The Lords ventured deeper, or at least they hoped so, given the path ahead was obscured due to the twisted nature of the routes.

Navigation became significantly harder when they had to switch the surface they walked upon, effectively entering a new gravitational field each time.

Despite being what many would consider at the pinnacle of cultivation, they had grown used to the natural order of the universe. To experience such drastic changes was deeply unsettling.

To top things off, the paintings scattered across the exterior of the buildings without any real reason amplified their unease.

After countless years of evolution, humanity’s fear of the unknown was deeply ingrained. Their minds instinctively filled gaps in knowledge with eldritch horrors, always imagining the worst.

How unfortunate that the very trait that had aided humanity all this while was now playing tricks on the Lords’ minds.

"It feels like we are in the middle of a fever dream... kind of horrifying." Elina exclaimed with a pale face, having a hard time adjusting to the altered gravity.

"Stick together." Reaching out, Eliza softly gripped her sister’s hand, ensuring they stayed close.

At first, they had thought coming here was a mistake, yet seeing how unbothered Michael looked, despite being a stage lower than them, motivated them to keep going.

Meanwhile, Persephone had the opposite response, finding herself enjoying the horror-like atmosphere of the place.

When "above" and "below" essentially meant the same thing, she wondered how a battle could even be fought.

Still wary of Nicole’s emotional state, Persephone chose to remain obedient for now, busy coming up with a compelling argument to make Michael duel her again.

As for the man himself, he didn’t drop his guard, his eyes constantly surveying the surroundings.

He frowned.

’We are overlooking the obvious.’ He thought.

Quietly, he summoned Angel in armor form, protecting himself further.

They had walked for quite a while... yet hadn’t encountered any hostilities at all.

Given that they were intruding on MSAP-8’s territory, it was bizarre... Even if the Iskra Titan was not yet aware of their presence, the trials it had created for its subjects should have already triggered an encounter.

There were only two possible explanations.

Either only the illusions were capable of triggering any kind of obstacles, and the Lords’ journey was going to be smooth sailing from here...

Or they had already run into trouble... and didn’t know it just yet.

Michael didn’t need to rely on the knowledge of his former life to always be prepared for the worst.

He wasn’t the only one to arrive at that conclusion, Nicole’s steps coming to a halt.

"Is anything out of the ordinary?" Her question hung in the air.

Gloria nervously looked around. "If there is any intent near us, it’s so faint I can’t detect it."

"Nothing on my end either." Emanuel grumbled.

"Empty." Solomon nodded in agreement.

"The darkness is quiet." Persephone giggled charmingly. "Not that it means much when we are on a star."

Rosalie and Francesca found no reason to repeat what everyone else had already said.

"These paintings are giving me the creeps. Are we sure they aren’t dangerous?" Noctis shuddered ever so slightly, staring at a portrait of a shapeless being, its frame as large as a full-body mirror.

In response, Michael raised his hand. The armor clinging to his skin liquefied, changing into the form of a shotgun before he fired.

Boom!

The echo of the shot rang through the vicinity.

The painting shattered and fell to the ground, with no sign of retaliation.

"..."

"Honestly, I would have preferred if it just jumped out at us." Elina admitted with a shaky voice.

Michael agreed, his eyes had studied each canvas they passed by carefully. Yet he never noticed any movement, and when he destroyed them, the works of art would simply behave like any other picture.

It was the type of situation where they knew something was wrong but simply couldn’t prove it.

Given that the paintings were endless and they couldn’t smash all of them, as it would take decades, they pressed forward.

At long last, they picked up signs of movements.

Two light-born creatures with similar statures to bears were locked in a frontal confrontation. Due to their sturdy, similar size, neither held the advantage.

"Come on!" Persephone murmured in disappointment.

With the long journey they had spent traveling through the inner ring of the Light Kingdom, she had anticipated a new kind of foe. Sure, these bears were stronger than the creations in the outer district, but not by a great deal.

"Stay on guard." Nicole warned.

All of the Lords pounced on the closest bear simultaneously.

The illusion didn’t even stand a chance, its body dissipating under their attacks. Once the core was exposed, it fractured a heartbeat later.

Notably, Michael was the one who delivered the final blow, firing with Angel. It was the first time he used her in shotgun form to neutralize a foe, and her firepower proved more than satisfactory.

With the first threat eliminated, the Lords shifted their gazes, focusing on the second foe...

Nothing.

"Where did it go?"

Everybody was rightfully puzzled, skeptical that the bear could move faster than they could perceive.

Just then, Michael felt a chill run down his back.

He turned around sharply.

There it was.

A picture frame. At first glance, seemingly identical to the others with no ill intent, no feelings, and no bloodlust.

Except for the pair of eyes staring directly back at him.

The painting shuddered. A hand emerged abruptly.

A second followed.

Then a foot, accompanied by another.

Four limbs connected to a torso. At the top resided a head.

A light-born creature, shimmering with rays and beams, stood there in perfect replication of Michael.

Be it hair, body structure, or even the armor he wore, it was copied to the smallest minute details.

The only sign of deviation was that one was made from flesh and blood, and the other from light and flame.

The Mimic studied the original in curiosity with its hollow eyes.

Tilted its head in delight.

And smiled.