Feeling the intensity of the serpent's gaze, the Lords who had been in slumber woke up in a flash.

Only for their heartbeats to quicken, sweat building up across their bodies as they realized the situation they were in.

Stillness spread, neither party willing to risk making the first move.

'You think the deer screwed us over by bringing us here?' Devil used the telepathic connection he shared with Michael to speak.

'Out of the question.' Michael denied the possibility. 'No one, not even Gloria, sensed any kind of ill intent. The deer either did not know that the serpent was here or assumed that it would not do us any harm.'

Quite the situation. From what they had observed, the serpent moved faster than they perceived and wielded lethal power.

Had they ambushed the creature, victory might have been possible. However, now if a clash were to break out, at best half of them would die before killing the serpent.

At worst, all of them would perish, unable to retaliate.

Several seconds passed, the serpent not shifting its gaze from the squad.

"Does staying still make us invisible?" Nicole was the first one to shatter the silence. Her tender lips barely moved as she spoke.

"Possible." Persephone replied. "Staying frozen would not work for long, though. We have to choose, flee, or strike."

Even the chaotic woman was able to recognize when it was not time for playing around and acting serious. One wrong move could cost them their lives.

"Gloria? Anything?" Francesca asked.

"Nothing…" Gloria answered with a baffled expression. "The serpent does not give off an intent. It is waiting for us to act and respond accordingly."

"Does that mean it is not entirely hostile?" Elina gulped anxiously. "Like the deer that led us here?"

"Better prepare for the worst, sister." Eliza's eyes darkened.

Nobody was brave enough to test how the serpent would react to movement.

So in the end, Devil did.

Raising his shrunken hand, he gave the serpent the middle finger.

"..."

The head of the serpent shifted, staring right at Michael, since Devil in his shrunken state looked more like a mascot than a threat.

"Did it work?" Devil suppressed a smirk.

Michael's eyebrow twitched, momentarily debating whether he should just throw Devil toward the serpent and use him as bait while the rest escaped.

While he was still thinking, the serpent moved closer, its colossal head taking up most of the Lords' view.

Its shining nostrils twisted as it studied them.

The serpent snorted.

It lost interest in the squad and retreated back into the sea.

Collectively waiting just in case, the Lords remained still for a few extra seconds before finally letting out sighs of relief.

"This was nerve-wracking…" Noctis' face had paled.

"Can you control the midget next time?" Rosalie spat, throwing a hateful gaze toward Michael.

"Midget?!" Devil was outraged. "You wretch have no idea how lucky you are. I have not cut out your tongue for your insolence! While all of you cowered, I was the only one with the courage to act!"

In high-stress situations, even Lords were not capable of maintaining their composure.

"Why did it leave us alone?" Theodore murmured, puzzled.

"Maybe because we are not illusions." Michael offered his theory. "We know the Titan's subjects hunt one another, and the reward for the victor is the absorption of the loser's core. But since we're outsiders, there's no benefit in attacking us."

"If that is the case, then why have other illusions confronted us? Like the one at the gate of the kingdom, for example." Emanuel differed.

Given the danger of the environment, the man wasn't willing to believe a far-fetched hypothesis.

"Because not all creatures are identical." Nicole reasoned. "We know that the illusions fight in pursuit of strength in order to get deeper into the Light Kingdom, searching for warmth. Perhaps the serpent is stationed here as a Guardian, tasked with stopping the unworthy from going further."

"Doesn't that mean past the second set of gates our foes would become stronger?" Solomon stroked his light beard.

"Hopefully." Persephone exclaimed in high expectation.

Regardless of whether they had arrived at the full truth or not, the Lords still needed to reach the walls past the plasma sea.

The question was if they should attempt to fly over the reservoir or go around it.

Both choices had their upsides and downsides. Flying would lessen the needed time and limit potential ambushes, but it risked angering the serpent. Going around would take longer, but it was the safer option.

Seeing that it was his time to shine, Michael decided to enact punishment on Devil for his earlier mischief.

Turning him into a sword form, he used Psychokinesis to move him over the plasma.

Instantly, the pressure Devil was under multiplied, forcing Michael to expend a greater amount of spiritual energy to keep the sword airborne.

"Gravitational pull is intensified over the sea. We should go around." He said, letting the weapon descend toward the plasma.

'Hey brat, what do you think you are doing?! Call me back this instant!' Devil roared seconds before submerging into the liquid.

Even though he was of the Supreme Rank, Devil knew plunging into the sea was going to hurt immensely.

Michael smiled, filling Devil with dread that he really was about to let him fall into the plasma. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Deliberately waiting until the last moment, Michael called Devil back a heartbeat before he actually took a dive.

"Consider this a warning. Next time you will not get off so easily."

While Devil was busy cursing, Heaven's Judgment laughed hysterically at his misfortune.

The next few hours passed swiftly as the Lords took turns to rest.

Fortunately, this time they were not interrupted by any light creatures, nor did Persephone seek another fight.

Once fully restored to peak condition, the Lords moved, traveling across the edge of the plasma sea, keeping their distance for safety precautions.

Along the way, the light-born creatures observed the Lords with curiosity, but just like the deer which had guided them to the plasma sea, not one of them attacked.

Once they neared the gates they were supposed to pass, the Lords picked up echoes of battle resonating from ahead.

To proceed, they had to battle their way out.