The Innkeeper

It was not a fight. It could not be called a fight. If it was absolutely necessary to describe it, an ass whooping could be used, although calling it total decimation would be more accurate. Even before venturing into the Gilded Hollow and upgrading the necklace, Lex had the strength of a Celestial Apex. Now he was on a whole new level.

The battle ended almost as soon as it began. Lex captured the souls of all who were even slightly stained with the karma of Z, and let the others live.

It was strategic. He didn’t spare them out of kindness, but because he needed to show that the Midnight Inn was not blindly making an enemy out of the entire Humanoid Alliance. Even though he postured and proclaimed how the Innkeeper would fight them, he was careful to say that he would only do it if they were offended again.

No matter how angry he was, Lex had not lost his self-awareness. The key was to intimidate the opponent and make them think a confrontation would cost them too much, while to also show them proof that they were not in an undeniable conflict. The trick was to balance how serious and severe his reaction needed to be to show sufficient strength, yet enough restraint to make them think that the issue could be resolved without an all out war.

At any other time, Lex would be far more cautious about his actions, but considering the whole universe was at war and Major realms kept blowing up like balloons, the alliance had their hands full with other problems. Pushing them at this point was actually ideal, since they were already defending themselves from many other enemies. If they began to fear that the Innkeeper could get behind their supply lines and attack them in critical locations, they would be too afraid to challenge him.

As for what the ideal outcome from this situation was, Lex had no idea. He did not know Z’s condition, or his location, nor could he predict what direction the universe would grow in. He did not know how he could put an end to this conflict, or where he was supposed to go from here. He had none of those answers.

He would just have to handle this the old fashioned way - the way he used to do things before he matured, and realized that planning and preparing usually lead to better outcomes. Yes, he would have to wing it. Good thing he was a pro at it.

Lex turned towards the Celestial who seemed to be waiting for him. He was wary of Lex, that much was true, but he still did not reveal an ounce of fear. Then again, if this is all it took to frighten a Celestial, they would not really live up to their reputation.

"Are you willing to talk now?" the Celestial asked cautiously. "I assure you, the action taken against the Midnight Inn was not sanctioned by the alliance, and many of the leading factions are not pleased with it. It’s just that as leaders, we cannot avoid due procedure like others."

Lex glared at him, but slowly withdrew the realm he had superimposed upon the Joro realm, causing the reddish tint to dissipate. The pillars of lightning that were falling from the sky also faded away, and the air of oppression that was suffocating everyone finally eased.

"You can use whatever excuse you wish - those who intend to break the rules never care about them anyway. The only ones you’re restricting are yourselves. The ones who will have to suffer the repercussions in the end will also be you," answered Lex, his voice filled with immense gravity.

"I have been away from the Inn for a long time so I do not know what they are considering, but I assure you of this, if Z is alive but harmed your alliance will pay a dear cost for his pain. But if his life is lost, then the entire alliance will bear the burden of the repercussions. Your due process, your systems, your niceties will not exempt you from responsibility."

Lex looked at the Celestial with nothing but disdain and contempt, and then turned his gaze towards River and Pearl, revealing nothing on his face. If a connection between them was realized, especially after what had just happened, the young couple could get pulled into danger. It was best not to involve them - especially since he was not yet returning to the Inn.

Without another word, Lex vanished, leaving only the young couple and the Celestial unharmed. The others, despite having their lives spared by Lex, lay on the ground, gravely injured.

The full extent of their injuries was not something that could be discerned right now. Heck, even their life was not guaranteed at the moment since the Joro realm was still technically classified as enemy territory.

"Come on, we need to retreat to the base," the Celestial said, looking at the two young humans. "That fight won’t have gone unnoticed. Enemy forces will converge on this location soon enough - it would be best if we were long gone by then."

River looked at the Celestial and nodded.

"Exactly. This fight won’t have gone unnoticed, which is exactly why no one will come here any time soon - at least not until they can gather an army of Celestial Immortals. I’m safer here than with you. The Humanoid Alliance... does not inspire the same trust and sense of security that it used to."

The Celestial frowned at the humans, but then shook his head. He couldn’t blame them, for the actions of the other humans really had made them feel unsafe. They were right - the Humanoid Alliance was slowly descending into chaos. It was the anchor weighing the Celestial race down, preventing them from reaching their true height, which is why the enemies of the alliance never wanted to see it actually destroyed.

But... since that much was already apparent, surely the Celestial court had thought of some kind of solution. For now, he just needed to follow orders.

In another corner of the Joro realm, Lex breathed out a long, exhausted sigh. He just wanted to come back and beat up his stalker. Why did things need to be so complicated? Now he wouldn’t be able to enjoy himself with that fight.

The situation of the universe wasn’t so great either, and only a few months were left until the Nexus event. He needed to quickly plan things out.

He looked up at the sky and sensed his impending Major tribulation. Just as he’d taught River and Pearl, he’d use it to beat up a powerful opponent - mainly because he had no other choice.

Lex pushed away all unnecessary thoughts from his mind and focused on his next immediate task: reaching his original body.

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