Dan Feng sped toward the palace without pause.
Along the way, he noticed that the carriages of nobles from various districts were also rushing toward the palace, wheels rumbling and hooves clattering through the streets and alleys.
This undoubtedly showed how numerous and powerful the nobles of the Asura Kingdom were.
'It seems the commemoration of the Hero Ars truly holds profound meaning for these nobles—they're all hurrying to Ars so early.' Dan Feng thought to himself, unconsciously quickening his pace in order to reach the palace and wait for Darius as soon as possible.
Dan Feng had no intention of entering the palace itself.
He knew very well that the purpose of his trip was not to participate in the commemoration ceremony but to wait in the outer perimeter of the palace for Darius's arrival.
As long as Hitogami did not see Dan Feng in anyone else's future, then today Darius would surely meet his end.
Dan Feng understood this clearly, so he decided to wait for Darius to walk right into the trap.
Although Dan Feng knew Hitogami could not see his own future, he still had doubts about the matter of Mayibeia contracting the Stone Disease.
Hitogami couldn't see how he had caused Mayibeia to contract the Stone Disease?
This made him realize that Hitogami seemed able to see the futures of those around him.
Therefore, whether Hitogami could actually see him or not was something Dan Feng truly could not determine.
But what Dan Feng did not know was that the futures of those he had bestowed with a Dragon Spirit would be obscured by the power of immortality.
...
At that very moment, Darius climbed out of bed as usual, refreshed and in high spirits.
However, unlike other days, remnants of yesterday's "memories" still lingered on his bed.
"Servants!" Darius suddenly let out a sharp, piercing shout. "Take this slave away!"
His voice echoed through the room, as loud as his massive stomach.
The servants outside heard their master's call and hurriedly rushed into the room.
They immediately spotted the girl on the bed—her eyes vacant and lifeless—and without hesitation dragged her down.
For this girl, her fate seemed already sealed.
Either she would be sold at the slave market to become someone else's property, or she would be secretly disposed of by Darius's servants and vanish from the world forever.
Immediately after, other servants entered carrying Darius's custom-tailored formal attire.
These garments had been meticulously crafted to fit Darius's figure and preferences—each one splendid and dignified, perfectly suited for the street-patrol ceremony.
The servants swiftly helped Darius into the attire, their movements practiced and efficient.
Darius knew time was short—he would soon have to head to the palace to join the king and the other nobles of the Asura Kingdom in the commemoration procession for the Hero Ars.
He could not afford to be late, or it would cause unnecessary trouble.
Once dressed, Darius slowly walked over to his "throne."
It was an ornately decorated chair covered with thick velvet cushions, looking both comfortable and imposing.
The servants who had been waiting nearby immediately approached with Darius's washing implements.
They moved quickly and professionally, bringing over a large basin of hot water.
While washing up, Darius's mind suddenly sank. His consciousness involuntarily slipped once again into Hitogami's World of Nothingness.
"Lord Hitogami, has something happened?" A trace of doubt appeared on Darius's raccoon-like face; his voice carried a hint of unease.
Hitogami did not immediately answer Darius's question—instead, He remained silent for a moment.
Just now, He had used His future-sight ability to peer into Darius's future.
Although everything in Darius's future vision appeared normal—the street-patrol ceremony proceeding very successfully—Hitogami still felt something was off.
The scene of the street-patrol ceremony in Darius's future was perfectly clear, yet the problem lay precisely there.
By observing the futures of several other apostles, Hitogami had discovered several divergent paths.
In one direction, the sky churned violently, dark clouds roiling as if some immense power were brewing.
Hitogami knew well that such a sight very likely signified the imminent descent of Saint-class—or even King-class—magic.
In another direction, the residents of Ars wore expressions of utter terror.
The appearance of such starkly different branches in Hitogami's future-sight was an extremely rare occurrence—something that usually only happened when facing the Dragon God.
Thus, Hitogami could conclude that the Dragon God had arrived here.
And if the Dragon God had come here, there was only one purpose: to slay His apostles.
Among those in the Asura Kingdom who obeyed Hitogami so obediently, the only apostle left at present was Darius.
Since that was the case, it meant there was no issue with Himself.
If the Dragon God had decided to put Darius to death, then without question, He would inevitably make an enemy of the Asura Kingdom.
In that way, He could take advantage of the Asura Kingdom's power to weaken the Dragon God.
At that moment, the mosaic-covered face suddenly trembled slightly.
Immediately after, an excited tone—like a refreshing breeze—swiftly reached Darius's ears: "Treat the street-patrol commemoration of Ars very seriously—this will be greatly to your benefit."
Hitogami's flippant words rang in Darius's ears like heavenly music.
Whenever Hitogami personally spoke such words, it meant that "good fortune" would come to him today.
But what exactly would that good fortune be?
Was it related to the Hero Ars's street-patrol ceremony? And what kind of benefit might be hidden within that ceremony?
These questions swirled like mist in Darius's mind, filling him with growing anticipation for the "benefit" Hitogami had mentioned.
Yet he was completely unaware that Hitogami was actually deceiving him. The true purpose was to use Darius's death to provoke a conflict between the Asura Kingdom and the Dragon God, thereby weakening the Dragon God's power.
"Thank you so much, Lord Hitogami!!!" Darius's voice overflowed with gratitude and awe. Without hesitation, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed several resounding times toward Hitogami's direction—this was the only way he knew to express reverence.
After finishing his kowtows, Darius slowly raised his head, gazing in Hitogami's direction as if still savoring the important information he had just received.
After a while, his consciousness gradually returned to his body.
Back in reality, Darius was in an unusually excited mood. His face was covered in irrepressible joy.
He grabbed the delicacies on the table and stuffed them haphazardly into his mouth, not caring about the taste—only wanting to fill his stomach quickly so he could hurry to witness his "benefit."
After wolfing down a few mouthfuls, Darius—without even bothering to wipe the grease from his mouth—urgently shouted to the servants standing nearby: "Quick! Prepare my carriage at once—I'm heading to the palace immediately!" His voice carried a mixture of eagerness and excitement that made his impatience palpable.
The servants showed no surprise at Darius's command—they seemed long accustomed to such behavior from their master.
They swiftly set to work: some went to prepare the carriage, while others waited for further instructions.
Meanwhile, Darius's mind was filled with endless imaginings of what this "benefit" might be.
His face openly displayed greedy anticipation for it, yet the servants nearby ignored it completely—they simply carried out their duties silently, long used to their master's ways.