Aaron nodded in satisfaction. It seemed Azik's earlier appearance had made the Ferryman abandon some unrealistic ideas, saving Him the trouble of further persuasion.
After receiving and sealing the blood of the Serpent of Fate, Bernadette immediately summoned her messenger. While handing the drop of blood to the messenger, she took "Pale Death" and threw it directly into the still unclosed "Peach Blossom Spring".
Even if that former Arch-Priest of the Numinous Episcopate was severely wounded by a forbidden attempt and could only be confined to the mausoleum, he was still a genuine Death Consul.
Not only was he acutely sensitive to High-Sequence characteristics of the Death Pathway, but the thousand-plus years of sacrifices to the Artificial Death could easily cause "Pale Death" to undergo an anomaly.
Therefore, not only this Grade 0 Sealed Artifact, but also Alvin Gallows, who had the "Gate of Rebirth" embedded in his body, Aaron did not intend to let them participate.
After all, He and Bernadette were enough to deal with a half-crippled Angel.
The historical projection of the Star Crown above His head reappeared. Aaron slightly raised His right hand, and countless brilliant starlights immediately emerged from the void.
These starlights quickly converged, forming an ancient, deep blue Door.
Arsas Eggers felt the tremor within the Spirit World, took a deep breath, and actively stepped into that starlight portal.
The vast Cosmos flashed past his eyes like fleeting glimpses, yet he had no mood to appreciate these scenes, which were completely different from traversing the Spirit World. Feeling the spiritual tremor, he closed his eyes.
When the feeling of palpitation subsided, Arsas Eggers opened his eyes again, and what greeted him was the Abyss of Ferrying, spanning hundreds of kilometers and enveloped in black mist.
From above, it looked like an impossibly massive feathered serpent stretching its body!
Having ended His wandering and standing above the void, Aaron, also overlooking that black mist world, had His pupils completely turn golden-red.
Unlike Arsas Eggers, who was merely a Ferryman, Aaron, with the help of the "Hand of Order" characteristic within the Nation of Disorder, could, to some extent, temporarily rival a King of Angels, clearly seeing the illusory black tendrils hidden within the mist.
Had the Artificial Death's erosion of this place reached this extent? Or had Haiter deliberately indulged it, intending to use it to sacrifice this former headquarters of the Numinous Episcopate at a crucial moment...?
Aaron, having deciphered certain information, His eyes slightly narrowed in thought, and He stopped Bernadette, who was about to gaze into the Abyss of Ferrying with her "Eyes of Mystery Prying":
"That black mist is related to the Artificial Death. Rashly peering into its source will cause you to be corrupted and easily alert them."
Having timely curbed Bernadette's strong desire for exploration, Aaron gestured for Arsas Eggers to begin preparations.
Looking at the familiar yet strange black mist world, Arsas Eggers took a deep breath, his fingertip tracing his brow, and two drops of dark green blood flew out:
"Before God fell, only those who obtained the church's recognition or were blood descendants of the Aegus family could enter the headquarters; otherwise, they would sink into the River Styx."
Aaron nodded, allowing the drop of blood to transform into a distorted, abstract pattern in His palm. This seemed to be the emblem of the Aegus family from the Fourth Epoch.
Concealing His aura and entering a semi-hidden state, Aaron, with Bernadette transformed into a torrent of information, followed Arsas Eggers into the "Abyss of Ferrying".
Amidst the dense black mist, Aaron's perception of the Spirit World was instantly weakened, with a very strong sense of disconnection.
According to the information provided by Arsas Eggers, the "Abyss of Ferrying", or rather, its most core part, the "City of the Dead" Manuel, was the convergence point of the Underworld and reality.
However, it had now been unilaterally cut off by the Pale Empress who occupied the Underworld.
If He could quietly occupy this place with the least cost, the Underworld... Aaron's eyes flickered slightly, and He felt a certain anticipation in His heart.
Pale or dark green Hellfire brought some light to this black mist world. As the one person and two Angels delved deeper, a gasping sound, as if directly echoing from the depths of their souls, gradually grew louder.
-----------------
The Berserk Sea, the Calamity Strait, where the Spirit World and reality nearly merged.
As the last half of Azik's bloodline skull completely integrated, the words written by 0-08 also merged into the ring left by Death.
The undead creatures crawling out from an unknown place beneath the sea, one after another, merged into the constantly expanding, nearly collapsing dark, sunken ring, and wisps of pale flames ignited out of thin air.
"Admiral of Hell" Ludwell, prostrate on the deck and completely turned into a mummy, was enveloped by the pale flames before he could even make a sound, swallowing him along with the "Black Tulip" ship.
All the surrounding scenery suddenly collapsed inwards, forming a boundless, slowly rotating Darkness vortex, as if alive, carrying a terrifying suction force towards a certain direction.
In the Spirit World, with its rich, vivid, and overlapping colors, colour blocks rapidly flashed past. Azik led Klein quickly into the Berserk Sea area, where a dark storm swept and faint lightning flashed.
Suddenly, Azik abruptly stopped. Klein, somewhat surprised, turned his head, only to see Mr. Azik's facial lines tightly strained, his expression seemingly dazed, and not a hint of an extra curve on his lips.
Before Klein could ask what had happened, the exquisite and ancient Azik copper whistle on his chest flickered with light. An indescribably bone-chilling coldness made Klein, who had already become a Marionettist, shiver, and his spirituality began to wildly warn him!
This "Death Consul" who had survived the Fourth Epoch suddenly grabbed Klein's shoulder. A dense aura of Death slid across his body, seemingly wanting to activate the mark left by the Seven Lights to send Klein away.
But it was already too late. The Spirit World, which had been relatively normal, was almost instantly replaced by a slowly rotating, boundless Darkness vortex.
Azik's body suddenly stiffened. The next second, he, along with Klein, was swallowed by the vortex.
-----------------
At the same time Azik disappeared into the vortex, at the very center of the "City of the Dead", the base camp of the Numinous Episcopate's Artificial Death faction.
At the source of the illusory, pitch-black river, waves instantly surged. Deep within the black mausoleum, which was inverted and embedded in the ground, an invisible, chilling wind surged out from the many open coffins.
Skulls with flickering pale flames danced, and endless screaming and roaring souls clustered around the source of Death, that deep vortex formed by pitch-black coffins.
"Medici!"
An ancient, icy voice, which seemed to tear one's soul directly from their body, suddenly exploded, filled with undisguised fury, echoing throughout the entire black mist world.
Even through the mist, which was almost solidified, Aaron, who had quietly approached the "City of the Dead", still heard that furious roar, and His figure paused slightly.