Edward was still reeling from the shock of the information. The Damkinan’s nemesis had already started to invade this world with impressive alacrity, to the point Edward had learned about their offensive when the capital had already fallen. I have to focus. I need as much information as possible. “You said you are all that is left of the Vega family, did you see your patriarch die? What is the situation exactly? What about the other noble families?” Edward pressed Marcellius for answers.

“When we departed the patriarch was still standing but he suffered from several injuries. Those monsters’ injuries aren’t that easy to deal with, even after this whole journey my wounds aren’t fully healed yet. Each time they strike they leave some kind of remnant energy in the wounds preventing natural healing.” Marcellius took a breath. “Additionally, there is no way to hold a defensive line nor to gain any respite, within the darkness, monsters can come out from anywhere. We were attacked even while we were already onboard. The attacks stopped only when we left the veil of darkness.”

“Let me see your injury,” Edward asked promptly.

Marcellius nodded, getting up and removing his armor and his shirt, revealing a long gash near his ribs. A bandage was covering it but it was still slightly bleeding, Edward could feel a remnant of foreign energy inside the wound. “Stand still,” he stated before putting his hand near Marcellius’s injury.

He probed it with his aura, the energy was unlike anything he had met until now. It was a mix between aura and mana, as dense as aura and yet keeping the ephemeral nature of mana. No doubt that this is coming from another world. He sent a wave of his own aura cleansing the remnant energy. It was crushed without difficulty, the amount in the injury being only leftovers. It is not harder to dispel than classic aura, but I guess the ephemeral nature of their energy must give them other advantages.

“To answer the rest of your question, I don’t know the situation for the other noble families. The Potentia and Regalis families have their master at the patriarch stage, and the emperor himself is at that stage as well. However, I’m not hopeful, it was total chaos when we managed to escape.” Marcellius continued, putting his shirt back on.

“It’s the first time I’m hearing about the emperor, is he stronger than the noble families’ patriarchs?” Edward asked curiously.

Marcellius laughed drily. “To be honest it is not that surprising. You are in a backwater place after all. Gobéliard was founded by the conjoint effort of the noble families to pioneer more territory and to gain independence away from the emperor’s eyes. The noble families don’t like to talk about someone standing above them. The emperor is indeed stronger than our patriarch but only reasonably so, he would lose a two-on-one. He can’t push his advantage too much, but the noble families can’t do anything to him either since we keep bickering within ourselves.”

“I see, the fact they are able to push back four persons at the patriarch stage is concerning.” Edward mused. “The Arachne was right, portals are indeed opening everywhere.” He sighed. “Couldn’t they leave me some more time?”

“Sir?” Marcellius asked to get Edward’s attention. “Is the same phenomenon happening here as well? If so, we need to evacuate, this is not something that can be stopped. You may be able to endure it, but anyone else under your level will be doom for.”

“Rest assured, I have already dealt with the invasion in this region, though I think it was nothing as drastic as what is happening currently at the capital,” Edward reassured him.

Marcellius’ face immediately relaxed learning he wouldn’t have to deal with the same phenomenon over here, only belatedly understanding that other portals could have opened all over the world including other regions of the empire.

From the way he is reacting, he seemed traumatized by his experience. He is not ready to fight, if the phenomenon occurs over here, he would probably flee rather than protect the city.

However, he is still at the predator level, as is a noticeable number of his crew. He will be able to take care of more common monsters. Or he may become a danger since there will be only two other individuals at the predator stage left when I leave. Let’s make sure he will behave before I take my departure.

“One more thing,” Edward declared. “The way things are working here will be different than what you are used to. Noble families don’t have special privileges anymore. As for the previous Vega family’s mansion, it has been assigned to escapees from Agripin. I may agree for you and your teammates to stay in this city, but in the end, it is managed by a council. You will have to respect its laws. Cornelius will explain the rules to you.” Edward added as the latter finally reached them.

“I may behave nicely, but don’t take it for weakness. If I learn you backstabbed me and tried to take over Gobéliard, or caused problems of any kind, I will hunt you down personally. Do I make myself clear?” Edward asked his voice turning cold, his aura pressurizing Marcellius from all sides, congealing the air around him.

Marcellius nodded, his body shaking from the pressure.

If he behaves like that under only this much pressure, he really must have been shocked by the events that unfolded in the capital. He may be less useful than I expected but at least he won’t cause any problems.

Edward stood in deep thought while Cornelius was inquiring about the situation, and instructing Marcellius and his crew about Gobéliard’s laws. I can’t rush blindly. I can’t underestimate foes that were able to topple the Damkinan civilization. Also, I won't be safe even after my breakthrough to the patriarch stage and my newfound powers since there are entities in there able to wound patriarchs.

I need to talk with Leyla, the bombs she gave me last time saved my life, and I will need them again at least to blow up the portal. Some healing syringes would be nice as well, I only have one left after dealing with the spiders.

Thanks to his perception range covering the whole city, Edward was able to immediately locate Leyla. He sent her a message through telepathy, ‘Need to talk, I’m coming to you,’ before chaining teleportation to reach her.

Leyla looked at Edward with concern as the latter teleported in front of her with a stern face. “What happened?”, Leyla asked anxiously. “Are we under attack?”

Leyla’s question interrupted Edward’s train of thought “What? Oh no, nothing like that.” He told her about the arrival of the Vega main family, and about the fall of the capital.

Leyla stood flabbergasted by the news. “The capital has fallen…I have only heard about it in stories, and I don’t recall a single time where it has even been only threatened.” Leyla had only recently moved to Gobéliard, she has spent most of her life in Agripin, and the capital was something akin to a legend for her.

“Yes, considering the direness of the situation I will have to leave again, but I need to gather equipment first. Especially a good amount of your bombs, they save my life against the spiders, and I’m sure they will prove useful this time as well.” Edward asked, praising her work.

Leyla acquiesced. “Yes, I can certainly do that. But first, take this.” She handed him his armor, it was folded as if it was a neat pile of clothes. “I have made a new version. I have finally managed to crack how the Harpy’s eggs were able to repair themselves. Your armor will be able to repair itself now, it will only consume mana to do it, but with the way things are it won’t be a problem.”

The density of mana had continued to raise from the start of the surge, and foreign worlds richer in mana opening portal to this dimension didn’t make things any better.

“As for the bombs you will need to give me a few more days.” She sighed. “It hasn’t been that long since you came back. The way things keep happening, I feel as if the world is starting to crack apart. Why must it always be you who has to fix it?”

Edward smiled sadly. “We are just caught in the turbulences. We didn’t have much of a choice, either we grew stronger and survived the surge or we failed to improve and got overrun by stronger monsters. What we are experiencing right now is what was causing the surge in the first place. We need to overcome this final hurdle. And once it is done, we will finally be able to rest.”

“Yes, but it could have been someone else having to carry the burden. All those nobles, always prancing as if they are better than everybody else. In the end, they ended up completely useless. Do you remember when they were still trying to get hold of you?” Leyla retorted angrily.

“Yes, I do remember…I guess they got used to lording ordinary people rather than fighting monsters to improve themselves. It had gotten to the point that they would rather have killed someone with potential than let it grow outside of their control. But things seem to have happened differently at the capital, the Vega family that arrived have a good number of predators within their ranks.” Edward paused. “Actually, it may be because I was alone dealing with all those monsters that I was able to overcome their growth rate. Ten people at the awaken level would have been useless against the Arachne. In the same way, only people at the patriarch stage are strong enough to fight against this new invasion. More predator-rank adventurers won’t make a difference. By sharing the rewards, the individual rate of advancement slows down.”

“Maybe…But if something happens to you, we are all doomed.” Leyla whispered.

Edward winced. “Yes…this is the risk with this approach.” He continued with a bolstered voice. “But do not worry I do not intend to die.”

Leyla stared at him angrily. “You better not. I won’t forgive you if you do.”

The face-off lasted for five seconds before they both broke into a laugh. “Seriously though, be cautious,” Leyla added. “Who knows how the situation has evolved since then?”

“What do you mean?” Edward asked perplexed.

“It’s not a fast trip to travel from the capital to this faraway place, from what I have heard it’s something like a fifteen-day journey. The information you got is already outdated. Moreover, with the state of things, I’m afraid you will be attacked by local monsters before you even reach the continent.”

Edward wasn’t expecting such a long journey. Back on earth, one could go anywhere in the world in about a day using planes. “I see…I doubt things evolved for the better. By now the capital must be totally in the enemy’s control. But if it was fifteen days ago…This must have happened not that long after I dealt with the spiders, even the Arachne seemed to think it still had some time before the Andherians came. That’s strange.”

He continued, smiling. “As for the journey, you don’t need to worry. My travel speed has exceeded even what I thought possible. It may be a fifteen-day trip for ships, but they move at what? Thirty kilometers per hour? Thanks to my teleportation, it’s as if I was moving up to nine hundred kilometers per hour. Such a trip won’t even take me one day at my current speed.”