Chapter 1569 — 1569: Cliche

"Interrogate? What are you talking about?" Kaemon asked as he looked out at the black knight wading through the locusts.

"I sent clones out of the castle to explore the surrounding area and understand more about Abaddon," Lex explained. "They left under stealth, and I'll have you know, my stealth isn't the greatest but it's still pretty effective. Everything was going fine, until they encountered that black knight. Even though all of my clones were in different areas, that black knight found them all in a matter of seconds. He said something about my soul being special.

"Since he couldn't get his hands on my soul through my clones, I'm pretty sure he came here to find my real body. Unfortunately for it, my real body is nowhere near as weak as my clones, not to mention everyone else here is no pushover."

Kaemons expression turned solemn as he stared at the knight.

"If that thing spoke, then it should be somewhere on the same power level as the Chimeras. Be incredibly careful - Chimeras are practically indestructible in their own level. There's even a possibility it's stronger than a Chimera since I've never seen a knight before."

Lex did not respond immediately, and waited for Luthor to go pass Lex's instructions to Z. In the back of his mind, Lex remembered that he still had to ask Luthor about the lead he got on creating a Hell, but now wasn't the time for that.

"Kaemon, do you have much experience with humans?" he finally asked, Lex's gaze locked onto the knight. "Do you know what makes them special when compared to other races?"

Kaemon frowned, and thought about it. In truth, the only interaction he had had with humans were with those in Reaving Dread.

Compared to Beasts, or even other races, they were not as resilient, not as strong, did not have many innate affinities or special abilities. Besides their above average intellect and their adaptability, nothing about them really stood out to him.

"Not really, no," he said.

"It's instinct," Lex confided. "It may not sound too impressive, but humans have a stronger instinct than other races. It's just that, due to our relatively low position on the Cosmic Ascendance Spectrum, our instincts have weakened, and need to be trained. But once it's trained well enough, it's effective to the point of almost becoming like divination."

"So are you saying that your instincts are telling you of how dangerous that thing is?" Kaemon asked.

"Exceedingly dangerous," Lex confirmed. "Compared to the locusts, it is more powerful by order of magnitudes. In fact, I am not sure if Z alone can handle it. But it has been a long time since Z has had to exert his full power. It'll be good for him to stretch his muscles a little."

In truth, Lex didn't think Z would be able to handle the knight. But with Lex there to step in the moment something went wrong, this would be the perfect opportunity for Z to polish up his combat ability. He had even received some ancient legacies, and unless he put them to practice, he'd never reach the absolute limit of his ability.

"There's also the fact that Z himself should have pretty strong instincts too. That should make things more interesting. And before you begin, don't think I'm not taking this seriously. I'm taking this very seriously. You will understand shortly."

Without any further explanation, Lex turned to look towards Z. Despite his demeanor seeming like he was relaxed, Lex had all his attention focused on Z. Should anything happen, not only would Lex be able to teleport to him in an instant, he could also remotely erect protective barriers around Z.

Speaking of protective barriers, it had been a long time since Lex actively focused on improving his understanding of defense. He should have a clone meditate on that topic, lest he lose all the progress he got from Regal Embrace as he moved up in level.

Z, meanwhile, was standing on the rampart, coordinating the defense in a highly efficient manner. He let the locusts come close to the walls so that the attacks wouldn't have to travel far, and time wouldn't be wasted in aiming. He also used the least amount of energy to keep the locusts at bay, ensuring that they would be able to maintain their defense for decades without interruption!

But he had only just established the defensive line when Luthor informed him of a change. Z looked out into the distance and felt his mind buzz when he laid eyes on the knight in black armor.

Lex, Kaemon and even Luthor had suffered no backlash when they saw the knight for they were all highly experienced cultivators, who had endured countless trials and tribulations. Z, on the other hand, despite training harshly and taking on immense responsibility, did not have quite the same level of experience as those three.

Thus, the very sight of the enemy was like a spiritual attack - one he had been unprepared for. Lex had wanted Z to fight the knight because he wanted him to hone the legacy he had received from the human king, but what Lex hadn't taken into account was that Z was someone who had been raised on anime.

Most anime protagonists did not use swords, but the king's legacy had to do with swords! As such, all Z had really done was take inspiration from those legacies to create his own skills.

The baton appeared in Z's hand once more. Setting the stage for an epic fight didn't go well with fighting efficiently, but he also couldn't afford to hold back. After all, Z had already seen through Lex's intentions.

Bringing him here to Abaddon, some strange, forsaken place, to fulfill some secret mission and fight off countless enemies? Discover secrets hidden from the entire universe? Uncover a conspiracy that spanned the universe and threatened to destroy all life as we know it?

Oh please, that was the most cliche plot Lex could have come up with. That was all just an excuse.

In truth, Z was certain that Lex already knew how to complete his mission in this place, but wasn't revealing it because this was just the beginning of Z's training arc montage, where he would face countless powerful enemies one after another.

Since that was the case, if he didn't overcome his limits and surpass his current strength, he was afraid Lex would end up telling him to manage even more stores! He would never do that!

The very canyon shook from the base of Z's music as he whipped his baton through the air, crushing the locusts into paste. The knight, however, had survived because of course he had.

"Let the training arc begin," he whispered.