Ivor's destination was the entrance of the Dark Valley. He had placed a Space Mark there so that was the only place he could travel to. Besides, it was the only place he would need to go to since Mane's appearance meant that the Princess wasn't that far behind.
The first thing that greeted Ivor was the dim lighting of a Light Grass. When he looked across the space to locate the source of the grass he was met with the surprised expression of the one whom he was meant to protect – the Princess he had come for.
"Ivor?" Lily had a surprised expression on her face when she saw the newcomer. A black hole suddenly appeared before herself and Silver. It was within the range of the light grass that floated right before them so they saw it pretty easily. And both were pretty anxious when the gaping hole they couldn't see through suddenly appeared before them. Their anxiety from waiting for Mane was heightened, and Silver had even summoned his earth armor and battle rod to prepare for whatever was coming. So she was both greatly relieved and surprised to see Ivor come out of the portal. She knew that the man was mysterious, but she didn't think his abilities were this strange. And this begged the question: if he could so easily appear here – in Dark Valley – why didn't he do that for herself and Mane? Or why didn't he come for the Revival Grass himself?
"Princess!" Ivor breathed a huge sigh of relief and rushed to Lily's side. He moved like a specter, and Silver's eyes opened widely in alarm seeing the large man move so quickly. For it couldn't follow Ivor's movements at all.
"Princess?" Lily was slightly baffled when she heard her title. Although he usually called her that, he always did so in a playful manner. However this time there was no playfulness. His strict tone stunned her.
"There is not time to explain," Ivor spoke hurriedly. Since he had been given the go ahead by his Mistress to reveal the twins' origins to them, there was no need to hide anything. Unfortunately, this was neither the place nor the time to dive into stories and legends. He could feel two powerful auras clashing outside. Although his Mistress had her own means, she was never going to get here faster than him. So they had to leave before the brutes fighting outside realised that there were still some people inside.
"We need to leave," Ivor held Lily's arm and said.
"No!" Lily immediately tried to jerk her arm free, but Ivor was too strong for her. She failed after numerous attempts.
"Mane is still outside. We have to get him!" Lily pleaded.
"He will be fine. My Mistress is coming here to protect him. With my strength I can't protect him from those fighting over him outside." Ivor lied through his teeth like it was the easiest thing to do. There was no way he was going to tell this naïve teenage girl that he was the one who had put Mane in this mess in the first place. And he certainly wasn't going to admit that whatever his Mistress wanted with Mane, protection was the least of it.
"But…" Lily was hesitant. Something didn't feel quite right. Her senses were screaming at her and forcing her brain into overdrive, trying to figure out what exactly was off about the entire thing. But before she had the time to think some more, a large hand gently struck the nape of her neck. Her eyes rolled backwards and she fell unconscious – into the arms of the fat man called Ivor.
*Roar*
Silver was not best pleased by what he was witnessing. Although the aura of the man before him was more threatening than his mother's – albeit not too far off – he tried to overcome the fear that had paralyzed him till now. He couldn't allow Ivor to take his friend.
Silver beat his crystalline chest and let out a loud bellow. He span his battle rod in his hand, and the weapon grew a few more metres in length and gained a few meters in diameter. But before he could make a move the large man disappeared, and an angry growl was heard behind him.
"Keep it down you fool! Do you want us to be found?!" Ivor smacked Silver so violently that the Crystal Monkey was sent flying into the Black Hole before disappearing beyond it.
"I need to leave," Ivor stated and then dove into the hole himself; the unconscious princess in his grasp.
*Bang*
*Boom*
*Whoosh*
*Boom*
Several loud explosions and blasts rocked the world just outside the Dark Valley as Waska and the Heavenly Nether Lion battled each other. Both were High Level Pseudo Phenoms, and both were quite evenly matched. However, the Heavenly Nether Lion had stronger battle prowess, and was slowly gaining he advantage. Waska had been reduced to retreating and defending against the powerful lion as the two flickered about the vast battlefield.
*Boom*
Another loud sound was heard as the powerful paw of the Heavenly Nether Beast, capable of splitting the world into two narrowly swept past Waska's sharp figure and landed onto the ground. A large crater that was capable of holding a small lake was formed by this one paw and joined the several other large ditches and deep cracks that ran through the battlefield.
"Amazing," Mane mumbled as his tired eyes struggled to keep up with the two who were battling to decide his fate. He thought he was strong enough to stand at the peak of this world. Even though he knew there were Nobles here, he thought he would be able to escape from them if they ever showed up. But watching the two who were moving so fast that the sounds of their blows followed seconds after they had moved on to something else allowed him to understand just how naïve his thinking was. Even if he was given a ten minute head start, there was no way he would be able to get away.
"I have to get this rod out," Mane thought silently and cast his eyes away from the two battling Nobles. There was no way he could influence that battle. Even at his peak he would be helpless, much less now when he had been cut off from Edict once again. He wished he could analyse the structure of the rod, but he was so disoriented that he couldn't even activate True Eyes. So he had to find another way.
"I could help you," a booming voice suddenly made its way into Mane's mind. No, it didn't make its way into his head. It came from his head!
"Cronos," Mane narrowed his eyes and said. There was only one person in his mindscape – in a part of his mindscape so deep that Mane didn't even know it existed. And that person was the Selfish Titan King and the Wielder of the Clock of Eternity; the Mighty Ruler who had escaped the Dark Realm – Cronos! Mane had no idea how he was able to speak to him since he shouldn't be able to, but this wasn't the time for that now, was it?
"What do you want?" Mane asked. There was no such thing as a free lunch. Cronos had helped him once already without asking for anything in return. Mane reckoned that was because giving him Devour was actually what Cronos wanted, but he wasn't sure why. Now this same person was offering to help him out. This time Mane doubted that Cronos would be as generous as he was before.
"Smart boy," Mane heard the booming voice of the Selfish Titan King again. This time it sounded pleased. Seemingly because he didn't need to say too much for Mane to understand that this was a transaction.
"I could help you unlock power that will get you out of this, but you must promise to go to a place in this world – a place I will guide you to" Cronos replied.
"What is the name of this place?" Mane had a lot of questions. What was this power that could help him out when even Edict was deprived such a duty? And what was this place that even Cronos was curious about? And why did it exist in this plane?
"You don't need to know that now. You would find out its name if you accept my offer." Cronos was much more patient than Mane thought he would be. Mane had expected him to snap at him by now. It wasn't to be though, for the Titan King was very patient with his speech. Now Mane wondered if what he wanted from him was so important that the Titan King was so forbearing, or if he was just like that.
"What do you say?" Cronos asked.
"No," Mane replied resolutely. He didn't need a genie to tell him that Cronos's wish was a pit of darkness waiting to explode. Mane didn't want to commit to anything that would likely cause him more harm than good. Besides, the Heavenly Nether Beast looked like it would be able to deal with Waska, and Mane was greatly relieved by this.
"You think that that big Lion will save you?" Cronos laughed heartily, having seen through Mane's thoughts.
"It is a remarkable beast," Cronos admitted, his tone still calm and composed. "But it is nothing compared to the monster approaching," he added. Before Mane could ask for clarification a powerful aura swept through the area, and the two who were entwined in battle – Waska and the Heavenly Nether Beast – lost their respective momentums. Hildegarde who was next to Mane shook like she had been tossed into a basin of ice water and muttered shakenly,
"This power belongs to an Ascender!"
*Huuu*
A strong wind blew past the battlefield as woman dressed as conservatively as she could appeared next to Waska. Only her face and feet were exposed. Every other part of her body was covered by the long red gown that she wore. Her beauty was beyond anything Waska had seen before, and when he looked into her eyes he was lost in its endless wonders.
"So you are the one who wants to kill him?" the lady stated with a small smile on her face. When she spoke her voice soothed Waska's angry soul greatly, and his eyes grew even hazier. He was completely lost, not able to tell right from left. He had no idea what she was talking about, mainly because he was so mesmerized that he didn't hear a word.
"I'd leave you alive for now. I'm in a good mood so I don't feel like killing." The lady in red glided past Waska like a weightless flower. Her feet didn't touch the ground as she moved. Whenever she took a step the winds gathered beneath her feet and made it their sacred duty not to cause her feet to strike the ground. She moved past Waska quickly, although she took nothing but a step forward. In less than a second she was right in front of the Heavenly Nether Beast.
"You are here to protect him?" she laughed softly, her joy like a pot of herbal brew that healed every kind of disease.
*Growl*
The Heavenly Nether Beast could feel the danger this woman posed. It was no man, so it wasn't shaken by her beauty. It released low menacing roars as it took a few steps backwards subconsciously.
"Then you shall come with us," the lady in red commanded, and a green sphere formed around the Heavenly Nether Beast.
*Roar*
*Bang*
*Bang*
*Bang*
*Bang*
The powerful paws that were capable of breaking apart the earth and tearing new holes on the ground and in the sky were helpless against the green barrier. It struck the barrier several times, yet it didn't even ripple, much less break apart.
"You are Mane," the lady's figure disappeared and she appeared right next to Mane. Her long fingers gently caressed his face like he was the most valuable pearl in the world. Her eyes were filled with longing and curiosity, and her expression was that of a woman drunk on wine.
"Who are you?" Mane's voice was horse from the blood that hardened around his lips and made speaking difficult. He couldn't see the lady clearly because his eyes were closed. His senses were sealed, but his instincts screamed that it was the right thing to do. So he kept his eyes closed.
"Poor boy. That fat trickster used a Sealing Rod on you." The lady didn't reply Mane. Instead she reached out and grabbed onto the rod that kept Mane powerless like a newborn baby. With care comparable to the way a mother handled her newborn baby, she pulled the Sealing Rod out of Mane's chest.
*Cough*
*Puchi*
As the rod was pulled out, blood poured out of the large hole in Mane's chest like a fountain of spring water. Mane coughed up some blood due to the actions of the lady. The dominant pain that assaulted his senses had him gritting his teeth. This woman knew Ivor. And that meant they were working together. Well, based on how easily this woman had been able to subdue the beasts Ivor run away from, it was safe to assume that she wasn't working for the fat merchant, but it was Ivor who was working for her.
"You're coming with me," the lady stated. At her command a green barrier appeared around Mane and lifted him off the ground. The barrier was comfortable, like a large pillow, and Mane could feel the familiar Wind Elements in the barrier walls.
"She's a Wind User?" Mane was stunned. To think this woman's understanding of an element he was so horrible with was this high.
"She must be an Elemental," Mane guessed. "Hildegarde? Why are you so quiet?" Mane tried communicating with Hildegarde via Lock-On, only to realise that the fairy was very stiff.
"Are you trying to reach your fairy?" the lady in red suddenly asked with a broad smile on her face – a smile Mane couldn't see because his eyes remained closed.
Yet her words shook him to his very core. Hildegarde couldn't be seen by anyone in this world. She was beyond the laws of this world. Yet this woman could not only see her, but knew her race. She was clearly very well informed about fairies. Recalling Cronos's words Mane realized how right the Selfish Titan King was about this woman. She was indeed a monster. Her strength and knowledge were incredible.
"She's safe," the lady stated when Mane refused to speak. "I picked her up the minute I got here," she added and a small green barrier was tossed into Mane's barrier. The small green barrier popped like a bubble, and Hildegarde fell from within and onto Mane's back.
"Now let's go to my tower," the lady stated and waved her hand, as Mane, the Heavenly Nether Beast, and the lady in red disappeared from the battlefield, leaving the dazed Waska behind.