"Oh, your little companion there made sure of that..." she said, referencing Isha, who didn't really seem to be part of the situation, lazily lying at the side.
"Seems like a certain person has gotten a bit too cozy with the Nagas," Ryuk thought to himself.
Based on how Isha was acting, it was clear that he was already used to the place.
"You were brought in, in quite a bad shape, with lingering traces of powerful Abyssal energy on you. This could have only been made by Knulls at the Pseudo-Eternal stage," the Naga Queen said, a point that was inarguable. But Ryuk couldn't help but ask.
"And if I may ask, how many more people know well of this fact?" he inquired. She furrowed her eyebrows but proceeded.
"All the important people do." She didn't seem to say more than that.
Ryuk knew she automatically meant the other ten family leaders and most likely everyone at the Pseudo-Eternal stage or beyond.
"Tsk."
Somehow, he felt a faint sense of misplaced insecurity.
He had made sure to leave that battlefield with the three Pseudo-Eternal grade Knulls in such a way that no one would notice his absence and deal with them behind the scenes.
On Endearth, no one truly knew what level of strength Ryuk had. Most thought it was the C-Tier stage, and Ryuk had always loved to let people keep doubting, to never truly know all he was capable of.
He had planned to deal with the Knulls and silently withdraw without anyone ever noticing anything, ensuring he could make moves in the shadows and take the enemies by surprise.
But now, they knew well his most hidden secrets. They knew exactly just how strong he was.
And it wasn't just some small, unimportant people he could make quick work of if they became a nuisance.
It was the absolute top of the abyss of Endearth. Easily the people whose swords to his neck he would have to take extremely seriously.
That was never part of his plan at all, and his mysterious aura had now been ruined, especially to his most likely future enemies.
"You don't seem to like the spotlight as much as I thought..." the Naga Queen said. Ryuk thought of replying but stopped himself, taking a deep inhale before he opened his eyes once more—this time, horrifyingly calm and emotionless.
"It's useless to complain anymore. The facts have already been revealed," he said before his eyes shadowed as he inquired.
"What happened in the war? A week has passed, so I expect it to have ended by now. Were the Endearthian armies able to prevail?"
Ryuk took the opportunity to ask as a seat appeared before the Naga Queen. She casually gestured for Ryuk to take a seat, which he reluctantly did.
Serpahoas came forward as two cups appeared on the table, along with a jug. She carried it elegantly, pouring the contents of the jug into both cups.
"The Endearthian army struggled against the Knulls..." the Naga Queen said, pushing Ryuk's cup closer to him before she picked up hers and took a sip.
Ryuk followed after her motion and got his confirmation of the absence of poison from the system, taking a simple sip.
The beverage was a sweet liquid, one that radiated an intense coldness—the best that Ryuk had ever left amongst cold drinks.
"Even though they were almost twice their number?!" he asked, dropping the cup on the table, his ears perking up.
He had expected the Endearthian army, with the overwhelming numbers of the Knulls, to be able to make a quick ward. And with him already facing against the three Pseudo-Eternal Knulls, it should have been an easy win. And yet, he was hearing they still struggled?
"Yes, they did, even though they held the number advantage. Our Apex energy is no match for Abyssal energy, after all," she stated, drawing out the conclusion and reason to Ryuk.
"But luckily for them, when the Pseudo-Eternals had appeared, they instantly reached out to the Pseudo-Eternal experts who quickly joined them in combating the rest of the Knulls, managing to save them from assured defeat."
"But even then, a total of 7,000 Endearthians died among the 30,000, along with double that number gravely injured by the Abyssal energy," she calmly called out, watching as Ryuk took a deep inhale, picking up the glass in his hands, starting to take a sip to cool off—only for the glass to shatter apart from his hard hold.
"Tch, I never imagined such large casualties!" Ryuk said in dismay as he watched Serpahoas walk forward and wipe the spilled coffee away before another cup appeared as she resumed her position behind her mother.
"Thank you..." Ryuk mused silently.
"But the humans surprisingly managed to avoid many casualties, though. Among the 5,000 dead ones, I think only about 300 human warriors died, and the casualties were just about 700."
"That's pretty low compared to the loss of other armies, especially the Titan families. Even I pity them," the Naga Queen said, and a flicker of realization flashed in Ryuk's eyes.
"The Titan family? I thought they were the strongest. How could they have suffered more damage?"
"Being the strongest also means being at the forefront of it all. Just like you did. You realized you were the strongest and instantly took away the three most powerful Knulls away from the army to face them alone, almost losing your life to it."
"That's what happens to the strongest when they get too far ahead. Their power comes with a responsibility—a responsibility to be at the forefront."
"The Titans might be stubborn, uncaring bastards sometimes, but when they realized the fate of the army was at stake, they went all out, taking position at the front."
"It was a bold act, but it also led them to have the most massive amount of damages. Close to half their entire forces were wiped out..."
"But it's probably nothing when compared to their true forces. After all, the ten family forces that were deployed weren't their main force. They were minor forces that were sent just to aid the humans..."
"But frankly, for reasons unknown, we have severely miscalculated just how powerful the second Knull War attack would be..."