The Dawn of the New World

Hao Xuan let out a deep breath, "The new world order..."

'What would that entail exactly?'

"Alright, let's get started then unless there is still something else left?" he looked at both Baba Jezda and Lord Yami but neither had anything to add.

"Then we shall depart," Lord Yami begrudgingly stood up and walked over to the door.

"Depart? To where?" Hao Xuan questioned since he assumed this was their last stop.

Baba Jezda moved over to the coffin to lay down some finishing touches while Lord Yami pulled him aside.

"It is a very tricky thing what we are about to do. We not only have to open a hole THROUGH time itself but also place you inside on exactly the right current. Otherwise, you could end up anywhere and at any time."

"And I am guessing this can only be done at a specific place?"

"Indeed. We must venture into the lost temple of the King of Titans.

'Chronos!'

A chill ran down Hao Xuan's spine upon hearing that title. The Titans were already personifications of various destructive aspects of nature but there was no one worse than Chronos himself.

And his temple was where the first war between the Gods and Titans began.

"How will we get to it? Wasn't it called the 'Lost Temple' because it was situated outside of time itself and could not be accessed by anyone?"

"It is exactly because of that that it can be found with ease. Since it exists outside of time, it is everywhere and nowhere at once. With the right spells we can find it through the ether but that's not the difficult part," his gaze turned somber, "The Temple is guarded by 'them', the beloved sons and daughters of Heaven. Once we reach the temple we will have to fight our way through and then buy enough time for you to go through before any of the Primals arrive."

Hao Xuan was expecting it to be something along those lines but the scale was a bit too big even for him.

"Hmm, I understand. But who are the Primals?"

"The Originals, the Primals, the First-Born. Whatever you like to call them. The first children of Zeus and Odin who led the armies of Heaven. If any of them was there then it would be...problematic to say the least."

Baba Jezda came up from behind followed closely by Claudia. She had the coffin strapped to her back, wrapped in some kind of bandage from top to bottom.

"Master, I am ready," she said with unwavering confidence before walking out.

Hao Xuan looked back and saw Grey's shabby silhouette. He had separated from the nightmare demon because of the injuries they had incurred while trying to get the coffin.

"Will he be alright?" he asked in a low voice.

"Hmm, he won't die," Baba Jezda coldly replied, "I will treat him when I get back so he is ready by the time you are picked up again."

Hao Xuan thought about it for a moment but swiftly concluded that it was not a good option to leave him behind.

'Plus I might need his help.'

"I will take him with me," he said while walking towards him.

"Are you certain? His injuries could take decades to recover from if not treated correctly."

"Yes, I will deal with it myself," Hao Xuan held his hand over Grey and called him inside.

Normally he would be kept either within the Mind Palace or the meridians but since Hao Xuan didn't have any of them left, he could only protect him by placing Grey directly within his own soul.

Grey's body turned into specks of light and shot into Hao Xuan's temple. He walked back to the door ready to depart but upon seeing an extra figure standing beside Claudia and talking to her animatedly his brow immediately furrowed.

Especially since he recognized it.

"Why is he here?!"

"I was just about to ask the same thing," Baba Jezda added while looking at the elder with the walking stick, "Explain yourself, Illya."

The elder lowered his head, "Senior sister...this matter...it is out of my hands...even I cannot stop the Champion of my house..."

"I don't want him here," Hao Xuan reiterated.

Max finally stepped forward, "Why? I just want to see what happens. I won't do anything, I swear on my soul!" he finished by placing a hand on his heart.

Suffice it to say that Hao Xuan did not believe a single word that came out of his mouth. He was the champion of the Red King, the personification of Madness itself. And for some reason he had taken an interest in him which could only spell trouble, especially after the speech he gave.

"You must be out of your mind if you think we are bringing you along," Hao Xuan emotionlessly replied.