“I ’t believe I have to wear this,” Ace muttered as he skipped dozens of meters with each seemingly casual step, dressed in a pin but glistening white robe.

  “This is the first time this king has seen you in anything but cargo pants and shirts,” Wukong ughed as he traversed through the skies beside Ace.

  “Aunt Milli was right,” Amira smiled. “We’re on our way to what may well be the biggest event of our era; the ed prince of a major kingdom ’t be seen dressed in bats and loose-fitting shirts. Your appearand as are a refle of the Gol Kingdom now.”

  “Yeah, but it doesn’t mean I have to like it,” Ace grumbled back as he pulled at his top dissatisfiedly. “My old clothes were so much more fortable.”

  “I still don’t uand why all you humans insist on wearing clothes all the time,” Leona growled aloud. “Being naked is true freedom!”

  “You would say that!” Ace rolled his eyes, being that he was the only one who could uand her due to their bond.

  At that moment, Like many other saint-level beings from around the ti, Ad his small group of four were casually making their way through the skies towards the tre of the Forest of Darkness – the location of the gates to the mysterious Necropolis of the Gods.

  The night before, the whole of the upper echelon of the Gol Kingdom had a rge ba where they said their goodbyes to their four stro experts.

  Because Amira was going as well, her parents, as well as a few of the senior members of her Rohault Empire, had e to say their goodbyes.

  Ace had to admit that he was slightly surprised that her of Amira’s parents were going, but with the twins – Amira’s two little “siblings” – being so young, her wao be away for so long during their formative years.

  The mood during the ba was joyful and harmonious, but it still left Ace feeling bittersweet. Whether it was his cssmates, Lance, Killian or his mother, this would be the loime he had spent away from any of them.

  He’d be lying if he said he was a bit relut to be apart from them, but he khat whether for his personal development or for the sake of Aiden’s future, he couldn’t afford not to go.

  Still, the process of saying goodbye was definitely made easier by the fact that Milianna’s tainted soul had healed. Although still sad that her little boy would be leaving her, she was able to remain strong.

  That being said, her resolve to bee a saint was stronger now than ever before. Only then would she be able to make sure she would have ay together with those she loved.

  Still, between her incredible talent and the fact that Ace would likely be away for the wenty years – undoubtedly heading up to the deity levels of the ruins – ces are, by the time Ace returns, she would’ve long since broken through to bee a saint, even with the ridiculous prerequisites imposed on her by her master.

  Ace, who was still grumbling unhappily about the choice of attire his mother had picked out for him, suddenly looked up as they approached the depths of the forest.

  “So many saints,” Ace sighed when he sehe cluster of various powerful auras in the distance.

  Whether it was Leona, Amira, or Wukong, none of them had ventured so far into the Forest of Darkness, but hearing Ace’s words, they immediately uood that they had to be nearing their destination.

  Within minutes, a jet-bck castle, seemingly made of a unique bck metal, appeared in the distahe castle stretched over an area of several square kilometres. But in front of the bck metal castle, hundreds of saint-level experts had gathered.

  Among them were faces Ace reised, such as Desri and the other prime saints, Wharton’s master Haydson, and even Olivier – who after all this time seemed to have broken through to the mid-stages of the saint realm. There were many others he reised from his mother’s wedding or his fight with Linley, but most were faces he had never met before.

  “This king is shocked there are so many early-stage saints that dare to enter,” Wukong shook his head.

  “Acc to my father, in the past, lord Beirut had limited the number of experts who were allowed entry by allog a certain number of pces to O’Brien, Catherine, and the various prime saints, which prevehe majority of saints – including my father – from being able to enter,” Amira expined. “But since Lord Beirut decided to open it up to everyohis time, it was no surprise that so many saints are determio try their luck this time.

  If they’re lucky, they might be able to find a treasure that could very well ge their fates.”

  “Or, more likely, they’ll end up dead,” Wukong scoffed.

  Whilst Ad his group were studying the various experts already gathered, those same experts were studying Ace.

  “So that’s Ace, huh?”

  “Apparently, he’s the greatest talent our Yun ti has ever produced.”

  “It’s a shame I had been training in isotion these st few decades, so I couldn’t watch the battle between him and that young Dragonblood Warrior. Still, he doesn’t look too impressive.”

  The ents opped flying, many of which were sceptical with a hint of disdain. After all, which saint wasn’t sidered a peerless talent in their youth? Between that and their having never seen A a, how could they be willing to admit their inferiority so readily?

  Still, that had nothing to do with Ad his group, who were too zy to pay attention to them. After taking a quice at the various experts, they calmly made their way towards a small group of four, waiting patiently in a secluded er.

  “Must you brats always be the tre of attention wherever you go?” Lazerim sighed as he watched Ad the others make their way over.

  “Linley’s arrival gained just as much attention,” Kimika added.

  “I was hoping that by ing early, I’d be able to skip all of that,” Linley sighed from the side with Bebe lying zily on his shoulder before fog on Ace’s odd expression. “Hmm, what’s wrong with you?”

  “That castle,” Ace muttered absentmindedly. “I think it’s alive.”

  “It is,” Bebe said aloud, his voice shog all those of Ace’s group.

  “How you speak?” Amira asked in fusion. “You’re not a sai; you’re only at the ninth rank!”

  “Don’t uimate me!” Bebe snorted disdainfully as he rose to his back feet whilst puffing out his furry little chest and pointing his nose up towards the sky to look down at Amira and Ace. “I, Bebe, am an invincible Godeater Rat of the mighty Beirut !”

  “Beirut ? Godeater Rat?” Ace’s eyes widened in surprise when he heard that. “You’re reted to Beirut?”

  “Grandpa Beirut could be sidered my aor!” Bebe grinned proudly upon seeing Ace’s surprise. “He was the first Godeater ience. In fact, until my birth, he was the only Godeater ie was he who gave me a treasure that allowed me to speak in human tongue before being a saint.

  “Godeater huh?” Ace smiled. “A very imposing name.”

  “Don’t uimate us, Godeater Rats,” Bebe snorted. “Upon beiies, we be sidered invincible in the same realm. Even among Divis, there are very few who match us!”

  A low but imposing growl escaped the lips of Leona, who felt her petitive spirit and battle i rising after hearing Bebe’s words.

  “Not now, Leona,” Ace said, gently stroking his familiar’s obsidian fur. “You have some fun with the “Godeater” ihe ruins.”

  Bebe had been so excited to show off that he fot that, like him, Leona ex Divi. When she became a Divi iure, she would likely awaken a powerful Divine Ability as well.

  Still, he was fident that he was no weaker than the obsidian lioness in front of him. And when he awakened his Divine Ability, the gap would grow to an inceivable level.

  But whilst Bebe was fident, Leona was even more so. Still, she knew Ace was correct; there was a time and a pce for that, and now was her.

  “Anyway,” Ace said, bringing the topic of versation ba track. “What were you saying about the castle?”

  “Ooh yeah, like you guessed, this castle is se. Acc to Grandpa Beirut, it’s called a metallic lifeform. After bonding with it, you trol it to take any shape you wish,” Bebe expiedly. “They also e at different levels; this one is at the level of a high god. As such, it be sidered an invincible existence here on the ti.

  Even if Grandpa didn’t take a, this metallic lifeform would be able to kill all the experts here without much effort.”

  Hearing that, whether it was Ace, Wukong, or even Amira, they were all greatly.

  ‘Beirut really is something else,’ Ace sighed. ‘Even his castle be described as an invincible existence.’

  Ace opened his mouth to say something else when he suddenly turned his head over his shoulder, his eyes narrowing slightly as he sehe group approag from the distance. “I was w when they were going to make their appearance.”

  Hearing Ace’s words and sensing his growing bloodlust, Linley and the others didn’t o see them to uand who it was.

  Before long, a rge group of almost 40 saints appeared in the distance. Almost all of whom were at the peak of the saint realm, but the focus of everyone’s attentiohe two overwhelmiences leading the pack.

  The one slightly in front and to the left was the ever-beautiful High Priest of the Yun Empire, and just behind her was the crimson-haired Demi-God donning an imposing crimson armour.

  “O’Brien!” Aarled.

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