"The terms are fair. If he betrays you, he dies. If he acts against your interests, he's sealed. You can't harm him without cause, and he can't act independently in ways that endanger you or the realm…" Kaela paused for a moment to look at Vale's reaction before she turned to Kaela…

"It's clean… But I also want to see the Immortal Tower."

Of course, Vale also wanted it to be checked just to make sure. Thankfully, Kaela confirmed that the tower was indeed legitimate and there seemed to be nothing wrong with it.

After briefing Vale about the Immortal Tower, he nodded. "Then let's do it."

The ritual was brief but binding.

Vale added his soul thread to the scroll, and Kaela sealed the contract with the divine ink…

Soon, the scroll vanished in a flash of light, absorbed into the soul plane.

Seven exhaled as he could finally leave this Shadow Realm for another stable but lower realm… He was visibly relieved. "Thank you."

Kaela gave him a nod, though her eyes remained wary.

"As per the contract, you'll transform when we cross over. No exceptions…"

The reason for that was that she didn't want the two bodyguards and two elders to know about Seven.

"Of course," Seven said. "I'll remain in serpent form until you say otherwise."

Vale glanced at him. "Very well… Can I have the tower now?

Seven smiled and nodded. "Of course!"

And just like that, Seven was officially part of the group.

The sealed Immortal Tower was handed over to Vale…

***

As the final preparations for the portal began, Seven quietly slipped into his serpent form… coiling into a compact shape and vanishing into Vale's travel satchel.

The journey to the Human Realm was about to begin.

The City Lord's castle was soon sealed off from the rest of Note City.

Only a few trusted Immortals remained nearby, maintaining the concealment formations. The Formation Circle for the portal was already present, but it hadn't been activated yet.

Vale stood near the anchor point, waiting. He was now with Kaela, her two bodyguards, and the two elders… As for Seven, he remained silent inside his bag.

Then, from the far end of the plaza, Shadowlord Kilo arrived.

He walked slowly and, looking at it, his arm had already formed, but it was still wrapped in silk-like darkness. It seemed that it wasn't perfected yet and needed more time to fully recover.

Despite his injuries, his presence was still impressive…

He approached Vale directly.

"Are you ready?" Kilo asked.

Vale nodded. "Yes… I just need to transmit the coordinates, right?"

Kilo nodded... "You're certain they're stable? If there's anyone on the other side who wanted to harm you, this transfer might get dangerous."

"Don't worry… It's well protected. I have one of my Avatars guarding the location." Vale said. Of course, he had prepared other measures as well, but he didn't plan to explain too much.

Kilo didn't respond immediately. He simply extended his hand, palm open.

Vale understood.

He stepped back and raised his right hand. A shadow flickered beneath him… then something stirred.

From the folds of his own shadow, a creature emerged.

It looked like a cat at first glance… It was slim, black-furred, with faint silver markings along its spine. But its eyes glowed with silver light, and its tail split into three…

It was Vale's dimensional creature…

Kilo watched it with interest. "You've bonded it? Does it have a name?"

Well, it was actually bonded with Slave Mark, and it didn't have a name, but he nodded.

Vale swiftly thought of a name…

"I'm calling her Vyse… She's my anchor and my courier. It can transmit coordinates across realms without triggering detection."

The creature sat obediently before Kilo, then raised its head. With Vale's connection to the creature, he easily transmitted what he wanted to happen.

Soon, a pulse of light emerged from its forehead… It was the coordinate they needed.

Kilo studied it for a moment, then nodded.

"Good. I'll mask the opening myself. Setsuna and Madoka will follow only for the return trip. They won't be doing much for you unless you make an agreement between each other."

Vale nodded. "Understood. We've actually discussed a few things about it already. My realm should be facing some Chaos and Void Immortals, so I might need their help."

Kilo nodded.

"Then, I'll start now."

As he said this, Kilo raised his hand, and the portal frame began to shift. Various runes activated, then dimmed as their energy was used…

"Hmm... You realm… It's being blocked by the Timeless King? What have you done?" Kilo asked in shock.

"Ahem. It's a long story. Is that going to be a problem?" Vale asked.

"Well.... Since you're from that place, it won't be a problem. You have a clear source." He muttered.

Soon, the portal appeared, and there was no energy leaked… It was perfect…

"Go," Kilo said. "I'll hold the portal for thirty seconds. After that, it seals."

Vale turned to Kaela and the others. "Let's move."

One by one, they stepped through.

Kaela. Ryn. Elvar. Setsuna. Madoka.

Then Vale with Seven…

The Dimensional Creature vanished back into his shadow, coiling silently beneath his feet.

And as he crossed the passage, Vale couldn't help but feel excited… If the Chaos Immortals and Void Immortals hadn't attacked yet, then they would surely think twice if they learned about his current allies.

***

The portal stabilized for only a moment before the group emerged into the Human Realm…

They arrived within the Shadow Castle's inner chamber. It was Vale's personal domain, located atop the cliffs overlooking Clovis City.

Of course, the Arcane Energy was less dense than the Shadow Realm, but still quite acceptable... The castle's protective formations just trembled slightly, as the presence of visitors with a powerful aura wasn't something that could be easily ignored…

"Ohh~ Is this the suppression?" Kaela muttered.

"Hmm… It's not as bad as I thought."

"Maybe because we moved together with Vale? Still, the Will of the Realm might be weak at the moment."

Ryn and Elvar muttered…

Nonetheless, Vale didn't waste a second.

His Divine Sense swept outward, piercing through the castle walls and into the surrounding terrain.

What he saw made his blood run cold.

Chaos Beasts, thousands of them surrounding Clovis City and the Castle!

Behind them, Vale sensed the presence of Chaos Immortals, and there were about a couple of hundred of them!

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.