Glancing back, Aengus saw Towering demonic creatures continued to emerge from the rifts. Among them were six humanoid demons who stood out like emperors, each radiating a powerful, sinister aura. Their eyes gleamed with cruelty, their presence dwarfing that of the other demons.
One of the Demon Lords raised a hand, summoning an enormous ball of nether energy. The blast, dark and menacing, shot toward the retreating humans.
“Wall of Nifelheim!”
General Leon’s conjured a massive wall of ice out of thin air to block the incoming nether energy blast. The impact shook the continent, but the wall held firm.
Leon, walking confidently in the air, showed no sign of fear. The S and SS Ranks quickly joined him, their powers flaring as they prepared to engage the Demon Lords.
“Hmph! Six Demon Lords… Seems your kind places great importance on this secret realm,” the Lightning Hero scoffed, preparing his Holy Lightning Powers.
While the high-ranking combatants engaged the Demon Lords, Aengus noticed an elder demon heading straight for their party.
Sofia and Others heart skipped a beat.
“Run faster, everyone!” Sofia shouted, pushing herself to move even faster, her speed unmatched by the rest.
Amid the chaos, Aengus remained focused. In an instant, he activated his All-Seeing Eyes, pinpointing the elder demon’s weak points and blasting it to pieces. The sound of the demon’s destruction echoed behind them, but none of them stopped to look back.
They glanced behind briefly, seeing no trace of the elder demon. Confusion filled their faces. Who could have killed it so effortlessly?
Their gazes shifted toward Aengus, or rather, Zero.
But he seemed utterly nonchalant.
“What?” Aengus asked, feigning ignorance despite the obvious hint.
“Nothing,” they replied, though the unease lingered. They couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a greater monster beside them, pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger.
Aengus merely shrugged. Soon, they would be separated in the secret realm, and the truth would no longer matter.
Aengus watched as people flooded into the gate like a swarm of ants, disappearing one after the other into the vast unknown. The eerie hum of the massive portal sent a shiver down his spine, but there was no time for hesitation.
Lark and Mara were the first among his group to step forward. “See you soon, everyone!” Lark shouted as they were swept into the gate by the sea of bodies, vanishing from sight.
The rest of his group exchanged glances—uncertainty, fear, and hope mingling in their eyes. One by one, they too began to enter. Aengus lingered behind for a moment, his mind racing.
Even though he had reassured them, telling them to find him once inside, but in truth, his path would be different. He had a different goal to complete. Something more important than staying with the group.
Just as Aengus took his first step toward the gate, something caught his eye. A figure moves at the edge of his vision. Silvery hair, flowing like moonlight, an oval face, and piercing emerald-green eyes. His usually calm and cold heart stir with emotions, suppressing the darkness around.
He blinked, his vision blurring for a moment.
It couldn’t be!
Was this true?
Aria?
But his eyes were telling the truth.
His heart raced as his special eyes confirmed what he was seeing. She was alive. After all this time, she was alive and well. The memories came flooding back—her laughter, her determination, their kiss, and the day they were went Apart.
And now, there she was, moving with lightning speed, her grace seemingly pulling at the strings of his heart.
______
At the front of Aria’s group, she dashed forward, her every step fluid and swift.
All of a sudden, her sharp senses picked up on something—a gaze burning onto her. She turned her gaze sideways to the source. Her movements didn’t falter though.
But as she locked her eyes with him, The world seemed to come to a standstill.
Those familiar black eyes, like a void, pierced through her, freezing her in place for a fraction of a second. Could it be?
Her heart pounded, her thoughts in a mess.
Ethan… Was alive? All this while?
That meant her gut feeling wasn’t wrong.
She felt genuine happiness welling up inside her. He was alive and just within her reach.
She hurriedly changed direction to meet him, but then she saw Ethan get suddenly pushed by a red-haired boy, causing him to lose his balance and disappear into the gate.
Her movements stopped, and her companions halted beside her with puzzled expressions.
“Sister Aria, why did you stop?” Drake asked anxiously.
“Yeah, is something wrong, Aria?” Prince Mikail wanted to step forward and touch her, but Delilah stopped him, annoyed by her brother’s foolishness.
Aria snapped out of her daze and said, “Yona, Drake, I just saw Ethan! He’s alive. Didn’t I tell you both?” she said excitedly.
Drake sighed with exasperation, thinking she was being delusional again.
“Oh, come on, Sister! You must have been mistaken once again.”
Yona and Delilah exchanged knowing looks, not believing her story at all.
Mikail furrowed his brows, clearly displeased at the mention of another man from Aria’s lips.
“Who is this Ethan you’re talking about?” he asked.
Princess Delilah and the others ignored him, knowing he wouldn’t like Ethan’s connection with Aria, and there was no time for explanations.
“Let’s go, we don’t have time for this. The gate is about to close, and remember to keep in contact using the special skill that Father equipped us with earlier.”
Aria hurried along with them, but her goal had changed. She was determined to find Ethan and discover why he seemed so different.
The younger generation moved on while the older generation continued fighting off the demons with earthshaking force.
However, a swarm of demons also slipped through the gate, as if it had all been planned beforehand.
Even though their goals remained unknown, it would be nothing good coming across them in there.
