A Paragon was an invincible Highgod, capable of withstanding the malice of any existence beneath a Sovereign.
But what about Celes?
Let alone a Paragon—he was merely a Six-Star Fiend.
If word of Locke's manner of address toward him were to spread, Celes would likely meet with disaster within ten years.
"Then, Celes, I'll address you that way."
"Mm."
Celes nodded, accepting how Locke chose to address him.
"Celes, I recall that you were previously part of the Frost Sovereign's Frost Army, weren't you?"
"Why is it that, after leaving the material plane, you didn't return to the Water Divine Plane to resume your position as a battalion commander under the Frost Sovereign, and instead came to the Netherworld?"
This was something that had puzzled Locke as well.
Before being forced into the material plane to gather faith power, Celes had already been a battalion commander in the Frost Army, his rank second only to the vice-commanders and commander.
Though Locke's current Sovereign Army was dozens of times stronger than the armies of old, to the point that ordinary Highgods could no longer serve as battalion commanders—
one mustn't forget that Celes was now a Six-Star Fiend who had fused three Water Laws profound mysteries.
A Six-Star Fiend's strength was enough to make him an elder—or even a clan leader—in some great clans.
Even in a Sovereign Army, that level of power was sufficient to command a battalion independently.
Had Celes returned to the Frost Army, his position surely wouldn't have changed.
And yet here in the Netherworld, after joining Locke's Sovereign Army, his Six-Star Fiend strength had initially only qualified him for the position of a mere company commander.
Even now, though he had successfully constructed a large-scale magical battle formation, defeated the First Legion, and become the commander of Locke's Fifth Legion, his status was merely equivalent to what it had once been in the Frost Army.
So, what exactly was Celes after?
"Oh?"
The Chief Sovereign of Death raised a brow.
"So, this man was once a soldier under the Frost Sovereign?"
"Could it be that you came here to learn the magical battle formations Locke created, only to take them back to the Frost Army?"
"Hm?"
The moment Oakes heard Lord Locke and the Chief Sovereign's words, his expression changed.
His figure blurred, and in an instant he appeared behind Celes, forcing him to the ground.
"My apologies, Lord Locke. I was unaware that Celes had once served in another Sovereign's army."
"I will execute him immediately to prevent the secrets of our Sovereign Army from being leaked."
Mira looked from Locke to Celes, her face full of conflict, unable to decide what to say.
On one side was the teacher who had given her everything.
On the other was the senior who had accompanied her through tens of thousands of years in the Netherworld.
Though she called him "senior," the bond between them was closer to friendship.
"H-hey, wait, wait—don't!"
Being slammed down like that by Oakes nearly scared Celes out of his wits.
"Chief Sovereign, I'm innocent!"
"Yes, I was once a soldier of the Frost Army under the Frost Sovereign, but I haven't had any contact with them for several million years."
"Locke can testify to that!"
"Hey, Locke, say something to the Chief Sovereign already! I really am not part of the Frost Army anymore…"
"Ah, on that point, I can testify."
"Celes truly can no longer return to the Frost Army."
"Oh?"
Even the Chief Sovereign of Death was intrigued.
Once someone joined a Sovereign Army, leaving it was practically unheard of.
Even after over a thousand panlong eras, there had only ever been news of people joining Sovereign Armies—never of anyone leaving one.
After all, the might of a Sovereign was unfathomable.
Once you became a Sovereign's person, you remained so for life.
Celes was still alive, so why was Locke saying he could no longer return?
A Six-Star Fiend was still a valuable asset, even to a Sovereign Army.
"Haha…"
Seeing the Chief Sovereign's curiosity, Locke made no attempt to hide anything for Celes.
"Several million years ago, Celes was a battalion commander in the Frost Army."
"But because of certain events, he offended one of the Frost Army's vice-commanders."
"As a result, both he and the soldiers under his command were forced into a material plane to gather faith power for the Frost Sovereign."
"And when Celes saw that the Frost Sovereign made no move to uphold justice for him, resentment took root."
"So, while gathering faith power, he used various methods to skim off a portion of it for himself."
"Even now, traces of the Frost Sovereign's faith power still remain on him."
"The moment he returned to the Frost Army, the Frost Sovereign would instantly know what he had done."
"How could the Frost Sovereign possibly tolerate that?"
"The moment he stepped into the Water Divine Plane, he'd probably be killed by the Frost Sovereign in the very next instant."
"So even if you gave Celes ten times the courage, he still wouldn't dare return there."
"Hiss…"
Hearing Locke's explanation, Oakes looked down at the Celes pinned beneath him in utter disbelief.
This man had guts.
He had actually dared to embezzle a Sovereign's faith power.
And the truly incredible part was—
he had succeeded.
Celes himself was equally shaken.
He had never imagined that a Sovereign's power had reached such a terrifying level that even this could be sensed.
Thankfully, back then, he had chosen to come to the Netherworld with Mira to learn more from Locke.
Had he gone straight to the Water Divine Plane instead, he would likely be long dead by now.
"Even if Celes dares not return to the Water Divine Plane, his identity as one of the Frost Sovereign's former people is still a problem."
After hearing the explanation, the Chief Sovereign frowned.
As one of the Four Chief Sovereigns, since she herself had established the Sovereign Pact, she was naturally bound to uphold it.
Though she didn't particularly regard the Frost Sovereign as a threat, Celes's matter could not be taken lightly.
At its smallest, it was an act of retaliation against the Frost Sovereign.
At its largest, it was a challenge to the dignity of all Sovereigns.
If the other Sovereigns learned of this, they would absolutely move to preserve Sovereign authority and punish Celes severely.
If Locke chose to shelter Celes now, then in the future, what was to stop soldiers from other Sovereign Armies from betraying their masters the moment they found a stronger Sovereign willing to take them in?
That would throw the entire Sovereign and Sovereign Army system into chaos.
Once a Sovereign could no longer trust even their own army, the only way left to maintain order in the divine and higher planes would be through absolute strength and fear.
And if it came to that, all divine experts would inevitably come to regard the Sovereigns as their greatest enemies.
Of course, even if every divine expert in existence united, the Sovereigns would need only a few strikes to erase them all.
But above the Sovereigns still stood the Four Overgods.
They might usually seem absent, but the moment a Sovereign violated the rules, an Overgod would descend at once to impose punishment.
"Locke, if Celes holds no special significance to you, then I advise sending him to the Frost Sovereign."
"Otherwise, once this precedent is set, it may trigger a dangerous chain of mistrust between Sovereigns and their armies."
The moment Celes heard that, panic seized him.
"No! Please, Chief Sovereign!"
"I do hold special significance to Locke!"
"Hey, Locke, stop laughing over there! Say something for me—plead my case already!"
"All right, Celes, calm down first."
Locke waved a hand.
"Your issue itself isn't especially troublesome."
"The real problem is that if the relationship between you and the Frost Sovereign isn't handled properly, the consequences could be severe."
"Lilya, leave this matter to me for now."
"I'll take Celes out for a walk and seek the opinions of the other three Chief Sovereigns."
"But—"
"Don't worry. If it truly proves impossible, I won't stand against the Sovereigns over Celes."
"…All right."
Hearing that, the Chief Sovereign of Death knew Locke had a clear sense of proportion and said no more.
At once, Locke's Fate Sovereign clone stepped out from his original body, walked over to Celes and Oakes, and lifted Celes from Oakes's grasp.
Whoosh—
With a sharp burst of sound, Locke's Fate Sovereign clone and Celes vanished instantly from everyone's sight.
"Hm?"
Mira's pupils shrank.
She already possessed the strength of a Seven-Star Fiend, yet she hadn't sensed in the slightest how Teacher Locke and Celes had disappeared.
Still, from the way Teacher Locke and the Chief Sovereign had been speaking, Mira now understood—
Celes's earlier suspicions had been completely unfounded.
Teacher Locke was not imprisoned by the Sovereign at all.
After all, Locke's Fate clone had just left right in front of the Chief Sovereign, and she hadn't said a word.
"Mira."
"Teacher."
Hearing Locke call her, Mira stepped forward and bowed.
"Mira, you've done very well."
"What you've achieved far exceeds my expectations."
At Locke's praise, Mira hesitated and glanced at Oakes beside her and the Chief Sovereign seated next to Locke.
Her reaction made Locke slightly curious.
Could there be some hidden reason behind her achievements beyond mere talent and insight?
With that thought, Locke said directly,
"Mira, if there's something you wish to say, just speak openly."
"As you can see, Oakes is my subordinate, and this Chief Sovereign is my friend."
"They are not outsiders."
"Yes, Teacher."
At this point, Mira herself had begun to vaguely sense that something was off.
Yet no matter how she thought about it, she couldn't pinpoint what.
So, facing Locke's question, she chose not to conceal anything.
Removing the necklace from around her neck, Mira said,
"Teacher Locke, the truth is, most of what I've achieved today is thanks to this."
"When I wear this bead, my comprehension of the Laws' profound mysteries becomes extraordinarily clear."
"It was precisely with its help that I was able to achieve the fusion of profound mysteries you once taught me."
"This is… the Soul-Extinguishing Pearl?"
The moment they saw the violet bead hanging from Mira's necklace, Locke, the Chief Sovereign of Death, and Oakes nearly cried out in unison.
None of them had expected that after searching for so many years—without Oakes bringing even a single lead—
one of the Overgod mission tokens would suddenly appear in Mira's possession.
With a wave of his hand, the necklace flew into Locke's grasp.
Crack… crack…
Immense power surged through Locke's hand, enough to fracture space itself—
yet the violet bead remained utterly undamaged.
"Indeed. Even I cannot destroy it."
"That confirms it. This is the Soul-Extinguishing Pearl."
The Soul-Extinguishing Pearl's greatest function was actually to allow divine experts to unleash powerful soul attacks.
However, when Locke had taught Mira in the past, he had judged her potential to be limited.
As such, he had only taught her about the fusion of Laws after becoming a deity and had never instructed her in soul attacks.
Because of that, although Mira had worn the Soul-Extinguishing Pearl all this time, she had only been using its secondary effect—
enhanced affinity with the Laws—
to assist in the fusion of profound mysteries.
"Mira, this should still be useful to you, shouldn't it?"
"Yes, but as my strength has grown, its effect has gradually weakened."
"I estimate that once I completely fuse five profound mysteries, it will no longer be of much use."
"Mira, this Soul-Extinguishing Pearl is extremely important to me."
"But I have no immediate need for it right now."
"Until you complete the fusion of five profound mysteries, keep using it."
"Once you succeed, I'll exchange it for something even more suitable for you."
"There's no need, Teacher Locke. I was planning to give this to you anyway."
Hearing that, Mira hurriedly waved her hands.
"That's enough, Mira."
"Since I said I'll exchange it for something better suited to you in the future, I won't take those words back."
Locke tossed the Soul-Extinguishing Pearl back to her, then glanced at the Chief Sovereign of Death.
At that very moment, she happened to be looking at him as well, and gave him a smug little lift of her brow.
As expected of someone with Paragon-level luck.
Locke had spent tens of thousands of years searching for the three Overgod mission tokens without any results.
And yet the moment the Chief Sovereign of Death sat down beside him, one of them had practically delivered itself to his doorstep.
"By the way, Mira—what are your plans now?"
Mira shook her head, her eyes somewhat lost.
Before coming to the Netherworld, her sole wish had been to find Locke.
Then she had intended to offer him the treasure that had helped her grow this far—
as repayment for the grace of his teachings.
(End of Chapter
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