Argentos stopped in front of Cedric, but the man did not say anything and just stared at him for a long moment.

This made Cedric ponder.

’Does he know that I have taken over as a Lord?’ He couldn’t help but worry. After all, he had promised to put an end to everything, and that meant putting an end to the Lords. With him now holding the title, it would look like he had planned this from the start.

He worried that Argentos might think he had fooled him into helping kill Lim just so he could take over.

Suddenly, while he was still in that train of worry, another one hit him even harder.

How am I going to put an end to everything if I am a Lord myself? The Oracles of the Empire say that to stop the bridges, all the Lords must be killed. What am I supposed to do now?

With every thought, Cedric’s heart raced faster.

It was quite the dilemma that he suddenly found himself in.

’This is one hell of a checkmate situation.’

He couldn’t help but sigh wearily.

A few tense moments passed, and then the metallic figure finally broke his silence in a calm voice.

"I am picking up so many lingering scents above the cliffs. But the most prominent for more than a mile is the scent of your decay. Do you know of anyone who shares your power? One who might be in the city above the cliffs?"

Cedric’s eyes grew half-lidded.

After a few seconds, he shook his head, then said truthfully. "No."

He thought for a few seconds, then continued. "I have scouted the territory but I have not been able to find a single living Naga. In fact, I have not found any life at all. The other Lords who might have been atop the cliffs are also dead. When I think about it, the dead Leader of the Lords was able to wield my decay. I question if the situation above the cliffs could have had something to do with him. Otherwise, it makes no sense because I have not been able to find any other source of the decay."

It fell quiet between them for a few seconds after that. Then, a rare frown suddenly crossed Argentos’s usually expressionless face.

Cedric perked up and was about to say, "You are a good tracker, so you should be able to track the scent to its source."

But then, Argentos beat him to it.

"This... mana from the decay. It’s powerful. It is more powerful than any I have come across in a long while. I would have thought it to be one of the Lords, but they didn’t use mana. So I figured that it couldn’t have been one of them. That is why I came to ask if you have someone who shares your power up there."

’So the Lords did not use mana?’ Cedric picked that up first. That was a suspicion he had, but now it had been confirmed. The Lords did not use mana.

However, rather than question what sort of energy the Lords actually used, he began to question just what the fuck had wiped out every living being in the territory.

’Before we came into this territory, my map could only pick up nine Lords. Initially, I had wondered why that was so. After a while, I concluded that the tenth Lord might have been dead. Maybe he or she might have gotten into an argument and was killed by the others? I do not know.

’When we got to this territory, I could see eight Lords on the map here on the shore and one deep in the city as dots. However, out of the eight who were here, only six Lords engaged with us.

’Then sometime during the battle, Hana and the little boy went missing. Whatever had killed them must have lured them back to the city, then killed them alongside the other that was probably guarding the portal.’

Strange.

’It’s even stranger that this being is using my powers. Argentos had said it’s not a Lord because it uses mana, but then he doesn’t know what it is. Does it mean that whatever it is is foreign to the realm?’

A cold sweat broke out across his forehead and down his back.

’This is a really bad situation. Something strong enough to kill three Lords is definitely something none of us can manage. Plus, it’s using my flames. How are we supposed to get past it?’

Cedric was still in his thoughts when Argentos spoke again. "My people and I can track the being using the scent of its mana, but I do not think it wise to do so. And since we do not know what it is exactly or whose side it’s on, I cannot tell if it is safe for you guys to move to the bridge."

When Cedric heard that, his expression turned grim. He didn’t know what to say, so he remained quiet in contemplation. Not long after, they heard footsteps coming toward them. Cedric turned his head and saw a tired Aurora approaching. He could see that she was trying her best to look strong, though her pale face betrayed her exhaustion.

When she got to them, she seemed to notice the heavy mood. In an attempt to lighten the air, she smiled and said, "You look better than almost all of us."

Cedric blinked.

Upon seeing that he was too tired for that, she coughed and straightened her posture, then said seriously. "Uhm... the scouts. The scouts have given feedback, and according to them, there’s no living being on the territory. Which is strange."

Her brows furrowed, but she quickly shook it off. "But I am not complaining. In fact, I really hope that it’s safe and there’s nothing out there for sure because we want to move. Many of us are homesick, myself included."

Cedric exhaled.

’I should probably tell her about what we gathered.’

He looked up at her, but just as he was about to speak, a notification popped up to his side.

Turning to his side, he could see that the notification was from Gamer Privileges and not Admin. However, a look of confusion crossed his face when he saw the actual message:

[You have one new message. Would you like to view?]

’Huh?’

He arched a brow, then thought, ’Yes.’