Austin filled Warner in on his arrival after setting foot in the Ethereal World. Warner had now become
his loyal slave.
Therefore, when he was sitting cross legged in meditation in a hidden void, Austin's message elated
him very much and he replied instantly.
"Master, you're finally here!" he gushed.
"Master, please wait a second. I'll be right there," he continued.
He wanted to greet Austin in person.
He hadn't seen his master in a couple of months and missed him.
Slaves under the control of the Puppet Strings would stay true and loyal to their master and even
display a deep sense of attachment. Their first priority would always be their master.
"Stay put.
Otherwise, Emmet will get suspicious.
I am here to deal with him this time and I don't want him to get tipped off.
We need to figure out a way to subdue him without him knowing."
Austin immediately stopped Warner.
"Yes master."
Warner obeyed unquestionably.
Emmet was sitting close to Warner, and the secret conversation didn't seem entirely lost on him.
He opened his eyes just as Warner settled back down.
"What's up, Warner?" he asked.
It looked like he'd sensed that something was going on with Warner.
The duo had been together for a very long time now and knew each other very well.
They had also managed to master a sword array which had created a tacit understanding between
them.
"Are you hiding something from me, Warner?
You have been acting strange recently,"
Emmet asked as his piercing eyes landed on Warner.
Warner was taken aback.
'It looks like Emmet is getting suspicious.
Well, it's not a surprise.
He is a smart man,' Warner thought to himself.
"I'm fine.
I'm feeling much better now.
It's just that the very thought of Austin makes me tremble with anger.
I have suffered a lot because of him and I want my revenge!"
Warner replied immediately.
"I see.
I must admit that Austin is really something.
He is still a young man, but he has got incredible power and even though I hate him a lot,
I am not ashamed to admit that he is the most talented young man I have ever seen in my life.
Maybe we shouldn't have provoked him in the first place,"
Emmet mused.
"Humph! In my opinion, the four major forces are the ones to blame.
Austin is a cocky brat whom I never saw eye to eye with.
But in any case, I don't think we need to fear Austin.
As long as we stay in the Ethereal World, no one can harm us.
In here, we are strong and safe and if Austin dares cross our path here, we'll teach him a lesson for the
ages,"
Warner replied with a snort.
Of course, he didn't mean a word of what he was saying. It was all just a facade.
"You're right.
We have already broken ties with the four major forces and
Austin is our enemy as well now.
We should stay in the Ethereal World. If we leave this place, they'll immediately come after us.
In here, there's not a single soul in the entire Sword Cosmos who can do anything to us,"
Emmet responded.
"Correct.
But I really hope that Austin loses his mind and breaks in here again.
Then we can work together and put him down. If I can't take him out, I will never be at peace!"
Warner said through gritted teeth.
Of course, everything he did and said was an act. His sole purpose behind insulting and cursing Austin
was to subdue Emmet's suspicions.
"No. Don't provoke him. Austin has got too many tricks up his sleeve for us to confront him directly.
Instead of doing that, we should be clever.
Even if he does come here again, we must stay away from him.
And if somehow, we are unable to hide from him, then it's best that we fight him in the Chaotic Abyss,"
Emmet said after thinking for a while.
To be honest, Austin's astounding display of strength and power from a few months ago had terrified
Emmet.
"So you think we must lure Austin into the Chaotic Abyss before we fight him?"
Warner asked.
Unbeknownst to Emmet, this was Austin's question which he'd asked Warner to raise.
The duo had been communicating through spiritual sense without Emmet's knowledge.
"Yes.
Inside the Chaotic Abyss, we can unleash our full power.
What's more, if someone else enters that abyss, their strength will be significantly lowered, giving us a
great advantage,"
Emmet replied.
Austin was hiding in the void far away from them. With Warner's help, he had overheard every single
second of Emmet and Warner's conversation.
"So Emmet will not fight me unless we are in the Chaotic Abyss,"
Austin murmured to himself.
The very thought of that strange and terrifying abyss sent a chill down his spine.
Setting foot in that abyss was incredibly dangerous. Even a governing god wouldn't be at full strength
inside.
However, Warner and Emmet's powers would soar instead of being reduced if they entered it.
"All right.
It looks like I have no choice but to enter that abyss once again. That's my only chance to get Emmet
under my control.
Otherwise, he will stay in hiding for as long as it takes,"
Austin decided.
He was taking a very dangerous risk in order to subdue Emmet, but he had no other choice.
"I must start
carrying out my plan instantly if this is how it has to be.
There's no point in wasting any more time."
Austin smiled decisively.
"Warner, let's move!"
Austin ordered his slave through spiritual sense.
"Yes, master!"
Warner got excited.
As a puppet under Austin's control, he was very glad to work for the latter.
After giving Warner some necessary instructions, he stopped hiding his whereabouts and made his
way towards their location.
"Warner, Emmet! You old bastards! Come out and show yourselves!" Austin shouted.
With the aid of his spiritual sense, he had already located the duo and was now moving in their
direction.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
His sound waves spread all over the Ethereal World.
"Who the hell is that?
How dare he insult our great masters?"
"I don't care who that is. I am going to kill him!"
"He must be executed in public to show the public what happens to intruders here.
I am going to kill him!"
Austin's insult was directed only at the two masters, but the entire Ethereal World seemed to take
offense from it.
There was an interesting reason behind this. The Ethereal World was famous as a hideout for criminals
and evil cultivators. Regardless of their crimes, whoever came here was given refuge and was not
punished if they stayed here.
That was because Warner and Emmet would have their backs.
This allowed the duo to stay in charge of the Ethereal World and enjoy
a lot of respect and prestige among its criminal residents.
And today, someone had dared to rush into the Ethereal World and hurl disrespectful remarks against
Warner and Emmet. This had enraged all the residents since they were indebted to the two for
providing them with shelter.
In an instant, hundreds of masters had rushed out of the Ethereal World and were now floating in the
void.
There was a ferocious look on all of their faces, as if they would tear the intruder apart.
"Brat, was it you who insulted our two great masters?"
one of them shouted at Austin.
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