The Witch Hunter System
chapter-822

The black bridge was completely constructed with Thanatos's death power.

While Helcan could choose to fly across, he would be disrespecting Thanatos if he refused his invitation gesture. On the other hand, if he did use the black bridge to cross, he would be completely putting his life in Thanatos's hands.

Although he wouldn't plunge into the Sea of Darkness if the black bridge suddenly dispersed during his crossing, it would still give him a great scare.

After all, it had taken him great courage to come to the Shadowcage Territory to see Thanatos. Now that he was actually at the Sea of Darkness, he could feel his soul quivering when he gazed into its bottomless whirlpool of black mist.

Whatever was sealed down there was more frightening than he had imagined.

Nevertheless, after some hesitation, Helcan eventually crossed the black bridge. He didn't believe Thanatos would be bored enough to drop him or kill him.

Swoosh!

The entrance of the floating abode was shortly opened, and a gush of deathly energy rushed out. It swept past Helcan, sticking close to the ground like fog, before drifting into the Sea of Darkness.

Inside the floating abode, Helcan found Thanatos seated on a bone throne.

Apart from that, there was nothing else of interest inside the single-room abode if he were to ignore the bottomless presence of the Death Law.

"The Great Devil Conference only just ended. Why have you come and disturbed my rest, Helcan?" Thanatos asked expressionlessly.

"Are you really fine with letting Vaan Raphna live and become one of us, Lord Thanatos?" Helcan asked.

"You must know that you still hold absolute power. As long as you make a move, Vaan Raphna will undoubtedly die. However, if you leave him be, he will absolutely surpass you and rob your position as the Realm Lord of Gehenna."

"So, let me ask you again. Are you really fine with that, Lord Thanatos?" Helcan pressed.

After a moment of silence, Thanatos indifferently asked, "Do you know what you are saying right now, Hel?"

"The Great Devil Conference has already concluded, and you have also agreed with the collective decision to give Vaan Raphna a chance to become one of us. Yet, here you are, trying to borrow my hands to kill him, which goes against that very decision."

"If you can't provide a satisfactory explanation for this, then you better be prepared to accept the punishment for violating our unanimous decision," Thanatos strictly stated.

As the room's temperature dropped, Helcan immediately felt a chill. He suddenly felt that visiting the Shadowcage Territory and trying to sway Thanatos's mind had been a mistake.

If he really couldn't provide a satisfactory explanation, Thanatos might just execute him on the spot.

Helcan sweated before saying, "I only agreed so we could end the Great Devil Conference early. It was clear that everyone favored making Vaan Raphna one of us. So, if I hadn't done so, it would have dragged on for months or even years."

"How can I give that Great Devil Killer that much time to grow? Gehenna and Pangea perceive time differently. What might seem like a short time for us could actually be a lot of time for Vaan Raphna."

"So, if we really dragged the Great Devil Conference on for months or years, Vaan Raphna might have grown to a level where he didn't need to be wary of us and make concessions for everyone's benefits."

"Soul Masters are unpredictable, so he might really grow that quickly. Thus, in that regard, everyone should thank me for ending the Great Devil Conference early. However, I still believe Vaan Raphna has to be killed. After all, humans are insatiably greedy."

"Even if he becomes one of us, his talent dictates he will greatly surpass us in the future. If we let that day come, we will not remain our peer; we will be his servants or even slaves!"

"All the resources we currently enjoy might even be monopolized by him and those he favors!" Helcan firmly stated.

"Tell me, Lord Thanatos, is that what you want? Hecate painted a pretty picture with her words, but in truth, our authorities will be slowly chipped away if we follow through with her idea!"

"Think about it. Right now, Vaan Raphna is still a nobody we can easily crush. Yet, we have to be mindful of him and suck up to him? Even when he becomes worthy of being our peer, we will still have to be mindful of him and suck up to him."

"Then, once he surpasses us, we still have to do just that! How is that any way for a Great Devil to live? That is slave mentality!" Helcan barked.

Silence shortly filled the room.

After several breaths, Helcan continued, "No matter how great of a potential Hecate said the Soul Master has, that is still the word of an outsider. We are getting swayed by an outsider to let another outsider take away our authority and resources. Do you think that is acceptable, Lord Thanatos?"

"Maybe in the future, all our authority over Gehenna will be in the hands of these outsiders. None of them will belong to us, original residents of Gehenna. Do you see it, Lord Thanatos?"

"Even if Vaan Raphna doesn't kill us when he spreads his wings, he will still rob us of our home and resources for his people."

"How long must we endure before we see the promising future Hecate described?" Helcan asked his final question, feeling slightly breathless.

He spoke whatever truth and bullshit came to mind and eventually ran out of things to say. He could only hope that all of that was considered a satisfactory explanation.

"You've made a valid point. Thus, I will spare you from the death penalty, at least. However, we have already made a decision, so I will not change my mind. Leave now, Helcan. I pursue your violation of the agreement today," Thanatos coolly stated.

Helcan's eyes quickly clouded with gloom, disappointment, and helplessness.

"I understand, Lord Thanatos," Helcan replied faintly.

Even after he said so much, Thanatos wasn't moved in the least. He had truly made a wasted

trip.

Shortly after Helcan left, silence and darkness returned to Thanatos's abode, followed by a soft sigh within.