The crypt was as usual dark and gloomy. Gibson didn't even know what time it was as they had no way of looking outside after locking down the crypt door. Gibson took a long deep breath looking at the crew sleeping on the floor completely blackout drunk. Booze was the only thing that kept them from going crazy. Gibson turned his gaze to the crypt's dark corner to see Maxine using Shorty as a dumbbell to train her biceps. She held Shorty by his belt and lifted him up and down. The little guy seemed to be in an awkward position as he avoided looking at Gibson.
Noticing Gibson walking towards him, Maxine let go of Shorty. Shorty ran away as fast he could from Gibson.
"Lady Maxine, did you talk to Lord Lucifer?" Gibson asked in a worried tone.
It had been almost three months since they were teleported into the crypt after the Guardians destroyed the Silent Reaper. Never in his life, Gibson thought the Silent Reaper would be reaped by someone else inside the void line.
"Lord Lucifer will come here in the morning," Maxine said with a grin on her face. She was excited to see Lord Lucifer after so long. She couldn't wait to help him achieve his goals. She was completely devoted to the cause.
If Lord Lucifer asked her of her life, she would give it to him in a blink of an eye.
"Shit, tomorrow. Lady Maxine, I would have kept them from getting this drunk" He looked at the pirates who were snoring and rolling on the floor,
"You really think we can stop them from getting drunk? That's the only thing keeping them from killing each other" Maxine chuckled,
"You are right" Gibson scratched the back of his head as he followed Maxine to the newly placed throne on the north end of the crypt.
Like all the thrones of Lucifer, the throne on the crypt also looked similar to the one in the Dark Forest.
"Lady Maxine, have you heard anything from Lady Sadie and Tiberius?"
Gibson asked. Maxine grabbed the white towel hanging from her waist before cleaning the dust off the throne. Then, she used the same towel to wipe off the sweat droplets on her face.
Gibson was quite used to her reverence towards Lucifer. At first, it was creepy but now it didn't freak him out as much as it used to.
"Sadie is still with those girls and helping them settle down. I told the two of them to get here before Lord Lucifer comes. Lord Lucifer ordered all of us to gather here"
Gibson took a deep breath. He could tell their vacation would come to an end soon. Also, he had a feeling that the real work begins tomorrow morning.
*****************************************
Meanwhile back in Bradford, Michael was holding the acceptance letter to Mazeroth, Academy Of The Arcane. He was cracking his knuckle while reading the contents of the letter.
"What is this place? Why have I never heard the name before?" He talked to himself. Although he had never heard the name before, by looking at the quality and the gold plating of the letter, he had a feeling that this place was not only powerful but also wealthy.
"Your majesty" As he was deep in thought, Ricky entered the throne hall.
"What is it, Ricky?" Michael asked with a gentle smile to calm Ricky. Ever since Ricky witnessed what happened to the baron and his soldiers, he was shivering. Michael himself regretted killing Baron and his men. Jane was a spoiled brat but that didn't mean the baron deserved to die. He was a father in pain of losing his daughter. Of course, since the baron dared to attack him for no good reason, Michael would have beaten the crap out of his soldiers and baron himself but he would have never killed the baron.
Since there was no use in meddling in the past, Michael never spent his time regretting his actions. Instead, he was thinking about how to solve the third person problem. He himself hated that persona as it was everything he hated. Killing had never been his first plan. Rather, he preferred making allies and getting stronger in the shadows. Because of the Guardians and their prophecy, they pushed him on the path to be the Dark Lord.
Even the Lucifer persona was created by him to get rid of his enemies in the shadows and let someone else take the fall. He had never expected that what he had created was something the prophecy foretold three thousand years ago.
"Someone called Lord Information is here" Ricky scratched his head saying the name.
"Let him in" Ricky was surprised to see the sudden smile that appeared on Ghost's face. It seemed like he was relieved to hear the name.
"That elf has come in a great time," He thought to himself,
"Your majesty, Sect Leader Claire also is here to see you"
"Send them both in"
Michael was surprised to see Claire in here. He thought she would at least stay away from him for a month or two. After Ricky left the hall, Michael leaned back on his throne experiencing the feeling of being the ruler. He had never been drunk in his life but the feeling he was experiencing kinda felt like a drug. '
A few minutes later, Lord Information wearing rather plain-looking brown robes entered the throne hall. He took off the cloak covering his face to reveal the trademark pointy ears. Lord Information held the door open for Claire to enter. Giving a short nod at Lord Information, Claire made her way towards the black cushion seats Michael placed on the hall.
Considering Michael was dealing with Guardians and the holy guards, he didn't get enough time to actually decorate the throne hall. If Gaya was here, decorating would have been her task. Since it was not the case, he just placed a few black cushion sofas as seats for nobles and people who came to see him and put a plain black cloth as banners.
Seeing Michael sitting on the throne, Lord Information gave a nod of approval.
"Please take a seat Lord Information. Sect Leader Claire, you too take a seat"
"You two have met?" Michael asked,
"Yes, we have met. It was an honor to meet such a rising star" Lord Information praised Claire as she waved it off wordlessly telling him not to flatter her too much in front of Ghost. The main reason for the SunRise sect's rising was none other than Ghost, not her or the elders.
However, it was not entirely true. Although Michael brought the much-needed gold and allies to the sect, it was Claire who is leading the sect in the path of success. After all, Michael barely intervened with the sect's business.
"Don't sell yourself too short Sect Leader Claire, your impeccable leadership didn't go unnoticed among the big names in Elon"
"Is that so?" Claire let out a gentle smile,
Lord Information then turned his gaze towards Michael,
"Take a look at this and name your price for telling me all I want to know" Michael sent the letter in his hand floating towards Lord Information. Claire may have not noticed the change in Lord Information's face but Michael noticed the surprise look in his eyes.
It seemed like Lord Information had guessed what the letter was about even without taking a look at it. Hiding the surprise from his face, Lord Information grabbed the letter. Just by looking at the golden lining and paper quality itself indicated to Claire that this letter came from a prestigious organization.
Lord Information patiently read the contents inside the letter.
"Before we talk about Mazeroth. King Ghost, have you heard about Skyhall?"
The mere mention of the name Skyhall sent a chill running through Claire's spine. Skyhall was the most powerful existence in the entire world. Even Guardians or any of the Great Clans couldn't be compared to Skyhall in terms of power.
"Little bit. I heard Guardian Noah's big sister is the Holy Maiden of Skyhall?"
"Yes" Lord Information nodded,
"This world is basically governed and ruled by the Great Clans. They are the most dominant existence in the world. The Skyhall can destroy not one but all the Great clans in a few days if they wanted. That's how powerful they are"
To be honest, Michael was stunned. He was thinking the Great Clans were the most powerful existences in the world and Skyhall was just another existence like Guardians but never considered as a Great Clan. However, it seemed like he was wrong.
"Why haven't I seen any of the Skyhall members or their bases?" Michael asked as Lord Information just smiled, shaking his head,
"It's because Skyhall has no bases in any of the continents. Rather, they have their own realms. This Akilan realm is one of theirs"
Michael couldn't help raising his brows. If they could create realms of their own, there was no doubt in his mind that they are the final boss of this world, not the Great clans.
"Mazeroth is a subsidiary of Skyhall. Which makes Mazeroth is the most powerful academy in the world, not Vogerth in the western continent"
Lord Information paused for a moment before continuing,
"This letter is the only way to get into Mazeroth. They only choose the best of the best and they have chosen you. As far as I know, no one has ever rejected this as this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Are you going to be an exception, King Ghost?"
Michael was thinking about rejecting their offer as he had no time or need to go to school. He wasn't a school kid after all. However, after hearing about the Skyhall, Michael changed his mind. The best way to defeat the Guardians and the Great clans was to ally himself with someone more powerful. Until now, he never found such an existence that could go on head to head with the Great clans.
"Lord Information, Sect Leader Claire, I'm going back to school"