After the Vahan Empire’s “apology”, the candidates all lined up at the gate of the Domain.

Cethus had his arms crossed over his chest as he stood at the very front, with Lux behind him.

Right beside Cethus were the black-robed members of the Crystal Palace, led by the one that was being protected earlier by the Four Saints.

Although Lux had tried to ask Cethus several times about who the leader of the Crystal Palace was, the Dragon Born was tight-lipped and simply said that this was a matter between the Dragon Race.

Seeing that Cethus didn’t want to disclose anything, Lux no longer pried and just focused his attention on the expedition.

“Please be careful inside,” Piccoro said to the black-robed individual leading the members of the Crystal Palace. “If things get out of hand, evacuate right away.”

The one leading the members of the Crystal Palace nodded.

“All of you, make sure to protect HIM at all costs,” Piccoro stated. “Lay down your lives if you have to.”

“””Yes Sir!”””

Cethus sighed as he looked at the Gate of the Fallen. Although he had ties with the Crystal Palace, he just couldn’t agree to their methods when it came to getting what they wanted.

“Let’s get this over with,” Cethus said before pressing his palm on the Gate in front of him.

A second later, the gate slightly opened and Cethus, along with the others who had the right to enter the Domain of the Fallen, all turned into particles of light.

These lights then flew towards the opened Gate where the Sacred Dungeon was waiting for them.

——————–

Domain of the Fallen…

“So, this is the Domain of the Fallen.” Cethus frowned. “I can sense danger everywhere.”

The Dragon Born was about to take a step forward, but Lux’s hand rested on his shoulder, preventing him from taking another step.

“Don’t leave the Safe Zone,” Lux stated. “I can sense an Argonaut-Ranked Monster hiding in front of us.”

All of the teenagers who had decided to follow Lux stopped in their tracks.

Just like Cethus, they were about to move away from the Safe Zone, but when they heard Lux’s words, all of them immediately felt their blood turn cold.

They had followed the Half-Elf in the previous expeditions and knew that his words were something that should be taken seriously.

“Bunch of nonsense,” Prince Cyrus snorted. “I don’t see anything.”

The Second Prince of the Vahan Empire ignored Lux’s words and was about to leave the Safety Zone when he heard an authoritative voice, filled with power, stopping him in his tracks.

“Don’t move.”

The leader of the Crystal Palace didn’t even bother to give Prince Cyrus a sidelong glance as he ordered him to stand down.

“Now I know why you were able to clear the three Gates despite being a Low Lander.”

The leader of the Crystal Palace took off the hood covering his head and glanced in the direction of the Half-Elf.

“Your ability is the real deal.”

An angelic-looking young man with blue hair and blue eyes looked at the Half-Elf with a faint smile. On his head, two Crystal Dragon horns glittered faintly in the sunlight.

It was truly an exceptional face, free from imperfections. Even Lux who was confident in his looks had to agree that the person in front of him was way more handsome than he was.

“My name is Aur,” Aur said.

“Lux,” Lux replied.

Aur gave Lux a curt nod before shifting his gaze to the path in front of him. Although the surroundings looked perfectly normal from a distance, those with heightened senses would feel that there was something lurking somewhere, which the eyes couldn’t see.

Originally, just like Prince Cyrus, Aur wanted to see just how strong Lux was. However, the moment he laid his eyes on the red-headed teenager, he sensed some kind of familiarity in him that prevented him from doing anything rash.

What he didn’t know was that the feeling that he, the Saints, as well as the Dragon Borns felt was Lux’s passive skill, Dragon Conqueror’s Majesty [EX].

This skill raised Lux’s Charisma, preventing the Dragons and the Dragon Borns from immediately becoming hostile to him unless Lux attacked or provoked them first.

For a few minutes, everyone stayed where they were and simply tried their best to look for the Argonaut-Ranked Monster that the red-headed teenager had warned them about.

The entrance of the Gate of the Fallen had a protective barrier that prevented monsters from attacking those who had just entered the Domain.

As long as they didn’t leave its protective perimeter, no Monsters would be able to attack them.

Unlike the others, Lux could pinpoint the location of their enemy and was even able to identify what kind of monster it was.

Because of this, he knew that anyone who left the Safe Zone would immediately be killed due to how proficient their invisible enemy was.

“Hey, Aur, do you have anything on you that can seriously injure an Argonaut Ranked Monster?” Lux asked.

“Don’t casually talk to our Leader, Half-Elf,” one of the Dragon Borns that escorted Aur inside the Domain stated. “You don’t have the qualifications to even speak his name in a casual manner.”

“Shut up,” Cethus snapped at the Dragon Born who suddenly interjected in the conversation. “Lux was talking to Aur. Are you Aur? Since when did your parents give you the name Aur? Can you please not interfere in a discussion where you weren’t called for? It makes you look like an attention whore.”

“Y-You!” the Dragon Born was about to hurl insults at Cethus when Aur raised his hand, making the Dragon Born hold back what he was about to say.

“It’s fine,” Aur replied. “It will be difficult to communicate in this Dungeon if names aren’t used. Also, to answer your question, I indeed have an artifact that would allow me to seriously injure an Argonaut-Ranked Monster. Have you found it?”

Lux nodded. “I can bring it out from its hiding place, but luring it out is useless. We need to seriously injure it, so it will leave us alone.

“Very well. As long as I can see it. I will be able to deal with it.”

“Good. Make your preparations now.”

Aur summoned a crystal scepter and held it firmly in his hands. What he was holding was a Pseudo-Demigod Artifact that was given to him to ensure his safety inside the Domain of the Fallen.

Lux then summoned Pazuzu and ordered his Fortress Defender to step outside of the Safe Zone.

Pazuzu then raised his shield and took a defensive stance, and waited for Lux’s order.

“Are you ready?” Lux asked Aur.

“Yes,” Aur. “Ready when you are.”

Lux nodded “Then, on the count of three. One, two, three!”

The Fortress Defender then activated his skill Duel [EX] and aimed it in front of him.

At first, nothing seemed to change. But, after a few seconds, the scenery in front of them suddenly shook before suddenly becoming distorted.

A moment later, a seven-meter-long, green-skinned Chameleon appeared in front of them, shocking almost everyone into taking a step back.

With an annoyed screech, the Chameleon extended its tongue, and used it as a whip to lash at the Fortress Defender, who had already braced himself for the imminent impact.

However, when the tongue was only dozens of meters away from Pazuzu, Aur placed his crystal scepter in front of his lips and blew on it.

“Crystal Dragon’s Breath!”

A misty dragon’s breath filled with crystal shards flew toward the Argonaut-Ranked Chameleon, turning its tongue into crystal.

As if sensing that it would die if it didn’t do anything, the Green Chameleon decisively used its razor-sharp claws to cut its own tongue before jumping out of the path of the Dragon’s Breath.

Aur’s attack continued for hundreds of meters, turning everything it hit into crystals, including the ground, rocks, and trees.

The Green Chameleon glared hatefully in Aur’s direction as blood dripped from its lips like a faucet.

Its reptilian eyes locked onto the Crystal Dragon’s body as if trying to memorize the face of the person that it would seek vengeance on at a later time. This glare lasted for a full minute before the Green Chameleon left the scene, melding with its surroundings.

After the Argonaut-Ranked Monster disappeared, everyone was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief and look at the crystalized scenery in front of them.

“You can take that tongue as a souvenir,” Aur said to Lux, who was busy tracking the Argonaut Ranked Monster with his Soul Book. “I have no need for it.”

Lux wanted to say that he had no need for it either, but suddenly remembered that the crystallized tongue might be a good ingredient for his Skeleton Maker skill.

“Thank you,” Lux replied. “The Monster has left and is no longer a threat to us. We can continue on our journey.”

“Good,” Aur commented. “I’ve heard that you can guide us along a safer path with the least amount of danger. You can take the lead until we reach the entrance of the Sacred Dungeon.”

“You want me to lead everyone until we reach the Sacred Dungeon?”

“Yes. Although I am not afraid of Argonaut-Ranked Monsters, it is best to avoid conflicts as much as possible.”

Aur didn’t mention that the Crystal Scepter in his hands could only be used five times a day, which is why he didn’t want to use it unless absolutely necessary.

The most it could do was deal with Argonaut Ranked Monsters up to the Alpha Rank. Field and World Bosses of the Argonaut Ranked would be able to break free from the Crystal Breath’s effects after a few minutes.

The Green Chameleon might be strong, but it was only an ordinary Argonaut-Ranked Beast, so the scepter was more than able to handle it without any problem.

“Very well,” Lux replied. “Follow me.”

The Half-Elf took the lead as he entered the forest where Deimos and Argonaut-Ranked Monsters were in abundance.

His father, Alexander, and Cai’s Grandpa, Maximilian had a proper discussion about the strategy that they thought of once they were inside the Domain of the Fallen. However, for that to happen, Lux must wait for the right opportunity to summon them in a subtle way.

All the representatives of the other Factions, including the members of the Crystal Palace, were carrying artifacts that allowed those that were outside the Gate of the Fallen to see what was happening inside.

Because of this, he couldn’t summon his father and the Saint of the Rowan Tribe with everyone paying close attention to him.

If he did, an uproar over the “looted” resources within the Domain of the Fallen would become a big issue if they were discovered, and this was something that they didn’t want others to discover.

‘I’ll just tell them later that I need to pee,’ Lux thought as he continued to lead everyone along a much safer path away from monsters. ‘They won’t follow me if I give that excuse, right?’

—————

Inside the Fifth Gate of the Apocalypse…

A white-haired devil opened his eyes, while the corner of his lips rose up to a sneer.

“You’ve finally returned, Half-Elf,” the Abyssal Devil said hoarsely. “Time for me to send you a one-way ticket to the Abyss. I hope you enjoy my hospitality.”

The sound of hoarse laughter echoed in the surroundings of the Sacred Dungeon as the Sealed Duke of the Abyssal Race prepared his surprise for the Half-Elf that was slowly, but surely, headed in his direction.