At the border of the Land of Demons and the Bestial Alliance, Vesnic saw that some of his Absolute Verdure spell’s forest had spilled out of the Land of Demons and into the Alliance’s land because he had to estimate the size of Lucifer’s land. At the border, he noticed a base with several different beasts patrolling.

  “My lord, that is the camp that the Alliance has set up to deter any demons from crossing. Even now, with only me left, they have kept up the base like the persistent dogs they are.”

  Listening to Lucifer’s words, Vesnic understood the situation, and he himself could not understand why they would waste personnel guarding a country with one individual. Lucifer's attack on their borders had no advantages for him; it only forced him to govern and control more land. Keeping out of sight of the camp, Vesnic stopped on a hill some distance away.

  Creating ten magic circles underneath him, Vesnic cast a spell that Lucifer had never seen before. Gradually, the circles dissipated, and in mere seconds, a clear barrier was formed and surrounded the entire Land of Demons. Lucifer was astonished by this event, and it was visible on his face. Not wanting to be left out and prove his worth, he kneeled down and spoke gently, but there was a hint of pride in his tone: “My lord, such a spell would have exhausted your mana, so please accept this artefact from me.” He brought out the mana-recovering device from his bag and lifted it up with two hands for Vesnic. Both of them knew that that barrier spell had barely exerted any mana for Vesnic, but Lucifer wanted to use this opportunity to give his lord the item and demonstrate his value. Not to mention, such a potent artefact like his would be sought out by the kingdoms for their treasuries or even royal heirlooms.

  Vesnic looked down at the artefact; it was a pair of white gloves with a seven-circle spell etched into them. Although it was enticing for Vesnic at his level, he had a bigger plan that he needed to follow.

  “I don't need the artefact.” It's more useful for you, so wear it yourself.”

  Not backing down from the opportunity, Lucifer continued, “Yes, my lord. Then please take this artefact instead.” Once again, going into his bag, he brought a long black jacket. Unlike before, Vesnic took an interest in the item.

  ‘To think I would see this item here.' It was the jacket worn by his last life’s Lucifer. ‘No, this one looks like a replica; his last one was white, and the circles were stronger. I could alter them to fifteen circles, but the mana consumption may not be acceptable.' While he was thinking it over, Lucifer put his hand back into the back and brought out a similar-looking jacket, but white.

  “Actually, my lord,” Lucifer said hesitantly. “I have an identical-looking jacket for myself too.”

  Smiling with a knowing expression, Vesnic reached down and took the white jacket from Lucifer, inspecting the material and the circles on it. ‘The material is the same, but the circles are different. It seems that in the past, Lucifer changed the circles to more advanced ones. If it’s for him, I can do this much at least.' As he did with the paper, Vesnic started to draw runes on the jacket, removing the imperfect ones from before.

  Lucifer watched the entire process, realising that this man was not only a mighty magician but also a Runema. He thought to himself that he had indeed made the correct choice, and a wave of tension that had been weighing on him lifted.

  In a matter of seconds, Vesnic finished drawing the circles for the white jacket and then moved on to the black one. He soon finished both jackets and handed the white one to Lucifer, who accepted it graciously. The previous jacket had only eight circles, but now it has twelve. Permitting Lucifer to put it on, both individuals, with a quick flick of their wrists, slipped the jackets on, pulling them over their shoulders. Their movements were quick and confident, conveying a sense of effortless cool. Their long, opposite-coloured jackets reached down to their feet.

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  Lucifer grasped the gloves with his hands and smoothly pulled them onto his fingers. His appearance exuded a sense of purity and grace, while Vesnic’s attire was simple yet elegant and shrouded in darkness, with an air of mystery that seemed to emanate from his very origin. The two stood on the hill watching the camp become active due to the occurrence of the barrier as their new jackets flowed in the wind.

  “My lord.”

  “We will not touch the camp.” “Unnecessary trouble is the last thing we currently need.”

  Morphing into his true form, Vesnic abruptly wrapped his tail around Lucifer and took to the sky. Losing all composure, Lucifer started to sweat profusely and shouted, “My lord,” over and over again. A subtle smile formed on Vesnic’s face as he thought of how he first met the past Lucifer and did the same thing. The smile grew larger as he thought about how their reactions were the same.

  The flailing arms and squirming legs made the past Lucifer lose all his dignity. And that Lucifer had already reached the realm of gods—seeing such a scene made the Council of Gods crack up.

  Reminiscing about the happy past of millennia ago, an empty feeling appeared in Vesnic’s heart; however, it did not last long as he was brought back to reality by Lucifer’s screams. They flew higher, so the personnel of the camp did not notice them until they had crossed the border and the camp. Vesnic decided to make the trip a bit more interesting for his old friend, and he plummeted towards the earth, wings spread wide as he accelerated towards the ground. Before reaching the land, he slowed down sharply and threw Lucifer face-first into the ground. Instantly, Lucifer stood up, dusted off his new clothes, and started to mumble incoherently. Smiling gently as he watched him, Vesnic reverted to his human form and activated a magic circle on his clothes. Gradually, the tears from morphing into his true form disappeared and returned to normal.

  “My lord,” Lucifer asked, leaning forward. “What adjustments did you make to the artifacts?”

  “One twelfth circle enhancement spell that enhances your magic spells and body capability, one fourth circle repairing spell, and one tier seven defensive spell that will appear when you will it to and disappear when destroyed or when you choose it to,” answered Vesnic in detail for the first time. He did not want Lucifer to be injured and miss a key fact due to his arrogance.

  As the answer reached his ears, Lucifer's jaw dropped inwardly, and his eyes widened in disbelief. ‘A twelfth circle spell on this artefact... if the Garnamian Empire ever caught wind of this item, even they would stop at nothing to get their hands on it.’

  “Well, then let us go Lucifer.”

  Shaking out of his stupor, Lucifer replied, “Yes, my lord,” and walked after Vesnic. The two trudged on through the barren landscape, their footprints etching a path into the sandy ground behind them. The vast expanse of desert stretched out before them, the dunes rising and falling like the swells of an endless sea. They continued in silence, their eyes scanning the horizon for any sign of the town. The only sounds were the soft crunch of sand beneath their boots and the occasional whistle of wind passing by.

  “Lucifer, the map.”

  “Of course, my lord.” Lucifer put his hand into his surprisingly spacious bag, brought out the old map, and handed it to his lord. Vesnic took hold of the map and cast a spell on it, turning the paper fresh and white from its previous yellow shade. Opening it up, he attempted to locate the location on the map and the town. For a being such as Vesnic, the Slaughterer, he had never needed to use a map. He would just fly around at tremendous speeds, finding his location. Unfortunately, he could no longer do so, as he did not wish to attract more attention than he already had. He also did not want anyone to ride him when in his pure dragon form, and flying with Lucifer in his true form was awkward, to say the least.

  “We are almost there.”

  “That is great news, my lord.”

  “…”

  In silence, once again, they carried on moving. However, it only lasted a couple of minutes. A loud roar echoed in the distance. Sweat trickled down Lucifer’s back as the roar faded away, leaving him with a lingering sense of unease.

  “My lord, it seems that it came from the east. It is the opposite of our direction; maybe we should ignore it and move on.”

  Unlike Lucifer, for Vesnic, the sound seemed to reverberate within him, filling him with a sense of energy and excitement. A broad smile spread across his face, his eyes sparkling with joy.

  ‘So, they are alive.’

  “We're going there immediately Lucifer.”

  I have been feeling that my chapters are a bit short so I will start to increase the word count gradually.