“Well, anyway, enough about the trivial stuff,” Allen waved his hand as if brushing away the topic. His face then turned serious, “When I asked what will happen to the world, a midget suddenly materializes in front of me. She told me while laughing, ‘If you die, the world will become safe’ and then rolled on the ground, laughing like some child watching Tom and Jerry.”

“... …”

“I was enraged so I tried kicking her butt but my foot only passed through her. She then said I will destroy the world… ‘The demon? They’re not important. If you want to protect the world, why don’t you kill yourself?’”

Mia’s expression changed. Aileen, Flor, Sara, and even Mireya who was enjoying Allen’s lap after a long time, suddenly changed and her expression suddenly turned serious. She raised her head up and grabbed Allen’s hand.

All their expression turned severe – of course, no one thought about hurting him not to mention killing Allen, which is impossible. Instead, their impression of the World Tree plummeted down.

And their gaze that stared at Falis turned serious as they simultaneously thought that Falis came here to eliminate Allen. They are now prepared to pull their weapons in a moment’s call.

“Lies!” Falis screamed. “The World Tree didn’t tell me about that? The World Tree didn’t even order me to kill you! It only told me to, to,”

“To what?” Allen looked at Falis’ gradually paling expression. He smiled bitterly, “To stop me, isn’t it? And there’s only one thing that needed to be done if you want to stop me… that is to kill me if I made any signs of doing it…”

Boom! As if that became the bullhorn that signifies the start of the war – Clang – Mia’s expression became extremely distorted as a sword materializes from her hands.

Flor, Aileen, and Sara also did the same; the familiar black sword appeared on Flor’s hand while Sara’s eyes gradually turned into that of a feline and a stinger swayed behind her. Aileen, on the other hand, clenched her fist and made a boxing stance.

On Dakna’s body, scales appeared and he eyes started burning, dangerously.

In an instant, a threatening atmosphere enveloped the entire room. And the dangerous atmosphere was directed to only one person – The Elf Queen; Falis Florita.

Only Draia and Mireya didn’t take any offensive action.

Draia was only watching at the side – losing her momentum and time she was reduced to nothing but a spectator watching a movie while Mireya made a pained expression as she stared at the flustered Elf Queen, “Falis, is that true? You’re intending to hurt Allen?”

“NO, no, no, I am not!” Falis frantically flared her hands, trying to deny Allen’s words. “I, I was only told to stop him! That’s all,”

As she was trying to prove her words, Layla and the others finally came back. At this moment, they noticed the strange atmosphere – like daggers drawn, it smells of battle and in a blink of an eye, Layla and the others was affected, like a zombie infection, they immediately prepared their selves to fight if necessary – but who was the enemy?

“Falis, do you dare swear that you won’t hurt Allen!?” Mia’s angry voice reverberated, jolting Layla and the others cores.

What?!

All the gazes concentrated towards the Elf Queen…

“I, I…”

“It’s fine, Mia… it’s really fine…” Allen stopped Mia from exploding.

“Allen?”

“I don’t know what the deal with that midget was but there’s one thing that’s bugging me…”

??

“At that time, even though the midget told me to die in a roundabout way, she held no hostility… in fact, she was acting overfamiliar with me.” Allen smiled wryly while recalling that little girl. “She constantly teased me, asking me questions about my life or love life… like a mother, like a sister, or like a neighborhood gossiper.”

“What?”

Allen looked at the night sky through the gaping hole in the wall as his lips slowly rose into a small smile. With his voice sounding elegant and clear, lofty like the high mountains, he spoke, “I don’t understand her problem, but one thing I can be certain is that that midget was very certain that I will be the one, or probably involve in some way that can affect the world’s destruction. She wasn’t joking at that part…”

“… …” With those words, the room was enveloped by strange silence. Layla and the others who had heard it for the first time couldn’t help but frown – not clearly understand but still felt that Allen’s atmosphere changed.

“But what did she mean by that? Allen, we are trying to save the world and protect it, why would she think that you’re going to destroy the world?” Mia couldn’t understand. Allen would never do that! She was certain of it!

Sara and the others nodded their head.

“Allen, there’s something you need to know…” At this moment, Mireya spoke while biting her lips, hesitating. “Sister Ava, she’s planning something… she’s trying to do something to you?”

“Ava?”

“What do you mean by something?” Mia asked curiously. She didn’t know who this Ava was but what’s important to her was Allen.

“That’s what the World Tree has shown me,” Sighing, Falis was the one who answered. “I don’t know what she told you, Allen, I really don’t… however, the World Tree showed me that Ava will try to corrupt your soul and break the darkness you’re hiding to the surface…”

“Darkness…?” Sara was bewildered as well as the others.

But Mia was actually having a clue about what she was talking about…

Her gaze turned to Allen who seemed to be thinking of something.

“… I see, so she came …” Hearing that very familiar name, Allen looked and smiled sadly.

Ava was one of Allen’s past regrets. He couldn’t be there when she most needed him…

“Where is she…?” asked Allen, after a long silence. “That silly girl, what is she doing this time…?”

“I don’t know, she disappeared, but Salamandra seemed to be with her…” Mireya answered.

“Salamandra…” Allen nodded his head. Then he raised his head again, and asked, “Then, where is she…?”

“Husband, I,”

Mireya tried to answer but she was stopped by Allen. “I’m talking about you, Salamandra…”

“What!?”

With those words, all the people were startled. Even Falis stoop upright in shock. Was she followed?

Hehehe – A cheerful laughter rang out. Then a lump of darkness gradually appeared, turning into a beautiful woman with red ruby eyes and a single horn on her forehead. She had red-haired but a bit darker compared to the Dragon Sisters.

“As expected of my Master, but I actually thought you didn’t notice me all this time…”

The moment she appeared, everyone immediately encircled Allen protectively – Though Draia was still watching from the sideline as if watching an interesting play.

Falis and the others were extremely powerful, possessing high levels so normally they would notice Salamandra when she came. However, Salamandra had so little hostility within her that they had easily slipped through everyone’s caution.

Naturally, Allen hadn’t noticed her similarly if not for the dark and demonic powers inside of him tingling as if they were disturbed.

It meant one thing, someone besides him was either using dark or demonic powers, agitating the fellows within him. Thus, Allen used his [ Sonar ] but still, he didn’t see anything. With no choice, he silently activated his dark powers and scattered it around him, trying to act like net… and in no time, a reaction appeared.

And this power was extremely familiar…

Salamandra.

And similarly, the others didn’t notice her, not just because there was no hostility within her but because she was also using dark powers. Dark powers are said to be one of the stealthiest powers… users of it are experts in hide and seek…

So if a powerful dark practitioner without hostility and killed their presence and closed in without the targets not being careful or caution enough, there was nothing they could do…

“I didn’t expose you since I’m having many visitors at once tonight… it would be troublesome to add another again.” Again he stared at Falis, “I was actually waiting for this to end, to meet you alone but I guess I don’t have that leeway… where is Ava…?”

If Fate pushes them to travel down the different path, Allen wouldn’t agree to it. He wanted her to be beside him, be together and smile together – the happiness that they couldn’t attain before, Allen wanted to reach that in this current world.

“Are you looking for her?” Salamandra asked. “Then why don’t you come with me… master?”

“… …”

“Are you insane Salamandra!?” Mia screamed in fury. “Just what are you planning to do to Allen?”

“Who are you?” Salamandra frowned, being scolded doesn’t feel good.

“Have you gone senile, you idiot Dragon? Or did you accidentally burn your brain, idiot?” Mia’s face had become taut and derisive.

“She doesn’t remember anything, Mia…” Falis suddenly spoke while looking at Salamandra.

“What?”

“She only had fragments but not the entire memory…”

Salamandra didn’t care about what the Elf Queen said, as she shrugged her shoulders and kept staring at Allen. “Master, Ava and the others were waiting for you…”

“Hmph, even if you didn’t remember everything… you shouldn’t cause trouble to others, idiot Dragon…” Without even trying to hide her killer intent or aggression, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman asked a very important question in a flat voice.

“Now then, Salamandra are you our enemy?”

“… It’s kind of hard to say.” But Salamandra only gives a faint smile in response.

Allen dusted himself and stood up. His actions startled the others and tried to stop him, afraid that he would go with Salamandra. But Allen only smiled. “Not for now, Salamandra, not for now…”

“… …”

“Tell Ava for me, that whatever she is doing wouldn’t succeed...” Allen said with a gentle smile. “Because she was already too late, I had already gone up… I don’t need something like awakening anymore… so tell her to come home…”

Salamandra remained silent before she nodded her head. With a wry smile, she answered, “I’ll tell her… but Master what about me? Are you not going to ask me home?”

“It’s no use because before you return, you first want to fight me, don’t you?”

As soon as Allen muttered those words with a faint smile, the color of his eyes changed.

Literally.

His hair and fingertips began emitting a pale bluish-white light.

Electric sparks danced around his fingertips.

“Excellent, Master! It seems like you really know me well!” Salamandra’s face turned serious. “But I need to prepare first… I feel like I’m going to lose immediately…”

Salamandra felt Allen’s aura and immediately realized that she will lose. But she wouldn’t give up yet… at least not until she prepared everything she can and fought him.

While bowing at Allen, Salamandra was enveloped by darkness and disappeared.

--- ---