Divine Path System

The offer he threw didn't garner any fans. The Dukes didn't trust him in the first place. Miss Calamity, on the other hand, thought he was just trying to avoid death at any cost.

"I know what you're thinking. But hear me out."

"You just want to buy time until her real body comes, cunning bastard!"

A green wall covered Varian, clashing against the red spear that reached him without warning.

Boom!

A powerful shockwave sent ripples across the region. Even though he was fully protected, Varian felt his spirit shudder.

Sure, he's significantly stronger than a few moments ago. But in front of these guys, he's still one shot away from death.

'Control. Control.'

"I said win-win-win." Varian was under a lot of pressure but he didn't show it on his face. "We'll all get what we want."

"Tsk."

Boom!

Another spear was blocked by the shield. Miss Calamity's clone dimmed further. It didn't seem like she could last long.

"The reason you two attacked me is purely because you already offended me by siding with Miss Calamity. If she didn't appear, you'd have just sent me back to the capital, am I right?"

Duke Corinthian wanted to refute but Duke Kriad nodded with a reluctant expression. "Yes."

Miss Calamity's presence made him stand against Varian. If not for her, he'd have intimidated this bastard a bit but sent him back anyway.

Isadora might or might not be a peak rank 9. But until it's confirmed, he didn't want to offend her.

'Wait, so my presence was actually the reason he's in danger?' Miss Calamity palmed her face.

"And the reason you want to kill her clone is to erase any hostility from actual Miss Calamity, yes?"

"What are you getting at?" Corinthian growled, a new spear spinning in his hand.

"Let's make a contract. I will not reveal what happened here to anyone, including Isadora, in any form.

Miss Calamity's clone will be killed but you will not touch her soul strand. Since you blocked this area anyway, Miss Calamity will not know the whole story.

You two don't have to face Isadora's enmity or Miss Calamity's enmity."

Varian's expression was sincere and his voice persuasive.

Miss Calamity was dumbfounded at his words but Duke Kriad and Corinthian looked at each other, a hint of hesitation in their eyes.

That's the first step.

Compared to their rigid stance earlier, they started giving it some thought.

If Sia was here, she'd start crying. That expression, that tone, that's exactly how Varian looked when he was fooling her during their childhood.

"Let's say everything went as you said. But I only set up a barrier just a bit after Miss Calamity reached this place. Kriad didn't show his hostility towards you yet.

But with her clone dead, it's obvious Miss Calamity would target Kriad. He's the only one who can destroy her clone."

Corinthian's words caused Kriad to nod subconsciously. It's a big problem indeed.

"Well, let's also make a contract. I will testify that we were fighting some other guy, an unknown rank 9 powerhouse. The clone was killed in the fight. Duke Kriad got injured trying to protect me. With my testimony, the actual Miss Calamity wouldn't target you."

"…" Miss Calamity's clone looked at Varian with a hint of disbelief. 'Even though I'm not the original, I still have a strand of her soul. I'm as real as her. You're talking about fooling me in front of me!'

"To be honest, Your proposal is very tempting." Duke Kriad gripped the spear. "But it still is risky. Why follow it when I can end you two?"

Boom!

The shield began to crack.

"How long can she hold on?"

Boom!

"Ten seconds?"

Boom!

"Three?"

Boom!

"Two?"

In the difficult situation, Varian remained calm but his eyes flashed with decisiveness.

"Miss Calamity, if you give up protecting me and attack one of them with everything you've got, can you take down one of them?"

Without any hesitation, the lady nodded. "For sure."

"Then do i—"

The spear that's about to bombard the barrier stopped, just an inch before clashing.

Kriad was gripping Corinthian's shoulder, shaking his head. The platinum-haired man gritted his teeth for a moment before he withdrew his spear.

The atmosphere remained tense but no one was channeling their aura for an attack anymore.

"I don't know if it's intentional," Kriad began and took out a leather-skinned golden sheet. "But it looks like you implied this because of my natal treasure."

Varian shrugged. "Of course, I'd learn about the dukes of the kingdom."

The golden sheet was checked for any dangers by Miss Calamity's clone before it flew down to Varian.

On it were the terms of the contract he just spoke about in unambiguous terms. And this contract was beyond any language. It spoke directly in 'Intent'. So, you could not use the 'technicalities' to override the 'presumed' agreements.

As in, if you agree, 'I will not say the secret to anyone', the contract also wouldn't let you 'write it out' to anyone, even though it's technically not saying.

Varian read the contract completely to ensure the conditions.

And as he did, Kriad's natal treasure—a yellow pyramid-like structure with a red eye at the top—watched him keenly.

Duke Kriad's natal treasure—Eye Of Truth—gave him insight into the weakness of his enemies, links established between a person and an object, the resilience of an item or place, and so on.

The leather melted away into a golden thread and entered Varian's soul, creating a restriction.

The <Eye of Truth> watched the whole process with intense scrutiny. Only after ensuring that it's properly done did the Duke nod in satisfaction.

"Now then, you can please die," Corinthian said to the lady.

"I don't trust you guys." She replied. "You can just kill him after I'm gone."

She had a point. If they were in her position, they too would be skeptical.

"Do one thing," Varian suggested, his voice in a hurry. "Take off the barrier just around me. I have a space treasure. I will teleport far away.

And while I do, Miss Calamity will create a non-intrusive defensive barrier around me. In doing so, she will leave herself open to attacks but also ready her soul strand to escape at full force.

The moment I teleport is also the last moment you can attack and kill me. That's when she has to keep the defense at the highest. And that's when you will attack her.

So, I will escape and Miss Calamity's clone will die simultaneously. But since you have to attack her with your full strength to make sure she really dies, that allows her soul strand to escape.

Perfect solution, isn't it?"

"…"

"…"

"…"

Not just the uncomfortable gaze from Miss Calamity, but even Archdukes Corinthian and Kriad looked at Varian with a weird gaze.

This guy…wasn't normal.

He's clearly a rank 7 but managed to kill rank 8s. How? Most likely with the treasures Isadora provided. Still, managing to survive long enough to use those treasures was a feat in itself.

But the way he handled the seemingly hopeless situation was the impressive part. If they let a guy like this escape today, even if he won't reveal this to Isadora or anyone else...would he really not take it to heart?

For a moment, the dukes looked at each other and hesitated. But they quickly threw that thought away.

'A puny rank 7. Even if he's really talented, he'll need a thousand years to hit rank 9. And that is a big if.'

So they proceeded with the plan.

The space barrier was loosened around Varian. Miss Calamity's clone poured everything into his defense.

Varian poured everything into his space path, used connection with Hortus to teleport halfway through, obscured his aura with the use of slivers, and nodded.

Boom! 

The moment the space around him fluctuated and he began to disappear, a brilliant burst of aura engulfed Miss Calamity's clone, killing her.

Even though it was just a clone, Varian felt a tinge of sadness watching her final moments. It's like she sacrificed her life for him.

Pa! Pa! Pa! 

Slapping his cheek thrice, he yelled at himself. "Shut up! I almost died! It's just a clone…though I am very grateful for her help…I should ask why she went to such lengths…what does she even want from me?"