After Nephelin’s defeat, Edward helped Ignis and Adotinus to clear the city of the remaining monsters. Edward had fully eliminated the flying eyes and most of the Manticores, but a single Manticore or giant snail would take a full team of predators to kill it. After regularly fighting dangerous monsters, it became easy to forget how much risk they presented for the regular person. A single Manticore would have been enough to lay waste to the entirety of Agripin, this wasn’t a level of strength that most people were used to.

This could have been a chore, but Adotinus rejoiced in the slaughter. Centipedes were fried left and right by powerful currents of lightning. Ignis was much more collected but no less effective. With his city reduced to ruins, he had no qualms to use his powers fully, he wouldn’t be able to cause more damage anyway. Entire streets were laid on fire, and the monsters within burned to ashes. The flames increased in size, speed, and temperature with the help of strong gales of winds to feed them.

Both Adotinus and Ignis were more suited for slaughtering large numbers of monsters at once while Edward’s skills were oriented to deal with single powerful enemies. However, he didn’t let himself be outdone, a few of his aura fragmentation grenades were enough to deal massive damage to entire groups of centipedes, and when they did meet a Manticore he was able to fell them with a few powerful swings.

The cleanup made him realize that Nephelin’s essence had been enough to significantly push him forward. He hadn’t experienced a breakthrough, only a linear increase but this was enough for him to feel the difference. His domain had increased to a bubble of fifteen meters of radius, his teleportation range had increased up to six hundred meters and his aura could push as far as one point two kilometer ahead. This meant that his displacement speed on long-distance was ever closer to the speed of sound, exceeding one thousand kilometers per hour. And this was a cruising speed that he would have no trouble sustaining for several hours if he had to.

They cleared the remaining monsters without difficulty, the centipedes being more of a bother than a threat. They encountered their fair share of giant snails, but they didn’t pose much of a threat either, especially with Edward’s teleportation that could bypass their tentacles. They even found another Cyclop, but the only time they were put in real danger was when they met a giant six-legged panther. Their ability to avoid aura senses coupled with their speed and strength made them particularly dangerous, but once the monster lost the surprise effect, it was swiftly dispatched, it couldn’t compare to Nephelin in power.

“That’s a good thing done, I was eager to slaughter those monsters for quite some time,” Adotinus told them cheerfully.

“My citizen may rest in peace now that they have been avenged,” Ignis added in a somber mood.

“Exterminating those monsters was the evident thing to do. Now the question is what do we do for that?” Edward told them while showing the sky.

Even since Nephelin’s rune self-destructed in a spatial explosion, the sky above the city had turned strange. In a jarring display, it had turned to a blue so dark that it almost seemed black. However, there was no mistaking it for a night sky either, there wasn’t a single star visible, and when a cloud crossed through the area its shape morphed and distorted along with the spatial distortion. Edward was ill at ease in front of such a display he felt as if he was gazing into an abyss, only one turned upward. And he already knew that nothing good was waiting for him in there.

“This is a sword hanging above our head,” Ignis mused. “The only question is when will it fall?”

“It’s too bad we didn’t manage to destroy those runes before this happened,” Adotinus added.

“I doubt we could have done anything about that,” Edward explained. “Nephelin could have detonated those runes any time he wanted even before we dispelled the mist. It is already good that we stopped him from opening a full portal.”

“This needs to be monitored. From what Nephelin blurted, powerful enemies could cross at any time.” Ignis decided while Edward winced.

“Yes…but whoever stays here to monitor this thing is doomed to certain death when those enemies will arrive. We already had trouble handling Nephelin with all of us together. There is no chance that someone less powerful than us could survive.”

“The best scenario would be to close that hole in the sky before the Andherians can make use of it. But any effort that we engage has the potential to blow up in our face.” Ignis was undecided. “And the empire must be experiencing much unrest with the news of the capital fall and the increased pressure from monsters. I can’t afford to be stuck here.”

Edward thought of Leyla. She was the one having the most knowledge about runes and spatial magic after Edward fetched her all the Damkinan tomes he could find on the subject.

If Leyla comes here only for something of Nephelin’s level to pop up, she is as good as dead. Even I won’t be able to save her. I don’t want to risk her life in such a way. Besides it is unsure if she would be really able to solve this situation. And the worst part is that we have no idea when this problem will blow up in our faces. It could be in a few minutes as well as in several months. Who knows?

In the end, he chose not to say anything. It was a selfish decision but one he could commit himself to without remorse. The risks were too high and the benefit was uncertain.

“If the one coming out from there is equally or more powerful than Nephelin this is the biggest issue. Your army should be able to deal with normal monsters by themselves, they are not the priority.” Adotinus told Ignis. “Besides, if we have to fight a difficult battle, it is for the best if it happens here. There is no risk of collateral damage. Letting a powerful enemy have the initiative of when and where to engage us would be a severe mistake.”

Ignis had much political clout but Adotinus was more pragmatic and was used to conflict, he immediately saw the crux of the matter.

Ignis sighed. “I fear you are right. But I still feel uneasy leaving the empire to endure on its own. The monsters’ attacks can’t be compared to normal, this surge is unlike anything we have seen. If we don’t do anything I don’t know how much of the empire will be left to save.”

“I could deal with that,” Edward proposed. “My travel speed is the fastest among us. For me traveling to another part of your empire would be a matter of a few hours at most. And at our level of powers, dealing with low to intermediate-level monsters won’t take long either even if they are an army. Within a few days, I could stabilize the situation. In the meantime, you put whatever runes you can think of to prepare against the ones that will come through here.”

There was a moment of silence. “I must admit I’m jealous of your teleportation, being able to travel such distance in such ridiculous amount of time is a game changer. I wouldn’t even need a capital with such power, any problem that arise within the empire would be solved in the day itself. As for politicians plotting behind my back, who would dare to do that anymore when I could travel faster than their backstabbing.” Ignis shook his head in derision.

“Lucky for you I’m not after your empire,” Edward retorted jokingly.

“Lucky for me indeed…” Ignis whispered before continuing louder. “If you need anything in the future just tell me and I’ll do what I can to fulfill your wishes. Not only me but the empire as well will be indebted to you.”

“Compare to the both of you I don’t feel particularly useful,” Adotinus complained. “I’m just good at beating things and even in this domain you are not inferior to me.”

“But we don’t look as cool as you while slaughtering monsters.” Edward laughed.

“I guess there is that.” Adotinus laughed as well.

“It is decided then you fortify this position with runes and whatever you can set up and I will take care of the monsters invading the empire. I will leave a clone behind so that I can stay in communication with you.” Edward paused. “If I’m not back in time…Do your best to survive. I won’t mind if you have to run away as long as you are alive, I’ll need your help to defeat this enemy.”

Ignis and Adotinus nodded gravely, understanding the gravity of the situation. They could have said that everything would be all right, but after their battle against Nephelin, they knew where they stood compared to their future opponent. It was uncertain if all of them together would be enough even with the terrain advantage. But no matter how difficult the fight to come they would stand their ground. They were patriarchs and they carried the responsibility that came with this rank. If they couldn’t prevail, countless innocent would be slaughtered without having the strength to fight back.

Edward summoned one clone, Adotinus would feed him his aura periodically so that it didn’t dissipate.

I wish I had kept a clone at Gobéliard. I want to share the news with them but even with my speed, it is too risky to make a round trip. We have no idea when the Andherians will breach into this world again. I have to make the best use of my time.

Though if I had kept a clone at Gobéliard I don’t know if I would have been able to maintain it. The fight against Nephelin was difficult and I needed to be focused without spreading my attention. Somehow, I feel that having no clone is better than having a clone only for it to dissipate at a crucial moment. They would think I died.

Edward could very well imagine what they would have thought. With him being an order of magnitude stronger than anyone else in Gobéliard, his death would have felt like the end of the world. It would have been perceived as if everything was lost and in front of an opponent able to kill Edward, the town wouldn’t have much choice apart from waiting for its death. Edward shuddered at the thought.

The fate of so many rests on my shoulders. I have to succeed. There is no other alternative.

Edward left with grim determination, he would do what he needed to be strong enough to slay the Andherians coming to them. His choice about helping the empire deal with their monsters was also the occasion for him to further grow in power. He had no time to lose and no pity to spare.