"That's good. High Duke Eston, please prepare the spell. After you have cast the spell, well tell the guards to begin searching. My Royal Guards will be supervising them and keeping an eye on them to make sure that the City Guards aren't lax in their duties. As soon as they find the Black Skeleton King, you can inform us so that we can move out," Ryder told High Duke Eaton about the plan going forward.
High Duke Eston nodded his head as he agreed to do it since Ryder wanted it.
"There's no need for preparation. I know the spell. Just make me see all the guards so that I know what I'm working with and to make a good connection," High Duke Eston nodded his head as he told Ryder.
"Devilia, please bring all the guards near the Palace. Let High Duke Eaton see them all. We can begin the work after that," Ryder told Devilia.
"I'll arrange for that. I'll inform you all when it's ready."
Devilia nodded her head as she started walking towards the exit.
Devilia left the great hall, and just as she was walking away, she happened to walk past her father, who was going outside.
"Father, please don't leave. Stay inside the palace for the next 24 hours. It's not safe outside," Devilia told her father as she tried to stop him.
"Little Girl, do you think that Black Skeleton will be able to stop me? Are you underestimating your father? I can live in the Death Domain between their higher-ups and still come back alive, without any harm. What's the danger of a little skeleton? Even though it's a Skeleton King, it can't harm me," Devilia's Father let out with a casual smile on his face.
"You?... You weren't in the great hall when we were talking about it? How do you know that the Black Skeleton is the Skeleton King?" Devilia asked with a suspicious look on her face as she frowned.
"Hahaha, is that really a question you should ask me? Your father is the best Spy of the demon realm, little girl. I spent half my life spying in the Death Domain. Do you really think I don't know the information that goes around in my own home when I'm here?" Her father replied as he chuckled.
"You were spying on us? Do you know how serious of an offense that is to spy on the Prince and a High Duke? They can get you punished if they find out," Devilia scolded her father as she frowned.
"They won't. I think I have a good understanding of people. I have read the Prince well. He isn't going to harm anyone for an offense like this. He might look hard on the outside, but from what I understood, he's a really soft guy on the inside, at least towards his own people. I like him. A really good choice to be my son in law. Go for it, my dear daughter. Father supports your choice," Her father replied as he laughed lightly.
Devilia glared at her father in annoyance.
"You again started!" she let out in frustration as she stomped her for on the ground.
"Do whatever you want. I'm busy," She said before she left, without even looking back.
"Hahaha, you might be the Scary Duke Devilia for the citizens of the Demon Realm, but you're simply a kid that is too shy to know that she actually wants," Devilia's Father let out as he smiled before he continued walking towards the exit.
****
Devilia arranged for all the guards to come to the Royal Palace. Tens of Thousands of guards were standing outside the Royal Palace, waiting for further orders.
The citizens that saw it realized that their assumption was correct. There could only be one reason for bringing all guests together. A war was going to begin, and the beginning of this war was now. They believed that this was a war with the Undead Region this time. The citizens also started preparing for war in their own ways since they knew that they could be called at any moment.
A lot of the citizens started moving towards the shops to collect the edible items that they felt were needed to get them through this war. They realized that with a war, there was a chance that the resources might start lacking. They didn't want to die of hunger and started packing the food. The whole city was sealed, which made them even more confident that they'll lack food since the supply from outside the city would be disrupted because of this barrier as well.
Devilia realized what was happening, but she had more important matters to deal with. She needed all the guards to be present, so she couldn't send any guards to explain to the citizens either.
Devilia just waited back at the palace. She knew that this whole chaos would be over in a few hours. As soon as they finished the search, they would open the barrier, and everyone would realize that there was nothing to worry about. She knew that the more she tried, the more people would misunderstand the situation. She already gave an initial excuse, and she was going to stick with that.
Devilia watched all the guards standing before the palace, and only then did she walk inside. She went to the great hall.
Ryder and the others were still sitting in the great hall.
Ryder was watching the Vampire King speak. He had asked the Vampire King a question about the Black Skeleton King's powers so that they could know what they were dealing with.
"The Most Annoying Power of the Black Skeleton King was Gigantification," The Vampire King replied as he frowned. "It was really annoying as it made him more destructive."
"Gigantification? What's that?" Ryder asked as he frowned. He had an initial idea about the power from its name, but he wanted to be sure.
"It's a power of increasing in size. The Black Skeleton King can increase his size by a thousand times, at least. He can become a giant Skeleton that is over 60 meters tall. His strength also increases with his size, but there's also a disadvantage that comes with this. With an increase in size, his speed decreases. He also becomes a bigger target to hit with an increase in size. Still, it's a pretty annoying ability since his defense also increased because of it," The Vampire King explained as he frowned.
'Gigantification? It increases attack and defense but decreases speed and evasion. The real magic is in the size, though. Oh man, I really want to kill the Vampire King myself and get that spell of Gigantification with the ability of Steal of the Moon Scythe. Fucccc! Why did he have to be so powerful! I would've been able to kill him myself if he was under level hundred, but he's as strong as Duke Devilia. I have no chance of killing him and snatching that skill. I can only watch him die,' Ryder thought as he sighed.
He hated the fact that he couldn't kill, but he just forgot that it wasn't because he was weak. It was because he had accessed something that should've been beyond his abilities. With his level, he could've killed anyone he wanted in the lower levels of the game where he belonged at this moment in time but his luck had played such a game with him and straight away brought him amongst the real beasts of people.
"That is an annoying ability indeed. If he used that ability inside the city, most of the citizens would die in the aftermath of the Battle. Did we really take the right step by imprisoning him in the city?" Rale asked as he frowned. He was simply raising a concern.
Ryder looked at Rale and nodded his head. This was a genuine concern.
"That will indeed be annoying. It would make us lose the trust of the citizens if that happened. High Duke Mila, I have a suggestion. We can take precautions against it, I think," Ryder said as he glanced at High Duke Mila.
"What suggestion?" High Duke Mila asked as she looked back with great interest.
" Can you modify the barrier that's covering the city?" Ryder asked High Duke Mila.
"That is possible," High Duke Mila nodded her head.
"That's good. And, can the Black Skeleton King break the barrier if it used Gigantification?" Ryder asked Mila again.
" I think he can break the barrier, but the barrier should be able to hold the attacks of the Black Skeleton King for a few minutes even in his increased size," High Duke Mila responded.
"That's good. I have a plan then," Ryder said as he smiled.
"What plan?" High Duke Mila inquired in confusion.
Ryder opened his lips to reply, but that's when Devilia opened the door of the great hall and entered inside.
"It's done," She said. "All the guards are waiting outside."