Divine Emperor of DeathDivine Emperor of Death
Sometime later, a feral beast finally popped into existence and leaped to carve them into pieces, but without making a fuss, Davis cleanly caught it in his hand and stared at it as his eyes turned pitch-black.
Its life simply departed its eyes.
He didn't have any wasteful movements whatsoever, making her feel mesmerized.
"What do you know about this place?" Davis asked.
"Oh— I'm just a core disciple who followed them here. I don't know much except they said the Autarchs should not enter the fifth level no matter what."
"Even the fifth level is barred?" Davis raised his brows in question.
Vereina doubtfully nodded, "I think so. It is speculated that not even the Early Stage Autarchs can't handle the fifth level. It is not recommended to enter unless they have a death wish."
"I see."
Davis nodded. He was thinking of getting to the sixth level before making a stop, but it may seem he had to weigh his options. One other thing he noticed was that Vereina didn't seem to be impeded much.
At least, she didn't seem to go berserk over the maddening whispers as though her soul was immune or highly resistant to it. Her Violent Punitive Soul Physique reminded him of a wrathful dark deity, causing the others to go mad. However, it seemed that her vision was impeded to a degree that was just slightly less than others.
It was only her soul that wasn't affected.
"Try enveloping your soul's energy over your eyes."
"I tried. I can even see hiding ghosts this way, but it only makes my eyes hurt. It turns bloodshot easi-"
"Gh-Ghosts?"
Lea abruptly shuddered.
Davis paused and turned to look at his Lea, who turned two hundred percent adorable in his eyes. Her enchanting appearance only grew more charming as her ears adopted a crimson shade as she knew she was caught.
"There's a ghost under your feet!"
"Aa~"
Abruptly, Vereina gasped and pointed toward Lea, causing her to jump and pounce on Davis. She fell into his arms, making him look at her terrified yet utterly ashamed face. Quickly, her countenance turned red as she shot a cold look at Vereina, who was silently laughing.
"Stop it, or I'll burn you."
"Aiya~ Spare me…"
Vereina grabbed her ear lobes and lowered her head, looking apologetic.
Only then did Lea take a deep breath and calm down. She didn't look at Davis but looked away.
"Let me go."
"Nope."
"What?" Lea swerved her head and widened her brows at him, her lips quivering, "W-What do you mean nope?"
"Nope means nope."
Davis continued walking with Lea in his arms.
Lea trembled ever so lightly. She suddenly realized that she was now in an intimate position with Davis, and her hands were wrapped around his neck. He carried her with a satisfied look on his face.
She blinked.
Normally, she couldn't give a damn about ghosts as they didn't exist in the First Haven World. Even in the true immortal world, she didn't care much, but now, her vision is almost fully covered in darkness. If a ghost materialized to haunt her, it inexplicably invoked a cold chill in her. Just thinking about it made her shiver, so when Vereina said that, her heart almost leaped out of her throat.
Therefore, she felt all the respect Davis had for her was ruined as she acted like a scared little girl, but it seemed like it had the opposite effect…?
Maybe she had to thank Vereina for it…?
Lea leaned over his shoulder and made herself comfortable.
'Maybe getting scared and acting weak isn't bad at all…' She learned a new thing, causing her to shyly look at him.
"…"
Meanwhile, Vereina didn't know what to say. She was aware that she was the third wheel here, but it was never this loud. It seemed she made the situation worse for herself, making her pout.
Nonetheless, she continued following them.
Soon, Vereina needed to be tied as well since she lost all vision, so he threw her into his life ring.
"Not again!"
Vereina cried out that she was forcefully thrown over, but once she was in the life ring, she was greeted by two women.
"Vereina! How are you here!?"
"No way… what are the odds…?"
"Hailac… Tia…"
Vereina blinked at them. She wasn't exactly alone when she spent time in Davis's home, as she occasionally met these two the most. Hailac was also the one who recommended which missions to take, so she didn't expect to meet them here again.
She wondered if his entire family was living in his life ring, but soon enough, she knew it wasn't the case.
Back in the fourth level, Davis's progress was fast.
Perhaps the happy-go-lucky -no, the murderous aura was thick around him, no beast dared to move within his range.
While he intimately held Lea in a princess carry, he didn't tolerate any kind of aggression, and that had turned into its one murderous field. It was as though the instinctive beasts knew not to intrude within that range. They could only watch him leave and continue onward.
Finally, he arrived before the fifth level, making him put Lea down.
"Lea, it would be incredibly dangerous from now on, so do you want to go inside my life ring or still accompany me?"
"…" Lea considered for a moment before she answered, "I can no longer see and the whispers are starting to affect me. Everything is pitch-black to me except the warmth you emanate for me, but I no longer wish to hamper your powers. I know you will need it in the upcoming challenges, so let me enter your life ring."
Davis paused for a moment before he nodded.
"Be ready. Once Stella finishes building the mini-realm, I may want you for dinner."
"…!"
Lea's eyes shot wide open from his direct confession, but she disappeared and reappeared into his life ring. Light returned to her vision, and after the blinding flash faded from the sudden exposure, she saw the four girls playing in the distance amidst the flower fields.
Her eyes couldn't help but glaze with affection and fondness for him and everyone, wishing scenes like this could last forever.