Chapter 601: Negotiations Between Humans and Demons Are a Big Loss
"Flower Queen…"
When Nozomi appeared, the apostle Kujira immediately focused on her.
It had not forgotten its previous clash with the Flower Queen.
However, now was not the time for personal grudges.
The situation that the Celestial Dragon required needed to be maintained.
"Your Excellency Flower Queen, it has been a long time."
"Is this the legendary God's Skillful Hand among the Holy Knights? It seems she truly lives up to his reputation."
At this moment, Apostle Gekiryū stepped forward first, greeting her in a calm tone.
He addressed the Flower Queen casually, as if simply making small talk.
After all, he had met the Flower Queen before.
Their purpose this time was not to use force, and that was precisely why the Celestial Dragon allowed him to come, because his personality would not worsen the conflict.
Facing Gekiryū's greeting, Nozomi merely nodded.
She understood that the conflict would likely end here.
The purpose of this Demon Hunting Ceremony was to test the attitude of the Demon Apostles.
The real source of the tension lay in the unstable factors within the large magic mine.
Now, if humans wanted to resolve the issue, they had to take the apostles' position into account.
In this situation, the actual representatives of both sides had to negotiate.
Only.
Unlike the human side, which still had some room for restraint, the demons were separated from humans by a thin and fragile line. Negotiation without any display of force was impossible.
Although the Demon Hunting Ceremony was initiated by the World Government, multiple factions had pushed it forward.
Even the demon apostles had not come forward to cause large-scale destruction.
This involved the interests and demands of all parties.
They truly couldn't afford a full fight right now.
Just as only two apostles had appeared, the human side had also dispatched only two corresponding combat forces.
More would not be deployed because, aside from the Celestial Dragon, the other apostles had already appeared in certain regions of the New World.
The demon apostles had intentionally revealed their locations, and the human leadership tacitly accepted this game.
Apostles were too intimidating, especially those capable of causing world-level disasters.
Unless they dealt with the apostles, humans could not truly confront the demons.
And even if there was a chance to deal with an apostle…
Humans would still have to worry about the demons as a whole.
Thus, a limited war between both sides was the best option.
Unless something happened involving the gods, this situation would remain unchanged.
After all, strategy was always constrained by strength.
"Let this war end here!"
"It's a pity that such a beautiful underground landscape has become such a mess."
Gekiryū looked around at the chaotic underground space with regret.
However, it was only regret.
Originally, if the Demon Army living here had been able to resist the Magic Users trapped within the mine, he could have used that as leverage in the negotiation later.
Now, it was uncertain.
Especially because humans had developed a powerful combat force.
He looked at the shrine maiden Kikyo who had stopped not far away.
The power displayed by the shrine maiden Kikyo was something even Gekiryū had not anticipated.
Everything that happened in this conflict would become material for negotiation between humans and demons.
Fortunately, the War King's strength would also inspire fear on the other side.
"You humans are so aggressive! Invading the homes of these demons like this, it's truly disgraceful."
He spoke again, labeling humans as invaders right from the start.
In a way, he wasn't wrong. From the demons' perspective, that was indeed how they saw it.
Of course, whether humans needed to care about the demons' viewpoint was another matter entirely.
"Enough nonsense. Since your apostles have come, let's go!"
Nozomi said coldly as she looked at Gekiryū.
A negotiation room had already been prepared in Sand City, and it could now be put to use.
For this reason, the actual administrator of the Kingdom of Miracles had personally arrived.
Along with him were the emperor of the Dark Curtain Tarot Totem and the first consul of the Western Country Consulate in the Realm of Chaos.
Of course, the World Government also had time to reappoint the commander-in-chief of the army.
These were the negotiators, here to address the issue of the demon-occupied mines under human control. The matter couldn't be delayed.
The potential displayed by the demon army emerging from the large-scale magic mine this time was astonishing, and this was only one mine.
If allowed to grow any further…
Demon God Island would intervene again, and the threat would be enormous.
Thus, this issue needed to be resolved quickly, but violence alone could not solve everything.
Demon God Island would never stand by and allow it.
Even if they did, the demons in the magic mine were not ignorant fools. They would never sit still and wait for death.
In all medium-sized and larger magic mines, if a demon organization emerged in full force, it would trigger a demonic disaster.
Such an event would be catastrophic for people across the sea.
"Very well. Please lead the way."
In response to Nozomi's invitation, Gekiryū nodded.
He then used magic power to send messages to Desert and Gusen, instructing the War King and Yonglu to follow.
At this point, the War King's role had already been fulfilled.
Now he needed to be kept close and watched carefully, otherwise, he might stir up trouble again.
Hearing the apostle's order, the War King snorted inwardly, but still followed Gekiryū obediently.
Even though he believed that with the blessing of the Breath of War, his power was not far below an apostle's…
Apostles were still beings of the demon race, creatures created by Demon God.
The War King might defy an apostle's orders when they were absent, but he would never refuse them when an apostle was present.
The apostles ruled the demon clan with the approval of the Demon God. He would not openly oppose them.
"So boring!"
Yonglu muttered impatiently and also approached Gekiryū.
Then they followed the Flower Queen's golden light, flying upward through the crack in the cavern roof and leaving.
That crack was the gap Yonglu had cut earlier, reaching straight to the surface.
As the ground collapsed just now, the gap widened enough for two or three people to pass through easily.
Although Apostle Kujira couldn't fit through in its usual size, pure demon species were fundamentally spiritual lifeforms.
Their forms could be adjusted.
"Hello! Are you the shrine maiden Kikyo? I'm Zhuoxi, a Holy Knight of the Kingdom of Miracles."
"You've worked with our Kingdom of Miracles before…"
After Nozomi left, Zhuoxi, the Skillful Hand of God, did not follow her. Instead, she walked toward Kikyo with graceful, alluring steps.
She wore a white coat, but her voice was enchantingly seductive.
Zhuoxi was very interested in Kikyo, who had just appeared in the sea world and displayed terrifying power.
She exchanged a few pleasantries with Kikyo, then invited her to visit Sand City.
Kikyo noticed the woman in the ghost mask repeatedly casting fiery glances at the shikigami beside her.
Even the shikigami couldn't bear that gaze and hid behind her.
She gently extended her fair jade-like hand to comfort the shikigami.
After some thought, Kikyo decided to follow.
Now that the situation was under control, there was no need for her to stay.
Whoosh!
In just a short moment, All the major figures who had appeared were gone.
The magic-pattern users present couldn't help sighing with relief.
They would've been doomed if a real fight had broken out. They weren't even sure they could survive the aftermath.
"You humans, get out of here!"
Dorobetta stood up first, and the Holy Knight, Stand Users, and the others also nodded.
The war had ended here, and what came next was beyond their control.
As for the Demon Hunting Ceremony, it could continue once they left the underground space.
Of course, whether anyone still had the mood for it was another matter.
As many of the magic-pattern users departed.
Their emotions were complex. They were relieved to be alive, but they also felt regret when they thought about the magic ore pillar mountains.
So many magic mines right in front of them, it was a huge loss to withdraw like this!
(End of this chapter)