"Those undead are no joke… Don't make any unnecessary movements. Even if they're under control by their Summoner, powerful beings like that have a little freedom with their actions." Steins warned his team.
The others could only gasp and nod silently.
To be honest, even Steins stared in disbelief as these guardians of the netherworld took their silent vigil. Although he was a strong Mystic Arts Practitioner and could probably flee from these beings, he wouldn't even want to try and act mighty.
The air grew colder, the very essence of the ancient ruins seeping into the surroundings...
At this time, Vale simply ignored Steins and the others.
After spreading his Magic Zone again and confirming that there are no signs of Time Manipulators around, he approached the Golden Key…
Vale also glanced at the trio of undead looming like sentinels. He was satisfied with the threat they posed to whoever would try to disturb him at this moment.
Vale then stepped forward, his hands trembling with excitement.
Since the Time Manipulators wanted the Golden Key, this item was undoubtedly valuable.
Then, as Vale touched the sealing formation that was stopping him from getting the Golden Key, he received a notification from the system.
Unlike the Time Manipulators, who had to do some tricky or complicated reversal of the seal made by ancient Immortals, Vale simply had to extract it!
[ Energy Source has been discovered. Would you like to start the extraction? ]
"Yes!"
[ Extraction Successful. Energy +800, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Successful. Energy +800, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Successful. Energy +500, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Successful. Energy +500, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Successful. Energy +400, Immortal Essence +100 ]
…
[ Extraction Successful. Energy +100, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Successful. Energy +100, Immortal Essence +100 ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
[ Extraction Failed. ]
As soon as he was notified about the failure of the extraction, he knew that it was over. Soon, the sealing formation crashed and disappeared into nothingness.
Just like that, the seal that had stood strong for a very long time was destroyed by Vale's Divine Extraction System.
At this time, the glow of the key grew stronger as if it was excited that it had finally escaped from its prison!
"Let me take care of you…" Vale whispered, reaching out to claim the key.
As his fingers brushed the artifact, a golden light enveloped the surroundings. It was surprisingly a warm glow, and for some reason, he didn't want to place it in the Prison Box that he had received from the Bureau… He wanted to continue holding it…
He doesn't want anyone to touch it. No, letting others see it also felt incredulous! He must be the sole person able to see this item! He must eliminate the others!
As he reached these thoughts, his Spell Dispersion was automatically triggered and soon cleared his mind!
Vale's eyes widened as he swiftly placed the Golden Key in the Prison Box that the Bureau had prepared! He was hoping that it would be fine!
Luckily, as soon as he did this, the Golden Key's influence in his mind also completely disappeared, and his Spell Dispersion stopped working to its limits!
'That's dangerous!' Vale thought as he heaved a sigh of relief. The Golden Key was definitely sealed because it could affect the mind of the one holding it!
Nonetheless, as Vale kept the Prison Box in his inner pocket, a thunderous roar echoed through the Celestial Realm.
The ground trembled violently beneath their feet, and the air crackled with chaotic energy. Lightning streaked across the darkening sky, striking the ancient ruins with a fury that spoke of the end of times.
"This doesn't look good…" Vale muttered as he realized that the intensity of the lightning and the shaking of the earth seemed to slowly get stronger.
He immediately recalled the three Undead Creatures who were curious at the sudden collapse of the realm!
Indeed, the realm itself seemed to scream in agony as it began to destroy the lands and mountains from afar. The unstable fabric of this dimension became even more unhinged and it was tearing apart, the very essence of its existence fading into oblivion!
"Move quickly! We have to leave now! This realm is on the verge of collapse!" Steins shouted over the chaotic atmosphere, his voice barely audible above the realm's death throes.
Vale nodded as he could easily tell what was going on...
He wasn't sure if it was because he had taken the Golden Key or the Time Manipulators did something as an act of revenge.
He wouldn't be surprised if those two did this since he might've done it as well if he were in their shoes.
Anyway, he could probably use his Presence Shift in this situation, but he won't be able to bring these pitiful Arcanists.
He then turned to the others, his eyes meeting Steins'—there was no time for hesitation.
The group of Mystic Arts Practitioners, along with the young Dimensional Creature, sprinted towards the portal that would take them back to the human realm.
The path was treacherous; the once-solid ground now shifted like sand beneath their feet, and fissures opened up, threatening to swallow them whole.
Steins led the way, his staff glowing with a protective aura. Thankfully, although the energy was chaotic, their Spell Models had already adjusted, and they could somehow use their Mystic Arts now.
Steins chanted incantations that stabilized the ground long enough for them to pass.
Behind him, the other practitioners followed suit, using their powers to shield the group from falling debris and the relentless assault of the elements.
Vale also helped them as he took all the lightning bolts that were in their path. He was also able to feel the space that was tearing apart, but with his Temporal Timepiece, he was somehow able to fix it and save the lives of the Arcanists plenty of times!
After some time, they soon got closer to their destination.
Since they were hurrying without care for the path where the Dimensional Creatures would normally stay, they were able to see their destination a lot faster.
Vale also focused on the path ahead, where the portal shimmered in the distance—a wavering promise of safety.
As they neared the entrance, a massive quake shook the realm.
A deafening crack split the air as a chasm opened directly in front of the portal.
Vale's heart raced; they were so close, yet the collapsing realm seemed intent on claiming them as its final victims.
As Vale was thinking of what to do, his attention was suddenly shifted to his current slave.
"Aaarrou!"
With a determined cry, the young Dimensional Creature unleashed its power, warping the space around them to create a bridge across the chasm.
Vale could hardly explain what he was seeing. This wasn't a simple Elemental Spell. It was definitely on a different level!
However, they had no time to think about it!
The group dashed across, the bridge disintegrating behind them as they leaped through the portal just as the realm imploded in a blinding explosion of light and energy.
It was truly destroyed!
Thud! Thud! Thud!
They landed roughly on the other side, the familiar yet jarring sensation of the human realm grounding them once more.
Vale looked around; they were safe, but the echoes of the Celestial Realm's destruction rang in their ears. It was a somber reminder of the narrow escape they had just made.
"I don't think I'll be doing missions like this again. It's better to stay in this realm." Vale muttered.
In any case, he learned from his four Immortal Slaves that the reason why the Immortal or other Celestials would leave the lower realm was because they could barely produce Divinity here.
It would take eons to reach the limit of their power, and although they were immortal, they wouldn't typically want to take that long to get stronger.
That was why they had to ascend to other higher Realms and develop their power or Divinity faster.
As for those Immortals who would rather stay in the lower realms, they were the ones who didn't have much talent and knew that they wouldn't achieve great things if they ascended.
'Well, I have a different reason for staying in the human realm and not thinking of ascending…' Vale thought…
Of course, if there were a time that he really had to ascend, he would consider the Shadow Realm that the Sentinel had informed him of before.
"Whew… We survived!" Steins shouted, he even had the urge to kiss the ground of the human realm!
Breathing heavily, Vale nodded at Steins as he knew what he was feeling right now… To be honest, he actually felt the presence of two Dimensional Creatures chasing them while they were escaping in the realm!
He kept silent about this since if their nervousness stacked up, they might make a mistake, which would certainly cost them their lives!
The mystery of the Golden Key may be far from over, but for now, they have achieved their goal and survived the collapse of a realm! It was worth a celebration!
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