Inside the Royal Palace of the Ice and Snow Kingdom.

Mohe's room.

The girl suddenly looked towards the door, a mysterious smile appearing on her face.

"Mr. Doro, you left with such a grand aura, but you return so stealthily—this isn't good, is it? At this moment, shouldn't you be demonstrating your strength and showcasing your glory?"

Even though Doro's expression seemed a bit gloomy, Mohe seemed to have no awareness of stepping on a landmine, speaking with her usual somewhat sardonic tone.

Doro held a glass bottle in front of Mohe: "This is what you need, right?"

"Hmm~" Mohe stared at the Life Dew inside for a while, "This isn't what I need, Mr. Doro, this is what you need."

"What I need..."

As if realizing something, Doro pulled out a sealed liver: "You want to reabsorb this, right?"

Mohe still shook her head: "Miss Elf has been dead for many years. To say it could serve as material for her resurrection, even I have to offer my liver as well, otherwise, it's basically impossible— but just this liver isn't enough, I still need my pair of horns, you know, Creation and Destruction. Resurrecting her as a Snow Elf is unrealistic, but rebirth as a new species is possible."

Doro's eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a hint of danger: "When you dealt with the bodies for the people of Butuo City before, it didn't seem like this."

"When I resurrected Rose before, I told you, within three days... the people of Butuo City were because their souls were stored in my jar... Of course, you can harbor doubts about such words. However, I still admire Miss Elf, after all, you know, even if Adriana intervened, not every undead can maintain such a prolonged existence, nor can they always stay rational. After all, the emotions that sustain undead are usually hatred, unwillingness; such emotions inherently further distort the undead."

"Your pair of horns, understood."

He no longer pursued this issue.

Instead, he handed the liver to Mohe and then silently left once more.

"So indifferent~ It's like I will definitely save Elf, don't you think, Miss Sword Saint?"

Ah Xion just shook her head.

"Well... forget it, maybe I should go do what I am supposed to do, the one named Thunder Emperor declares himself as symbolic punishment! It suggests needing some education. I wonder if Mr. Doro scared him."

...

The Ice and Snow Kingdom, though not particularly vast, consists of more than just one city. Mohe and the others are located in the Royal Capital of the Ice and Snow Kingdom. Of course, due to this place's limited national land area, the Royal Capital is practically indistinguishable from the frontier; it should be said that the Ice and Snow Kingdom's few major cities all count as frontier cities and the national borders have little depth.

He arrived at a city yet to start a war.

Entering this city one could feel the "gaze." So he knew, this city was one Adriana ruled, a place to kill him.

He walked directly to the center of the city.

The woman named Adriana stood there.

Gray hair quite similar to Doro, but the difference lay in Adriana being born with it, whereas Doro turned gray after being cursed.

Compared to each other, Adriana's gray was more lustrous, while Doro's hair seemed more withered.

Doro looked at Adriana, through the lenses on her face, he gazed straight into her eyes.

"Your plan succeeded, Adriana. The Elf Queen was killed by me—they can no longer become a worrisome threat. I don't know whether this involved the Wise King's manipulation, or whether there was some transaction between you and the Wise King, but... I owe you a favor."

After many years, they met again.

Yet he spoke of so-called "owing a favor." His gaze was so cold.

Adriana felt a genuine sense of pain, like having her heart pierced by a sharp knife, stirred back and forth, yet what could she do? He was meant to be this cold, after what happened back then, after he came here, this was how he should be, what was she even hoping for?

"Elf can sustain herself, even maintain the existence of other Snow Elves, it has nothing to do with me. If they collapse from within, then no matter how advanced my magic, it has no use, even if the Demon King arrives, they can't be resurrected, it's their own efforts' results."

She finally completed her first sentence of conversation with Doro.

"No matter what, regardless of your purpose, I owe you this favor. So..."

He took out the Life Dew: "Mohe said you needed this, right?"

Adriana reached out, and the bottle in Doro's hand flew to hers: "This was the content of my deal with the Wise King. To give him this, granting him longer life and perpetual youth, in return granting me enough resources to maneuver the Demon King's Horns. You must know, theoretically, this is the Demon King's most important possession. It's the symbol of the Demon Race, the great creation and destruction. Wielding it to attack is challenging, even if I am the President of the Mage Union—it is demanding—national administration is thus very suitable. A union president's power, compared to a king, is obscenely different—one is in the sky, the other underground."

The Magic Array glowed in Adriana's hand, through it, the Life Dew was sent away.

Subsequently, the entire city was enveloped by a massive Magic Array. The glow of the Magic Array flickered continuously.

Something is gestating.

"As you can see—driving the Demon King's Horns as a weapon to kill you requires such a lengthy charging process. If you wish, you could leave in a few seconds." Adriana finally approached Doro, "Do you mind walking around this city with me before the charging is complete?"

Doro nodded, "I said I owe you a favor, and I will take this hit."

His expression remained indifferent.

So, the two walked one in front of the other along the streets of the city.

"I've emptied this city, and all that exists here are magical creations, a transaction between me and Elf—Elf knew my plan, but she didn't tell you. From this perspective, she has also betrayed you, yet you still owe me a favor for her. Do you prefer her over us?"

Doro watched Adriana's back.

"It's fundamentally different."

"How is it different?"

"Your betrayal was to kill me. And she agreed with your plan because she believed you couldn't kill me."

These words made Adriana pause; she turned slightly, "Did you ask her?"

"No."

"Then why do you think that way?"

"A feeling."

Adriana could not question this answer. She could only change the phrasing, "Then why don't you think we also harbor the same thoughts? At that time, we needed to account to our supporters. We represented more than just our will, yet you didn't meet our expectations. We knew we couldn't kill you..."

"The same feeling."

The conversation could not continue.

Doro's disgust, indifference, and resistance were almost completely exposed. He was so coldly staring at the woman named Adriana.

"You hate us, don't you?"

"At this stage, where did you think I didn't hate you?" Doro's words revealed much confusion, "Do you think the reason I haven't sought vengeance is that I still have feelings for you? Do you think I didn't kill Charlette, didn't personally kill Adeline because I still have lingering emotions? Mages are supposed to be the most rational people. What you must admit is that you never loved me. I will never love you."

They never loved him.

This is the conclusion reached by the Hero known as A·Gedora, after being reborn as Doro.

Perhaps indeed they once shared cherished and sweet times that, when recalled, brought involuntary smiles, or perhaps they once held a deep friendship.

But that was not for Doro.

That was just a shadow named "Hero."

Guided by the destiny of the Goddess to meet the Saintess. The feelings between A·Gedora and Charlette were manipulated from the start. The error originated from the beginning. The encounter with Adriana—that woman originally harbored a wish to kill the "Demon King," wishing to maintain the true "balance." So, after becoming a disruptor of balance, A·Gedora naturally became someone who needed to be eliminated.

This is the inevitable of the future.

Errors at the start, inevitability of the future.

What more needs to be said?

So Doro stopped.

He no longer walked with Adriana through this city, so unfamiliar that he did not even know its name, "There's no point in continuing; let's just wait here. If you can't kill me, I will take the Demon King's Horns."

He openly declared what he intended to do next.

The glow of the magic array surrounding the entire city became more dazzling, its terrifying aura continuously accumulating.

Doro just stood there calmly.

To continue the conversation would be futile...

Yet, Adriana still spoke, "If, if you are willing to make some promises now, perhaps we could..."

"Maybe not come to this point? You're not a child, Adriana; when did you become so naive? We all have to pay for our choices. It's just a matter of whether we can bear it."

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