The Void rank Prime Treasure, Amanas, crossed its first light year from Aigas in a little more than a minute.

Normally, traversing through the great void felt like pushing through a mass of super-compressed dark sand with nothing but brute force, a rough endeavor even for some fresh Divines. Amanas, however, made it seem as though Skullius and his Order were standing still. If not for the projection linked to the ship, allowing for a more precise visual of what was happening outside, it would be impossible to tell that they were moving.

Kintar had restored the tiled, oblong flooring of the Metgard, but the walls still allowed a crisp view of the outside. The vessel's exterior shot forth a screen of focused light, like that from a magnifying glass, which allowed even mortals to see the distant shapes buried in the great void – nearby worlds; the distant spectacle of quadrillions of lights representing Prime worlds and territories; the abstract, inconsistent hues left behind by void disasters; and pockets, burrows, rather, signifying nests for Divine-level monstrosities.

The Stars and the Troops were transfixed, intrigued. Already, their minds were expanding, truly absorbing the obvious, but vexing fact that there was more to life than Aigas.

A few of them were already privy to this, however, like Grim, who had fought Fiends outside Aigas. Still, though, it was an eye-opening experience for him as well. The great void, dark and devouring, seemed to extend way beyond the limits of his reasoning. Just how far did it go? How many things did it hold? How was it possible that it was all… an individual?

He gulped.

Pherdanta saw the expansive darkness from a different perspective, however. When she had the gnawing thought, she felt like she was finally coming into her own. Aside from her mission – her purpose as the Commander of Skullius' Order – she was the Infinite Sword God.

…But was she?

Was she truly the undisputed swordmaster across all that was hidden in the darkness beyond Amanas? A smile crept on her face. In truth, she didn't know what the title of Infinite Sword God even meant besides its surface-level grandeur. Was there someone who did, somewhere out there?

Her rival, Kintar, had no such doubts about herself as an organism. She was currently greedily absorbing everything Uyuniya was telling her as they hovered between the consoles. The foreign princess was the one who knew the way to Zelozeld, and thus, she had a part to play with Amanas. Unfortunately for her, Kintar wouldn't let her man the vessel unconditionally. She demanded a strenuous explanation of everything she knew about the void in exchange.

"Prime worlds, you say?" she was saying, her eyes gleaming.

Skullius was amused. He saw through all of his subordinates and their thoughts. It was much easier for him to discern them now. Turning away, he fed himself through the boundary between the four spaces within Amanas – something that was only supposed to be possible through the Metgard console – and appeared in Limgard. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The scenery transformed at once. Like Metgard, Limgard also had the sprawling, oblong white tiling, but it held hundreds of pots from which small dogwood trees with shining white leaves that dispersed a refreshing, humid scent grew. There were also dozens of fat couches that looked like huge bundles of wool. They had a perfect mix of sturdy and soft, as the current occupants showed.

The rest of the experts yet to be inducted into the Order here in Limgard, lying flat on the couches, or reading the books that were on the glass tables between them. As it happened, Limgard was mirrored. There was a duplicate space above with its own sustaining gravitational force. Vali, Maxim, Muezzi, and a few other experts preferred it to the setting below.

When Skullius appeared, though, everyone snapped in his direction.

'A staggering number of them are not even slightly interested in what the great void looks like,' Skullius thought. He wasn't surprised, though. He could also discern the hearts of these experts pretty well now.

Pherdanta poured in from Metgard, along with Remos and Sause, to stand by his side. Skullius smiled. The Commander was good at reading him in turn.

"I have a few matters to attend to. Lucky for you," Skullius said to the experts, "the Commander here has a plan for you all. I'd advise that you follow her instructions religiously."

As the experts turned to look at Pherdanta, Skullius' eyes honed in on a certain individual among them. Only he was the exception from what he'd charged the others.

In a blink, the man was standing by Skullius' side. He blinked a couple of times and gave Skullius a critical look. Those eyes reminded the Hybrid of Fulgardt indeed, as did the man's long, dark hair. The only thing that split him apart from the Immoral (facially) was the moustache, which he (the man) had skillfully trimmed the instant his body was healed.

Puiradt was his name.

Skullius turned away from him.

"Have at them, Commander. I'll rendezvous with you in the Warmoth's Treasury in a little while," he said to Pherdanta, and opened a portal into the Empyrean Bosom while beckoning Weaver.

In an instant, he was in the Empyrean Hatcher – the Second Layer.

The Ju'wtte-hewn creatures were swimming in the ocean-like atmosphere, above them, scrolls with mystical secrets. Skullius swam upwards, ahead of everyone he'd brought, to these scrolls. Around him, Strawlers appeared, ready for any of his commands.

Almost immediately, one of them flashed away, charged silently with a task.

"Some of you have concerns about your journey from here onward as it relates to me, but for now, put that aside. I have a need for you all – a rather unusual need," Skullius said soon after, unfurling one of the scrolls in front of him as everyone surrounded him. "It would be easy for me to extract your minds and take what I need, but for this, I think I could benefit from an engaging exchange."

Sause, Remos, Weaver, and Puiradt listened intently.

"I have an idea, one that seems inconceivable at this point. I have a hard time even imagining it," said the Hybrid Warmoth. "But I have the feeling that you five can lend me some inspiration."

"Five?" said Sause, puzzled.

"Ah, right," said Skullius, realising he was too far ahead. "There's another person of interest I need insights from."

As it happened, this person of interest appeared at that exact moment, accompanied by the Strawler Skullius had sent.

It was none other than the Repented Lich, Soidon.