The star realm truly defied human logic. For the three of them, arriving in this star realm was an achievement beyond words. More importantly, they had been invited by the "entity" that ruled over this realm.
"He" was the King of the Chemical Prisoners, one of the rulers of the Prisoner ability itself, as well as a mysterious figure from the nine myths whose existence was deeply concealed.
Holding back his power merely to speak with ordinary humans was no trivial matter. Aware that his power was growing weaker and that he could not remain for long in a realm that did not belong to him, "he", who had previously restrained them from becoming distorted, now released them amid the clinking of chains among the stars.
After regaining consciousness, the three of them gasped for breath. Sweat trickled down their faces; they were confused, yet the stars surrounding them soon greeted them with breathtaking beauty.
For a moment, the three were captivated by the vast expanse of stars above their heads. Then, one of them, Celvira, realized that she was no longer standing on solid ground; instead, she was floating amid countless stars scattered around her.
"You three... were too foolish to come here... fufufu..." The voice sounded fragmented, yet its meaning was perfectly clear to them.
Zuhen slowly raised his head, his mind filled with confusion as he immediately asked,
"...Who are you? And what place is this?"
'This place...'
Zuhen found himself pondering the situation, overcome by a strange sense of familiarity as he stood there.
The voice laughed before answering enthusiastically, "I am Moonses Leit, or, as you know me, the 'King of the Chemical Prisoners'."
Aaron's pupils trembled as he sank into thought.
'That myth? The battle involving nine mysterious figures who vanished from existence in the year 1001? Who is he really, and how did "he" manage to bring us here?'
Aaron held his breath as he glanced at each of the three familiar figures floating among the stars.
Celvira clenched her fists tightly, an strange pressure steadily creeping over her shoulders.
"Enough with the pleasantries. Take us out of here," she said, her voice rising sharply.
Clink.
'Huh?'
In the blink of an eye, Celvira vanished from the starry realm, as though she had never been there at all.
Unaware of this, Zuhen, Felina, and Aaron continued their conversation about their presence in that place.
But no time existed; Celvira returned. She was now an ordinary human, no longer a third-level evil spirit, Nammeridya, and she had even lost her memories of the time when she had been an ordinary evil spirit before her ascension to the third level.
There she stood, her expression indifferent. After returning to her human state, another power had erased the "distortion of fate" that had transformed her, restoring her to her original form: half human and half spirit.
She did not know or rather, the event felt like a fading dream as someone awoke from a long sleep.
Meanwhile, the 'King of the Chemical Prisoners' stopped speaking with them, sensing the presence of another entity disturbing his presence and power.
Without their knowledge, he glanced toward the cocoon that held Zavi Actitus's body.
"You, is that your vessel?"
After a moment of thought, a sharp voice shattered the silence; its presence even caused the star realm to tremble.
"Fufufu... So, the 'King of the Chemical Prisoners' is here..."
The voice sounded cheerful and full of enthusiasm.
For a moment, "he" ignored their vessel within the star realm, the place where the remnants of his consciousness and power resided.
"That human stalker, isn't it?" he muttered in a firm and clear tone. Although he knew, there was nothing wrong with making his opponent speak a word, especially since he remembered his bad nature all too well.
The voice burst into laughter before answering somewhat apathetically, "That's right."
After a brief silence, the voice immediately added:
"How were you able to bring his friend to this place?"
The King of the Chemical Prisoners answered without hesitation, "An Outer God is trying to enter that world."
Although he concealed the actual truth, the voice that had entered the star realm knew perfectly well what the 'King of the Chemical Prisoners' was planning.
The feminine voice uttered a curse.
"Are you aware that 'he' is there?"
"Of course," he replied calmly.
Then he added:
"That prophecy is coming true, Fifth-Level Evil Spirit, Mastering. Aren't you afraid of losing the human you care about so much...?"
As those words were spoken, the 'King of the Chemical Prisoners' smiled, realizing that the figure who had appeared from the star realm suddenly disappeared, an action that subsequently restored the lives of the four of them.
The four of them returned to reality and found themselves surrounded by abandoned buildings. The sky, which had previously been pitch-black, had returned to normal.
Their memories were erased, replaced by important information concerning the nature of the star realm, a place whose location remained a profound mystery.
After a moment of silence, one of them stepped closer to the three people he knew, who were sitting on the ground while holding their heads.
"Did the three of you feel that strange sensation?" Zuhen suddenly asked.
Their bodies were weak as soon as they emerged from that place; they only knew that it was related to the ritual meant to increase Zavi's power.
Felina shook her head, her face pale.
"No," she answered firmly.
Aaron sat observing his surroundings before shifting his gaze toward Zuhen.
He rose from his seat and slowly walked toward Zavi, who sat in front of him, lost in thought.
Once he reached him, he did not immediately call out to him; instead, Aaron touched him, channeling a mystical sensation.
A cold sensation spread to his fingertips, a feeling Aaron knew all too well, especially since something invisible was clearly visible to his eyes through spiritual vision. Faint, calm, and also filled with an aura of life.
'Is this his chain? Did he manage to master the second level this quickly?'
After thinking for a moment, he looked back at the other three, his gaze shifting to the ponytailed man, who stared blankly ahead.
"It seems he succeeded," Aaron said, feeling a wave of admiration.
Felina raised an eyebrow.
"Did he manage to master the second level this quickly?" she asked, a glimmer of hope appearing in her mind.
"Yes," Aaron answered confidently.
Zuhen remained calm, even though Zavi had mastered the second level after the ascension ritual.
Meanwhile, Celvira, still sitting, recalled the terms of their agreement.
'Will he keep that promise?'
Doubt crept into her mind as Celvira contemplated the complications that would arise for both herself and Zavi.
Not long afterward, Zavi regained consciousness. The first thing he wanted to check was the chain wrapped around his finger.
For a moment, he lost his ability to think; he remained silent, unable to focus.
He stayed silent for a long time, staring at Aaron's sturdy body as Aaron crouched on one knee, his expression appearing less composed than usual.
Two minutes later, the chain disappeared from sight. Zavi instinctively touched his lips before reaching into his coat pocket with his left hand.
He took out a pocket watch and opened its lid, his lips tightly closed and his expression filled with anticipation.
"Ten o'clock at night, huh?" Zavi muttered in the dialect of a language from Earth.
Hearing the unfamiliar language, Aaron nearly furrowed his brows.
'An ancient language? What language was he actually speaking?'
After thinking for a moment, Aaron stood upright. He deliberately turned to the right, as if sensing something inside the abandoned building.
"What is it?" Zuhen asked, walking steadily toward him, followed by the other two.
Zavi put away his pocket watch and immediately stood up. His eyelids widened, as though he could not see what was in front of him. Whether this was a coincidence or had indeed affected his physical body, Zavi sensed a decrease in the intensity of sound and in the way he perceived the surrounding objects.
At least for now, he saw six people standing in front of him. Knowing that Aaron was standing directly before him, the other five were none other than those who were walking toward him.
Zavi even briefly assumed they were enemies, but after clearing his mind for a moment through the purification of the watch's ticking, he knew that this was an aftereffect of performing the ascension ritual.
'Did the ritual succeed?'
After they gathered, standing two and three steps apart. Something unpleasant entered their minds when some rubble fell onto a supporting beam, causing their hearts to tremble for a moment.
Their gazes shifted to the right, where a half-finished building filled with overgrown weeds and scattered materials stood. Each of them raised their heads, their eyes locked onto a figure standing at the edge of the roof of the unfinished building.
"The group of fugitives wanted by several factions... we can finally meet you here," the figure said, his tone filled with confidence as his companions began appearing and standing beside him.