"Among them, there are two rather special ones. One is that damned Paimon, who despite having only Eighteenth Rank strength, is ranked as a ’King’; and the other is Agares, who despite having Eighteenth Rank strength, is ranked as a ’Marquis’... It’s said that Agares was originally a Duke within the dynasty, but because she meddled too much, she was demoted by the other two ’Kings’, Baal and Astalos, to Marquis. As a result, she neither stopped nor ceased meddling but loves to establish all kinds of norms of virtues, scaring demons away from her..."

Agares...

This is the demon who intercepted the Death Rune as mentioned by Elliog earlier, and she was also the one who initiated the pursuit of Erwin. It turns out that there are such peculiar ones among the Demon Species.

As for Helair being ranked as a ’King’, Fisher isn’t surprised at all.

Considering she might be the oldest of all demons, existing even before their creation, working in the Holy Land.

"The problem is, according to you, there are a total of seventy-two real Demon Species, aside from those three of Nineteenth Rank, there are countless others of Eighteenth Rank and below. Besides Barbatos, is it possible that other demons have come out?"

Emhardt shook his head and added,

"I’m not sure either, with that damned Paimon, nothing he does is surprising. But I think not all of them would come out, otherwise why would they hide among Nali’s army for a living? Many demons among them are not good ones; upon coming out, they wouldn’t be smashing and looting, they’d indulge themselves by absorbing Fallen Self. Right now, there are neither Holy Descendants nor those elves to stop them, it’s as if they’re eating in a limitless supply buffet, they wouldn’t miss such an opportunity..."

"Moreover, I heard that Barbatos is quite similar to Agares, a good-natured demon who likes to meddle, which explains why he’s willing to blend among humans as some sort of general. So what can be determined is that the number of demons that have come out isn’t many, but is enough to give the Dragon Court a headache... The Eighteenth Rank demons of this era, including Paimon with his unknown motives, could sweep across the South Continent!"

Fisher nodded, agreeing with Emhardt’s analysis.

He once had a face-off with a Nineteenth Rank Master Tao, hence is well aware of the vast gap between Mythical Ranks, evident from the Chaos Species invasion into the Northern Realm that nearly emptied the place...

After a moment of silence, Fisher suddenly recalled the hints and paths once given by the Demi-human Girls Completion Manual.

His eyes narrowed as he slowly drew two square books from his arms, the very Completion Manuals he took from Philone and Erwin.

His fingers lightly brushed over the text on the covers, feeling as if sensing something, his fingers suddenly surged with a terrifying crawling sensation, as if incapable of maintaining human form, echoing the familiar murmurs to Fisher...

They seemed to be tempting whispers, yet also rational persuasions, they said,

"Soul Completion Manual..."

...

...

As evening approached, it is unclear how much time has passed, in the dense forest, Rafael who had just finished a meeting and made corresponding arrangements, walked into the forest again with Lar, heading toward the cave where Fisher was placed.

However, the expressions of the two were not good; earlier, the reason the army called Rafael back was due to a heavyweight message delivered by the scouts ahead.

Because of prolonged standoff, the frequency of scout returns had been gradually decreasing, but once they returned, it indicated a clear movement of the Fake Court from the north.

This is the case this time, with the Fake Court showing signs of regrouping their armies again, making it easy to imagine their target. This means that Rafael and others are about to face another tough battle.

Following behind, Lar saw Rafael silent all the way, and couldn’t help but touch the daggers at her waist and spoke,

"Perhaps this time the Fake Court will be like before, all thunder but little rain, Rafael."

Rafael shook her head at the words, saying,

"I have a hunch that this time is different. Previously, Barbatos would not have followed the army, but the scout’s intelligence has specifically indicated that Barbatos will personally lead the team for this siege."

Lar also clearly understands the terror of that allied general; she was present when Rafael was helplessly defeated by a single blow from the general, if not for Sister Moli...she dares not imagine.

Looking at the silent Lar beside her, Rafael smiled slightly, then gently patted Lar’s head and comforted,

"...We still have time, right? They’ve only just begun to regroup, from the time they set out to the first troop arriving at the Southern Branch Mountain Range will take at least a month. Before then, I need to head back to the rear to ensure logistical stability. Only then can I return to fight with the Fake Court without worries."

"What about... Fisher then?"

Lar nodded but then thought of something and said to Rafael,

"Earlier, he managed to almost disband my entire squad with just a little effort... He’s very different from ordinary humans, incredibly strong. If we have his help, along with Sister Moli, we’d have a better chance taking on Barbatos..."