“Be careful,” Iris said before kissing Lux’s lips. “Prioritize your safety above all else.”

“I will,” Lux replied and gave his fiance a firm hug. “Take care while I am away.”

“Be safe, Eiko,” Iris kissed the baby slime perched on top of Lux’s head, and the latter kissed her back with a smile.

After a minute, Iris reluctantly took a step back, glanced at her best friend, and gave Cai a hug.

“Be safe, Cai.” Iris hugged her best friend tightly. “Make sure that Lux doesn’t cheat on us, okay?”

“Thank you,” Cai hugged Iris back and kissed her cheeks. “Don’t worry. If he ever did that, I’ll beat him up. Isn’t that right, Fei Fei?”

“Wae~”

Today was the day that they would go back to Elysium and travel to the location of the Domain of the Fallen.

The representatives of the Six Kingdoms had left a few hours ago, leaving only Lux and his entourage inside Barbatos Academy.

Everyone was making last-minute preparations while waiting for the Half-Elf to take the lead on their journey to their destination.

“Time to go,” Lux softly said as he hugged Iris and Cai at the same time.

Although Cai had already been Lux’s fiance for quite some time now, only a handful of people knew about it. They agreed to not tell anyone for the time being, keeping the betrothal a secret for as long as possible.

After their group hug, Cai transformed into her Boar form, trailing after Lux as they exited Iris’ room.

The blue-haired beauty didn’t walk them out since she had already said her goodbyes. Partings were always hard for her, so she deemed it best that she not see Lux and Cai leave this time around.

When the Half-Elf and the Boar arrived at the Teleportation Gate of Barbatos Academy, Keane, Gerhart, Xander, and Einar, with his Barbarian entourage, were already there, waiting for them.

Aside from them, Henrietta and the four other representatives of her Guild, Serenity, were present as well because they decided to go together with Lux.

“Is everyone here?” Lux asked.

Everyone around the Teleportation Gate nodded their heads.

The Xynnar War Pact, Skystead Alliance, and the Six Kingdoms had all built a one-way teleportation gate that would allow everyone, who had the qualifications to enter the Domain of the Fallen, to teleport a kilometer away from it.

“Before we go, I would like to tell everyone something,” Lux stated. “I’m sure all of you are aware of the mysterious group that will be coming to the Domain of the Fallen alongside the Skystead Alliance. If they provoke you in any way, make sure to ignore them. We will move separately from them once we enter the Sacred Dungeon.”

Once again, everyone nodded their heads to acknowledge Lux’s words. They all recognized him as the temporary leader of their group, so everyone listened to his orders.

After saying what needed to be said, Lux took the initiative to enter the Teleportation Gate first, while the others followed behind him.

———-

Between the borders of the Xynnar War Pact and the Skystead Alliance…

“So you guys are finally here,” Xander’s father, Hector, greeted them. “Took you long enough.”

Lux smiled as he returned the High Ranker’s greeting.

“Sir Hector, are you here to escort us to the meeting place?” Lux asked.

“Yes. I can’t possibly leave you kids to fend for yourselves, can I?” Hector crossed his arms over his chest. “So, are all of you ready to conquer the Gate of Famine?”

“Of course,” Cai answered. “Conquering the Gate of Famine is like a walk in the park. We’ve already got this one in the bag.”

While everyone had their attention on Cai, a person wearing black robes suddenly materialized beside Lux.

Hector, who thought that the black-robed individual was someone that had evil intentions, immediately moved to knock them unconscious, but Lux stepped up and blocked the High-Ranker’s path.

“Sir Hector, it’s fine,” Lux said. “This is a friend of mine that I invited to come with us to the Domain of the Fallen.”

“A friend?” Hector frowned. As a High-Ranker, he made sure that he was always paying close attention to his surroundings.

The black-robed person suddenly appeared out of nowhere, catching him by surprise, so he thought that he was dealing with another High-Ranker who specialized in assassinations.

“Yes. He is a friend I met in Elysium. Don’t worry. He is pretty harmless,” Lux replied. “Go on, introduce yourself to them.”

“I’m not interested in introducing myself to Low-Landers,” the black-robed figure said. “It is beneath my dignity to do that.”

Lux had the strong urge to slap the arrogant Dragon Born, but he decided to give him face and simply smiled apologetically at Hector, whose frown had grown deeper.

“Would it kill if you act like a proper person and show humility?” Gerhart asked the black-robed figure in irritation.

“Shut up,” the black-robed person replied. “Let’s just go to that Sacred Dungeon and get this over with.”

Einar, Xander, and Henrietta looked at the black-robed figure and wondered if he was one of Lux’s Summons.

It wasn’t the first time seeing the Half-Elf summon his subordinates out of thin air, so they were already used to seeing some new faces every now and then.

“Um… shall we go then?” Hector asked.

Since the black-robed figure wasn’t an enemy, then there was no need to apprehend him.

Everyone summoned their mounts and began the short journey toward the cliff that would lead them down to the Gate of the Fallen.

As soon as they arrived, all the eyes of the people inside the Cavern looked at their location.

Hector took the lead, and Lux followed behind him.

The Half-Elf glanced at the people inside the Cavern and noticed that there were more Rankers present compared to last time.

He also noticed several people wearing black robes like Cethus, who was keen on hiding his true identity until the last minute.

As the Half-Elf glanced at the “guests” from the Vahan Empire, he noticed four people with exceptionally strong auras guarding a person at the center.

‘Just like the report that Father received,’ Lux thought. ‘They really do have four Saints.’

The Half-Elf then shifted his attention to the person standing among these four strong individuals, and couldn’t help but feel something vaguely familiar about him.

What he didn’t know was that the person being guarded by the four Saints was feeling the same way, making him pay close attention to the red-headed teenager who was infamous among the Skystead Alliance, Xynnar War Pact, and the Six Kingdoms.