Aftermath

Back at Kazalkar, even as the friction concluded, the mountains did not see any quiet hours for the past few days. Ever since then, the rumbles of Demonic extended all over the peaks. The inhabitants feared the worst and hid themselves in their abodes until his rage appeased.

They were in the hall. In the tumbled down hall in which the betrayal occurred.

There were workers inside, cleaning and fixing the damaged ceiling, walls and floor. Still in his invisible seat, Demonic God sat in frustration. His unchanged facial features showed the darkest signs of fury even as no lips or brows conveyed it.

If anyone wished to enter the hall, then they would have to duck out of his eyes' trajectory or get caught in their piercing gaze.

"Brother!" Luo appeared out of the blue again.

He did not seem that merry from his tone, but his visage was still displaying a monotonous smile. He warped inside the room with a loud cracking sound and materialized with a stack of papers in his hands.

Demonic did not answer him and kept pouting on his throne. He swung his feet nervously.

"I have gathered the reports from all over Kazalkar. Do you wish to hear them?"

Luo brandished the papers and gave them a whip to emphasize their importance.

Demonic waved with his finger lazily without breaking his position, the waving finger connected to his face. Luo took it as his motion of approval and began listing the reports he had brought from the different peaks.

The listener sighed and rolled his red eyes.

"After grouping all the torturers and making a thorough investigation, it has been estimated that the number of casualties from our collection has amounted to 145 063 331 entities…which is, in other words, all the ones we have collected till date."

Demonic huffed and puffed. He tapped with his leg on the ground and with his fingers on the arm of the invisible chair.

He looked as annoyed as anyone could be but tenfold or even a hundredfold. Some would doubt his willingness to adhere to Luo's reports, much less hear their compiling losses after he decided to lift the immortality array.

"I was also given many statements from the different sects and clans that many of their elders have died from old age too."

"How much?" he found some interest since they were his own forces this time. But he still showed a nasty stare to Luo who was uncaring and carried out nonetheless.

"For now, about a hundred thousand but still increasing as more are reported."

Luo carried on for a while, announcing whatever problems happened ever since the immortality array was taken down. There were far too many…

Many torturers, sect masters, elders, important workers and fighters died once the array no longer affected them, creating chaos behind them. Their jobs and occupations were left unattended, delaying and impeding others in the process too.

While Demonic God was able to get rid of the traitor, it had come at a great cost. One that deducted the spoils from his own ranks and millennia of hard work.

The aftermath was too costly this time…

"Our formation masters are currently working restless nights to reactivate the immortality array. It should be up and running in about three months or so."

Luo went silent after this last one. He had finally finished his myriad list of calamities and awaited his big brother to speak for him to know what to do next. The stack of paper disappeared from sight as if he never brought them with him.

Demonic sighed desperately and stood up.

He walked away from the raised platform and descended its stairs.

"Have you been able to locate Kun's consciousness?" he walked along the hall just under the mosaic, his hands tight behind his back.

"Her soul went into the rift after you slew her corporeal form. If she finds another body, she might regain some of her original powers but not all."

Demonic swung his hand, hit a newly fixed column and the hall shook anew. That same column veered off of its support and tumbled on the floor once more. The mosaic that was being puzzled back after its destruction, fell once again and scattered its pieces everywhere in the hall.

Workers rushed to collect all the tesserae, knowing they couldn't complain whenever their god threw a tantrum. Fortunately for them, they wore masks and could not be seen displaying discontented expressions.

He continued his walk and reached the end, just near the opened doors. Luo followed closely behind him.

The two guards were stationed there, immobile as always. Once Demonic moved next to them, they bowed their heads while greeting him with the usual, "Greetings to Demonic God!"

"It will only be a matter of time before we locate her" Luo finished after catching up with him. "Sooner or later she will have to surface and we will hunt her down—"

"Spare me these useless promises Luo. You're not one my minions…just find her and kill her once and for all.

"How could I have been so blind in her regards? To think that I was not aware of my own disciple's plans to betray me…I failed to educate her properly and now she is lost and out of grasp."

They stood at the edge of the exit, gazing down at the cities below them. While they were in buildings high upon the mountains, their lands also extended under them, confined by the mountain walls.

Kazalkar was in fact just the name of these mountains. Those that lived within it, created their own lives as any others would do back in the Mortal Realm. Demonic God's followers built their own cities, lead their own lives and strived off their own growth.

A troubled look befell Demigod. Something was still stirring his thoughts ever since that day when all went sideways.

"What about Akilaba, brother?" he found his voice after a while of contemplation.

"What about that slippery mortal snake?"

"Whatever Kun spoke to him during the time stop, he must be involved in it now. Shouldn't we take care of him?"

It was insinuated that possibly personal interference should be allowed.

He turned around and faced the workers working on the mosaic. Upon doing so, they flustered to work faster to avoid punishment. Unluckily, they had to be supervised by those two monsters of all people.

"He has seven years to prepare himself" he reminded Luo, his intonation a warning for him not to cause any ill-favoured action.

"But why wait? Send something down now while he's still a baby and vulnerable."

Demigod wasn't keen on rules and always worked with whatever benefited himself and his brother. It was only natural of him to ask for immediate action rather than actually allowing the new-born king to prepare himself for the upcoming encounter.

"No!" Demonic God made sure to educate his most devoted follower. "My words are set in stone. I allowed them a head start and I shall grant it to them. We shall play the game as I planned."

He pressed no further on the matter. Demonic's words were absolute and he had absolute reverence towards him, even as his brother. He, of all people, should concur with his decisions to portray to the underlings perfect loyalty…a perfect example for them to follow.

He bowed slightly, confirming that he was understanding of the matter.

"When will the depiction be fixed?" he glanced towards the ceiling where the mosaic was once.

This prompted the workers for faster and more efficient working. Now that Demonic God was specifically asking about this matter, then a watchful eye would be set upon them. Failing to meet the standards and expectations would later bring about an unimaginable fury.

None would wish to be the receiving end of it…the hall's current state was proof enough.

"Depends. It has over millions of pieces and therefore it could take a lot of years to arrange them correctly again."

"Hmm…"

He was lost in thought. Probably concocting some sort of ingenious plan to overturn the current dire state of Kazalkar.

"Will it be done before the seven year deadline we set?"

He took a while to answer. Adding the numbers and variables to the equation so as to deduce when would be the approximate time.

"I think it will" he answered after a while of silence. "Do you plan on sending it down to the Mortal Realm? As an encounter?"

"I do!"

"And the target?"

Demonic faced his brother's face for the first time all day. His eyes were curved maliciously, unheeding the fact that no lips expressed a manic grin right now. Only his pair of fiery and flaming eyes were needed to know that the sadistic god had once again thought up a devious plan.

"That ungrateful, wise and ruthless bastard…"

His voice got louder, everyone in a fair distance heard him spill crazily like a psychopath.

"Oh, how I wish to see how he will manage this one!"

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*Check the very first chapters at the very beginning for the Index*