Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

Derot wasn't the only one of Zach's friends working hard while he was busy with the war and the Hydra.

It was something that Zach had wondered about during his restless sleep on the way to the capital.

Where were the others? Where were Nessa, Violina, Dukiel, and Anerias? Hadn't they said they were going to help him? Had they changed their minds when they got word of his actual treason once he decided to leave Yan behind and willingly walk into the Sesha camp for the first time?

Julius would have been busy with the matters of the Underworld after he swore allegiance to Zoe. But the others?

They had been caught by the effects of their sole Title. They were the Underworld's saviors.

The Underworld needed saving again. But this time, it wasn't an internal threat.

As Zoe ordered, Jigak had entered the seemingly endless tunnel in the depths of the Underworld in pursuit of the elusive Puppeteer, who helped Ugor with his attempted invasion of the surface. He hadn't found the Puppeteer. Instead, he had crashed headfirst into a metaphorical hornet's nest.

Nessa, Violina, Anerias, and Dukiel had been roped in to help the Underworld deal with a sudden invasion from the other side of that tunnel.

Nessa stood with her hand on her hip as she looked at the ice wall blocking the tunnel. They were deep into the tunnel, and there were many failsafes and traps behind her. Still, she couldn't help but be worried. As soon as the ice wall broke, they would be in trouble. And not just their friend group or the Underworld. The Empire, the continent, could end up on the brink of ruin.

"How is Zoe doing?" She asked Monolith, who stood beside her with crossed arms and looked at the ice wall with a grim expression.

"Still asleep."

"Her injuries?"

"They're recovering, but slowly."

"I think it's time we go to the surface about this."

"When Her Majesty wakes up."

"It might be too late by then."

"We can't let anyone know that the holder of the cornerstone is in a weakened state."

"What if we can get in contact with Zach?"

"Mhm. He's trustworthy." Monolith nodded. "But what can he do that we can't? We don't even know if he's still alive."

"I'm not the one who decided to limit all contact with the surface," Nessa said with a shrug.

"But if Zach is alive, he's the one person who can help us without us needing to worry about Zoe's condition being leaked or compromised. He's not the person to sit still, either. He won't be the same as when you last met him."

"Will he be enough to deal with the Apostle that did that to Her Majesty?" Monolith asked, his voice full of doubt.

"Only one way to find out."

Monolith was silent for a moment as he thought about it. Eventually, he sighed.

"Alright. Feel free to head to the surface. Take Anerias if you need help ending the war in the east."

"Got it. I'll leave the Midnight Butterfly by Zoe's side."

"Mhm."

Nessa turned around and hopped onto a sleek, black, menacing Millipede that soundlessly crawled through the tunnel at a rapid pace. The Dawnthief Bat that had been clinging to the ceiling dropped down and sailed onto the Millipede as well, settling down next to the shadow behind her.

She grabbed the sleeping Anerias from just outside the tunnel and two of his familiars and brought them along with her as she rode the Millipede out fo the Underworld and up to the surface, following a route that only the underworlders knew about. They appeared in the middle of a forest in the middle of nowhere.

Nessa patted the Millipede's head.

"You'll have to stay here, girl. You're a little too conspicuous to travel with us."

The Millipede kyuued softly but nodded and dug into the ground, disappearing. She turned to Anerias.

His Darkwing was ready to take off, and his fourth familiar was already sitting on its back, waiting for them. Anerias, Nessa, and her two familiars joined the Devil of Imbalance on the Darkwing's back.

"Where to?" Anerias asked as the Darkwing flapped its wings and effortlessly took to the air without so much as a sound.

"The east, I guess. We're looking for Zach."

Anerias nodded.

"Guessed as much. We are in trouble, so we're once again going to rely on him." He sighed.

"What?" Nessa asked shortly. That sigh hadn't been because she woke him from his nap. It was because Anerias was frustrated. Was he tired of them having to rely on Zach all the time as soon as they were in trouble?

"Nothing." Anerias shrugged.

But Nessa continued staring until he sighed in resignation.

"It's just…We're a lot stronger than we were before. If it's us now, we could probably trounce Ugor."

"Probably."

"Yeah, so why do we have to get Zach's help as soon as we run into something a little dangerous?"

"You saw how that Apostle manhandled Zoe, didn't you? If you don't want to ask our friend for help, go down there and do what Zoe couldn't."

"..." Anerias didn't have an answer to that. Zoe was stronger than him. She was stronger than all of them. If not for Violina, Zoe and the rest of the Underworld would have already fallen.

"Hmph. That's what I thought."

"...Are you sure he will help us, though?" Anerias asked after a few minutes of silence. Nessa looked at the ground, whizzing past far below them. She knew very well what Anerias was talking about.

When Zach's family left him, the Empire branded him a traitor, and when the barbarians invaded his home, they had disappeared. They hadn't helped him in his time of need. Why would he help them now?

"It's not like we didn't help him because we took a vacation. And it's Zach we're talking about. I'm sure he handled those barbarians in a jiffy. Let's just hope he listens to our explanation and understands our perspective," Nessa said calmly.

"Did Zach ever strike you as the understanding type?"