Jacob was startled when he thought about the Blood Insect Enslavement Ritual that suddenly stirred, but it was too sudden and quick.
After checking again, he found nothing unusual, which made him uneasy instead of relieved.
’Did something happen to Autarch?’ Jacob thought but quickly rejected the idea because the Blood Insect Enslavement still exists, and if Autarch were to die, this ritual would be gone as well.
Nonetheless, now Jacob was slightly agitated to get Autarch back because Autarch was just too important.
Even the slight excitement about getting the entire treasury of the Noxvalis City was gone in smoke as he coldly looked towards the massive door in front of him.
He coldly ordered, "Dark Rose, open it!"
After confirming the Deathless Prince’s identity, Dark Rose didn’t make a fuss. Dark Rose opened the treasury door, for only the Deathless Prince could enter this place without needing any permission from anyone.
Jacob silently entered the treasury and, without even looking at anything, he emptied it before leaving, issuing a cold command, "I want that teleportation channel active quickly!"
He didn’t wait for Dark Rose’s reply because he knew the Machina Unit was constantly monitoring, but it couldn’t do anything against the Deathless Prince unless he started harming the Dark Kingdom.
However, emptying the treasury wasn’t harming the Dark Kingdom, not unless he used those treasures against the Dark Kingdom, not to mention that, as the Deathless Prince, he essentially gathered all the resources, and he can use them however he pleases!
For someone like Jacob, three days passed like a breeze, but he still couldn’t find any traces of Autarch, according to Nyx’s report.
Nonetheless, it makes it quite clear that Autarch wasn’t desperate enough to announce his name in public to search for him, so he was a little relieved.
Moreover, today was the day he would leave this city and hopefully find what he needed quickly.
---
Beneath the towering fortress of the Noxvalis Castle, where shadows gathered like rivers, there was a sealed underground sanctum—a place where only the Dark Prince himself or those directly sanctioned by Dark Rose could tread.
The descent was silent. Pillars of obsidian stretched into infinity, carved with soul runes that flickered with a faint, cold brilliance.
In the heart of the chamber lay a colossal teleportation circle, etched into the blackstone floor with patterns that spiraled like the veins of some ancient creature. Its very presence distorted the air, and each rune pulsed like a heartbeat.
Jacob, wearing the Deathless Prince’s visage, descended the final steps in silence. His abyssal eyes swept across the sprawling formation.
For a moment, he lingered, observing the circle’s delicate symmetry, the humming flow of dark ether churning like a coiled storm.
But he did not speak. Without hesitation, he stepped into the center of the array.
The formation stirred at his presence, recognizing the soul totem sigil bound to the Deathless Prince.
Then, in that hushed chamber, the mechanical voice of Dark Rose resonated...
"Final confirmation required. Dark Prince—do you authorize activation of the Teleportation Gateway to the Dark Regal Galaxy?"
Jacob’s response was a cold murmur, utterly devoid of hesitation, "Confirmed."
The silence fractured.
"Authorization accepted. Initiating teleportation sequence," Dark Rose intoned.
The runes on the circle flared alive, cascading outward in waves of obsidian light. The chamber trembled as a pillar of black luminescence erupted, wrapping Jacob’s form in a cocoon of shifting ether.
For a heartbeat, his body seemed to fracture into shards of shadow, stretched between realms, and then...he vanished.
However, the moment his presence was erased from the sanctum, Dark Rose’s voice spoke again, flat and cold, echoing into the hollow chamber:
"Notification: Deathless Prince has left Noxvalis City. Temporary administrative authority transferred to Dark Rose.
"Per directive protocol, suspicious activities of the Deathless Prince will be forwarded to... Dark Grand Duke."
Her voice lingered like static in the stone before the runes dimmed, and silence reclaimed the chamber as if nothing had ever occurred.
---
The space folded—Jacob emerged elsewhere.
Another chamber, eerily similar in design, but broader, the air denser, filled with the pressure of old authority, and at the center stood a single figure, waiting.
A towering giant, nearly ten meters tall, clad in regal black robes that shimmered with runic embroidery. His presence was suffocating, every motion deliberate, and the moment he saw the Deathless Prince, his gaze was sharp with the weight of old grudges.
The moment his eyes landed on Jacob, hostility flashed like lightning before it twisted into a mocking smile as his deep voice rang with cruel amusement, "Oh... It’s been a while, Deathless. I wasn’t expecting you to crawl back into the Dark Regal Galaxy. Especially not after what happened last time."
The words were dipped in venom, sarcasm, and an unmistakable gloating edge—as if he had been waiting for this moment, savoring the opportunity to sting the Deathless Prince.
Jacob’s expression did not falter, though his thoughts churned coldly, ’I don’t have any memories of what this guy is talking about... but I know exactly who he is...’
His eyes glinted with ruthless indifference as he replied, voice sharp as frost,
"Warlock Prince. Indeed, it has been a long time. Now, if you would stop your incessant chatter and lead me to the Cosmic Gate, I would appreciate it. I don’t have time to waste idling with you."
This was Warlock Prince—another of the Dark Princes, guardian of the Cosmic Gateway that connected the Dark Regal Galaxy to realms beyond. Unlike others, his role was permanent, binding him to this hidden location as sentinel and warden.
Furthermore, among the Dark Princes, his relations with the Deathless Prince were notoriously bitter, fraught with rivalry and disdain for some unknown reason.
Yet duty demanded otherwise.
The Warlock Prince’s sarcastic smile only widened, his aura pressing faintly like a storm testing its prey.
But in the end, he chuckled and turned, the echo of his voice lingering like poison, "Very well, Deathless. Follow me. Let’s see how long you last this time!"