The Eternal Winter Lord was acutely aware that his survival hinged, not on his innocence, but on his ability to convince Lord Singular Demon God of his guiltlessness.
Thus, discerning what Lord Singular Demon God was skeptical about became the Eternal Winter Lord’s most pressing concern.
“There’s nothing to worry about, I merely wish to enquire about your whereabouts last night,” Lord Singular Demon God posed, her gaze fixed on the Eternal Winter Lord.
Even he found himself unable to maintain eye contact with such exquisite beauty.
“I was in a meeting with the staff officers until late, around two in the morning, then I went back to sleep…”
The Eternal Winter Lord responded while recalling the night, his words were undeniable facts, corroborated by numerous officials.
However, this was not the crux of the matter. The Eternal Winter Lord, through the question posed by Lord Singular Demon God, was gradually able to infer her intentions.
— (What transpired last night that led Her Majesty to suspect me?)
— (Where was Her Majesty last night…?)
A moment’s reflection and the Eternal Winter Lord pinpointed the problem.
Last night, upon the Eternal Winter Lord’s request, Lord Singular Demon God had teleported to the territories of the Human Alliance to assassinate “Banning, the Deathbound”!
This fell perfectly in line with the Eternal Winter Lord’s conjecture!
— (So, it is indeed about “Banning”!)
— (Him… I can’t believe he managed to evade assassination yet again…)
— (Tsk, my premonitions are eerily accurate when it comes to misfortune…)
— (But it’s strange, if Her Majesty had suspicions, why didn’t she confront me right away?)
Upon reflection, the Eternal Winter Lord had an epiphany.
Lord Singular Demon God had deliberately feigned ignorance, setting out covert investigations before confronting him with substantial evidence.
At this moment, the Eternal Winter Lord felt a wave of relief; he hadn’t uttered a single lie, otherwise, he might have already lost his head.
Additionally, he felt slightly more relaxed now. Since he had never partaken in any deceitful actions, any investigation into his affairs by Lord Singular Demon God would only serve to lessen her suspicion.
The very fact that they were having a private conversation in the “Hall of Abyssal Demons” was a testament to the dissipation of her doubts.
From this point, as long as the Eternal Winter Lord continued to affirm his innocence during the conversation, he could pass the final test. 𝑜𝑽ℯ𝐿xt.𝗇𝓔t
Having thought this far, the Eternal Winter Lord didn’t feel particularly satisfied.
He wasn’t the kind to be plotted against and not strike back.
.
“Your Majesty, did you have a restless night?”
the Eternal Winter Lord initiated a counterattack with a question.
“Yes… I have something to ask you.”
The Singular Demon God sighed slightly. Despite her pressuring, the Eternal Winter Lord hadn’t revealed any cracks, and the investigation into him had come up clean. It seemed this valuable talent could continue to be retained.
“Last night, I sensed your aura on the territory of the human alliance, how would you explain this? ”
“My aura…?”
the Eternal Winter Lord was taken aback, he had considered numerous possibilities but hadn’t anticipated this occurrence.
— (I haven’t set foot on the territory of the Human Alliance for countless years, how could she possibly sense my aura on enemy land?)
“Your Majesty, did you sense it in the Wester Kingdom?”
“Yes, precisely at the location you requested me to eliminate the ‘Crosser’.”
— (Sunny Town? I’ve never been there, let alone last night…)
the Eternal Winter Lord was now even more perplexed. Were it not for the fact that the one who had spoken was Lord Singular Demon God — the pinnacle of power in the Prison Star world — he would have certainly questioned the veracity of her words.
— (Lord Singular Demon God is the most formidable entity in the Prison Star world, impossible to deceive.)
“Your Majesty, are you certain that it was my ‘complete aura’ that you sensed? Could it not have been an echo from a weapon or equipment I’ve used before…?”
“It was a complete aura; at that moment, it felt as though you, The Eternal Winter Lord, stood right there.”
“Then why didn’t you…”
“Time did not permit.”
Lord Singular Demon God interjected before the Eternal Winter Lord could finish.
She was considerably vexed by this predicament.
She even considered that she should have prioritised capturing the individual who bore the identical aura to the Eternal Winter Lord, over the rift matter.
At this juncture, the Eternal Winter Lord too, felt restless.
He needed to think, he had to pace, else his mind would not operate!
“Your Majesty, forgive my impropriety.”
The Eternal Winter Lord rose and began to pace.
The situation was more bizarre than he had anticipated, and it might become grave.
.
In the Prison Star world, even identical twins possess distinct auras.
An aura is a unique ‘identification’ of each individual entity.
Given that even the powerful Lord Singular Demon God affirmed the sameness of the aura with the Eternal Winter Lord, only one possibility remained.
— (It seems that other ‘Tylers’ from parallel Earth realms have also traversed to this Prison Star world.)
— (Such a low probability event has actually occurred…)
— (Banning, burning, flammable,Tyler the Flammable… interesting.)
— (The “me” from this parallel world, it seems his “heart” is still alive.)
The Eternal Winter Lord felt reassured. No wonder this Deathbound was so difficult to deal with, turns out he was facing himself.
Defeating oneself is no simple feat.
Since Lord Singular Demon God only detected the aura upon departure, it implied that Banning was still alive, hence, the Eternal Winter Lord’s assassination plan had failed yet again.
However, the Eternal Winter Lord harboured no regret, he even found it quite satisfactory.
Since it was “himself” from a parallel world, there existed a possibility of communication; if their ideals aligned, he might even become an ally in the Prison Star world.
To accomplish the “mission”, the Eternal Winter Lord had already spent enough time in this Prison Star world.
.
Having sorted out his thoughts, the Eternal Winter Lord decided not to inform Lord Singular Demon God about the truth for the time being. He wanted to ascertain the true circumstances of this “Banning” first.
If “Banning” was an enemy, the Eternal Winter Lord dared not let this “himself” have too much contact with Lord Singular Demon God.
How formidable “he” could be, the Eternal Winter Lord knew all too well.
Conveniently, due to the cooldown of the teleportation ability for a considerable period, Lord Singular Demon God, being the guardian deity of the Abyssal Empire, could not travel far.
Thus, the Eternal Winter Lord had a legitimate reason.
Promptly, the Eternal Winter Lord formulated his plan, approached Lord Singular Demon God, and knelt on one knee.
“Your Majesty, I have a request that requires your approval,” the Eternal Winter Lord spoke with bowed head.
Lord Singular Demon God tilted her head, chin supported by her finger, looking down at this indispensable strategist.
“You want to personally go to the Alliance of Light to capture the ‘individual who shares your aura’, don’t you? I forbid it.”
Lord Singular Demon God had her priorities clear.
However, shortly after, the Eternal Winter Lord proposed a condition she could not refuse.
.
Yet, little would the Eternal Winter Lord ever imagine that the formidable opponent he envisaged, Banning, was currently struggling to “extricate” himself from the embrace of a foxkin girl.
What made Banning’s heart beat faster was the fact that this voluptuous girl seemed to be waking up, and her delicate hand was beginning to explore his “somewhere”…!