"Alright so what do you want to ask us?" Misao asked we sat at the dining table.
"First, do you have any recollection of Nagini? Well you all called her Noxius." I responded. "You two didn't really seem to react to her when she first appeared."
"Nagini..? Noxius..?" Misao sighed softly then sat back in her chair and crossed her arms. "I remember seeing her when she appeared and she did look familiar to me."
"I can say the same. You did mention something about the Infinity Council right? I definitely remember the Infinity Council back in the Old World." Liao said and nodded.
"Alright, what about Qiao Zhi? Do you remember him?" I asked and looked at Liao Ru.
"Oh most definitely. Qiao Zhi was a dangerous ally. The could use Wind, Lightning, and Light. He's known as the direct descendant of Zhong Li while I am a descendant of Long Zhihou. Two Dynasty Heroes from two different periods of time. Zhong Li is the most recent Dynasty Hero while Long Zhihou is the oldest Dynasty Hero." Liao Ru answered.
"Have you ever had a crush on him?" I smiled.
Misao rose an eyebrow and looked at me then at Liao Ru.
Liao Ru blushed and sat back in her chair. "Tch...how is this a relevant question?"
"Come on. It's just us ladies here, you can tell us." I smiled.
Liao Ru sighed and closed her eyes, crossing her arms. "Yeah...I had a crush on him. We never dated for a multitude of reasons, but one main reason was because of the war and Misao's safety."
"Eh?" I looked at Misao. "What is she talking about?"
"I am corrupted by an Overlord Core. Back in the Old World in the year 1459, we had to face off against the Umbra Overlord and she had corrupted me to become a Fallen, but I fought it for so long. Legion and the Overlords at that time were winning the war. We lacked power and even though Liao Ru at the time had the Gem of Flames within her, she didn't know how to awaken it so she couldn't become the Ruler of Inferno." Misao explained.
"I did all I could to keep the corruption low. Dr. Ashikaga and Number X did their best to make medicine to keep the corruption at Bay, but I fear one day Misao won't be able to hold it back anymore." Liao Ru said then looked Misao.
"Number X..? Are you talking about Nagini Noxius? She's the only one who worked under Dr. Ashikaga." I said.
"You seem to have done research. Yes Nagini worked under Dr. Ashikaga before the attack in Siberia from what I heard." Liao Ru said.
"Wait but you died at the Mishiyo Tower right? How did you come back because I read that before you were dead at the Yukihori Highway." I looked at Liao Ru.
"I wasn't dead at the Yukihori Highway. I passed out with a weak pulse, but someone had saved me. I can't remember who it was, but I know someone came around and helped me out. Now at the Mishiyo Tower yes, I died there because of the Overlord of Thunder, but once she killed me the Gem of Flames awakened for the first time and revived me and since then I never understood how to awaken it until later on in my life." Liao Ru answered.
"Where is Qiao Zhi right now?" I asked.
Both Misao and Liao Ru didn't answer. I looked at them then Liao Ru finally decided to give an answer.
"He betrayed us for the Fallen Overlord. He's known her since she became a Ruler. Till this day no one knows her origins other than Qiao Zhi. At first I thought it was a plan to confuse her then strike her down, but instead he joined them and ended up being her most trusted ally." Liao Ru answered.
"We never managed to get him back on our side. With power like his, it took more than a Shrine Maiden and a Ruler Trainee to take him down. We needed help from an actual Ruler and that's how we met the Ruler of Raijin. Raiji was something else. Very carefree. Arrogant...but she was dangerously powerful. I am surprised she chose you. She called out to you for a reason." Misao said.
"Qiao Zhi is immortal like Liao Ru. He's still out there somewhere. In 1438 he was 900 years old. He's definitely somewhere in Japan because the events I spoke about leading up to the Siberian Incident happened in Japan." I said.
"That may be true, but you don't know when he betrayed us. He betrayed us in year 1674...The year of the Fallen and the Risen. Legion and the Overlords had won the war, but we still held the Key of Origin close and were searching for the Key of Totality." Misao started.
"That's when it all happened. We were so close to finding the Key of Totality then he took the Key of Origin away from us and made himself a Demigod. He didn't become a Ruler nor Overlord, but he gave himself the power of a Demigod." Liao Ru continued then closed her eyes.
"He became the Risen King. People saw him as the Overlord of the Risen. Don't get it mixed up with the Ruler of Ascension because although Ascension is the opposite of Fallen, Risen and Fallen works hand in hand." Misao said.
"How?" I asked.
"The Fallen Overlord or you can just call her Fallan. When Fallan summons a Fallen or corrupts someone and turns them into a Fallen, Qiao Zhi can use his power to Rise them back to their original state, with all of their powers and in full health, and they will still be under Fallan's control. Not only that! Qiao Zhi can also rise a dead hero from the dead in perfect health and condition." Liao Ru answered.
"We had found the Key of Totality and our ally Number V, Viktoria Kästner, used it to save us all, but in return the her life is taken in the process. When you wield the Key of Totality, you gain the ability to use one attack. It's called...Ragnarok. The attack will flawlessly destroy any target or targets, it will destroy anything and everything you target. There is no range limit on how far you target someone. Ragnarok can destroy anything without limits. Unless you're immune to the effects of the Key of Totality, your life will come to an end upon use of the Key of Totality. You will die and there is nothing you can do." Misao said.
"I still remember her last words to us. They were similar to Orishi's final words. She told us that she had an amazing time with us and that the fate of the world is in our hands. She said to remember her at all times as the Princess of the World. She wants us to always smile because even when bad things happen we will always find something good in the end." Liao Ru sighed and closed her eyes.
"I miss her as she was a very genuine and honest person. She always called herself the Prinzessin der Welt and it was cute to me. She became a member of the Infinity Council to protest against the European Queen's antics and tried to set things right, but in the end she ended up losing her life to protect us. I'll never forgive Legion for taking away someone as precious as her. Although Europe and Japan are on good terms now, I can never forgive them for what they did to us. To my sisters, the Shrine Maidens. To Viktoria.." Misao said then stood up.
I watched as Misao collected our plates. "I was wondering something. Dr. Ashikaga, who is she relating to Orishi?"
"Orishi's Ancestor. Orishi's direct ancestor. Although it may not seem like it, they are closely more related than you think. Not only sharing the last name, but also sharing the same intelligence, mindset, and the same motives for the world. Although Orishi and Maruno don't share the same profession, they do share the same loyalty as the next and I am sure if Orishi were to still be alive, she would be dangerously powerful as she would've become a Ruler." Liao Ru answered.
"I see." I nodded. "Well thank you for having me over, oh wait...one last thing. Do you mind telling me about this cult named The Punishing Flames? I would have asked Sumi, but she's a little absent minded and most likely wouldn't know about it since they haven't been heard of since you killed the leader in the past."
"The Punishing Flames was a cultist who worshiped the Overlord of Sins. They say those who defy the Overlord of Sins are only deserving of death by the Eternal Flames. They will be damned and turned into Fallen for their disobedience towards the Overlord of Sins. Remnants of the cult exists, but they are most likely either hiding or they joined the Judgement Order. Either way, even if remnants of them exist, they are still too dangerous to take lightly. We should still be careful at all times." Liao Ru answered.
I nodded and stood up. I had gotten most of my answers, but there was still more that I could learn. It had to wait as the Graduation Exams were starting tomorrow. "I will see you two tomorrow. Thank you for having me over."
They said their goodbyes to me and I left the house to go back to my own. After the exams, I was going to go back to the Infinite Realm and get more answers. I needed to know how to truly stop these events from happening, but I also need to unlock my Zenith. My mind was set on getting as much information and experience as possible after the exams were over. I also wanted to find a way to defeat Qiao because he needs to be stopped as well.