A month had past since Kei and Vetros left. They were within Cloq Dukedom, most of the terrain was dryland. The air was dry, no vegetation, and no life in sight. Most of the war took place within (now) Cloq Dukedom, which the environment suffered from. The only sustaining land with futile soils and lush greenery was the area surrounding the lake. Which, the capital was close by. It could be the only reason why anyone would want this land.

They were making progressed in their travels. Of course, they stopped by the capital of Cloq Dukedom for some sightseeing.

Along the way, Kei released Vetros from her slave collar. They became ... close.

***

The duo kept pushing through the dryland and reached a desert. Kei was here, looking at the map, this should be where the demon race should be living, hiding, or something. There was sand, some large rock formations, and more sand.

Vetros also looked around but she wasn't perplexed as Kei. She was uncomfortable and constantly tired in very dry areas, constantly asking for water to drink and spalsh on herself. "Rest," she said.

It was getting dark and Kei can think about what to do next after setting up camp near a large boulder.

They left their carriage and horses back at the capital. Kei's dimensional pocket has all the materials, equipments, food, and water they need.

After eating, they left the campfire going. Vetros sat down by the boulder, then Kei sat in front of Vetros and leaned his head under her breast.

"I ca-can scan the area for any life. It w-ouldn't be long before we-we find them." Kei's voice was shaking, no it was his whole body. After leaving the capital, Kei had been acting strangely that it was worrying. It didn't escape from Vetros eyes that Kei was acting like nothing happened.

Kei was beginning to lose sleep over the unknown on what's happening to his body. He really needed to meet the priestess that Deco mentioned. She must know something. He couldn't just got the different world flu.

After his shaking subsided, Kei brought a large blanket from his dimensional pocket and wrapped it around Vetros and himself.

After some thinking, Kei striked some conservation: "I heard Jules Domain is a jungle or something similar. Do you think it's your home?"

"Maybe. I remembered: vines, many rain, moist air, lots of trees." Vetros closed her eyes, trying to remember. 

During their travel, Vetros revealed some stuff about herself. She didn't particular remembered if she had any family or met any of her kind. She left her home in search for people like her. Staying in one place for so long with no contact with anyone else, solitude was taxing. Vetros didn't want to be stuck with the same routine everyday. But sadly, she met the wrong people once she left her home. After so long, she felt a little homesick. Just a little.

Vetros lifted Kei up and hugged him like a stuff animal. She laid her chin on Kei's left shoulder and nuzzled him. "No rush to go home."

Then they slowly fell sleep. Kei became Vetros's body pillow for the night.

*****

Morning came and after eating breakfast, Kei and Vetros flew into the sky.

Well, Kei was carrying Vetros in her own created spider-silk net. With Kei's current strength, carrying her was no problem. He hoped the net wouldn't break.

Kei used his sixth sense and other skills to seek life in this barren land. It had been a few days since they started searching. Then he finally got a reaction the further he got closer to the edge of the continent. He quickly flew towards a lonely, red mountain. At the base of it, was an opening to a cavern - and life!

Kei slowed down and once he got closed to the ground, he let go of Vetros and dropped down himself to the ground.

Two figures came close to them and pointed their spears at them. They certainly had demonic traits, both had reddish skins and a pair of upright horns on their forehead. They're quite skinny too.

One of them shouted: "Who are you!? Where you come from!?"

Kei and Vetros wasn't fazed by the spears.

Dang, these guys are jumpy.

Before Kei can explain himself, an old man in grey, tattered robe came out of the cave. He was shouting: "Cease! Cease!"

Once the old man reached them, he dropped down to his knees and bowed down in front of Kei. "Our savior have come to us. Our priestess have receive a divine message of your arrival." The old man then stared at the two guards like they were idiots. "What are you doing! Bow down to your savior! Now!"

The two also bowed down without resistance. This old man must be important. He had violet skin, grey hair and beard, horns, and looks more fit and muscular than these guards - for an old guy.

Kei wanted to cut to the chase and said: "Take me to the priestess."

With no hesitation, the old man led them inside the cave.

***** 

They continued going down a slope like it was neverending. The passage was large to fit a wagon or a large beast, and there were guards here and there.

This was finally it, he was getting closer to accomplishing his goal. Once he dragged these demons out, put them in a nice city, protect them a few years - BAM! His job was done, which was wishful thinking on his part.

The walking was getting long, so Kei asked a few questions. "Whose in charge here? Do you still have a king or something? How you been surviving all this time?" Kei was bombarding the old man with questions.

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The old man was thrilled to answer, some of the answers were quite surprising.

This old man was a former general of the demon army! Kei gave the old man a second look. No wonder why he still looked so robust. It's his long grey beard that made him look like an elderly.

Currently, there was a commitee of decision makers for the demon race (what's left of it). No rulers or one person deciding for the group. Each member of the commitee represents a particular race or region. For example, a representative of the beast demons from the Island of Kitar or the priestess representing the 'Eternal Rest Creed'  a.k.a the death goddess religion. It had been through a few name change in the past two decades.

There was an underground reservoir, which had been decreasing at a troubling rate in recent years. In the beginning, there was fighting over the water until the old man smacked some sense into everyone. Rationing water was getting harder with growing number of refugees and small rise of births.

As for food, they got by with insects, wild animals of the desert, and trips to the ocean. Being alive wasn't hard, it was living that was difficult.

The group finally reached another entrance and passed through a wooden gate, it was a sight to behold.

Glowing greenish crystals were on the ceiling. It was another cave but it was massive. Like the size of four football fields and the height of a small mountain. It was questionable if this was naturally formed. The sides of the wall has holes in them. Wait, it seems like they were windows and doorways. They craved their homes within the walls of the cave! There were also shacks and tents littered in the open area.

The trio walked their way to the other side. Everyone gawked at the new visitors and whispers can be heard.

"Is that him?"

"Momma, momma! He has wings! Is he a boy harpy?!"

"I can't believe it. It's another arachne."

"That's our savior?"

They saw Kei and Vetros as oddities but the duo also looked at them the same way. It's like a sideshow. Other than the demons that are similar to the old man, there are minotaurs, werewolves, lamias, centaurs, and so forth. There were definiely beast-like, more so than the beastman people, who had just animal ears and tails.

After reaching to the other end of the cave, there was a green demon girl in a worn out priestess get up with a hood. She waved her hand and the old man departed.

She gave a crude curtsy and said: "Please follow me." The priestess's voice very feminine and clear as crystal. Her attire was better the looks of beggars like the other demons and she carried herself well.

Kei told Vetros to stay and mingle with the locals.

Along the way, there was no introduction, no explanations, nothing. Kei assumed she was leading him to a secluded area to speak.

***

Kei and the priestess entered another area, where the underground reservoir was located. The lake looked dazzling. The same glowing, green hue crystals were on the ceiling, across the walls, and in the water. Upon a closer look, the water definitely lowered when looking at the water levels. It was quite troubling.

"Okay, we're alone. I have some questions." Kei said. The priestess's back was in front of him. Before Kei can touched her shoulder, a black mist surrounded her body!

Kei jumped back a few feet and waited in anticipation. The priestess spurn around and her eyes were covered in blackness.

"We meet again, my servant." Kei recognized that voice! Deco!

"Yeah! You forgot to mention something back then!" Kei yelled.

The possessed priestess or Deco now, tilted her head. "Whatever do you mean?"

Kei ripped his shirt and exposed his chest. His chest was dard shade of gray, his skin was dry, and cracks formed across his chest.

 "I see. That is the result." Deco nodded her head. She walked in front of Kei and inspected his chest. The feeling when she touched his chest were like rugged stone and not flesh.

"That's all you got to say? I had coughing fits and sometimes blood came out! I thought I received an invincible body!" Kei became agitated and spewing all his frustrations in front of the death goddess.

Deco shown no expression and responded: "I offered a new body and power like no other. You think there isn't any drawbacks?"

"Uh... No!" Kei used a high-level healing spell and wound on his chest vanished. But his coughing came out here and there. The superficial wound was gone but something internally felt disturbing.

Deco gave another analytical look at Kei's body. "I've been watching you from the beginning. You had been growing stronger and been using powerful spells recently. Correct?"

Kei nodded his head.

"I think the problem lies on the body. It's not indestrutible but your stats make it so, only from external forces. Your body can't contain the massive mana pool you are accumulating. Summoning a massive army was a blessing in disguise. The summoned creatures consumes your mana until they perished for mana to return."

"But I can't keep having them existing forever. Right? What happened if I need all my mana to do multiple spells?"

Deco shook her head. "Those high-level spells, they're the true cause of your current dilemma."

Kei raised an eyebrow.

Deco continiued: "There is never been an individual to learn or use as many powerful or irregular spells as you. Instead of having a body having a setback from containing a massive amount of mana, what you gain was mana disorder."

...

Deco continued: "As someone who posses multiple elements that are common, special, and rare, in turn, allowing to utilize spells of multiple specialties. It's fine to use spells of a handful of different elements in battle. But in your case, exploiting many of your elements in a short period of time. It will cause your mana pool into ... disorder."

Kei was dazed a bit. This new found information was something that he needed to know before! At the same time, he never consulted anyone regards to magic except with Bridget. Even she doesn't know if there were any side effects of having a massive mana pool or so many elements. It was unheard of.

After a few minutes of gathering the pieces in his head together. He doesn't know if Deco was really an ally or not. If she isn't, what can he do? One thing is clear, he needed to get better.

"Okay. Besides your forgetfulness, what do I need to get better?"

Deco twitched her nose. "Time. Your mana pool can sort itself out. As long you don't go overboard again."

"It hard not to against those -"

"Holy knights."

"Yeah. That's what the people chanted when I fighting them. Taking on 1 is all right but 20 was troublesome. Know what they are?"

Deco sighed. "Yes. They're weapons brought by the ... life goddess." When she uttered that name, it's like drinking poison for her. "There are at least 1000 knights in this world, minus the 20 you destroyed."

"Son of a bitch!" Kei was distraught. It was definitely a problem.

While Kei was assessing the situation, it was time for Deco to bid farewell. "Our time is short. You're close to fulfill our agreement. As for your body, it will take little time to be back to its former healthy state. Farewell."

With that, the dark aura disappeared and the priestess's eyes returned to it's normal state. The priestess felled into Kei's arms after being taken over. She wasn't going to wake up any sooner. So, Kei carried her and sat down by edge of the lake and contemplated.

***

The priestess was slowly opening her eyes. The first thing she saw was the savior her goddess spoke of. She was laying her head on his lap. Once she realized that, she quickly sat up and apologized.

"Please, forgive me. I... I..."

Kei placed his finger on her lips and said: "I want to make this clear. I'm in charge right?" She nodded.

"Then we're moving." Kei said in a stern voice.

"Excuse me?"

"Did you not hear? Tell everyone to pack up and go. I got us a place." Both Kei and priestess got up and slowly walked back to where they came.

"To where?" The priestess questioned.

"Back to your former home. The former Demon captial, Yogol."

"But it's currently controlled by the Cloq family. I do not believe we can muster a force to take back our home. Especially with those white knights as their protectors." The priestess spoke in a soft tone. She wished to stay away from conflict as much possible.

Kei gave a soft chuckle and said: "They're gone. Them, the people, and the stupid family that rule it."   

The priestess widen her eyes and stopped walking, while Kei kept moving.

When Kei visited the capital of Cloq Dukedom, the place was the former capital of the last Demon kingdom. It was the closest location to where they were currently at, with good land to live off from. So, Kei does what he does best at that time.