Just before his two companions reached him, the ground started violently shaking, causing the three of them to glance at the chasm dozens of meters away.

The Joker's face distorted, he threw a card in the air which quickly transformed into a floating card very similar to a flying carpet.

"Hop on!"

He signaled for Arthur to jump while he grabbed Leiu's and leapt on top of the card. Arthur used his last bit of Dark Magic to push himself on the strangely floating card before he collapsed, barely keeping himself conscious.

By the time the card took flight, the explosions coming from the chasm have reached the surface, destroying everything in its way. Whether it's the castle, the city or the fleeing citizens, none survived. The scale of the explosion was so big that it razed Calv-city to the ground, the causalities surpassed one million and only the people miles away from the city managed to live.

As for the trio, the card acted as some sort of a barrier but it was still flung off far away. It was like a nuclear bomb dropped on the capital, leaving nothing but a bottomless abyss.

Fortunately, neither of three died but the card didn't hold on for long so they still suffered a couple of serious injuries, especially the Joker, who was the one directly controlling the flying card.

In fact, the explosions sent them flying dozens of miles, landing only when the previously gained momentum died down. Like three meteors, they crashed on a peaceful green valley, each rolling on the ground a few times before stopping.

A bout of long and uneasy silence flowed between the three of them, who remained motionless. The first to break this atmosphere was the Joker, who suddenly started loudly laughing, uncaring about his wounds or the situation they were in.

Though they did kill the parasites, it only led to this pathetic result yet he laughed like he always has when he survives such a life-threatening ordeal.

"Hahahahahahahaha"

Their personalities were vastly different yet when the Joker started laughing, the other two joined him. Their laughter contained many emotions and it continued for a long time… a very strange indeed for they, who survived a disaster but caused the death of millions.

***

"You laughed?"

As she heard the Joker speak of what happened, so, confused, Lucy asked such a question. The Trickster chuckled and said

"Laugh and the world will laugh with you. What better to do is laugh when you're still alive? It's refreshing! You should do it sometime. Anyway… we laughed for such a long time, so long, in fact, that we ended up losing consciousness."

Seeing her unusual expression, The Joker added:

"Strange… is it? You would never expect Arthur or Leiu to laugh like that yet they did… we all did. Did you know? Laughter cures sadness, it gets rid of any stress and is the best thing to do when you're stuck in a situation like back then."

After pondering for a moment, Lucy asked again:

"What happened after?"

The smile on the Joker's face vanished, it was replaced by a melancholic expression as he replied:

"When it rains, it pours! We were sent in a time of strife… one million people died that day but such a number was nothing compared to the ones who died later. The fall of the parasites alerted their allies who immediately initiated their plans and started turning Riarravar upside down."

He took a sip of another cup of tea, cleared his throat and continued…

***

Due to what happened in the Itas Continent, Robin decided to relocate the HQ of her merchant company in the MoonStar City. The calamities that hit Astria caused it to lose two of its continents while the remaining two struggled to survive. The threat of the Cthulhu is not completely gone so everyone was on alert, ready to start another war.

The once childish woman became more mature and was always followed by Rey, who benefited greatly from the powers Arthur granted him. Though he's lacking compared to Gutcha, he still managed to become one of the powerhouses of Astria.

While the boy was busy eating some fruits on the side, Robin was playing with baby Ragnar, who was a lovely and silent newborn. It has been one month since he was born and surprisingly, Jackob didn't try to look for Anastassia and instead, took over his position and took care of the MoonStar sect. Sonia became his assistant and the two of them managed to calm down the uneasy citizens and smoothly run the city.

With the loss of his wife, Jackob became much less talkative and sacrificed much of his time in cultivation. He would either play with his son or meditate non-stop, totally ignoring Sonia who repeatedly told him to take it easy.

One day, visitors appeared on the roof of the High Tower of the MoonStar sect. One was Taliya and the other was a blond young man accompanied by a grumpy-looking middle-aged man.

Seeing the prosperous city before his eyes, Isadore was shocked as the architecture and the roads were vastly different from the ones found on any High or middle-Realm.

Using his Lost Magic and relying on a few intelligent people, Arthur brought some of Earth's technology to Astria to facilitate its growth and pave a better path for his sect.

The hierarchy of the sect remained the same but, following Arthur's orders, Jackob set up a separate government that takes care of the people's needs and provides security and order.

Anastassia was quite a ruthless and strict leader, she executed any corrupt higher-up and replaced them with her most-trusted confidants and for this reason, the state of the current MoonStar Sect couldn't be better.

Especially the High Tower, which was a monument of its own as it stood at the center of the city, dwarfing everything around it and piercing the clouds high up in the sky.

The moment the three appeared, a bronze-skinned man with a muscular build, tall height and two weapons on his back appeared before them. This was none other than Jackob, who's hair grew long and his countenance slightly changed, becoming much sharper. Although he was but an Immortal, nothing in front of Wrath, one of the seven deadly sins, he still exuded the aura of a real leader.

Jackob checked the newcomers before staring at the familiar face of the silver-haired demon. Isadore walked a few steps toward the man before slightly bowing his head while introducing himself

"I am Isadore Marfront, King of the Green-Leaf World."

Jackob didn't reply to the former prince, he glared at Taliya and coldly said

"You know well that strangers aren't allowed here."

Expecting such words, Taliya replied:

"He's a valuable friend who can help us now and in the future."

"You're still not allowed to bring anyone to Astria, make them leave."

Jackob's retort made the demon frown, unable to understand why he's so opposed to her decision.

Clearly angered by the Immortal's disrespectful attitude toward his king, Wrath was about to butt in only for two figures to landed next to Jackob. They had similar appearances except for their hairs, once was a red-haired short youth while the other had a long white hair.

One had a suffocating aura of death while the other was vibrant with life, they were polar opposites but the energies leaking out of their bodies were harmonious.

Moreover, Wrath was about to tell they weren't human and this wasn't their clear form.

"Thy visit is unwelcome, go back."

"Bitch ass motherfuckers! You think you can come and go whenever you want? Fuck off of here!"

Midolf raised his middle finger at them while using spitting a bunch of vulgar words.

Even for someone as patient and tolerable as Isadore, he felt uncomfortable with their attitudes, however, before he could explain himself, Wrath whispered in his ear.

"We should leave."

After letting out a sigh, Isadore bowed again before entering a portal, finally disappearing from that place. Taliya chose to stay here and investigate what happened. She didn't expect to see Arthur's confidants here as they were missing for quite a while.

"Thank you for your help."

Jackob thanked the two youngsters and was about to leave only for Taliya to grab his wrist and saying

"Why are you so opposed to this?"

"No, it's why you're so persistent."

He shoved her hand away and left the place. The demon turned to face the two silent youngsters and asked

"We should welcome any help we can get, why did you chase him away?"

"Mayhap thy decision is right but we must follow the leader. Following a list of command, in absence of Master, Madam Lucy, and Madam Anastassia, Sir Jackob is who we must obey."

"Still! It doesn't make sense to kick him out before listening to what he has to offer!"

Despite her protest, the two youngsters turned a deaf ear to the demon and vanished, leaving an angry Taliya alone there.

****

In a deserted altar of the Pigolo Tribe, both Wrath and Isadore appeared from within the portal, one was absent-minded and the other was unhappy after failing to negotiate with Jackob.

"So, tell me why you wanted to leave."

The King crossed his arms and talked to his guardian. Wrath snapped out of his daze and explained

"Those two are powerful, very powerful."

Isadore frowned and retorted:

"Stronger than you?"

"I may be able to defeat them but it'll take much time. One controls death and the other manipulate Life, it'll be a pain in the ass to kill them. Moreover, I'll have to go all-in so I won't be able to protect you."

"Who said we have to resort to a fight?"

Wrath shrugged his shoulders and answered:

"Those two were ready to start fighting at any time. If we stayed a second longer, they would've attacked."