Inside a gloomy and cramped cave, which, by no means, is a habitable place, there were four figures, all in a bad state, however, two of the four were laying on the rough earth, clearly unconscious.

Two days ago, Vyncent and Lissandra somehow managed to rescue the newcomers but ended up revealing themselves and using their trump card. They were planning to use their powers to flee East, where it's much safer than this forsaken land, infested with monsters.

When he saw the identity of the incomers, Vyncent decided to save them for he knew Arthur's powers and their necessity to get out of here in one piece. Lissandra didn't show any objection, she helped the young man and did her best push away the Cthulhu and teleport them from that battlefield next to the red gate, which had disappeared a while ago.

Approximatively a day ago, the cave they were in shook violently, alarming the two of them, however, it turned out to be a vibrating dark blade which cut everything in its way and stuck next to Arthur, stabbing the ground and releasing low, inaudible growls.

The man and woman remained silent, recuperating a bit of energy and waiting for one of the two to wake up.

…

Despite his new race, Arthur felt an unbearable headache which made it difficult for him to move properly, much less stand up. With a half-closed eye, he glanced at the two silhouettes a distance away from him, his pupil constricted, unable to believe the presence of Vyncent in this unfamiliar place.

It took him a few moments to collect his thoughts and try to speak only to find out that his mouth is inexplicably dry and the old yet familiar feeling of hunger assaulting him, making his stomach growl unceasingly.

Sensing this, Vyncent crouched next to Arthur, lifted his head and poured some liquid into the parasite's mouth. It was simple water but to Arthur, it felt like a heavenly elixir that completely rejuvenated him, giving him just enough strength to utter a few words.

"Where are we?"

Though Vyncent's presence is confusing, Arthur was more worried about his current situation. The last thing he remembered was being saved by a speeding figure then he passed out, probably from exhaustion. He over-worked himself and excessively used a lot of powerful skills. His foundation became unstable and if he doesn't solidify it, he'll return to being a Sovereign.

Furthermore, the mortal feelings he was currently feeling startled him. The pain, hunger, thirst, fatigue, and sleepiness, they are things he shouldn't feel thanks to his limitless Stamina and beneficial passive skills.

"A world called Riarravar… or, as others call it, Oblivion."

"Hah! I thought as much." A ridiculing laugh escaped Arthur's mouth, it wasn't directed at Vyncent but at himself.

Arthur tried to sit up only to be stopped by Vyncent, who pushed him on the ground and softly said:

"You need to rest, there is no need to rush things."

Arthur moved his stiff head, trying to find Lucy and see if she's okay. It was at this time that Lissandra entered his line of sight, making him suck a deep breath and stared at her for a few seconds before retracting his gaze, seemingly uninterested.

"Lucy's condition is stable but her body is a complete mess. She needs more than a simple rest to recover."

Lissandra moved out of the way, revealing an unconscious Lucy just behind her. The specter's body was covered with bandages, especially her arm, which was mangled… truly an ugly sight to behold.

After several failed attempts to get up and check on her, Arthur laid on the cold ground and asked with a softer tone:

"Is her condition that serious?"

In response, the frail-looking Lissandra nodded her head and explained:

"More than you could think. I'm a herbalist but this place lacks any kind of vegetation so I can only alleviate some of her pain. Fortunately, she has a good constitution or else she would've died…"

A bout of awkward silence flowed between the trio before Vyncent broke it by saying:

"We can't stay here for much longer. We'll leave as soon as Lucy wakes up."

"Where to?"

As far as Arthur knew, there was no safe place in Riarravar, at least not after it was invaded by the Cthulhu.

"East of here, there's a group called the Resistance, they have food, shelter, and enough forces to defend against the relentless attacks of both parasites and Cthulhu."

When Arthur came here with Wolfram and Leiu, he read about a strong kingdom led by an unstoppable shogun. Not even Claudia dared to trifle with that kingdom as she knew that she lacked the necessary strength to face the shogun and his army.

"How far is it?"

Vyncent abruptly laid on the ground and put his ear against the ground, seemingly sensing something abnormal. Lissandra pushed back her long black hair, leaned against the wall and replied:

"Very far. We expanded our powers to rescue you two so getting past the hordes of Cthulhu outside will be harder than anticipated. It is for this reason that we require your powers, which is why you need to rest and recover a bit."

"I'll need a couple of hours to he-"

Arthur was interrupted by a tremor which was followed by numerous cracks appearing on the roof. Lissandra quickly picked up the unconscious Lucy then started chanting, blinding radiance enveloping enveloped the two females, protecting them and distorting the space around them.

As for Vyncent, he picked Arthur and melted in the ground. They had a consensual agreement and it was definitely not a wise idea to waste time talking about what to do or where to go. The best and safest option is to separate so they can distract the attackers.

Just after the four vanished from this dark cave, two silhouettes appeared, one was a tall and burly black-skinned man, a thick beard and two sharp swords hanging on his waist. The other was an elder wearing tight leather clothes, his skin covered in flames, though, strangely, this fire didn't affect his surroundings or his clothes.

"Tsk! They escaped again."

The burly man clicked his tongue and examined the bloodstains on the ground and sniffed the air, smelling the aura of two additional individuals.

"We must capture them before those barbaric and brainless monsters."

The elder, hands behind his back, gazed at the location Lissandra and Lucy were at, then whistled, resulting in a dog-like flaming beast to appear next to him. The beast growled in annoyance, not pleased to be given such a trivial and boring task, nevertheless, it followed its master's orders and started tracking the targets.

*******

Unfortunately for Vyncent, the place he appeared at after using his secret technique wasn't the least bit favorable. Along with the suffocating heat, the savage aura lingering in this world, there were dozens of Cthulhu running at him, all armed to the teeth and madly roaring at him.

He put Arthur on the ground and faced the incoming enemies, his hands forming a golden seal which was pushed against the ground, raising sturdy walls which blocked the Cthulhu and hindered their crazy advance.

After ensuring Arthur's temporary safety, he was about to jump over the wall to face them only to be stopped by Arthur, who grabbed his ankle.

Vyncent glanced at Arthur's suspicious behavior and frowned, clearly wanting an explanation.

The parasite panted heavily and held his right hand, pressing his thumb on a jet black ring, causing it to shine with an ominous black light that sucked everything around it, like a black hole.

Although his energy pools were depleted, Arthur forced himself and somehow managed to retrieve a few rings from Zodiak's storage. These storage rings rolled on the ground, near Vyncent's feet.

"U-use them."

After he said that, Arthur coughed some blood then fainted, unable to resist the pain assaulting his mind or the sleepiness dominating his consciousness.

Without any hesitation, Vyncent picked those rings and injected a bit of his energy in them, trying to see what's inside. To his astonishment, there was an abundance of artifacts, armors, and weapons. All of them were of good quality and priceless, furthermore, in this dire situation, they're literally life-saving.

In less than three seconds, Vyncent chose what a few items that were compatible with him and immediately equipped them. His body shone with a magical light and his tattered clothes were replaced by a golden armor, not too thick but like what knights wore but sturdy enough to block heavy attacks.

He discarded the rusty sword he used to fight and held a long one-handed sword that emitted pure Earth Energy. Last but not least were special boots which made his body feel lighter than ever and supplied him with Nether Energy. Those three items all had special formations which facilitated his use of energy and lowered the consumption of his techniques, including the secret one he commonly uses to escape.

Fully equipped, Vyncent jumped high in the air and brandished his new sword, slashing multiple times in the air, which caused golden stricks to descend on the Cthulhu, cutting their bodies into pieces and paving a clear way for the young man.

He stepped in the air as if it was a staircase while holding Arthur under his arm. Countless arrows flew at him but they were blocked by his armor which would release a burst of Earth Energy every time it sensed any incoming danger.

Vyncent was lucky as there was only the normal Cthulhu, there were no signs of the giants or the special bow-wielding monsters which were the deadliest of them all. A while later, Vyncent managed to carry the parasite to a relatively safe location, devoid of any life. The place reeked of blood, mountains of corpses scattered all around him, severed limbs and head in every corner and, surprisingly, a complete absence of any kind of energy.

This was a place not even the Cthulhu dared to tread for it affected them too. Vyncent too, wasn't keen of this lifeless area, however, it was better than being discovered by the higher Cthulhu, those who could threaten his life. Furthermore, the parasites were on their trail so they have to constantly keep moving.

*******

'X' was inspecting this disgusting prison, still in a very bad mood. The silver dragon next to him maintained its silence, neither commenting on their situation or complaining about its current state.

"Enjoying your stay?"

Out of nowhere, a graceful figure wearing traditional Chinese-like clothes appeared in front of the duo's cell. Her face covered with a veil and her hair, just like her clothes, snow-white. She had flawless curves, hair that reached her thighs and delicate skin, making her look no different than a Goddess or a fairy. Her soft and melodious voice would anyone, even the craziest people.

'X' spent a couple of seconds staring at her before he coldly snorted and retorted

"What stay? You ugly and stinky whore."

Though he was captive and should maintain a respectful attitude in the presence of what seemed to be the person who threw him here, X didn't show any politeness, using vulgar words and an aggressive tone.

The woman flinched as she heard his words, keeping her silence for a while before speaking again

"Why so impolite?"

Though his face was still blurry, one could speculate X's current expression, which contained disgust and contempt.

"Stinking whore! You reek of Black Magic! Don't try to that cute act with me. You're all the same."

This time, the woman was visibly surprised, not expecting him to 'smell' the aura of Black Magic. Though she was repeatedly insulted, the woman wasn't the least bit angry.

"I actually came here to discuss the matter of your release."

X kept glaring at her but didn't say anything, 'allowing' her to continue.

"You came uninvited and caused a big ruckus, destroying most of this place. The master wasn't pleased which is why she threw you in these dungeons."

"Hmpf!"-X

"She that as long as you complete a small task, she'll release both of you."

Yamak bared his sharp teeth at the woman and spoke with a deep and threatening voice

"I won't work with you people."

The white-haired woman let out a sigh and said

"What a shame…"

"Wait. I'll cooperate."-X

Before she could leave, X said that, clearly wanting to get out of this hell hole. Unfortunately, her next few words made his situation much complicated.

"The master said that she needs both of your help. As long as one of you refuses to cooperate, you'll remain here."

She turned around and left right after, not leaving a chance for X to talk.

The man wriggled around and tried to shake off the chains but to no avail. In the end, he faced the silver dragon crouching next to him and said

"Hey, don't you want to get out of here?"

"…"

He received no response, so he asked again.

"I've got a plan, you just need to say that you'll cooperate with them."

"…"