When one Devil and one demon first entered the Heavenly Armor Pavilion, they had been separated.

After leaving a message on the first floor, Liora had rushed onto the ones above, unwilling to waste any time there.

Since then, the two had never crossed paths again.

Until now, at least.

As Liora stepped onto the floor filled with the display cases, she immediately noticed Elaouthr standing before one of them.

His giant figure remained perfectly still as his attention remained focused on a massive war hammer resting behind a glass.

Although Liora did not try to conceal herself, the demon failed to spot her.

It was only several seconds later, when she deliberately went out of her way to make some noise, that he finally woke up.

The moment he saw her, surprise flashed across his face before quickly turning into excitement.

"Liothar! Come over here! Look at this weapon!", he shouted, motioning Liora to come closer.

Liora raised an eyebrow. She was faintly surprised by his sudden enthusiasm.

Yet once she approached the display and saw the hammer inside, she immediately understood.

The item within the glass display was somewhat special.

Although it appeared ordinary at first glance, its essence was extraordinarily high.

Even through the glass display and the several formations revolving around it, its overwhelming aura was enough to attract attention.

Moreover, the wooden plaque beneath it only reinforced that impression.

"Battle Fury Hammer. Suitable for cultivators at the Tribulation Transcending Realm. Price: 100 Immortal Spirit Stones."

Liora had already noticed this item before, as it was perhaps the most precious item in the entire Heavenly Armor Pavilion.

Previously, the cultivation realms and currency meant nothing to her, and she based her analysis on just its aura.

However, following her conversation with the phantom, she now understood what such realms meant.

Qi Refining. Foundation Establishment. Core Formation. Nascent Soul. Void Refining. Tribulation Transcending.

...Ascension.

These were the realms of the cultivation power system.

The lowest was equivalent to a Rank 1 Awakener, with the Tribulation Transcending realm being equivalent to Rank 11 and Rank 12 Awakeners.

As for Ascension, this was a theoretical realm that nobody had ever reached.

In Liora’s estimation, anyone capable of reaching this realm would likely possess strength comparable to a Prince of the Demon World.

Unfortunately, whether this was the case remained a mystery.

The value of the Battle Fury Hammer—a weapon designed for Ancient Devil-level experts—was therefore self-evident.

It was only natural that Elaouthr had become captivated by it.

Just as Liora assumed he merely intended to admire the treasure, however, the demon suddenly spoke.

"Brother Liothar, I got lucky back in the courtyard. Look.", he said and took a small wooden cane out of his spatial ring.

At first glance, the object appeared completely ordinary.

But since a Rank 8 King demon had brought it up at this point in time, it was obvious that it couldn’t be as such.

Indeed, a split second later, Elaouthr followed up on his earlier words.

"I originally thought nothing of it. I kept it merely because it was found in the residence of a powerful expert."

"However, once we entered this building, this thing began to react."

As he spoke, Elaouthr tightened his grip.

The cane visibly struggled against his hand, twisting violently as though trying to break away.

Despite being a Rank 8 King, Elaouthr had to exert his full strength just to keep it in place.

Obviously, this cane was far from ordinary.

As Liora followed its trajectory with her eyes, she noticed that it was attempting to get closer to the glass display.

The reason was obvious.

Whatever this cane was, it had a certain relationship with the item inside—the Battle Fury Hammer.

Seeing this, Liora’s eyes narrowed.

She cast a glance at Elaouthr, then back toward the glass display before finally making a decision.

Without any further hesitation, she took a step forward and approached the display.

Then, under the demon’s stunned eyes, she stretched her hand toward the hammer.

The display seemed to have been rendered invalid before her. Similarly, the formations failed to activate as though they had fallen into slumber.

Without facing any obstacle, Liora’s hand grasped the hammer’s handle and pulled it out.

As soon as it exited the display, its bottomless aura spread.

With nothing to suppress it, its pressure surged throughout the entire floor before extending toward every level above and below.

The space itself began to break under its sheer might.

Fortunately, before the aftermath could really affect anything, Liora took action once again.

With a move of her mind, demonic energy wrapped around the hammer and established a seal.

The process remained invisible to the naked eye.

For Elaouthr, it appeared that Liora had simply mastered the weapon and could now effortlessly suppress its momentum.

A trace of envy flashed across his eyes.

However, considering that the two were previously equal in strength and the fact that "Liothar" had now obtained such a powerful weapon, the demon wisely chose to conceal his emotions.

He forced a faint smile on his face.

"Congratulations, brother Liothar."

"With this weapon in hand, even Venerables will struggle against you. Aside from our leader, no one in our group can suppress you anymore."

The more he thought about it, the brighter Elaouthr’s expression became.

If Liothar truly became that powerful, then he, as "his sworn brother", Elaouthr, would naturally benefit as well.

He understood! This was an opportunity!

Upon that realization, the smile on his face became more heartfelt and less of an act.

Liora paid little attention to his thoughts.

After storing away the Battle Fury Hammer and confirming that the purple token granted her permission to retrieve the treasures from the displays, she no longer hesitated.

Without offering any explanation, she began collecting every item on the floor.

Then, she climbed down the staircase and did the same to the floors below.

Elaouthr remained silent throughout this process.

Whether he believed Liora had obtained something on the upper floors or simply chose to trust his new "brother", he never questioned how she had managed to bypass the pavilion’s restrictions.

--

Meanwhile, elsewhere within the city fragment, an enormous hall stood in absolute silence.

Hundreds of colossal pillars supported its towering golden ceiling, while a giant screen was embedded into one of its walls.

The hall was silent. Yet it was not empty.

A lone figure could be seen standing at its very center, its body swaying slightly at every breeze.

The figure stood motionless. It looked at the space before it blankly, and several scenes seemed to emerge before its eyes.

Each was focused on a person.

A tentacled demon battling an ancient puppet.

A group of Venerables exploring the city’s streets.

Several Kings fleeing from the attacks of a formation.

Had Liora been present, she would have immediately recognized these people. Every image depicted one of their expedition’s members.

Only a few were different.

Two of them were completely blank.

The image was frozen on a giant tower. It constantly glitched, frozen in place as though something prevented it from observing its interior.

The other scenes were different because of their protagonists.

Unlike those following the demons, these followed another race:

Zerg.

Or more precisely, several Zerg Queens.

The figure watched silently for a long time before finally reaching a decision.

"It’s finally time...", a sigh echoed.

"The power of the fragment will soon be exhausted. Moreover, those two beings have grown out of control."

"There’s no reason to take a risk."

"It’s time to bring all these ’protagonists’ together."

The moment these words fell, a streak of light shot from the figure’s hand and rushed out of the hall.

Once outside, it split into countless specks of light that scattered throughout the entire district.

At first, nothing seemed to change. But soon, the changes brought by this action became obvious.