment, they basically all fell to the bottom of the Abyss last time.”

“Didn’t the Demon King give Mr. Ramon a gold pendant? The Demon King has worn it for so long, and the remaining mana on it should be enough.”

Telaranea snorted softly.

“Although as a trigger prop, it will be destroyed, I think Mr. Ramon should be able to handle it. After all, the information that is about to be received over there is more significant— Wait, what is he doing? There is only one chance!”

Oliver in front of the altar didn’t put the gold pendant on the altar burning with black flames.

He took out an ordinary book from his pocket, which looked plain and old, with magic fluctuations that were weak enough to be almost negligible.

Although it could be used in theory…

Telaranea narrowed his eyes.

At this distance, as a superior demon, he could see clearly. It wasn’t an ancient mysterious book, nor was it a rare and precious prop. A simple and rough fairytale with a terribly cheesy title that looked old and broken.

“The Melody of Love”. He hadn’t heard of this story before. Most likely it was made by someone in a small place.

Would the Pillar of the world really not regard this thing as a provocation?

But the fairy tale had been swallowed up by the dim flame burning on the skull and turned into fine ashes.

The metal array that built the altar began to rotate frantically, and then melted into a hot metal-like liquid, penetrating into the Demon King’s skull floating in the air, leaving only a faint orange halo in the end.

Oliver stared at the hollow alter of the skull orbiting in front of him. The remnant pages of the fairytale burned until only a little bit was left, falling at a very slow speed next to the pale bones.

Will you understand, Nemo?

Because of this extremely ordinary book, they officially set foot on the battlefield for the first time.

It was also the first time he confessed to the Demon King.

[…Do you believe me?] Before the end of that little war, Nemo asked him this.

[Of course.]

[Then use your greatest power to attack me.] His Demon King requested.

Oliver could feel a little moist liquid across his cheeks, and although the dark clouds above his head twisted uncomfortably, he was pretty sure it wasn’t rain.

“Do you believe me?” he asked in a low voice, wiped his face, and threw the question back. “Sorry, I… You once died holding that pendant, Nemo, I can’t do it.”

They cherished it beyond measure, but it ultimately carried with it an air of concealment and regret.

Oliver took a deep breath again; he licked his lips and raised his voice.

“I know your true body, the Pillar of the World that’s sleeping underground. I know your only name, Nemo Light. I have the mark that bears your scent and have presented it.”

The brilliance surrounding the skull became brighter, and the dark clouds over the formation tumbled violently, as if the sky was about to be torn apart.

“I am here to summon you.”

Oliver’s spoke very clearly. The movement of the tip of his sword tracing the runes was smooth to the extreme, without a single pause.

A vague black shadow gushed from the huge skull, slowly changing shape.

“As a person who knows the truth of the world, I hereby summon.”

Oliver repeated.

He stared intently at the black shadows surging from the skull, his heart crumpled into a ball, his lungs twisted together by unseen hands, and the strain of pain nearly suffocated him.

Whether it was Ulysses or Nemo, for different purposes, their consciousness would choose the same appearance.

The half-length black hair was tied behind his head into a short, messy ponytail. The skin was pale, with delicate facial features that were just right, and the silver eyes were like a white moon hanging in the sky.

This was the face that he was extremely familiar with.

The consciousness without entity condensed into a phantom— His “lover” sat on the skull floating in the air, and through the translucent figure, he could faintly see the light of the magic array.

“Nemo Light” in front of him smiled faintly, his eyes with the gentleness he was familiar with.

Oliver choked.

He had calmly calculated countless possibilities. Although he knew intellectually that this might be the disguise of “Ulysses”, he was almost defeated by the nostalgic figure in front of him. Before Oliver realized it, his feet took a half-step forward without authorization, his arms were about to move, eager for a hug.

Oliver forced himself to stop where he was, straightened his back, and kept his expression calm.

He couldn’t let himself judge rashly— Now he was still sitting on the side of the chessboard, and his opponent had survived for hundreds of millions of years and possessed terrible knowledge and wisdom.

“Nemo Light, I believe you can perceive that now I have the ability to fight you.”

Oliver’s voice was clear and bright, and the volume was loud enough to ensure that his companions not far away could hear it clearly.

“In order to keep my promise to you, in order to protect my cherished companions and family, I am standing here now. But I don’t long for war.”

He raised the Rest in Peace in his left hand, and the magic power around him gathered smoothly.

“…If possible, I hope to make a transaction with you.”

The author has something to say:

Meet and provoke!!!

————————

The scene is probably like this:

Nemo: (*/ω＼*)

Oliver: (Tragic)

Nemo: (*/ω＼*)/

Kinky Thoughts:

Ahhh so good! Every arc was building up to this finale. The fairytale book was from the Bluebirds arc for those who forgot.