Apotheosis

"How'd it happen?" asked an expert in the Illuminating Soul Realm.

Wilson's face darkened with fury as he raved, "I don't know! There's something off about him. He took my life vitality manifestations and strengthened one of the wolves, giving it an astonishing speed! I'll go back to finish him off."

Shaking her head, which sent her abundant hair swinging back and forth, the lady objected, "No, if you do it now, you will draw the attention of the two giant puppets, and all the time we've put in, our efforts would be a waste. We don't want that."

"So, we just let him follow us here?" asked one of the men, as he gave an angry look.

"We'll have plenty of time to get rid of him after we get in the inner doors. That isn't too difficult for us, is it?" snapped the long-haired woman with a sneer.

The brat had easily killed Yves and Leon. He had some unusual tricks. But, so what? He was nothing compared to the masters of the Illuminating Soul Realm.

"Good, that's settled then; Mr. Huang, you and Seymour will kill him as soon as we are admitted into the inner sanctum," ordered the lady with the long hair.

After reaching an agreement on how to proceed, they ignored Zen. The woman held out a hand, and dozens of incantations appeared in midair. A strong draft blew past them as the incantations darted to everyone's head.

The incantations allowed people to move faster, making everyone's speed increase over thirty percent.

The square stretched before them for dozens of miles, but, the companions reached the inner door in an instant because of how fast they were.

Relieved they were finally within the inner doors, everyone let out

as he asked.

Zen had used a Phoenix Crystal to strengthen the black wolf, and then left it by the large square on the other side of the doorway. Even though the wolf wasn't right next to Zen, it was still under his control, and with lighting speed it would be a simple matter to lure the giant puppets there.

Since with one word from Zen, two giant puppets would be lured in and no one there would survive, the men stopped to think things through before laying a hand on Zen.

"You asked for it!" shouted Wilson. His temper ignited by Zen's words.

"Such a clever boy!" commented the woman with long hair, as she shot Zen a venomous look. Her beautiful eyes were murderously cold. "I have to say, that's actually really smart. Normally, there isn't a place for a man who hasn't entered the nature level, but… you've got a good point. If we don't cooperate, more trouble will plague us while we are at the fairy palace."

Nodding, Zen's smile spread, widening to reveal a row of gleaming white teeth before he commented, "Yes, that's the spirit. It's not cool for us to fight with each other."