After some time, Ramis opened his eyes and looked around, feeling confused by the scorched and ash-filled ground. He soon heard the crackling sound of fire and turned to find Jake cooking a piece of meat over the flames.

    Ramis''s lips twitched as he asked, "Were you cooking this whole shrine?"

    Jake tilted his head in confusion at first, but then, glancing at the surroundings, he understood what Ramis meant. "No, just cooked some Infernals to ashes."

    Ramis nodded and, sitting down beside Jake, looked at the piece of meat on the barbecue.

    "So, did you interrogate them?" Ramis asked, accepting the fragrant meat Jake handed him.

    Jake nodded. "They were just scouts, the lowest of the low, not even worthy of entering the central shrine."

    Ramis, who had been eating, stiffened at Jake''s words. "You''re kidding, right?"

    Jake shook his head and continued, "The central shrine contains three supreme legacies: Life, Death, and Soul. The leader among them has already taken other legacies. If he acquires these three as well, he will become immensely powerful."

    "Not to mention, he''s already a Count," Jake said calmly. "With the legacies he''s acquired, even if we both fight at full power, we only have a 10% chance of winning."

    Ramis, noticing Jake''s calm demeanor, felt somewhat relieved and resumed eating. "You have a plan. So, what is it?" he asked.

    Jake looked at him and asked, "What plan?"

    The piece of meat fell from Ramis''s hand. He clasped Jake''s shoulders and shouted, "THEN WHY THE HELL ARE YOU SO CALM ABOUT THIS?"

    Jake didn''t seem bothered and kept eating, much to Ramis''s dismay. "It''s not like getting worked up will solve anything," he said.

    "The leader, along with his 50-man elite squad, has already been inside the shrine for the past three hours. They likely have already taken the legacy by now," Jake explained.

    "So, what will I do now?" Jake asked nonchalantly.

    Ramis fell to the ground, clutching his head and staring lifelessly at the sky. "I am sorry, Myre. It seems you have to die as a virgin bride," he lamented, tears streaming down his face. He thought sadly, ''Just how pitiful am I, having such a beautiful wife yet not even able to love her properly?''

    Though Jake seemed nonchalant, his mind was already working on a solution. With the Authority of Transcendence, he processed millions of strategies every minute, trying to find an optimal way to counter the seemingly inevitable defeat.

    As time passed, Ramis kept pleading with Jake to do something. Finally, Jake did—by kicking him into the Nyrina world.

    "You should have done it earlier," Nexus said amusingly.

    "Don''t worry, you can do it, Jake," Myne said, trying to encourage him.

    "Just so you know, I won''t be helping you," Astralium suddenly declared, causing Jake to momentarily pause. He resumed strategizing, this time considering only his own capabilities, without any external help.

    Jake''s mind raced, formulating a plan that relied solely on his skills and resources. The pressure was immense, but he remained focused, determined to find a way to turn the tide.

    ******

    [Run, Jake!] Nexus''s voice echoed urgently in Jake''s mind.

    Reacting swiftly, Jake invoked his Dimensional Shift ability. The Infernal leader lunged forward, his hand passing through Jake''s ethereal form as he shifted into another dimension. But Jake wasn''t done yet.

    he activated the Authority of Akashic and used Falsify Sub skill and deleted his dimensional coordinate from this realm.

    Reacting swiftly, Jake invoked his Dimensional Shift ability. The Infernal leader lunged forward, his hand passing through Jake''s ethereal form as he shifted into another dimension. But Jake wasn''t done yet.

    With a calculated move, he activated the Authority of Akashic, tapping into its power to manipulate the fabric of reality itself. Using the Falsify Sub skill, he deleted his dimensional coordinates from the realm, effectively erasing any trace of his presence.

    Confusion flickered across the face of the Infernal leader as he searched frantically for Jake, only to find him vanished from the realm.

    "It seems he ran away," the Infernal leader muttered to himself coldly, though a hint of frustration lingered in his voice.

    "Anyway, the legacy that made the protagonist of Celestaria strong is already mine," he chuckled darkly as he turned his attention elsewhere.

    Despite his newfound power, the Infernal leader knew better than to launch an immediate attack on Celestaria. The memory of their previous defeat at the hands of the Celestarians weighed heavily on his mind. In that conflict, the sheer number of Monarchs aligned with Celestaria had proven insurmountable for the Infernal forces.

    Recalling the world-shaking battle, the Infernal leader acknowledged the pivotal role played by the World Will Child and the overwhelming presence of Monarchs on the side of Celestaria. Their numbers had outnumbered the Infernal forces tenfold, leading to their eventual defeat and the loss of their own home planet to the Celestarians.

    With these factors in mind, the Infernal leader knew that any attempt to attack Celestaria prematurely would likely result in another devastating defeat.

    "Have any of you found any Celestarians yet?" Merrick asked his subordinates.

    "The scouts are dead," one of them replied grimly.

    Merrick''s expression hardened. "Not even a single one?"

    "Yes, all of them are dead. Not even a single one is alive," the same subordinate confirmed.

    Hearing this, Merrick fell into a contemplative silence. "There was an incident where a few Monarchs in Celestaria died by the hand of their own Director," he mused inwardly. "I was planning to collaborate with her, but it seems I can''t now."

    With a resigned sigh, Merrick waved his hand, signaling for a subordinate to approach him with a device capable of communication beyond the realm.

    "Close the realm," Merrick commanded simply, his decision to abandon the plan clear.

    Shortly after, a portal materialized, and Merrick and his followers stepped through it before it closed behind them.

    Jake appeared, observing the spot where the portal had opened. "He seems like a true villain to me," he remarked to Nexus.

    Nexus nodded in agreement. "Yes, intelligent and cunning, unlike those who only appear for a few pages."

    Jake looked perplexed. "Why are you being happy about this? This is a bad thing for us," he said, taken aback by Nexus''s response.

    Nexus : "...."