After teleporting to Barbatos Academy, Lux didn't bother going anywhere else and simply headed straight to the exclusive teleportation gate of the Academy, which brought him to the location of the Domain of the Fallen.
Although he had to travel for at least a mile to reach his destination, this distance wasn't a big deal for him anymore.
When he arrived, he saw several people with grim expressions on their faces. This just cemented how terrible this tragedy was, and almost all Factions had sent their best C-Rankers and below, to explore the Gate of the Apocalypse.
Losing these people was tantamount to losing the strength of their nations, which would affect their manpower.
There were also groups of people who seemed to be in a heated discussion as they discussed their next course of action.
Lux ignored all of them and headed straight to the three people, who were there waiting for his arrival.
"Lux, you're finally here!" Maximilian grabbed the Half-Elf's shoulders with firm hands. "Cai… Cai was…"
"I already know, Grandpa Maximilian," Lux replied. "Don't worry, I will do my best to save her."
Vera and Alexander also looked at Lux with hopeful gazes.
Both of them were Saints, so it was impossible for them to go and rescue Iris. There was a restriction placed in the Domain of the Fallen, and it prevented anyone whose rank was above C-Rank from entering its Domain.
If Vera, Alexander, and Maximilian had their way, they would definitely go to the Abyss regardless of the dangers that they would face in order to rescue their people.
Lux was feeling just as restless as they were, but he forced himself to remain calm and tried to gather as much information as possible.
"Tell me what happened. I would appreciate it if you didn't skimp on even the minor details no matter how unrelated they seem," Lux stated. "I want to have a better understanding of what I am about to face when I enter the Abyss."
Vera nodded and told Lux everything from the very start until the part where Cai was saved by the Succubus Queen.
A frown appeared on Lux's face after hearing that the Succubus Queen had used a Charm Spell to the Rankers of the Skystead Alliance and Xynnar War Pact.
Although he knew that this question sounded out of place, he still asked it for the sake of his own safety.
"How strong is the Succubus Queen?" Lux asked. "Also, is she scantily dressed, revealing almost her entire body?"
Vera, Alexander, and Maximilian didn't find any fault in Lux's first question because this was a logical question.
However, his second question made them look weirdly at the Half-Elf, who had a complicated look on his face at the moment.
"According to our estimate, she is either a Calamity-Ranked Abyssal Noble or higher," Vera replied. "If not, her influence and reputation seems so great, that even an Empyrean Ranked Alpha Satyr is afraid of offending her."
Lux sighed internally because Calamity Class Monsters and above was something that he had no hope of defeating.
The Wicked Queen Slime, Lilian, was a Calamity Class Monster, and her presence alone was enough to give Lux goosebumps.
If he knew that what he was about to face wasn't a Calamity-Ranked Monster, but instead someone of the Demigod Rank, the Half-Elf might even break down, knowing that he was about to embark on a rescue mission that was nearly impossible to succeed.
"To answer your second question, she is indeed scantily dressed," Alexander stated. "Not to mention, her beauty is otherworldly. Even through the projection, we can tell that even without using her Charm Spell she could easily charm anyone as long as she put effort into it.
The frown on Lux's face deepened because his worst fears came to life.
It might still be possible for him to resist the Succubus Queen's Charm Spell. But if he was faced with his weakness, his chances of resisting it would certainly drop by half.
After learning everything that he had to know, Lux still didn't enter the Gate of the Fallen. Instead, he showed Vera, Alexander, and Maximilian the White Marbles in his possession.
"These marbles have the ability to create a black hole that will last for half a minute," Lux explained. "If you enter that black hole, you will be teleported to this place. This is the means that I plan to use to bring Iris, Cai, and the others back to Elysium."
After hearing Lux's words, some of the Rankers who were secretly paying attention to them, immediately walked up to the Half-Elf and demanded that he give them a few of the White Marbles in order to conduct their own rescue missions to save their people.
Just as everyone was getting riled up, a loud voice spread in the surroundings, making them all turn to look behind them.
"You filthy Low Landers should calm down for a bit."
Piccoro, who had also been dispatched by Lady Augustina to save the Dragon Borns in the Abyss, had finally arrived at the scene.
"I know that you want to save your subordinates, but fighting amongst ourselves right now isn't the best thing to do," Piccoro stated, releasing the powers of a Saint, and pressuring everyone to back down.
"Everyone, don't worry, I planned to give all the factions three marbles each so that you can save your members," Lux explained. "However, I will not give more than that. First and foremost, these consumable artifacts belong to me, and I would appreciate it if you did not impose your demands on me.
"All of us here want to save our people. I hope that we can all work together to achieve that means, and overcome this unforeseen tragedy together."
Lux was very understanding of the current situation and wasn't selfish enough to hog all the White Marbles for himself.
He had already planned to give the Skystead Alliance, Xynnar War Pact, and the Six Kingdoms, three White Marbles each so that they could conduct their own rescue operation.
As for the Crystal Palace, Lux also intended to give three marbles to Piccoro because they were his allies.
This only left eight marbles in his possession, which he deemed were enough to save Iris, Cai, and the others from the Abyss.
A few minutes later, Gaap arrived at the entrance of the Domain of the Fallen.
No one paid any attention to him because they thought that he was simply an emissary from one of the Factions that were currently trying to figure out a way to rescue their members.
Aside from that, he was only of the Apostle Rank, so people didn't give him much attention.
When Lux saw his Master, he felt a bit relieved. For him, Gaap was someone who could help him overcome a potential battle with the Succubus Queen, who had "saved" Cai from the Satyrs.
Even Vera, Alexander, and Maximilian were quite thankful that Gaap had arrived. They were unable to go to the Abyss, but the Halfling could.
This gave them hope that if Gaap was able to accompany Lux to save their family members, the chances of success would be significantly higher.
"Tell me the details," Gaap stated as soon as he stood beside his Disciple. "Also, if possible, describe to me the appearance of the Succubus Queen as clearly as you can. I might have a way to identify her and know her location in the Abyss."
Lux suddenly remembered that his Master had captured the Soul of an Abyssal Noble back when they were in the Gate of Famine.
If what he was thinking was right, his Master would seek the answers from the Soul of the Abyssal Noble, who currently had no way to escape the Halfling's grasp.
