The Devil’s Cage

What did it feel being stared at by thousands of eyes?

Did it make one feel like they were the star of the show? Excited? Aroused?

The answers would be too many to count.

What if the thousands of eyes came from a single body and the body was horrifying and ferocious, emanating the presence of a predator high on the food chain, what would one feel?

Fear!

Contly only felt fear!

Her mind blanked out, leaving the freaky mouth closing in on her with its saw-like spinning teeth.

All the fine hair on her body stood up, she had major goosebumps as the deadly aura assaulted her face.

Her stiffened body didn’t recover under the terrifying aura but the chills went further down her spine. Contly was frozen on the spot.

Then…

Her sight was covered by darkness as Kieran’s back blocked the colorful brilliance that she feared.

“Go back!”

A powerful order sounded.

Contly saw the monster she feared vanish before her eyes with utmost obedience.

“That’s the King Beast?” Contly muttered to herself.

It was the second time Kieran heard a different name addressing the Creature of Desire but he didn’t ask right away because there was a more concerning matter before his eyes.

After feeding the [Aimida Flower] to the Creature of Desire, it became more aggressive but it obeyed Kieran’s orders even better.

It was not just an extra thought though. Previously, both sides communicated when Kieran summoned the creature.

Although the creature could only express simple thoughts, when it received orders that defied its will, the creature would show dissatisfaction.

But it didn’t just now!

Following his order, Creature of Desire simply vanished.

The uncommon situation made Kieran gaze at the [Aimida Flower].

“It’s the power of the flowers!” Kieran was absolutely sure but more guesses sprung up also.

“Is this temporary taming or permanent? What about the after effects?”

Facing against a monster that was born from his own desire and emotions, Kieran dared not be careless for even a moment, he didn’t want to end up like the blood and flesh puppet.

Kieran checked his body carefully, but the system didn’t show any notifications, both of his hearts were beating vigorously without any peculiarity

He was slightly relieved, but not completely.

“What’s a King Beast?”

Kieran turned around to Contly who seemed to have a lingering fear in her heart.

He wished to get more information from her.

“The King Beast is one of the symbols of the Emperor! It’s what we Isogu Guardians know but not more than that,” Contly said.

Then, she looked at Kieran with an odd gaze.

It was obvious Contly thought of Kieran as a Royalty, in addition to the scene where the Creature of Desire showed absolute obedience, it gave her more thoughts.

“Will you become the Emperor?” Contly asked.

At that moment, the ex-bounty hunter and Isogu Guardian already discarded her anger, she needed to confirm the matter that was very important to her first rather than throwing a tantrum.

“Isogu Guardians have the duty to pledge loyalty to the Emperor?” Kieran asked.

“YOU KNOW?!” Contly cried out in surprise.

Kieran shook his head when he saw Contly’s surprised face.

Of course, he didn’t know but it wasn’t hard to guess either.

Connecting the dots between Isogu City and the Neegor Dynasty as well as her careful expression from before, it was basically laying out all the clues for Kieran.

“I am not the Emperor and I don’t need your services. Don’t worry about that.”

After saying all that, Kieran called the others into the secret room. He ordered Rayhart, Retsu to dig the tree the [Aimida Flower] out together with the soil that it had rooted into.

“Load it on the wagon! You guys protect it carefully!”

Kieran gave his order to Rayhart, Retsu, and the three riders.

To be honest, even without Kieran’s orders, the three riders knew what to do when they saw the three, after all, it was something that could save their lives. How could they neglect it?

Other than the “tree”, the other items in the secret room didn’t hold much value to Kieran.

They were nothing but common jewels, some sword weapons with classic elegance but actually a decoration. None of them had any special powers in them.

Kieran turned away from the secret room after a slightly disappointed sigh.

“Wait! 25… Your Highness! Wait!”

Contly was chasing after Kieran, she purposely changed the way she addressed Kieran.

“You follow the convoy back to Carlhart, I need to leave first.”

Kieran didn’t even pause and the moment he went out of the hall, he activated the [Night Owl Token].

Neigh!

Amid the sharp neigh, a black warhorse with red eyes dashed out from the shadows.

Kieran jumped up the horse and vanished from sight within an instant, leaving Contly in a blank state.

“A black red-eyed warhorse that comes with the shadows?!”

Contly who realized something stared blankly at the direction where Kieran went off.

Not only the Isogu Guardian but Retsu and the three Mutant riders shared the same look as well.

“Calamity in the shadows! Dictator of the darkness!”

“Magma will be the armor and the greatsword will tear the heavens and earth!”

“When I return, the monster in the void shall roar once again and the warhorse from the shadows will ride again!”

“Despicable rebellions! Wait for me, for I have returned!”

It sounded like long poetry yet a war song.

Retsu and the three riders were chanting it out loudly.

No practicing was required because they had chanted it over a million times.

From their birth, their parents had told them what kind of tone should they chant in and what kind of manner they should use to serve the verified one.

“YOUR MAJESTY!”

Retsu and the three riders kneeled down on the ground, chanting it loudly at the direction where Kieran vanished.

Contly hesitated but in the end, she chose to kneel as well.

Among the secrets passed down from Isogu Guardians, there were similar rumors as well.

It wasn’t as detailed as the Mutants but it was enough to let Contly know what should she do.

…

A mild warmth came from within the [Armor of Excellence].

It was the warmth from the medallion, [Lionheart], that Kieran kept with him all the time.

The slightest feeling made Kieran turn back for a glimpse at the direction of Sutherlin Castle.

Then, he turned back and looked straight ahead.

It was the direction of Carlhart Military Camp.

Similar to the blurry sense of Sutherlin Castle, he too sensed the changes in Carlhart but compared to the blurriness of the castle, the camp was much clearer to him.

The walls around the camp had fallen, the prosperous streets plunged into an ugly state.

Fiery cannons roared one after another. The remaining Mutants relied on the core area’s defense to put up a final struggle.

Eander who was injured was standing behind a defensive structure, firing the flintlock pistol in his hand at the assaulting enemies with a ferocious expression.

Behind him was injured personnel being sent into the sturdy hall one after another.

While inside the hall, the injured were scattered everywhere, Mutants and humans.

A Mutant with only half of his upper body was laid down unconsciously. Despite getting treated, the loss of life energy made his consciousness fade.

He started to see images of his entire life before his eyes and in the end, it stopped at the smiles of his parents, teaching him to sing the long poem and war song.

The forgotten rhyme sounded exceptionally clear at the moment of death, the dying Mutant opened his mouth uncontrollably, chanting.

“Calamity in the shadows! Dictator of the darkness!”

“Magma will be the armor and the greatsword will tear the heavens and earth!”

“When I return, the monster in the void shall roar once again and the warhorse from the shadows will ride again!”

“Despicable rebellions! Wait for me, for I…”

Before he could finish, all signs of life were gone but the rhyme didn’t just stop there.

The injured Mutants in the hall then continue with a tacit agreement, chanting loudly as the rhyme sounded from the hall.

It wasn’t just clear to the ears, it shook even the heavens.

Hundreds and thousands of voices gathered into a single phrase, “I HAVE RETURNED”

[Lionheart], with its mild warmth then boiled.