Chapter 465: Welcomed Coldness

Ever since entering the Light Kingdom and peeking into the intentions of an illusion, Michael knew that the Titan’s subjects were obsessed with venturing deeper into the territory in search of warmth, yet that didn’t represent their whole motive.

The fox paused her feast and gazed at him, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly.

"...Purpose?" She asked with intrigue. "That is a rather philosophical question. I can only speak for myself, not my kin... I wish to meet the Almighty and prove myself worthy. Those who share my vision tend to be violent, which is why they attack you. In rare cases, like those in this tavern, they have given up the pursuit of power and lay low."

Michael blinked slowly.

"Is the Almighty the one who gives off the ray at the center?" He asked, referring to the Iskra Titan the Lords were set to kill.

The fox scoffed. "Of course. Who else?"

Devil crossed his arms together. "All things considered, this is a pathetic purpose of existence. I can’t imagine basing my whole life around pleasing another."

The fox shook her head.

"Proving yourself worthy comes in different forms." She answered calmly. "You can either dedicate your life to serving the Almighty or aim to kill it and take the place at the top... Honestly, I am not sure what I strive to achieve just yet, but whatever my choice, I need power. Simple as that."

Without another word, the fox focused back on the food.

"Perhaps we can help each other..." Michael murmured. Killing a Titan with just a few Lords was a tall order. However, if they were able to turn the creature’s own subjects against it, it would grant them a massive advantage.

Careful not to push the fox too much lest he alienate her, Michael shifted his attention to Elina.

It seemed that the cores of illusions were not only the foundation of their existence but also a common currency used in trade. He wondered how the Absolute Lord had obtained them, since shattering these cores was the only known way to destroy an illusion.

Elina replied with a large grin.

"After we were teleported to the core ring, we found a few weaker illusions. Guess what? After experimenting a bit with them, we found out that fracturing their cores isn’t the only way to kill them. Overloading them with our spiritual energy does the trick!"

Michael nodded. The idea had occurred to him, yet with limited reserves of spiritual energy from the Sun, he wasn’t inclined to waste precious power on experiments.

"It was a hassle trying it." Eliza sighed deeply. "I still can’t believe we went along with the idea."

"Come on! In the end it turned out fine!" Elina giggled.

While the fox was busy with her feast, Michael and the sisters talked about their encounter with the mimics and how they should go about meeting up with the others.

Soon after, the food vanished from the table, and the fox regained her healthy sheen.

"I have recovered enough to assume my true form should I wish." She exclaimed in satisfaction.

The fox shifted her gaze to Elina.

"Hey, you girl! I can feel a stash of cores on you. Rewarding your savior with a visit to the bathhouse is in order, right? Plus, it’s going to benefit your group too, since just like food, it restores my energy."

Elina didn’t argue. To her, the cores were worthless. It was wiser to use them for their benefit.

"Sure, I will pay... But on the condition that we come too."

The fox scoffed, not caring in the least, and led the way.

Following her to the back side of the tavern, they emerged into a surprisingly traditional hot spring. As expected, the illusions had soaked themselves into plasma.

"Are you sure about that?" Eliza had second thoughts. After all, the substance was supposed to be even hotter than the surface of the star.

"You paid to enter already. Whatever you do is of no concern to me." The fox leaped into the plasma without a second thought.

Angel didn’t hesitate either. Considering that she had achieved evolution thanks to such heat, she stood only to benefit.

"Screw it." Devil proclaimed before submerging his foot.

"What the... here the plasma is colder than the Sun!" He said before plunging into the cooling substance.

Eliza and Elina exchanged baffled glances before following suit.

"Strange... it recovers my physical and mental capabilities..." Michael observed with cold precision, noting the changes in his body.

Of course, since this was an ecosystem ruled by a Titan, he had expected to encounter things that defied all logic.

"Paying the fee drained me of my savings, so let’s make sure we enjoy it!" Elina’s body disappeared under the plasma. Naturally, she still wore her attire underneath.

Devil studied the present illusions carefully.

All of them looked inhuman... which sadly defeated the whole purpose of the mixed bathhouse.

"Come on, we are in a hot... cold spring. Don’t be afraid to show some skin!"

He urged the sister Lords to remove their fire-resistant robes.

Eliza frowned and spread her arm in front of her sister in a protective gesture.

"No." she answered in an icy voice. "Don’t even dream of it."

Subtly, her eyes shifted to Michael.

"Even if you are just a soul weapon... your Master is another matter."

"Partner!" Devil immediately gazed at Michael. "Do us all a favor and close your eyes for a moment, will ya?... Or even better, encourage the two by stripping naked right here!"

"Stop it, you vile creature!" Angel hissed. "Leave them be!"

"Don’t you try to command me!" Devil’s eye twitched. "Entering a cold spring with clothes? It’s heresy! Heresy, I say!"

Letting the soul weapons bicker freely, Michael ignored them completely.

The cooling effect of the plasma brought only short-lived comfort. His thoughts drifted back to his last encounter with his mimic.

It was easy to dismiss the words when he had other things to worry about, yet ironically, when nothing threatened his life, that was when he felt most stressed.

"Nicole is surely fine." He whispered, massaging his temple.

Suddenly, a feminine voice echoed behind him.

"Hm? Are you not even a little worried about me?"

Alarmed, Michael spun around.

"Persephone?"

Her mouth curled upwards.

"Nice to meet you too, handsome."