The Absolute Godspeed of Infinite Worlds

Chapter 576 - 576

In the pitch-black space, there was nothing at all, stretching endlessly as far as the eye could see.Upon first entering this space, Airi Yasaka was still somewhat dazed, as if she had just woken up, unable to comprehend what was happening.

But soon, a dark mist appeared before her, and her expression changed.

"Greetings, Ancestor!"

Airi Yasaka immediately knelt down, addressing him respectfully.

"Why did you not appear in the royal palace?"

The dark mist's tone was extremely cold.

His mood seemed quite foul, and he was clearly in an accusatory stance.

"With the power I bestowed upon you, a pincer attack could have potentially defeated that man. Why didn't you follow the plan and stay by his side?"

"Potentially?"

Airi didn't answer but instead muttered to herself.

"If it were before, you would have definitely said it would succeed. The fact that you're saying this now... does it mean you failed?"

Come to think of it, she had indeed sensed some commotion in the royal palace last night.

And afterward, that skyward blast had shaken the entire capital—the black pillar of light was still the hottest topic of discussion among the citizens.

"I am the one asking questions here!"

The dark mist's voice suddenly rose several octaves, becoming shrill.

In dreams, it's hard for people to hide their thoughts—whatever comes to mind is often spoken aloud. Such occurrences were not uncommon.

The only aspect of his authority that the Yasaka Ancestor was dissatisfied with was this. People often mocked him to his face in dreams, some even attempting to attack him. Even seemingly loyal subordinates harbored ambitions of overthrowing him in their dreams, which infuriated him.

"My deepest apologies, Ancestor."

Airi hastily lowered her head, startled by his sudden outburst.

"The reason I didn't appear in the royal palace was because..."

But as she spoke, she suddenly hesitated.

An intense sense of urgency sprouted like weeds in her heart.

"I was under surveillance."

She kept her head down, her lips trembling slightly.

"That man is that cautious? I recall you reporting before that he was a careful individual. If that's the case, then it's not your fault."

The Yasaka Ancestor grumbled in clear displeasure.

"Fine. If that's how it is, we'll just have to wait for the next opportunity. In any case, the position of the Demon King must not be abandoned. This concerns my war with the Celestial Realm. Over the years, my armies have been steadily weakening. If I don't find a way to incite large-scale slaughter soon, the demons under my command will eventually be wiped out by those winged lackeys of the Celestial Realm!"

Due to the nature of their attributes, angels—as servants of the gods—were generally stronger than demons of the same rank. If he didn't find a way to bolster his forces, he would inevitably fall beneath the blades of the divine.

Demon Lords were not truly immortal. While they had some means of resurrection, if all their lives were exhausted, even a Demon Lord could face true annihilation.

In fact, it was only because the previous Demon Lord had died unexpectedly centuries ago that he had been able to seize the position by chance. As a result, his foundation was far weaker compared to other Demon Lords.

"Since you continue to stay by his side, then find a way to keep searching for his weaknesses. Don't slack off for even a moment!"

"Yes, Ancestor-sama."

Airi Yasaka nodded deeply.

"One more thing."

The Yasaka Ancestor had intended to leave immediately but suddenly recalled a recent report from subordinates.

"The three names you previously reported were all aliases. Thanks to that, the curses had no effect. That damnably cautious bastard!"

They were all fake?

Airi inwardly cursed—just how paranoid was that guy? Even falsifying the names on his adventurer card?

"Continue gathering intelligence on him with all your might. Uncover his true name and other identifying details as soon as possible. Only then can the curses take full effect!"

"Understood."

"Return now."

With a thought, the dark mist expelled Airi Yasaka from the dream space.

"Strange... another disturbance?"

Just as he prepared to depart, he abruptly paused.

Gazing toward an indeterminate direction, his true form somewhere frowned deeply.

An illusion?

Or perhaps...

...

A wave of dizziness washed over her mind.

But compared to last time, her consciousness was considerably clearer now.

When she nearly blurted out "I don't want to enter the palace," an intense sense of crisis further awakened her dream consciousness, preventing the self-destructive outburst.

Otherwise, she'd surely be having nightmares right now.

"My chest feels heavy again?"

Airi Yasaka's eyes snapped open.

And immediately met someone else's gaze.

He blinked at her with an utterly innocent expression.

Then wordlessly climbed off her.

"What are you trying to do now?"

Airi's face darkened as she spoke irritably.

"Didn't you say my figure was unappealing? That seeing it killed your mood? So why keep sneaking into my room at night?"

As she spoke, she felt furious.

Yet also a tiny bit proud.

See! Even someone as cautious as him couldn't resist my charms!

Proves showing off my legs around him actually worked!

"Don't misunderstand—this wasn't a night attack."

Eiji rubbed his cheek, which bore a bright red handprint.

"And your chest really does make a terrible pillow!"

If there were just a little more there, it wouldn't be so uncomfortably bony!

"Boom!"

Airi's eyes narrowed murderously as she unleashed a punch.

"Though I have to admit something surprised me."

Eiji sat across her legs, effortlessly catching her right fist before leaning down with an amused smirk.

"You actually chose my side, didn't you?"

"...What are you talking about?"

Panic flashed through Airi's heart as she instinctively averted her eyes.

"Still playing dumb?"

Eiji brought his face close to hers, studying her reactions.

"If you'd followed me into the palace, you could've sandwiched me between you and your Ancestor. Yet you didn't. In fact, if I recall correctly, you were the one who voluntarily gave up entering the palace?"

Looking back now, the chances of Eiji directly confronting the Yasaka Ancestor hadn't been insignificant.

Yet Airi had actively passed up the opportunity to trap him.

"How did you know?"

Airi gasped, eyes nearly bulging from their sockets.

He knew all along?

"So before I could fall for your long legs, you've already fallen for me?"

Eiji laughed heartily.

Originally, in his predictions, Airi Yasaka should have leaned more towards the Yasaka ancestor. That way, she could both gain power and reclaim her position as the Demon Princess—killing two birds with one stone.

He truly hadn't expected her to switch sides.

No, "switch sides" wasn't quite accurate. It would be more precise to say that when caught between the ancestor and Eiji, she had subtly tilted toward Eiji.

"You're happy about this?"

Airi Yasaka, however, was seething with anger. Seeing his smiling face only made the fury in her heart surge uncontrollably.

"If you knew all along, then you must have been watching me hesitate these past few days, right? What do I even look like to you—a clown?! Did you enjoy seeing me waver?!"

Without hesitation, she threw another punch at him.

"No, sorry. Honestly, I had no idea you were hesitating."

Eiji grinned as he caught her left fist.