Ch. 831: Chapter 831-840

Chapter 831 Advent Of Highlanders [Part 2]

831 Advent Of Highlanders [Part 2]

"I am the Mayor of Rishi City, Bartolomeo Pham," a man with light-brown hair, who looked like a bodybuilder, said with a smile. "Now before I begin the interrogation, may I know your names first?"

"Lux Von Kaizer," Lux replied.

"Gaap," Gaap answered.

Bartolomeo nodded in acknowledgment. When he received a report from one of the City Guards that two Highlanders had appeared, he set aside everything he was working on in order to meet them as soon as possible.

This was his first time seeing Highlanders and, similar to Lux and Gaap, he was surprised that they didn't look any different from the people living in Agartha.

Aside from Bartolomeo, there were two other people who were also standing behind him.

Lux and Gaap knew in an instant that the people that came with Bartolomeo were Saints.

"Since you look the oldest between the two of you, I'll ask you a few questions, Gaap," Bartolomeo said with a smile. "First question. How did you manage to arrive at this place?"

Gaap, who was seated beside Lux, suddenly frowned after hearing this question. The Halfling then gazed at the Catkin that was looking back at him with a smile.

(A/N: If you are not familiar with Beastkins, they are the Cat Girls, Fox Girls, and Bunny Girls you see in anime. I'll just refer to one of the Saints as Catkin because he is a Cat Boy. Kekeke.)

(E/N: If he's cute/handsome, he's mine.)

"Your ability is good, but sadly, it won't work on me," Gaap replied.

The Catkin arched an eyebrow after hearing the Halfling's words. He didn't expect that a Grade-A Apostle would be able to negate his Truth Seeker ability, which would force most people to tell the truth in his presence.

"Are all the Apostles in the Surface World like you?" the Catkin asked. "You are quite formidable for your Rank."

Gaap only smiled and didn't bother to answer the Catkin's question.

'Lux, I am telling you now that it's impossible for you to lie in front of these people,' Gaap warned the Half-Elf through their Guild Chat. 'Once a question is asked, you will automatically answer it once that Catkin looks in your direction. I am able to resist it, but I don't know if you can.

'If you think that you are going to spill your inner secrets, focus on something profound that will allow you to answer in half-truths.'

'Understood, Master,' Lux replied as he steeled himself for his turn in the interrogation.

Bartolomeo smiled before shifting his gaze to Lux. Since the Halfling was able to resist the Saint's ability, it was useless to ask him another question.

"I'll ask you the same question," Bartolomeo stated. "How did you manage to arrive at this place?"

"We flew here," Lux automatically replied before he could even think of an answer inside his head.

The Half-Elf's eyes widened in shock because he didn't expect that this was what his Master meant when the Halfling said that he would automatically answer the questions that they ask him.

"You flew?" Bartolomeo smirked. "Let me change the question then. How did you manage to arrive in our lands?"

"K-Key," Lux stuttered as he forcefully tried to seal his lips from answering.

"Key? What key."

"The Key of Agartha."

Bartolomeo frowned after hearing Lux's answer. He then glanced at the Catkin behind him to confirm if the Half-Elf was telling the truth.

"He's not lying," the Catkin replied as if there was no need to confirm whether Lux was lying or not. "What is this key that you are talking about?"

"The Key of Agartha."

"Show it to me."

Lux's hand trembled before summoning the Key of Agartha from his Storage Ring as if it was a puppet that was being manipulated by a Puppet Master.

Gaap, who saw this, narrowed his gaze as he shifted his attention to the woman that was standing beside the Catkin, who was the second Saint that was behind Bartolomeo.

'One has the power to compel the truth, and the other has the power to compel action,' Gaap thought. 'These two are certainly trouble.'

Lux held the Key of Agartha for Bartolomeo and the two Saints to see.

When the Mayor of Rishi City reached out his hand in order to grab the key, a bolt of red lightning shot out from it, making the Mayor immediately pull back his hand while wincing in pain.

The two Saints, who saw this, moved a little closer to take a good look at the key in Lux's hand.

The Key of Agartha was a bronze key and had the runes of the Kingdom of Agartha transcribed on its body.

"So you used this key to get here, right?" the Catkin asked.

"Yes," Lux replied automatically.

"How did you get it?"

"I got it after clearing a dungeon."

The Catkin then glanced at the woman beside him, as if asking her for confirmation if she wanted to ask the red-headed teenager a question.

The woman had long blonde hair and gray eyes and could be said to be an exceptional beauty.

However, after being exposed to his Grandmaster, Hereswith, Lux's standards of beauty had been After answering Bartolomeo's question, the Half-Elf finally regained his own ability to talk and asked 10:54

Bartolomeo a question of his own.

raised so high that even the beautiful Saintess in front of him paled in comparison.

"What is your purpose for coming here to Agartha?" the woman asked.

"I came here to find Aurora," Lux replied. "She seems to be imprisoned in a very dark place, and I am here to take her back to the Surface World."

"Aurora? You mean THAT Aurora?" Bartolomeo momentarily forgot the pain he was feeling as he gazed at Lux in surprise. "How did you even know about her? Is she well-known in the Surface World as well?"

"I don't know if it was a dream or an illusion, but I did meet her, so I came here to see her," Lux replied. "Do you know her?"

After answering Bartolomeo's question, the Half-Elf finally regained his own ability to talk and asked Bartolomeo a question of his own.

Bartolomeo snorted after Lux asked him a question.

"So you are one of those men who were lured in by her beauty, and wished to save her like a Prince Charming, eh?" Bartolomeo smirked. "For your own good, It will be best if you return to the Surface World and forget about her.

"Nothing good happens when you associate with the Misfortune's Beloved. Trust me, I know. My son was one of those helpless men and women who thought that they would be able to overcome her curse due to the love they felt after seeing her once.

"Now, they live in the Azmarin Monastery along with the other cursed people, whose luck turned bad after merely being around her for a minute.

"They have to cleanse themselves for a decade before Misfortune's Curse could be lifted from their bodies. You might be a Half-Elf, and your lifespan is longer than most. However, spending 10 years in seclusion is not worth it."

Lux blinked in confusion because he didn't expect that the reason for why Aurora was all alone in the darkness was due to her curse.

Even so, the Half-Elf's determination to take the lonely, and pitiful girl from the place where she was locked up was firm.

"Can you tell me more about her?" Lux asked. "I want to know more about Aurora."

Bartolomeo eyed the Half-Elf as if he was crazy.

However, after being reminded of his pitiful son who had been inside the Monastery for five years, he decided to humor Lux and told him a tale that spanned nearly two decades ago.

 

 

Chapter 832 Misfortune’s Beloved

"It happened nineteen years ago," Bartolomeo said with a solemn expression on his face. "In this world, there will always be two blessed people. However, while one is blessed with Good Luck, the other is blessed with Bad Luck. The two of them are always girls because only girls are able to carry this blessing or curse inside their bodies.

"One of them possesses Extreme Good Luck, and the other possesses Extreme Bad Luck. Every time one of these two ladies dies, their successor will be born exactly a year after."

Bartolomeo paused in order to see if Lux was paying close attention to what he was saying.

When he saw that the Half-Elf was listening to him attentively, he nodded his head before continuing his story.

"When the world was still young, both of those ladies were born in Agartha. But ever since the world above the surface prospered, the Lady of Good Luck had always been born in the Surface World.

"All those who we call Misfortune's Beloved are born here in Agartha. Every time they are discovered, they are immediately sent to the Sanctuary of Atos, where they are left to live their lives as comfortably as possible.

"In the Sanctuary, people are able to visit and even talk to them up close if they want to. This was to ensure that the Lady of Bad Luck will retain her sanity and live a life surrounded by people who care for her.

"This has been the tradition that has been passed from generation to generation. However, this time, the lady that carried all the Bad Luck in the world was a bit special. Her curse not only affected herself but also spread to others like a plague.

"This was why she was asked to leave the Sanctuary of Atos and was transferred by our King to the Pantheon of Exile. Of course, there were people who believed that they could overcome the curse and went to see her in the Pantheon of Exile. However, the people who went to that place were never seen again."

Bartolomeo sighed after finishing his tale.

Since the Saint had confirmed that Lux was telling the truth, he decided to spare the Half-Elf and the Halfling from being tortured and locked up in prison.

Lux, who had deemed that Bartolomeo was done talking, cleared his throat before asking a question.

"Where is this Pantheon of Exile located?" Lux asked.

Bartolomeo and the two Saints looked at the red-headed teenager in a weird manner, wondering if Lux failed to understand a word that Bartolomeo had said.

"Didn't you hear me earlier?" Bartolomeo asked back. "Those who see her will be affected by her curse and will receive bad luck for the rest of their lives unless they cleanse themselves in the Azmarin Monastery for a decade.

"Also, those that have gone to the Pantheon of Exile were never seen again. Are you sure you still want to see Aurora?"

Lux nodded firmly. "Yes. That is why I came here."

"You are courting death, Junior," the Catkin commented. "Then again, there are fates that are far worse than death."

"A hopeless romantic." The woman smiled. "And a very stupid one at that."

Bartolomeo also looked at the Half-Elf with a disapproving look on his face. However, since he could tell that the boy was serious, he decided to make things difficult for him.

"Let's set aside your reasons for coming to Agartha for the time being," Bartolomeo stated. "Now, we will talk about how we will handle the two of you."

The tension in the room suddenly changed as the two Saints that were behind Bartolomeo smiled.

"Any and all Highlanders that are discovered in Agartha are to be immediately taken to the Capital City and await His Majesty's ruling," Bartolomeo declared. "This is the law that has been set in stone since the founding of Agartha, and since you're here, the same laws will apply to the two of you.I think you should take a look at

"According to our history books, there have been no more than twenty Highlanders that have managed to sneak inside Agartha for the past hundreds of years. Fifteen of them suffered the same fate and had their memories erased before being deported back to the Surface World.

"The remaining five were spared from having their memories erased and were simply put under a powerful contract, preventing them from spreading any information about Agartha in any form.

"The two of you should pray that our King is in a good mood on the day you see him. Perhaps, he will be benevolent and choose the second option to let you keep your memories of this place intact."

Lux and Gaap glanced at each other before nodding their heads at the same time.

Since they had no idea where the Pantheon of Exile was, visiting the Capital City of Agartha was also an option.

They had already met the Dragon King of Karshvar Draconis and the Steward of the Crystal Palace. The two were very curious about what kind of Supreme the King of Agartha was and wanted to see him at least once in their lifetime.

"Okay. Please take us to the Capital City of Agartha," Lux said. "Since we are already here, I would like to see it once before the King makes his judgment."

"Heh~ you are handling this pretty well, Junior," the Catkin commented. "Do you have any idea who our current King is?"

"No?" Lux replied.

"His name is Septimius Vi Agartha III," the Catkin stated. "He is also the father of this generation's Misfortune's Beloved. Truth be told, I'm very curious about how he will react after knowing that you suddenly appeared in our kingdom because you saw his daughter in a dream or a vision.

"If you can pull it off, maybe—just maybe, he will allow you to go to the Pantheon of Exile and meet with the lady who has brought despair to countless people… people who once loved and cared for her. Now, all of them hate her with every fiber of their being."

Bartolomeo, who was listening quietly to the side, spoke up as he looked at the Half-Elf, whose stance remained the same.

"Boy, I will tell you now. You will regret it if you continue with this nonsense," Bartolomeo stated. "It's not too late to turn back. If you promise to not see Aurora, I will put in a good word to our King so that he will return both of you to the Surface World with your memories intact."

"Sir Bartolomeo, I don't want to regret the choices that I didn't make," Lux replied. "I thank you for your concern, and although I might look like someone who actively looks for trouble, know that this is not the case. It is just that I won't be able to sleep peacefully at night, knowing that I didn't at least come to see her once."

"Ah, youth and all of its foolishness," the Saintess chuckled. "Well, it is not up to us to decide what should be done with the two of you. His Majesty will be the one to give the verdict."

The Saintess then took a step forward with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Bartolomeo, I'll be the one to take the two of them to the capital," the Saintess declared. "It has been a while since I last saw His Majesty. This might be a good opportunity to go for a visit."

Bartolomeo nodded. "I have no objections. Make sure that the two of them will not be able to escape from you or else…"

The Saintess chuckled after hearing the Mayor's threat.

"Don't worry. If a Grade A Apostle and a Low Ranker were able to escape my grasp, I'd run around the city naked." the Saintess smiled.

She didn't know that within Lux's Guild Chat, Lux and Gaap were planning how to escape their captors if the King decided to erase their memories and send them back to the Surface World.

 

 

Chapter 833 So, We’re Like Rare Animals In Your Eyes?

"It will take us two days to reach the Capital City of Shambala," the Saintess, whose name was Cleo, told Lux and Gaap, who were currently seated inside her carriage. "Don't try anything funny, or I'll make the two of you regret it."

Lux and Gaap only nodded their heads and behaved themselves as the carriage, which hovered four meters above the ground, journeyed toward the capital city of the Kingdom of Agartha.

The carriage was being pulled by an Air Bison, which was the Agarthians' favored Beast when it came to long-distance travel.

Although each City had its own Teleportation Gates that allowed them to travel to other cities, no Teleportation Gate could instantly teleport them to Shambala.

Aside from that, the Teleportation Gates in the Capital City were strictly controlled by the Royal Family, and only those who had their approval would be able to use it.

Because of this, Cleo decided to take Lux and Gaap to the nearest city to their Capital and travel the rest of the way using a carriage.

"Lady Cleo, can you tell me more about the King of Agartha?" Lux asked. "What is he like?"

"Our king?" Cleo smiled. "The only thing I can say about our king is that he's a bit stubborn when it comes to things. Simply put, there has been a notion being passed within the High Council that we should send more agents to the Surface World.

"We do this to remain updated with the events that are happening above ground. If there were to be a worldwide calamity, the Agarthians would make a move to stop it from spreading."

Gaap, who found this news interesting, arched an eyebrow and joined the conversation.

"Originally, I thought that Agarthians did not care about what happens on the Surface," Gaap commented. "But, it seems like you have already sent people to infiltrate our society and know more about us."

"But of course," Cleo stated with pride. "As one of Elysium's first children, Agarthians have a role to play to ensure that the world will not be destroyed. But, do not misunderstand. We do not care even if all the nations in the world were to declare war and wipe each other from the face of the land.

"The only time that Agartha will move is when something terrible befalls this world like the invasion from the Void hundreds of years ago. Only something of that magnitude will force us to leave our Underground Kingdom and rise to the surface."

Cleo found Lux and Gaap to be good conversational partners, so she decided to tell them stories about the things that had happened in Agartha many years ago.

Since the journey was long, and there was nothing else to do, the three shared stories of their own exploits, making the journey bearable.

"The Divine Army of Light?" Cleo frowned. "Those guys have tried to send people here a decade ago with the excuse of cultural exchange. However, our King put his foot down and rejected their request."

"Eh? The Divine Army of Light knew about Agartha as well?" Lux was quite surprised by this information.

He was simply sharing his story with Cleo on how the Divine Army of Light had tried to capture him because they believed him to be a Heretic.

"Silly boy, don't you know?" Cleo smirked. "Many people from Agartha have gone to the Surface World and established their own Kingdoms and Empires with our blessings.

"Because of this, knowledge about our kingdom had spread far and wide. However, while they might know of our existence, they do not know the location of the hidden passages that we use to travel to the Surface World and back.

"The only way for other strong factions or powerful organizations to communicate with us directly is through the Kings and Emperors of the nations that had been founded by Agarthians."I think you should take a look at

Lux nodded his head in understanding. "So, the Agarthians and the Divine Army of Light don't get along?"

"Those guys are religious fanatics," Cleo replied. "Agarthians worship the Earth Goddess, Cybele. We do not care about other Gods—especially the God that the Divine Army of Light follows.

"As for our relationship, they are neither friends nor foes. To this day, they still try to worm their way into the hearts of the Agarthian Rulers in the Surface World, but they will not succeed. Why? Because these Kings and Emperors will only follow the will of the Agarthian King.

"That is the rule established since their kingdoms were built, and it is the law that they will follow until the end of time.

"Ah, just to be clear. We don't only have Human Kings and Emperors in the Surface World. We have Beastkins and Dwarves as well. The other races like the Gnomes and Halflings aren't interested in ruling any kingdoms, so they just go with the flow and live their lives to the fullest."

Gaap smiled after hearing Cleo's words which were filled with pride.

"It seems that our knowledge of Agartha was wrong from the beginning," Gaap stated. "We thought that it was only a kingdom that existed underground. To think that you have also built kingdoms above ground. This is certainly a fascinating discovery. Might you tell us the names of those Kingdoms, so that we may visit them in the future?"

Cleo giggled. "Sorry, but no can do. Agartha exists in the Surface World based on myths and legends. This is also true for you, Highlanders. Although the majority of Agarthians knew that Highlanders exist, you will still be viewed as Mythical Creatures, beings that only exist in story books.

"In short, the chances of meeting one of you during our lifetime are very small. Unless something unexpected happens… just like how the two of you appeared in Rishi City."

"So, we're like rare animals in your eyes?" Lux asked in a joking manner.

"Yes," Cleo replied. "So, be careful, Lux. A rare animal is precious because it is rare. You're quite good-looking. Any bold or daring Agarthian Lady would not hesitate to take the risk in order to give birth to the child of a Highlander."

"Um, sorry, but I already have two fiances," Lux stated.

"And yet, you come here to Agartha because of a damsel in distress," Cleo smirked. "Men are foolish creatures. Once they behold a beauty, they do their best to catch her fancy. Even if they already have wives and fiances."

Lux was unable to mount a counterargument, which made Gaap laugh.

It was definitely true that he came to Agartha without a plan, and it was also true that Aurora was an exceptional beauty that could bring the downfall of a nation.

Although his intention of helping her was not anything romantic, he already knew that Cleo and his Master, Gaap, wouldn't believe him no matter how many times he tried to explain himself.

Because of this, he decided to change the topic and ask about the popular attractions and delicacies that the Kingdom of Agartha had to offer.

Cleo, on the other hand, was more than happy to inform Lux and Gaap about many details about her Kingdom.

The reason why she was sharing this information with her two captives was due to the fact that she didn't believe that their King would show mercy to the two people that illegally trespassed inside their hidden kingdom.

 

 

Chapter 834 Audience With The King Of Agartha [Part 1]

Two days later, Cleo's carriage finally arrived at the majestic city of Shambhala.

As one of the Saints of the Kingdom, her carriage didn't have to enter the Gate that was meant for commoners. She was given a free pass to the city without too much hassle, and a contingent of guards even escorted her carriage toward the Royal Palace, where their King resided.

"Follow behind me," Cleo stated. "The hallways of the Royal Palace are like a maze. One can get lost in them easily if they are not familiar with the layout of the building."

Lux and Gaap nodded in understanding.

However, what the Saintess didn't know was that Lux had already summoned his Soul Book and was currently mapping the Royal Castle.

Since only those that he had given permission to could see his Soul Book, it hovered in front of him, undetected by the Saintess that was leading the way.

Several minutes later and after many twists and turns, they finally arrived at a giant bronze gate, which was guarded by dozens of Royal Guards.

"Are those the two Highlanders you wrote about in your report, Your Excellency, Cleo?" a man wearing a Mithril Plate Armor asked, as he looked at the two people, who came from the Surface World

"Yes," Cleo replied. "Is His Majesty currently busy?"

The Guard Captain shook his head. "No. But he's not alone in the throne room. News has spread that you will be bringing in two Highlanders, so several High-Ranking 'Nosy' Nobles have come to see our uninvited guests."

Cleo smiled as she had already expected this outcome. For the most part, the Kingdom of Agartha was a peaceful place. Although there were conflicts between nobles here and there, they didn't escalate to skirmishes, and they simply tormented each other through trade and other means.

For them, having Highlanders in their Kingdom was a form of entertainment. Those who had plenty of time on their hands would definitely want to see how their king would handle these people, who had been brought to the capital city for judgment.

"Her Excellency, Lady Cleo has arrived!" the Guard Captain announced.

A moment later, a firm and cold voice passed through the closed gate.

"Enter."

After getting permission, the Guard Captain raised his hand.

"Open the gate," the Guard Captain ordered.

Immediately, four guards pushed the giant gate open, revealing the interior of the ancient throne room of a Kingdom that had existed since time immemorial.

The Half-Elf's gaze then landed on the man seated on the high throne, which was raised several meters high.

Anyone who entered the throne room would have no choice but look up to its king, and its king would look down upon those who entered his domain.

Lux was quite surprised because the King of Agartha looked like a man in his early thirties.

King Septimius Vi Agartha III.

He was the current King of Agartha, and the person who held absolute authority within the Ancient Kingdom that many people above ground didn't know existed.

"It is an honor to be in your presence, Your Majesty," Cleo said as she bowed respectfully to her King. "I pray that you are in good health?"I think you should take a look at

"My health is good, but my mood is not," King Septimius replied. "You have already interrogated these two trespassers, yes?"

"Yes, Your Majesty," Cleo answered. "Shall I make my report now?"

King Septimius made a gesture. "Go ahead. My nobles have traveled far and wide to hear the latest gossip in our circles. Make sure to make the story as entertaining as possible, so their journey will be worthwhile."

The High-Ranking Nobles all smiled, knowing that the reason why their King was in a bad mood was their arrival. They had come uninvited, but due to their rank, they were allowed to remain in the throne room and take part in the drama that was about to unfold.

Cleo, who had been given permission to tell the result of their interrogation, started her report.

"The red-headed Half-Elf's name is Lux Von Kaizer," Cleo reported. "The Halfling is his Master, and he goes by the name, Gaap. According to Lux's confession, they arrived at the Terrel Plains by means of…"

Cleo's report lasted for nearly fifteen minutes before she stopped talking.

Lux, on the other hand, could only shake his head helplessly, thinking that his answers shouldn't be considered as confessions. They were forced out of him against his own will!

A minute of silence passed before a soft chuckle was heard inside the throne room.

Everyone's gazes landed on a chubby man, who was wearing extravagant clothes that visually stated his standing as one of the High-Ranking Nobles of the Kingdom of Agartha.

"A Prince Charming from the Surface World has arrived to save the beauty in distress," the Chubby Noble commented. "The only question I have is whether this story will have a happy ending or not."

The other Nobles also smiled after learning why Lux came to Agartha. They looked at him like all the other young men and women who had become infatuated with this generation's Misfortune's Beloved, who had nearly brought the entire kingdom into a state of emergency.

While the nobles were looking at Lux with various gazes, the King of Agartha, Septimius narrowed his eyes and looked at the Half-Elf with a solemn gaze.

"I want to see this Key that allowed you to arrive in our Kingdom," King Septimius stated. "Show it to me."

Cleo then glanced at Lux, giving the Half-Elf the "what are you waiting for?" gaze.

The Half-Elf knew that there was nothing he could do but obey the King's orders, for any kind of resistance might end badly for him and his Master.

Lux took out the Key of Agartha from his storage ring and showed it to the King who was looking at him with a serious gaze.

King Septimius made a gesture and the key floated towards him.

The key stopped a meter away from his face, giving the King a good look at it.

However, when King Septimius tried to hold it, a red lightning bolt hit his hand, making him pull it back rather quickly.

Cleo and the other High-Ranking nobles who saw this were all surprised. None of them missed the brief look of pain that appeared on their King's face, which they had never seen before.

Although it only lasted for only a second or two, the fact remained that the strange key was able to hurt a Supreme, which was something that very few artifacts in the world could do.

 

Chapter 835 A Public Execution

"A soulbound artifact," King Septimius muttered as he gazed at the Key of Agartha that was hovering in front of him.

Unable to touch the key, he resorted to using his heightened senses to better understand its properties. He wanted to know just what kind of artifact it was.

As the King of Agartha, he could sense that it was an artifact that held great power, and not only that, it also possessed a small piece of the Core of Elysium, which greatly surprised him.

"You said that you got this as a reward after clearing a Dungeon," King Septimius said. "What is the name of that Dungeon?"

"The Sacred Dungeon," Lux replied.

King Septimius' expression stiffened after hearing Lux's reply.

"This Sacred Dungeon you speak about, does it have a restriction that allows only those of the Initiate Rank and below to enter it?" King Septimius asked. "Also, does it have five gates inside of it? Gates of Conquest, War, Famine, Death, and Apocalypse?"

This time, it was Lux's turn to be surprised, and his reaction was enough to confirm King Septimius' assumption, which made the King of Agartha sigh internally.

"Even with all the precautions we took, it was still not enough to prevent people like you from entering the Domain of the Fallen," King Septimius stated. "I don't know if I should be angry or amazed at how daring you Highlanders are.

"Tell me, there are supposed to be Argonaut and Dreadnaught-Ranked Monsters inside the Dungeon that would serve as guards attacking those who dare to challenge the Domain. Mere Initiates should be unable to defeat them. How were you able to even reach the location of the Sacred Dungeon with so many Monsters guarding the place?"

Lux pondered for a bit before answering King Septimius' question. In the end, after careful consideration, he decided to give a safe answer.

"I got lucky," Lux replied.

The King of Agartha snorted. "So that explains it. It seems that our Predecessors have greatly underestimated the young men and women of this generation. Tell me, how many Gates have been conquered?"

"Four."

"…So, the Gate that still remains unconquered is the Gate of the Apocalypse."

The King of Agartha sneered after hearing Lux's reply. Since the foolish people from the Surface World wanted to see the secret that they had locked up inside the Gate of Apocalypse so badly, then so be it.

They would experience firsthand that there were some things that must be left untouched no matter what.

"Fools," King Septimius said. "All of you are fools."

The King of Agartha then flicked his hand, and the Key of Agartha flew back to Lux and landed on the palm of the Half-Elf's hand.

Since the Gates had already been opened, he decided to send a few of his agents to determine the status of the last Gate of the Apocalypse.

'There's no need to rush,' King Septimius thought. 'I'll order my people to do something about it after I deal with these two trespassers.'

King Septimius looked at the Half-Elf with an annoyed expression on his face.

However, although he was annoyed, he still admired the Half-Elf for being one of the individuals that managed to do the impossible.

It wasn't easy to conquer the Four Gates, which served as the Seals to prevent the Gate of the Apocalypse from opening.

Because of this, King Septimius had no choice but to acknowledge the red-headed teenager's strength.

"So you've come to see my daughter, Aurora," King Septimius stated. "And, what do you plan to do after you see her?"

"I plan to take her back to the Surface World with me," Lux replied.

"Hahaha! You plan to bring a walking Calamity to the Surface World?" King Septimius laughed out loud after hearing Lux's reply. "Good one, Half-Elf. For a minute, I was even tempted to give you my approval just to see the Surface World fall into ruin. Do you know about my Daughter's background?"

Lux nodded. "Misfortune's Beloved."I think you should take a look at

King Septimius sneered. "Right. Someone who had the power to give bad luck to the people around her. And yet, you wish to bring that girl to the Surface World. You sure have guts, boy."

The other High Ranking nobles and ministers of the King of Agartha laughed as well. Just like their King, they wanted to see the chaos that would transpire once Aurora set foot in the realm above the ground.

The catastrophe she had caused in Agartha still haunted all of them after so many years, and they were very tempted to see other people fall into ruin as well.

"Now, let's set aside my pitiful daughter for the time being," King Septimius stated. "Let's talk about what I should do with the two of you. Do you know the punishment for people who illegally enter Agartha without my permission?"

"Saintess Cleo said that our memories will be erased before we are sent back to the Surface World," Lux replied.

"Indeed, that is how we dealt with those who tried to sneak inside Agartha in the past," King Septimius nodded. "However, two days ago, when the High Council had heard that two Highlanders had managed to arrive in our Kingdom, they sent me a proposal.

"They said that erasing the memories of trespassers was too lenient a punishment. Do you want to know their proposal, boy?"

Lux nodded because there was nothing he could do aside from nodding his head.

"A Public Execution in the form of a Gladiator Match," King Septimius smiled. "Meaning, both of you will go to the Coliseum and fight the battle-hardened criminals of our kingdom in a death match. The person who is able to kill you will have their crimes lifted and be set free.

"This will not be a one-on-one battle, but a Battle Royale. Two verses hundreds of criminals," King Septimius stated. "At the very least, all of them will be C-Rankers and below. A D-Ranker, and a Grade-A Apostle won't be able to survive such a fate. Especially that Halfling, who is only an Apostle. So how about the two of you beg for your lives right now?"

Lux and Gaap didn't reply and remained silent. What King Septimius and the rest of his subordinates didn't know was that the Half-Elf and the Halfling were talking through their Guild Chat.

"Hahaha! Master, he looks down on you because you are just an Apostle," Lux gloated. "C-Rankers? They court death!"

"He will only send in C-Rankers? I guess they can serve as new Undead for your Army," Gaap commented. "Asmodeus has been telling me that he is in dire need of Ranker Corpses to be used for his experiments. This is a good time to collect some raw materials for his study."

King Septimius, his Ministers, and the High-Ranking Nobles, all thought that Lux's and Gaap's silence was due to the fact that they were quaking in fear after hearing that they would be sent into a Death Match.

What they didn't know was that the two Necromancers were giving King Septimius a thumbs up in their hearts, applauding him for being generous—unknowingly giving them hundreds of dead bodies that would help bolster the Half-Elf's Undead Legion.

However, they couldn't say this out loud, so Lux decided to take the Initiative to speak his mind.

"What if we survive this Death Match?" Lux asked. "Two of us against battle-hardened Criminals that are C-Rankers and below is a nearly impossible task. However, what if we succeed? Will we get anything in return?"

"Hoh? It seems that you believe that you have a chance of winning." King Septimius sneered.

"Since I have nothing to lose, isn't it best if I ask for something on the off chance that my Master and I actually manage to survive?" Lux smiled. "How about we regain our freedom and be given His Majesty's permission to explore Agartha to our heart's content? How does that sound?"

"Hah! You are very bold, Lux," Cleo, who had been listening silently, smiled. "If you manage to survive this hurdle, I don't mind becoming your subordinate for a year. Heck, you can even order me to call you Daddy if you want."

"Be careful what you wish for, Lady Cleo," Lux smiled back at the beautiful Saintess who didn't know what kind of trouble she was putting herself in. "It might just come true."

The other High-Ranking Nobles also thought that this was a very amusing situation, so they also imitated the Saint and offered Lux precious treasures as a reward for surviving the Death Match.

A few of them even declared that they would marry their daughters to him if he managed to last for half an hour in the battle.

The corner of King Septimius' lips rose slightly as he looked at the Half-Elf and the Halfling, who didn't seem too shaken about the punishment that he planned to give them.

Although he was doubtful that the two people would manage to succeed, a part of him wanted to see them overcome this situation and prove him wrong.

"Very well. In two days, the two of you will be sent to the Gladiator's Coliseum in order to fight for your freedom," King Septimius declared. "If you manage to win, I will allow the two of you to move unhindered in my Domain. How does that sound?"

"Sounds good," Lux replied, but deep in his heart, he was laughing non-stop.

If they were going to only fight C-Rankers, his Master, Gaap, was more than enough to annihilate hundreds of them with a single slap of Antero's gigantic hand.

 

 

Chapter 836 The Battle Royale Of The Century [Part 1]

"Have you heard?" a skinny man asked his friend, who was currently drinking with him inside a Tavern. "It seems that the two Highlanders will be fighting in the Gladiator's Coliseum in two days' time."

"How could I not hear about it?" the chubby man smiled. "The Nobles are spreading this news like wildfire. Even the Gambling Establishments have joined in the hype. They are even calling the battle 'The Deathmatch of the Century.' Clearly, they wanted to rake in the big cash when the betting officially begins."

"Master, who do you think will win?" the skinny man asked the bartender who was busy wiping the glasses on his counter.

"Although I don't think that the Highlanders have a chance of winning, I'll still bet on them," the Tavern Master replied.

"Oh? And why?" the skinny man inquired.

"It's because they are Highlanders," the Tavern Master answered. "They might have Legendary or even Divine Items that can help them reverse this situation."

"Master, you know that you are going to lose money if you bet on them, right?" the Chubby man stated.

"It's fine," the Tavern Master said. "I will not bet a lot. The Gambling Houses are hyping this battle and even saying that the two Highlanders are Masters in the Surface World. However, when I asked about their ranks, they said that it was D-Ranker and a Grade-A Apostle."

"A D-Ranker and a Grade-A Apostle?" the Chubby Man laughed. "And you are still going to bet on them, Master?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

The Tavern Master put down the glass that he was wiping on top of the counter and smiled.

"Just gut intuition," the Tavern Master said. "I have a feeling that we will be watching the most entertaining match since the establishment of the Gladiator Coliseum."

The Skinny Man and the Chubby Man glanced at each other before laughing out loud. Since the Tavern Master wanted to waste his money, they would no longer pester him to change his mind.

For them, they would be betting their money on the Criminals, whom they believed would end the battle in less than five minutes.

It was not only them who thought that way. Most of those who decided to watch the Deathmatch in the Coliseum had the same opinion.

However, just like the Tavern Master, there were a few individuals who believed that the Highlanders stood a chance against the criminals, proving everyone wrong.

And for that simple reason, they decided to put their chips on the two people, who had arrived in their Kingdom for reasons that were only known to them.

———————

"Hah, those two came here in order to see that sister of mine?" A handsome young man with blonde hair smirked. "Unfortunately, even though they still haven't laid their eyes on her, it seems that her bad luck has already affected them. Two days from now, two graves will be dug. I'll at least offer a flower to their tombs."

"But isn't it also romantic?" a beautiful young lady, who had long blonde hair, asked with a smile. "If I were in Aurora's shoes, I'd feel very flattered."

The two of them were Aurora's siblings but from a different mother.

King Septimius had three wives.

Five Princes and Four Princesses.

Aurora's mother was not one of the King's wives. Even now, no one had seen her face.

One day, the King just returned to Agartha holding a baby in his arms and declared her to be his daughter.

Aurora's siblings didn't really treat her like family due to the curse in her body. For them, she was a stain on their bloodline, and they couldn't wait to get rid of her, with the exception of one girl.

The youngest Princess of Agartha, Princess Shayna, truly cared for and loved Aurora.

Currently, the princess was under house arrest in the Royal Castle, undergoing the cleansing ceremony to lift the bad luck that she acquired after spending time with Misfortune's Beloved.

Even so, to this day, the young Princess, who was only twelve years old, still loved her sister, Aurora, and wished for her happiness, even in seclusion.

"So all of us will be going to the Coliseum to watch this match, right?" A handsome young man with silver hair said with a smile. "I already made a reservation. We will be watching the show from the best VIP room."

"Wonderful!" a pretty girl with reddish-brown hair exclaimed. "It has been a while since I watched something fun."

The Royal Children of Agartha discussed the upcoming battle with great enthusiasm. None of them thought that Lux and Gaap had a chance of winning, and were merely going for the fun of it.

Meanwhile, in the Inner Palace of the Royal Castle…

"Princess, are you sure about this?" a maid asked anxiously.I think you should take a look at

"Yes," a young girl, who seemed to be only around twelve years old replied firmly. "I will ask my Father for permission. With the talismans on my body, I am sure that I will not inconvenience anyone."

"If that is your wish, then this humble one will obey," the maid bowed her head respectfully. "But, may I know the reason why you want to watch the battle? It will be a bloody one and not suitable for someone as young as you, Princess."

"Don't worry about me," the young girl stated. "As a member of the Royal Family, I will experience many things. Seeing violence, blood, and death is something I must learn to get used to at an early age. I'm sure that my Father will not reject my request to watch the battle."

The young girl then looked outside the window of her room. It had been a while since she had stepped outside the Royal Palace due to her house arrest. But now, she decided to leave in order to see the face of the Half-Elf, who had traveled all the way to Agartha in order to see and free her sister from the dark prison that she was currently in.

'I don't know who you are, but please, save my sister.' Princess Shayna pressed her hands together in prayer. 'She doesn't deserve to be alone.'

—————————

Two days later…

The Grand Coliseum was filled to the brim with people.

The majority of them came due to curiosity. Since Highlanders were people that came from the Surface World, the Agarthians wanted to catch a glimpse of them in their last moments.

All of them believed that the two pitiful individuals were fated to die today, so the least they could do was see them off and memorize their faces before they died.

Inside the Arena's Waiting Room, Lux and Gaap sat leisurely as they waited for the battle to start.

The Saintess, Cleo, and two more Saints were ordered to look after them to ensure that neither of them would escape before the battle started.

"Have the two of you accepted your fate?" Cleo asked. "This is the only explanation I can think of to explain how calm both of you are."

"Something like that," Lux replied with a smile.

"We've only known each other for a short while, but it was still good meeting you, Lux." Cleo patted Lux's shoulder in a friendly manner. "I'll make sure to send a flower to your grave once a year."

"Instead of sending me flowers, you should start practicing calling me Daddy, Lady Cleo," Lux replied as he gave the Saintess a devilish smile on his face. "How about it? You can call me Daddy now if you want."

"Hahaha! That's the spirit. You can think of me before you die. I give you my permission."

"I also look forward to you calling me Daddy, Lady Cleo."

Lux and the Saintess smirked at each other. Both of them were certain that the other would lose, which made Gaap and the two other Saints inside the room smile.

Suddenly, a knock was heard on the door, and a guard came in.

"It's time," the Guard said. "Please escort the two of them to the arena."

Cleo and the two Saints nodded.

"Have you finished your prayer, Lux?" Cleo asked. "If not, you can do it now before the match starts."

Lux didn't reply and simply smiled as he followed behind the Guard, who was escorting him and his Master to the arena.

A few minutes later, they came out of the hallway. As soon as their silhouettes became visible, they were greeted by loud applause and cheer from the people in the stands.

The Agarthians had been waiting for this moment in order to gaze upon the two Highlanders, who were going to experience a deadly welcome from the most notorious criminals that had roamed the Kingdom of Agartha.

"Master, are you ready?" Lux asked.

"Of course," Gaap replied.

"How about you, Eiko?" Lux asked the Baby Slime that was perched on top of his head. "Are you ready?"

"Boom Boom Boom!" Eiko replied.

The Baby Slime was already holding two Blast Bombs, with a very sweet smile plastered on her face.

Perhaps, among the three of them, Eiko was the most excited of all for this Battle Royale.

She had been cooped up for so long, and because of this, she wanted to make things go Boom and laugh as she set the entire arena on fire.

 

 

Chapter 837 The Battle Royale Of The Century [Part 2]

The Gladiator Coliseum of Agartha was very spacious.

According to Lux's estimate, the Coliseum was the size of four football stadiums combined.

Clearly, the battles that were being waged here weren't so simple, allowing the Gladiators to fight to their heart's content.

Lux looked up at the clear blue sky above his head and smiled.

"It seems that today's weather is nice as well, Master," Lux said with a smile.

"Indeed," Gaap replied. "A good day to have a Death Match with criminals."

The Half-Elf and the Halfling stared at their opponents, who were standing at the far end of the Coliseum.

Both of them had been informed that the number of criminals that they would be facing today was 300.

300 Rankers versus a D-Ranker, an Apostle, and a Baby Slime.

For most people, the result of this match was already set in stone. However, Lux's and Gaap's titles as Highlanders made this seemingly one-sided battle a very interesting one.

The Coliseum was filled to the brim with people, and there were even people outside that were unable to get in due to the fact that all the tickets had been sold out.

Fortunately, they could still watch the battle in real-time through the projections that were installed outside of the arena.

Cleo, who had spent a few days with Lux and Gaap, sat in the VIP Room, right beside the King's personal room.

Truth be told, she was feeling sorry for the two. However, since the new law regarding dealing with trespassers had already been passed by the High Council and approved by the monarch, there was nothing she could do about it.

This was why she dared to jokingly make a bet with Lux that if by some chance a miracle happened, she would be willing to become his subordinate for a year.

Naturally, Cleo was certain that no matter what the Half-Elf and the Halfling did, their chances of survival were non-existent.

"It's really a shame," Cleo muttered. "Lux is still young, but now, he's about to die because a beauty appeared in his dreams."

The other two Saints, who had also served as Lux's and Gaap's guards, nodded their heads in agreement.

The three of them didn't hold any grudges against their captives, but the laws of their Kingdom must be upheld no matter what.

"Strange… the two of them don't look nervous," King Septimius commented as he eyed the Half-Elf and the Halfling, who were having a casual chat as they waited for the match to start. "Have they resigned themselves to their fate?"

A minute later, a High Ranker hovered above the center of the Stadium and greeted everyone with a smile on his face.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, good day to all of you! My name is Michael, and I am the organizer of today's Gladiator Battle!" the High-Ranker shouted. "As you may already know, today's battle is very special. On my left are 300 of the most notorious criminals of Agartha.

"On my right are the two Highlanders, who have come from the Surface World. Please take a good look at the two of them because this might be the last time that you see them alive."

The Agarthians cheered and gave Lux and Gaap a round of applause. As if humoring them, the Half-Elf bowed to the crowd like a performer, while Gaap smiled from the side.

Eiko, who was on top of Lux's head, stared at the Announcer while holding the two Blast Bombs in her hands.

She was very tempted to throw them at Michael because the latter was delaying the battle.

Lux had told the Baby Slime to be patient and wait a little longer, promising that he would allow her to go all out later. Because of this, Eiko behaved and waited for the signal to start the battle.

Michael, who had gotten the crowd's attention, was hyping things up as per the agreement he had with the Gambling Houses. He was promised a cut from the profit they would gain after Lux and Gaap died under the criminals' hands.

Just like everyone else, only a few dozen betted on the Highlanders, who simply had no chance of winning in this Battle Royale.

After five minutes of introductions, Michael finally raised his hand.

"Are both sides ready?!" Michael asked.

"""Ready!"""

"Boom!"

"Are you ready to rumble?!" Michael shouted.

"""Yes!"""

"Boom Boom!"

Michael then rose high up in the air and slashed his hand downwards.

"Let the battle begin!"

As soon as Michael gave the signal to fight, the Criminals unleashed a barrage of spells, and long-distance attacks against the two Highlanders.

Clearly, they were racing to be the first ones to kill either of them, so they didn't even bother closing the distance, directly firing attacks from the other side of the arena.

Due to how intense the attacks were, the location where their spells landed created powerful explosions, creating a dust cloud that obscured everyone's vision.

"All that hype, and it ended in less than a minute." The handsome blonde prince of Agartha sneered.

"Well, what did you expect?" his Princess Sister replied. "The result of this match was decided before it even started."

The other Princes' and Princesses' of Agartha also commented about how lackluster the match was.

However, in the VIP Room right next to them, the youngest of them all, Princess Shayna, stared at the dust cloud with a determined look on her face.

She was probably the only one amongst the members of the Royal Family who wanted Lux and Gaap to survive this unfair battle, which had been agreed upon by her Father and the High Council of Agartha.I think you should take a look at

Her small hands were clenched tightly into fists, as she uttered a silent prayer in her heart, wishing for a miracle to happen.

The bombardment lasted for a full minute before the Criminals stopped attacking.

They deemed that their attacks were already more than enough to turn their opponents' bodies into ashes, leaving nothing behind.

King Septimius then waved his hand in order to blow the dust cloud away, allowing everyone to see the outcome of the bombardment.

When the smokescreen was lifted, they found a giant palm, standing straight and tall like a wall.

The corner of King Septimius' lips twitched when his gaze landed on the Half-Elf, and the Halfling, who were laying on top of beach benches, and drinking some type of tropical fruit juice in their hands.

"Um? Is it already over?" Lux asked after the dust cloud surrounding him disappeared.

"It is," Gaap replied as he unsummoned Antero's palm that blocked the attacks that came from the other side of the arena.

Antero was the Indestructible Golem of Destruction. Even an attack from thousands of Rankers wouldn't be enough to break past its defenses, let alone three hundred.

"Well then, it's now our turn, right?" Lux smirked. "Let's go Eik… Um? Where is Eiko?"

The Baby Slime that was originally perched on top of Lux's head had already left before he could even tell her that she could fight to her heart's content now.

"Fight!"

An adorable voice filled with fighting intent spread in the arena, making everyone look up in the air.

There, a little girl with long blue hair, wearing a princess dress, was smiling fearlessly.

Two butterfly wings flapped behind her back, making the ladies, who were watching the battle, look at the cute Fairy Princess with starry eyes.

"Eyah!" Eiko shouted and immediately, five identical clones appeared around her.

Eiko and her five clones all raised their hands at the same time.

A moment later, five Argonaut-Ranked World Boss Slimes appeared in the arena, answering their call.

Three of these slimes were Diabolical Acid Slimes, while the two other slimes were called Infernal Slimes.

As soon as they were summoned, the three Diabolical Acid Slimes unleashed an Acid Spray in the direction of the Prisoners, while the two Infernal Slimes began to spit Fireballs toward their opponents.

Eiko wasn't being idle either and threw bombs left and right with a fearless grin on her face.

The Acid Spray, the Fireballs, and Eiko's Blast Bombs combined together formed an infernal Molten Acid Lava that released a concentrated acid steam that was potent enough to burn the eyes of anyone exposed to it.

The Criminals were completely caught by surprise by this sudden counter-attack, and some of them shouted in pain as they were exposed to the large-scale attack from the Argonaut-Ranked World Bosses that appeared out of nowhere.

"Block their attacks!" a criminal with gray hair and eyes shouted. "Those who can use Earth Magic, create Earth Walls. Those who have Water and Wind Magic, create a storm to blow their attacks back at them!"

The gray-haired Criminal was the most notorious among the Gladiators that were in the arena.

His name was Leonidas, and he was the undefeated Gladiator in the C-Ranker Category and below.

His comrades didn't know that regardless of if he killed Lux or Gaap in this Death Match or not, all of his crimes would be lifted and he would gain freedom. The only condition was that Lux and Gaap were defeated, so he was more than happy to take up command and allow his fellow Gladiators to get the kill.

All the Gladiators in the Coliseum were battle-hardened, so after the initial surprise, all of them rallied together in order to push back Eiko's attack.

In just a span of a minute, the combined attack of the World Bosses had been neutralized.

However, over twenty of them who had failed to react right away suffered from second-degree burns. Even so, they gritted their teeth and endured the pain.

"Wow!" Eiko clapped her hands as if she was very impressed that her attack was dealt with right away.

This proved how strong her enemies were.

"Stand back!" Leonidas shouted as he pressed both of his palms on the ground. "Come out! Manticore!"

A five-meter-tall Manticore with the head of a lion, the wings of a bat, and the tail of a Scorpion roared.

This was one of Leonidas' strongest Trump Cards. The Manticore was at the peak of the Argonaut-Rank, making it a Pseudo-Dreadnaught Ranked World Boss.

Although the slimes were powerful, the Manticore was known for being an evil creature whose ferocity knew no bounds.

"Big kitty!" Eiko's eyes widened after the Manticore roared in her direction.

Suddenly, a smirk appeared on Eiko's face as if she had thought of a good idea.

"Summon!" Eiko and her five clones all shouted in unison.

A second later, six Manticores, who were a bit weaker and a meter shorter than the one that Leonidas had summoned, appeared in the arena.

Unlike the Manticore that Leonidas had summoned, which was a Pseudo Dreadnaught-Ranked World Boss Monster, the Manticores that Eiko summoned were all Argonaut Ranked Alpha Monsters.

Even so, these six Manticores all roared towards Leonidas' Manticore at the same time, making the fearsome beast subconsciously take a step back.

"… M-Meow!" Leonidas' Manticore tried to roar in order to bolster its courage, but instead of a roar, only a meowing sound escaped its mouth.

This made the corner of Leonidas' lips twitch upon seeing his merciless Beast, who feared no one, act intimidated by the Six Manticores that now stood in front of it.

 

Chapter 838 The Battle Royale Of The Century [Part 3]

'I got to say, Eiko's Mimicry Ability is simply a cheat,' Gaap said through their Guild Chat. 'Copying the skills of any creature in her surroundings makes it a very versatile ability.'

'You're right, Master,' Lux replied. 'Even I feel that Eiko's ability is simply rulebreaking.'

The Half-Elf and the Halfling couldn't help but sigh in their hearts as the Fairy Princess showed her enemies what she was capable of.

What the two didn't know was that King Septimius' face had turned solemn the moment Eiko mimicked her opponent's ability.

Within the Kingdom of Agartha, there was a Calamity-Ranked Monster who had the same ability.

It was none other than the Wicked Queen Slime, whose territory had been declared off-limits due to how dangerous it was. One of its signature skills was Mimicry, allowing it to copy whatever skills its target possessed.

With the said skill, it had killed countless High-Rankers and Saints who had attempted to get rid of it in the past.

King Septimius also didn't dare to personally attack this monster. Although he could defeat it if he wished, he opted not to.

The Wicked Queen Slime had a very powerful regenerative ability. Even if a tiny part of it survived, it would be able to regenerate and regain its former glory within a few years.

If he really went to exterminate it, the Queen Slime might carry a grudge and relentlessly attack the Cities of Agartha, claiming countless lives of his people

In the end, King Septimius was forced to compromise with it.

No one knew what conditions were entailed in their agreement, but after the King of Agartha had a talk with the Monster, it no longer took the initiative to attack the Human settlements.

'Is this Monster related to her?' King Septimius' frown deepened as he looked at the little girl who had summoned countless bombs and tossed them at the Gladiators who were dealing with Six Argonaut-Ranked World Bosses.

The Six Manticores that Eiko had summoned didn't hesitate to attack Leonidas' Manticore, which descended into a brawl, sending blood mist flying in every direction.

Eiko's Manticores used their scorpion tails to sting their target, and their razor-sharp teeth to bite into its flesh.

Even though Leonidas' Manticore was stronger and fought ferociously, it was unable to fend off the attacks that were coming from every direction.

Leonidas didn't stand in silence and watch his companion fight alone. He and a hundred Rankers engaged the Six Manticores, while the rest dealt with Eiko's Argonaut-Ranked Slime Monsters.

Eiko had to stop throwing bombs because she didn't want to hurt her own summons, who were now engaged in a deadly battle with the Rankers.

Slowly, but surely, Eiko and her subordinates were being pushed back, which made the Fairy Princess take drastic measures.

"Come!" Eiko ordered, calling out to her Terrorist Squad and Slime Brigade.

However, it didn't end there.

Hundreds of Doom Knight Gangbangers and Jade Golems appeared on the battlefield as Eiko copied her Papa's skills, increasing the number of her forces.

Doomsday Gargoyles flew in the sky, spreading poisonous smog on the criminals in the arena.

Revenant Liches cast Necrotic Curses and Spells at their Mistress' enemies, making the criminals curse out loud.

It had now truly become a Battle Royale, and in the center of this chaotic battlefield, Eiko and her clones were unleashing spells left and right in order to help her forces get the upper hand once again.

While this was happening, the spectators who were watching the battle couldn't believe what they were seeing.

"I-Is that really a Slime?" the handsome blonde Prince of Agartha looked at Eiko in disbelief. "Or is it a Creature that is only pretending to be one?"

"Whatever it is, it is quite powerful," a Princess commented. "I want her. I wonder if Father will give her to me if I ask."

"No! I want her," another Princess exclaimed. "She will be mine!"

The Princesses then started to bicker with each other. All of them were awed by Eiko's outstanding might and wished to become her new Master.

A few of them even left the room in order to talk to their father and ask him to spare Eiko after Lux had died.

They knew that the Baby Slime was the Beast Companion of the Half-Elf and would remain his Beast Companion for as long as he was alive.

They were hoping to become Eiko's new Master once she had lost her Master, and the only way for that to happen was for their Father to capture her and give her to them so they could form a contract with her.

Lux, who was seated leisurely on his beach bench, glanced in the direction of the Princesses and sneered.

Since he shared Eiko's Mind Reader Ability, he had heard the thoughts of the spoiled Princesses of Agartha.

'Spoiled brats,' Lux thought. 'You're not stealing Eiko from me.'I think you should take a look at

The Half-Elf might seem like he was relaxing in the eyes of people. Little did they know, he and his summons were ready to spring up and help Eiko at any moment if she was in danger.

Gaap was also paying close attention to the battlefield

Suddenly, Lux's Corpse God materialized above him and blocked a spell that was aimed at his Master, with the shield in its hands.

"It seems like they changed their plans, Master," Lux stated as he put the tropical fruit juice down on the table beside his beach bench.

"Some of them have become too impatient while dealing with Eiko and her summons," Gaap commented as he gazed at the dozens of Rankers who had slipped past Eiko's battlefield and were now headed in their direction. "How about you deal with them, Lux? It's a good time to test the skills that you haven't tested before."

"Understood, Master," Lux said as he stood up and crossed his arms over his chest. "Come forth, Seraphina. It's time to make your debut. You have kept the readers waiting."

A beam of light descended from the sky and landed beside Lux.

There, Lux's Battle Angel, Seraphina, smiled as she looked at the Rankers that were aiming for her Master's life.

When Lux was undergoing his Ranker Trial and being judged by the Gods if he would be allowed to keep his skills, the God of Gamblers, Max, talked to him for a bit about his skill, Summon Battle Angel [SSR].

This skill was quite special because even if Lux used it, no Battle Angel would answer his call.

The reason?

Just as the name implied, he would be summoning a literal angel from the Divine Realm, and this was not something that could be done on a whim.

Lux had to make a pact with a Battle Angel first before the skill could be used.

Originally, Lux wanted the gorgeous angel, Himea, who had brought him to the Celestial Realm after he died, to become his Battle Angel.

However, Himea flatly refused him and told him that she couldn't become Lux's servant because she was already contracted to the God of Gamblers for three hundred years.

Only after the expiration of her contract would she become a Free Agent who could be contracted by others.

Perhaps, out of curiosity, Lux asked if she had a sister.

To his surprise, Himea answered with a yes, and she introduced the Half-Elf to her sister, Seraphina.

Seraphina was just as gorgeous as her sister, and the only difference was that she looked like a teenage version of Himea.

Seraphina was currently a Free Agent, and she had not received a contract before because she had only finished her Battle Angel training two years ago.

The majority of people who contracted Battle Angels always went for the ones with more experience on the battlefield.

Simply put, a fledgling like Seraphina was someone most people wouldn't choose to form a contract with.

The Half-Elf felt that those who hadn't contracted Seraphina needed to visit an Eye Specialist to have their eyes checked.

How could a beautiful angel like her not have a Master after graduating from the Battle Angel Academy?

Everyone's gaze, especially the boys in the Coliseum landed on Seraphina's figure.

Even the Princes' of Agartha were mesmerized by her beauty, and they simply couldn't take their eyes off her.

"I'm going, Master," Seraphina said as she summoned two divine swords in each hand.

"Go ahead," Lux replied. "Get used to fighting mortals for the time being. You will be fighting more of them in the future."

Seraphina nodded and opened her angelic wings, which were like tendrils of light.

This scene reminded Lux of Aina's Angel Form when he fought against her during her breakthrough.

Seraphina then flew towards the Rankers that were aiming for her Master's life with a determined look on her face.

This was her first contract, and she definitely didn't want to leave a bad mark on her record for the sake of her future employment.

Seraphina's Rank would always be a rank higher than Lux, so she was currently a C-Ranker.

However, even if the majority of her powers were sealed, she was still a Battle Angel.

An Angel who was born to fight on the battlefield and smite the foes who dared to challenge her Master.

 

 

Chapter 839 Finger Of Death

"I think I'm in love," the Prince of Agartha, Prince Kieron, said as he looked at Seraphina.

He was the third Prince of Agartha and was closest to Lux's age.

However, he was not the only one who had become infatuated with the angelic beauty that Lux had summoned. The other Princes of Agartha felt the same, and they all eyed the beauty on the battlefield with great interest.

Seraphina, who was not aware that she had captured the hearts of mortals around her, swung her blades left and right, successfully fending off the Rankers whom she had intercepted.

One of her tendril-like wings caught the foot of one of the Rankers and raised him high up in the air before slamming him against the ground. A moment later, she threw the criminal onto where the Manticores were duking it out with each other.

As to what fate fell upon that man, she didn't care. There were still over a dozen Rankers who were doing their best to reach her Master, so she had no time to spare to look at someone who'd probably be maimed to death.

"Out of fifteen, eight got past her," Gaap commented. "Your Battle Angel is good, but she is fighting opponents of the same rank as her. This is an expected result."

Lux nodded and eyed the eight Rankers that were looking at him and Gaap with bloodshot eyes.

If his Master summoned his Named Creatures, these eight Rankers would be easily subdued in no time. However, since Gaap had asked him to handle them himself, Lux decided that it was time to show off his abilities as well.

Just like Eiko, the first thing that Lux did was summon his Doppelgangers. After this skill was upgraded into the [SSR] Rank, it had become stronger than ever before.

"Bone Storm!"

The Five Clones said at the same time, and five tornadoes composed of pieces of jagged bones rose from the ground. These bones were as sharp as razors and could instantly rend pieces of flesh unless it was protected by strong armor.

These five tornadoes zigzagged across the battlefield, forcing the Eight Rankers to evade them with everything they had.

While his opponents were busy evading the tornadoes that were blocking their path, the Half-Elf smirked and used his skill, Death Ward [Epic].

A crimson flower bloomed at the center of the five tornadoes, and it unleashed a barrage of necrotic energy balls on the Rankers, acting like a magical turret.

The Rankers were already having a hard time dealing with the Bone Storms, and now, they had to evade the bombardment that was flying in their direction.

Due to how sudden the attack was, the Rankers were hit by the Death Ward's Necrotic Energy balls.

This pushed two of them within the suction area of the tornado, making them scream in fear and pain.

A moment later, a taint of red could be seen in one of the tornadoes that had pulled one of the Rankers within its deadly embrace.

One of the Rankers who specialized in the Earth Element was able to coat himself in a protective Dome of Earth, rendering the bone tornado's attack ineffective.

"I got you now!" One of the Rankers used a speed acceleration ability, allowing him to get close to Lux.

Without another word, he slashed at the Half-Elf with an evil grin on his face, for he was sure that after doing so, he would regain his freedom.

However, the moment his blade touched the Half-Elf's body, Lux turned into a Blood Mist, completely negating the attack.

A few seconds later, he appeared behind the Ranker that slashed him and pointed his finger directly at his enemy's back.

"Finger of Death!' Lux shouted.

A red-lightning bolt shot out of the Half-Elf's finger, hitting the enemy at point-blank range.

Although this skill couldn't instantly kill a Human and only worked on Monsters, it was still bound to give them enough pain that would make them wish that they had died instead.

A blood-curdling scream escaped the Ranker's lips as his body crashed towards the ground, creating a six-meter-wide crater. Of course, the Ranker wasn't dead but only suffering from great pain, which was enough to immobilize him for half a minute.I think you should take a look at

"""Finger of Death!"""

Lux's other clones also used this ability and hit three out of the five remaining targets.

The two other Rankers eyed each other before dashing toward the Half-Elf. One came from his left, and the other from the right.

Although there were other Clones on the battlefield, they had already locked down the original's position.

They had no intention of fighting clones because, by common sense, they knew that as long as they killed Lux, his replicas would disappear as well.

One of the Rankers threw a dagger at Lux, forcing the Half-Elf dodge to the side. However, that attack was merely a diversion, and his real intention was to use the dagger to close the distance in order to deliver his killing blow.

When the dagger flew past the Half-Elf, the Ranker swapped locations with it, making him appear directly behind his target.

He then transformed his arm into a blade and swung it at Lux's neck, with the intention of chopping it off completely.

Just like he did earlier, Lux transformed into a blood mist, completely negating the attack. However, his opponent had already predicted this and followed up with a roundhouse kick in mid-air.

He had timed the kick properly to ensure that his attack would definitely hit his target.

Just like his arm, he had transformed his leg into a sharp blade, which cut the Half-Elf's body cleanly in half.

However, instead of seeing blood spray in every direction, the Half-Elf he killed turned into particles of light.

"That was close," Gaap muttered as he watched the battle from the ground. "Good thing he managed to swap with his clone on time. These criminals do have a few tricks in their sleeves."

All of the criminals that had been chosen to participate in the battle had killed countless people.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that they were perhaps Agartha's most seasoned fighters.

When Eiko launched her counterattack, some of them suffered injuries, but most of them reacted in time.

Even though most of them were injured, they didn't let their injury affect their performance and fought back against Eiko and her summoned army.

They weren't second-rate Rankers.

All of them were experienced, cold-blooded Killers.

"They will be a good addition to Master's fighting force," Asmodeus, who had appeared beside Gaap, commented. "We just have to kill them in order to make that happen."

"Can you?" Gaap asked back with amusement.

"Do you even need to ask?" Asmodeus chuckled. "Master hadn't given us any orders yet. Maybe he wants to try out all the skills he gained during his breakthrough, as well as the skills he hasn't used in the past. This is a perfect opportunity to test them against opponents that are stronger than him. I'm sure that he is thinking along those lines."

As his Lord's Equal, Asmodeus could tell what Lux was thinking most of the time. Because of this, none of his Named Creatures had moved in order to help their Master, who hadn't fought personally in a long while.

Usually, Lux would just let his Undead Minions and Covenant Members do the killing for him.

But, now he was a Ranker.

It was time to test how he would measure up against opponents who were almost the same Rank as him, without depending on his faithful Summons who were currently on the side, patiently waiting for his call.

 

Chapter 840 Pierce Through The Void

'Fighting Rankers is really not easy,' Lux thought as he backed away from the criminal that could transform his body into sharp blades.

This was Lux's first battle after becoming a Ranker. For him, learning how his abilities work in real combat was quite important, especially now that he was currently being hunted down by the Divine Army of Light.

Taking advantage of their current situation, he had intended to fully test his limits in this deadly battle using only his core abilities.

Although summoning his Undead Army would instantly give him a strong advantage, this was not something he wanted to do.

He didn't want to overly rely on them to fight all of his battles for him.

Lux knew that there would come a time when he had to fight by himself, and with this in mind, he didn't want to become rusty.

After Lux distanced himself from his opponent, the silhouette of a Dragon appeared behind his back.

From a distance, no one could tell what kind of Dragon it was. They could only see the outline of its body and its golden eyes that contained great power.

Gaap thought that his Disciple was using his ability, Peerless Dragon Strike. However, this attack was different, and it contained a power that Lux would unleash for the first time on the battlefield.

"Dragon God's Wrath!" Lux roared.

His booming voice reverberated across the arena, and a powerful spiritual attack descended upon all of his foes, making them feel as if a great pressure was stepping down upon their heads.

This was Lux's Anti-Army Ability that was meant for large-scale battles.

The Dragon King's Wrath was an attack that could target at least a single individual up to everyone within a thousand-meter range around him.

If the targets' Rank was equal to or lower than the Half-Elf's, they would suffer from Intimidation and Fear debuff, lowering their attack, defense, movement speed, and attack speed by 80%.

Lux made sure to limit the area of effect to the Rankers that had slipped past Seraphina's blockade.

The reason for this was that he wanted Eiko and the Battle Angel to get a taste of what it was like to fight stronger opponents that weren't suffering from debuffs.

The Ranker that could transform his body into blades was originally a rank higher than Lux, but due to the Dragon King's Wrath, his fighting ability was significantly reduced.

Right now, he was slightly weaker than Lux, making his movements a bit sluggish.

'The effect is better than I thought,' Lux mused as he observed the effectiveness of the skill that he was using for the first time. 'If this was used against an Army, anyone below a C-Ranker will lose their will to fight. I wonder if this spiritual attack can be dispelled by Clerics and Priests. I guess I'll have to test this before returning to the Surface World."

After carefully observing his opponent, Lux raised his hand.

"Come, Calypso."

The Living Armor appeared before her Master before turning into the Divine Spear, Longinus.

Lux had wanted to test how powerful the Spear of Longinus was, so he decided to try it out in this battle.

When the Half-Elf was still in Leaf Village, he acquired the skill Transmutation [EX].

This skill allowed him to add abilities from one weapon to another. This was a skill that he had neglected for a very long time, not because he couldn't use it, but because there was no suitable equipment for it to be used.

However, times had changed.

He now had a Divine Weapon in his hand, and he would be a fool if he didn't make the already powerful weapon more powerful.

Currently, the Spear of Longinus was at its basic state. Meaning, it still hadn't received any transmutation abilities whatsoever.

The Half-Elf wanted to know its base power before making it truly overpowered, so he could make comparisons in the future.I think you should take a look at

"Pierce through the void!" Lux shouted as he pulled back his arm, aiming the tip of his spear at the Ranker that could transform his body into a blade.

"Spear of Longinus!"

The moment Lux threw the spear toward his target, a whistling sound spread in the Coliseum.

Knowing that this was a matter of life and death, the Ranker transformed his entire body into a golden sword.

This sword then flew towards the spear that was headed in its direction and met it head-on.

A crisp cracking sound reached Lux's ears as the Golden Sword and the Golden Spear collided with each other.

The Golden Sword held firm for a few seconds before its blade shattered into countless pieces.

A spray of blood mist then appeared in its place as the body of the Ranker fell from the sky.

Perhaps, waiting for that moment, a Black Coffin appeared out of nowhere and sucked the lifeless body inside it.

It then disappeared without a trace before appearing on the opposite side of the battlefield.

The corner of Lux's lips twitched when he saw Blackfire smack one of the Rankers that were laying on the ground on the head before swallowing him up.

It then reappeared not far from Eiko and swatted another Ranker like a baseball bat, sending them in the blue-haired girl's direction.

The Fairy Princess smirked before kicking the Ranker with an attack imbued by the Divine Abyssal Touch she copied from Lux, and sent the helpless Ranker flying back to Blackfire's direction.

To Lux's surprise, Blackfire swatted the Ranker back to Eiko, and the Fairy Princess kicked the Ranker back to it.

This repeated a dozen more times before Blackfire's lid opened and gobbled up the pitiful Ranker who was treated like a Soccer Ball.

Lux had a fair idea of what Blackfire was doing. It could only absorb dead or nearly-dead creatures inside of it.

Since the Ranker was still very much alive, it decided to beat it up until it was half-dead before swallowing it whole.

"… I didn't know Blackfire could do that," Lux muttered as he scratched his head. "Calypso, are all Divine Equipment like this?"

The Golden Spear then transformed back into a Living Armor and nodded her head.

"Yes, Master," Calypso replied. "All Divine Equipment is sentient and can act autonomously if they wish for it."

"I see." Lux nodded. "Thanks for the confirmation."

"You're welcome, Master," Calypso replied before turning back into a golden spear to float beside Lux.

The Half-Elf once again held the Divine Weapon in his hands and looked for his next target.

His experiment ended too soon, and he wasn't able to gauge Calypso's true power because his opponent was already weakened when he attacked.

After scanning the battlefield, Lux's gaze landed on Leonidas, whom he believed to be the strongest among the Gladiators in the Coliseum.

"We found our target," Lux said softly. "Let's see how strong you really are, Calypso."

The Golden Spear in the red-headed teenager's hand hummed as if asking her Master to use her to the fullest.

Lux no longer tarried and headed to where Leonidas was currently fighting. Although he felt sorry for 'stealing' one of Eiko's opponents, there was no one else he deemed worth fighting among the Gladiators, whose numbers were slowly dwindling with each passing minute.