...

Felix was walking on the surface of the water while looking at Leviathan with a provoking expression on his face.

He did not care whether the other party was aware of his identity as a disciple of the Divine Sound Sect. After all, it was not even meant to be a secret. It’s just that quite a lot of people were unaware of their sect, even if they knew their background.

He was also not surprised that Leviathan was aware of their sect since he was somewhat expecting that the Pandemonium Descendants were aware of their existence.

This was not even the first time that they had encountered someone aware of their sect. There were even instances where some people invited the members of their sect to join their side, both inside the game and in the real world.

However, their Sect Leader had told them not to get involved in these organizations, particularly the ones from the underworld organizations.

They could just form some small groups or play with some friends inside the game, but they would never join any of those organizations in the real world, not even getting involved in their businesses in the slightest.

"Master said that the organization behind the Pandemonium Descendants is not simple. And they belong to the most notorious bunch, so business is off the table when it comes to them," he mumbled while continuing to make his way toward the area where Leviathan and Poseidon paused their battle.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

While he was talking to himself, the group of Demonic Shark People that he had sent flying earlier had finally recovered themselves and started charging at him once again.

Sensing their rapid approach, Felix slightly frowned and mumbled. "I make sure to use enough strength to kill them with those techniques, though. I guess their Demonic Transformation and that contract activation make them more durable."

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Not long after, the Demonic Shark People pounced on him once again. But this time, they carried an intense amount of demonic energy, which was even producing an eerie miasma surrounding their bodies.

Swoosh!

In response to their actions, Felix flipped and twirled the strange sword in his hand before tapping it into the air a couple of times.

’Thousand Season Sound Arts: The Serenity of the Spring’

Ting~! Ting~! Ding!

As if the twin tips of his sword had come in contact with an invisible wall, a series of ringing sounds suddenly reverberated in the air, spreading in every direction.

Immediately after, all the Demonic Shark People that were charging him suddenly halted their advance midair.

Their eyes had also turned blank as if their souls had left their bodies. They maintained their respective postures while being suspended in the air.

Felix then calmly walked toward them one after another while also giving them a stab with his strange sword in the process.

His simple actions seemed to have nothing special in them, but every demonic shark person that had been stabbed by his sword exploded into a puddle of blood not long after he left them.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Not long after, he had dealt with all the Demonic Shark People and finally reached the area where Poseidon and Leviathan were supposed to be fighting.

"It seems like you have hidden yourself quite deep, Guild Leader Felix," said Leviathan while squinting his eyes.

From his perspective, the earlier actions that Felix had shown were nothing special. It was as if some regular technique that most people could use.

However, Leviathan had a feeling that it was not that simple. It was as if something profound were involved in those series of movements, which dulled his senses and made it seem ordinary.

’This kid is a master at the very least. His martial realm might not be that high, barely reaching the threshold of an Ethereal Opening Stage, but his Martial Arts attainment should be quite high,’ he thought to himself while watching Felix.

Felix did not immediately respond to the other party and turned to Poseidon instead. "Vice Faction Leader Poseidon. It seems like you are in some trouble, so I have no choice but to get involved. You will not blame me, don’t you?"

Hearing this, Poseidon could not help but wear a bitter smile before replying. "I should be the one feeling ashamed for showing Guild Leader Felix such a shameful sight."

Their Titan Guild was feeling quite aloof earlier, believing that they would have the upper hand in this deal.

But who would have thought that they would be put in such a miserable position not long after clashing against Leviathan and his people?

Felix chuckled when he heard this before saying. "You do not have to feel that way, Vice Faction Leader Poseidon. After all, you have been targeted by the Pandemonium Descendants from the very beginning."

Poseidon could not help but wear a solemn expression when he heard this. "What does Guild Leader Felix mean by those words?"

He somewhat had the initial suspicion in mind, but he still refused to believe it.

Felix smiled meaningfully when he heard those words before answering ambiguously. "I am sure that Vice Faction Leader Poseidon already has an answer in his heart. You are just denying it since it indeed sounds absurd."

"Oh! Another thing, please stop calling my Guild Leader. I am no longer a Guild Leader," he added before turning to Levithan, who was silently watching them from the side.

"Envy Devil Leviathan of the Pandemonium Troupe," said Felix while squinting his eyes. "I am sure that you are not only here to capture Vice Faction Leader Poseidon, but also after the dimensional portal."

"Unfortunately, that said portal is only rumored to be connected to another realm. I’m afraid that you will be disappointed about the truth," he added along with a mocking smile.

"Heh! Whether it is a rumor or not, it does not change the fact that it is a special portal given that it is released alongside an Empire Quest." Leviathan smirked when he heard those words, giving Felix a mocking smile in return.

"You have done quite a lot of discreet means to hide the fact that you are doing an Empire Quest, even when doing it with your people."

"Doing that quest along with some less important quests is a clever move. Clearing multiple quests to hide the fact that you are also clearing the main conditions of the Empire Quest is such a perfect cover to hide everything."

"Even going as far as just letting a single person hold onto that quest to hide it from everyone."

"I must say that Guild Leader Felix has thought this through. If not for the cunning people in our ranks, then we would not be able to figure out your true intentions," added Leviathan, revealing that he had seen through all the tricks that Felix had done.

Felix could not help but squint his eyes narrowly when he heard those words, especially the latter part of them.

They had been doing the chain quests of the Empire Quest along with multiple quests for quite a long time, so others couldn’t learn about it.

Moreover, since there were more than a dozen high-ranking quests in the mix, other parties would never learn about the truth.

All those quests were initiated by Felix while Felicia was the sole holder of the Empire Quest, preventing other people from discovering it.

He wondered how the Pandemonium Descendants had figured it out.

...

"It must be Paimon and Baal," said Diablo, who had heard everything from their hiding spot.

"Those two are quite clever. And both should be as troublesome as anyone from the players in the Top Strategist List of the game."

"Along with the vast knowledge that the organization’s archive possessed, they can figure out quite a lot of details that others are unable to see."

"Most of the operations of the organization are based on the analysis that those two have made after skimming through all that information and filtering out the most useful information."

"Whether it is triggering a special quest, finding treasures, and even hunting some secret bosses, everything has been figured out by those two."

"By using these pieces of information, they can figure out quite a lot of important details within the game. They had even uncovered some hidden background lore that most people are unaware of."

"Lucifer used to be the one to do these trivial tasks when the organization was still in its initial stages. But after recruiting those two, these tasks are passed into them, even undergoing a special training program under his supervision."

He then paused for a moment before continuing. "I have been thinking about the purpose of Leviathan being here despite their busy schedule when relocating their main base to the Hell Realms."

"If it is just capturing Poseidon, then it can be done with the elite units of their Sweepers along with some powerful leaders."

"Even if it requires more manpower, it will be nothing given their forces. Moreover, the members of the Pandemonium Troupe are more needed during the great migration, especially the Seven Sin Devils."

"After all, they can pinpoint the locations of the other Hell Realms once they have used the unique connection that they have with those Great Demon Kings."

Alucard, who was listening from the side, could not help but furrow his brows in confusion and ask. "What are you trying to say?"

"Tsk!" Diablo clicked his tongue a little when he heard that question before answering. "The fact that Leviathan is after Poseidon is just a pretext to hide their true intentions."

"The said Empire Quest that Felix and Felicia are doing must be truly related to another Realm," he added before continuing with a heavy sigh. "If it is truly related to a water-based realm as well, then it meets all the conditions to open yet another demonic portal."

Hearing this, Alucard could not help but shiver and swiftly turned to Diablo. "You mean to say-... those bastards are trying to open another demonic portal by using the dimensional portal that those twins knew?"

"It is highly likely the case," Diablo nodded.

He was extremely familiar with how the Pandemonium Descendants dealt with their operations, so he knew how they dealt with certain situations as well.

"If I am not wrong, then they must have met all the other conditions for connecting the Atlas World to another Hell Realm, most likely the one that is governed by the Great Demon King of all the Sea Monsters and the Envious Dragon of the Seven Seas, ’Levithan’."

Hearing this, Alucard could not help but wear an even grimmer expression and said. "Then there is more reason for us to get involved this time, don’t we?"

...