?Bael’s eagerness to confront the Illusion Barrier sent a ripple of anticipation through the group.

“Good luck! After you all enter, we will be leaving this place. This is as far as we can go. Whether you meet the Immortal or not, it will now be up to your own abilities.” Axe said as he also looked at his two clients.

Bael only nodded at this reminder as he stepped forward to enter the illusion barrier.

Soon, a veil of shimmering illusions enveloped him, distorting reality with seeming guidance from spirits.

‘Interesting…’ Bael mused as he felt his body entering the illusion.

He actually found himself in a mirror room! The forest was long gone, and he couldn’t tell whether it was hypnotism or if he had been really transported to a mirror maze room!

He could tell that it wasn’t a simple Formation Art made by Arcanists but it involved Divinity in the process!

However, this didn’t stop Bael at all as he forcibly moved and didn’t even care if a mirror blocked his path!

Well, he actually wanted to cause a commotion so he could finally meet the Shadow Immortal. However, he wanted to do it in a way that the Immortal wouldn’t be too wary of him.

‘Let’s see…’ Bael muttered.

The reflections within the mirrors shifted, morphing into tantalizing visions of power and desire, each tempting him with a different path.

‘Did he use the Deadly Sins’ power on this?’ Bael couldn’t help but think of this after seeing the way the illusion was arranged.

This time, he decided to stop using his brute force as he wanted to see the origin of the Formation Arts.

Bael’s eyes narrowed as he focused his will, seeking the truth within the labyrinth of illusions.

As he strode forth, the illusions grew more intricate, it actually tried to look into his memories and desires to tailor a test that would push his resolve to the limit.

Shadows danced at the edge of his vision as he felt the Shadow Immortals’ Divinity around him…

However, it could do nothing against him!

Bael’s navigated the twisting corridors of the Illusion Barrier without stopping!

Each step brought him closer to the end. It was supposedly a test of his innermost fears and desires laid bare before him, but it wasn’t working on him at all…

However, at the last stage of the Illusion Maze, something unexpected happened.

Suddenly, a figure materialized before him, clad in shadows and wielding an ethereal blade that shimmered with arcane power.

The figure spoke with a voice that resonated through the chamber…

“You are a failure, Demon Lord. You can never obtain the power—.”

Without hesitation, Bael drew upon his inner strength, his eyes blazing with cold killing intent.

With a swift motion, he slashed through the illusions, dispelling the mirages that sought to ensnare his mind.

As the final illusion shattered, a blinding light engulfed Bael, revealing a small resting house in the middle of the forest.

‘That last illusion contained Draconic Runes… I can’t be mistaken.’ Bael stopped for a moment as he knew that it was definitely not good news. No matter what, Draconic Runes, or any of their spells, works really well against Demonic Arts.

Nonetheless, Bael was still confident that he could win any battle against such species.

With a deep breath, Bael gazed into the resting house or the log cabin.

Of course, he decided to enter it as he felt someone’s presence inside.

As Bael entered the log cabin, he felt a faint aura of ancient magic.

The interior was cozy yet enigmatic, with icicles dancing across the walls like they were alive…

In the center of the room, seated at a simple wooden table, was an elderly Arcanist whose presence exuded a sense of timeless wisdom.

Bael recognized this man as he received many reports from the scouts he had sent to this realm. He was even regarded as someone who would destroy many of their Rifts.

Without a doubt, it was Merlin, the Overseer of the Realm.

‘So he was hiding here all along… I guess he’s only relying to the Immortal to take care of everything now. That’s not a bad decision.’

Bael couldn’t help but smile at the unexpected sight of Merlin, a powerful figure that should be protecting this realm.

Though he concealed his true identity as the Avatar of the Demon Lord, a sense of unease lingered beneath his fa?ade as he knew that the Overseer had a special Fusion Spell that could inspect him.

Nonetheless, if the Fusion Spell wasn’t use, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about.

“Mhmm…”

“You passed the test quite easily,”Merlinspoke, his voice carrying the weight of age and experience. “Do you wish to meet the Immortal now, or do you seek to undertake the remaining trials?”

Bael’s thought for a moment as he weighed his options.

However, before he could reply,JinandGiorgiemerged from the veil of illusions, they seemed to have seen something in that illusion as their expression didn’t seem that good.

Nonetheless, their eyes lit up after seeing the log cabin.

It was beckoning them to enter, so they did just that.

Merlin’s gaze shifted to the newcomers, he couldn’t recognize these people so he already had a hint of their identities.

He knew that they were visitors of this realm…

‘Well, it’s not my task to stop them…’

With a subtle nod of acknowledgment, he turned back toBael, his gaze piercing through the veil of pretense.

“Before you make your decision, let me illuminate the path ahead,”Merlinbegan, his voice a melodic cadence that resonated with ancient knowledge. “The remaining trials are trials of the mind, body, and spirit. Each one will test your innermost strengths and weaknesses, forging you anew in the crucible of the Immortal’s domain. This is what the Shadow Immortal wanted.”

Baellistened intently. He actually felt compelled to take the challenge!

Furthermore, this would make him more desirable in the Immortal’s eyes.

Soon, Merlindetailed the nature of each trial as the three visitors listened.

***

In the meantime, in the castle at the center of the five layers of barriers, Kyle was meditating in his room.

This meditation would allow him to produce more Divinity as the four Immortals taught him the method of conversion.

It was a slow process, but it was better than waiting for his Divinity to naturally form.

‘Hmm?’ Kyle frowned as he felt something off.

Just now, he received a report from Constance through telepathy. This information came from the Arcane Bureau as well.

‘After Lisa died, I got visitors that the Arcane Bureau had no idea about,’ Kyle mused, his brow furrowed in contemplation.

For some reason, unease came to him, and he couldn’t ignore it. He believed that it was his Extrasensory Perception Spell working.

Apparently, Fox and Axe, loyal agents of the Arcane Bureau, had already relayed their findings to Constance, their reports painting a picture of events beyond the ordinary.

The presence of unknown visitors who had now surpassed the illusion trial sent ripples of concern. After all, for someone to be unknown from the Arcane Bureau, they must’ve lived in the deeper mountains and hadn’t used any form of identification ever since they were born. It was almost impossible for an organization of their scale to miss this.

Just as Kyle decided to delved deeper into the mysteries that surrounded those three visitors, a message from Director Virgo of the Arcane Bureau was sent to him, its urgency evident in every word.

“The Avatar of the Eminence of the Sea has been revived.” It was the message he heard.

It was obviously a concern toKyle as the Eminence of the Sea was a troublesome being…

“They’re coming at me together? Fine… I don’t care anymore. Even if the Demon Lord joins in… They’ll be facing my full strength.” Kyle muttered as he decided to prepare.

The implications of the Avatar’s resurrection were dire as his followers might really cause trouble in various cities…

‘They might spread diseases once again… I hope the bureau can take care of it in case it happened.’ Kyle mused, as he didn’t feel right knowing that many innocent lives would be taken.

AsKylegrappled with the weight of this revelation, a sense of duty and resolve welled within him. He wanted to take care of this Avatar immediately!

However, as he prepared himself and wore his Artifacts and planned to get the help of his Dimensional Creature to find the Avatar, a solemn warning echoed through the corridors of hisobsidian castle!

The voices ofOrdenandRyzoir, his two ancient dragons, resounded with a sense of urgency and foreboding.

“The Demon Lord is coming, stay in the castle,”Orden’s deep rumbling voice reverberated through the stone walls, its timbre laced with a primal instinct for danger.

“I can sense his presence,”Ryzoir’s serpentine hiss intertwined withOrden’s words, creating an aura of unease that permeated the air.