As the sky grew darker, the presence of the approaching figure became more palpable.
Gabriel and the Princess stood side by side, their eyes locked on the horizon. The tension in the air was thick, as both of them knew what was about to come.
Suddenly, a powerful gust of wind blew through the area, causing the trees to sway and the ground to tremble. A spatial crack formed in the middle, slowly getting bigger.
The figure emerged from the spatial crack, his dark cloak billowing behind him. He exuded an aura of power and darkness that could send shivers down the spines of even gods.
However, the person wasn't alone. Right behind the person, another figure could be seen coming out of the portal.
Behind the mask, the woman's pupils trembled as she saw the person behind Karyk. The person was none other than Aliac, the man who had been the biggest obstruction in their path.
The man who had always remained hidden in his world was now coming out in the open? She didn't understand the reason. Did he finally gain courage? Or did he feel safe because Karyk was before him? She didn't understand the reason, but a smile crept up her lips.
She was excited that Aliac was here after a long time. They didn't need to search for him.
Ezekiel was also surprised by Aliac's arrival. Although it was a good thing that they had managed to draw out Aliac, he realized that it wasn't as good as the Princess imagined.
This world wasn't Elzeria where the power of elements was limited. This wasn't the place where Aliac was at his weakest. Instead, it was the upper realm where Aliac had ruled for decades. This was his domain and the equation here was different.
It would've been different if Aliac was alone, but next to him was the person who was even more troublesome than him. They had come planning to kill Karyk, but there were two powerful enemies before them now. This made him even more cautious.
Before them stood Aliac, the powerful ruler of the Upper Realm, accompanied by Karyk who had just returned after killing an Elzerian.
When Karyk had come out of the portal, his eyes had revealed a trace of happiness at the sight of Gabriel. He had thought that Gabriel was dead, but after seeing him, he felt relieved that Gabriel was alive. However, soon his eyes shifted on the Undead Generals that had been slaughtered, his happiness disappearing.
He cherished the Undead Warriors akin to his family. The only reason he even gave them to someone else was because he had faith in Gabriel. However, seeing the gruesome sight, his fists subconsciously clenched.
If they were just killed, he could've still revived them, but their soul itself was destroyed, leaving nothing behind that could be brought back, even in the form of Undead.
"Who did it?" he asked, barely controlling his rage.
Even now, Karyk didn't think that Gabriel did it. He and Gabriel shared the memories of the past when they were one. So he was sure that Gabriel should've also cared for them, just like he did.
There was no way Gabriel was going to kill them. So that left him with only one possibility. Someone else killed them.
Unfortunately, he soon understood that this possibility was also flawed.
"There are no signs of battle. It's like they didn't even try to fight back," Aliac explained, observing the surroundings.
No matter how much Karyk wanted to reject the possibility, but all signs pointed to the same thing. There was only one person here that his Undead Warriors wouldn't even try to fight back, even when they were killed.
"Why...?" he asked, his voice filled with mixed sorrow. He couldn't understand why Gabriel killed them.
He waved his hand. The aura of death arose from the ground beneath the bodies of the Undead, devouring their bodies, sending them to be buried in the realm of death where they could get eternal sleep.
Although he couldn't save them, he also couldn't let them be dishonored like this.
"Oh? So you still remember me?" Gabriel asked in response. "I thought now that you've become friends with big people, you'd be asking who I am."
Karyk didn't understand what Gabriel was talking about. He felt that Gabriel was like a completely different person now from what he remembered.
"That's not the answer to my question. Why did you kill them?!" Karyk asked, his voice getting louder.
On the side, Aliac's attention remained on Ezekiel and the masked woman next to Gabriel.
He had a feeling that this had something to do with them. Something seemed amiss in this place, as if all of this was intentional and they knew that they were going to come here after killing Karyk's men.
"You brought us here intentionally. What's your purpose?" Aliac intervened, asking the question that he believed truly mattered.
"Do I need a purpose to want to meet my dear brother?" Gabriel responded with a question of his own, as if deflecting the topic.
"You brought my men's blood as a greeting gift?" Karyk asked, his rage slowly crossing the threshold, his aura becoming increasingly intense.
Karyk's aura of death spread out. Wherever his aura touched, all traces of life were devoured, even from barren land.
Gabriel, seemingly unfazed by the anger radiating from Karyk, maintained a calm demeanor.
"Oh? So you can still feel emotions for your loved ones?" he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly. "It seems some Undead are more precious to you than real family."
Although he was angry at Karyk before he even came here, he felt truly furious now.
Karyk was furious over the death of Undead, to the point that he was almost ready to fight him. But similarly, when their world was destroyed and everything was taken from him by Caen, he sat back in the Central World, enjoying life with Caen? Just the thought alone made Gabriel furious.
