*Somewhere in the far East*
In a grand and luxurious mansion that seemed to span for miles, there was a fair lady that seemed to seat ever so peacefully as she observed not far from her a beautiful garden.
Behind her we're five other individuals who were all on their knees, wearing a respectful look. They were all on the sixth tier however what made the whole situation seem absurd was how fearful they were.
In the presence of the lady in the chair, they didn't bother making any obscene moves. "My Queen." They all said simultaneously as they remained on one of their knees.
If one looked closely at their foreheads, they would notice the protrusions that were present, all bathed in complete blackness. "Speak, Azaleas."
"It seems that the humans have been made informed of our invasions just as you had predicted." The one called proceeded to speak up.
Azaleas, a tier six demonic expert on the fifth array, on the threshold of breaking into the seventh tier. Azaleas had short blonde hair, charming locks and an elegant demeanor. It wasn't just him as there was another lady equal to him. Nephilim.
"It seems that things should be getting interesting. What about the vortex way out into the sea?" The lady asked calmly.
"Nephilim and I have been constantly monitoring it with no one finding us. It seems that the vortex functions like a gateway. Ever since that mysterious lady killed the Hydra, it has only gotten bigger and bigger."
Azaleas finished off as he had yet to look up. All of them were still looking at the floor. It was known across the lands that the demonic queen was on the seventh tier whereas they knew that those were baseless rumors.
"It also seems that that lady has abilities similar to yours. Enabling to awaken and progress one's own tiers." Nephilim added. Another beauty who had silvery hair which went well with her azure grey eyes.
"Congratulations, it seems that you will all be lucky enough to witness the person who brought me to this state. However with such a high profile character present, it would seem that you need to get stronger."
*Snap*
Several crystalline beads appeared in front of the five of them. "I want each of you to break through into the seventh tier within a months time."
They all took their own as they spoke in unison. "We appreciate greatly. Our Queen." Her face was veiled however her crystalline horns could still be seen.
'Does she not worry that we will pose a threat once we break through into the seventh tier?' Mordecai, another demonic expert on the sixth tier mused.
Along with Nyxara, they were both on the third array which was the bottom as the rest were on the fourth or the fifth. Baelgrim was the only one on the fourth array.
"I think that I have stayed here for far too long. I think that one of you should accompany me to Sablestone." The Queen mused with a smile on her face. "Of course after you all break through that is if you can."
"Which one of you feels adventurous?" She asked however none of them rushed for the opportunity. Sure they would receive the privilege of moving around with her and no doubt receive benefits however they had similar questions in mind.
'Sablestone kingdom? Isn't that where that lady lives?' The Queen however seemed as if she could peer into their minds. "I received an invitation from the Queen herself."
A purple invitation manifested in her hands. "But do you all really value profit to such an extent that you wouldn't accompany me?" Their five faces froze as they heard this.
They had declared war on the humans and the elves however that meant there would be spoils and benefits all together. The East which was under the command of the queen was huge already.
Nearly half of the continent that they were on was under her rule. Sure there were vestiges and vassal states that they ruled however in comparison to the queen, it was a joke.
However it seemed that she wasn't all that fixated with power and would let them rule on her behalf. The five of them had a competition between them, always seeking a leverage over the rest and try to appeal to the Queen.
Thus if they chose to stick with her, they would miss out on the battle and spoils would slip through their fingers.
"I apologize, my Queen. I let myself be blinded by greed." Nephilim spoke as she gritted her teeth. "I guess you really do care however I wanted Azaleas to accompany me."
"I understand." Azaleas spoke respectfully. He knew the situation he was in. "Nephilim will take over your faction in the time being and lead the army. The rest of you will accompany her. Now go and prepare."
She brushed her hand to which seeing they all took the initiative to leave the balcony. They had always thought that it was weird that the queen grew such a beautiful garden.
For demons, they were majorly carnivores. Feasting on flesh however the queen had a wide diet. She was not only able to consume meat but herbs as well which they thought was off.
"For the queen to give us such beads and make a breakthrough into the next tier, it means that she already has a means of dealing with us should we opt to betray her."
Mordecai whispered to which four pairs of eyes landed on him. "Don't talk about treachery in such a manner. If the queen found out, then you'd lose your life in an instant."
"She's too lazy to rule this kingdom thus she dumped all the work onto us." He added. "You should view it as a benefit as we are able to amass resources with such a tactic. Not to mention the queen of the elves is so power hungry, ruling the elves with an iron fist."
Nyxara added to which Mordecai fell silent. It wasn't that he valued what she had said but rather the edge of a sword was dangling right in front of his neck.
"If you slander the queen in such a fashion once more, I won't hesitate to claim your life." It was Nephilim. She was revered to be the best tactian when it came to battle, her quick thinking and cold demeanor made her on par with Azaleas.
The two were the powerhouses of the demonic faction as a whole and Mordecai despite his tier six ranking could only fall silent.
Nephilim withdrew her blade back to her own sheath as she made her way to her own residence. Azaleas too excused himself leaving the three of them there.
Nyxara, Mordecai and Baelgrim. "You never know whether these walls are listening, Mordecai." Baelgrim added before he took his leave. "They're right. You shouldn't talk about the queen in such a manner."
"Look at what she has given you and yet you have the gall to go out of your way and insult her in such a fashion." Nyxara added before leaving as well. Mordecai made his way back to his own residence.
As the five prominent figures and the personal advisors of the queen, they had a lot of resources handed to them. Thus he had a castle that was bustling with servants.
Most of them on the fourth tier and others on the fifth tier. It was a bizzare realization that such high tier individuals were reduced to servants. But given the long lifespan of demons, it was to be expected.
Mordecai locked himself in his own room,there were a couple of ladies lying peacefully in his bed however he thrusted them out demanding peace and solace.
He produced the bead as he sat in meditative pose however he sensed something and paused.
"I really don't like when I'm repaid with such hostility despite with what I've given you, Mordecai." Looking at the source, it was the Queen.
Before he could make an excuse, the next words that came out of her mouth took him by surprise.
"However I don't need five advisors to rule this kingdom. I was wondering who I'd kill of first but to think that you would answer my question for me."
Looking at the hazy figure in front of him, it was clear that it was a projection of the queen. The crystalline bead that he held in his head immediately shattered as a cold sweat dripped down his face.
"But consider yourself lucky as I'm not in the mood to actively kill you. So I'll give you ten minutes to get out of my sight or I'll hunt you down myself."
Mordecai's face contorted into a variety of emotions however he didn't bother delay the matter as his figure immediately vanished from his own room appearing miles away.
For such a rut, she didn't mind whether he lived or died considering the way the tables would turn from now on.
'I want Mordecai's head. The victor will be issued a vial to help them break through the subsequent arrays making it to the fifth array.'
She spoke telepathically to her other four advisors. In her own room, she declared a prize of ten thousand platinum quartz to be spread all over the world.
Whether be it humans or demons, they would no doubt be tempted to take a gander at the situation. Be it in the name of vanquishing evil or for the bounty placed on his head, they would no doubt try to hunt him down. However this wasn't exactly the case with the other four.
To them, they could feel that it came off as a test rather than a regular bounty. 'For her to order such a ruthless hunt proclaimed on one of her own is beyond monstrous.'
The servants around her mused however as they served in silence, they didn't bother raise their voice.
...
"To think that that freak would have such a huge trump card. Brother, you truly have found yourself worthy champions." Sirius complimented Zayne however the latter seemed more invested with Hedon's movements.
The fact that they were completely dominating the sport was something he had expected however not like this. As of currently, Hedon was locked in a fight with Sirius's tier five expert.
'Zypherin seems to special in close combat while Rhys is more into long ranged attacks.' Zayne concluded however he felt that there was more to these two than they presented.
*BAM*
The jaw of Hedon's opponent came off, hanging in a jarring manner as a cold smile flashed on his face. His right mandible was broken in such an offsetting manner making it hard for one to look at them.
The place was already covered with blood as Hedon's palm and hands were drenched in blood. It wasn't his however his opponents who would either give up due to the freakish strength he portrayed or his malevolence.
"I co-ceee-nnn-ccc-eee-ddd-eeeeee" The opponent crawled on the floor as the words that he blurted out were barely audible but it was clear who the victor was.
'These two...' Solaris could already feel that having these two was already a threat to not only himself but also those around him.
'To think that a tier five expert could be beaten to such an extent.' He mused. As for the audience ,they were less amused with Hedon's acts and a form of disgust rose within their hearts. The way he would clash with his opponents lacked any trace of humanity or remorse.
They wished that he would meet an equal but seeing how the situation was developing, it seemed that this tyrant would go unpunished. As for Orsen, manipulation of shadows was a feat that few could master.
Such an element was considered extremely rare to achieve and not only him having pure mastery over it, he was absolutely decimating his opponents. Be it in terms of retreat, attacks or movement, he always had the upper hand.
However unlike Hedon, he was much more direct as he didn't bother to play with his food and finish it off.
'So this is what miss meant by not showing off too much.' Kaissus thought as he saw the events unfold before him. At first he thought that he had a decent chance of winning, with Sirius being a serious problem this with the appearance of the two, he was at a loss for words.
And it was because of this, less people became interested in competing with these two and everyone could tell.