The Demon Midas was defeated thanks to the combined efforts of Cixi and Akiza. They were lucky to barely defeat it after it was severely weakened by the white phoenix and Himiko's weapon.

"You did it," said Himiko.

"Yes, but it would not have been possible to defeat the Demon at full strength," said Cixi.

"We are able to exploit its fatal weakness," Akiza added.

"What happened to the core?" Himiko asked.

"I absorbed it," said Akiza. "It's being purified as we speak."

"You must be very careful with that," said Himiko. "If you try to do too much, it will turn you into a Demon as well, so make sure you do not absorb another until you finish this one."

"Alright," said Akiza. "I will try to remember that."

"We have another problem now though," said Cixi. "The Emperor Stage creatures that appeared because of the Demon that was unsealed."

The power that flowed from the Demon Midas was unleashed into the Cursed Land, empowering all of the creatures that spawned there. Even though their numbers were fewer, the problem was that a large number of them became stronger under the power of the Demon. The result was that there were dozens of Emperor Stage creatures that were capable of fighting against people from the Emperor Stage. There were already lots of people who had fled the area. Even though the Demon was removed from the land, it would be pointless if the creatures remained as their power would still be enough to keep the land the way it was now.

"Unless we can do something about it, the land will not change," said Himiko.

"Why don't you go to stop it?" asked Cixi. "You are powerful enough."

"Immortals cannot leave their lands for a reason," said Himiko. "The moment I leave, other creatures will storm this place to try to seize the resources here. This is why Immortals are tied to their lands. The only way I can leave is if another Immortal takes my place."

"Why can't you just absorb everything?" asked Akiza. "Won't that fix the problem?"

"It's not that easy," said Himiko. "In the process of becoming an Immortal, the land itself is infused with enormous amounts of Internal Energy that cannot be removed easily. It would take decades at the minimum considering how long it took me to do it."

An Immortal was tied to their land for a long time, this was what had happened to both Kongming and Himiko. Despite their great power, they were also cursed to be bound to a single location. Abandoning the lands would only open it up for others to try to steal the power of the land for themselves. It is believed that all great schools were formed on lands rich with Internal Energy. Himiko's realm would be one highly desired by everyone, even monsters.

"I guess we will have to kill them one at a time," said Cixi.

BOOM. There was the sound of a loud crash outside. "I feel a terrible presence," said Akiza.

"Me too," said Cixi.

The three of them went outside and headed towards the loud sound. It was coming from the entrance to the Labyrinth. There were many people fleeing from the entrance to the Labyrinth. In front of them was a Lich. A Lich far more powerful than the one Akiza and Cixi fought.

"How did it make it through?!?" shouted someone in the crowd.

Akiza saw it. A small silver gate next to the Lich. It had opened a portal that allowed it to leave Labyrinthos and enter into their world. Next to it were two skeletons that were also at the Emperor Stage. A total of three creatures at the higher end of the Emperor Stage had escaped from Labyrinthos. The Lich itself felt more powerful than the others by a significant amount. Its arm was even covered with a black flesh of some kind, as if it was slowly transforming itself. Akiza could feel a terrible presence from it, one similar to the one from Midas.

"Oh no..." said Himiko. "It's worse than I imagined."

"What happened?" asked Cixi.

"The Emperor Stage creatures have found a way out of the Labyrinth," said Himiko. "There's no telling where they went."

Himiko immediately rushed towards the Lich. She disappeared as if she was never there in the first place. BOOM. At the same time, Akiza heard a loud sound coming from where the Lich was. It was there that Akiza saw Himiko with her elbow straight out. She had smashed the Lich back into Labyrinthos.

Himiko quickly raised her hands and released a powerful burst of wind, knocking the two skeletons into the gate as well. She clasped her hands together as the silver gate into the Labyrinth began to shrink. In a few minutes, the gate itself shrank. The entrance to the Labyrinth was gone. In it was all the people who failed to make it back, but Himiko seemed to believe that it was necessary to keep everyone else safe.

"What happened in there?" asked Himiko.

A single man in a green and blue robe stood forward. "The Emperor Stage creatures all appeared at once," he said. "There were hundreds of them."

"That can't be," said Himiko. "There were only a few dozen."

"That thing that just walked through the gate was creating more," said the man. "When we killed one of the creatures, it would bring the creature back to life as if nothing happened. No matter how hard we fought, we could not keep it down. Every time, that creature that just appeared would restore its fallen comrades to their original condition."

Akiza had a question. "Himiko, where do Demons come from?" she asked.

"A Demon is a powerful creature that is also a manifestation of a sin," said Himiko. "It is created when a single creature gains enough power and becomes intelligent enough to direct its power. This is different from a Demon Lord, which is so powerful that it requires Divine Energy to purify it."

"What was that thing that created the gate then?" asked Cixi.

"That is most likely a new Demon in the making," said Himiko. "Shortly, it will cross the lines and attack our world."

"What?!?" Someone in the crowd shouted. "How did this even happen?"

This was all a result of the people who were fighting the creatures but failing. When someone fell, the creatures would be able to devour the body of the fallen and acquire its power. That was common among spirits and was also a forbidden art. Some people did it in order to steal power from others to become stronger, but wild animals could also eat people and become strong. That was why most of the time, bodies were recovered or completely destroyed. The first Lich that appeared had killed many people who were unprepared for it. It had probably devoured some people, which was what gave it its incredible strength. The new Lich that appeared was far stronger and was able to traverse between the realms. That put it at least at the level of the Masters of West Wind Academy if not higher.

"Everyone, return to where you came from and prepare for the worst," said Himiko. "There's no telling when we will be attacked again."

The crowd was scared. For the first time, these proud and confident people were afraid. They had been fighting each other and in their ignorance, the creatures of the Labyrinth took advantage of it and fed on them to grow stronger in their carelessness. Now, they had to deal with the consequence of their actions. A potential attack by a newly born Demon or something at least equal to it.

"We're not ready for another war with the Demons," said Cixi. "The schools are too disorganized and antagonistic towards one another."

The pride of the schools would now be their downfall.