Sleipnir ran across time and space, making it seem as though they were traveling at the speed of light.
The only thing that Lux was able to see was streaks of light. It made him feel as if they were in one of those wormholes that he had seen in sci-fi movies.
Lux felt like they had been traveling for hours, but he didn't complain. He knew that the path between the Abyss and the two worlds, Elysium and Solais, had been severed, so they had to take a roundabout route to reach their destination.
Finally, just when the Half-Elf thought that their journey would never end, he found something red at the end of the light tunnel that they were running through.
Half a minute later, Sleipnir broke past the red light, and Lux found himself in a familiar environment.
A red sky with a red full moon overlooking everything in the world.
Below him, Lux saw several rivers of flames and countless portals of different colors.
"This is the First Layer of the Abyss," James explained. "It has many names like the Land of A Thousand Portals, and the Land Before Time. But, to those who frequent the Abyss, they simply call this place, Prima."
Sleipneir continued to run until they reached the Western Region of the First Layer, where a white portal could be seen.
Suddenly, a wall of flame rose in front of them, preventing them from moving forward.
This giant flame then took the form of a beautiful lady clad in flames, who looked at James with a playful smile on her face.
"It has been a thousand years since your last visit here, Father of the Slain," the beautiful lady said in a seductive tone. "Did you come here to see me?"
"I didn't," James replied. "But allow me to introduce to you my new friend. Lux, this is Prima Donna. Prima, this is Lux."
"Pleasure," Prima Donna winked at Lux before shifting her attention back to the Old Man, who had once stabbed her with his spear, making her feel a pain that she had never felt in the past. "So, what brings you here, Father of Men?"
"The usual," James replied. "Just taking a casual stroll."
Prima Donna sneered. "A casual stroll? You must be very bored if you've decided to take a stroll in the Abyss."
"Well, you know what they say," James replied with a smile. "Handsome old men are not afraid to get wet."
"…"
"…"
Prima Donna and Lux were speechless upon hearing the Old Man randomly pull out a quote that had no connection whatsoever to their current situation.
Perhaps, not wanting to let James take the initiative in the conversation, Prima Donna placed her hands on her waist and puffed up her chest.
"I am the ruler of the First Layer of the Abyss," Prima Donna said. "As such, you will need to explain to me why you are here, and where you are going. Otherwise…"
"Otherwise, what?" James asked.
His tone is no longer playful, making Prima Donna subconsciously take a step back.
Even Lux was suddenly surprised by the Old Man's sudden change in personality, making him wonder if he was just imagining things again.
"No one in this Multiverse can stop me from going to where I want to go, Prima Donna," James said in a cold tone. "If you wish to block my way then…"
The old man raised his hand and a silver spear appeared in his grasp.
It looked like an ordinary silver spear, but Lux, who wielded a Divine Weapon, knew that he was looking at a weapon that was stronger than the Divine Rank.
A flash of hesitation appeared in Prima Donna's face after seeing the spear. Clearly, she didn't have fond memories of it, knowing well that it was a spear that would always hit its target no matter where they ran to or hid.
"I'm just asking for a fee, which everyone, who wishes to use the portals in my Domain, must pay no matter what," Prima Donna stated. "You know that if you break this law, Karma will catch up to you regardless of who you are."
James then chuckled before lowering his spear.
"Prima Donna, I'm just teasing you, you know?" James said in a playful tone. "Why so serious? Of course, I know that passing through your Domain requires a fee. What do you think of me? A scammer?"
"Yes," Prima Donna replied with a deadpan look on her face. "The greatest scammer in the Ely-verse."
"Hahaha! You give me too much credit," James smiled. "Well, as you may already know, our destination is the Second Floor of the Abyss. What kind of payment do you want before you allow us entry?"
Prima Donna narrowed her eyes before shifting her gaze to the Half-Elf who was sitting behind the Old Man.
She knew that making James pay a fee was an impossible thing to do. The old Scammer only took things from others and would never let others take something from him.
Since that was the case, then she would ask the only person that she could reason with.
"This old fool would not have come here on his own accord," Prima Donna stated. "This means that the reason why he is here is because of you. So, tell me the reason why you are here."
Lux hesitated, but in the end, he revealed what reason he had for coming to the Abyss.
"I wish to go to the Thirteenth Floor to see Queen Rhiannon and Antero," Lux replied. "I need their help to reclaim something that I lost in the Abyss."
Prima Donna arched an eyebrow after hearing the Half-Elf's reply. A moment later, a smile appeared on her face as if she had found something very amusing.
"The Thirteenth Floor has been sealed off by Lord Antero," Prima Donna stated. "No one from the Fourteenth and the Twelfth Layer of the Abyss can go to it. Because of this, that bastard, Daniel, was unable to make the Thirteenth up to the First Floor of the Abyss submit to him.
"I don't know why Lord Antero did this, but I am very thankful for his actions. Because of this, the portals of the Abyss that lead to countless worlds, are safe from his schemes."
"The Thirteenth Floor has been sealed off?" Lux asked in disbelief. Prima Donna nodded. "Yes. Now that I know you're here to see Lord Antero, I will waive your fee and allow you to pass. In fact, I will even make a deal with you."
"Deal? What deal?" Lux frowned. He didn't like the way Prima Donna was looking at him, which was giving him a bad feeling.
"I now remember who you are," Prima Donna stated. "You are the one who faced off against that bastard Daniel when he started the Invasion of Solais and Elysium. I don't know how you survived, but since you did, it means that your Fate is tied up with his.
"Here is my deal. If you defeat Daniel, I will give you free access to the Portals of my Domain. You can go to any world you wish. In fact, I will even allow you to bring a few people with you.
"But all of this will only happen if you manage to kill that bastard who is treating the Abyss like his own house. Do we have a deal?"
Lux didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked at the countless portals in his surroundings before shifting his gaze back to the Ruler of the First Layer of the Abyss.
"Do you have a portal that leads to Earth?" Lux asked.
"Of course." Prima Donna nodded. "So, do we have a deal?"
"Yes," Lux replied. "We have a deal."
Prima Donna smiled sweetly after hearing Lux's reply. Truth be told, she didn't believe that Lux would be able to defeat Daniel.
She just made that deal to motivate the boy. Perhaps by doing so, he would be able to inflict a world of pain on Daniel, who was currently lording over all the other Layers of the Abyss, whose denizens were helpless to resist the power that he wielded.
"Send my regards to Lord Antero," Prima Donna said as she moved aside, allowing her two visitors to pass through the portal leading to the Second Layer of the Abyss.
Prima Donna knew that it was nearly impossible for Daniel to restore the connection between Solais and Elysium.
Because of this, she knew with every fiber of her being that Daniel would do everything in his power to bypass the Thirteenth Floor, allowing him to travel through the rest of the floors of the Abyss until he reached the First Floor.
If that were to happen, he would be able to forcefully create a portal that would lead to Solais and Elysium.
But she knew that Daniel wouldn't stop there.
Once those two worlds were conquered, nothing would be able to stop him from conquering the other worlds, which were also connected to the Abyss.
