"So if I go out and fight them, not only will I risk them finding out about the army that's sealed here, but it'll also make them bring out all the forces of the Temple of Time. It would really waste a good opportunity."
"The best option would've been to wait a month before having any conflict. The protective formation of the City would've been ready by then as well, to give me some extra boost. I was really hasty in trying to uncover the mystery behind the garden..."
Gabriel felt slightly upset, but at the same time, he didn't lose hope. He was sure there were still ways to salvage the situation.
"Can I stay here for a month?" he asked Alion. "If they can't enter this place, then I can just leave with the army after a month."
Alion shook his head in response. "Even if you stay here for a few more days without controlling the situation outside and the main forces of the Temple of Time came to the battlefield, then the barrier of this place wouldn't last. They might even destroy the forbidden army while it's sealed."
"Everyone thinks that the Temple of Time was looking for the Orb of Time for close to a thousand years. But that's not the entire truth," he further explained. "The Temple of Time had also been looking for Karyk's castle where the Forbidden Army was sealed. They wanted to destroy the army before the seal was opened. If you let them succeed, you'll be in big trouble."
"That's why I told you to focus more on the present than the past!"
Even though Alion was talking about how risky the situation was, he didn't look particularly concerned at all. It was unclear if it was just because of his faith in Gabriel, or he had already taken some precautions of his own for emergencies.
"You're right." Gabriel seemingly agreed. "The best way to deal with the situation is to delay them. I can't risk the forbidden army being destroyed before their seal is broken! I need their strength!"
Even though Gabriel was clear about what he had to do, Alion was intrigued about what the young man planned.
"Do you have a way to delay them?" he asked Gabriel.
Gabriel glanced at the whirlpool of energy which was intensifying in the distance, as if thinking of something. "I do have a plan, but I'm not sure if it'll work or not."
"Delaying them for a month is easier said than done. I would need your help if I want to succeed," he told Alion.
"What do you need?" Alion asked, somewhat interested. He didn't know what Gabriel was planning, but looking in Gabriel's eyes, he had a feeling that the young man was quite confident about this plan.
"I need you to teach me everything you know about this place. I want to know how to control this entire place!"
"That's easy to achieve. Now that the seal above this space is already opened by you, the rest is easy for you to control." Alion reached out his hand and placed his finger on Gabriel's forehead, sending some information straight to the young man's head.
Gabriel remained still, trying to assimilate all the knowledge he had received.
After around half an hour, he finally succeeded and opened his eyes. "This makes it a little easier. There is one more thing I need you to do. If Avilia was here, I could've taken her help, but in this situation, only you can do it. Moreover, it's the most important part of the plan!"
Alion couldn't help but have a bad feeling about it as he noticed the devilish glint in Gabriel's eyes. "What do you want?"
"You need to be the bait," Gabriel answered. He explained the entire plan to Alion, from the start to the finish.
Alion smiled wryly,unable to believe that this was the plan Gabriel came up with. Even though the plan was feasible, it was the first time in his life that he was being used as bait. Unfortunately, just as Gabriel had said, they didn't have many options but to go forward with the plan.
The success of this plan didn't eliminate all the risks of the future, yet it was better than anything he imagined it to be. The
"Alright. We'll go with your plan." He agreed in the end.
****
Outside the Garden of Legacy, the barrier around the Empire was already broken by the combined strength of all the Holy Lords.
All the Holy Lords who were outside rushed inside, straight to the source of this strange energy.
Reaching near the Garden of Legacy, they noticed Avilia standing near the entrance. They all landed next to her as well, asking her to explain the situation.
Only the Holy Lord of Wind wasn't at the sight. He was still sitting above the Royal Castle in the distance, just keeping an eye. On the situation. "What a chaotic situation. Almost everyone is here."
Avilia told the Holy Lords about the things that everyone in the city already knew. She didn't tell them about the details that only she knew. However, the things she said were already enough for the Holy Lords to be wary of the situation, especially when they noticed the Envoys from the Temple of Time.
"The Temple of Time is here at will. This matter really isn't small," The Holy Lord of Earth stated. "We should talk to the Temple of Time. They don't come out often. They must know about the situation in depth."
"Who cares what the situation is about. All I know is that the person I'm looking for is inside that garden! I will kill him myself!" The Holy Lord of Flames didn't care about anyone else. He had come here for one reason only. It was only for revenge!
He clenched his fist. The deep dark flame burned around his fist. He even used a strengthening spell on himself as he rushed inside the garden of legacy.
Boom~
It hadn't even been a second since the Holy Lord of Flames rushed inside that an explosive sound resounded.
The next moment, a blazing figure shot out of the garden, clashing with a wall in the distance. Even the wall couldn't stop the momentum of the Holy Lord of Flames. His body broke through many more walls before finally stopping.
"These barbarians," the Envoy from the Temple of Time Ozen sighed. "Did they really think they could enter when we couldn't?"
Everyone was slightly distracted by the Holy Lord of Wind. However, their expressions soon changed as everyone abruptly turned toward the Garden of Legacy!
Gabriel had finally come out of the garden and he was flying high in the sky above the garden.
