Chapter 205 Samsara family
Billions of shadows summoned by Envy harassed and attacked every single settlement everyday. Immagine the current situation of Intris where monsters that pour out from the gates continually attack the remaining strongholds.
While the existence of these shadows might not be as threatening as the monsters in Intris, the shadows remain a threat that looms over everyone's head.
In the beginning.
The weaker villages were razed to the ground just by the sheer amount of shadows while some cities saw their soldiers and walls being gradually destroyed as it seemed that no matter how many shadows they defeated, the same number would appear the day after.
Travelers or people that travelled without protection were devoured by the shadows. Trade routes and trades between cities ceased because of the existence of the shadows, and this caused cities that need these trades to obtain food to basically crumble when the weak and famished inhabitants were unable to properly defend themselves against the shadows. Even the entrances of dungeons were packed with shadows that can attack anyone attempting to enter the dungeons or the ones leaving them.
In the first few months, chaos pervaded and only after some time that people started to flow towards the major cities even if the journey would cost them their lives.
It was when the people were at their lowest that the most prestigious of families started to give basic help such as food and protection and plans to find the summoner of these shadows. By acting like this they obtained absolute control on anything.
It was then that small numbers of groups of elite soldiers would leave the cities and somehow always locate the position of Envy and Deva but every single time it ended with the two avoiding any hostile party.
While everyone's attention was towards the shadows, Envy and Deva, a party composed of Greed, Chastity and Lust visited every single city and with Lust's power they charmed every single individual that had a level below them.
World domination was already a few steps from completion.
But.
Deva was not interested in that, her objective was to give time to Intris to grow and at the same time weaken enough the enemy side and then when Intris reached a level where they won't be necessarily be annihilated immediately that Deva would stop and once again observe everything from the shadows.
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Two figures walked across the destroyed corridor.
One seemed to be quite indifferent to the ruined surroundings while wearing a thin smile in her face and following behind her a girl whose expression became darker and darker as they walked.
The Samsara family was the most powerful and influencial faction and this very day the Samsara family have been annihilated by other families, and the person behind all of this is currently walking in front her.
Her enemy...no, now it is her mistress, she owns her body and mind. Even if her heart aches at the sight of the bodies of her family members she cannot do anything. Any sort of rebellion means a harsh punishement.
Secunda trembled, not because of the gruesome sight of corpses littering the corridor or the nauseating smell of blood or piss.
Secunda did want to anger her mistress.
Secunda did not want to disappoint her mistress.
Secunda held her tears and continued to follow Deva.
If...If her mistress were to order her to massacre her own family...then she'll do so. Even if there was no reason behind such action, Secunda will follow her mistress' orders just to please her even if in return she'll get nothing. No, just the fact that her mistress gave her attention was enough of a reward.
A reward...
Headpats. Kisses or just embracing each other.
Secunda giggled. Her dark expression was replaced by a bright one just by thinking about Deva's rewards, maybe it was a sort of coping mechanism that she was strangely behaving like that, but, alas...
She's now anything but a broken thing.
That is what Deva thought as she heard cute giggles echoing in the bloody corridor.
The two arrived in front of a massive door, and beyond such door one could hear the whimpering of a person.
At the centre of the room, a wounded man shed tears of grief as he embraced the corpse of a woman.
"Mo...ther? Ah...Father."
"Se...cunda? Ah, I'm so glad. That you are alive..."
Secunda stood behind Deva with a petrified expression while Deva observed her surroundings.
The room could be said to be in a worse state compared to the corridor they walked by with the walls being literally gone, the floor was filled with small craters while traces of powerful spells still lingered in the room, it was to the point that Deva had to wrap her aura around her body and that of Secunda to protect themselves from the effects.
Deva walked without fear or hesitation towards the pitiful man and Secunda followed her.
The man turned his attention to Deva.
"You...ah, you are Deva."
"Yes, I am. Greetings to you, head of the Samsara family. I am the one behind everything that happened from the relentless attacks of the shadows to the onslaught of those family heads." Deva stated with a flat tone.
"I...We thought that your world was weak."
The lights on his eyes dimmed. His life was nearing its end.
"It is. Intris is incomparably weaker than you. Every single aspect of Intris is below to you, people of Karma."
The man looked Deva with doubt.
"How can that be. You...I am certain that you have the power to rule the entire Intris, just the fact the you have someone with the power to summon an endless number of shadows is enough for that."
Unlike Deva who can gather easily information thanks to Core, the people of Karma did not have that and could only have a general report of the most important people within Intris.
"My world does not know of my faction's existence. My goal is not to rule that world but to observe its growth. Karma is not going to be conquered by me nor I have the certainty that Intris will be able to do that in a short time."
"This does not make sense...if you want them to grow you can just-"
"You weren't listening were you? I said to observe. I won't directly intervene, tsk, this sudden event forced us give them atleast to have the ability to survive a little longer."
As the man's last breath was nearing he did not gaze for the last time at the corpse of his wife or said something to her daughter. The eyes of the man never moved away from that of Deva.
"You just want to see the world burn, aren't you...?"
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