“According to a rough estimate, there will be at least a hundred Deimos-Rank Monsters within the Monster Army,” Lux explained before shifting his gaze to the Boar beside him. “We are short-handed, so I will be assigning everyone their task for this battle. Cai and Xander, both of you will team up to deal with one Deimos-Ranked Monster.”

“Okay,” Cai replied.

Xander also nodded in agreement. His duty was to protect Cai in the first place, so he was fine with this setup.

“Keane, you will take on a Deimos-Ranked Monster on your own,” Lux stated as he glanced at his trusted companion with a smile.

“Okay,” Keane replied.

The not-so-skinny swordsman had been very eager to fight after seeing Lux’s awesome performance in the last battle. Since he considered the Half-Elf his rival, Keane would not hesitate to fight an opponent that was stronger than him in order to challenge his limits.

Lux wasn’t too worried about Keane since he had given the swordsman a Deimos-Ranked Wyvern that would assist him in battle.

“Gerhart, Cethus, you two deal with one Deimos Ranked Monster each as well.”

“Got it,” Gerhart replied.

“Only one?” Cethus complained. “I can deal with three of them with my arms crossed.”

“Shut up, Cethus.” Gerhart scoffed at the arrogant Dragon Born. “I can already see that you will be the first to die in this battle. Just where is this confidence of yours coming from? Your Grandma is not here to save you, you know?”

“Shut up, Low Lander.” Cethus glared. “How about we make a bet on how many Deimos Monsters we can kill? The loser will follow the victor’s orders for a day.”

“Sounds fun. I’m in.”

“I can’t wait to order you to lick my foot, you scum.”

Lux sighed as he ignored the two hot-heads who were once again competing with each other.

“Einar and Val, you will deal with one Deimos-Ranked Monster each,” Lux stated. “Don’t hold back, okay? I know that the two of you have become stronger since the last time we met.”

Einar smirked. This was the first time that Lux acknowledged his ability, so he was feeling quite happy inside.

Val was feeling the same, so he nodded his head and promised to follow the Half-Elf’s orders.

“Henrietta, you and your Guild Members will fight against one Deimos Monster as well.” Lux crossed his arms over his chest. “Can you do it?”

“Consider it done,” Henrietta replied in a heartbeat.

If it had been in the past, she definitely would not have been able to answer as confidently as she did now. But now that Lux had given her a Deimos-Ranked Wyvern as a Beast Companion, she felt like dealing with another one was doable.

“Jasper, you and your team will handle one Deimos-Ranked Monster. You four Barbarians will team up against one as well.”

Lux then shifted his gaze to the Elven Prince, Enlil, as well as Gilmore, who had just been listening quietly to the side.

“Enlil and Gilmore, you and your men team up to defeat one Deimos Ranked Monster,” Lux said after careful consideration.

“Very well,” Enlil replied.

“Understood,” Gilmore commented.

Both of them were proud teenagers, but since they had been ordered by their Kings to follow Lux’s orders, they would do as they were told.

“That’s all.” Lux then stood up and was about to leave when Prince Cyrus called out to him.

“Hey, what about us?” Prince Cyrus asked. “What are we going to do?”

Lux glanced at the Second Prince of the Vahan Empire with a frown.

“You… just don’t get in the way,” Lux answered. “Better yet, just don’t do anything. Just watch from the side and do your best to not die.”

“You bastard!” Prince Cyrus growled, but this action of his made Lux chuckle.

“I was just joking,” Lux said in a teasing tone. “You, Malcolm, and Nero will also fight against one Deimos-Ranked Monster. Remember this, if any of you manage to defeat your opponents, team up with other people to defeat the enemy they are fighting against. Don’t let your pride cloud your vision.

“We are up against a Monster Army that Initiates have no hope of defeating unless a miracle happens. Pride won’t do you any good in this battle. What you need is to cooperate with others in order to survive.

“I don’t want to see any of you dying, so if you think you are unable to continue fighting, retreat as fast as you can. We can only conquer this Dungeon if we are alive. All of you remember that well.”

Prince Cyrus clenched his fist before storming away. Nero followed behind him, while Malcolm gave Lux an apologetic nod before rejoining his Prince, who looked very displeased at how Lux treated him.

Even so, the Second Prince of the Vahan Empire was starting to realize that he was in a situation that he had never been in the past.

Because of his position, he was always heavily guarded and no one dared to harm him, in fear of receiving his father’s wrath.

Now that he had lost these powerful guards, he understood that he couldn’t always depend on others for his safety.

In the face of Monsters that didn’t care about his position as Prince of a Kingdom, Prince Cyrus had no one to rely on but himself.

———-

Outside of the Gate of Famine, Aur and the members of the Crystal Palace arrived safely at the entrance of the Sacred Dungeon.

They didn’t encounter any Monsters along the way, which sped their journey considerably.

The representatives of the Skystead Alliance also joined them, which Aur agreed with since they were temporary allies inside the Domain of the Fallen.

“Your Highness, are we really going to team up with that Half-Elf?” One of Aur’s close Aides asked.

“We have one goal and one goal only,” Aur replied as he gazed at the Gate of Famine. “It doesn’t matter if we join hands with others in order to accomplish it. Our ultimate goal is always for the benefit of the Crystal Palace.”

“Understood, Your Highness,” the Aide respectfully bowed his head and took a step back.

Without another word, Aur pressed his palm over the Gate of Famine in order to challenge it for a second time.

At the same time that Aur and the others had entered the Gate of Famine, the silver-haired devil opened his eyes and looked towards the South.

He was currently sitting on the throne of the Ammarian Royal Palace, using the trembling King, who was on all fours, as his footstool.

“I don’t know how you managed to escape my grasp, Half-Elf,” the silver-haired devil said in a calm manner. “But it doesn’t matter. My preparation is almost done. Soon, I will finally be able to leave this place. But for that to happen, I still need a suitable host.”

The silver-haired devil narrowed his eyes as his vision locked onto Nero, whom he had decided to use as a vessel in the past. However, since he no longer possessed the Heart of the Abyss, the silver-haired devil’s interest in him had waned as well.

“I found a much better vessel,” the Abyssal Duke smirked as his gaze locked on the Dragon Humanoid, who had just entered the Gate of Famine.

He had waited many years for the day that he would be able to break free from his prison.

Now that the Fourth Gate of the Apocalypse had been opened, it was only a matter of time before his reign of terror would finally start in full.