They stared at each other from a distance. The young woman didn't try moving any closer but stood about five paces from him. She lowered her head waiting for his command before she would speak.

Had Abdin never seen her true self before, he would never have believed she would try killing him.

"What are you waiting for, you have trespassed on my orders and left your position. Speak."

She lowered her head even more. "He has begun to move. I don't know how his cultivation base has suddenly become apparent and is starting to stir. He was at the peak of the ki condensation stage when this started yesterday. By morning he has transformed into an early core formation expert. By late afternoon, his cultivation has shot up to the zenith. And a few minutes ago, he... he attained Deva."

"Deva?" Abdin's eyes bulged out in surprise, or rather shock. The last he saw a Deva was at a level 5 empire. There was no way a Deva would visit a level 1 empire. And Devas were the reason Abdin escaped to the Biyakis empire in the first place.

"A Deva you said?" He asked again.

Laluri nodded slowly. "He is above core formation experts. I was told Deva is the next stage."

Between core formation and Deva was the pseudo-Deva. Perhaps it was a Pseudo-Deva she saw.

Slowly, Abdin began to sweat. The chances of a Deva being accidental there were abysmally low. Unless... one of Abdin's former rivals had tracked him.

He bit his lip. A Deva would always be a Deva. If Laluri truly saw a Deva, then he must make some alterations to his plans.

Still, there was not a single Deva in the whole of Biyakis, Shurein, and any other level-one empire. And there was no Deva at all in Will of San.

Was the mist he sent for Juwaira also attracted this man, or had he been following him all along?

That man aside, the woman before him could sniff a level of pol beyond core formation. This alone was enough to show him how strong her cultivation base was. In the past two days, Abdin had thought about their relationship and decided what to do with the deceptive woman.

Sometimes, necessity would force one to leave their enemy alone or even ally with them.

"What cultivation stage are you at?" Asked Abdin. By some mysterious skill, the woman had blocked off her pol to the extent he was unable to read it. She was like the masked man in that aspect. Both of them never gave off any whiff of pol.

"I..."

"You know what a Deva means, right?" Abdin interrupted, shaking his head dejectedly. "Whatever it is you are hiding wouldn't work before a Deva. Perhaps, you and I stand a chance against him. What say you?"

The young woman tilted her head and their eyes met. No one spoke for a long while before she smiled, and her face transformed into the same mask she revealed when she killed him in a previous loop. Abdin instinctively took a step back.

"Have you changed your mind about killing me?" She asked.

Abdin laughed. So Laluri overheard their discussion with Juwaira. "It depends on your answer. Can you explain why a cultivator like you disguises herself as a slave?"

Laluri shrugged. "I am a slave. I don't see anything surprising about my being a slave."

Abdin arched his brows. He wanted to continue but he decided not to get into a philosophical argument with her. "What is your relationship with Juwaira?"

If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

"Princess Juwaira you mean? The relationship between a servant and her mistress." It didn't seem like a lie. But then you never knew this kind of people.

"But why would she want me to kill you?" Asked Abdin, looking bewildered.

"Because she doesn't want to return home. I must take them back home, and I am given the liberty to kill any of them who refuses. I don't see anything wrong about this to make the princess order my death."

The truth suddenly dawned on Abdin. This could be why Juwaira eavesdropped any time he talked with the slave. So, Laluri never wished to kill her. All she wanted was to take her home. That could be why all this time, despite having the chance, Laluri didn't kill the princess.

For more than four years, Abdin knew Juwaira was wanted. Great cultivators had left Shurein in search of the princess, so he wasn't surprised by this. What made him wonder was the name Nánata. When did the Shurein reach a status so high as to hire a Nánata tribesman? Was there any relationship between Nánata and Juwaira's father, the emperor of Shurein?

"I won't let you marry her bloodline. But I can ally with you to defend Abd."

Abdin ignored her for a moment. The slave woman could have heard their conversation through the ant tattoo on Juwaira. That one was clear enough. But there was still something he couldn't put together. He had guessed there was something Juwaira was hiding from him, but there weren't any signs to show the princess knew Laluri was from Nánata. In her words, Laluri used to send messages in a tongue foreign to her. In that case, it was either Juwaira who never understood the Nánata language or it was altogether a different tongue that the slave used.

The truth was a two-edged sword, so they said. Abdin needed to hear from Juwaira before he took any decision.

For now, it would be best if Abdin believed that Laluri had already communicated to Shurein or anyone she worked for, her location, and her situation. Perhaps a rescue party from Shurein was already on its way.

Moreover, Laluri heard their entire conversation and knew why he invited Juwaira to the castle. She knew he wouldn't let Juwaira return home. It was probably why she decided to kill him earlier. Though he never had any conversation with Juwaira in the previous loop, so Laluri had no way of knowing that. There must be another reason why she decided to kill him then. And also a reason why Nánata wanted to take Juwaira home or to take her away.

"You would ally with me to defend Abd?" Abdin laughed.

Wasn't it obvious? The damn slave would say anything now because she was overpowered this time. But when her party arrived, she would team up with them to kill him.

Fate was sometimes funny. A few minutes ago, before she told him about her agenda to take Juwaira, he had been thinking about how he could use her. But now, he understood what was at stake: both of them were seeking the same person. There was no way to ally with her unless he was going to give up on Juwaira.

"I know what you are thinking, Commander. But you don't have a choice. If you don't ally with me, the soldiers outside are more than you can contend with, and I will make sure none of us helps you." She paused and smiled. "But if you ally with me and we succeed, I will give the emperor of Shurein good feedback on you. I might even tell him you were the one who helped me return his daughter."

She took two feet towards him, reducing the distance between them to only three and a half paces. But her expression remained friendly.

"Don't you see the possibility of you all dying if you don't aid me to defend the castle? Those soldiers beyond the walls won't tell us apart. I think you don't have a choice."

Laluri smiled. She removed an ID card from her pocket and showed it to him. It was made from molten rock. With the use of some techniques, the stone was shaped into a rectangle and carved to design an image and a name.

"Will of San and anyone trying to attack you won't dare touch me. Unless they want to stand against the Nánata."

On the ID card was written: Laluri Nánata. There was an image of her and a signature drawn in red.

"Also, I don't think anyone would hurt princess Juwaira in Biyakis unless they want a war with Shurein." She gave him a smile that said he would be the sole casualty.

Abdin sighed. A liar though Laluri was, he had to believe her this time. Juwaira was untouchable as a princess. Biyakis would only fine Shurein before they released her. And Laluri had the Nánata immunity. A lowly-ranking empire on the first level wouldn't dare go to war with Nánata. Only Abdin would be in for it.

Moreover, they could all escape. But Abdin couldn't flee and leave the castle behind.

However, something big that was hitherto hidden was exposed from their conversation. Abdin was now aware of what the relationship was between Juwaira and Laluri. He used to fear killing Laluri, thinking she would kill Juwaira and the rest of her team as a result.

He knew now that, that wasn't going to happen. Now, he had the chance to kill this woman, after that, he would decide what to do with the gathering army at the gates.

Abdin transformed into a ball of lightning, his hands melted into his body, and his whole being became a yellow lightning ball. He shot forward towards the young woman.