Meanwhile, the perspective shifted back to the icy plains of the Northern Territory. The Plague Lord's "Summon" that had pulled Arthur and Hysilens away had briefly connected the Material Plane to Layer Seventy-Nine of the Abyss. In that fleeting moment, a massive horde of demons from Layer Seventy-Nine swarmed through the resulting Teleportation Array.
Perhaps the Plague Lord had no intention of attacking the Material Plane, and perhaps these demons had no initial plans to raid it. But like ants instinctively climbing to higher ground, they spotted the opening and instinctively crawled through.
Unlike the flame-wreathed Flame Demons of the Eightieth Layer, the demons from Layer Seventy-Nine resembled mushroom-like creatures, surrounded by swirling green toxic mist, their blank eyes staring at everyone present.
Then, the Mushroom Demons launched their assault on Aria, Pan Ming, and the others.
Though these demons had no initial plan to attack the Material Plane, once they found themselves here by chance and "coincidentally" spotted humans, they attacked anyway. After all, demons are truly mindless beings, driven purely by instinct.
"Wryyy!!!"
Letting out strange, high-pitched shrieks, the Mushroom Demons charged forward. Douglas, blessed by the God of War, was the first to meet them head-on, immune to disease and poison. A Believer of the God of War should die in battle, not succumb to such shadowy, underhanded tactics.
Aria naturally followed suit. Though her Holy Sword lacked disease immunity, its potent self-healing buff allowed her to instantly recover upon infection.
Feidric cast a spell called Protection from Disease, successively layering protective shields on everyone present.
Thud!
Douglas raised his Great Axe and swung it down, cleaving a Mushroom Demon in two. Normally, even though these demons resembled mushrooms, one would expect to find brains, organs, or something inside their bodies.
But when he cleaved it open, Douglas found nothing. The demon was as hollow as a cut mushroom, its interior filled only with fungal hyphae. These demons were solid through and through!
Even split in half, the Mushroom Demon refused to die. Its two halves writhed and crawled across the ground using a single hand and foot each, emitting the same bizarre, high-pitched scream as before: "Wryyy!!!"
Douglas's lips twitched slightly. "Seriously, what the hell are these things?"
Then Aria dashed past him, crying out, "Divine Smite!"
Under the golden light, several Mushroom Demons instantly turned to ash, leaving not even a speck of dust behind. Witnessing this, Douglas immediately adjusted his combat strategy. Instead of actively killing the demons, he began to cover Aria, focusing on providing support.
These Mushroom Demons weren't particularly strong, far weaker than the Flame Demons they had faced earlier. After all, this wasn't a premeditated attack; they were merely ordinary demons from the Abyss who had stumbled upon a Teleportation Array and wandered through.
Unlike the Flame Demons, however, when these Mushroom Demons died, the ice beneath their corpses slowly began to sprout a moss-like green substance. A strange, foul odor permeated the frigid air of the Northern Territory.
Feidric said, "These Mushroom Demons carry a highly lethal virus. After this battle, the Black Bear Clan must leave this place. Otherwise, the entire clan will likely succumb to the disease and die within a short time."
But then Feidric glanced at the massive Ice Cave in the distance. It seemed the Black Bear Clan still needed to garrison here to prevent demon incursions, which complicated matters considerably.
"Let's go take a look," Cerydra said, opening the car's passenger door. She braced her hands on the seat and leaped out.
It's worth noting that jumping onto the slick ice surface is extremely dangerous, with a high risk of slipping and falling. Unless absolutely necessary, this should not be imitated. Cerydra was only forced to do so because her feet couldn't reach the ground.
Thump-thump
Cerydra deliberately skirted around the center of the battlefield and strode toward the Ice Cave in the distance, while Pan Ming, Feidric, and Cipher positioned themselves around her like bodyguards.
Boom!Boom!
"Divine Smite—!" BOOM!!!
Cerydra strolled across the Ice Plains with leisurely steps, as if she were out for a casual walk. About ten meters to her right, Aria and Douglas were locked in fierce combat with demons.
The shockwave from Aria's Divine Smite explosion even reached Cerydra, the gust of wind causing the hair behind her to flutter slightly.
Strolling through a battlefield was undeniably dangerous, especially for Cerydra, the Empress of an Empire. What if a stray arrow were to fly out from nowhere and kill her instantly?
However, such concerns were for mortal monarchs. Cerydra had absolute faith in Aria and her companions' ability to contain the Mushroom Demon, and in the capabilities of her personal guards, not to mention her own formidable strength.
Soon, the group arrived at the Ice Cave's perimeter. Cerydra rose slightly on her toes, leaned forward, and peered down into the abyss. As expected, all she could see was bottomless darkness.
Feidric remarked, "The spatial structure here has been completely shattered. What a terrifying strike."
Normally, spatial tears or damage would automatically repair themselves, much like a small cut on human skin healing over time.
But the Ice Cave blasted open by the Rage Lord was like a drop of boiling water searing the skin, causing a blister that would scar permanently, unable to heal naturally.
After briefly explaining this principle, Feidric said, "So, the best solution now is to seal this place with magic. But to be honest, I'm not particularly skilled in this type of magic. We'll need to find another wizard."
The most powerful wizard Cerydra knew was undoubtedly Heinrich. As for Melly? She wasn't a wizard but a Magitech Master (Artificer). Either Heinrich or Melly should be able to resolve the Ice Cave issue.
However, neither solution would be permanent. The word "seal" implied that one day, through some chance occurrence, the barrier would inevitably break, triggering a chain of events.
Cerydra began to activate her Authority. Following Feidric's explanation, the Ice Cave was a permanent wound inflicted upon the world itself—a distortion of its fundamental rules. If Cerydra's Authority could influence these rules, she might be able to heal the wound.
A phantom scale materialized before her. With a thought, one side of the scale began to slowly tilt downward, as if weighed down by something invisible.
Could it really work? Cerydra wondered silently. This "invisible weight" represented the restoration of the world's wound—the complete obliteration of the Ice Cave that spanned the Eightieth Layer of the Abyss and the Material World.
Achieving this, however, would undoubtedly require a sacrifice from Cerydra. As she pondered this, Pan Ming suddenly stepped forward. "Your Majesty, is there anything I can assist you with at this moment?"
Cerydra fell silent for a moment. She knew that if she dared to speak, even at the cost of her life, Pan Ming would undoubtedly agree to the bargain.
Moreover, unlike their previous agreement, this transaction would directly affect the world itself, leaving it unable to bear the cost on Pan Ming's behalf.
Cerydra shook her head. A small Century Gate materialized beside her. Grasping the hilt of a blade extending from within, she drew out a crimson longsword—Hysilens' weapon.
After all, Hysilens rarely engaged the Plague Lord in close combat, so the sword wouldn't be needed for now.
Cerydra then gripped the sword in her left hand while her right hand wrapped around the blade's edge.
Feidric froze, immediately protesting, "Wait, Your Majesty! What are you doing—"
But before he could finish, Cerydra decisively drew the sword. The razor-sharp blade sliced through her palm, and golden blood began to flow.
Raising her right hand high, Cerydra placed it on the other pan of the scale, letting the golden blood drip down. Her voice rang out, "I came, I saw, I conquered!"
"This is my territory now, and I won't allow such a dangerous thing to exist in my backyard. Therefore, it falls to me to personally eradicate it!"
"With my Golden Blood, I pay the price! I mend this wound in the world before us!"
"From this day forward, no demon shall ever threaten the Northern Territory again!"
As Cerydra's Golden Blood continued to drip, the scales gradually tilted toward equilibrium. For Cerydra, her blood was far rarer than her divine power, making it far more precious.
Drip...Drip...
Finally, after countless drops of blood had fallen onto the scales, they reached perfect balance. Seeing this, Cerydra, her face slightly pale, declared, "Then, with this, the transaction is complete!"
Given her petite frame, she naturally possessed less blood than an average person. Losing a significant amount had inevitably drained the color from her face.
Dong~
At that moment, a bell-like chime reverberated through the ears of everyone across the Northern Territory, and indeed, across the entire Material Plane! Everyone, from those near the Ice Cave to those in the farthest reaches of the Material World, heard the sound!
Before Cerydra's eyes, the Ice Cave began to heal visibly. There was no thunderous roar, no grandiose spectacle; instead, it vanished as if it had never existed. In mere seconds, it disappeared completely, leaving behind only a seamless expanse of ice.
"Wow, that was so cool!" Though still battling Mushroom Demons, Aria had witnessed the entire scene. Her eyes sparkled with stars as she gazed excitedly at Cerydra's forehead. "Boss Imperator is so badass and cool! This is just too awesome!"
She used the word "cool" so many times it was clear how deeply impressed the scene had affected her. Douglas, after sweeping aside several nearby Mushroom Demons with his axe, nodded in agreement. "Yeah," he murmured in awe.
Aria dispatched another demon before her and called out, "Douglas, hold out a bit longer! I'm going to heal Boss Imperator!"
As Aria spoke, she sprinted toward Cerydra, leaving Douglas standing dumbfounded in his place. "Hey, sis! You're the main DPS, and I'm the support! You're running off and leaving me to solo this whole swarm of monsters?!"
But Aria was already too far away. Douglas glanced at the "dazed" Mushroom Demons surrounding him and sighed. "Ah, whatever."
After all, these Mushroom Demons weren't particularly strong—just a bit gross and hard to kill.
Meanwhile, Aria swiftly reached Cerydra's side. Grasping Cerydra's continuously bleeding right hand with both of hers, golden light surged from Aria, enveloping Cerydra and providing healing.
Feidric knew countless spells, but Healing Magic was conspicuously absent from his repertoire. He'd simply never needed to learn it; with Aria and Douglas both serving as part-time healers in the party, studying Healing Magic would have been redundant.
As Cerydra allowed Aria to hold her hand, she turned to address the remaining Mushroom Demons: "All of you, there's no need to stay by my side. Deploy the entire force! Annihilate those monsters! Leave none alive!"
"At your command, Your Majesty!" Pan Ming bowed slightly, took a deep breath, entered a meditative state, and charged into the battlefield. Feidric began casting offensive magic, launching a barrage of Fireballs.
Even Cipher, who had been slacking off the entire time, joined the fray. Wielding Hysilens' longsword, she transformed into a streak of golden light, weaving through the ranks of Mushroom Demons.
It's worth mentioning that a Tan Barbarian was still sitting in the car—the messenger who had delivered the message to Cerydra. He muttered, "Holy crap, these guys are incredible!"
To be honest, he hadn't understood a thing about what Cerydra had just done, but the result was undeniable: the Ice Cave that had plagued the Black Bear Clan for ages had vanished in an instant. "This 'Imperator of the Northern Territory Empire Clan' is way too powerful!"
"When Boss Arthur gets back, I gotta tell him everything that's happened since he left."
"But... where did Boss Arthur go anyway? He just disappeared!"