Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 513: The promised land

Chapter 513: The promised land

"Are we not going to do anything?" Lucas asked.

"What is there to do?" Beatrice questioned back, eliciting a snort from Lucas though he offered no response.

The Monarchs were still seated at the meeting table with Alex noticeably absent.

The oldest at the table, Vorigan, let out a resigned sigh as he remarked. "Our first mistake was thinking him unworthy."

"So are you saying there was no reason to question his legitimacy to the title?" Moldark inquired with raised brows.

"There was, but not like this, not right now. It is clear that the only reason he came to our aid was to gain our help in the coming battle against the Abyss."

"Doesn’t that make it troublesome?... Doesn’t that mean that he isn’t the savior the prophecy spoke of?" Lucas questioned.

Silence followed as none knew how to respond.

In some way, they had held out hopes for the emergence of the Dark Lord.

But never did any think that would turn out like this.

The Dark Lord was arrogant and carried himself with the aura befitting a great entity, but he hardly acted like the tyrant they expected.

He held no grandiose ambitions of power, neither did he seek to conquer the world.

If he were truly the Dark Lord, then how was he to lead them to the Promised Land?

As they pondered this conundrum, that was when a voice broke through the silence.

"What if you all are looking at things wrongly?"

All raised their heads to look in the direction of the one that had spoken only to find Victoria approaching with steady steps.

"Ah, the Dark Lord’s dog has returned. He is no longer with us, he left claiming he had other matters to attend to." Lucas intoned, hardly bothering to hide his dislike for Victoria.

"You may call me whatever you wish, that is your business. My business, however, is to ensure that the Dark Lord fulfills the prophecy."

"So why haven’t you killed him?... Do you not see that he is unfit to lead us?" Moldark questioned, earning a chuckle from Victoria.

"Unfit, you say?... And you lot are fit to do so?... If you were, perhaps you would not have fallen into the clutches of the Abyss like fools."

"You dare!" All subconsciously released their Authority, seeking to suppress Victoria but imagine their surprise when she remained standing.

Shock was the order of the day as all stared at Victoria, rendered speechless by her incredible display.

Vorigan was the first to speak after a prolonged bout of silence. "You claim we are looking at things wrongly, how do you mean?"

"The prophecy never stated that the Dark Lord would be a tyrant, nor did it state that he would lead us into battle."

"What are you trying to say?" Lucas questioned.

"The prophecy stated that an entity born of the night, will emerge and he, straddling the boundaries of light and darkness, shall lead the Night Kindred to the Promised Land. Now think for a second, what do you think would happen should the alliance he is trying to form with the Great Families pull through?"

The Monarchs exchanged looks for a moment before Beatrice spoke up. "There’s no way those bastards of the Warrior Wheel will let old grudges die and I doubt we will do so."

"Because both camps are too shortsighted to realize the benefits of working together. The Goddess of Automation will destroy you all should you dare step foot in Henos with grandiose ambitions, the Church of Angelica will hunt us all down should you head to Argent, and let’s not even talk about Emet.

"Ra’as is the Promised Land and because of your ambitions, you have tainted it. If you cannot see that, then I doubt you are worthy to receive anything else."

With those words, Victoria turned and left, leaving the Monarchs to ponder her words extensively.

For a while, the meeting venue was shrouded in fog and a resounding silence.

***

Humphrey once again stood before Eternal Winter, watching as the creature slowly but surely made its way into Eventide, pulling its twisted Domain of Frost along with it.

The land was already filled with monstrosities born of snow and ice, creatures that owed their existence to the Otherworldly.

Looking at the town covered by snow, Humphrey could still detect signs of life though he guessed that these people weren’t alive, only persisting on the whims of Winter.

As long as the Abyss and Eventide hadn’t collided yet, that meant a medium was required to facilitate movement between worlds and those poor souls within the town served as Winter’s ticket.

Of course, fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me... Winter was not about to lose twice in quick succession as upon noticing Humphrey’s bold return, it did not hesitate to act.

The space around it froze, with even time and existence itself forced to enter a lull.

Yet, Humphrey remained unaffected.

He smiled even as his body fell apart within.

He could already feel it.

Forcefully changing his existence from a Lord of the Flies to a divine entity was not without risk.

He could only afford one last attack before his body failed him and he would be left with no chance of survival.

So with that understanding, he did not hesitate to act as he transmuted the entire space around Winter into flames that burned with the intensity of a trillion furnaces.

He didn’t expect the attack to kill it, but considering it was of the opposite element, it was sure to drive it back and for a moment, it did as Winter let out cries of anguish while retreating through the crack it came from.

But his body could no longer hold on and so, he fell to his knees, his organs liquefied and his physical form beyond saving.

Is this it?... He wondered, unable to see a thing as he breathed his last.

But then, there was a voice, following which, he was reborn.