A flash of light appeared, and Nero's body materialized at the entrance of the Gate of the Domain of the Fallen.
Rainer immediately ran to his side and checked his condition. He had been very anxious ever since he saw that Nero had fallen into the corruption of the Abyss, and had been wracking his mind to think of all possible ways he might be able to help the latter reverse his condition.
He knew that there was a high possibility that Nero would be captured alive or, worse, executed the moment he left the Domain of the Fallen because Abyssal Creatures were the mortal enemies of Elysians.
Natasha also appeared by his side to help diagnose Nero's current situation.
After some initial checks, the two were surprised because they couldn't find a single trace of Abyssal Powers inside Nero's body, which made the two of them breathe a sigh of relief.
The last thing they saw was Lux fighting against Nero. What happened afterwards was unclear because the other representatives of the different factions were engaged in a fight against each other, preventing them from seeing what was happening between the Half-Elf and the Abyssal Teenager who had challenged him to a duel.
'Fortunately, the worst case scenario didn't happen,' Natasha patted her chest after double-checking Nero's condition.
Although the teenage boy was unconscious and had suffered some serious injuries, his life wasn't in danger.
Gerald, on the other hand, stood beside the two with his arms crossed over his chest, standing in the way of the members of the Xynnar War Pact and the Skystead Alliance, who also wanted to check on Nero's condition.
"Step aside, Commander Gerald," one of the Rankers that belonged to the Skystead Alliance said. "Although this kid belongs to your Faction, Abyssal Creatures must be dealt with as soon as possible."
"And if I refuse?" Gerald asked back.
"Hah! Do you even need to ask?" the Ranker from the Skystead Alliance sneered. However, before he could even do anything, a hand rested on his shoulder, holding him in place.
"Calm down, friend," Aron, who was the highest Commanding Officer at the site, said with a smile. "There's no need to be violent. I'm sure that Commander Gerald also understands our concern. Let them check Nero's condition first. We can inspect him after his superiors have gotten a good look at him."
"O-Of course, Sir Aron," the Ranker stuttered. "We will do as you say."
The Vahan Empire was the leader of the Skystead Alliance, so no one would dare to disobey the order of Emperor Andreas' right-hand man.
Truth be told, all the Rankers at the entrance of the Domain of the Fallen had already spread their senses towards the unconscious boy that was lying on the ground, but they couldn't detect any Abyssal Power coming from his body.
Fifteen minutes later, Rainer tapped Gerald's shoulder and gave him a brief nod.
Gerald then glanced behind him to look at Nero, who was undergoing a healing treatment by Natasha. Seeing that the Guildmaster of their subsidiary guild seemed to have returned to his normal self, Gerald moved aside and allowed the other Rankers to check Nero's condition.
A few minutes later, all of them returned to the only two projections remaining on the wall, which was being shared by Einar, the Barbarian Prince, and Malcolm of the Vahan Empire.
The defeated teenagers weren't berated by their superiors, but the disappointment on their Elder's faces was enough to make them feel ashamed with the outcome of their mission.
They knew that they would be getting a harsh and long nagging when they returned to their respective kingdoms, but for now, they stared at the projections with solemn expressions on their faces.
They wanted to see the outcome of the war, and whether Lux and his team would emerge triumphant.
Truth be told, none of them want to see Lux and his teammates win. They were also hoping that the Rankers of the Ammarian Army would kill them all, so the Gate of Conquest would remain unconquered.
But they all had a feeling that what they were hoping for was just wishful thinking.
—---------------
At the Great Plains inside the Gate of Conquest…
"That's about all of them, I think," Einar said after killing the last member of Jasper's team with his Axe.
Lux checked his Soul Book and used its map function to confirm if there were any nearby hostile enemies around them, but he saw nothing suspicious.
"I think so too," Lux replied as he glanced at his allies who had suffered different levels of injuries.
Right now, they were only Apostles, with the exception of Val, who could transform into an Alpha Giant Spider, and Malcolm, who had been an Initiate from the start.
Keane, Einar, and Henrietta had several wounds on their bodies and were currently treating themselves with potions.
Eiko had summoned her Angel and Water Slime to help heal their teammates, which the three injured people happily accepted.
They were still at war, so the sooner they could return to their peak the better.
"Keane and Val, I need a favor," Lux said after the two had recovered a bit after getting their treatment. "I didn't know if you noticed it earlier, but a silver-haired B-Ranker appeared when I was fighting with Nero. He took Cai as hostage in order to force me to not fight with my full power against Nero.
"Since he managed to successfully kidnap Cai, I'm afraid that Xander might have suffered serious injuries. Can you return to the Yelan Camp first and check if he is fine? You can take Whitey (Angel Slime) and Mara (Water Slime) with you. Both of them have the power to heal, so if the injury isn't too serious, they will be able to patch Xander up in no time."
Keane glanced at the Boar, who was currently being carried by Orion, before shifting his gaze back to Lux and nodding his head.
"Okay," Keane replied. "We'll see what we can do."
"Thank you." Lux nodded.
All of them knew that there was a possibility that Xander had died under the hands of the B-Ranker that captured Cai, but none of them said this out loud because they didn't want to think negatively.
"Rejoin us once you have checked his condition," Lux stated before looking in the distance where several spells were raining down from the sky and various explosions were erupting in the background. "We will be joining the war for now."
Keane and Val nodded their heads and summoned their mounts.
Val had exhausted himself from helping his teammates survive the clash against the Initiates, so he couldn't transform into his Spider Form for the time being.
If not for him, Keane, Val, and Henrietta might have already been eliminated by their opponents, whose Ranks and power surpassed their own.
All of the representatives that the different Factions had sent on this mission were prodigies of their respective kingdoms. They were not pushovers, and their skills were the real deal. The mere fact that none of Lux's original members were killed was already a miracle, and it was only thanks to their teamwork that they were able to emerge victorious against their enemies.
"Let's go," Lux said as he summoned Jed to return to the frontlines of the war. "Let's finish what we started."
"Finally!" Einar said as he also summoned his Sabertooth Tiger. "Let's conquer this Dungeon as well!"
"Just make sure you don't kick the bucket," Malcolm chided. "Who knows? You might be the first to die."
Einar just chuckled after hearing Malcolm's remark. The Barbarian Prince knew that although Malcolm had become their enemy in the past, the last representative of the Vahan Empire was more serious about clearing this dungeon than any of them.
This was Malcolm's last chance in order to leave a good impression on Emperor Andreas, as well as save the reputation of his father, because of the shortcomings he experienced in the past.
More than anyone else, Malcolm was willing to go above and beyond his limits in order to ensure that he would survive and his team would clear the dungeon, allowing him to return home victorious.
Henrietta only shook her head helplessly as she looked at the two boys before shifting her gaze to the Half-Elf whose body was covered with dried blood stains.
Lux didn't even bother to clean himself up after his battle with Nero and simply ordered his mount, Jed, to return to the frontlines as soon as possible.
'Iris, I can now understand why you like him very much,' Henrietta thought as she followed behind Lux. 'You chose your partner well.'
Even though Lux's body wasn't as big and sturdy like Einar's, who was the Barbarian Prince, the Guildmaster of Serenity felt that Lux's back was very broad from behind and gave her a feeling of security that she hadn't felt in a long time.
As the Guildmaster of the Guild that belonged to Barbatos Academy, it had always been her who stood at the frontlines of every battle. She was the one carrying the burden of the responsibilities that were expected of her, and protected her Guild Members from any harm.
Seeing someone take this role made her realize how important the part she had played in the past was.
'I wonder, did Iris and my guildmates feel this way when they looked at my back whenever we did dangerous missions together?' Henrietta mused as she urged her four-tailed Fox Mount to follow their temporary leader in this expedition.
'It's quite unfortunate that I didn't meet you sooner,' Henrietta sighed in her heart.
She had already been engaged by her family to one of the most outstanding young men of their generation. Because of this, she could no longer entertain the fancy of sharing that strong and broad back with her close friend, Iris, who had become Lux's fiance.
For the time being, Henrietta set this matter aside because there were more important issues to attend to.
The war was nearing its conclusion, and she wanted to be there to see if she and her teammates could conquer the Gate of Conquest and gain the rewards that were promised to all of them.
