The following hours blur as Ezra focuses his time on preparation, studying not only the upcoming assessment but also the Scarlet dragon clan itself.

And after twenty two hours, he returned to the sovereign universe to welcome back the Transcendents from their short journey.

Ezra lay in the sovereign universe, the barren planet where he had sent the Transcendents now eerily silent.

The portal shimmers, its energy pulsating as usual.

His sharp eyes scans the swirling iridescence, sensing the subtle shifts in energy that indicated someone had neared.

The first to step through is Vanessa, her armor slightly scorched and her usually pristine hair disheveled.

Despite her appearance, her eyes gleamed with triumph.

"Welcome back," Ezra said, his voice steady as he observed her closely. "How was it?"

Vanessa nods, taking a deep breath. "Challenging, but enlightening"

Following her, Theron and Roxanne emerged, supporting an injured Deneris between them.

Deneris’s left arm hung limply, a jagged wound running down his shoulder.

Ezra projected a questioning gaze.

"What happened?"

"He was caught off guard by a last ditch attack"

"Be on guard next time" Ezra replies, taking it in his stride.

Turning to the others, he added, "Where are the rest?"

Ashton and Johan stumbled through next, their faces bore a mixture of exhaustion and satisfaction.

Frederick and Freesia arrive right behind them, their expressions unreadable.

Though they carried no visible injuries, their exhaustion is apparent.

Looking at this, Ezra makes a brief analysis on what their power level is at.

While he had hoped for more, they were all about one rank above theirs in strength, meaning as rank one Transcendents, they have enough power to fight rank twos—very decent.

Chatting a bit, Ezra leaves them to get some rest and recover, arriving back in the main universe.

While he subconsciously put it at the back of his mind to deal with after amassing much strength, the battle with Vorath had brought forth the rage within the heart.

In short, he had his eyes set on finding the bastard that had caused a massacre in Quartez more than a year ago.

Khasavar.

Ezra had begun formulating a plan to nab him from whichever place he lay in hiding—something he had put on pause till now.

On a side note, with the guardians coming to access his entry into the main branch, there lay a good chance that he wouldn’t have a more convenient chance than this.

Getting on it, Ezra procures the coordinates of the Exalom house of the black dragon clan, and inputs into the <coordinate recorder>

While it couldn’t be said to be completely accurate, this would bring very close to the exact location.

But ever since the last time he had tried, Ezra didn’t dare teleport such a large distance.

Instead, he aimed to utilize a gatemark he had left a long time back within the Black Quartet during his first expedition.

While he had only done that as a flash of insight, it had now come in handy.

With the aspect of distance resolved, the next focus is infiltration and reconnaissance.

To this, Ezra planned to use <universal concealment> at its fullest to remain undetectable.

As for only being able to maintain such the skill for about four minutes with full reserves, he planned to improvise by hiding inside the sovereign universe once the timer would almost elapse.

With no set date as to when the assessment crew would arrive, Ezra set the plan into motion as soon as possible.

In other words, immediately.

He had purposefully left Sidal unawares as the information gotten could eventually lead pursuers to him once Kashavar goes missing.

Moreover, he had put a lengthy gap between the time he collected the information from Sidal to now to act as another shield.

The time for retribution had finally arrived.

—---------

Utilizing the gatemark, Ezra arrives in Black Quartet, crossing an untold number of miles within seconds.

Because he had scouted the Exalom house territory back during his first expedition, Ezra recognizes it in the distance.

Pushing his concealment to the maximum, Ezra warps to the coordinates recorded earlier using <Teleportation>, arriving at a much closer proximity to the territory in question.

Rather any random construct, what lay in front of Ezra is a large metallic base, one whose landscape had been altered to look like much more comforting, sporting a variety of buildings and architectural exploits all in the colour scheme of black, grey or white.

Not a very interesting colour scheme, but it did it’s job.

Now it is time for Ezra to do his.

Ezra silently observed the base from a concealed vantage point, his heart steady, and his mind sharp.

The metallic base sprawled before him, bustling with activity.

Soldiers patrolled in disciplined formations, their black and silver armor reflecting the pale moonlight.

He could sense the hum of energy within the base, a faint vibration that betrayed the presence of numerous high-ranking warriors.

This was not going to be easy.

...But then again, it rarely ever was.

<Universal Concealment> consumed his energy reserves steadily, a constant reminder of the ticking clock, his form blending seamlessly into everything else.

He had four minutes before the concealment would falter, and he would be exposed.

Slipping through the outer perimeter, Ezra’s eyes darted to a pair of guards stationed at the entrance to a heavily fortified building.

They stood rigid, their stances alert, their auras formidable.

Ezra’s mind worked like clockwork as he analyzed his next steps.

He needed to infiltrate, gather information, and extract Khasavar without exposing himself or alerting security.

His goal wasn’t to engage in a full-scale battle—this was a surgical strike.

The Plan when simplified broke into simple steps.

Locate Khasavar, confirm his surroundings and defenses, create a diversion if necessary, then extract him and escape.

With no inside information, Ezra’s first task is gathering intel.

Moving silently and in concealment, he slips into one of the outer buildings, careful not to bump into anyone or anything.

Inside, the building seemed to be a restaurant, hosting a good number of soldiers.

Voices echo with guards and residents talking freely.

To this, Ezra picks out a conversation that might prove useful.

"So, my wife and I are..."

Unfortunately, it isn’t.

But while most didn’t seem to much about the members of the Exalom house itself, their words still gave tips.

Gathering intel in hand, Ezra slips back out of the restaurant, his steps light and measured.

His energy reserves had dipped to a dangerously low level, so he places a gatemark and retreats into the sovereign universe, unable to stay in the open much longer.

Returning after a few hours of recovery, Ezra moves like a phantom, slipping past the guards without so much as a ripple in the surrounding air.

The sprawling base was indeed vast, an intricate mix of simple architecture and advanced metallic constructs.

The Exalom House’s wealth and influence were evident in the opulent design of even the outer quarters.

Each structure is interconnected by paved pathways lined with flickering lamp posts powered by faint traces of magic circles.

At the heart of it all was the main residence, a massive black and silver building flanked by smaller courtyards for high-ranking members.

This is Ezra’s target.

Ezra had already scouted key energy signatures as he moved, and in conjecture with the intel he gathered, this place is most likely to provide a lead to the one he lay in search of.

His movements careful yet fluid, Ezra reached the vicinity of the main residence.

Even from a distance, its grandeur was palpable.

Carefully plotting his route, Ezra moved in closer.

His first hurdle was the heavily guarded entrance to the residence.

Two elite guards stood poised, their energies stable and concentrated.

Bypassing them was non-negotiable; stealth was paramount.

But a bit of thinking nudges his priorities in a different direction.

On a second thought, there’s no need to infiltrate the place, Ezra simply waits until someone would either enter it exit, who he then tails, as Khasavar wouldn’t be in this residence.

Yet, Ezra knew Khasavar likely wasn’t here.

The man was just one among many successor candidates, a decently popular figure, but far from someone whose whereabouts were known to every soldier and servant.

Still, this place was where the highest-ranking members of the Exalom House lived, making it the best starting point for narrowing his search.

He perched silently, waiting for someone to exit or enter and his patience paid off when, after several minutes of observation, the ornate double doors of the main residence creaked open.

A tall figure, clad in a high-collared black cloak, emerged flanked by two retainers.

Ezra’s eyes narrowed as he focused on the individual.

It wasn’t Khasavar, but their familial resemblance was uncanny—and having memorized all the faces of his siblings and parents beforehand, Ezra recognizes her immediately.

Zarat Exalom, his immediate elder sister.

Slipping into the shadow of a nearby structure, Ezra tails them, following behind the group as they walk to their next destination.

Just as he had hoped, Zarat engages in idle chatter with her retainers, a potential goldmine of information.

"...I hear younger brother’s been locking himself in the training halls these days. Anything worth noting?"

"Not at all, probably sulking after that last sparring match"

Like that they continue, helping Ezra narrow down the scope of his search extensively with time steadily trickling away.

Zarat snorts. "Perhaps. But the last thing we need is more rumors of internal squabbles. Keep an eye on him"

Her words gave Ezra a crucial lead, but he realizes his concealment timer was nearing its limit.

Knowing that retreating now would mean not obtaining that lead, he decides to stick it out.

Gritting his teeth, Ezra pushes his <Universal Concealment> further, stretching his energy reserves below acceptable levels.

Immense strain quickly builds, with beads of sweat forming on his brows.

With his reserves dangerously low, Ezra silently retreats to a secure corner upon obtaining the lead, before placing a gatemark and activating <Gatekeeper>

The strain of overexerting his concealment leaves him drained, and he hurriedly teleports to his room to which he collapsed onto the ever soft bed.

—---------

It takes five hours of tranquil yet tough meditation for Ezra replenish his reserves.

Meaning, that night time had begun to close in back in the main universe..

Emerging from the sovereign universe, he immediately acts on the intel he had gathered.

Returning to the Exalom territory, Ezra navigated swiftly toward the southern part of the metallic landscape.

The architecture here is less opulent, yet doesn’t look more functional either.

The area is far less rowdy, with fewer guards and less activity—a perfect place for someone to train in peace without disturbance.

And while he can’t any sounds making it obvious, Ezra assumes the training area has simply been soundproofed.

He approaches a small cluster of buildings, each surrounded by dense metallic walls and faintly glowing barriers.

Moving carefully, he listens intently into the conversations of the passing guards and maids.

Fragments of their conversations painted a clearer picture.

"I heard the fourth heir hasn’t left his quarters in days"

"Tell me something surprising"

"You should keep your voices down so we don’t end up dead!" a third stressed.

Piece by piece, the puzzle came together, forming the current situation.

Ezra’s eyes flicker with determination as he identified the most likely building—an isolated residence near the edge of the courtyards, its windows dark and its entrance tightly guarded.

Once again, Ezra drops a <Gatemark> before retreating into the sovereign universe.

He intended to be quick, but not hurried.

Arriving an hour later, he waits until the guards shift their positions, leaving the entrance momentarily unguarded.

And like this, he slips inside.

Of course, this causes a slight commotion with the door suddenly moving, but such is unavoidable.

The interior contrasts the modest exteriors, being flamboyant with colours of all sorts, and its air lay heavy with the scent of aged wood and iron.

Beyond the interesting view, Ezra couldn’t help but feel anticipation.

The time to exact retribution had finally arrived.