The byproduct of the Artificial Death plan was in an extremely poor state, whether due to the anomaly in the Berserk Sea or the backlash from previously serving as a medium for Haiter's power.
Ignoring the malevolent gaze of the Ferryman within, Aaron glanced at Arsas Eggers, who had witnessed the entire battle from nearby. In front of him, Aaron directly thrust the Sun Chaser Scepter into the black mist that could no longer reassemble itself.
Dazzling, pure light ascended, completely shattering Haiter's internal Underworld. A phantom feathered serpent with pale flames flickering was forcibly stripped from the black mist.
Sealing and suppressing this pure Death Consul characteristic, Aaron looked at Haiter, who had lost all characteristics but had transformed into a Wraith due to the unique evolution of the Death Pathway. He snorted lightly, not immediately moving to completely obliterate him.
Such a high-level Wraith, closely connected to the Artificial Death, was a crucial step in helping Azik recover. Aaron raised his hand and suppressed him within the nascent Divine Kingdom. Only then did he look at the collapsed inverted pyramid mausoleum at the very center of the "City of the Dead."
Streams of information, imperceptible to the naked eye, continuously converged, re-forming Bernadette's body. Behind her, a pair of indifferent, lashless eyes appeared.
The next second, the Eyes of Mystery Prying instantly became even deeper, briefly losing focus, as a torrent of terrifyingly complex information crashed into the Styx River that submerged the ruins of Manuel.
An ancient, double-leafed bronze Door then appeared faintly in the deepest part of the Styx River, covered with countless indescribable symbols, unmoving under the scouring of the information torrent.
The Styx River, which had originally returned to calm, once again ignited with eerie green flames, casting a chilling gloom around. A pale light, tinged with dark green, suddenly spread, and a bronze Door, covered with mysterious patterns and seemingly the source of endless deathly silence, slowly emerged from the deepest part of the Styx River.
"This is the true passage that can connect reality with the Underworld Divine Kingdom, and also the origin point where life and Death converge. Even though the passage was unilaterally sealed by the Pale Empress, it could still help the severely injured Haiter maintain his state."
Witnessing the easy annihilation of the Artificial Death faction, Arsas Eggers wisely took the initiative to explain.
Aaron nodded, stopping Bernadette, who wanted to continue trying to break through the seal. A black jar radiating rich vitality quietly appeared.
Drops of crimson blood, like fragmented gems, floated out. Guided by Aaron's will, these blood samples from the 22 Beyonder Pathways moved through the void. After a few breaths, a complex symbol composed of layered "Doors" leaped forth.
The layered Door formed by blood vibrated slightly, seemingly forming some peculiar resonance with the bronze Door beneath the Styx River. A phantom creaking sound echoed, revealing a deep, dim world through the opened crack.
Aaron's eyes narrowed slightly. He quietly mobilized the Nation of Disorder and that Hand of Order characteristic. The aura approaching the King of Angels level was released without reservation, mixed with the aura of the Evernight Goddess's mark.
In the very center of the Underworld, within the mottled palace covered with feathers, the pure black sarcophagus placed on the central platform of the palace quietly opened.
A "Pale Empress," Sia Palenque Eggers, wearing a dark black robe embroidered with gold threads and a golden bird-shaped crown, stood up.
Her features were soft, with distinct Southern Continent characteristics, yet she gave off an extremely vague, eerie, and terrifying feeling. At this moment, her expression remained unchanged, instead showing a hint of relief.
Her eyes quickly deepened into black, and pale lines emerged, outlining an extremely complex and mysterious three-dimensional symbol. It was like a bird with abnormally long feathers, or a coiled feathered serpent.
The entire Underworld seemed to tremble. The stone walls and floor tiles inside the palace began to weather, at a speed so rapid it was as if they had experienced thousands or tens of thousands of years of erosion in just one or two seconds.
They quickly became mottled, constantly dropping fragments or having dust blown up by the wind, while tiny, pale downy feathers grew in the cracks.
These downy feathers, in the blink of an eye, grew into white feathers, their surfaces seemingly soaked with light yellow oil stains, then disintegrated into pale light tinged with dark green.
The strange three-dimensional symbol, having absorbed the surrounding light, quickly materialized, then detached from Sia Palenque Eggers's eyes, unfolded its "body," and flew towards the forcibly opened Underworld Gate.
An indifferent whisper, audible only to Aaron, echoed:
"This is a portion of the Underworld's authority. Please hand it over to the Evernight Goddess. The karma from a thousand years ago ends here!"
Looking at the three-dimensional symbol that vanished into the Evernight Goddess's mark in a blink of an eye, Aaron nodded calmly. When he ascended to an Angel and traveled to the Astral World, he had already learned about the secret of this Pale Empress from the Evernight Goddess.
The reason Sia Palenque Eggers was able to advance to Sequence 1 before the High Priest of the Numinous Episcopate was due to the Evernight Goddess's secret assistance. A portion of the Underworld's authority was the price she needed to pay.
It was just that previously, she had been hesitant to demand it out of consideration for the God of Combat's reaction. Now, naturally, there was no need for such concerns.
Aaron finally looked at Alvin Gallows, arranging for this Ancient Bane, who had the Gate of Rebirth sealed within him, to guard the Abyss of Ferrying. After sensing the location of his pseudo-god descent vessel, his figure quickly disappeared.
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The Death Ruins. The low, guttural sound, like a giant beast breathing, instantly vanished. The immediate silence made Klein, who was groping his way towards Azik, involuntarily stop.
The strange changes within the mausoleum made it difficult for Klein, who had his eyes tightly closed and his spirituality restrained, to know what was happening for a moment, unclear whether it was for better or worse.
Only able to hear his own heartbeat, Klein felt the passage of time was so long, as if an entire century had passed.
Finally, he heard Aaron's familiar voice again:
"This is the Wraith that evolved after Haiter's demise, and the Underworld authority stripped from the 'Pale Empress.' It should be enough to repair Azik's damaged soul."
Klein listened, bewildered, thoughts flashing through his mind but quickly replaced by confusion. He could only stand far away, unable even to observe.
Aaron, who had crossed realms using the positioning of his divine descent avatar, withdrew his gaze from Azik, who was too weak to speak, and handed the two spoils of war to the Evernight Goddess's divine descent vessel.
For him, the Wraith that Haiter evolved had no use. If it could help Azik mend the wounds on his soul, it would be a profitable investment.
Azik, with a complex gaze, looked at the beautiful hooded lady in front of him, the pale flames in his eyes flickering unsteadily.
The feathered serpent, both illusory and real like a mountain, seemed to sense some unwelcome change. Its tail suddenly lashed out, wildly sweeping the surroundings.