Bel placed Eryies in front of the mage, the utterly weakened Desire Demon collapsed directly on the ground. Lynch stepped forward to hold her in his arms, gently calling her name, but there was no response. Eryies's eyes were vacant, reflecting only the red sky around like a mirror, without any glimmer of spirit shining from them. The mage's Eye of Insight had long scanned the entirety of the Desire Demon, discovering no external or internal injuries, nor were there any traces of magic cast upon her. With the help of the "Spiritual Replacement" spell, Lynch attempted to probe Eryies's soul, but all he found was emptiness. It was as if Eryies had entered a self-secluding dream, impossible to awaken.

Lynch raised his head, looking at the Lord Bel, his gaze demanding an explanation. The Hell Lord waved his hand, saying: "Don't worry, such situations are normal. After leaving that prison, it will take some time to heal." He said he couldn't figure out the exact time needed but could guarantee with his life that recovery was not an issue. After slightly calming Lynch's fury, he turned and dived into the Teleportation Gate, saying he was going to fetch the mage's Powerful Wand.

Lynch looked down at Eryies, gently tidied her hair, using a magic trick to clean off the dust and stains from her face. Although he could now see that incredibly beautiful face again, those soulless eyes deprived the beauty of its most crucial element—vitality. If he were not certain that the Desire Demon's bodily functions were normal, her heartbeat and breathing still strong and powerful, Lynch would have suspected that he was holding a corpse.

Though rational thought told him Eryies's sufferings did not require Lynch to bear any responsibility, the mage couldn't simply let go. At the beginning of their acquaintance, in the Grey Ruins and halfway back to Bator Hell, Lynch had let Eryies leave multiple times, but the Desire Demon never left. The mage didn't know what reason could make the Desire Demon decide to tie herself to him. Even if she was just a fellow traveler, the mage would still lend a helping hand when she was in danger, especially now, being "comrades in adversity" for over two years.

During the time Bel was away, Lynch cast many protective spells on Eryies to ensure she wouldn't suffer any harm while traversing between planes. After all, they were not passing through an open door to another dimension but rather breaking through closed walls to return to the Anriel World. Although the decryptor had told Lynch the method to break the space lock, the mage didn't know how many layers of barriers were set around the Anriel World. To prevent any accidents, all necessary measures had to be employed.

Bel soon returned, holding the mage's staff and a small purple-red spatial bag. Lynch took back his magic wand, his fingers reconnecting with the familiar texture, even the worn grooves fit perfectly with his hand. The staff still retained significant magic power, though now the mage needed its "walking cane" capability more than its combat utility. The only difference from before was the Necroman Magic Pearl.

It's very likely due to overuse or damage during Bel's fierce attacks, the surface of the Undead Magic Bead was covered with cracks. Because its surface remained smooth to the touch, this indicated the damage was inside the Divine Artifact. Lynch could still sense the power from the magic tool, but the Undead Magic Bead had become unstable, fragile and unfit for use. Unless he mastered the ability to craft a Divine Artifact, Lynch had no way to repair it.

"Inside this additional bag are some potent magic items." Bel showed no intention of handing the bag directly to the mage; in this hell, there's no such thing as a "gift of friendship." "Mage, ever since I successfully overthrew the previous lord, countless years have passed, but the situation has reverted to what it was like in the beginning, tedious and dull. Sometimes, I deeply miss the feeling of just having succeeded, sweeter than any other happiness in the world. If possible... I would give anything to relive that feeling again."

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