My Dragon King System-Chapter 286: Ambush At The Temple Of Gateways

Thyron replied to Syqora, "Leave that to me," as though she had already formulated a plan in her mind on how to push Samael through the portal.

"How do we deal with his spear?" Aiden asked. "It’s all for naught if that spear ends up killing us before we get to do anything."

Orlien stepped forward then and said

"Let me deal with the spear."

Aiden’s red eyes moved towards hers, and he asked again for certainty.

"You’re sure?"

Orlien scoffed lightly, and when she spoke again, her voice sounded rather sweet.

"Sure hit or not, the Longinus has never been able to fell us when we paid it any attention."

Aiden simply nodded, leaving it at that.

Thyron then said,

"I believe it’s time we returned to the moon. To hear the rest of it from Gaia and the others."

Everyone seemed to be in agreement, which then made Aiden raise his hand without further delay, causing a blue portal to open up before them.

One by one, they stepped through.

———

Meanwhile, in Eden, within the Temple of Rhyos, the Gateway God.

Rhyos was in quiet conversation with a goddess who stood beside him. She wore robes of pale blue, her dark hair tied back in a braid that fell past her shoulders.

Her expression was thoughtful as she listened to whatever Rhyos was saying, with her head tilted slightly to one side.

Then the sound of footsteps became audible, approaching into the temple.

Nine figures began filing through the entrance as Rhyos stopped mid-sentence and turned his attention toward the incoming group.

His eyes narrowed immediately, but then realized that he did not recognize them.

That alone was unusual.

Rhyos could remember the faces of most inhabitants of the city. Even those he did not know personally, he could usually recall by sight.

Or Perhaps a High God or even an Archon had brought humans they found favor in into Eden. It was not unheard of.

Gods had done such things before, elevating mortals or bringing them into the city for one reason or another.

But even if that were the case, they would have crossed through his gates on their first entrance, and he would have noticed them still.

But these nine? He had never seen them before. The goddess beside him also turned, with her expression shifting into one of confusion.

Rhyos exchanged a brief glance with the goddess beside him. She shook her head slightly, silently confirming that she did not recognize them either.

They did also not carry the sensation of gods as well. In fact, they carried no particular presence at all as Lilith had also masked away the presence of their energy with the spell she cast on it to hide their true looks.

However their attire resembled the robes and tunics commonly worn throughout Eden, and their movements carried a certain composure that suggested they belonged here.

As the demon lords continued stepped into the temple, Asmodai’s gaze landed on the goddess standing beside Rhyos, and a thought crossed his mind almost immediately.

"To plan for all eventualities. Always two steps ahead, Father."

When they finally got into proximity, Rhyos said, "I do not recognize any of you, what brings you all to my temple?"

Morrigan, who led the demons into the temple, did not answer him directly.

Instead, she tilted her head slightly toward Astaroth, who stood just to her side.

"Be quick about this," Morrigan said.

Astaroth stepped forward, and as she began to walk past Morrigan, she glanced back and asked casually, "No killing, right?"

Morrigan’s expression remained calm as she replied, "You know best not to bring Him any anger."

Astaroth sighed at that, but then her magic energy let loose for just a moment. A darkish red aura began seeping out from both her clenched fists, coiling around it like smoke.

Rhyos, who had overheard that brief exchange, felt his shock even worsen as he watched Astaroth approach him.

That was not divine energy. It was something else entirely. It was then he realized that these were not gods, nor even humans favored by gods.

He felt the need to call for the right person who would handle this situation, and at that point Rreached inward with his mind, attempting to form a telepathic connection to Aveta.

She was the one responsible for maintaining peace and order in Eden. If anyone could respond quickly to a threat, it was her.

But the moment he tried to establish the link, he realized something was wrong.

The connection would not form.

It was as though the pathway itself had been severed or blocked entirely.

Rhyos’s eyes widened with terror as his situation only took worse turns each passing moment.

Zephron standing off to the side near the entrance of the temple was the one responsible for this.

With his right index finger and thumb rubbing together, a spell was being cast. It was a subtle motion, barely noticeable unless someone was looking for it.

Zephron had anticipated the possibility of any of the gods before them trying to alert the others telepathically, and he had begun casting his magic the moment Astaroth had taken that first step forward.

The Demon Magic Art he wielded was one that severed connections and links. And in this case, it worked perfectly against Rhyos’s attempt to contact Aveta.

The goddess standing beside Rhyos, Ashraf, sensed the imminent danger radiating from the approaching figure, and her instincts screamed at her to flee.

She was a lesser god like Rhyos and it felt like whatever power these intruders possessed was far beyond her ability to contend with.

Without hesitation, Ashraf launched herself into the air, taking flight toward the temple’s high ceiling, and aiming for the open sky beyond it where she might escape.

But Morrigan’s calm voice called out, "Kaerys."

The Demon Lord of Envy grinned widely.

"With pleasure," Kaerys said.

In one single leap, he launched himself into the air after Ashraf. His movement was impossibly fast as he covered the distance between them in one motion.

His claws extended from his fingers as he reached her. They did look like sharpened steel.

Ashraf glanced back over her shoulder just in time to see him closing in on her and her eyes widened in terror. Her assailant had approached too close

Kaerys swiped his hand with brutal force, releasing a claw attack that tore through the air toward her.

Ashraf crossed her arms instinctively into a defensive block, with her divine energy flaring around her forearms as she tried to shield herself from the strike.

The force of the attack slammed into her crossed arms with such strength that it sent her hurtling back downward as she could not hold the position.

Her body crashed into the temple floor with a thunderous impact, making dust and debris exploded outward.