The Shining Star Above The Heaven-Chapter 523: The Situation Outside

"From our source, the Evergreen imperial family is having some difficulties capturing this particular devil. But based on the characteristics described by some witnesses, and considering how ferocious this devil is, there is a possibility that it is actually one of the Seven Deadly Sins—Wrath," the fifth finger said.

"Also, there is visual confirmation of the presence of other Seven Deadly Sins near the borders of the Devil territory with the two empires. The Sloth Devil is near the border of the Doria Empire, while Gluttony is near the border of the Vindas Empire."

Sylphia nodded.

"Alright. Thank you. You can return to your post," she said before the fifth finger disappeared.

After he vanished, Sylphia frowned at the information she had just received.

"Pride is in this territory, Wrath in the Ivory Empire, Sloth at the Doria Empire, and Gluttony at the Vindas Empire. The rest of the Seven Deadly Sins that Aldrian has not yet killed made their move at the same time. This is no coincidence. They are coordinating their attacks to create this chaos," she thought.

She had a bad feeling about it. The devils this time seemed to be recklessly slaughtering people without much regard. It was as if they had nothing to lose and had decided to do something reckless before they died—or something along those lines.

She pondered the situation. She needed to keep tracking how things developed, because it would help her decide what actions she and her group should take if anything went wrong in this territory. With Aldrian absent, she was the one leading the group here, and she needed to come up with preventive plans to keep them safe from danger.

So if something happened to this city and endangered their safety, they already had their escape route planned. For now, the safest route would be to return to the Atria Empire, Forgeheart Kingdom, or the Demon Territory, as there had been no reports of devil appearances in those territories.

Sylphia sighed.

"I’m still too weak to face those devils."

At a time like this, all she could do was hope to become strong enough—strong like Aldrian—so that she could stand against even the Seven Deadly Sins.

Her cultivation speed was already far beyond the continent’s standards. She had reached the peak earl stage and was close to breaking through to the marquess stage, even though she had only been at the middle viscount stage four years ago.

That progress was largely thanks to the good cultivation environment Aldrian provided with his domain, and their dual cultivation—especially the latter, which had given her the greatest boost.

She could only smile bitterly. She must be crazy to even think about facing the Seven Deadly Sins. It seemed she had really been affected by Aldrian, who always faced strong opponents without hesitation. Being around him had pushed her to want the same strength—but she knew her limits, and she was not like him.

She also chose not to tell Aldrian anything about the current situation. She didn’t want to disturb his business with the Xin family. He could do whatever he and the Xin family needed to do with peace of mind, and when he returned, he would learn everything himself.

She looked up at the ceiling and silently hoped that Aldrian was safe in the Everlasting Silent Forest.

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While Sylphia thought about the current situation and how to keep her group safe, her father in the Ivory Empire was thinking about how to kill the devil. At that moment, he was inside his workroom with another elf.

"Yes, it’s confirmed. That is the Wrath devil. We have visual confirmation," the other elf said. He was none other than one of the most respected figures in the Ivory Empire—the imperial teacher, Elthar.

Emperor Ladwin frowned upon hearing this. He stood not far from the imperial teacher, his back facing him as he looked out at the scenery outside. Then he turned toward Elthar.

"Now that it’s confirmed, it’s no wonder he’s so strong and can escape so easily. If one of the Seven Deadly Sins intends to escape, it will be too difficult for our men to kill him," Emperor Ladwin said.

"He’s also smart—he acted quickly and attacked outside the World Tree’s influence, which means the World Tree couldn’t do anything to stop him." He then touched his chin, deep in thought.

"But this is truly strange. Their sporadic attacks this time seem aimed only at creating chaos, with no real purpose beyond mindless slaughter. The devils’ movements now are crude—more like suicide attacks. After Aldrian killed so many of them while he was staying in the empire, we thought that if any still remained and were in hiding, they would have to stay hidden for an indefinite time, or at least until the prophesied moment. But to think they’d resort to suicide tactics... this is concerning."

Imperial Teacher Elthar nodded.

"Yes, this is quite concerning—especially after Aldrian destroyed so many devils across the continent. I don’t think it’s a coincidence. It makes me think this might be part of their final plan... or the beginning of something bigger in the future."

A silence settled between them as they both pondered the situation.

After a few moments of silence, Emperor Ladwin parted his lips.

"Do you think the prophesied time is already nearing?"

After a brief pause, Imperial Teacher Elthar nodded.

"Yes, I believe so. And I think this chaos, which seems purposeless to the devils, is a sign that the prophesied time may be closer than we think. I worry that, perhaps, without even realizing it, we may already be in that time," he said, his tone slightly grim.

Emperor Ladwin sighed and looked at the scenery outside again.

"I hope we all can survive this ordeal," he said, but then he suddenly smiled. "But as long as Sylphia is safe, it doesn’t matter."

Elthar smiled as well.

"Well, she is with the strongest and best man. He is the one prophesied to save this continent. Even if we don’t survive, she will surely be safe beside him," he said.

Hearing all Aldrian’s stories over the years since leaving the Ivory Empire made them feel more at ease, knowing Sylphia was in his care. His achievements were already etched in gold letters in the history of the continent. It was hard to imagine another young man like him in the future.

"As long as she’s safe," Elthar murmured.

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In the Doria Empire, the situation was equally tense as the Sloth Devil launched an attack on the border with some devils. At this time, in Ilyon Town, the first prince of the Doria Empire, Hector, was observing the condition of the town.

This town that located within the Rivas Grand Duchy and near the border with the Devil Territory, was in far worse shape than it had been during the war two years ago.

Half of the town had been destroyed, reduced to rubble. Many witnesses said that all of this devastation was caused by a single person: one of the Seven Deadly Sins, the Sloth Devil.

Her army of summons and undead were truly strong, wreaking havoc and causing massive destruction.

Although there was an outpost right on the border to monitor movements from the Devil Territory, it seemed that the power of the member of the Seven Deadly Sins was too overwhelming. Even before the warning could reach them, the town had already been attacked.

However, when reinforcements from the Rivas family arrived, the Sloth Devil seemed uninterested in continuing her attack and retreated. The assault had occurred in several places along the border, with many devils participating.

Ilyon Town was only one of the victims, with the Sloth Devil specifically targeting it. Many people had died, including some who had been saved by Aldrian in the past.

This left the imperial family frustrated, as it seemed the Sloth Devil was toying with them, using lives as her playthings. Hector had come here at his father’s command to offer support.

The Rivas Grand Duchy was already considered an important noble family in the empire, but after the imperial family learned that Aldrian was the son of Irene Rivas, they placed the Rivas family on a pedestal higher than any other noble family in the empire. That is why Emperor Durand did not hesitate to send Hector here, to demonstrate how much the Rivas family was valued.

Hector, along with his guardian knight Lorenzo, observed the destruction of the town with furrowed expressions. Not far from them, Grand Duke Rivas appeared to be giving instructions to several people.

"None of this makes any sense, the devils seem to be planning something, but it’s as if they’re not planning at all. Besides the Seven Deadly Sins, it’s like they just want to kill as many as possible before they die. Do they really have something in mind?" Lorenzo voiced his thoughts.

"That’s what I want to know too," Hector replied. "The devils’ movements this time are strange. It’s as if they don’t have any clear purpose, but I doubt they would do all this without something behind it. It’s truly concerning and unsettling."

"The only thing that comes to mind, based on their patterns and the news from other empires, is that they seem intent on killing as many as possible, with the Seven Deadly Sins leading the operation," he added.

"Your Highness, do you think this has to do with the prophesized time?" Lorenzo suddenly asked.

There was a brief silence before Hector responded.

"Maybe. But whatever it is, it gives me a bad feeling. If this is indeed connected to the prophesized time, then we must prepare. I believe the time for all the leaders on this continent to meet and finally unite has come."

While Hector and his guardian knight discussed the situation, Grand Duke Rivas glanced at them briefly before looking elsewhere. Though he seemed indifferent, suspicion stirred in his heart.

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