Arthur walked in front of the Midolf and Radolf and raised his hand. Tiny black threads made of Dark Magic wrapped around the chains and slowly corrupting them. In less than a minute, the chains were inky black, and when Radolf wriggled, they disintegrated. As for the white-haired youth, he was reluctant to move at all. He gave a hesitant look to Arthur, his lips opening and closing without saying anything.

"What's wrong with him?" Arthur was fully aware of the roc's weird personality so he asked Radolf, who's calmer and more reasonable.

"He- he's just too lazy to move."

The red-haired youth lied to Arthur as he couldn't speak of the real problem when Zaarae is meters away. She seemed to only care about Arthur and it would do them no good to provoke her. Radolf violently nudged Midolf before getting up and politely bowing toward his master. The white-haired youth was a second too late but he still imitated the same actions, though his eyes kept looking at the ground.

"I know you haven't recovered yet but we need to leave now."

Arthur waved his hand, motioning for them to follow him as he left the small cell. Zaarae walked just inches left of him, her body ever-so-slightly lagging behind, on purpose. She didn't speak anymore but her eyes showcased her emotions as they lingered on Arthur's back and face for minutes.

The 13th floor wasn't big so it took them a very short time to reach its entrance, however, there was a silhouette waiting for them. Arthur prepared himself as he coated his body with Dark Magic and prepared to attack at any given second. He wasn't in the range for appraisal but the pressure emanating from the figure was alarming enough.

Even Zaarae momentarily knitted her brows but her expression soon returned to normal. Arthur stopped ten meters away and stared at an old man with a bent back, long white hair, a face that was suffering from the vicissitudes of times, and a short wooden cane that helped him move around.

"Master, he's the Chief Guard of the fifth level," Radolf warned Arthur, who relied on appraisal, to get some useful information.

*Kass Boler (Race: Half human/ Half God): Cultivation: none

Lv: none

Astral Force : ????

Titles : none

Skills : God Handle (Max Lv)

Short Info : none*

'God Race? Isn't it extinct?'

"Yes, master, the god race is current extinct but there are small tribes which are the Gods' descendant, sort of. They only have a fraction of their ancestor's powers and are persecuted against by many races, mainly humans, elves, and demons."

The old man, Kass Boler, turned his head toward Arthur, his old eyes looking at the tall middle-aged man wearing black leather pants and an unfamiliar armor which protected his top side. Arthur wasn't the type to rely on equipment but since the environment wasn't suitable for large hosts, he could only rely on this armor, which grants a decent boost to his defense and can block a couple of attacks from an Exalted God. It has other miscellaneous functions but they probably won't work inside the prison.

Kass glanced at Midolf, who was emitting a small white light that healed him and Radolf. He couldn't fully use his Life Energy but this amount was enough to slowly recover their bodies and allow them to fight in case an enemy appears.

"Arthur MoonStar?"

With an archaic hoarse voice, Kass used a polite tone to ask the parasite, who was startled by these words.

'Does he have Appraisal too? No, it shouldn't be possible. He doesn't even have the System!'

"…"

For a couple of breaths, Arthur didn't reply and only studied the Chief Guard, who appeared calm and non-hostile, but it can be a facade to trick him.

"You've got the wrong person." Arthur calmly replied. However, right after saying that, the pressure from the old man increased and pressed down on him but it only lasted for a split second before a cool and refreshing aura enveloped him. This aura emanated from behind, precisely from Zaarae, who snorted and said:

"Old foggy, you better behave yourself! The only reason I haven't killed you yet is because you treated me well in the past!"

The aura emanating from the Empress easily suppressed Kass, who chuckled and apologetically bowed.

"These old bones were just curious. I happen to have a matter to discuss with him, that's all."

A kind expression was plastered on the old man's face as he flashed an elderly smile while looking at Zaarae and Arthur. In fact, he didn't seem to care about the escapees standing behind.

"I don't care! He doesn't want to talk so how about you roll out!"

Zaarae finally showed her fierce attitude as her aura increased by several folds, to the point that Kass Boler was forced to take a few steps back and defend with his Astral Force(It's like Nether Energy or Mana).

"Wait!" Arthur signaled for Zaarae to back down before adding: "What do you want?"

The old man was strange, he not only recognized him but was also acting polite towards him. It wasn't the attitude you'd expect from a Chief Guard.

The Parasite Empress sweetly smiled at Arthur and obediently stood next to him, her arms folded under her breasts and her eyes intensely glaring at Kass, warning him not to do anything foolish.

In response, the chief guard chuckled and said: "Please follow me."

He slowly turned around and supported himself with the cane as he went upstairs. Arthur and the rest followed after him and in a few minutes, they reached a medium-sized dusty room filled with thousands of books. There was barely any space to move around due to the staggering number of the books and the indecipherable scrolls.

Seeing that Zaarae casually entered, Arthur breathed a sigh of relief as he thought this may be a trap. He didn't know why but he felt that the Empress seemed trustworthy, at least he was sure that she will not hurt him.

"Please, sit."

Kass courteously guided them to another open which had more space than the first one. Midolf and Radolf remained standing while Arthur sat on a wide red leather sofa which was very comfortable. Zaarae also sat next to him, her shoulder rubbing against his but even when she received a warning glare from him, she pretended not to see.

The old man sat on one of the chairs and deeply looked at Arthur, trying to see through this artificial shell but, in the end, he gave up. If Zaarae wasn't here, he'd be able to discover some of the parasite's secrets but the Empress was closely watching and was ready to take his life in case he tried anything tricky. While it's true she's been locked here for a long time, it was done willingly and she could have escaped but she decided to stay for no apparent reason. Now that she's leaving, not even Warden Habs can stop her, much less someone like him, whose feet are already in the hereafter.

********

A young man who seemed to be in his twenties suddenly opened his eyes and sat with lightning speed. He looked down and saw that his upper body was naked, plus, there were strange but familiar black bandages around his waist. Leiu, who was in comatose for the past few days, instantly knew who bandaged him and he confirmed his guess when he looked around and saw the luxurious room filled with old antics and priceless treasures. There was even a massive painting hanging on the biggest wall, it depicted an undead that was no smaller than a titan, its bones were spiky and it wielded a crimson club.

Seconds after he woke up, a graceful curvy figure entered the room, her black hair reached her ankles and her skin was a mix of blue and white.

This was none other than the Lady of Darkness, Xyktia 'Assassin', she brought Leiu here to treat him and get him away from all the fights occurring around the Red Tower.

"You're awake!"

She softly smiled as she sat next to him and replaced the black bandages with newer ones. Leiu did nothing to stop her as his inky black pupils gazed at her then at his chest. He could feel that Sol'khin was no longer inside of him, which made him a bit restless.

"Don't worry, Sol'khin wasn't able to get the parasite. He did manage to escape though."

"Inside of Zodiak, right?"

Hearing this, Xyktia was a bit startled. "How did you know?"

Leiu sighed and mumbled: "How can I not know?"

He wasn't in a hurry to leave as his body still hasn't fully recovered. Only after recuperating for one whole week did he leave Xyktia's castle, heading toward one specific and unforgettable place. As for the Lady of the Darkness, she didn't have much time left outside as the real she is still trapped, so after getting separated from the Nameless knight, both she and the castle vanished into nothingness.

Leiu reached his destination in three hours, his silhouette, which was wrapped in darkness, materialized right next to the Joker, who was sitting on a floating leather chair and humming a song.

"Is that him?"

The Joker glanced at the pale-faced youth before nodding his head and replying: "Yes, Zodiak died not long after you were taken. As you had previously said, he managed to imprison Sol'khin but not forever."

He pointed at a minuscule crimson tear million of kilometers away: "You see that? It's slowly expanding. I reckon we have a few years, at best."

"Whatever."

The youth shrugged his shoulders and disappeared right after, leaving the Joker alone again.