"Ace…?"
Leo finally managed to get these words out, his voice shaking.
His entire body spasmed as he lost track of time.
Gripping onto the cold and pale body of Ace, who wasn't breathing, Leo weeped.
His tears fell on deaf ears as there was no sentient being on the entire planet remaining.
His thoughts and feelings were similar to Ace when Earth got destroyed.
Only, Leo had a way out… using the Return Stone.
Despite that, he couldn't… he couldn't leave his friend behind, even if he were dead.
"Ace…"
He didn't even get to say goodbye.
Ace had rescued him and Lily from the clutches of death, but Lily was in a state similar to comatose while Leo had let Ace die.
He couldn't forgive himself.
Punching the ground several times, he finally realized what he had missed.
"Lily…"
It had been an unknown amount of time.
"No…"
He quickly ran back as he saw Lily's corpse, which was slowly losing color.
However, her heart was beating, and she was breathing.
"Phew!"
He quickly maintained her condition, but couldn't help but cry.
"Ace…"
*
*
*
"That kid… died?"
Akash uttered these words as his eyes widened to the size of saucers.
Suddenly, the Celestial of Enlightenment appeared before him, scaring him shitless.
"Akash, we have to save him."
"I know… he's my only chance at defeating that damned bastard."
"He's the inheritor of my legacy… I can't let him die!"
"He already received your legacy?"
"When he killed the red ogre, yes."
"I see."
"How do we save him?"
"You already know."
The Celestial of Enlightenment gulped at Akash's words, as shivers went down their spines.
Despite this, the two braced themselves for the inevitable.
"The Spirit Queen."
*
*
*
As Leo's cries came to a halt, he braced himself for the inevitable.
He was going to bring Ace's corpse over to Lily, and then use the return stone.
Although he couldn't do any more, he still wanted his dear friend to have a proper burial.
He maintained Lily's condition and received 60 extra seconds.
He guessed that he wouldn't be able to receive more time anymore, because Lily's condition was worsening by the second.
He ran over to Ace's corpse and dragged him towards Lily.
Then, he held the viridescent emerald on top of his body while in physical contact with Lily and Ace.
Just as he was about to break the emerald, however…
A phenomenon occurred.
Lightning burst through the ground as a pillar of crackling blue energy appeared before Lily and Ace.
Leo tried smashing the emerald into pieces once again, but a hand immediately stopped him from doing so.
"Hey now, kids shouldn't play with such sharp objects."
It was Akash.
Suddenly, another figure materialized before them.
Celestial of Enlightenment, Larry.
Both of them wore black robes and hoods, hiding their real appearances.
"W–Who are you?"
Leo suddenly activated most if not all of his skills simultaneously, threatening to destroy the invaders.
"Hey, hey. We're not people that lower life-forms can even look at. Be happy that you saw us and go about your day. Now, hand us that corpse."
Akash pointed at Ace's corpse as he lectured Leo about manners.
"N–Never."
"Man, who's this timid kid?"
Larry asked, as Akash chuckled.
"He's Leo Kadz. He's friends with Ace, and the heir of a drug company, the Kadz Family."
"Drug company. Be happy that you're not dying here…"
Larry spat on the ground, clearly showing hostility towards drug producers and dealers.
"Now, hand us that corpse, and we'll leave you alone."
"No."
A firm response came from the boy who had lost his best friend.
Despite the hardships faced by the two, they completed the dungeon run and were about to leave until…
Ace succumbed to his wounds.
Now, Leo wasn't going to give his corpse up to shady people who had just appeared out of thin air.
"What if we promise we can revive him?"
"That's not possible… but, I–I wish it were."
"What if it is, child?"
Larry interrupted, trying to sound like he understood the boy's feelings.
"Ah, who cares?"
Akash quickly took Ace's corpse as the dungeon soon began crumbling away.
"Give his corpse back!"
Leo screamed, flailing his arms but unable to stand up.
"You'll meet him again soon."
Soon, Leo was desperate.
The dungeon was crumbling, and Lily was dying.
Ace had already died, and there was nothing he could do to change that fact.
Those shady men were probably lying.
A tear hit the ground as Leo crushed the emerald, steeling his resolve and deciding to escape this godforsaken place, where his best friend had perished.
"Ace…"
Those were the last words he uttered before he disappeared.
Sighing, Akash held onto Ace's corpse as if it were a precious luxurious item that must not be touched by anyone but himself.
"Now, we get to the difficult part."
Larry unconsciously nodded to Akash's suggestion, swallowing his saliva.
Gulp!
"Now, we meet the Ruler of the Spirits."
*
*
*
The Spirit Queen, also known as the Ruler or Empress of the Spirits.
She is a spirit who took over the role of King of the Spirit Realm after defeating her father in a one-on-one battle.
Then, she disposed of him.
Although she is a spirit who possessed no divinity whatsoever, her combat skill would probably be on par with Celestials.
Despite this, she has never engaged in battle with a divine being or taken the initiative to provoke one.
Some think she's just scared, while the intelligent ones…
They know what she's hiding.
Her real strength, which surpasses all laws and bounds.
Such was the case with Larry and Akash, who even when teamed up, couldn't lay a finger on the Queen of the Spirits.
Moreover, she was notorious for her temper along with her narcissistic personality where one couldn't doubt a thing about her.
"Welcome to the Spirit Realm, Akashic Records, Celestial of Enlightenment."
A female spirit with blazing red hair greeted the divine beings politely.
Having seen spirits before, none of them raised a fuss.
Moreover, even though she was a spirit, she was utterly and overly beautiful.
Nodding, the divine beings entered the Domain of the Queen of Spirits.
As they looked around, they spotted mountains, rivers, forests, and many other things.
There were also cities that were filled to the brim with lively spirits who wanted to spend eternity in the Spirit Realm and never be extinguished.
Looking at the lively nature of the place sometimes called the 'Underworld', 'Hell', or the 'Afterlife', they couldn't help but chuckle at the delusions humans tended to have.
The actual Spirit Realm was way beyond their way of thinking.
After death, one would come here and live their entire lives in peace… with their families.
"Your audience with the Queen will be in a few short hours."
The red-haired spirit said as she bowed her head in farewell.
Then, she disappeared from the divine beings' vision.
"What do you wanna do?"
"Nothing, man. Ace's death soured up the taste in my mouth as well as my mood."
"Agreed."
They sat on a bench as they held Ace's corpse inside their hands, so that it wouldn't slip away.
*
*
*
Exiting the dungeon using the Return Stone, Leo was instantly bombarded with reports asking tons of questions.
Having wailed over his best friend's death, he couldn't bear to answer their questions anymore.
However, he walked up to one of them and said…
"Ace, Jonah, and the others are dead. Ace killed the red ogre but succumbed to his wounds and perished, and we're the only ones alive."
Silence.
The reporters were utterly stunned by what they were hearing.
"Ace Ambrosia has perished?"
"Jonah Long has perished?"
"The #1 Rank King and the 23rd Rank King have both perished!"
They were perplexed by the fact that Ace Ambrosia, the #1 King had perished, while Lily Yearning, the #2 King received so many injuries while in a mere D Rank Dungeon.
"The D Rank Dungeon must actually be a C Rank Dungeon!"
"Yeah, Academy 07 might have tricked the Kings into entering the dungeon, only to die."
Many people agreed with the fact that the Kings could never die in a mere D Ranked Dungeon when they had a total of ten people.
Moreover, Academy 07 was held suspicious because of its rule that allowed natural death.
*
*
*
"Ace…"
Tears welled up in the eyes of Adam as he suppressed the urge to burst out crying.
Ace's family had received the biggest shock of their lives after watching Leo exit the dungeon alone.
The entire house was deadly silent except the intense crying noises of Alice and the quiet sobs of Amanda.
They had lost their brother and son respectively.
Adam was forcefully holding back tears, but they just wouldn't stop coming.
Despite the fact that he was always cold to his son, he loved him more than anyone in the entire world.
All he wanted was for Ace to mature.
And when he finally did, only death awaited him.
As Adam fell onto his knees, he stopped suppressing his urge to cry, and that was when a father cried due to his son's death without any restraints.
*
*
*
"How much longer, Akash?"
"Almost there, Larry."
"The Queen of Spirits is now ready to speak with you."
The red-haired spirit suddenly materialized from within thin air, scaring the divine beings shitless.
From scholars to mere children. This was the real personality of the Fragment of Khaos and the Celestial of Enlightenment.
"Ah, thank you."
"Could I have your phone number, cutie?"
"Phone numbers don't exist in the Spirit Realm, you dolt!"
Akash quickly punched Larry in the face, almost inciting his wrath.
Having worked together to plan the resurrection of Ace, they had grown considerably close.
Of course, this was because the both of them were extremely lonely before the incident.
The red-haired spirit smiled awkwardly at Larry's flirting, but let it slide.
Grabbing Akash by the collar, Larry dragged him towards the Palace Hall, contradictory to what should have happened.
As they both gazed at the palace in the far distance, the feeling they felt for the first time was… awe.
As they approached the palace, they were escorted by Spirit-Knights that guarded the palace.
"We're here."
Larry remarked as Akash clicked his tongue.
They stared at the golden door which shined brighter than any star in the sky.
It was the ticket to the 'key's' resurrection, while also being their potential demise.
They knew of the Spirit Queen's power, and by no means did they want to experience it for themselves.
"Enter, please."
The Knights insisted, smirking inwardly.
They completely understood the divine beings' sentiment, and even sympathized with them.
However, they also wanted to see a Celestial and a Fragment of Khaos suffer through the hands of their ruler.
It fueled their pride.
"Yes."
Akash responded, taking the initiative to walk down the alley and push open the gigantic door separating them from the Spirit Queen's Wrath.
"I welcome you to my humble abode, Akashic Records, the Celestial of Enlightenment."
"We are honored to have you grace us with your presence, m'lady."
Akash responded, much to the Spirit Queen's shock.
The Spirit Queen was the most beautiful woman Akash had ever seen, but she was almost the most scary.
Her dark green hair fell down to her waist, and her face, which was like jade, shone because of the majestic aura around her.
Her red-golden Ruler's robe hugged her bosom as it highlighted her features perfectly.
She held a brown staff that contained a purple gem at the end, while carrying around an aloof expression which separated her from others who receive the luxury of meeting a divine being.
Larry nodded, expressing his gratefulness for her majesty's time.
"Now, may I ask why you have come here today, requesting an audience immediately?"
Looking at Larry, who looked back at him, Akash began…
"Don't the stars look great?"
He asked with a dumb expression on his face.
Larry facepalmed as the Spirit Queen's expression remained nigh-indifferent.
Not responding to the question, the Spirit Queen stayed quiet, expecting more.
"Okay, we need your help with something."
"Now we're talking. What do I get in return?"
The greedy part of her personality suddenly appeared as the cold and aloof Queen was almost non-existent now.
"I–I don't know."
"Shut the hell up Akash. Let me do the talking."
Larry suggested as he stepped up.
"Let me get straight to the point, as that's probably what you want."
Stroking her chin, The Queen of Spirits listened.
"A mortal named Ace Ambrosia has recently died in a dungeon I left behind during my ascendance. Now, we have to retrieve his soul."
"I understand. However, why is it that you guys are chasing after a mortal soul so diligently? Are the divine beings running out of power? Why do they want mortals to fill their ranks? No, is that boy someone important to you?"
"Ace has inherited a fragment of my legacy. Also, he is the key to getting rid of the Deity of Destruction. Since the Deity of Destruction is protected by 'you know who', I can't get rid of him that easily."
"I see, so he's a ticket for your guys' convenience. For Larry, he's an investment, while for Akash, he's a mercenary without pay."
Akash and Larry were speechless.
The Spirit Queen had summed the situation up in such a vulgar way that they couldn't refute… since it was true.
Despite this, Akash and Larry couldn't give up. Mortals were like chess pieces, and chess pieces are meant to be played around with.
"Yes, he is."
Suddenly, a cold glint appeared in the eyes of the Spirit Queen as the aura she exuded changed entirely.
The concept of space-time went haywire as the space around the Spirit Queen distorted, bending to her will.
Larry gasped.
"The spirit associated with space and time, the Spirit Queen, Delilah."
She had finally revealed her powers. However, it was not the right time for a fight, since Akash had no combat strength, while Larry couldn't match the Spirit Queen in a one-on-one.
Bam!
She disappeared from her throne and landed a punch on the Celestial of Enlightenment, causing the latter to fall back several feet due to the shockwaves caused by the impact.
Larry watched as blood trickled down his forearms with only a single punch.
"Space distortion?"
Akash asked, much to Delilah's surprised.
"I'm surprised you could tell, Akashic Records."
Suddenly, the space around the Spirit Queen distorted once again, this time forming invisible spears.
Those invisible spears were unable to be spotted by Larry, but they didn't escape the eyes of the Akashic Records.
Warning him of the spears, Akash quickly got out of the way and let Larry handle them.
Despite knowing they were too strong, Larry stood there with his hands near his face, waiting to deflect the attack when it was fired.
Whoosh!
The Delilah let the spears go as they darted across the room towards the body of the Celestial of Enlightenment.
As they traveled throughout space, they enlarged, just like a ball of snow rolling down a snow-filled hill.
Larry closed his eyes, expecting the worst.
Now that they had entered the cave of the lion, there was no way they could escape, even if they put their lives on the line.
The Spirit Queen's attacks were filled with a tremendously large amount of mana.
It was roughly the amount that seven to eight planets would have in total.
Mana wasn't harmful as divinities such as Larry and Akash unless it was in such a high quantity.
In fact, even though the Spirit Queen didn't have a smidge of divinity yet, she could still easily overpower two or three Celestials of her choice.
Bam!
The spears burst on impact when they connected with Larry's body.
Larry fell back several meters, eventually landed against a wall that hadn't even been cracked bearing a Celestial's pressure.
However, Larry wasn't in such good shape.
This was his main body, not some incarnation.
However, the Spirit Queen had easily overpowered such a being with only a singular barrage-type attack.
The bones in his body had cracked and blood trickled down most of his flesh.
His consciousness was fading, and in his vision that was stained with red, he could see a panicking Akash standing there with widened eyes.
He chuckled once before saying goodbye to his life.
"Don't think I'm gonna let you die so easily, Celestial."
The Spirit Queen's voice resounded through the palace. Her tone now filled with pride did not waver even a bit as it pierced through the ears of everyone present.
Her ministers smiled, as color returned to Akash's face.
The Spirit Queen extended her hand as two blue butterflies emerged from her palm.
Darting across the palace hall towards the Celestial of Enlightenment, they soon came into contact with his body, turning it green for a split second.
Immediately, all wounds disappeared from his body as his consciousness cleared up.
His fingers quivered a little, indicating that he was alive.
Akash sighed in relief as he wondered what he should do next.
If the Spirit Queen could overwhelm a Celestial so easily, what could she want in return for her services?
Her attacking Larry could be seen as a form of justice, but it was actually nothing close to that.
She's the Spirit Queen, Delilah. Why would she care about petty morals and ethics such as justice and honor?
Even if Akash and Larry were to take Ace's soul from the Spirit Queen and torture him for all of eternity, she wouldn't bat an eye.
What her outburst really meant to say was…
She wanted something in return that would overwhelm divine beings.
Which meant she wanted…
Divinity.
"I'm sure you've already figured out what I want, right? Akash, I hope you don't disappoint me with your next words."
"You want divinity, don't you?"
"As I expected. You really don't disappoint, Akash."
"You want the Divinity of the Fragment of Khaos?"
Suddenly, her expression turned aloof once again.
Her eyes became fierce and the air around her turned into void, distorting space.
Akash noticed he couldn't move, indicating a dilation of time itself.
"Akash. We've known each other since the Beginning of the Era of Spirits, which was almost 18 Trillion years ago now. You'd known my father since before the Era of the Spirits, when his reign turned the Spirit Realm into something weaker than the masses. Now, I think you would understand what I want, correct?"
The time dilation ended, and Akash could move once again.
Then, he unconsciously nodded his head.
"You want to become the second mixed-blood, don't you?"
Akash grimaced as Delilah showed a bright smile.