Regarding Angel’s choice, the Wise Sovereign had no objections, and neither did the Gray Merchant.
However, what puzzled the Gray Merchant was that previously it seemed the nose on the slate was the leader, but now why did this red-haired, gold-eyed youth step forward?
Who is this red-haired, gold-eyed youth? Could he be that Illusionist Wizard?
If, as they speculated before, this group had hidden through illusions, then the opponent’s illusion skills are undoubtedly strong.
But none of the well-known illusionist wizards from the Southern Domain match this person.
It seems that the other side is in disguise.
Generally speaking, disguises are either to avoid recognition or to evade being hunted. Of course, some wizards enjoy going out in disguise as a personal preference. Considering this, the conditions are a bit too many.
Based on the above conditions, it’s tough to think of many powerful illusionist wizards in the Southern Domain. The Gray Merchant personally thought the most likely candidate was The Facade from Illusion Demon Island.
It’s said that The Facade offended an Angel Envoy of a Demon God in the Abyss and was seen fleeing back to the Southern Domain in a sorry state. Not long ago, it seems they went with Flora to sweep the main base of Demon God believers.
This perfectly fits the criteria: powerful, afraid of being recognized by Demon God believers, and pursued by Demon God believers.
It’s worth mentioning that apart from that genius Alchemist, everyone on the Illusion Demon Island grew under pursuit. So if The Facade disguises themselves, it may not just be due to being pursued by Demon God believers, but could also be regular behavior.
However, The Facade has already embarked on the path of True Knowledge.
The red-haired, gold-eyed youth across from them possesses a hidden and deep aura, possessing significant strength, but probably hasn’t reached the True Knowledge Level.
But if it’s not The Facade, then who could it be?
While the Gray Merchant pondered silently, the malicious woman suddenly exclaimed "oh" from behind.
Following the direction the malicious woman was looking, the Gray Merchant saw a black-robed judge in mid-air suddenly raise both hands, touching ten fingers together, as a powerful energy surged from between the judge’s palms.
This energy was vast and powerful, forming a vortex in the air due to its influence, with the judge in the eye of the storm, causing the black robe to flutter with a loud noise.
At that moment, looking at the murky black above, the Gray Merchant felt an illusion of having a mountain suspended upside down above his head.
He had always thought this black-robed judge was likely a subordinate of the Mirror Bearer, but now he suddenly felt something was off. Such an overwhelmingly powerful aura was something the Gray Merchant had only felt from afar in the Abyss, from Lord Monty.
Is this black-robed judge actually a Third Level top wizard?!
At this thought, the Gray Merchant and the others felt a mix of emotions.
Previously, when they encountered the Mirror Bearer, they were surprised that such a strong person existed in the Underground Maze. Even though the Gray Merchant’s most important memories were sealed, he was still contemplating how to convey this information to the Birlos Family once he left.
Although the Underground Maze is effectively controlled by the Birlos Family, unpredictable variables like the Mirror Bearer need to be dealt with quickly.
Now, another powerful figure, the black-robed judge, who stands on the pinnacle of the Southern Domain’s Pyramid, has appeared before the Mirror Bearer has been dealt with.
The Gray Merchant’s thoughts have shifted from notifying the family to pondering how to convince them to abandon the Underground Maze...
While the Gray Merchant was deeply concerned, someone more worried than him was Pink Mo.
With her limited perspective, Pink Mo couldn’t discern the precise level of the Wise Sovereign. But seeing the Gray Merchant and the malicious woman displaying fear and trepidation made her realize she might have offended a formidable figure?
Pink Mo clutched the ear of her rabbit doll, her legs slightly trembling, even her lips quivering.
She wondered whether she should apologize now? Maybe the great figure would spare her life?
As Pink Mo trembled with fear, the energy between the Wise Sovereign’s palms showed signs of expansion, yet instead of letting it diffuse, he compressed it to cause a fusion.
With the energy’s fusion, countless Magic Patterns started spreading across the surrounding pillars, the ground beneath, and the stone ceiling above. These patterns emitted a faint glow, indicating they had been activated.
As the Magic Patterns illuminated, everyone suddenly felt as if the ground beneath their feet had turned into a bog.
It was as if a hand emerged from the ground, grabbed their ankles, and dragged them into the soft underground.
"No need to resist; I am merely providing you with a suitable place for a duel," the Wise Sovereign’s voice echoed in their ears.
To everyone, the Wise Sovereign’s words were as good as unsaid—no need to resist? They couldn’t resist at all! The pulling force seemed gentle, yet their limbs felt limp and powerless, unable to struggle.
However, they misunderstood—the Wise Sovereign’s words were not directed at them, but at Angel.
When the Wise Sovereign activated the Magical Energy Array, he noticed sharply that Angel had swiftly taken out a subordinate Magical Energy Array plate, with energy rapidly gathering at the array’s vulnerable points. As long as Angel wished, he could easily bring everyone to a safe point.
The Wise Sovereign was also a bit surprised that Angel could so quickly identify the only vital point of the Magical Energy Array.
To prevent Angel from truly escaping the Magical Energy Array, the Wise Sovereign spoke those words.
After speaking, the Wise Sovereign also communicated through the encrypted channel of the Magical Energy Array to Angel: "Since we have a contract, there’s no need to be so wary of me. Fortunately, ’she’ had already gone to the arena, otherwise, she would’ve known one of your trump cards by now."
Angel’s expertise in the Magical Energy Array was indeed a trump card. The Wise Sovereign didn’t consider it stronger than the Goddess, but it could buy some time in critical moments.
Angel didn’t respond immediately; instead, he followed the energy of the Magical Energy Array and slowly descended into the so-called "arena."
Once in the arena, Angel immediately confirmed their current location.
This was within the Other-dimensional Space where Cicia was, surrounded by an inky Void, with only the roller-coaster-like floating staircases faintly visible in the darkness.
The arena was suspended in the Void, a massive circular platform.
Angel and the others stood on the left side while the Gray Merchant was on the right side of the platform. The distance between the two sides exceeded five hundred meters, making the other side appear as small as a dot from afar.
This was only the center of the platform; the platform had an outer ring as well, which was quite large and served as the area for spectators.
Upon entering the arena, Angel immediately activated the Eye of Nalda.
Using the Eye of Nalda, the material information of the arena surfaced in Angel’s mind.
It was mostly confirmed that the materials used for the huge platform were the same as those for the suspended staircases in the Void, and they were incredibly durable.