At the far end of the chamber, Shadowlord Kilo appeared.

His robes were torn, and he was surrounded by an aura of darkness. It seemed that it was actually fixing his body…

His left arm was missing entirely, but they could tell that the Arcane Immortal was slowly recovering using the strange, silk-like darkness that was covering around his arm…

Still, his right eye was closed, and his aura had weakened a lot compared to before.

Everyone was shocked.

Even the most hardened officers, those who had fought alongside Kilo for decades, could not hide their reactions.

Gasps echoed through the hall, and a few stood frozen… They didn't expect that someone at the peak would be this heavily injured.

The others bowed instinctively, not out of fear but out of disbelief. The City Lord, who had once held back another Arcane Immortal when he was only a High Immortal, looked so defeated.

Even wounded, Kilo still radiated the oppressive aura of an Arcane Immortal, one who had faced a Demon God and survived. He was still a very dangerous Immortal to someone like them.

"Sit…" he said with a low voice…

Everyone obeyed as they knew that whatever the announcement was, it would be very important.

However, Kaela was different as she stepped forward… "Father…"

"I'm alive…" he said, cutting her off. "I'm injured, but I'm alive. You don't have to worry."

Soon, he turned to everyone within the Gathering Hall.

"I've called you here because you are the last of my trusted circle. The rest are either dead, missing, or too far to reach in time."

A hush fell over the room.

Soon, he explained what had happened in the portal that the Demon Realm had opened…

Apparently, the battle on the frontline was intense…

Two Demon Gods have been injured. They were Rhazek and Vurnas…

It was such great news for everyone, and, of course, it gave hope to everyone that this war might be over soon.

However, even if the Demon Gods won't recover quickly, their side also paid the price for that.

It turned out that Five Arcane Immortals fought in that battle. All five were wounded including Shadowlord Kilo.

Still, it was already a very impressive performance for him, considering he was the youngest Arcane Immortal. It hasn't even been a month since he had advanced!

He then paused for a moment, letting the weight of that statement settle.

"Lord Veyr lost his right leg. Lady Nireth's soul core was fractured… Lord Dazun is in stasis, and City Lord Riven… had lost a few Spells Models due to the Forbidden Spells he had to use."

Gasps and murmurs rippled through the chamber. They didn't expect so much to be sacrificed to deal with the two Demon Gods.

Still, they probably fought against 12 Demon Gods, since the battle happened near their portal, and it was already an impressive feat.

Kilo raised a hand. "Silence. This is not the time for panic. The Demon Gods are not invincible. But they are coordinated and they've stopped acting like beasts and started acting like generals. That changes everything."

"What do we do now?" Kaela asked…

Kilo looked at her, then at Vale. "We prepare to withdraw."

Several officers stirred in protest, but Kilo's glare silenced them.

"We cannot hold Note City with our current forces. The other Arcane Immortals have made their positions clear, they will not intervene unless their own lands are threatened. We are alone in this region at the very least."

He paused, then continued.

"We will be moving south. My old friend, Varnak, has agreed to shelter our people. His territory is fortified and untouched by the Demon advance. He has the resources to absorb our population, and he owes me a favor."

The room shifted. Some officers exchanged glances while others nodded slowly. They had developed this city for centuries but with the threat of the Demons not that far from their region, they really had to make drastic choices…

Still, the Immortal Towers had special formations on them, and they could be moved, so many Immortals weren't too bothered by that.

The one who would be most affected was the civilians.

"We will evacuate the city in stages," Kilo said. "All citizens, all wounded, all support personnel. Every airship we have will be mobilized. We'll leave nothing behind..."

One of the elders raised a hand. "What if the Demon Gods do not pursue?"

This elder thought that he would die protecting the city, and he believed that it was his mission to do so. He felt torn whether to leave and follow the City Lord or stay in this city to protect it until his death.

"They will come here, Elder Pho…" Kilo said flatly. "Even if they don't attack directly, having them as neighbors is a death sentence. Their corruption spreads, and their influence affects the Shadow Divinity. If we stay, we'll be swallowed slowly."

He turned to Kaela. "You'll oversee the first wave. Prioritize the frail and the children…" Kaela nodded without hesitation.

Soon, he ordered everyone to leave… However, as the others disappeared, Vale remained silent as he looked at the Shadowlord.

He was sure that the Arcane Immortal was aware that he wasn't from this realm… and just like what Kaela previously said, he needed his help to secretly open the portal back to the Human realm…

If he did this without the Arcane Immortal's help, the Demon Gods would surely sense it, and it would not be surprising if they learned the coordinates of the Human Realm.

There was no way Vale would take a risk! It would be his greatest sin if he accidentally invited the Demon Gods to his Realm!

As expected, Kilo's eyes lingered on him for a moment longer. Then, he heard the Immortal's voice in his head.

"You've done more than I expected. I heard from Kaela what you've done against those enemies in the volcano… I won't ask why you came here, but I know you're leaving soon."

Vale nodded and replied through Telepathy as well. "I'll return to the Human Realm once the first wave is secure. Kaela mentioned that--"

"I know… You can go with my help later… However, I have a request you need to fulfill. You need to bring Kaela with you."

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