Death... and me
chapter-1984

Well, it would still take decades until the three races' alliance prepared for the attack.

Back in the Underworld, the twins' group came out of a spatial fissure, being carried by Tapir. They were still somewhat far away from the periphery of the Path of Reincarnation, though. That's because the area outside of it was sealed by formations for safety purposes.

"Come with me." Tapir immediately grabbed Fagund and began to fly toward the Path of Reincarnation.

Rean, Roan, and the other devils could fly on their own, so they just followed Tapir from behind.

It didn't take long until they arrived in another city, Fekis. The city wasn't that big, though. That's because only Elder Devil and some High Devil clans had access to it. No more than a million devils or so could be found inside. There were more devils in this place, but most of them were working inside the surrounding areas near the Path of Reincarnation.

Tapir passed right above the city's walls, landing on a big building at the center a moment later. Naturally, Rean and the others did the same.

Tapir walked into the building while he spoke. "Here we are. Come inside so that we can prepare your Soul Counting Bracelet."

"Soul Counting Bracelet?" The twins immediately understood. "So that's how you can tell how many souls we were able to send into the Path of Reincarnation."

Fagund nodded. "That's correct. We just need a drop of your blood, and the bracelets will be bound to you. It's a very simple and effective item, especially since rewards are given to the devils guiding the souls."

"That makes sense." One couldn't expect that devils of such big clans would work for free. They needed some incentive. With that said, each soul successfully guided into the Path of Reincarnation was worth Soul Points. "It's a very effective system. How many points is each guided soul worth?"

"They're all worth the same amount," Fleus, who also came with them, answered. "It doesn't matter how strong the soul is. The method to guide them is the same."

"Well," Rean shrugged his shoulders in response. "It doesn't matter much to us."

Roan nodded in agreement. "We only care about winning the competition for you. We won't stay long enough to gather the necessary points to buy anything worth the effort."

"That's true." Fagund agreed with the twins.

Tapir came back while they talked and gave his orders. "I gave them your names already." After that, he threw five bracelets at Rean, Roan, Titia, Doohan, and Salahi. "Use your blood to bind the bracelet and put them on."

Titia, Doohan, and Salahi had done that before, so they didn't waste time.

Rean and Roan saw how the bracelets shone for a moment. They tried the same thing, and they quickly felt the link between themselves and the bracelets. It wasn't anything strong, but it couldn't be faked either. Eventually, they put on the bracelets, which changed in size to adapt to their arms on their own. They had to be like that so the various devil races could use them. "Is that all?"

Fagund nodded once again. "Yep."

"Alright, I want two devils following each of you." Tapir decided to start the test straight away. "Fleus, you will follow the twins."

Fleus accepted Tapir's orders. "Yes, Elder Tapir."

Of course, Rean and Roan weren't the only ones going. Fagund also came along to watch. "Elder Tapir, I'll follow them as well."

Tapir didn't mind before passing some beads to all the devils around, except the devils who would do the soul guiding. Those beads looked like cat eyes, although they were all red. "These are my Watching Soul Eyes. I'll be looking at your progress from here in the city."

Rean, Roan, Titia, Doohan, and Salahi would be focusing on the task, so they couldn't share their attention to control those Watching Soul Eyes. The devils following them would act as Tapir's eyes inside the periphery of the Path of Reincarnation since that area had a cultivation limit to enter. Tapir was way above the Void Tempering Realm, so he couldn't follow them inside.

"Alright, just go ahead. The competition will last five days, so I'll give you five days as well for this test," Tapir explained.

Titia, Doohan, and Salahi didn't waste time and flew to the Path of Reincarnation. Fleus quickly did the same and carried Fagund himself. The other four devils that would be watching the twins did the same, leaving only the twins behind.

"Hey, you still haven't explained how we guide souls!" Rean couldn't help but complain as he also took flight and followed Fleus.

Seeing that everyone was gone, Tapir also left. The Light Devil Clan had its own zone in the city, where he would stay while he watched all the participants.

Fleus didn't explain, though. "It's better if you see it for yourselves."

Fagund also added, "Don't worry. We're basically here to see which one of you is the best for the task. As much as Elder Tapir hates normal devils, he understands that your first day really counts."

Rean and Roan could only do as Fleus said and follow the group into the Path of Reincarnation. Well, even if Fleus wasn't showing the route, there was no way the twins would miss it. That's because both of them could recognize the gigantic portal-like thing in the distance. Or better, they could recognize what was inside it. 'That's definitely the Path of Reincarnation.' Since they had been there before, they knew what it looked like.

The twins' group flew for another half an hour or so when suddenly, the twins felt that they had passed through some kind of barrier. They didn't see it, but they knew it was there. It's just that it didn't stop them.

Fleus just smiled at them as he also felt that. "We have entered the periphery of the Path of Reincarnation. What you just felt was the barrier that prevents those above the Void Tempering Realm from entering. Come, I'll show you how to guide a soul."