It has been three months since the Joker started training Saly. The little girl still hasn't seen the light of day, every day struggling to land a blow on the eccentric man.

She got used to his mocking and berating but the pain was still as intense as the first day. Even before coming here, she was a good fighter but that was nothing compared to how she was now. She improved by leaps and bounds, she was still at the Spirit Realm but her strength was out of the ordinary.

Her beautiful white fur became erect as she leapt at the Joker, she spun in performed an axe kick, hitting the Joker, who crossed his arms to block. He tried to grab her feet but missed by hair's breadth.

She twisted her body and kicked him in his abdomen, successfully landing the attack.

Unfortunately, she didn't injure him as he remained unscathed and unperturbed. He nonchalantly retreated two steps before his figure turned illusory only for her to be sent flying back without managing to see or hear the attack.

Her senses were still sealed yet she managed to precisely locate him and hit her target, an amazing feat that very few can achieve.

The Magician clapped his hands while grinning then waved his hand, removing the blindfold and giving Saly all her senses back.

Startled, Saly looked around her, relieved to get her sight back. She focused on the Joker, who signaled her to sit down before taking out a card from his deck then crushing it.

A grand feast appeared before the hungry girl, who devoured it all in a few minutes. The man watched from the side and only talked when she's done

"Now, let's try to incorporate your skills to your fighting. This is the most important lesson."

As she was given the green sign, Saly, finally started using all kinds of skills but to her surprise, found it much harder to fight him when she relies on her skills.

"You see, skills and techniques are not important. One shouldn't use them unless the situation calls for it. Take Leiu, for example, I haven't seen him use any skills for a long, long time. One sword swing is more than enough to finish his enemies, that's what I call perfection."

Saly silently listened to him without talking back. She refrained from asking questions for they won't be answered unless she finishes the training, or so said the Joker.

"W-what about you? I always see you use your strange cards."

In the end, she couldn't herself back and questioned him. In response, the Joker burst out in laughter. He appeared in front of her and retrieved his deck of cards, playing with it whilst saying

"These cards represent my very being. I only use them when I'm serious. However, I went through a lot to break my limiter and reach the apex of physical strength. I even dare say that my body is the strongest in all of the multiverse."

If the Nameless Knight is the ultimate offense then the Joker is, without a doubt, the ultimate and unbreakable defense. His body is resistant to almost all kinds of Physiques and Magic. Very few things can injure him.

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

The long adventure of Lissandra continued. The caves weren't dangerous, just a few low-leveled monsters, however, the complexity of this labyrinth is mind-numbing.

She has been here for the past three months, checking for walls that have old paintings on them. She had enough rations to live, the only problem was the cold air and the encroaching darkness.

At some point, the woman arrived inside what seemed to be a room. She moved the torch around, inspecting every little detail only to witness flat walls which depicted several scenes, just like last time.

The first was a sea of bones, more than one could count. A blue-haired woman was walking on this sea. The next picture was of a dragon, a massive bone dragon that was sleeping, the same woman from before was standing before this beast.

Lissandra cautiously walked to several creaking tables and checked the dusty books and documents. Amongst them, she noticed a white book, it looked strange amidst all the others. The frail woman picked it up and started flipping the pages and checking its contents.

She sucked in a deep and cold breathe of air as she saw the pictures and descriptions written on the book.

"Cthulhu Race?"

The Cthulhu race, also known as the Evil race. Arthur faced them once when he went to Bucama's world and was almost killed there. A malevolent and savage race that is the enemy of everyone.

Anyone who spots them will either call for reinforcements from powerful factions or kill them if they're strong enough. They're monsters that shouldn't belong in this multiverse, their existence is denied by both angels, and demons.

The language used in the book wasn't foreign to Lissandra, who studied many things throughout the years. It was the common language of the Buria Empire, a once prosperous and powerful empire that, at some point in history, dominated a third of the Cloud Sea Universe.

"Vyncent?"

She read the name of the author but still had no idea who he was. The other books also mentioned things that she never heard about before.

"Hour of creation… High Rules… The Eighteen Regions?"

***********

The moment they left the snowy area, Arthur possessed the White Tiger and transformed into a bolt of lightning, grabbing Lucy and leaving that area. In fact, even if the old man tried to chase them, he might have been unable to catch up to them.

His agility is above 40B after activating [Transmutation]. Even when he passed by several cultivators, they only felt a small breeze. Arthur maintained that speed for six hours before stopping.

After they made sure no one followed them, the couple dived underground. The two only returned to the surface three days later.

Arthur was nowhere to be seen, as for Lucy, she transformed into a middle-aged man with a thick black beard. The bracelet was a bit altered so it could work Lucy.

She would travel alone and Arthur would remain inside of her, dormant and merely watching the unfolding events from her point of view.

If they traveled together, it would be too suspicious so they ended up doing this. It is unknown what Angelina would do when she's out of the garden and the couple didn't plan on waiting for her.

Their next destination is South, in a volcanic mountain. The second soul-protecting treasure is called the Raging Soul Bead.

Once she gets her hands on that, she'll be able to merge the two beads and create a strong artifact that can protect her from any soul-attack.

With a moderate traveling speed, Lucy made her way toward the base of this triangular-shaped realm. She met a few God and Sovereign Beasts but they were quickly disposed of.

The trip lasted six days before a sky-piercing red mountain entered her view. The heat it was emanating was suffocating and dangerous to unprepared cultivators.

Fortunately, her Fire Resistance is high and her physical body is strong enough to resist the heat. Thick steam lingered at the peak of the mountain, caused by the raging volcano inside.

Losha didn't specify where the bead was, however, it should be deep inside. Unlike the snowy area under the Paradise Garden, there were no signs of people lingering around the colossal mountain.

…

It hasn't been a minute since she started climbing the mountain yet three Sovereigns Beasts blocked her way, hissing at her with murderous eyes.

Lucy, who had the appearance of the middle-aged man, took out Twilight's vow, her soft white saber, which was strengthened by Losha, and started fighting the enemies.

The three beasts were frozen and cut by the saber, their boiling hot bodies cooled down as ice-covered their limbs then froze them from head to toe.

She swiftly stored the bodies before heading upwards. As one would expect from such a dangerous place, there was an over-abundance of strong beasts, which weren't that difficult to deal with as Lucy wasn't weakened like everyone else.

***

Three hours later, Lucy appeared at the peak of the mountain, where the heat became much more intense. Her presence was greatly reduced with Arthur's help. She hid in a separate dimension while gazing at a group of people standing around the edges of the peak while peeking at the volcano down below.

This group wore either golden armors or white robes and was led by the Deacon. Not everyone was present, for example, Delia and a few others were nowhere to be seen, however, the main force of the group was here.

'They're all weakened, it's our chance.'-Lucy

'Indeed, it's like a pie in the sky.'-Arthur

There was no one present to witness what's going to happen so it's the best time to get rid of these annoying insects. They were here for Arthur so it's only normal for him to retaliate.