Perhaps thanks to Masterson's concealment, no one had disturbed Lucian and Rhein during this period, allowing them to pass through the most difficult phase of their recovery in peace.
"Although the Mummy Gloves can't be used, the Shield of Truth is sufficient. In certain situations, the Shield of Truth's defensive effect is actually even better." Lucian retrieved the Shield of Truth from the alchemy workshop and stuffed it into the Mummy Gloves.
From the standpoint of pure defensive power, the Mummy Gloves were stronger, but the Shield of Truth was based on the domain of space-time and was far harder for most attacks to break through. Moreover, it wouldn't dull his mind the way the Mummy Gloves did—an absolutely unpleasant prospect for an Archanist accustomed to surviving by wit.
Rhein had restored his human form and was tidying his cravat and silver hair, looking as though he were preparing for a banquet. "Aside from the injuries caused by that creature the first time, I've recovered almost completely. Even if we ran into Ivan, I'd have no lack of confidence in getting away unscathed."
"Then let's leave here quickly. The one coming back might be 'the Eye of God,' Alvin." Lucian checked the Grand Archanist's Robe, the Lunar Clock, and the Ring of Congers one more time, confirming they were all in good condition.
Rhein nodded gently. "Although I'm not afraid of fighting Alvin now, the Seraphim surely have deep knowledge of the World behind the Door. Once we get entangled, we could end up facing all six of them at once. And with the Heavenly Mountain nearby, the cost of summoning projections would drop significantly—nearly everyone would gain half a tier in strength."
"Who would have thought the Heavenly Mountain was actually inside the World behind the Door…" Lucian pulled open the black door, felt the sluggish flow of time, and stepped through.
Rhein followed close behind. "Essentially, the Heavenly Mountain represents most of humanity's beautiful hopes about the state after death—a kind of death custom, you could say. Heh, from the deepest, most profound death and darkness is born the most sacred and vibrant life and light…"
"But who knows whether the Heavenly Mountain formed naturally, or whether it's related to Thanos and Mr. Masterson's experiments…" Lucian voiced his speculation, and at the same time, within his Cognition of the World, the Main Star of Destiny began to rotate. That black vortex, seemingly capable of swallowing all light, surged to the forefront, absorbing, deflecting, or disrupting all trajectories.
Rhein seemed to sense something. He quickened his pace to walk alongside Lucian, turning his head to look at him. "I feel like your trajectory of fate has become blurred and chaotic…"
"Mr. Masterson is one of the most famous seers in the Astrology school. Now that he's been empowered by the 'God of Truth' and the 'Heavenly Mountain,' we have to treat him with the utmost caution. Otherwise, the moment we open this black door, we might find 'the Eye of God,' Alvin waiting to intercept us." Lucian smiled without going into specifics about the Destiny Enigma.
Passing through one grey hall after another, Lucian and Rhein gradually converged on the location indicated by the "Mirror of Destiny."
Douglas and Fernando, who had successfully broken free from the "Headless Pope's" suppression, were heading back toward the entrance according to the shifting coordinate patterns, leaving numerous hidden markers for Lucian along the way.
After opening another black door, Douglas suddenly looked around with puzzlement. "I sense a familiar residual aura."
"It's not Lucian…" Fernando analyzed it carefully, then abruptly spoke up. "It's the Angel King, Mechanteron!"
"He appeared here?" Douglas could scarcely believe it. "Could it be that creature in disguise?"
He activated the "Dark Astrolabe" and divined the source of this aura, this time including the creature as a variable.
After a while, Douglas laughed at himself. "Eighty percent probability it's the Angel King, twenty percent probability it's the creature in disguise—how is this any different from not using astrology at all? I could make the same judgment normally."
He understood that the creature's level was far too high, severely interfering with divination.
Fernando gazed at the black door where the aura had vanished. "Should we try to follow it?"
Having fought the creature twice gave him greater confidence in escaping from dangerous situations. Besides, he was still worried about his student, Lucian.
"Aren't you concerned about running straight into the Heavenly Mountain? Meeting the God of Truth?" Douglas joked. "The Angel King probably just passed through this hall not long ago. We could try tracking him, but we can't delay too long—if we find nothing within ten minutes, we have to turn back. Lucian might be waiting for us at the entrance."
"Fine." Fernando understood he was merely using the pursuit of the Angel King as an excuse to continue searching for his student.
"We're not far from Thanos's laboratory now. Not a single enemy along the way—this doesn't match our luck since we entered." Rhein was growing increasingly proficient at calculating the shifting coordinates, chuckling as he teased both himself and Lucian.
Lucian recalled the old saying about "speak of the devil" and laughed softly. "Mr. Rhein, don't draw conclusions too early. Otherwise, the moment you open this black door, you might just run into an enemy."
Rhein's mouth twitched. "I'm not going to be that cursed, am I?"
As he spoke, he pushed open the black door.
Suddenly, his expression changed. His entire body collapsed and dissolved into countless small bats, filling the sky in a swirling dance.
A long, black scythe cloaked in an aura of mystery cut across the distance of space and time, slashing into the spot where he had stood just a moment before. Pale flames erupted from the ground, melting the grey floor tiles into a bizarre, transparent liquid.