"No, I'm not going to do that."

Lucy glared back at the Black Seat of Death while folding her arms. He gave off a dangerous and ominous but she didn't back away and, instead, directly faced him and objected to his proposal without a second thought.

Forne stood before her, his black pupils staring holes at her, displeased by her uncooperative behavior.

"In refusing to do this, you'll be condemning him."

Hearing this, she coldly snorted and retorted:

"So you want me to trick him? Not going to happen!"

Artid stood by the side, trying to calm both of them but hesitated after being suffocated by their rising aura. A second longer and a fight would surely break out, which is definitely something he hoped for when they invited her here. She officially claimed the White Seat and proved her worth, nevertheless, whatever Forne asked of her wasn't unreasonable, even from Artid's perspective.

"I'm not asking you to trick him but merely avoid him for a while. If you help us, it will all end well."

Sick of hearing vague things, Lucy snapped at him

"What will end well? You're purposely sounding mysterious and refusing to tell me anything. I and Arthur know each other very well, there is no way I can or will trick him!"

"This isn't about him but if he knows of this matter, he'll definitely not stay still and will also not cooperate. In fact, knowing his relationship with our target, he'll try to stop us."

"Instead of blabbering endlessly, why don't you tell me the truth?"

"…"

Forne gazed at the silver-haired woman, his lips tightly shut. He didn't know whether it's wise to let her in or not, however, if she were to help them, it'll make things much easier. They already got their hands full so, someone who can hold down Arthur is necessary, and who is a better candidate other than his wife, who knows his powers and is strong enough to content against him.

…

With eyes filled with disbelief, Jian Si stared at Lucy while sucking a deep, cold breath. The mask she was wearing melted into her face and drastically changed her appearance, including her silver hair, which was now pink. Her arm became slightly bigger and covered in scales, steam coming out from minuscule holes in the shoulder area.

Lucy held Lonely Moon, which was modified by the Yellow Seat of Black Rose and was able to transform into another form. The revolver was now a long silver sniper rifle, madly sucking the Nether Energy around it like a vacuum.

Lucy laid on the ground and readied herself while leaning her face closer to the scope and fixating her arms, the left one on the trigger while the Devil arm tightly holding down the unstable weapon. The tribulation was about to strike so it was the best time to distract everyone.

"Like I said before, I never came here, okay?"

Lucy warned Cold Sword, who obediently nodded her head. She was tasked with Arthur's safety as, for some reason, Lucy wasn't going to be present. The Celestial Tribulation, which was releasing random thunderbolts everywhere, started moving, though its main core remained above the towering mountain. The direction it headed to was where Lucy and Jian Si were.

It felt threatened by something and separated itself from the core to get rid of Lucy, who was preparing herself to shoot one bullet. Were it not for her Devil Arm, which will take almost all the backlash of the shot, she would not have been able to use this new form of Lonely Moon.

"Now, get away from me."

Jian Si and the elder accompanying her flew further away from Lucy, leaving her alone, laying on a high hill, totally in the open.

*******

"Hey, why do you hate nobles so much? Not all of them are bad."

Forne asked his newest companion, Zodiak, while chewing on some freshly roasted meat.

In response, the middle-aged man, who never ate or slept, looked at the young man who has been following him ever since the tribulation, and answered:

"I don't hate nobles but their system. Elf, Dwarf, or Human, when born, are all equal. Who gives anyone the right to dictate privileges to those they deem as 'noble blood'? They think of themselves as a higher-species while, in reality, they are more fragile than most humans. In my eyes, a beggar is no different than a king, it's just that fate favored one over the other."

"Yes, it's fate's fault so why do you always blame them?"

"So, just because fate is on their side, they can do whatever they want? Slaughter the innocent, enslave the weak and treat other races like toys? I agree that there are some nobles who do more good than bad but those are in the minority. The stories about how a noble married a peasant are rare if not non-existent, life doesn't work that way, it never has."

Forne understandably nodded his head while savoring the delicious meat. At first, he felt hesitant about his choice of following the ominous Zodiak but after a while, he grew used to his grumpy attitude and strange way of thinking. From what he had seen so far, Zodiak harbored great hate for nobles and anyone who abuses their powers but he didn't go out of their way to punish them.

Apparently, he was looking for someone, a girl to be more specific.

"Do you really think we will find her here? Although Castra Obis is called a world, it still encompasses all of the Omega Universe. It'll take us years to go from East to West. Also, what makes you think she's here?"

"I know she's here! I've dreamed of it!"

Zodiak sounded very certain so Forne didn't add anything else and quietly finished his meal.

It has only been a few months since the tribulation yet Forne grew unreasonably strong, nonetheless, he was still unable to beat Zodiak. His power, self-named, is Destruction Magic, a new and unique kind that only he can use. In their recent battles against either bandits or lurking old monsters, they discovered that Destruction magic can counter every element, disintegrating it into nothing.

Furthermore, once it enters someone's body, it's a matter of time before they die. Forne can also use it to explode things, like some sort of unlimited bombs with insane destructive powers.

Dark Magic is also vulnerable against this ability yet Zodiak was victorious every time they fought, which deeply confused Forne.

************

"Well, ain't this a surprise!"

'X' nonchalantly walked around while looking at the patiently waiting contestants. In his hand, there was a glowing red envelope, proof that he, too, was invited to the Red Tower. Amongst the people present here, he saw many extinguished individuals that came from other Universes. Thanks to Timos' help, he was able to get back the orb and all that was left was enter the tower and finally be done with this.

"Greetings."

Like a ghost, a young man wearing a tattered grey robe appeared behind 'X', freaking him out. 'X' banged his cane on the ground and retreated a few steps before turning around and glaring at the young man.

"Hmpf!"

'X' snorted at Artid but didn't dare act arrogantly. This young-looking individual may have very low cultivation but his abilities should never be underestimated. Amongst the Nine Seats, 'X' was only wary of him and the Black Seat.

"It seems you came in early, mister 'X'."

"So it would seem."

Artid smiled at the man whom he could not see the face before signaling him to follow. The two walked further away from the small crowd and arrived at a secluded location South-West of the enormous glowing red tower.

'X' politely bowed his head to the motionless Forne.

"Artid insisted that we cooperate with you so don't let me regret this. Don't get lost in your revenge and forget who the real target is."

'X' listened to Forne talk before chuckling and replying:

"Yes yes, everything shall proceed smoothly."