Lux and Eiko were in the middle of their journey toward the Pantheon of Exile when his Guild Chat was flooded with news that made his face almost lose all color.
"Lux! Iris and Cai were sucked into a Black Hole. They're transported in the Abyssal World, alongside the majority of those who went inside the Gate of Apocalypse!" Vera said. "They were attacked by Satyrs and nearly kidnapped to become their broodmares. Fortunately, Cai had an ability that allowed her to gain enormous strength for a brief moment.
"She used this skill in order to help Iris escape. She succeeded, but when the effect of her burst of strength ended, Cai was captured by the enemy. I don't know if it's a good or bad thing, but she was saved from the Satyrs by some kind of Succubus with unfathomable strength. Right now, everyone here is panicking and doesn't know what to do."
"Alexander and Maximilian planned to send all able-bodied C-Rankers and below from Barbatos Academy and the Rowan Tribe. The other Factions are also thinking about what to do next, but it seems that some of them plan on doing the same. It is complete chaos here right now."
Lux glanced in the direction of the Pillar of Light in the distance before closing his eyes.
Gaap, who had also read the Guild Chat, was aware of what had happened. He knew that Iris and Cai were Lux's fiances, and the Half-Elf loved both of them very much.
Now, the red-headed teenager was faced with a very difficult choice, and the sight of his obvious struggle made the Halfling sigh in his heart.
"Master, I need to go," Lux said through gritted teeth.
He was clenching his fists so hard that they emitted cracking sounds.
"Ma!" Eiko was also teary-eyed after understanding what was happening. Just like Lux, the Baby Slime loved Iris very much and would go to hell and back if that was what it would take to rescue her.
"Understood," Gaap replied. "I roughly know the location of the Domain of the Fallen, but it will take some time for me to get there. You can go on ahead. I'll wrap things up here in a bit."
"Thank you, Master," Lux stated before turning into a beam of light that shot toward the heavens.
He planned to return to Wildgarde Stronghold first, and then teleport to Barbatos Academy. From there, he would use the Teleportation Gate of the Academy to reach the location of the Domain of the Fallen.
Gaap, who was left alone on the deck of the ship, heard a splashing sound behind him.
The Halfling didn't even bother to turn around and kept his gaze locked on the pillars of light in the distance.
"Where is Eiko?" Lilian's annoyed voice reached his ears. "Where did that Half-Elf take her?"
Gaap sighed before facing the Wicked Queen Slime with a complicated look on his face.
"Lux and Eiko had to go back to the Surface World in order to rescue someone very important to them," Gaap replied.
"Rescue who?" Lilian frowned. "When will they be back?"
"They went to rescue Lux's fiance," Gaap answered. "As to how long it will take them to do that, no one knows. It can take a week, a month, or maybe even longer."
The frown on Lilian's face deepened. She couldn't care less where the Half-Elf went. However, she wanted to help awaken Eiko's bloodline because she felt that it was her duty to do so.
Just like the Fairy Princess, the Wicked Queen Slime had evolved to become a member of the Royalty of the Slime Race. For her, making sure that Eiko became more powerful was a priority as it would ensure a brighter future for their race.
"I'm also going back," Gaap stated. "Whatever Lux will face, I'm sure that it will not be someone simple."
The Halfling then tossed something to Lilian, which the latter caught with ease.
"That is a communication crystal," Gaap said. "You can contact me with that, but I won't be able to reply to you if I am still in the Abyss. While we are away, think about my proposal. I will hear your answer when I return."
"There is no need for that," Lilian replied while looking at Gaap with a determined look on her face. "Since Eiko is not here, staying here is pointless. Also, I have no attachment to this Kingdom."
Gaap smiled because he didn't expect Lilian to agree to his proposal. He thought that he would have to wait until they returned to Agartha before the Wicked Queen Slime came to a decision.
"Very well, let's go." Gaap nodded. "Time waits for no one."
Gaap and Lilian then both turned into beams of light that shot up towards the sky, leaving behind the ship Octavius, who would remain in the Purple Sea of Death until they came back to finish what they started.
Inside Lux's and Vera's house in Wildgarde Stronghold…
The moment Lux opened his eyes, he found himself in a familiar setting.
This was the place he would always return to once he returned to Solais from Elysium.
However, he was surprised to see two people standing in front of him as if waiting for his arrival.
They were none other than the God of Games, Eriol, and his Patron God, the God of Gamblers, Max.
"Before you go to the Abyss, there are a few things I need to tell you," Eriol stated in a serious tone. "Some of your abilities won't work in the Abyssal World because it is a different plane of existence. That world has a different law, and unless you were born in that world from the start, you are bound to suffer some restrictions as long as you are there."
Max nodded in agreement to Eriol's words. The two Gods knew that Lux was in a hurry to save his Fiances', so they no longer dallied and told him everything he needed to know.
"Your Heaven's Call won't work in the Abyss," Eriol stated. "You will be unable to summon your Guild Members to aid you in battle. You also cannot instantly teleport from the Abyss back to Solais or Elysium. Like I said earlier, that world is not under my control.
"Because of this, Cross-Planet Teleportation is not possible. Also, any C-Ranker, and above, with the exception of Saints, will find their ranks regressing by one stage. The reason for this is due to an invisible miasma that is ever present in the Abyssal World.
"It is similar to air. Something that you cannot see, but still exists. Since you are a D-Ranker, you are not affected by this invisible Miasma, but the people that have been sucked inside, like Alicia, have weakened considerably.
"Lastly, I do not know of any open gate or portal in the Abyssal World that will connect to Elysium or Solais.
"These gateways have long been sealed, and only special places like Zangrila, whose existence hovers between the Abyssal World and Elysium, can allow Empyrean-Ranked Abyssal Monsters and below to appear in Elysium.
"However, the Abyssal World has many layers and is unending. No matter how hard you search for such an exit, it might take you years in order to find one."
Eriol then tossed a storage bag towards Lux, which contained twenty white marbles.
"The white marbles in your possession are consumable Divine Artifacts that can open a Black Hole that will directly send you back to Elysium," Eriol explained. "I have set its return coordinates to the entrance of the Domain of the Fallen. Take note that the Black Hole will only last for half a minute. So once it is activated, you and the others must enter it right away.
"Take note that if any Abyssal Creatures enter the portal at that time, they will also be sent to Elysium. Because of this, I need to stress the point that you need to choose a good time, and place, to open such a portal. We don't want to bring a ridiculously strong Abyssal Noble into our own world, right?"
Lux nodded in understanding. He also didn't want something that dangerous to appear in Elysium, so he took Eriol's words to heart.
"Take this as well," Max threw a marble to Lux that was half white and half black, which reminded him of the Yin Yang Symbol. "It works the same way as Eriol's white marbles, but it will take you to a random place in Elysium. It is quite faulty, but take it as a good luck charm."
"Thank you, Eriol, Max, for your help," Lux replied. "If there is nothing else that I need to know, I will go now."
"Go," Eriol stated. "And good luck."
Lux bowed gratefully to the two Gods before running towards the entrance of their house. He still needed to go to Barbatos Academy in order to use their teleportation gate.
Right now, he was in a race against time.
Alexander and Maximilian were still members of Lux's guild, and both of them were waiting for him at Barbatos Academy. The three of them would travel to the location of the Domain of the Fallen and do whatever they could in order to save their people.
Meanwhile, Gaap and Lilian arrived at Lux's Guild Headquarters in the territory of the Crystal Palace.
Since the Halfling had no time to give Lilian a tour, he simply asked the Wicked Queen Slime to follow him to the Teleportation Gate.
Their plan was to teleport to the Capital City of the Crystal Palace, and from there, use another Teleportation Gate to teleport somewhere near the location of the Domain of the Fallen.
Gaap knew how dangerous the Abyssal World was, and he would definitely do his best to help his disciple, who was forced to abandon his mission in order to save his two fiances, who were both at the mercy of the Abyss.
