After that long meal and some rest, the trio continued their journey. They found hundreds of monsters on their path but only went after those that had risen to the Champion Tier. The rest were too weak and young, so it was best to leave them to grow. Even in the new world, the extinction of a species was never good for the environment.
Vlad, Jormungandr, and Freya also found some demons in their path, which were reserved for the Viking princess. Her last fight with the Champion angel had pushed her closer to obtaining the goodwill of the Plane Will, and it was just a matter of time before she finally got access to Origin Force.
The Depravitas did not have a problem leaving those demons to the viking, as they were too weak and would grant too little Origin Force.
It took the trio ten days before they finally crossed the mountain range and found themselves inside the border of the Azarin Empire. There was a massive open field, but Vlad was not worried. He had a map of the Azarin Country in his mind and knew exactly where to go.
However, before entering the Azarin Empire, Vlad and Freya changed their outfits to regular clothes and took a small potion that altered their appearance. Jormungandr did not change his looks, but he did hide his mage robe and behaved like a normal cat.
Pope Jeremia had survived the clash with Vlad, and many soldiers of the Azarin Empire escaped from the Strong Hammer Military Base. There was no way to say if their appearance had been spread across the Azarin Empire. The chances were low, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
After that, Vlad and Freya began to run, moving extremely fast across the field as they approached Snow Town, which should be a few hours away. Their speed might draw some looks from anyone who saw them, but mysterious experts should not be odd.
Vlad’s mission in the Azarin Empire was to learn the current state of the roads and the people, with the ultimate goal of analyzing the capital and searching for any weaknesses that could be exploited.
Understanding the people who lived outside the capital of the Azarin Empire was very important for the future invasion. He needed to learn how those people would react, whether the influence of the Church of Glory had already reached them and whether the Xaos Empire’s military would face civilians who would obey or crazy zealots who would attack even if they knew it meant death.
Unfortunately for Vlad, he was not very lucky since once he reached Snow Town, he saw a town without a single sign of human life but infested with demons.
That sight did not really surprise Vlad. The Azarin Empire was strong, but it had only been a year, and they must not have extended to this area since it was outside the city that held its capital. It was similar to the state of the Xaos Kingdom since while the Inkmetal City was clean of all demons, there were still all sorts of alien forces beyond its range.
Vlad’s eyes narrowed, and Force cloaked them, enhancing his vision as he focused on a massive demon that resembled a three-headed horse in the center of the town.
Demons were great killing machines. As long as they saw a target, they could march and destroy everything in their path. However, they also lacked leadership and vision to plan their next moves.
The horde was massive, with over two thousand demonic beasts, yet they kept steady. Without the guidance of an Abyssal that could give them purpose, they would remain in that place for who knows how long.
"Silent Detect Life!" Jormungandr uttered those words as a massive amount of energy emerged from his body, spreading in all directions like a gale of wind. It reached Snow Town and the surroundings, bringing information about all forms of life to the small yellow cat without alerting anyone.
Jormungandr closed his eyes for a few seconds before showing a complex expression. "There are no signs of any form of human life in the town or the surroundings."
Coldness appeared in Vlad’s eyes as he heard those words. He knew what had happened to all the people who used to live in Snow Town. However, he did not make a move and simply sat on the ground with the small yellow cat.
"Boom!" The next second, a small explosion appeared next to the duo as Freya’s energy burst, and she flashed toward the town with her mace and shield in her hands.
There were no humans in the vicinity, so Freya did not have to contain herself for fear of collateral damage and marched with all her power toward the demonic horde. She did not employ any tactics and simply headed straight into the demonic beasts, her energy rising higher and higher.
"ROAR!" Multiple roars emerged as the demonic beasts noticed the presence of the young woman flashing toward them before blindly marching forward. There was no tactic in their moves, as they simply marched forward with the intent to kill.
Freya saw the dozens of demonic beasts marching toward her, with hundreds more soon to follow, but her eyes only showed coldness as she continued dashing even faster, placing her shield before her.
"BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!" "BOOM!"
Explosion after explosion began to echo as the demonic beasts in Freya’s path were sent flying away, their bodies broken due to the immensely powerful momentum behind the young woman’s charge.
Freya kept charging forward, blasting all the demonic beasts in her path until she finally got deep into Snow Town. At that moment, she was surrounded in all directions, but she waved her shield, giving her time to move. She immediately blasted her mace into the ground, unleashing all the energy she had charged into it, generating a massive blast.
"BOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMM!"