Death... and me

The news about Sevinia's ascension spread fast, quickly arriving at every corner of the Zasfins' territories. All the Zasfins that knew about the Soul Rulers were obviously surprised. However, they also knew that with Fikin's death, a new leader was supposed to take his place. It's just that no one expected Duran's appearance.

Naturally, it didn't take long for the information to reach the demon beast territories as well. When they heard about the Hafel Clan member, Sevinia, becoming the next Soul Rulers' Leader, they were obviously delighted. Of course, only those involved in that negotiation felt like that. The majority didn't really care much about it.

"Fikin's best friend, huh?" Roan couldn't help but mutter.

"Whether it's true or not, the fact still stands that none of us expected the Zasfins to have someone as strong as Fikin. Surprisingly, it was Duran himself." Rean also felt the situation too good to be true. Duran's appearance was too much of a coincidence.

Kentucky didn't seem to mind as he said, "Who cares? With Duran there, the Hafel Clan obtained the position we need them to."

"That's true." Gulan, who was also back from the area where he was fighting, agreed with Kentucky.

"The question now is what will happen from now on." Darian wondered. Sure enough, the fights in the Sea Demon Beasts' territories were also done.

Roan then explained, "We need to wait. According to our plan, the Zasfins should send their leader to come and talk with the demon beasts. If everything goes well, it shouldn't take long before the Zasfins enter in contact with us."

Roan was right. It only took a few days before a representative of the Soul Rulers organization arrived in the demon beasts' newly acquired territory. He simply came to deliver a message that the Ancestors and the leader of the Soul Rulers organization wished to have a conversation in the borders of both power's territories.

"Well then, let's go." Phex and the others didn't waste time, heading straight to the place mentioned. Both sides kept an eye on the borders, with the region selected being a very well watched region. That being said, they knew it would be too hard for an ambush to be done there.

There was also one more thing. Rean wanted to take that opportunity to get Qia back. After all, she was still being kept as a means of communication and assurance by the Hafel Clan.

Later that day, the Ancestors of the Zasfins and the Stage Nine Demon Beasts appeared in the selected area. They kept quite the distance from each other, using their Spiritual Senses to make sure everything was okay. Eventually, both sides sent a few of their members forward to talk.

On the Zasfin's side, Sevinia, Duran, Pankun, Kumo, and Suria were the ones to come forward.

As for the demon beasts, Phex, Darian, Frin, Xaon, and obviously Roan were their members. Even though Roan was just a Nascent Soul Realm human, it wasn't a secret to anyone anymore that he was the commander of the central army during the war. It was also him who forced the Zasfins back with huge losses time and time again.

If the Zasfins knew of his capability back when he was in the organization, they would have definitely gotten rid of him and his brother straight away.

Both sides looked tense, but the negotiations started anyway. Phex, of course, as the strongest Divine Demon Beast, did the talking on their side. "So, what would the oh so prideful Soul Rulers want to talk with such low lives like us, demon beasts?" Obviously, Phex was being sarcastic there. He was implying that if they were really like that, then what would the Zasfin, who lost to them, be?

However, as annoying as his words seemed to be, none of the Zasfins that came to talk seemed angry. Eventually, Sevinia, as the new leader of the Soul Rulers organization, began to speak. "How could that be? The demon beasts showed that they really had the strength to stand on their own. That's why we decided to negotiate instead of keeping this meaningless fight going."

"Oh?! Negotiation, huh?" Phex smiled in response. "Well, we already obtained enough territories for our demon beasts to spread. Alright, tell me. what is it that you want to negotiate?"

Sevinia nodded as she said in response, "We want a truce. Be it the demon beasts or the Zasfins, continuing this battle won't result in much for both sides. Sure, we know that the demon beasts have the advantage at the moment, but we can definitely make your group pay a very high price if you decide to press forward."

"High price, huh? Well, I won't deny that now that the Zasfins have gathered in the remaining areas, it would be annoying to conquer any more territories. In any case, we have more than enough space for the next thousands of years." Suddenly, Phex's expression changed as he continued, "However, there are plenty of us here that wish to continue. After all, your Soul Rulers organization kept most of us confined in the Demon Beast Continent for a very long time. How exactly do you intend to appease their anger?"

Sevinia wasn't surprised by that. Well, in fact, she had already discussed it with the demon beasts through Qia and Rean. Everything happening here wasn't anything more than an act for the Zasfins who didn't know about it.

Sevinia's expression then turned dark as she replied, "There isn't really a need for us to do that. Haven't you killed a lot of our members? That should have been more than enough already. Don't think that we will let you step on our heads just because we opened negotiations. Let's be honest here. Even if you have the advantage at the moment, you can't do much about the actual situation. Is your Demon Beast Alliance really willing to force us? If that's the case, we don't mind keeping you company till the end."

Roan was satisfied with Sevinia's words. 'Very good performance. Now, let's hear the part that matters.'