Malik turned to the cocoons.

His people were still unconscious, but thankfully alive.

As always, his spell’s targeting was beyond incredible, reaching no one but his enemies.

Dunya’s cocoon was nearest; he could see the shape of her through the packed earth, curled up like a sleeping child.

He walked over to it and placed his hand on the surface.

"Wake up, we’re done here."

The cocoon didn’t respond.

’Of course... They’re not waking up until the effect of that Holy Relic he used wears off.’

Malik sighed.

’Well, this is going to be a long wait.’

He sat down against the cave wall and watched the embers fade.

It was an incredible feeling of... peace.

A calm he hadn’t expected to feel after such a fight.

A wacky fight, or so he thought, and incredibly strange.

Sure, Malik could’ve tried to blast himself out of the Abyss before the Soul Glyph’s minute was over instead of sitting down and falling into his thoughts, but he didn’t want to risk it for no reason.

He would be better off waiting here until they woke so he could be guaranteed to get back in one piece.

Soon, he felt his white fire die down to nothing. The cave walls were still glowing, but the heat was slowly dropping there as well.

Ding!

—

╔════════╗

║FEAR GAIN!║

╚════════╝

[You’ve felled a Class Five Magi.]

[Fear Points: 13 → 20]

—

Malik stared at the notification for a long moment.

’Hm. That’s it?’

Seven points.

After all of that.

After nearly getting his mind torn apart by illusions and revealing his Peak Ember’s Touch to an enemy who probably sent word back to the Order before dying.

’Seven points.’

He chuckled derisively.

’Better than nothing... but barely.’

Ding!

Then another notification appeared.

—

╔═══════════════════╗

║NEW FACTION DISCOVERED!║

╚═══════════════════╝

[You’ve discovered Order Faction (Class One) - 10 → 12 % Increasing!]

—

’I guess that makes sense.’

A faction that strong, with a damned God on their side, wouldn’t be fearing a mere Angel.

The Order probably saw him as an inconvenience at best. A bug to be squashed when they got around to it.

Also, Malik wasn’t much surprised that he was the enemy of a God. The Originator of Corruption seemed to be a worse opponent already. This only piled on to his already large troubles.

’First Demons. Then the invaders. Then IT. Then the Abyss. Now a galactic federation and their God. What’s next? The Twelve Moons decide to fall on my head?’

He didn’t get to finish that thought.

Because as if he hadn’t had enough, Malik wasn’t given the time to breathe.

"My Sultan, we’ve come with urgent news!"

Two shadows materialized from the darkness at the cave entrance—his people, thankfully, from the Guard of the Fifth, who hadn’t taken part in the mission.

They’d likely arrived after the fight ended.

Or, well, maybe they had waited it out, thinking that they would annoy their Sultan if they interrupted.

Either way, they were here now.

And they had their heads down.

Good, they didn’t see him in his current, less-than-ideal state, where his appearance was flickering, the weakened and old version, threatening to break through.

"What is it?"

They both kneeled as the younger of them spoke first, his voice tight with urgency:

"An insurrection, my Sultan! Aram has revolted and formed a coalition. They’re led by the kingdom’s royal family."

Malik tilted his head back against the cave wall.

This time, he didn’t bother hiding his annoyance, letting out a loud sigh.

"Just how ungrateful can they be?"

The older shadow spoke up quickly, as if to appease him:

"It’s not their eyes that are blind, my Sultan, but their hearts."

Malik chuckled at those words.

’Hm, I like that. Not bad. Not bad at all.’

He casually pushed himself up from the ground.

His legs were steady enough, and while his arms still shook slightly, he could hide that.

"Hm, that is true."

The Sultan looked down at the two kneeling shadows.

"Perhaps they hate the love you have for me. Much like love, jealousy, or rather, envy is quite the blinding emotion... don’t you think?"

The shadows lowered their heads even further, nearly pressing their foreheads to the scorched stone floor.

"Wise words, my Sultan!"

Malik chuckled once more, though inwardly this time.

’You don’t need to butter me up so much.’

He stepped past them, walking towards the spot where Wahum had died.

The scorch mark was still there, etched into the stone like a brand.

But the body was gone, completely erased.

...almost completely.

Something glinted in the dark. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Malik knelt down.

His fingers closed around a thin silver chain, or something that looked like silver, still warm from the fire.

At the end of it hung a small pendant. Dark purple, almost black. It pulsed faintly with residual Rukh.

He was wrong about something.

’A Holy Relic survived.’

It was a spider branded with an upside-down cross.

Quite a statement to be wearing, but...

’This could be useful.’

He didn’t know how much lifespan it took exactly, but it didn’t matter.

Any Holy Relic that could boost a Class Five to fight with an Angel was worth keeping.

It didn’t reveal its specifics to the system yet, which made him think that there was a prerequisite for it to be accepted as his own.

’Later.’

Malik slipped the necklace into his pocket and then turned to glance at the cocoons.

’It looks like they’ll take some time to wake up. We’ll have to carry them. Or...’

He turned back towards the two still kneeling shadows.

"Boy, stay here. Guard them until they wake."

"Yes, my Sultan!"

Malik exited the cave.

The light from outside—the strange, glowing light of the Abyss’s first layer—was pale compared to the fire he’d unleashed. But that didn’t stop it from being a light he welcomed.

’One problem at a time... hm?’

With that, he gestured at the other shadow to follow him.

"Alright, I am done here. Let us depart."