"Is the human who took my internal infernal rune here?" Vrix asked. Back then, his infernal rune had been given to Almin, who had been cultivating it ever since.
Alm and Bruno nodded in confirmation, both imagining various scenarios until Ruri confirmed, "Master, now that I’ve perfected the use of my divine soul, I can invade the formation of this sealed world without being in its core, if you give me time."
Previously, Ruri had to be taken to the core of a sealed world to invade and dominate it with the Dao of the God of Formation. However, her past experiences had sharpened her technique and mastery. Now, she could use her divine soul to penetrate any point in the sealed world’s formation, moving between the runes and gradually learning its structure until she reached the core.
"That’s extremely dangerous," Alm warned firmly. "This formation is nothing like the simpler ones you’ve dealt with before. To do that, you’d have to use your entire divine soul. The heroes might sense you, and you’re still too inexperienced."
Ruri replied with determination, "Don’t worry, I’ll be perfect. I’ve learned from the master to prioritize cultivating my senses; I completely dedicate myself to what the master teaches. I may be inexperienced, but I’m confident. At the slightest sign I’ve been discovered, I’ll detonate my soul, and the heroes won’t catch me."
Bruno nodded confidently, though Alm seemed hesitant. Bruno then spoke mentally: ’Trust her a little. She’s not our accessory. Besides, she won’t die. A fragment of her soul is safe in her body. If she needs to detonate, it’ll be quick, and not even the heroes will be able to stop it. Our woman is not to be underestimated.’
Alm huffed, still uneasy, but seeing her gaze fixed on him, he couldn’t deny her. Meanwhile, Vrix watched Ruri, surprised. It was hard to believe that this divine fairy was the same human child who, in the past, sat on the shoulder of that round human.
Turning to Vrix, Alm asked seriously, "Our past karma is already settled. I fulfilled the deal, reincarnated you into a good family, and even with your memories intact. What do you want to do now?"
Vrix hesitated, swallowing hard, but before he could respond, Alm continued, "This current war is just a prelude to what’s coming. Soon, something far greater than the war of the immortal cultivators of the past will erupt. If you want peace, hiding in the Underworld is an option. Staying in this universe is a mistake, and I can’t guarantee your safety."
With resolve, Vrix replied, "I am the guardian of the Underworld. My duty is to protect the life that resides there. The universes are part of it, despite everything. I won’t stand by while the Divine Cerberus fights such a massive enemy for the sake of everyone. Please, let me fight by your side."
He bowed deeply. Alm and Bruno then remembered how they had once won over the Cerberos clan living in the Abyss. It was at that moment when the faith of the Underworld manifested the image of the two-headed Cerberus they had once been. This earned them the title of Divine Cerberus, a revered figure of protection for Vrix and his race.
Vrix fully believed they would protect his race, after all, technically, they had been part of it in the past.
"Good," Bruno said lightly. "Your first mission will be extremely risky. The slightest mistake, and everything falls apart."
As Vrix nodded, Alm noticed a change in the laws, similar to before but this time clearly linked to someone familiar. With a simple motion of his tattoos, the infernal laws froze in one direction.
Far away, the pressure on Almin disappeared. He quickly ran toward the group and found them.
"You arrived just in time," Alm said to Almin, who saw the Cerberus and was visibly shocked. "He’s an unexpected ally from the past. Anyway, we need your help to prepare some pills."
Alm took out a half-meter sphere containing a greenish liquid. "Make a pill capable of containing a small amount of this poison imperceptibly, even to the one consuming it."
Turning to Vrix, Bruno asked, "Are you a good actor?"
"I... I prefer to act directly. I don’t have experience lying..." the Cerberus replied, tense.
Bruno calmly said, "That’s fine. Just create a context your mind can accept. You don’t need to lie outright; that makes it easier. But remember: you’ll be dealing with heroes at an immortal level. Not in combat, of course."
Then he turned to Almin, and Alm concluded with his eyes gleaming darkly, "Call Lyra and the others. We’ll act together at the right moment. But first, we need to set the stage."
***
In an isolated area within that sealed world, there was a small space completely engulfed in scarlet mist. At its center, a golden sun pulsed, emitting high-pitched sounds as if metal was being pierced and fractured repeatedly.
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Around the golden sun, a few hundred demonic figures were gathered, entirely focused. They were all demons and, at the same time, immortal heroes.
At that moment, one of them opened their eyes.
He fixed his gaze on the golden sun and murmured, "It should be complete in a few days."
Then, turning around, his eyes radiated heroic power, sending a message to a distant location. The response came almost immediately, in a rough male voice:
’Reporting to the Lord Hero, the trap worked perfectly. That suspect really did invade the sealed world. We don’t know where he is—do you want us to search for him?’
’Just stay alert and don’t move,’ the demon hero replied emotionlessly. ’He surely knows we’re close to succeeding and will try something. Avoid giving any hints; it’s better if he thinks he’s hidden until the last moment.’
After sending the orders, the demon hero turned to the other heroes present. "Ladies and gentlemen, it’s possible this is another envoy, but a Heaven-Defier is here."
"Good. It’s definitely a foolish Heaven-Defier, not the one who caused so much trouble. But he might give us information about the primary target," a demoness said, opening her eyes.
Another demon growled sinisterly, "Those bastard Heaven-Defiers are always so flashy, even when trying to hide. Are we all set?"
The first hero replied, "Yes. The entire sealed world is prepared to prevent his escape, no matter what he does. He likely doesn’t have that space-piercing power like the other one, but I’ve taken precautions for that as well."
"Then just keep working and wait for him to fall into the net," the demoness replied dryly before closing her eyes again, returning her focus to what lay before her.