Chapter 1445 Return, Imminent
By nightfall, Davis and a few other people gathered and left towards the Tripartite Alliance Territory. Yes, they were all mostly intent on returning to the Grand Sea Continent for various reasons.
Davis had taken care of almost everything that required to be taken care of while he informed the people he needed to inform, like Shirley and Sophie. He took along eleven people with him. They were Evelynn, Natalya, Fiora, Claire, Logan, Evan, Nora, Laura, Edgar Alstreim, Lia Alstreim, Tia Alstreim.
They all seemingly made their way to the Tripartite Alliance Territory Gate but seemingly stopped halfway.
Unfortunately, there was a Ninth Stage Powerhouse of the Zlatan Family simply guarding the gate against having Isabella escape from them in the worst-case scenario. But then again, Isabella had already gone before they could even see her, so it was all for waste, at least until he decided to take his people towards the spatial gate for which he had to cross the Territory Gate.
However, Davis had already thought of another idea.
He brought them to the southern part of the Alstreim Family Territory, and in response to everyone's confusion of why he brought them towards this dark smog that was a dead end, he called out.
"Nadia, Eldia. Come out..."
Two flashing lights, both black, shot out of his body and floated in front of him. A woman appeared in black robes while the other crackled with terrifying black extinction lightning.
Most of them had their eyes narrowed, wondering why Davis had called them out.
It wasn't like he was going to try to penetrate the dark smog that could only be traversed by Ninth Stage Powerhouses, right?
"Make a way to the other side."
Nadia and Eldia didn't say anything as they moved. Dark light flashed as Eldia's body instantly became covered with her globular lightning body, increasing her prowess while Nadia transformed into a Dark-Winged Twilight Wolf, her majestic, magical beast aura radiating, almost overwhelming Eldia's until her globular body flashed with a black light.
*Rumble!~*
*Bang!~*
Thunder rumbled as a black lightning arc struck the dark smog, instantly diminishing a sizeable chunk in that area as a way became clear. Next, a thirty-meter tall, dark claw-shaped thrust abruptly descended on the same space, further destroying a sizeable chunk of the dark smog as a path began to be made inside the black foggy space.
Davis smiled.
As expected, Nadia and Eldia were comparable to Low-Level Ninth Stage Powerhouses, maybe on the weaker side of the spectrum because of the gap between stages. Nevertheless, the fact that they were able to harm this dark fog undoubtedly meant that their prowess was at Low-Level Ninth Stage.
"Everyone follow me closely..." Davis warned as he flew forwards, "The dark smog that covers the Territories regenerates at a rapid pace, so we do not want to delay..."
Other than Evelynn and Natalya looking awed at their husband's power of commanding two Ninth Stage Powerhouses, everyone who looked dumbfounded still looked dumbfounded.
When did Davis become so powerful enough to command two Ninth Stage Powerhouses? Eldia's existence especially moved them. Was it easy to control an elemental with that kind of prowess?
Definitely not!!!
Nevertheless, they still subconsciously moved forwards, following Evelynn and Natalya, who followed Davis's lead.
Nadia and Eldia constantly released their dark and lightning-attributed attacks against the dark smog as if they were digging a path through a mine. The former's claws shone with lethal darkness as it slashed a pathway, and the latter's extinction lightning shot with blinding speed and struck the dark smog, making the path easier to be excavated as the hole made reached far.
The hole created was a narrow pathway of five meters tall and wide. Davis and the eleven of them entered while following Nadia and Eldia's lead, who were fast, constantly releasing devastating attacks every second as they plowed through their way.
"You two are amazing, Nadia and Eldia. Keep it up...!"
Davis raised his voice as he cheered, his soul sense surrounding the pathway while the regenerating dark smog was constantly destroying his soul sense. He made sure to clasp everyone with his soul force to not have them suddenly separated and suffocated to death.
He had watched too many movies for him not to be cautious about everything he felt was a threat, especially in a mysterious place.
Unlike the Territory Gate that put omnipotent pressure on them, there was no pressure here. However, the looming dark smog still posed a threat that if a Ninth Stage Powerhouse were to run out of energy at this place, there was more or less assured.
He had thought of testing the safety of traversing this path before, but he knew that he had only one chance. He could not afford to fail if they were going to return.
Soon, with two Ninth Stage Powerhouses leading the way, they quickly saw the light at the end of the tunnel.
Nadia released one final claw attack that reeked of darkness. It pierced and clawed into the other side, revealing the space of the Tripartite Alliance Territory.
Davis couldn't help but smile as his plan succeeded.
They instantly crossed the distance separating the two Territories in two minutes.
Again, unlike the Territory Gate, where they had to walk due to the pressure and not fly, there was no such thing here, which made them quickly cross. However, it wasn't without hard work.
Nadia and Eldia already spent around forty percent of their energy to get here, so it was rather evident that a Low-Level Ninth Stage Powerhouse would have to spend around sixty percent or more of their energy to get past the dark smog.
Suppose if they were chased, and another Ninth Stage Powerhouse blocked the Territory Gate, and they chose to go through the dark smog, they would pretty much be cornered, or they could try to use it to their advantage and bring their enemy to fight a life and death battle.
Nevertheless...
A spatial vortex abruptly appeared on the other side, and a person wearing a golden robe stepped out. The person had golden hair draping over his shoulders till his chest, looking handsome and calm as he looked around.
"Strange... I, Thorus Zlatan, rushed as soon as I sensed an anomaly, but it looks like I had actually sensed wrong...?"
He wondered out loud before he flicked his golden hair behind before turning around and stepping into the spatial crack. However, a golden domain suddenly spread, covering kilometers around him as it even distorted the spatial crack.
*Boom!~*
The surface caved in, and the mountains surrounding the place were shattered into little rocky pieces. The immense force that suddenly descended from the domain destroyed almost everything in the surrounding few kilometers. A few magical beasts looking at the human who suddenly appeared from a distance were flattened to death, blood spurting like a fountain once the force receded.
Thorus Zlatan looked at the mess he made before he retracted the golden domain, harrumphing in annoyance.
"Only a few hundred weak magical beasts? I've been delusional enough to announce my name to the empty space like an idiot. Perhaps, someone had used this opportunity to get in or get out of the Territory Gate leading to the Alstreim Family Territory?"
"Well, my subordinates might deal with the foolish person who thinks they can get past the zone I guard..."
He narrowed his golden eyes and smiled before he stepped forwards and entered the spatial crack that had begun to close. It closed after a few seconds, but Thorus Zlatan had already returned to guarding the Alstreim Family Territory Gate.
By this time, Davis had already entered the Desolate Plains from the north side when seen from the entire Fifty-Two Territories Map's perspective and made his way towards the hidden spatial gate with everyone.
Yes, he expected this to happen, and that was why he had only a single chance. Doing it twice would surely confirm Thorus Zlatan's suspicions.
As soon as they all had come out of the pathway they made out of the dark smog, Nadia instantly enveloped everyone in her dark concealment aura and flew away in an instant while Eldia simply returned into Davis's dantian.
A second ago was when Thorus Zlatan sensed the anomaly. It was exactly during the time Nadia's dark claws pierced through the outer layer.
Nevertheless, the dugout path rapidly regenerated within seconds, and before Thorus Zlatan could emerge out of the spatial crack he created from a spatial talisman or from his own technique, the outer layer of the hole in the dark smog had already closed up as Nadia used less energy to wipe that last bit of dark smog.
It was Davis's instruction to do so, and she merely followed it, inevitably making sure that it regenerated faster than the ones they had erased before. This effectively caused Thorus Zlatan not to able to perceive that a pathway was created in the dark smog, traveled by some thirteen something entities.
He had let them escape without even knowing that he had let them escape.
Nevertheless, when everyone sensed the sudden spike of martial energy at the place they broke through from, some of them sucked in a deep breath of cold air while others possessed terrified expressions on their faces.
"Was that exciting...?"
Davis's voice resounded.
"I swear that I never want to experience this kind of excitement in my life even though I love adventures. This is just way out of our level...! Ahahaha!"
Logan laughed as if he was echoing what was on other people's minds before he grinned.
"Fortunately, my son is strong enough and able to plan ahead like an Emperor. I couldn't be any more proud of him as a father."
"Thank you, Davis. I apologize as I didn't think it would be so difficult for us to reach the other side."
Claire bit her lips, her heart trembling as she tightly held Evan to protect him.
"No need to thank, mother." Davis shook his head.
"You aren't aware of the movements of the accursed Dragon Families. Well, considering that I manipulated Isabella's background, I had this coming, so it's my fault. However, even if I didn't, they would still come with the emergence of the Aqua Flood Dragon, so I think I'm not necessarily at fault."
"Nevertheless, if we had gone separately, we might've all been able to cross the Territory Gate and meet up somewhere. However, I don't want any complications as the risks of encountering dangers are high when we're separate. It was said that the security had been tightened in the Alstreim Family Territory's Territory Gates ever since the Dragon Families took over the gates without affecting the business that practically no one is allowed to enter or exit without taking off their masks."
"Some find a loophole with disguises, but I still don't want unnecessary complications, so I took this risky route as there would be only one or two problems rather than many."
Everyone felt awed as they heard his explanation. How many steps did he read ahead to avoid a calamity?
To those unaware of what was happening, he seemed like a prodigy who could not be matched in terms of physical and mental might. This included most of the people except his wives, but they were already crazed for him.
"Do as you wish, Davis."
Claire echoed as she felt moved.
"We all trust that the decisions you make are always for the best, as it always had been."
The others also nodded as if agreeing, even Nora. Davis smiled, feeling heartened that they trusted him with their lives. Claire didn't hesitate to enter that dangerous dark smog with the baby in her arms, nor did Nora. That spoke volumes of how much they trusted him.
The way Nora looked at him also changed after he rescued her mother and father that she subconsciously recognized as if him as if he were her own son, being a bit polite than before. At the very least, he could see that she was immensely grateful.
Soon, they arrived before the site of the hidden spatial gate.
Davis took out the token from his spatial ring and used his essence energy to activate it!