Lucas, Garran, and Rowan were already deep within the territory of the Abyssal Dominion Order.
Disciples lined the paths, watching in stunned silence. Fear crept into their expressions as the trio passed. Members of the Abyssal Dominion were known for their arrogance, their belief that no outsider dared challenge them on their own ground.
Tonight was different.
Garran and Rowan allowed their presence to bleed outward deliberately, a crushing pressure that weighed on the air itself. It wasn't uncontrolled, it was intentional. Lucas had told them to do it.
They were in a hurry.
Lucas had no interest in wasting time with posturing. He wanted to see Darius, the Abyssal Dominion's High Master, immediately.
After more than ten minutes of rapid movement, they reached the Inner Circle Hall. Even then, they had barely scratched the surface of the Order's true size. Beyond this lay the Core Circle, the Elders' Sanctum, and finally the High Master's palace.
Garran glanced at Lucas. "Are you in that much of a hurry, young master?"
"Yes," Lucas replied without hesitation. "If we could teleport right now, that'd be ideal."
Garran gave a short nod. "Then we fly."
He didn't wait for approval.
With a touch of his hand, Lucas was lifted cleanly from the ground. Garran and Rowan rose with him, the three of them cutting through the air in a blur as they headed straight for the palace.
---
Meanwhile — High Master's Palace
The atmosphere inside the palace was tight and oppressive.
Sullen stood rigid, eyes fixed on the man seated upon the obsidian throne.
Darius lounged there with casual authority. Tall, lean, with long dark hair streaked faintly with silver, his sharp features carried a cold, predatory elegance. His crimson eyes were calm, but unmistakably cruel. Dark robes clung to him like shadows, faint sigils glimmering along their edges.
"Are you really willing to start a conflict with the Crowford family, High Master?" Sullen demanded coldly.
Darius chuckled, unimpressed.
"And what would you do about it?" he replied lazily. "You're not even part of the main bloodline."
His gaze hardened slightly.
"Do you honestly think your elders would risk a war just because I refused you?"
A thin smile curved his lips.
"You overestimate your importance."
Sullen clenched her fists.
She had been here for nearly half an hour, negotiating on Leon's behalf. Every attempt had been shut down.
Then Darius leaned forward.
"I could grant what you want," he said slowly. "But I'll need something from the Crowford family in return."
Her eyes narrowed. "What?"
"The Sevenfold Relic Tower," he said, smiling. "The one held by Grand Elder Ishmael."
Her breath caught.
"How do you know about that?"
Darius laughed. "It's hardly a secret among the great families."
He gestured dismissively.
"Hand it over, and I'll allow Leon to enter the Abyss Gate."
"That's impossible," Sullen snapped. "You know I don't have the authority to give you that."
"Then your student doesn't enter," Darius said flatly, his tone devoid of interest.
He leaned back, then stopped.
A faint crease formed between his brows.
One presence.
No, two.
Both powerful. Closing in fast.
The air itself seemed to tighten.
At that exact moment...
BOOM.
The palace doors were blown open, slamming against the walls as a surge of pressure flooded the hall.
Lucas stepped inside, flanked by Garran and Rowan.
The elders turned in shock.
Lucas glanced around calmly.
"Impressive place, High Master," he said casually. "Took me nearly half an hour to get here. Your Order's larger than expected."
Sullen froze, Leon Shocked.
"Lucas?"
Beside her, Leon stiffened. A bad feeling crawled up his spine.
"What are you doing here?" Sullen demanded.
Lucas smiled politely. "Didn't expect to see you either, Instructor Sullen."
His gaze slid to Leon.
"And you," he added lightly. "Last time we met, you punched me."
Leon's face darkened. "What the hell are you doing here, Lucas?"
"Business," Lucas replied, and then his gaze shifted to Darius. "With you, High Master."
Darius stood, eyes narrowing.
"If I'm not mistaken," he said slowly, "you are Lucas Drakebane. What do you want?"
Lucas met his gaze.
"I want access to the Abyss Gate."
Direct.
Silence.
Darius raised an eyebrow.
Leon blurted out. "You can't!"
Lucas tilted his head. "Why not?"
Leon opened his mouth, then stopped. He had nothing to say.
Lucas turned back to him. "You're here for the same reason, aren't you?"
"That's none of your concern," Leon snapped.
Lucas frowned.
Leon didn't possess demonic lineage. He wasn't supposed to be here. Something had gone wrong, again.
Lucas pushed the thought aside.
He reached into his spatial ring and tossed an object forward.
Darius caught it reflexively.
He glanced down at it.
"…What is this?"
Lucas's lips curved slightly. "You're the High Master. You tell me."
Darius's brows drew together. The bluntness irritated him. Normally, no one spoke to him like that, but the two figures flanking Lucas made him rein in his temper.
He turned the object in his hand.
His perception sank inward. Past the surface, past the material.
His senses pierced through the horn, and something inside stirred.
Blood.
But not ordinary blood.
Every cell was tainted with darkness, ancient, dense, unmistakable.
His pupils contracted.
"…Pure demonic essence," he whispered.
He looked up sharply.
"Where did you get this?"
"That's irrelevant," Lucas said calmly. "What matters is this, let me enter the Abyss Gate. Right now."
Darius didn't answer right away.
The Abyss Vault was the Order's deepest secret, a sealed domain forbidden even to most of its own elders. Entry was never decided by rank or authority, only by blood. Legend has it, only those with pure demonic lineage could survive its depths.
Not even Darius qualified.
A human infused with demonic blood could be considered a half-demon, but true purity had vanished long ago. The demon race had been extinct for millennia. Every record, every ritual, every desperate attempt had ended in failure.
That was why the Abyss had remained sealed.
And yet, resting in his hand was something that should not exist anymore, pure demonic essence.
Enough to turn him into something closer to the original demon race than anyone had been in thousands of years.
His gaze shifted to Lucas.
There was nothing.
No mana flow. No pressure. No magical aura at all.
Darius's eyes narrowed slightly. He had seen this many times before. Second-generation heirs who indulged too much, neglected their training, and relied on their family name to carry them.
Lucas seemed no different on the surface, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.
"Why do you want to enter the Abyss?" Darius asked flatly.
"I just want to," Lucas replied without hesitation. Then he added calmly, "And wouldn't it benefit you if I succeed? The moment the Abyss opens, the ten seals suppressing your mana ley-lines will break. This Order would be flooded with tens times its current spiritual energy."
Darius's expression changed.
His posture stiffened, eyes sharpening with sudden intensity.
"How do you know that?" he demanded.
Lucas didn't answer the question.
"Does it matter?" he said instead. "So, what's your decision, High Master?"
Darius went silent.
And then he spoke, "I accept your gift."
"And I refuse your request."
The room went cold.
Lucas sighed. "As expected."
Before he could speak further...
Rowan stepped forward.
His blade slid free of its sheath.
"Then the Abyssal Dominion ends today," Rowan said flatly.
A Heavenly realm-level pressure detonated outward, crushing the air itself.
Elders staggered.
The palace trembled.
Rowan's voice carried like a death sentence.
"Choose wisely."