Chapter 81: Giant Bounties on the Blue Reapers!
Bang!
Norg's fist smashed violently into the table inside the large Magical Vehicle where he sat. The thick oak cracked beneath his blow, shards flying. He had just finished reading a report on the events that transpired two days prior—events that featured the one group he now despised above all others.
The Laughing Blue Blade Reaper.
"Fuck! Shit!! What is this report?!" Norg shrieked, his pressure blasting out like a storm. The Hobgoblin demon trembling before him nearly collapsed, bowing low as sweat rolled down his face.
"S-s-sir Norg, it's as you have read. In that battle, we—"
"Be silent!!"
Norg shot up, pacing furiously. His mind replayed the words, the impossible feats those children had accomplished. A group that should have been crushed in its infancy had turned into a nightmare he could not control.
Only a few months ago, three of them had been nothing more than Silver Tier 4s. Then Gold Tier 1s. That alone had been alarming enough. But now—now they had leapt into Gold Tier 3? And even fought against a Gold Tier 4 expert and lived to tell the tale?
It was obscene. Gold Tiers 1 through 3 were powerful in their own right, but Gold Tier 4 was a wall. A qualitative divide that few crossed in their lifetime. Yet those brats had touched the line of the impossible.
"This can't continue…" Norg muttered, his hands trembling with fury. "From this point on, I will issue a bounty to all Sects, Kingdoms, Organizations, Tribes, and Clans—whether from the outer world, our world, or even the Whispering Expanse True World. Anyone who can capture or kill any of the Laughing Blue Reapers will be rewarded beyond measure. I will ensure resources are pooled together so we can issue a bounty unlike anything this region has ever seen."
The Hobgoblin demon slammed his head against the floor. "Yes, Golden Lord Norg!"
In the Daemon Region, Devrak sat slouched on a dark throne, his aura far heavier than during his days in the Whispering Expanse. Before him sat Golden Lord Roosell, gnawing on a giant roasted beast leg with careless strength.
"Ah, congratulations," Roosell said calmly between bites. "To think you'd ascend to Mortal Lord so easily. But then again, that secret technique of your people makes such things possible, doesn't it?"
"Hahaha, thank you, Roosell." Devrak's grin was sharp. "You haven't changed. No matter the cycle, your methods mirror mine. Did you know this makes our third time meeting across my rebirths?"
Roosell paused. His gaze flicked up, cold. "Rebirths, you say… Unlike you, I don't remember those times. Unlike you, I'm no genius."
"Ohh? Perhaps the current you doesn't think so," Devrak teased, eyes gleaming. "But if I'm not mistaken, the old monster from back then, at the Mortal Shedding Realm, who slaughtered and escaped fr—"
"ENOUGH!"
A faint seal lit on Roosell's forehead. For a brief instant, his aura surged, faintly stronger than Devrak's own. The beast leg cracked in his grip.
"Haaah… Devrak," Roosell growled. "We are friends. Perhaps more across centuries I can't recall. But this—this is the worst time to provoke certain people. Do not force my hand."
Devrak chuckled darkly, settling back into his throne. "Naturally, I understand." His smile turned soulless, yet his eyes glimmered with ancient remembrance. "Still… that fool Norg has played his part perfectly. As I expected."
He leaned forward, voice low. "Those children… they are truly movers of fate. This bounty will ignite the flames of war. The dimensional gate seals crumble one after another. The feud between the Red Star Continent and the Purple Starmist Continent will reignite. The Ribberton Sea Enforcers of Celestial Island will smell blood, descend upon the weak in the name of balance, and massacre as they plunder."
Roosell shook his head, biting into the leg again. "Ribberton… they are too large, too powerful. If the two continents stood united, perhaps. But as they are? Their powerhouses far surpass most sects outside the middle continents."
"Hahaha, all the better," Devrak replied. "They won't move until the blood runs deep enough. By then, the world will already be breaking."
He smiled. "And so, I will ride the tide of Norg's bounties. This should be entertaining."
Across the continents, rumors spread like wildfire.
The bounty was beyond comprehension—riches and resources pooled from countless organizations, enough to tempt even Mortal Shedding experts. Betrayal began to simmer in sects and clans where loyalty had once been unshakable.
Affiliates of the Laughing Blue Reapers were soon added to the hunt. Though their rewards were lesser, opportunists flocked to chase them down. Chaos spread as old enemies put aside grudges just long enough to hunt together.
But not everyone was against them. The Seven Sect Alliance, led by the Bright Brilliant Blade Sect, made their stance clear. While others sought to slaughter affiliates, they chose the opposite path—harboring, recruiting, and protecting them.
The board was set.
Seven days after the war, the Bright Brilliant Blade Sect finally opened formal contact with the Fanged Elf Tribe.