"Alright then. Let’s make the preparations," Bella said as she floated up.
The other Lords rose from their seats as well.
"The competition will start in an hour," Avery added.
There were no objections.
Everyone began to leave the room, already thinking about their team compositions and strategies.
As Isaac turned to leave with his group, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.
’Your subordinate Emily is in danger because of her ability to purify corrupted monsters.’
Isaac’s steps slowed for a fraction of a second.
His eyes sharpened.
Even though the voice was sent directly to his mind, he recognized it immediately.
Hass, Lord of Ashes.
Isaac glanced in his direction, but Hass didn’t look back. He continued walking as if nothing had happened, as if he hadn’t said anything at all.
By the time the Lords had all left, Isaac’s expression had turned more serious.
"Did something happen?" Avery asked, noticing the change.
"Hass warned me. He thinks Emily might be in danger because of her ability to purify corrupted monsters," Isaac said.
Alice’s expression hardened immediately.
"What?" she said, frowning.
"Don’t worry about it. Within the City, no one can harm Emily. Not with all of us here," Eleanor said calmly.
Alice looked at her for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Yes, you’re right. If someone tries to even touch a single strand of her hair, I will make sure they regret being born."
Averon shifted slightly, looking a bit awkward.
Everyone else seemed ready to jump into action over this, but he didn’t feel the same urgency. It wasn’t that he disliked Emily, but the level of concern the others showed felt... intense.
Still, he stayed quiet.
The mood in the room had changed.
What had been light and strategic before was now heavier.
After a moment of silence, Avery clapped her hands lightly, deciding to change the mood.
"Oh, right, I should start setting up the stations for the bet. Could you give me some workers to help me set up everything?" she asked, as if remembering something important.
"Betting stations?" Isaac blinked.
"I’m going to livestream the competition. And have people place bets on who will win," Avery said.
"...Are you serious?" Isaac stared at her.
"Of course. I won’t tell them about the agreement between the Lords. I’ll just present it as a friendly competition. It will be entertaining," she replied.
For a moment, Isaac didn’t know what to say.
Then he sighed.
"...Fine. I’ll send you the contact details for the workers."
Avery smiled, clearly satisfied.
"Good. Then I’ll see you at the time of the competition."
She turned to leave.
’The bet’s idea was good. Thank you,’ she spoke in her mind.
’You don’t need to thank me. Thank the child. However, do not tell that boy it was the child’s idea. She does not wish for him to know,’ an ancient and heavy voice replied.
Avery’s lips curved slightly.
’Of course,’ she replied.
The voice belonged to the Elemental Spirit of Machines.
It had started contacting Selene after descending quietly to assist with her evolution. Avery knew this would happen sooner or later. The Elemental Spirit of Machines might have ignored Selene earlier, which made her look like arrogant and uncaring, but she was actually someone who cared a lot about others, though she disliked showing that.
As Selene and Elemental Spirit of Machines got in contact, Selene asked it to help her connect with Avery.
Selene had wanted to know what was happening around Isaac. Not everything, just enough to feel involved.
The Spirit had refused to directly reveal things. Still, it didn’t completely shut her out either.
So it became a middleman.
Information flowed, slowly and carefully, between Selene and Avery.
And through that connection, this plan had taken shape.
The idea to twist the situation, to turn the Lords’ intentions against them, and to structure the bet in this way...
That had been Selene.
Avery walked down the corridor, her expression calm, but her thoughts far more animated.
’She doesn’t want Isaac to know she gave me all these ideas.’
Her smile widened just a little.
’She is soo cuuuuuute!!!’
Avery had been fully invested in Selene’s love story after spending months in Trial with her.
Seeing the innocent love of Selene, seeing how Selene would always try to help Isaac but hide it because she didn’t want him to feel burdened, gave Avery butterflies in stomach.
’I’m in your camp, Selene! I will help you get together with him, and make sure he loves you the most!’
Avery knew Isaac had multiple wives, but how could she not support such a pure, innocent love story?
That’s why she had decided to join Selene’s camp and fully support her!
...
Isaac’s POV
"Don’t worry too much," Isaac said.
"Mhm," Alice nodded.
She stood beside him, but her attention seemed elsewhere. Her eyes held tension behind them.
Isaac noticed it immediately.
He gave a small, bitter smile.
Alice had gone into defense mode.
To anyone else, she might just look distracted. But Isaac knew better. She was holding herself back, like a volcano just before eruption.
If something really threatened Emily, Alice wouldn’t hesitate to kill them.
"Who do you think is after Emily? One of the Lords?" Alice asked after a moment.
"It might be the Purification Cult," Averon answered instead.
Isaac and Alice both turned to him.
Averon shifted slightly under their gaze, then continued, "It’s a cult that... well, it’s strange. They support the Apocalypse. So if they think Emily can purify corruption, they might see her as a problem."
"What’s this Purification Cult?" Isaac frowned.
"I don’t know much. Barely anyone does. They’re very secretive." Averon scratched the back of his head.
"That’s because they’ve been around for a long time. They are a cult made up of fanatics, and their top-level members are quite strong," Eleanor spoke up.
"You know more about them?" Isaac looked at her.
"A little," she said.
She paused for a moment, as if deciding how much to say, then continued in a steady tone.
"Their origins go back to before the Apocalypse descended. According to some records, there was once a God who used a supreme artifact to trap the world in a cycle. Another God rose later and killed him, destroying that artifact. The destroyed fragments of the artifact fell from the divine realm to the mortal realm. A Flood Dragon found a fragment of that destroyed artifact. And from that fragment, a message was revealed."
Eleanor continued, "What once started will start again. Fate will repeat, and nothing will change. The world can never truly change. History will remain stagnant. That is the fate of all creation. But ’He’ will come, and when he does, he will grant salvation. He will give trials and rewards. He will break the cycle of fate and bring growth. He will destroy stagnation and elevate everything."
When she finished, Isaac and Alice snodded slowly.
Averon, however, looked stunned.
"...How do you know that? That doesn’t sound like something non-members would know. Shouldn’t only high-ranking members of the Purification Cult know something like that?" he asked.
Eleanor shrugged lightly.
"I’ve come across things," she said simply.
She didn’t elaborate.
Instead, she continued, shifting the focus.
"The Purification Cult believes that ’He’ refers to the System and the Apocalypse. They think the Apocalypse is a trial meant to push the world forward. So, they worship it, and treat it like a divine force."