Eternal Thief

The Midnight Duke continued chanting the Ark Realm Seal Chant, and the surrounding formation arrays lit up one after another, and ancient restriction runes appeared throughout the chamber.

Thereafter, chains of crimson law emerged from thin air before they wrapped around the colossal gateway, around its frame, its core, and around the spatial tunnel itself.

’CLANG!’

’CLANG!’

’CLANG!’

Each chain locked into place with a deafening metallic roar, and the entire chamber shook violently.

’BOOOOOOOOM!’

The Realm Gateway released one final pulse before its brilliance rapidly faded, the swirling spatial passage collapsed, and the crimson currents vanished. The enormous circular frame became dark and lifeless.

Now it was completely sealed; no one could enter or leave, not unless the seal was personally lifted by an Evernight King, or by the likes of Midnight Duke himself.

The chamber fell silent, and only then did the Midnight Duke slowly open his eyes; his expression was cold and satisfied.

”Good.” His voice echoed quietly, ”The final variable has been removed.”

The next moment, the Midnight Duke turned toward the darkened gateway, and a faint eerie smile appeared beneath his mask.

”There will be no interruptions, reinforcements, unexpected visitors, and...no escape just as his regal majesty, the Evernight Fiend King, wants!”

His gaze seemed to pierce countless miles, the battlefield, the moving Realmbreaker Conquest Ark, and the entire Undead Cradle itself.

The Evernight Kings were already on the move, the Evernight Dukes had taken their positions, and the Protector Envoys were watching. The battlefronts were being established. Everything was prepared and in place.

The Corpse Clan had nowhere left to run.

The Midnight Duke slowly clasped his hands behind his back.

”The cage is complete!”

Outside the chamber, the colossal Realmbreaker Conquest Ark continued its descent toward the Main Battlefield, with countless participants streaming toward their assigned sectors.

Supply lines were being established, war fortresses were rising, defensive arrays were activating, and millions of abyss gems were being consumed every minute.

The entire Evernight Council machine had begun moving, and now, the last exit had been closed. Only the entrance remained, the path deeper into the Undead Cradle.

A path currently flooded by eager participants dreaming of contribution points, rewards, glory, treasures, and promotion within the Evernight Council.

None of them knew or realized that the route behind them had already disappeared. From this moment onward, the Evernight Conquest became a one-way journey to either victory or death.

Nothing else shall remain!

Far above the battlefield, hidden beyond layers of laws and space, the enormous owl silhouette continued watching the world with its abyss-like eyes.

The Midnight Duke glanced toward it through the chamber ceiling, and for a moment, his expression darkened.

”...Sky Stealer.”

The name escaped his lips like a curse before the smile on his face vanished because, despite all the preparations, despite the Evernight Kings, Evernight Dukes, and the Realmbreaker Conquest Ark.

There was still one thing he could not control, and no one understood. The existence is most likely responsible for all of this. The existence that had somehow shaken the Undead Boundary itself.

The gigantic owl remained motionless, as if watching and waiting, silently observing everyone preparing for a war whose true beginning had yet to arrive.

---

Some distance from the advancing battlefield, hidden behind layers of concealment and spatial distortions, two figures silently observed the colossal war machine as it moved across the heavens.

The Realmbreaker Conquest Ark, even from thousands of miles away, was enough to leave anyone speechless, its sheer size almost resembling a moving continent.

Ancient abyssal formations covered every inch of its black metallic surface while enormous runic towers rose from its upper decks like mountains. Millions upon millions of abyssal runes glowed continuously, consuming vast amounts of energy as the ark slowly descended toward the Main Battlefield.

Supply vessels moved around it like tiny insects, and legions of Evernight cultivators continuously entered and exited. Countless construction teams were already deploying toward the newly established battlefronts.

The entire scene radiated overwhelming might.

Ace silently watched everything unfold, even as he had to admit it. The Evernight Council truly deserved its reputation as the strongest force within the Abyss of Wandering Souls.

The resources they controlled were simply unimaginable. The sheer amount of manpower, wealth, military power, formations, artifacts, and experts being mobilized for a single conquest could make countless major powers despair.

This wasn’t a war; this was a civilization moving.

Beside him, Eva remained equally silent; both of them were analyzing the ark, searching for weaknesses and opportunities for a path inside.

But unfortunately, the answer wasn’t encouraging. The ark was still moving, and its defensive formations remained fully activated. There were likely multiple Abyssal Grand Lords aboard, and possibly even Evernight Dukes.

Attempting infiltration right now would be suicide; neither Ace nor Eva intended to gamble their lives on blind luck.

”We wait.” Ace calmly concluded.

Eva nodded slightly, ”For now.”

Both returned their attention toward the distant ark, plans formed, possibilities emerged, and routes were calculated using the Live Fate Map.

Just as they were preparing their next steps, Eva suddenly froze, and Ace immediately noticed.

Her eyes narrowed as the playful confidence that normally lingered within them disappeared instantly. For the first time in quite a while, she looked genuinely surprised.

Eva muttered grimly, ”This isn’t good!”

Ace’s gaze sharpened, but Eva didn’t immediately explain; instead, she remained silent as if listening or perhaps sensing something.

A few moments later, a crimson light suddenly emerged around her neck, and Ace’s eyes narrowed.

Suddenly, a necklace slowly surfaced from beneath Eva’s clothing. At first glance, it appeared ordinary, yet the pendant suspended at its center was anything but ordinary.

It seemed forged from condensed crimson light itself, and an eerie devilish glyph rested within its center. The glyph continuously shifted, changing, and then twisting, as though it possessed life. A terrifying regal authority lingered around it.

Ace instantly recognized one thing: this wasn’t an artifact. It was a communication treasure personally linked to an existence at the pinnacle of the Evernight Council, and he didn’t need to think hard to figure out that existence’s name.

Eva sighed softly, ”...She chose now of all times!”