From Karshvar Draconis, Lux returned to Wildgarde Stronghold in Solais.

After that, he asked Gerald, the Commander of the Stronghold, to allow him to use the Teleportation Gate to go to Elysium.

Just like everyone else, Gerald was surprised to see Lux in the stronghold because he thought that the Half-Elf was with the others in conquering the Gate of Famine alongside the other members of the young generation.

After explaining how he had been teleported to a remote location after entering the Gate of Famine, Gerald decided to personally escort Lux to the Gate of the Domain of the Fallen.

Doing so would save time because he had the authority to use any of the Teleportation Gates of the Xynnar War Pact, cutting the traveling time by a good margin.

Finally, an hour later, Lux arrived at the Cavern where everyone was gathered.

Looks of doubt, disappointment, and disdain were cast in his direction, coming from the envoys and High-Rankers of the different Factions.

They thought that the Half-Elf had decided to leave the Gate of Famine in order to save himself from the embarrassment of being unable to conquer the Dungeon, crushing everyone’s expectations of him.

However, Lux didn’t give a hoot about whatever they were thinking and simply walked towards his companions, who had been waiting patiently for his return.

“So, are you guys ready for Round Two?” Lux asked with a grin. “I heard that you guys got beaten up pretty badly when I wasn’t around.”

Einar snorted, but he then raised his fist towards the Half-Elf.

Lux imitated the gesture and the two fist-bumped each other, which meant the Barbarian had decided to join his team.

“Can we win?” Val asked with his arms crossed over his chest. “We’re dealing with Dreadnaughts out there. It is not something that we Initiates can beat even if we all worked together.”

He held Lux’s gaze, trying to see if what the red-headed teenager was saying was just false bravado, or if he really had the ability to back it up.

“We can win,” Lux said with confidence. “So, are you in?”

Val didn’t answer right away. Instead, he smiled and said something that almost made Cai charge at the Spider Boy and gouge him with her tusks.

“If we are able to clear this dungeon, I will introduce you to my little sister,” Val said in a teasing tone. “Actually, my family is watching me right now through this artifact. They have heard many things about you and have been wanting to know if there is some truth to it.”

Val patted the emblem on his lightweight armor, which was the coat of arms of their family.

“I’ll pass,” Lux replied in a heartbeat after seeing that Cai was scraping the ground with her right hoof as if she was preparing to attack Val from behind. “Tell your sister to find someone else.”

“It’s your loss, man. My sister is a beauty.”

“Hahaha.”

Lux then glanced at Henrietta, and Xander, asking the two with his eyes if they were going with him.

The two didn’t hesitate and nodded their heads in unison.

“Okay, let’s go,” Lux said as he walked towards the Gate of the Domain of the Fallen.

Cai and the others followed closely behind him, not caring what the adults were thinking.

“Wait!”

The Black Dragon Born, whom Cethus called Uncle Piccoro, called out to the Half-Elf and stopped him in his tracks.

“Yes?” Lux asked as he glanced in the direction of the Saint from the Crystal Palace.

“I overheard your discussion earlier and couldn’t help but find this act of yours a futile endeavor,” Piccoro said. “If I were you, I would stop this nonsense at once. Also, Cethus, do not think that I didn’t know that you were just spouting nonsense about not using your full power a while ago. Do you think I’m blind? You had a constipated look on your face before that Dreadnaught Monster slapped you to oblivion.”

Cethus didn’t get angry at his Uncle’s words and simply smiled back at him.

Although the Saint had brought up his embarrassing moments before he died, Cethus had always been very good at hiding his shortcomings and forgetting about them when it was convenient for him.

“Uncle, whether I am spouting nonsense or not is something for you to see later,” Cethus replied calmly. “Also, we are not you and don’t think like you. If you were in our place, you would not dare to challenge the Dungeon again because you know that you don’t have a chance of winning.”

The smile on Cethus’ face widened because although he wasn’t confident in his ability to conquer the Dungeon, he was confident that Lux could do it.

After all, the Half-Elf could summon Barca and the others, who were Empyrean and Argonaut-Ranked Monsters.

So what if the enemy was a Dreadnaught?

An Empyrean-Ranked Half-Orc would smash its face silly!

Piccoro frowned because Cethus’ words and actions were filled with confidence. As a Saint, it was fairly easy for him to tell whether someone was lying or not. However, he couldn’t detect any falsehood in Cethus’ words, making him wonder if the troublemaker Dragon Born didn’t really use his full powers earlier.

“Very well,” Piccoro stated as he tossed a small token towards the black-scaled Dragon Born. “Allow me to watch this farce through your eyes. I’m sure that your grandma and I will find your attempt quite entertaining.”

Cethus looked at the token in his hand before placing it on his chest. The token then embedded itself in the Dragon Born’s armor, allowing Piccoro and Cethus’ “other” Grandma, who was currently safeguarding the Crystal Palace, to see what was happening around him.

“I’ll do my best to entertain the both of you then,” Cethus commented. “Well then, let’s go, Lux. lead the way.”

Lux didn’t mind Cethus acting as his superior because he didn’t want to deal with the nonsense of a Saint right now.

For him, it was more favorable to be looked down upon by others, so they wouldn’t tag along. They could just watch as he conquered the Gate of Famine with the people who believed in him.

———–

Safe Zone of the Domain of the Fallen…

“Um, what are you guys doing here?” Cai asked Enlil, as well as Jasper, who had also entered the Domain of the Fallen, bringing the other representatives of the Six Kingdoms, and the Xynnar War Pact with them.

“I have been given strict orders by my Father to follow him,” Enlil replied in annoyance. “I don’t want to hear any complaints from the Elven Council when I return to my Kingdom for not following orders. Let’s just go in there and die already, so we can go back home.”

“I share the same sentiments as Prince Enlil,” Jasper commented. “We’re here under orders. Whether we succeed or not doesn’t matter.”

Jasper also felt like challenging the dungeon again was pure nonsense. However, orders were orders, and he would see to them through until the end.

Gilmore Faisal, who was also one of the former Four Kings and a very skilled swordsman, was also there to accompany the others on the expedition.

After losing to Keane in the tournament, he had trained a lot and had improved by leaps and bounds. He had come with Enlil and Jasper because, for some reason, he could sense that something had changed in the Half-Elf since he last saw him two days ago.

As a warrior, he trusted his sixth sense very much, and his sixth sense was telling him to follow the Half-Elf, who looked confident enough to challenge the Dungeon despite knowing what he was up against.

“Since all of you are here, I want to make one thing clear,” Lux announced. “You will have to follow my orders without fail, regardless of how dangerous or how silly it seems. In return, I promise to not treat any of you as cannon fodder. If you can’t agree to this condition of mine, please leave. I am not here to babysit extra baggage.”

The teenager was somewhat offended by Lux’s high-handed words. However, the ones who insisted on coming with him were them, so they had no choice but to nod their heads in agreement.

“Good,” Lux said after seeing everyone nod their heads. “Since that is settled, let’s go to the Sacred Dungeon.”

This time, Lux didn’t take any detours and walked straight towards the location of the Sacred Dungeon, which baffled the members of the Xynnar War Pact and the Six Kingdoms.

What they didn’t know was that the Half-Elf no longer needed to avoid any Monsters because all of them had already been dealt with by the two shameless Saints, who were still inside the Domain of the Fallen, investigating an ancient ruin that they had come across by accident.