That was Ignatius, who emerged from the shadows of the hall out of nowhere.

Herbert, who witnessed the battle of him and some other occult beings dumbfounded, as an impression of confusion left behind his face.

He thought that the other two beings popped up before him and Ignatius had far more tremendous power that they couldn't even match.

Even if Ignatius easily beat him back then, he still thought he would be no match for those two.

His eyes seemed frightened as he saw the figure in the blue cloak stood casually before him.

"--"

"Im--impossible--why are you here?"

"Good question," Ignatius answered him in his casual tone.

Expressionlessly, Ignatius replied before him, yet he hinted a fun, playful teasing towards Herbert, nonetheless.

Thereupon, suddenly Ignatius realized another type of threat approached before two of them.

He sensed ominous life forms nearby them that had the same air as the Crow Demon user before.

"-Now, hurry up! We have no much time here! We must go!"

Ignatius went back frantic as he grabbed Herbert's hand away, and the two flew through the enormous hallways.

A few moments later, suddenly, some groups of countless crows popped up in front of them as if a massive swarm of locusts.

But, they were no ordinary crows.

Their eyes were keen, ruby red as they emitted an ominous gaze before them.

They even blocked the light that went inside the hallways because of the dreariness of their presence.

It started to fill the hallways as if a dark, enormous shadow veiled the hallways that showered by the faint light.

Nonetheless, as Ignatius saw this, he raised his weird-looking staff, and then he spat out words of a particular chant,

No, more like he was continuing the chant from before, which were some particular numbers that he count, back then.

"...Gather here and give me thee power..."

"...Minusomega waits for you."

His fingers then pointed at the swarm of countless crows as in front of his pointer finger, a tremendous mass of energy converged, formed into a shape of a sphere.

It also emitted a sea-blue light which gave that air of the blue wizard.

It shot towards those masses, and thus, a blue light illuminated the hallways brighter and brighter, even it blinded Herbert's pair of eyes under a split second.

But he didn't show any reactions like blocking his eyes with both hands.

As Ignatius and himself floated on the air, Herbert took a glance once more. He was a bit confused after seeing there was nothing around him.

It was clear, and those faint lights from the outside shone back inside that room.

As if those masses of crows never existed in the first place, now none stood in their way.

Herbert sighed,

"--"

And then, he called Ignatius.

"Ignatius, what did you do just--"

"What? I merely obliterated them."

Back with his expressionless, he replied.

Herbert didn't say a word after Ignatius replied, and he gawked in amazement instead.

In a few minutes, they felt that they were about to reach the end of the hallways as they also felt a tremendous presence that ought to be nearby them.

Even though the hallways were endless, and the end was anyway unreachable, yet they could reach it as if that divine aura gave them the call, nonetheless.

Both of them descended to the ground, and they paced again through the hallways.

Herbert asked,

"What is this?"

Ignatius didn't answer as his pace went slower, and on their horizon, it seemed that it was the end of the hallways.

They took some steps, and it turned that it was the end of it.

The unreachable end.

As the endless, unfolding hallways stopped at a point, the two then finally arrived at a massive, vast room with a height more unfathomable than the hallways before. The width itself, approximately it was as wide as a throne room inside a super-gigantic castle.

A fancy red carpet rolled to the room's center, and in the middle, there stood an altar which a cylindrical light shone above it.

It sounds like it called them from a distance, whispered through their minds.

As they got closer to the altar, like it was two or three more steps before it, their hands reached that cylindrical light, and suddenly,

"--Hold it right there."

A voice of a man suddenly reverberated before both of them as a figure also emerged behind them.

The figure appeared in his 20 until his 30s, and he was no infamous one.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"Hohoho, you think you can touch that easily, huh?"

Sarcastically, nonetheless, he said it with a playful and friendly tone as he played his braided golden hair on his right shoulder.

His face was clear and masculine, and he had an overwhelming pressure that nobody could even match, no matter what being he was.

He was the almighty Merlin, and now he appeared as an Incubus.

Ignatius suddenly turned his face behind him, and without him knowing, he was back at the winter garden.

"Huh? Why am I here again?"

Ignatius asked.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile --- The World of Men -- Olympus Hotel

In a large but empty fancy receptionist room, there heard some footsteps from a particular person.

The metal noises from those footsteps reverberated throughout the room alongside the other noises of a machine.

As it resonated more intensely, a steel figure opened a pair of large doors while pulled a particular cart with its right hand.

Pure white steel that was, it made up the entire body, and perhaps, it also made that thing to be much stronger than humans did.

At a glance, anyone could deem as a robot. But, closer to that thing, it was no a mere robot.

That existence of that thing itself even far from the word "robot."

In general, anyone regarded a robot as a humans creation, that in fact, their capabilities aren't more remarkable than humans themselves.

But,

From the design, if anyone saw it, they will think it was more than artificial.

They will consider it as an impossible thing that exists, as that thing itself, in fact, wasn't ought to be here.

Heavenly steel with durability stronger than the Outer Realm itself, the realm beyond mortals and immortals comprehension.

Thus, it was more like a statue, with some unknown machine features on it.

It was a faceless statue, and the body seemed to be muscular as men did.

With its' manly, deep mechanical voice, it spoke.

"So quiet, huh?"

"Fufufu, these hours are the best, no?"

Suddenly, another figure appeared on the red sofa, in the middle of the room.

That figure was no infamous.

Still, with the whitening-grey hair and dark purple eyes before, this time, he seemed more relaxed.

He wore a dark blazer with a red shirt underneath, and on the sofa, he sat as he lifted one of his legs and leaned both of his hands on it. He was a man who was none other than Ruel.

Then, that machine statue spoke again.

"Oh my, such a pleasure to meet you."

That machine statue bowed down as he said some polite words towards Ruel.

"Ohoho, no need such formality. Maybe it'd be better if you can be more relaxed."

Ruel sounded to be teasing that statue.

"Oh yes, isn't that my goods?"

It replied.

"I guess so. A girl put these things in this cart, though."

"Hmm, okay. Then, it's also mine. After all, we are in the same room, for now."

"Then, I'll take my leave."

The statue said to Ruel as it bowed down to him once again.

He pulled that cart again with his right hand, walked to the door next to the receptionist's table.

Ruel raised from the sofa, walked forward to the receptionist table on his opposites, and he leaned his hands on the table.

The entrance door behind him opened by a particular figure, who was neither the infamous one.

A dark grey-haired man walked towards Ruel as he turned his head to the incoming figure, Harley the Crown Demon.

"What'sup."

Harley kept silent as he walked closer to Ruel. As he stopped, he started to speak.

"Good evening. I suppose you had some news for me. Or, was it another job to do?"

Even though that line ought to be friendly, he merely spoke it by his casual yet monotonous tone.

"Oh, no. There's nothing for you, sadly,"

Still, this time Ruel sounded more cheerful than Harley was.

Nevertheless, Ruel didn't look that cheerful in general.

"Okay."

Harley's expression and gestures hinted to Ruel that he wanted to leave. But, in a few moments,

"...Except one thing."

Ruel continued as he lowered his tone.

"Hm?"

Harley gave a response to him as his eyelids raised.

And then, Ruel spoke again to him.

"My friend, I guess now's the time..."

"What do you mean?"

Harley asked.

"That Old Geezer missed you, so for now, you are free."

"Oh, is that so? But I won't get some amusing entertainments anymore..."

"Don't deny it. That's your chance to meet them again, after all. It's rare, though."

"Okay, if you said so. Then, I'll take my leave."

Harley said as he waved his right hand, dissipated into a speck of black dust.

"Goodbye, Harley."

"Now, let's see what's this room looks like."

Ruel spoke to his thoughts.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

On a particular road, there were a group of people walked down the streets.

The road went downward as in front of their eyes the Citadel was visible, yet it was very distant.

That conspicuous group between the others who walked alone, that group was now no more than three people.

And those figures on that group, again and again, it was not the infamous one.

In front of them stood the highest among them, a muscular man with orange sunset short hair that seemed spiky, but now, it was tidier than before. Because of his height, even his presence seemed four or five years older than his age. Right now, he wore a star-patterned blazer with a casual cloth and a necklace underneath.

A bit behind him, to the left, stood Reine. Her red, ruby long hair fluttered by the winds, and now she didn't tie or bun her hair at all. She wore some casual female clothes, with a bag in her left hand.

Behind Marquise, to the right, stood a blonde-haired man with an eyepatch. Behind his shoulders, some swords that looked like katana emerged from his back. Furthermore, he wore a Prussian blue t-shirt, so he seemed the most terrifying and conspicuous among the three, with a special agent style from movies.

That was John, he brought that nickname of convienience as his username at the battlefield.

Even then, that both of his swords, in fact, were invisible otherwise, he permitted them to discern.

Thereupon, Marquise started the conversation.

"Tch, so troublesome. That man pissed me off. He ought to be the core, yet why didn't he die already?!"

Marquise clicked his tongue as he spoke with an impertinent tone. That loss from the barren lands back then, now it drove him crazy.

"..."

Reine guiltlessly stared at Marquis in order not to pick a commotion between them. She just gulped.

Marquise sighed.

"You too! Why did you destroy that world instead of chasing the others?"

He sounded calmer. However, his gesture still hinted a madness inside him.

"Calm down," said his blonde friend on his right

Once again, Marquis sighed.

Now, he was more relaxed.

"Hmph. Fine. Ignore that all. We'll be focusing on what comes next."

Marquis continued as he clenched his fist.

"Just look. This time, we won't fail."