Raphael lay on the ground breathing heavily. Pain ran through his body with every breath he took. His vision was blurry and his ears were ringing. He occasionally turned his head to look at Drax’s lifeless body for a few seconds before facing the ceiling.

“….?”

His eyes squint when a shadow cast over him.

“Looks like you did it.”

Kelz stood over him and smiled at him.

“As expected of Gustav’s eldest.”

People started flooding the lobby. They scanned the area while some moved to the higher floors.

“I-I told you we would handle it, didn’t I?”

“You did. I’m impressed.”

Kelz turned to Drax’s body.

“To die with a smile on your face despite being defeated….You must be glad to not be involved in our battles anymore.”

She ordered soldiers to remove Drax’s body.

“What are you going to do with him?”

“Just a precaution.”

Raphael lay in silence for a bit before speaking again.

“His last words were that I should pray I don’t meet Gustav again. Did you taking his body have to do with what he said.”

Kelz’s eyes widened.

“Are you certain that’s what he said?”

Raphael nodded. Kelz showed a solemn expression.

“It was just a hunch, but your words confirm it. I believe they are playing with death in the Promised Land.”

“Are you saying they might have ways to raise the dead?!”

Kelz nodded.

“The possibility to do so was always there if we use God Essence in a certain way, but it was never successful….However, a lot of great minds from the outside are now under my brother and if it could make his forces stronger he wouldn’t hesitate to play with death.”

“Wait, wait, wait!”

Raphael sat up ignoring the excruciating pain he was in.

“Are you saying my father might be brought back to life as an enemy asset?!”

“It’s only a possibility.”

Kelz stooped down.

“Also lower your voice, we aren’t certain and such news can cause unrest in our forces. Not only that, we don’t know how your siblings will react to this piece of information. They might do something that will put everyone at risk.”

She placed her hand on his shoulder.

“We don’t know much and are only speculating, so until we have more information we should keep this to ourselves.”

Raphael slowly nodded.

“However, if I encounter anything to prove this possibility is real, then I’ll inform my siblings.”

“That’s reasonable.”

Kelz stood up.

“For now, we keep this between the two of us. We will of course think of countermeasures to battle this possibility and move with this in mind.”

Raphael nodded.

“Raphael!”

Stolen story; please report.

They turned their head and saw Roxanne running down the stairs. She tripped and crashed onto the floor.

“Stay down and rest, Roxanne. I’m fine.”

Raphael spoke to her causing her to relax.

“How are the others?”

“Kelz’s people reached the floor we were on and immediately started treating them.”

“So you didn’t allow them to treat you and came down here.”

“I couldn’t just sit still. I had to know you’re okay.”

Raphael sighed.

“I would tell you to go back and stay with the others but I guess you can’t move.”

Roxanne showed a wry smile.

“Yeah, I was moving on only adrenaline.”

She continued to smile while Raphael sighed.

“…….”

Kelz watched them in silence. They overlapped with the figures of a young pair of twins. She showed a smile full of longing.

“You two have a good sibling relationship.”

Roxanne and Raphael looked up at her. She wore a dining smile.

“I’m jealous.”

Raphael and Roxanne looked at her in silence for a while.

“Madam.”

Fayax approached them.

“We’ve secured the gate and ensured it won’t be activated from the other end.”

“Good work. For now, we’ll wait until Raphael and his soldiers are good enough to fight. After they recover, we’ll head to the Promised Land.”

“Roger.”

Kelz looked up at the holes leading to the top of the tower.

“Alright, for the time being, let’s move to the top floor.”

Meanwhile, Julius was beyond the gate and inside a facility in the Promised Land.

“You believe Drax will die?”

He was walking through the facility talking to someone beside him. It was a young Asian male with his black hair swept back and blue eyes, rare for his ethnic background, peeking from behind a pair of thin-frame glasses. He wore a lab coat over casual clothing.

“I can’t imagine Gustav coming to this place with people not at his level.”

Julius said.

“So you think they’ll beat the Silver Corps too?”

“Yeah. It’s not that they aren’t strong, it’s just I could sense the bloodlust those soldiers were directing at the tower. They were coming from blood.”

“And that’s why you left Drax behind? To save yourself?”

Julius smiled.

“I’ve always known I’ll die a violent death, but not to the level I knew I would’ve experienced if I stayed there. I would’ve suffered.”

The man laughed.

“Well, you probably made the right call. Drax could already be dead and Kelz has the Holy Gate in her possession. If so, I wonder what her next move will be?”

“The Lord will definitely anticipate her return and plan for it. One wrong step and she’ll die at the gates the moment her people entered this place.”

The man grinned at Julius.

“It’s gonna be exciting I’m sure.”

The two continued to walk until they stopped at a giant door.

“So he’s beyond here? I’m surprised you’re going all out on this, Feng.”

The man, Feng placed his hand on the door and it faded out of existence.

“You guys told me about a unique specimen and it was somebody I was always interested in before coming here. Of course, I’m going to go all out. I believe I can create a masterpiece with this.”

They walked into the room and the door faded back into existence.

“The ultimate soldier and strongest weapon for the lord.”

There was a gigantic glass tank in front of them. Inside the tank was a silhouette of a man hooked up to numerous tubes and wires.

“Once again I must thank Drax.”

He took out something resembling a miniature coffin out of his pocket.

“Thanks to him using this artefact to preserve the body at its freshest state, I had little problem reviving him. He died so there’re gonna be some neurotically problems, but I’ll deal with that as it comes.”

Fang placed his hand on the glass. The scenery inside the tank became clearer. Julius’ eyebrows rose. He approached the tank.

“He’s younger?”

“Good job noticing.”

Feng was grinning from ear to ear.

“In order to revive him I had to repair the damaged nerves and body tissue. This tank is filled with God Essence I modified. His body is being pumped with different forms of God Essence mixed with chemicals I created. All of these are being used to revive him by rewinding his biological clock.”

“…So basically, you’re fixing him and making him younger at the same time.”

Feng nodded.

“He should be biologically a few years younger at the moment. I aim to return him to his physical peak and then modify him from there.”

“Are you planning to take his free will?”

“That depends on how bad the neurological damage will be. If possible I would like him to be able to think on his own. I’m aiming for the ultimate soldier after all.”

“Won’t he be too dangerous?”

“No problem. We’ll just become the reason he fights.”

“What do you mean?”

Feng didn’t say anything and just smiled.

Back in the tower, Kelz was standing in front of the Holy Gate with Fayax and Brix at her side.

“After 40 years, we’re finally returning home.”

Her eyes locked on the gate as she wore a determined expression.

“Once we pass this gate it’s war. Death will chase us until we or our enemies draw their last breath.”

She clenched her fists.

“Blood relations mean nothing anymore, we’ll slay our enemies no matter who they are.”

“You sound like someone trying to convince themselves to fight.”

She turned around to see Raphael.

“Is it okay for you to be up already?”

“I’m tougher than others.”

He approached her.

“I don’t know the story between you and your brother, and frankly I don’t care.”

He pointed at her.

“You are the person my people are betting on. We can’t afford for you to hesitate.”

His eyes sharpened.

“Hesitation will only lead to your demise.”

He pointed at himself.

“Anything you’re hesitant to do, tell us and we’ll do it for you. No matter how vile it is.”

Kelz smiled.

“You have a strange way of trying to reassure others.”

“The greatest reassurance is a show of competence.”

“I guess you’re right.”

She turned her back to him.

“Your siblings?”

“Thanks to your people, they’re pretty much patched up. However, they can’t fight right away. Especially, Ryder who needs to stabilize his mental state.”

“That’s fine. We’re not going to fight immediately after going through the gate.”

“What do you mean? Won’t there be warriors waiting on the other side?”

Kelz walked towards the gate.

“That’s if you used it normally.”

She took out a blade and cut her hand. She placed that bleeding hand on the gate. Her blood flowed and the runes lit and the gems turned red. A projection came from the gems and appeared before her. Raphael couldn’t understand what it was but it resembled an unsolved puzzle.

“Unlike Zagan, I was formally trained to be the Lord. This means I was taught stuff only a Lord recognised by our ancestors would know. One of this information is about how to operate and reprogram the Holy Gate.”

Kelz moved around the pieces as she spoke.

“The Holy Gate can be connected to any site where there’s a teleportation array. So we’re not going to pop up where they think.”

She grinned.

“We’ll sneak in and stab them in the back the first chance we get.”