"Draig, are you okay?" Zain asked, his voice filled with concern and a hint of desperation.

  Draig nodded slowly, his expression a mix of exhaustion and newfound strength. "It was very painful." he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "But now I feel stronger and weaker at the same time."

  Raina, puzzled by this paradoxical development, looked to Azazel for an explanation. She had always sensed a latent threat from Draig, a simmering power that now seemed strangely subdued.

  Azazel shrugged, noticing their questioning gazes. "When his mana was compressed, he lost all his previous power and has to start from scratch. But now his mana is much more potent. He can truly unlock the potential of an Abyssal Dragon."

  "Oh! How could I forget?" Azazel suddenly remembered, walking up to Lilith with purpose. He placed a finger on her forehead, his touch gentle but firm. A light red glow appeared, illuminating her face briefly before fading as he retracted his finger. "There you go! Now you can speak human tongue."

  Lilith rubbed her forehead, appearing slightly pained but more alert. She turned to Zain and the group with a shy smile. "Hello! Nice to meet you, my name is Lilith."

  Until then, even Raina and Zain had assumed Lilith was mute. Her sudden speech surprised them, adding yet another layer of mystery to her character.

  "Enough. I have no time left for greetings." Azazel interrupted, his tone urgent. "I'll be leaving this plane soon. Lilith, I can't stay with you anymore. This may very well be the last time we meet. You must follow this boy's commands. And you." he gestured to Zain, "take care of her. She'll be a powerful companion."

  "Let's hope we meet again someday, and then I'll tell you more about her. Like your dragon, she's also just a few months old. Help her adapt. Her understanding of the world is limited, as she's always been with me."

  Azazel patted Lilith's head gently, his eyes softening for a moment. "Goodbye!"

  In the next moment, Zain's group, along with Lilith, disappeared from the space pocket, the transition swift and disorienting.

  "Take care, kids." Azazel muttered to the empty air.

  Seconds after they vanished, the mana in the space pocket grew chaotic. Spatial cracks began to appear, and a figure descended from one of them, the air around her crackling with raw power.

  "Notorious Demon King Azazel, why does our plane suffer your disastrous presence?" A woman with black knee-length hair tied in a ponytail, brown eyes, and an amber complexion emerged from the crack. Her presence was commanding, and her gaze was piercing.

  Azazel seemed indifferent, almost bored. "Little girl, did the others send you alone? Aren't they basically asking you to get beaten up?"

  "Azazel, if our plane's younger generation heard you call me 'little girl' what would they think? And as for getting beaten up, if you were in your main body, I might consider it. But you're just a clone. Others will doubt my strength if I let you go." she smirked, her confidence unshaken.

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  "Girl, next time don't talk too much, just attack straight away."

  "What do you mean..." The woman began, but Azazel winked as he disappeared, a large array lighting up on the ground, sealing his exit.

  "Next time?" she muttered as the space pocket began to crumble around her. Spatial storms emerged from the cracks, tearing at the fabric of reality. With an unwilling expression, she opened a portal and left, her presence vanishing as abruptly as it had appeared.

  ---

  Outskirts of Gremory Dukedom.

  A small, winding road surrounded by lush grasslands led to a nearby village. The scenery was serene, a stark contrast to the chaos that had just unfolded. A spatial crack appeared in the air, and Zain’s group jumped out, landing on the ground with a thud. Another spatial crack opened nearby, and the fifty experts who had accompanied them were thrown out, their expressions dazed and confused.

  Raina quickly checked on everyone’s condition, her medical training kicking in. She asked them how they ended up there, her voice calm but insistent.

  The experts explained that after Draig and the group entered the caves, the space around the gnome stronghold froze, and they all fell unconscious. The next thing they remembered was being thrown out of a spatial crack.

  "Madam Raina, could it be because of the Nova you mentioned?" one of the experts asked, his voice tinged with fear.

  Raina didn’t answer immediately, her mind racing. Instead, she approached Zain, who was talking to Lilith, his expression a mixture of curiosity and concern.

  "Lilith, do you know anything about this situation?" Zain asked, his tone gentle but probing.

  "No, I don't know." Lilith replied, her voice trembling slightly. "I’ve always been with Azazel since my birth. We were caught in a spatial storm, and when Azazel finally found a way out, we arrived at your plane. He had expended most of his energy and had to recover here."

  "We were about to leave because his Abyssal energy was being detected by the Novas of this plane, but then you found us. You know the rest. I’m still worried about him. It’s likely a Nova found us. To protect us, he sent us here, including your subordinates."

  Lilith looked sad, tears welling up in her eyes, her vulnerability starkly apparent.

  "If that’s the case, Azazel saved us a lot of trouble. We would have faced severe scrutiny if we were found with a Demon King." Raina said, her voice filled with a mixture of relief and apprehension.

  "Raina, you should erase their memory to avoid future trouble." Zain suggested, his tone practical.

  Raina nodded, gathering the squad into a tight circle. She formed a magic circle around them, the air shimmering with power, and began the incantation to erase their memories of the gnome stronghold.

  "Now, what about the weapons trade with the dwarves?" Zain asked, having initially aimed to secure a weapons supply for their territory but ending up embroiled in unforeseen troubles.

  "Don't mention it! We’re returning to the territory now. I’ll send one of my personal aides to handle the trade. We’ve had enough trouble for one trip." Raina said angrily, her frustration evident.

  Zain obliged, noting that it was rare for him to back down. Draig smiled slightly at this rare occurrence, the tension easing slightly.

  "I’m sorry for causing you so much trouble." Lilith apologized, bowing her head deeply.

  "Hey! Don’t worry. You’re like Draig to me now. I promised to take care of you. We’re friends, and friends look out for each other." Zain reassured her, his smile warm and genuine.

  "Girl, don’t blame yourself. You’ve done nothing wrong." Raina added, hugging Lilith as she saw tears in her eyes. The gesture was tender, filled with unspoken support and solidarity.

  "Let's go back first." Zain suggested, his voice steady.

  The group traveled back to Vermillion City, their journey marked by an uneasy silence. Izark summoned Zain and Raina immediately upon hearing of their return. They went straight to meet him, their steps heavy with the weight of their experiences.

  Entering the Duke's study, they saw Izark behind a large, ornate table, reading a book. The room was filled with art pieces, paintings, and books, exuding a majestic and scholarly vibe.

  "You came back rather quickly." Izark noted, his eyes still on the pages. "So, what's the news?"

  He finally put down the book, his piercing gaze focusing on them.

  Raina cast an isolation spell, the air shimmering as a barrier formed around them, and recounted their journey, omitting details bound by the secrecy pact.

  Izark’s expression changed several times during the story. He eyed Lilith with a mixture of curiosity and concern, then looked at the group with a measured gaze. "I knew this trip was a bad idea. What’s done is done. Raina, send all the troops who accompanied you to the family-owned planes. Send your closest aides to finalize the weapons deal with the dwarves. Leave no loose ends. We can’t afford to be suspected of colluding with Demon Kings."

  Raina quickly left to carry out his orders, her steps brisk and determined. After she left, Izark turned to Lilith, his expression hardening.

  "Girl, you need to leave." he said firmly, not wanting to endanger his family further.

  Lilith started to leave, tears forming in her eyes, but Zain grabbed her hand firmly. "You don’t need to go anywhere." he said, his voice resolute.

  Hearing this, Lilith felt a wave of relief wash over her. Since her birth, she had been with Azazel, her only source of comfort and protection. When he left her, she was heartbroken. Now, she feared being abandoned again. Zain’s words touched her deeply, like a warm breeze on a cold night.