Inside the Delarosa Household's outer courtyard, the sounds of battle died down, and the cloud of black smoke that occupied a section of the center also dispersed.
Emperor Varan and several dozen imperial guards were freed from the endless slaughter domain. Although they were surprised by the sudden release, the lack of battle surprised them.
They had expected to rejoin a fierce fight.
However, there was no fighting… nothing. Just two thousand Delarosan mbers slumped to the ground, at the rcy of the imperial soldiers and guards.
"Your Majesty, are you alright? Your wounds look serious," a concerned imperial guard captain approached Emperor Varan with concern before making a suggestion, "Should I imdiately set out to find you a healer, Your Majesty?"
Although Emperor Varan had escaped the endless slaughter domain, the injuries he had sustained from the hordes of undead remained.
The slight cuts weren't worth ntioning, but the corpse poison that pervaded his skin, blackening his flesh and blood, looked awfully serious.
"No need. It's just surface wounds that I have under control. The corpse poison poses no threat to my health or my life," Emperor Varan dismissed the idea with a wave before frowning at his surroundings.
He saw the dispirited Delarosan mbers, the scorched devastation, Matriarch Laelana's absence, and even the True Dragon in the sky. Putting the clues together, he was able to grasp the situation.
Nevertheless, Emperor Varan still demanded, "Who can tell what happened here?"
"The battle seems to have ended, Your Majesty…" the imperial guard captain answered, glancing around with uncertainty before continuing, "After the Venerable Kuvat ca to assist us and killed Matriarch Laelana with a single attack, the Delarosas seed to have lost their will to fight."
"On behalf of the Great Ratholos Empire, I would like to thank you for your help, Venerable Kuvat," Emperor Varan quickly paid his respects to Kuvat.
"No need, Human Emperor. I was only acting on behalf of my god," Kuvat cooly replied.
Emperor Varan didn't mind Kuvat's indifference. He continued to question Jhoru, "What about Galen Delarosa? Where is that Devil's Contractor?"
So long as Galen wasn't dead, the battle wasn't over.
"This…" the imperial guard captain was surprised by Emperor Varan's accusation, but he quickly recovered his wits and replied, "Galen Delarosa seems to have been partially struck by Venerable Kuvat's attack and perished as well."
"His body is lying on the ground lifelessly over there, Your Majesty," the imperial guard captain pointed in the direction of the inner courtyard, a short distance away from the end of the scorched areas.
"Do you really think Galen Delarosa is a Devil's Contractor, Your Majesty?" the imperial guard commander arrived with a frown, thinking, "I heard Devil's Contractors are very powerful."
"Galen Delarosa seems a little too weak to match such a description, Your Majesty," the imperial guard commander added.
"Ah, you're alright, Commander Jhoru," Emperor Varan calmly acknowledged the imperial guard commander's presence before saying, "I also think Galen was a little too weak for a Devil's Contractor if he died just like that."
"However, Devil's Contractors are only strong because of the divine powers and abilities granted by their Great Devils. That said, there is also a division among the Great Devils between those with strong battle abilities and those without."
"Hecate the Mystical, the Great Devil of Illusion, Witchcraft, Sorcery, Shadows, Light, Moon, Duality of Good and Evil… Ugh, anyway, Great Devil Hecate possesses too many divine abilities,"
"However, none of them seem to be directly oriented to combat," Emperor Varan ntioned.
"Are you saying this Old Demon Galen is contracted to Great Devil Hecate, Your Majesty?" Jhoru sought Emperor Varan's confirmation.
"Most likely," Emperor Varan didn't give a definite answer.
Based on what they knew, Great Devil Hecate's divine abilities and knowledge would explain everything about Galen and his Delarosa Household. However, that was, after all, based on what they did know.
It was hard to say where the seven Great Devils had overlapping divine abilities and knowledge, even if they may be at superficial levels.
Even so, besides Hecate, he couldn't think of any other Great Devil
Inside the inner courtyard, Emperor Varan and his people soon located Galen's body a few ters away from the scorched area.
Only half of Galen's body had been scorched black, but it remained motionless without a breath of life, seemingly dead. Even Emperor Varan couldn't sense any life in it.
However, Emperor Varan still frowned. Kuvat also sensed sothing wrong at that mont.
"Hm? That's not right. That woman was reduced to cinders and ashes in my flas, so how can this old man's body be intact?" Kuvat doubted.
Having consud half his magical power, he, of all people, knew best just how powerful his fiery attack was.
And yet, it actually failed to destroy a human body?
Even if it was a head-on blow, the person still got half of his body caught in it. That half should been reduced to cinders and ashes like the woman.
And yet, it didn't?
"I don't know what's going on here, but Devil's Contractors without their humanity are calamities. It is for the best that I make sure this thing is dead," Emperor Varan said, stabbing his sword into Galen's heart and twisting it.
Alas, he felt destroying the heart wasn't enough. Thus, he retracted his sword, preparing to cut off Galen's head.
However, the mont his sword descended on Galen's neck, the latter's eyes instantly snapped open with eerie, crimson light, and his hand caught the sword's blade.
Bang!
A powerful force was transmitted into the ground through Galen's body, causing cracks to appear underneath it.
Despite that, the sword's blade caught between Galen's fingers failed to move an inch closer to his neck.
"Don't you know it's rude to disturb an old man's sleep, Varan boy?" Galen criticized as his crimson eyes flashed with greater eerie intensity.
Emperor Varan felt threatened by the unknown and quickly retreated with a big leap. At the sa ti, Galen permitted him to keep his sword as he released his strong grip.
Shortly after, Galen rose to his feet like a ghostly tube man being filled with air, and his original lifeless body erupted with vibrant life force, nding his pierced heart and fleshly wounds.
At the sa ti, cracks spread all over Galen's blackened left half before falling off like broken shells, revealing the gleaming, fresh, tender skin underneath.
Galen's wrinkles disappeared, his ash-white hair turned black, and his beard hair also fell off.
The original elderly man had transford into a dashing younger version of himself as if he had just shaved off 250 years of his age. Not only did he co back to life, but he was reborn anew.
Such a startling and bizarre transformation caused Emperor Varan and his n to retreat even further with somber looks.
"What kind of thing are you, Galen?" Emperor Varan frowned deeply.
The current Galen did not feel any weaker than him. No, the person might even be stronger!
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