In a grand and regal space, filled with luxurious furnishings and exquisite decorations, the room boasted high ceilings and large windows that allowed natural light to pour in. However, the tranquility was shattered when Istalian tossed a glass to the floor.
The glass crashed, its pieces scattering in all directions, causing Seraphine, Lucus, and Sen, who were standing in front of him, to instinctively tremble.
Yet, before the King could snap at the trio, Nine stared at him with clenched fists.
"No matter what, we are from the Sea Continent. You have no right to detain us!"
Istalian let out a laugh, frustration etched on his face. He desired the divine essence, and yet these kids couldn't even find it with a map.
He turned his gaze to Lucus and Sen, and his face darkened.
"You two are useless. I thought you could at least handle this task, but I was mistaken. I should have sent someone better."
Istalian wanted to raise his hand, but the shadow behind him screamed inside his head with anger. The King clenched his heart and glared at the four individuals standing opposite him.
"Leave, and never show me your face again."
The moment they left, he spat out a mouthful of blood and glared at the wisps of dark energy emanating from behind him. The shadow let out an angry chuckle.
"Where is the Divine essence? I told you to send someone powerful, but you! Now how am I going to construct my body? Haha, if I don't get the divine essence, I will kill you!"
He paced around the room, causing the air to tremble. Suddenly, he snapped and glanced back at Istalian.
"There's a way... I sensed divine energy in that phoenix's body. Get me the phoenix. It doesn't matter what you do, I want the phoenix!"
Istalian's eyes widened slightly.
"The phoenix has divine energy in its body?"
The shadow didn't say anything else and increased the pressure on his heart. Istalian cursed and agreed.
"Give me some time... I will get the phoenix..."
Istalian sighed with relief as the pain dissipated into thin air. Regardless, he chuckled to himself. How was he supposed to get the phoenix? After all, both the phoenix and its owner were too strong.
...
In the meantime, Nine quietly walked behind Seraphine, Lucus, and Sen after emerging from the room. His face remained calm, but he felt troubled inside. The divine essence, he remembered it's with Kyle.
'Should I contact him? But I don't have his communication crystal coordinates. I wonder if he even has one.'
Suddenly, an elder from the Sea Continent appeared before them. The old man expressed his anger at Istalian for detaining their princess and prince. However, Nine noticed with a scoff that he was all talk.
Lucus and Sen quickly left them alone, and after grumbling for a while, the elder led Nine and Seraphine to a secluded corner.
He glanced around and hastily drew a few symbols in the air, scattering some mana stones so they could leave the city directly. But when he turned around, Nine had vanished into thin air.
The elder cried out in surprise, and Seraphine's eyes widened. She hadn't even noticed when Nine slipped away. He had always been standing right beside her!
She wanted to follow Nine, after all, she knew where he would go, but the elder made her go back because the Queen was worried about her.
Seraphine glared at the empty spot behind her and clenched her jaw.
'I'll just head back for now. Once I get permission from the Queen, I'll head to the East Continent.'
After she and the elder disappeared, Nine peeked out from a room. He hadn't gone too far, just found a hiding spot. He chuckled and rubbed his hands.
"I don't really care about the Sea Continent. It's better if I go hang out with my friends. Plus, my future wife's probably worried about me."
He wiped his dry eyes and tiptoed around. But even after wandering the Castle for an hour, he couldn't find an exit. Frustrated, he decided to take matters into his own hands and jumped out of a nearby window, only to be chased by a guard.
Nine cursed and started floating, but that only attracted more guards. Eventually, he landed on the ground and revealed his identity to them.
He massaged his temples with a sigh.
'Why the heck was I sneaking around when I could've just left normally?'
The guards were suspicious since not many people had seen him. But when Nine mentioned Lucus and Sen's names, they confirmed his identity and politely escorted him outside.
Nine stretched his legs as he looked at the scorching sun. He started floating and quickly scanned the nearest city to find a teleportation device so he could directly go to Kingdom Escalante.
...
In Kingdom tersia, the air above the partially broken border trembled as Bia's eyes narrowed and a sea of fire descended upon the forest.
The nearby elves fighting panicked as the fire spread through the trees. But before the flames could harm anyone, Bia controlled them, directing them to surround the monsters emerging from the forest.
Kyle nodded in approval. Bia had indeed become more powerful. A faint smirk appeared on his lips.
'Ah... finally, one of my dreams has come true. I have a legendary beast strong enough to clear the path for me.'
However, his smile faltered as he remembered the countless treasures he had to feed her in order for her to reach a higher rank quickly.
'Well, it's worth it!'
He nodded solemnly. After the number of monsters dwindled around the border, many of the elves let out cries of relief. They had been fighting for so long, but the new arrivals swiftly dealt with the initial wave of monsters in just a few hours.
Anlee and Aira glanced at the figures floating around them, and a faint smile graced their faces. These kids were the future of their Continent.
Aliza and Liam also felt a swell of pride as they watched their students fight so brilliantly.
However, Kyle wasn't done yet. He hated it when things dragged on, and he had to think too much. He knew that neither Kingdom Tersia nor Kingdom Escalante were safe until the monster lords were out of the picture.
'My head's already filled with the artifact, and I have to track down that bastard who put it inside my heart without a clue. Moreover, I need to join Alec in searching for the person damaging the planet's core. So, I think it's best if we put an end to this once and for all.'
He groaned a bit and rubbed his temples.
'Why do I feel like I'm working so much when I don't even have a useful divine artifact like Alec?'
Bia glanced at him with narrowed eyes.
-'Why the heck are you talking so much? If you want to think, just do it in your head, and don't disturb my peace.'
Kyle chuckled and disappeared into thin air. In the next moment, he reappeared amidst the clouds. Instantly, his nose was overwhelmed by countless scents, but the strongest one was the smell of blood.
After a minute, his eyes faintly glowed as he stared in two different directions.
'Gotcha. Now we just need to go and take out the monster lords directly.'
Bia, in the midst of battling another monster, nearly lost her balance in mid-air upon hearing his words.
-'Haha... you're kidding, right?'
She laughed dryly. No way... it had to be a joke.
