King Istalian spat out the drink he had been sipping as he stared at the guard kneeling across from him in disbelief.
"What did you say?"
He blinked, once, twice, and then massaged his temples. The shadow lurking in the darkness emerged from behind him and let out an excited snarl.
"Go, go! The kids must have found the divine essence with the help of the map! Hurry!"
Istalian snorted, but after tossing the cup in his hand aside, he vanished from the luxurious hall, heading straight toward the realm gate.
Just like Istalian, the strongest individuals in the West Continent received the news from their people stationed at the realm gate. They immediately left their kingdoms to proudly welcome the youngsters.
Even the Queen of the Sea Continent was shocked to hear that seventy percent of their people had returned alive. She burst into laughter and hastily instructed her strongest warriors to go and welcome the kids, especially her daughter, Seraphine.
Similarly, the various kings in the East Continent rejoiced at the joyful news. Unfortunately, due to the circumstances, they were unable to send any strong individuals. In the end, after extensive discussions among all the kingdoms, King Foraan himself set out to pick up the kids.
Unaware of the chaos they were causing, more and more people emerged from the realm gate with each passing second.
Regius, Lucus, and Sen, the trio, also floated out from the gate. Regius had a smug expression on his face as he waved at the old man from the elven Kingdom.
He landed confidently in front of the old man, ready to boast, but his smile froze when two handsome figures landed in front of him.
Faith and Niamh stared back at Regius with raised eyebrows, challenging him to boast in their presence.
The old man from Kingdom tersia cried out with joy when he saw the three men. He had been receiving death threats from their families, warning that if anything happened to their heirs, they would first kill him and then destroy the realm gate.
He almost dropped to his knees when he saw a beautiful figure floating out from the gate. Yue's amber eyes shone brightly as she looked around and made her way towards the old man.
Niamh, Regius, and Faith immediately tried to sense her rank, but they were dumbfounded when they sensed nothing.
The trio exchanged bitter smiles as they wondered just how much stronger she had become.
After Yue, Sia also appeared, and she let out a proud smirk when she spotted her father standing amidst the crowd.
Elder Han had a smile on his face as he stared at the realm gate. However, after a few minutes, the countless lights coming out from the gate suddenly stopped.
His smile faltered slightly as he wondered where Kyle and Alec were. And to add to his concern, Prince Carcel had yet to come out as well!
But before he could have another panic attack, thinking that the strongest individuals had perished, three familiar figures stepped out from the realm gate.
Jian stretched his body and ruffled his hair with a yawn.
"Man, I'm tired. It's good that we could easily step out, unlike the others who were tossed out."
Alec smiled back at him and then his gaze wandered toward the gorgeous figure standing beside Elder Han. Just as he remembered, Lara's face remained expressionless, but her eyes had softened, and it seemed like she was even conversing with the others.
He tapped Jian on the shoulder.
"I'm leaving. See you later."
Jian stared at him as he vanished into the crowd. With a mischievous glint, Jian raised his arm to place it on Carcel's shoulder, but before he could, Carcel also disappeared into the crowd.
In the end, Jian clicked his tongue and started walking toward Kelvin, who had been glaring at him since he emerged from the realm.
Jian let out a hesitant chuckle as he tried to explain why he couldn't receive Kelvin's signal, but Kelvin ignored him as if he were thin air.
Amidst the bustling atmosphere, King Istalian's figure appeared in the sky. He scanned the crowd and immediately spotted Lucus and the mermaid princess.
The shadow hiding behind him let out a relieved sigh. Now he was sure they had obtained the divine essence! Regardless, he controlled the urge to pounce on them because there were too many people around.
Istalian broke into a polite smile. His loud voice echoed in the air.
"Welcome back. I am happy to see so many survivors."
A few strong guards appeared behind him, carrying golden chests filled with mana stones, gold coins, and all types of luxurious things one could expect in life.
However, before he could announce that the gates of Kingdom Soltecia were open for those who wanted to come, a few more old men and women from the West Continent and Sea Continent appeared behind him.
They scoffed at his actions, clearly mocking him, because how the hell did he think he would be able to snatch their people under their noses?
While the atmosphere was heated, a faint rumble shook the air. Instantly, all eyes turned to the realm gate that had been quiet for a while now.
Alec blinked, glanced at Carcel, and let out a chuckle.
"He sure knows how to become the center of attention."
Lara and Mia shook their heads with smiles. They all knew that now he was strong enough to handle everything, even if he attracted the attention of others.
Under the crowd's eyes, a spark of fire emerged from the realm gate, followed by a huge majestic phoenix that soared through the sky, painting the once-cloudy sky with crimson.
Istalian's eyes dilated when he sensed the phoenix's rank.
'She's already (SS+)-rank..?'
The beautiful phoenix was not alone. Just like Alec, Jian, and Carcel, Kyle stepped out from the realm. However, unlike them, his clothes were spotless.
He wore an emotionless expression as he straightened his shirt and gazed at the phoenix.
"Bia."
Instantly, under the stunned eyes of the crowd, the phoenix gracefully fluttered her wings and dived down toward him. She decreased her size and obediently sat on his shoulder.
-'Hey, what about the two moths?'
Kyle hummed.
'As I said, there's no need to worry about them. Now that everyone is out, they should quietly live inside the realm.'
Behind him, the realm gate trembled before the light started vanishing. Faint white sparks flew out from the realm gate, and the opening closed just as fast as it crashed down.
Kyle's silver hair swirled gently as he spotted the old man and started walking toward him. Instantly, the people around him parted to give him enough space.
"Master, it's been a while."
Elder Han stared at the handsome man in front of him and broke out into laughter. He wanted to scream, Look, this is my disciple!
Even though he felt proud, he restrained the urge to express it.
In the distance, Istalian's ears perked up when he heard the word 'master'. An evil smirk appeared on his face as he gazed at the people from Kingdom Escalante.
"I think nobody should leave until Elder Han pays his debt, which has increased over the past two years."
