‘Alright, I think this is…’

  “Enough.”

  The words barely left his lips when the illusion shattered. He stood on the same peak, but this time, Mentyr hadn’t brought him back. He had broken out on his own.

  This shocked Mentyr to the core, not only her, but those who were watching from the Star Palace as well.

  With a flicker of thought, he stealthily summoned a steel needle from his Void Glove and spun to face Mentyr, feigning a frontal assault.

  At the same time he launched the needle behind her, he cast a Push Spell using Force.

  Mentyr sensed the incoming attack and flinched, staggering backward, but Sokram’s attack was dispelled before it even hit.

  Sokram disappeared from her eyes, reappearing where the needle landed.

  Mentyr’s shock caused her connection with Amira to weaken, nearly breaking, and her reaction speed was dulled.

  So before Mentyr regained complete control over Amira’s body again, Sokram aimed his two hands at her feet, and a gust of wind shot from them.

  “Foosh!”

  An array, instantly drawn by the Force in the wind, took shape under her feet.

  Mentyr, sensing the danger again, wanted to jump up into the sky and take flight.

  Before she could, the air reverberated as raw Chaos Energy erupted from his core.

  A jagged black fire laced with crimson lightning, revolved around his body in a way that didn't just burn the air, but seemed to erase it.

  Then, she heard Sokram shout as Chaos Energy flowed out from him, “Nether Lock!”

  Amira’s body froze in a weird crouching pose as if she were ready to jump.

  Mentyr’s eyes widened. Sokram was already upon her, his open palm wreathed in black flame. “Expel!”

  Sokram hit Amira’s body in the middle of her chest. His palm struck with a dull, bone-deep thud that reverberated through her ribs.

  A shockwave of black fire rippled through her, not burning flesh, but tearing at the invisible threads binding Mentyr to her vessel.

  While Mentyr’s astral form, the form of her real body, remained stuck in place, Amira’s body was sent flying a few meters away.

  He threw another needle in her direction and caught Amira's limp form before she hit the snow.

  Sokram placed the unconscious Amira lying over his mantle.

  He couldn't help but notice that without Mentyr’s rigid control, she seemed smaller, fragile even.

  Her breathing was shallow, but after checking her vitals, he was relieved to sense she was fine.

  But that was also a display of chivalry to ease the eyes of the distant watchers.

  And to show Mentyr he wasn’t afraid of her escaping that locking spell he just cast.

  After assuring himself that she was fine, he finally turned back to face an even more flabbergasted Mentyr, who was focused on the array surrounding her astral form.

  Meeting Sokram’s gaze, she clapped her hands with a very proud smile, “Amazing! I was watching you very closely whenever you were in that tower, but to reach this level of understanding just from a few books, this is amazing! Truly amazing…”

  Then her beautiful face distorted into a sickeningly perverted expression.

  Her ethereal features twisted. Her lips parted, and her tongue traced them slowly, predatory hunger twisting her beautiful features into something obscene that made Sokram’s skin crawl.

  Even in her translucent astral form, Sokram could swear she was blushing profusely, “…That makes me want you SO. MUCH. MORE!!”

  Then her expression transfigured again, now playing the meek and helpless maiden, “But wouldn’t you be a dear and release me?”

  Sokram smirked, then dismissed her antics entirely.

  But only for a moment as a chair materialized beside him with a flicker of his wrist.

  He was careful not to ruin the array drawn in the stony and snow-covered ground of the mountain’s peak, as its legs crackled against frost as he placed it close to her and sat calmly.

  Meeting her gaze again, he motioned toward the array as he began speaking.

  “You know, there is a tale that Nana Brunhild used to tell me from the Age of Progress, when Agorath became enraged with someone and touched that person with the intent of causing harm.”

  His gaze lifted from the array, meeting Mentyr’s once more to see the recollection dawning on her expression, “Even when the intent was to teach, not harm, the Multi-Dimensional Plane doesn’t take abuse of power kindly if it’s not for the sake of Evolution, you know?”

  As Sokram spoke, Mentyr paid attention to every word, trying to look for a clue to free her Astral form from that lock.

  “So, a curse was created. It’s not as powerful as the six primordial curses. But it aims to protect beings on the lower levels of each galaxy. The ones like me who are still growing, from beings like you, but very few people know of it.”

  Sokram’s face twisted into a cocky smirk.

  “But you know that curse, right? Knower of the Unknown.”

  He shook his head and scoffed, “And you know the book from which I learned this Nether Lock, too. You sent her my way, right? The interrogator from the Pavilion, or a Keeper of another temple, perhaps?”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Sokram had trouble holding his gaze on her as that disgusting and maddening expression reemerged.

  If not for her beauty, his stomach would have churned.

  But then Mentyr purred, “Ah! So amazing… Yes, I see it now, you loved the gifts this big sis sent you, right? Good, I’m so happy that you want me as much as I want you… Ah~”

  “You act better than I do, you know? But it’s impossible to believe that the Princess of the Nether, the only one to find Light in the Eternal Darkness besides Azula, would be that disgusting. So why don’t you drop the act?” Sokram’s expression turned impassive and cold.

  Mentyr's expression morphed back to normal instantly, “Sigh… Release me first, then we’ll talk. Otherwise…”

  In an instant, her expression went back to madness, “…Use me as you see fit, hehe~”

  Sokram didn’t budge, as troubling as it was, he was used to her mind games.

  At a certain point in his previous timeline, he even missed it.

  He truly missed her, the real her, not the one hiding behind the mask of madness she always wore in front of everyone but Nhiria.

  Sokram sighed tiredly, then met her gaze firmly again, “Well, you know, another tale I love to read is the Tale of Expansion. I always wondered why Nhiria picked the center of a black hole as the location to build the Star Palace.”

  Hearing his words, Mentyr frowned but remained silent, looking for clues in his words.

  And Sokram continued, “Legend says Nhiria is so powerful that she resists the black hole's gravity with sheer willpower. Yet, thinking logically, nothing can pass the event horizon. So even if she is powerful enough to do so, her energy would deplete no matter how powerful she is.”

  “And?” Mentyr frowned, fearing what he could have grasped.

  “It isn’t obvious? Although not even energy can pass the event horizon and return, that is only for conventional energy.”

  Sokram raised his right hand, and bluish mana began swirling around it.

  “Magi can bend the rules of creation. Thus, I understood that the reason Nhiria chose the center of the galaxy to build her castle is that, after the level she has reached, the next step on the Path is there.”

  Sokram dismissed the mana and met her gaze again, his cocky smirk crept back, “But this planet is very far from that point, so whoever steps out of the Star Palace can only do so with Nhiria’s help or… in astral form.”

  “It means your body remains there while your consciousness is here, where time flows very differently. Quite the mental strain.” Sokram delivered his point, and for the first time, Mentyr showed a hint of worry on her face.

  But only for a second, as in the next, Mentyr smirked mockingly, “Nothing for someone at the Paragon Level of Existence. Someone who endured an eternity in the madness of the Nether before finding the Light of Evolution again.”

  “Oh, so, being a Paragon is just another Level of Existence, hm? Interesting, thank you for confirming it. We don’t have much info about what goes beyond Ascension here. Our Arks of Knowledge were lost during the great calamity, just like three of the ten Oghmahs and four of the ten Allseer’s Codices.” Sokram smiled at her, letting that sink in.

  Mentyr's frown deepened. “You want those? Sorry, I can’t give information that…”

  “That isn’t commonly known? But you just did. Another lie from our beloved Paragons, hm? Good thing I’m recording this.” Sokram showed a recording crystal he had summoned along with the needle.

  “And you’re going to blackmail me with the threat of spreading chaos? Don’t you know who I am?” Mentyr mocked his attempt.

  “For someone who knows so much, you surely disappoint. No, I don’t do blackmail; to me, it only shows a lack of creativity. Torture is a lot more fun.” Sokram smirked, but the killing intent in his eyes was real.

  “A child who isn’t even of age, who hasn’t even reached their first reformation, wants to torture me? ME?!!” Mentyr expressed an intent powerful enough that the mountain shook, but the barrier remained intact.

  “For someone who loves your followers so much, you sure are risking a lot,” Sokram mocked her, pointing at the unconscious Amira.

  “Release me before I bring my other followers here!” Mentyr threatened, growing impatient.

  Sokram raised his eyebrows, pretending to be surprised by her threat.

  But then he summoned a book from his Void Glove, flipping a few pages, he read aloud.

  “Here: No matter how powerful a being is, one can only have a single astral form. Although many believe that the astral form is connected to the soul, it’s not.”

  Sokram’s grin broadened. He didn’t even need to look to sense her frown, as he continued reading, “The astral form is the innate ability of the mind to project the consciousness outside the body. But while using astral projection, one can’t use other abilities without a medium.”

  Sokram looked at her, grinning mockingly, “Want to try another bluff?”

  Mentyr was static, as were all the Paragons and Lords of the Nether.

  They couldn’t use possession around that 15-year-old kid anymore, because, as he said, without a medium, they would be powerless in astral form.

  Yet, when they glanced at Nhiria, she was grinning widely, with pride etched on her face.

  Sokram looked at Mentyr and added, “But that is not all, you know why the energies we can cultivate don’t flow outside the galaxy, right? The spacetime walls that separate the three zones weaken the energies so they won’t flow beyond the last star.”

  Sokram stood up from the chair and continued his reasoning, “This means that the link connecting you to your astral body is also weakened by these walls, so right now you are as strong as a Pre-Ascendant. I may not be able to torture a Paragon, true, but can you say the same about a Pre-Ascendant in astral form without a medium?”

  “Why are you being mean?! I thought you wanted to follow my teachings!” Mentyr began crying as if she were a wronged wife.

  “Cut the mind games, Lady Mentyr. I never said anything about following you. I said I wanted to become a Seeker of Knowledge, you’re not the Gatekeeper of Wisdom, and you don’t know all there is to be known.” Sokram spat, and this time Mentyr looked at him, seriously facing him.

  But Sokram didn’t give her a chance to speak, “Our goals align, sure. But I’m not a dog, I’m a dragon, and you were the one who started this. I was open to negotiating, so answering your first question, did I want to bargain with you? Yes, I did want that. But now I’ll rob you instead.”

  Sokram raised his hand and cast five barriers that appeared around them.

  The rings formed around her with the sound of the grind of metal on bone, sparks of red and black spitting off their surfaces made of pure Chaos Energy.

  Mentyr froze as she watched those chaotic rings closing around her.

  For the first time, the arrogant mask slipped completely. Mentyr's eyes widened, pupils trembling. The fear in her gaze was palpable.

  She didn't just look worried; she looked like a prey animal realizing the trap had snapped shut.

  But suddenly, the rings of Chaos energy crashed, exploding into billions of red and black sparks.

  Sokram froze.

  Before he could twitch a muscle, an elegant hand settled on his shoulder, soft in touch, yet carrying the power to wipe the entire galaxy.

  Then, a voice echoed in his very bones, a voice he could never forget.

  “Stop,” Nhiria’s voice hit him with the weight of a falling mountain.

  The mana flowing through him froze. Even Sokram’s heart seemed to skip a beat in obedience to that single syllable.

  Then she giggled, looking at Mentyr, who had fear written all over her face.

  Nhiria could tell her fear wasn’t because she was there. Mentyr was completely frightened by the spell Sokram was about to use.

  Nhiria tapped Sokram’s shoulder softly, a warm smile playing on her lips, “You won. This time, at least. She will be more prepared next time. She’s a terrible loser.”

  The barrier holding Mentyr's astral form broke, and she was freed, disappearing right after.

  Seeing that, Sokram quickly stored the recording crystal in his Void Glove and complained, enraged as he tried to turn to face her, “Wait! This is not fair!”

  Yet, before he could even look at her, he lost complete control of his body.

  It wasn't a choice.

  An invisible, crushing gravity crashed down on him like the fist of a titan, shattering his stance and driving his knees into the stone hard enough to sting.

  His forehead met the icy stone with a sharp crack. The command to kneel didn't come through words but through Nhiria's intent.

  “I didn’t allow you to look at me, hatchling.” Nhiria spat, a strange mix of amusement and anger in her tone.

  “You like to call yourself a dragon, but close to me, you’re but a hatchling that just left the egg. You may have beaten the trickster, and that deserves praise, but don’t forget your place and respect your elders.”

  Then, he felt the recording crystal emerging from his Void Glove.

  “I’m also taking this. I named you Pioneer, not Agent of Chaos.” Nhiria mocked.

  “Tuff! Tuff!”

  Sokram heard two heavy tomes hitting the rocky ground, the dust under them rippling like shockwaves at the power they emanated.

  “Consider these your spoils of victory. I don’t want you thinking I’m an unfair Guardian. I’ll take Amira back to Eversnow, but since you like to be insolent, you can find your way back home…”

  Nhiria approached him, and her voice came out in a menacing tone, “… Can’t you, future Grey Dragon?”