From the "World of Doors" to the "Passage of Immortality," there was no need to leave through the entrance and enter from another side—behind one of the black doors lay a world connected to the "Passage of Immortality." Thanos, Maskelin, and the others had suspected that the bizarre ghosts entered the "World of Doors" through here and survived, because they clearly bore the characteristics of the "Passage of Immortality."
Under the monster's deliberate manipulation of the World of Doors' shifting patterns, the moment Lucian and Rhein opened a black door, they found themselves in a world of gray sand swirling through the air, with a straight road stretching deep into its depths.
Only now did Lucian and Rhein understand why McLeod, Maskelin, and the other Legendary mages had been unable to escape. The monster, tampered with by Vican during its refinement, seemed to possess the ability to manipulate the changing patterns of the World of Doors even while imprisoned within it. They could calculate that this was the entrance coordinate, but upon opening the black door, they would find themselves back in the laboratory they had just left—how utterly despairing that must have been!
Lucian felt a trace of lingering fear. Had it not been for the mutual restraint between the monster and Vican, and the monster's rebellious nature, then even a quasi-god would likely have been unable to escape the World of Doors in Vican's capacity to perform the Divine Descent, perishing and then spending an eternity returning from the void.
This was almost certainly the reason the Silver Moon Goddess and the Lord of Hell dared not enter the World of Doors to search for Thanos's hidden laboratory.
"To think the Pope was Vican all along—that disaster of a king who ruled over the Holm Kingdom and the Briana Kingdom..." Lucian sighed. Gregory I, Charles II, Benedict III—either they had been possessed by Vican upon becoming Pope, or Vican had planted projections in them early on, seizing control before they ascended to the papacy. "And the limitation of his 'Divine Descent' lies only in his 'self'..."
The skyful of gray sand hadn't even reached his body before being repelled by Lucian's spiritual power.
Rhein squinted against the wind, miming precaution against the sandstorm: "As long as we don't give Him the opportunity to devour the monster, everything remains within manageable bounds. After we return, your Voice of Mysteries needs to ramp up its campaign revealing 'the Pope's secret'—first gradually erode the faith foundation of the Church of the Truth God, then we can talk about dealing with Vican."
"We've already smeared the Pope too aggressively in the past—incarnation of the Lord of Hell, ambitious schemer stealing a true god's authority, a pervert fond of young boys, an Arcane mage in disguise—we've said it all. Now if we release 'the Pope's secret' again, it won't carry nearly the same impact, unless we have irrefutable evidence." Lucian sighed with genuine feeling, finally understanding the boy who cried wolf.
Hearing Lucian's lament, Rhein couldn't help but laugh: "That's what you get when your 'Unveiling the Church' and 'Historical Precedent' programs chase sensationalism. At least this time there's a complete story chain. Ordinary believers might not pick up on it, but can't the Cardinals in the College of Cardinals generate at least a sliver of doubt?"
Speaking of this, he added in a rather relaxed tone: "With General Relativity, Douglas now has the hope of reaching the quasi-god level. Once he becomes a quasi-god, no matter how terrifying or powerful Vican is, it will be far more difficult to destroy the Arcane Council. So there's no need to rush. Arcane development has been progressing so rapidly—the future belongs to you all. The longer things are delayed, the better. Even if we have evidence, there's no need to reveal it right away and force Vican into a desperate counterattack."
"Right—protracted war..." Lucian's deadpan humor knew no bounds, surfacing regardless of the occasion. Then he shook his head: "For the Chairman to become a quasi-god, there are still many obstacles. For instance, many solutions to the field equations of General Relativity are physically meaningless. But I believe some solutions must correspond to astronomical phenomena across the vast cosmos. Only when we locate planets and confirm these astronomical phenomena will it be time for the Chairman to turn the theory back upon himself and take the step toward becoming a quasi-god."
The scene suddenly fell quiet. Receiving no response from Rhein, Lucian turned to look at him and found a face full of bewilderment.
"Mr. Rhein?" Lucian asked through the telepathic link.
Rhein drew a sharp breath: "What are field equations? What are astronomical phenomena?"
Lucian realized—this world had no concept of "astronomical phenomena"; there was only talk of celestial trajectories. He was about to explain when Rhein raised a hand and waved him off, with a slight shudder: "If we don't talk about Arcana, we'll remain good friends."
It was a line from a story Lucian had written for the Voice of Mysteries, adapted here by Rhein.
Lucian burst into laughter. At that moment, at the end of the sandstorm, a black door materialized, enveloped in ethereal ripples.
The two moved quickly, traveling at full speed, and arrived at the secret entrance to the Passage of Immortality in just a few dozen seconds.
"The Chamber of Immortality..." Rhein exhaled softly.
Lucian couldn't help but feel his heart racing. What exactly was hidden within the Chamber of Immortality, and why was everyone who opened it so disappointed? And what was the inexplicable sense of familiarity the Passage of Immortality gave him?
Suppressing his excitement, Lucian instinctively examined the black door once more, then gently pushed it open.
The door slowly swung backward, revealing an ancient-looking path submerged in ethereal ripples. It bore no patterns, no trace of bricks or blocks—as though it existed in another world, impossible to touch.
"Perhaps the 'Divine Protection' was a Divine Art Thanos modeled after the Passage of Immortality..." Lucian made an inexplicable connection to the Angel King's "Divine Protection."
Rhein nodded, his tone grave yet carrying his signature leisurely smile: "It does look quite similar."
As he spoke, he took his first step, wading forward as though through water, his feet landing upon the Passage of Immortality amid the gentle undulation of ripples.
With Rhein's precedent, Lucian confirmed that their current state would not be disintegrated, and stepped in with confidence.
A lofty, profound, cold, and indifferent sensation emanated from the point where his body contacted the ethereal ripples. Lucian felt the illusion that he was about to melt away.
Suddenly, the Passage of Immortality before Lucian vanished, spreading outward and dissolving into boundless white clouds. His own form could no longer maintain its human shape—it expanded into a dense yet omnipresent mass, simultaneously diffused everywhere and anchored to a single point.
Then this expansive form collapsed back down. The Passage of Immortality reappeared, and Lucian's body condensed back to its original shape. At this point, he had already reached a corner of the Passage, with Rhein standing beside him.
The telepathic link had vanished at some point. Rhein controlled the surrounding area, saying with effort: "You felt that change too, right? From the outside, it would look completely normal, wouldn't it?"
"Right—I saw that you hadn't changed at all. But I think if we hadn't shifted our state and become beings like those bizarre ghosts, we would have been completely disintegrated, dispersed across every corner of the Passage." Lucian found he could communicate through the most fundamental vibrations.
Rhein habitually straightened his attire: "Then let's keep moving."
Rounding the corner of the Passage, they found themselves before a great hall, similarly submerged in ethereal ripples. The walls were carved with all manner of bizarre, indescribable patterns that made one dizzy at first glance, threatening to strip away one's sanity.
Fortunately, most of them had already been destroyed, which was why Lucian and Rhein could endure the effects and quickly pass through.
"It seems Thanos, Vican, and the other quasi-gods destroyed them." Lucian still had lingering fears about those strange patterns—they seemed specifically designed to absorb and devour beings in his current state.
Rhein nodded slightly: "Since the monster sent us here on Vican's orders, it means He trusts that under normal circumstances, we won't encounter excessively dangerous situations. So whatever happens next, don't panic."
Pushing open the ethereal gate before them, Lucian and Rhein once again dispersed and collapsed, passing through the Passage of Immortality and entering the second great hall.
The hall was empty—there was nothing inside at all. Just as Lucian assumed this place too had been destroyed by Thanos and Vican, a faint sound suddenly came from his right side.
Who? Lucian turned his head and extended his spiritual power, only to see a man standing in the corner wearing a black double-breasted long coat. He was handsome and gentle, his dark eyes meeting Lucian's gaze with a smile. It was unmistakably himself.
An illusion?
Lucian's heart tightened. He decided to ignore it entirely and head straight for the exit of the hall.
"Lucian" smiled composedly. Muscles tensed, moonlight flowed smoothly, and he drew a silver-gray longsword to slash!
The sword light was so overwhelming it seemed capable of cleaving everything in its path. Lucian nearly activated the Moon Clock and his teleportation magic, but at that moment he recalled Rhein's earlier caution and decided to wait a bit longer—he still had spell triggers and other contingencies!
The sword light flashed past. "Lucian" and Lucian crossed each other without the slightest interaction.
It was indeed an illusion! Had he attacked, the illusion would have become real, and he—the real one—would have become the illusion, trapped here forever?