In a place far, far away from the planet Azure, where Jeremy currently was...
"Those two still haven't reported back? This is absurd. How can they be wasting so much time in such a weak world?"
A massive figure slammed his fists onto the black table in front of him. He was angry—he hated waiting.
"Calm down, Preturl. You know how Bevrel is. He's probably just having fun slaughtering the humans."
The voice that replied was calm, as if the delay wasn't a problem at all. And in truth, it wasn't. For beings of their level, time had long since lost its meaning. Still, there were always those impulsive types who wanted everything now.
"I don't care what that brat is doing. He should have at least returned to report the situation." The massive man with fire-red skin and furrowed brows growled. "And that other one, Aliken—what's he doing? Playing games?"
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got.
The woman didn't respond immediately. After all, the devil had a point. The situation was strange. Normally, information would come in within minutes. But now, half an hour had passed, and they still hadn't heard anything.
"They're probably investigating his location. Even with their power, they aren't the only ones operating at that level."
Time passed—and still no news from the two. Unfortunately, they couldn't send more devils to investigate. Otherwise, the portals would collapse. A single Gate could only support the entry and exit of one EX-Rank being.
And creating new portals was impossible. They could only interfere with the natural formation of Gates on the planet.
In fact, what they had done earlier was just that—interfering with the formation of two monstrous S-Rank Gates to send in two EX-Rank warriors.
The only other option would be to travel manually across the vast universe.
"Enough. That's it. We'll send scouting squads," Preturl said with an unnervingly calm voice. Too calm. But those who knew him, like the woman beside him, understood all too well—behind that cold calm was a terrifying fury.
With the situation having reached this point, even the usually serene Serazeth—the devil woman standing beside Preturl—wore a slight frown on her face.
"Very well. But aside from the S-Ranks and EXs, we'll only send a single Stellar-Rank. We can't risk letting this get out of control," she added, folding her arms.
"Of course. We can't afford to disappoint the Master," he replied seriously, picking up a communication device to contact the S and EX-Rank squads under their command.
Serazeth, on the other hand, reached out to one of their Clan's Stellar-Rank warriors.
And so, just minutes later, a spaceship packed with incredibly powerful devils launched toward the distant planet—Azure.
---
"Let's land a bit earlier. I don't want to cause unnecessary trouble," Jeremy said in a commanding tone.
"Of course, Master!"
And so, they disembarked from the spaceship, landing in a rocky area. There was nothing nearby, save for a few scattered monsters—but no one bothered to kill them. After all, they posed no threat.
After sprinting at high speed along a winding path, they finally arrived near Velrath.
"Here we are—we've finally made it." Cambela's voice was filled with anticipation. She couldn't wait to capture a few new researchers.
Even Jeremy was slightly impressed. After all, he had never seen the imperial capital before—he had only heard stories about it.
"This place is enormous. I didn't expect the human race to be this advanced."
Jeremy had lived in the North Capital, but comparing it to the imperial capital would've been an insult.
The tall walls couldn't hide the city's splendor. Towering buildings, glittering structures, majestic trees.
The enormous gates that separated the city from the outside world were wide open—anyone could enter freely.
"Let's head to the gates. Keep a low profile," Jeremy said with a small smile. "It's been a while since I've had the chance to relax. Maybe... this is the right moment."
"Yes, I heard there are some amazing places to relax. I need a massage!" Cambela's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Jeremy eyed her suspiciously. It was always strange comparing this innocent-looking devil girl with the mad criminal she truly was—someone capable of acts far beyond moral boundaries.
But he couldn't judge. After all, he wasn't exactly normal either. He knew that. He just didn't care.
The three of them made their way toward the city gates.
As expected, a pair of useless guards were blocking the path.
That was Jeremy's first fleeting thought. But as he looked more closely, he noticed something odd—these two weren't ordinary guards. They were A-Rank.
That surprised him. After all, the general belief was that the strongest power available to humans was S-Rank.
"Master, is there a problem?" Cambela noticed Jeremy staring at the guards and tilted her head. She couldn't understand what was bothering him. Was it possible... her Master was short on money?
"Don't worry about the credits—I've got plenty," she added.
"Huh?" Jeremy looked at her, confused. It was true he wasn't rich—everything had happened so suddenly—but he definitely had enough credits to pay for the entry.
"Thanks, I guess…" he replied with a small nod.
His gaze turned toward the capital, as if trying to peer past the horizon. They were still in line; they couldn't just barge in, not if they wanted to keep a low profile.
"Cambela, how well do you know the capital?" Jeremy asked after a few seconds of silence.
"Well enough. Why?"
"What Rank is the strongest human in the empire?"
"The strongest figure, you mean?" Cambela blinked, surprised. She hadn't expected such a… basic question. "There's only one person who currently holds that title. It's none other than Ydra's daughter—Yvanna."
"If I'm not mistaken—" she added after a short pause, "she's currently stronger than me. Much stronger."
Cambela's cheerful smile had vanished, replaced by a serious expression. She couldn't afford to take Yvanna lightly. That woman was monstrously powerful.
"You're saying—" Jeremy was shaken. He hadn't expected anything like this. "That humans… actually have EX-Rank individuals?!"
His usually calm and unreadable expression had turned into one of pure shock. Everyone in the North Capital had grown up being told the same information.
No one had ever mentioned Ranks beyond S. No one had spoken of the emperor's daughter.
Cambela nodded.
"Are you sure about this?" It wasn't that Jeremy didn't trust her—it was just hard to shake off something so deeply ingrained.
"One hundred percent. But—" she said with a faint smile, "these are top-secret details. I've got agents inside the empire."
They kept talking until it was their turn at the gate.
"Hello, there are three of us," Cambela said as she stepped up to one of the guards. Her appearance, and Aliken's, didn't differ much from that of an average human.
She was a potion expert, after all. Having one that changed her appearance was nothing special.
"Welcome to Velrath. The rules are simple," said the guard as he stepped aside to let them pass. "Don't do anything reckless, and nothing will happen."
With those words, the three officially stepped into the empire.
"Wasn't the entry fee kind of expensive?" Jeremy asked, glancing at Cambela. They had paid 5,000 credits each—the average price of a monstrous D-Rank Core.
It wasn't much for them, but it meant that F and E-Ranks couldn't enter so easily.
"That's normal," Cambela replied, her eyes fixed ahead. "There are no weak or poor people in Velrath. Everyone who lives here has a decent background. And the weaker humans don't need to leave the city. They just use the guild's Gates to go hunting."
"Oh… right."
After a short silence, Cambela took the lead.
"Let me guide you, Master. I know the area pretty well. How about we head straight to relax? We also have a house where we can stay for the night."
"Sounds good. Lead the way."
And so, the trio began exploring the city, making their way toward the Velvet Lotus.