Right now, Lux was being suppressed by the Skystead Alliance, the Xynnar Warpact, as well as the Six Kingdoms.
He had been sidelined and blacklisted when it came to taking quests in those territories due to the circumstances that happened in the past.
Because of this, he had no choice but to return to the Kingdom of Gweliven in order to complete quests that would allow him to become stronger.
If not for the Arondight Ring, Lux might have been unable to upgrade his Rank to the next level because none of the territories in the Human Lands welcomed his presence.
'Just you guys wait,' Lux thought. 'Once I become stronger, there is no place I can't go.'
Truth be told, he wanted to be like the Nomadic Rowan Tribe that could move unhindered no matter where they went.
Since the one leading them was a Saint, none of the factions dared to make things difficult for them and allowed them safe passage through their lands.
Lux wanted to have that same power and influence, letting others know that he wasn't a soft persimmon that they could pinch and that attempting so would make him their enemy.
Also, there was the precedent of Memento Mori.
According to the Elysium Compendium, this was an organization that consisted of only powerful Necromancers.
This group had been around for hundreds of years, and no one in their right mind would dare antagonize this group because doing so would be similar to courting death.
'I wonder where that old man is right now,' Lux mused as he thought of the old man that had subjugated the Creature of Ruin and ordered it to obliterate the Wolfpine Barony.
It was a scene that he could never forget. On that day, he had discovered a person that wielded powers, surpassing even his step-father, who was one of the strongest people the Half-Elf had come to know in his life.
For someone to be able to command the Creature of Ruin, which even a dozen Saints couldn't kill, allowed Lux to get a glimpse of what lay beyond the Saint Rank.
Among Monsters, the Rank after the Calamity Rank was called Demigod.
Among Mortals, the Rank after the Saint Rank was called Supreme.
These were the pinnacle existences in the world, and although the Old Man that Lux saw was still not a Supreme, he could feel that the latter was still stronger than his stepfather, Alexander, whom he believed was somewhere in the middle of the Saint Rank.
"Supreme…' Lux sighed. 'I wonder if I will be able to reach that Rank.'
Right now, the Half-Elf's Rank had degraded to the Apostle Rank, which was a great distance away from the Rank that stood at the pinnacle of the world and could decide the fate of entire nations, depending on their whim.
While he was deep in his thoughts, his team had already finished their preparations.
"We're ready to go anytime, Lux," Einar said.
Lux smiled and gazed at his team members who had chosen to side with him despite the awareness that they would suffer penalties by changing their allegiances in the war.
"Good," Lux replied as he gazed in the direction of the Great Forest. "Let's go to our next battlefield. Remember, none of you are allowed to die until we finish our mission. If you die… welp, you will still be in debt, so remember that, okay?"
Lux smirked before summoning his Thunder Warg King, who was now a Rank 4 Monster.
The other members of his team also summoned their mounts, with the exception of Cai, who was proficient in running long distances.
"Forward," Lux ordered as he led his Mercenary Group to their next destination.
None of them knew what kind of battlefield was waiting for them, but one thing was certain…
They would do everything in their power to clear their mission and conquer the Gate of Conquest, once and for all.
—--------
Nero, who had escaped from Lux several hours ago, panted for breath as he leaned his body on a boulder.
Tendrils of black mists oozed around him as he did his best to prevent the Seed of the Abyss from taking hold of his senses.
He knew that if he allowed the Corruption of the Abyss to progress, he would turn into a monster, similar to what happened to Lux when Eiko was killed by the Ranker who had ambushed them at the Gate of the Domain of the Fallen.
Back then, he secretly cheered in his heart because he knew that Lux was done for and wouldn't be able to return to his senses.
However, the Crystal Dragon, Keoza, materialized and absorbed the power of the Abyss, giving the Half-Elf an opportunity to regain his reason.
Now, that same predicament was happening to Nero, and he was doing his damn best to prevent himself from turning into the monster that the Half-Elf had once become.
'Do not let this setback break you, Nero,' Nero encouraged himself as he desperately tried to control the Abyssal Corruption to keep it from spreading further inside his body. 'This is just a phase for you to reach your goal. As long as you can overcome this ordeal, you will become more powerful, and will be able to realize your dreams.'
The Guildmaster of the Storm Dragon's Guild, gritted his teeth as he forcefully suppressed the corruption that was spreading in his body.
He was having a hard time doing it because he wasn't in his optimal state.
Even though the injuries he received from his battle with Lux had already healed thanks to the high-quality potions he took, the damage in his soul was something that couldn't be fixed by drinking potions.
It could only recover gradually over time by getting plenty of rest.
Unfortunately, Nero didn't have the leisure to rest as the power that had allowed him to suppress the other prodigies of the same generation threatened to take over his heart, body, and soul.
Just as the Guildmaster of the Storm Dragon's Guild was at his wit's end, trying to find ways to overcome his current predicament, a crimson mist spread in his surroundings.
"Child, do you wish for power?"
A man with silver hair, and crimson eyes, asked as he looked at the brown-haired boy, who was on the verge of turning into an Abyssal Monster.
Nero looked at the newcomer, and his eyes lingered on the two crimson horns on the silver-haired man's head, making him subconsciously shudder.
Seeing his reaction, the silver-haired man smiled.
He was someone who shouldn't have appeared in the Gate of Conquest because his Domain could only be explored once the Gate of Conquest, Gate of War, Gate of Famine, and Gate of Death, had all been conquered.
He was the Being that ruled the Domain of the Fallen, and for him, playing with the lives of mortals was simply a pastime.
A way of entertaining himself from his thousands of years of imprisonment.
He had started paying attention to Lux the moment he and his comrades had conquered the Gate of Death.
After the Half-Elf conquered the Gate of War, the Final Boss of the Sacred Dungeon's interest was piqued, making him have the strong urge to see just how far the red-headed teenager could go.
He had realized that Nero bore a strong grudge against Lux, and he thought that this was a good opportunity to use a good tool, which was about to be consumed by the Seed of the Abyss in his heart.
Since he wanted to be entertained, he decided to use a pawn in order to join the war that was currently taking place, and perhaps, find a way for his main body to escape the prison that had bound him for thousands of years.
