CHAPTER 350: CHAPTER350-AN UNEXPECTED APPEARANCE

Fleshheart’s countless tendrils shifted faintly,each twitch betraying the depth of his contemplation.

He was weighing, carefully, the proposal laid before him.

He had to admit—what Edward and Dean suggested was undeniably tempting.

Even for him, gravely wounded as he was,the offer stirred something dangerous within his heart.

A flicker of desire.A dangerous temptation.

After a long silence, Fleshheart finally spoke.

"I want to ask—does this plan represent the will of the Elemental God?"

At the question, Edward instantly shook his head without hesitation.

"Of course not.

You should already know this well enough.

His Majesty, the Elemental God, is only ever in pursuit of elemental truth.He has no interest in these matters of ambition and conquest."

Fleshheart froze for a moment,then exhaled, as though in relief.

"So... this is nothing more than your own idea, then?"

Edward could sense it—beneath Fleshheart’s mental power, there was a trace of scorn,a whisper of contempt.

The realization made Edward furious.

But he swallowed it down.Now was not the time to reveal his anger.

For his grand plan to succeed,Fleshheart was an indispensable piece on the board.

So Edward steadied himself,forced his emotions into calmness,and continued speaking in a measured tone.

"Fleshheart, the chance to seize full control of the land of origin will not come often.

You, more than anyone, should know how unique and important this place is."

"This opportunity—this may be the only one we will ever have.

If we miss it,we may never see such a chance again."

As he said this, Edward lifted a hand.

From his personal storage,he withdrew a crystal.

It was pitch-black,perfectly formed into an octahedron.

Each of its eight faces gleamed with pure, oppressive darkness.

And yet, through that darkness, Fleshheart’s senses pierced.

He glimpsed what was hidden within.

And what he saw made his monstrous form tremble.

"This... this is...!"

Edward smiled faintly.

"Yes. Just as you suspect.

This is the forbidden relic known as the Dark Court."

"You should have heard of its effect.

Once triggered, it can seal away a chosen existence.

And whoever is sealed within will be erased completely.

Their very connection to the world will be severed—as though they never existed at all."

"No one will know who is imprisoned inside.

No one except the relic’s master."

Edward’s tone shifted, almost reverent, almost greedy.

"I have already studied Daniel’s situation.

Killing him outright may not be possible.

But sealing him away...that might be the perfect alternative."

His eyes gleamed with dangerous light,and on his lips lingered an expression of covetous pride.

The Dark Court—a relic so precious that even gods themselves would find it invaluable.

For Edward, it was his greatest treasure.

Fleshheart’s vast body shuddered,his tendrils writhing uncontrollably.

"Edward... how could you possibly have obtained such a thing?"

Edward laughed quietly.A flicker of madness glinted across his face.

"Why, this was a gift.

A gift from none other than His Majesty, the Elemental God."

So it was a god’s gift!

Upon hearing this, Fleshheart chose to believe him.

The Elemental God was notorious for his experiments,his obsession with crafting strange, arcane items.

That he might hand over a forbidden relic such as this—it was not outside the realm of possibility.

But still, Fleshheart could not understand.

Why give such a priceless object to Edward, of all people?

His voice rumbled with suspicion.

"If it is so valuable...why would the Elemental God bestow it upon you?"

Edward rolled his eyes,snorting with impatience.

"Since when have the intentions of gods ever been for us mortals to grasp?

Perhaps, for His Majesty, such relics have already lost their worth.

Perhaps keeping it was meaningless,so he simply gave it away."

But before Fleshheart could answer,a voice suddenly rang out behind him.

"Fleshheart.It has been a long time."

All three froze—Fleshheart, Edward, and Dean alike.

None of them had sensed any presence.

And yet, undeniably,someone stood there.

Someone who had appeared right under their noses,completely unnoticed.

Slowly, they turned.

And in the next moment, all three were left stunned.

The figure they saw was a familiar one.

It was Daniel.

Though Daniel could not fully destroy Fleshheart’s thoughts,with the Universal Gauntlet,peering into them was not difficult.

Even after his main body had departed the Mental Plane,he had left behind a fragment of himself here.

Fleshheart was too great a threat to ignore.

How could Daniel possibly waste such an opportunity for observation?

So when he sensed the emergence of Fleshheart’s newest schemes,Daniel immediately dispatched his avatar to the Flesh Continent.

For threats he could not yet eliminate,he would always raise his vigilance to its highest.

And besides—with the God of Thieves’ Dagger upgraded,his number of avatars had doubled.

That meant Daniel could now spare one with ease,freeing himself to face other matters calmly.

Now, three powerful beings turned in unison.

All three pairs of eyes locked upon Daniel’s figure.

The atmosphere shifted sharply.

The space grew heavy with tension,a suffocating silence pressing down upon all.

It was Daniel who broke it first.

With a faint smile, he said,

"Actually... I think your plan sounds quite good.

Go on. Keep talking.Just pretend I’m not here."

The three froze even harder.

Their silence deepened.

Because, in truth, their plan’s target was Daniel himself.

And now here he stood—in the flesh—calmly watching them.

How could they possibly continue?

"Daniel, you reckless fool," one of them began,"do you dare appear before us so casually? Are you not afraid that—"

But before the words were even finished,Daniel’s figure vanished.

Disappearing completely.

The three exchanged bewildered looks.

What?

What did that mean?

Why had he simply... left?

Should they resume their discussion?Or stop entirely?

But then,a cold dread spread down their spines.

An instinctive terror.

Why had Daniel appeared?

Could it be...he had been watching them all along?

Every word,every movement,already under his gaze?

If that were true,then Daniel was far, far more terrifying than they had imagined.

Within the labyrinth,Daniel stood amidst carnage.

Behind him lay eight mangled corpses,the remnants of those who had once opposed him.

For Daniel, slaying them had been no harder than clearing out common monsters.

He had raised his hand,cast the most basic form of Meteor Arrow Rain,and in one move,all had been annihilated instantly.