"How can I help you with this?" Maria asked curiously.
"A few days ago, you mentioned your location-tracking magic, right?" Raizel said.
"Yes, I can track anyone's location by looking at their face. The entire realm is filled with my magic troops, allowing me to witness almost everything that's happening around the realm," she replied.
"Exactly. Now you have to find this guy and tell us his location," Raizel said, smiling with a bit of joy and excitement.
"Alright, just show me his face."
Aizis placed the index finger of his left hand on Maria's forehead, releasing a bright golden light that entered her mind instantly.
Maria took a few seconds to process the image and locate his position. Soon after, she found him—outside a cave.
"Found him!"
"Where?"
"It's around five miles from here. I've implanted the location in your memory—just follow it," Maria said, a bit of eagerness appearing on her face.
"Alright, thank you so much, Maria," Aizis replied.
Maria smiled back in response.
Raizel drew a magic circle encompassing both himself and Aizis, and they instantly disappeared.
They appeared in front of a cave, surrounded by a flash of golden light.
Someone in a long purple coat stood there. He had dark hair, glowing golden eyes, and a sinister smile on his face that radiated a devilish presence.
"So that was you, Shiara," Raizel spoke up.
"That's surprising. The transcendental devil is here to confront against us?" Aizis added.
"Legends say the Supreme Rulers were the devils and always will be. While the Supreme Rulers believe they are saints and the Sacred Spirits are devils.'' Shiara spoke, his voice vibrating.
But outside them, I'm the greatest transcendental demon who will destroy both sides and become the ultimate ruler of the 6th layer," he added.
The Transcendental Demons are a race that exists in the 6th Layer. They are known as one of the strongest factions within that realm—powerful enough to pose a serious threat to both the Sacred Spirits and the Supreme Rulers as a third-party force. Seen as a danger to both sides, the Supreme Rulers ultimately wiped out every last one of them from existence. However, Shiara was an exception. For some unknown reasons, he survived.
Driven by a desire for revenge and a deep hunger for power, Shiara became a ruthless being. His one and only goal now is to become the strongest and rule the entire layer by wiping out both sides.
As a transcendental being, his power depends on the level of his will power. His desire for revenge is that what allowed him to be the transcendental being with highest will power, aside Raizel.
Ever since Raizel's death, Shiara has killed countless Supreme Rulers and Sacred Spirits. And now, his eyes are set on Raizel himself.
Some rumors say it wasn't the loss of his companions that turned him into what he is now—but rather, someone else manipulated him into becoming the ruthless force he has become.
"Your wish is interesting, but it's meaningless when you'll end up getting crushed by both sides," Raizel replied.
"You also stand alone against both sides and still remain strong. Then why can't I?" Shiara asked.
"Shiara, do you know the difference between ascending intentions and ruling intentions? Do you understand the difference between you and him? Do you realize your mistakes?" Aizis spoke.
"Your intention is to rule the 6th layer and become a king. But his intention is to ascend to higher realms without stopping until he reaches the endpoint and concludes the story of the Law of Intention—the chaotic law," he added.
"You do everything for yourself, and that's why you keep losing. You care only for your own survival, and that's why you can't receive your reward. He, on the other hand, does everything while putting his own life on the line. He wins, he loses, but still, he ascends—step by step. Because he has nothing to fear, nothing holding him back," Aizis concluded.
"I don't know if your words are true or not. But I've always wondered—why couldn't I? Why do I always fail to reach the unreachable goal? I still don't know," Shiara replied.
"But now, I will figure it out on my own. I will prove that I'm worthy of being a ruler. I will prove that I'm truly following the righteous path," he added.
A dark magic circle appeared around Shiara. A minor storm of dark shadows engulfed his body, swirling violently.
After a few seconds, the shadows vanished, revealing Shiara in crimson dark armor.
His entire body was covered in armor, and his face was hidden beneath a dark mask—only his eyes were visible.
"The showdown is about to begin," Aizis thought to himself, smiling a sinister smile.
''Aizis, I don't think your interference is really necessary here, don't you think so?'' Raizel spoke to Aizis.
''I believe in you, as always,'' Aizis replied with a smile.
''You think you can actually take me on alone?'' Shiara asked, a bit of a surprising expression on his face.
''You want me to show what I can actually do? I can destroy everything and anything if I need to,'' Raizel replied.
Raizel took a breath and smiled a bit toward Shiara. His gaze was gentle yet unknown and mysterious.
''I always had two choices in my life. Either destroy everything in my path at any cost, or be destroyed brutally. I can't run away, I can't survive from the granted order to ascend and ascend, ascend to the end of the sacred story and remove the flaw of causality, the flaw that's forcing the world to run toward the worst possible scenario,'' Raizel added.
''I can see the confidence in your heart. It's not your confidence but your ruthless nature. No, it's not that you're ruthless, it's that you're a person with a pure heart without a flaw, you're a person who exists without a will yet pure,'' Shiara thought to himself, his eyes seems to be glowing. He was wondering something, wondering how a person can exist without any sort of intention for his own. How a person capable of existing without a will.
''But still, I can't let a being like you exist. I can't let someone be pure enough to get in my way.'' he added to his thoughts.
Suddenly, multiple magic circles covered both Raizel and Shiara. It was magic circles of teleportation
''Teleportation magic?'' Shiara spoke up out of surprise.
The magic circles disappeared along with Raizel and Shiara, leaving a flash of light behind.
Aizis smiled a bit, kept staring toward the sky for some moments.
''I don't think he's actually prepared for a battle against Shiara but…''
''It's a shame that I can't witness the showdown between two individuals with completely different paths yet similar in some point. But it's fine, maybe Raizel will win in some way, or maybe he will die and return again and again,'' Aizis thought to himself, smiled afterward.