Rex was hurled backward upon impact.

The crystal clear, mirror-like marble floor reflected the arc of his blood as he flew and slammed against the wall with a thunderous crack. He slid down from the imposing wall, leaving a trail of crimson until he crashed onto the ground.

Even then, he remained kneeling upright.

His hand was clutched his own face hard as every inch of his being pulsed with anger.

“Your Majesty!” Linthia rushed to his side in concern.

“Leave him be for a moment,” Princess Davina caught her hand and stopped her from approaching.

Linthia wanted to refute.

She could tell that something powerful struck Rex, and she could help him heal.

But she soon realized Princess Davina was right.

An unsettling, bone-grinding noise seeped into her ears. Following that was a scorching heat that burned her skin. She focused on Rex again and realized that these things were all coming from him. Aspects of the burning anger inside of him.

For quite some time, Rex had been fervently preparing to return home.

But a notification caught him by surprise a few days ago.

A warning from the System. Warning that the Silverstar Pack is under attack, and the others are in big trouble.

He was in the middle of settling his business in the Spirit Realm when it appeared.

And without hesitation, Rex rushed.

He dropped everything and quickly made his way to cross back into the Mortal Realm.

Nothing matters in that moment other than reaching the others in time.

In order to return to the Mortal Realm, he would need to go back to where he entered the Spirit Realm—as that’s the best and easiest path. Going through that path would mean instant reunion with his original body through the Spirit Conversion method.

But along the way, he managed to pinpoint the location of the others within the Mortal Realm.

And as he feared, they were not back home. Not in Dargena City.

Someone attacked them while they were away. Outside. And maybe even separated.

Rex would be a lot calmer had they been inside the city since the castle scaled with the energy level of the world. And right now, it could probably defend against those at the tenth-rank realm or maybe even beyond that.

But the others aren’t home.

Considering that time passes more slowly here, Rex opted out of reuniting with his original body.

Instead, he would be going to the exact coordinate in the Spirit Realm—that would allow him to appear right where the others were. He could make use of a temporary body to help them—and then went to merge with his original body after.

It was the recommendation from the System, and he thought it was the better option.

Because of that change, it took more than half a day for him to arrive at the exact coordinate.

Surprisingly, it was within Dorn’s territory, which was a good thing.

And as of that moment, Rex didn’t know exactly who dared to attack the Silverstar Pack in the Mortal Realm.

His mind guessed that it was the Angels.

Despite them being on the very end of the continent and being barred by the Demons, somehow, this newly rising power was able to reach the others. Since he had confronted Void directly, his mind naturally went there.

But it wasn’t the Angels.

Kaiser was the culprit once again.

He didn’t know that through the System or through sensing the Blood Moon’s trace.

He came to know it solely through chance.

Once he prepared everything to cross over and tore the dimensional fabric, he was greeted by crimson.

A wall of blood was fortifying the veil that separated the realms.

Using the Spirit Conversion method wouldn’t be enough to penetrate the barrier. He could pour more gold to strengthen the method, but the cost was astronomical. Even now, he doesn’t have enough gold to break through it.

Heck, he was even having a hard time gathering the required amount to use the method.

He doesn’t have more to spare to strengthen it.

And it was then that everything suddenly clicked.

Kaiser is not punishing him for stealing the Blood Moon’s power through the forbidden rite. Kaiser’s uncharacteristic gambit to empower Empress Morgana’s attack to kill him. His ascension to Awakened Demigod. And even the time dilation that he has been noticing through the System.

All of them are a part of a massive orchestra to keep him in a bubble of safety and confidence.

All of them are cues to what Kaiser was doing in the background.

Rex had been distracted by his growth and also the unanswered questions at the back of his mind.

He failed to look at the bigger picture—that Kaiser had been creating this barrier to prevent him from returning to the Mortal Realm. He thought the Blood Moon was still fervently after him, but the Blood Moon had learned.

Across several attempts to take down Rex, none succeeded.

Oppression. Sneak attack. Or even using the Blood Moon’s domain itself didn’t work.

It became quite apparent that killing Rex directly is hard.

Coupled with the entity behind him and also his tenacity, killing him became impossible.

Even Gods are having a hard time doing it.

And thus, the Blood Moon observed. Learned. Adapted.

It came to the conclusion that the only person who was able to kill Rex… is himself.

Rex’s claws rend his face, carving bloody scars as his mind replayed what he saw in the Mortal Realm.

He managed to overdo himself and forced calmness in the moment, enough to teleport Gistella and also Evelyn into the safety of the Silverstar Genesis. But he can only teleport two. One had to stay behind— and Adhara was the only one he deemed capable.

It was maddening to leave her to fend for herself like that.

Even the thought of her trying to survive alone is enough to make him breathless, and he clenched his face so hard that his claws stabbed into his bone.

But only she has a chance.

“Can you see what’s happening beyond the portal?” Linthia turned to Princess Davina.

She was dying to know.

“Just a glimpse,” Princess Davina nodded. “Beyond is an isolated dimension—surrounded by an ocean of blood. A battlefield littered with corpses and blood. And the survivors are only werewolves. All were wounded and seemed to know Rex… intimately.”

It’s hard to see through the wall of blood covering the veil, but she has her own ways.

And she could vaguely see what’s beyond.

From what she said alone, Linthia could already tell that the werewolves were the others.

Only harm to them could make Rex this furious.

“This is unfair…” Linthia clenched her fists as her shoulders trembled violently. “Why are these things always happening to His Majesty? He never gets a moment to rest. To breathe. To recover. Why does it feel like everyone is going out of their way to destroy him?”

“The answer is quite simple,” Princess Davina exhaled lightly. “He’s destined for more.”

Even she doesn’t know whether she could keep her sanity when placed in Rex’s position.

Stressful isn’t even enough to cover his life.

“Hmm…?” Princess Davina raised her brows when Rex finally stood up.

His torso is still regenerating, muscle and sinew still stitching together, and blood still leaked and pooled on the floor around him. But his shoulders were squared. His eyes were steady. And his heart was now beating soundly.

Like a bloodied phantom, he walked back to the dimensional tear that he made earlier.

Princess Davina pulled Linthia out of the way.

Spending most of her early years in battle, surrounded by the wrath of strong men. She developed acute senses of the rage of others, and also knew how to handle herself before it. Even Duke Lorcan, her own father, couldn’t be reasoned with when his anger was at its peak.

He was blind to even blind to her voice, his own daughter.

And right now, Rex was at that point.

It’s best for them to wait for him to calm down.

Rex stood before the dimensional tear. Stood before the wall of blood. And with a burst of strength, he clenched his fist and punched the barrier. His energy exploded upon impact, cracking the entire chamber like it was made of glass.

<Notice: the user is not strong enough to break the wall of blood>

Seeing this notification didn’t dissuade him.

Instead, it made him more furious.

Bam—!

Bam—!

Punch after punch, Rex’s fist hammered into the veil.

Every anger and frustration in him was vented out through these punches.

Even when the bones in his fist shattered, Rex kept going. His flurry of punches shattered the chamber through the aftershocks they created. Princess Davina decided to float mid-air and covered the whole chamber with her energy to make sure it didn’t collapse.

She didn’t stop him.

It was necessary for him to let out everything to calm his nerves enough to make his next moves.

Crack—!

Rex’s energy rippled one last time against the unbreaking wall, doing nothing to it—as he breathed out through his mouth. His eyes blazed with the last ember of power, and then he turned, heading straight to the corridor.

“What are you going to do now?” Princess Davina asked—stopping him mid-track. “What will be your next move?”

Perhaps she had been staying beside Rex long enough, but she could already tell the answer.

Other people might think it mad, but she was certain that it was going to be Rex’s next move.

“I think you already know,” Rex’s voice was chillingly calm.

One that didn’t reflect the overwhelming bloodlust that was steaming out of his body.

Rex looked over his shoulder to expose his expression of forged steel—determination etched into every line. The corner of his lips stretched upward. The lamplight kissed one side of his face, leaving the other cloaked in shadow, one eye burning bright while its twin watched from the dark.

“I’ve been on the back foot for too long,” He whispered menacingly. “I’m going to see how he would like it to be the one hunted. I’m going to the God Realm…”

…

<Sudden Quest: God Hunt>

Objective: Hunt down the Six Blood Cycles of the Blood Moon

Description: For daring to touch the Alpha’s pack members—and as a newly ascended Scion—Kaiser of the Scarlet Garland becomes the first among the Gods the user must defeat. To shatter the Blood Moon and shake its foundation, the user must hunt the Six Blood Cycles: extensions of Kaiser’s will and stabilizers of his power.

Blood Cycle killed: 0 / 6

Rewards: Depends on the user’s performance.

…

“As expected,” Princess Davina smiled at him as her guess was correct. “You’re insane as always.”

“I take that as a compliment,” Rex grinned as he walked away to prepare.

On the other hand, Linthia was at a loss for words.

“God Realm…?” She repeated, eyes widening in shock. She felt her heart drop to her stomach at what she heard. “We’re entering a realm where Gods have no limitations?! I can’t even fathom how this is a good idea!”

“You can always stay behind,” Princess Davina giggled and also left her behind.

Linthia paused for a second.

She then gritted her teeth, “Wait for me!”

…

Realms vary in terms of power and class depending on the level of energy inside them.

The Mortal Realm is at the lowest class due to the sealing that happened in the ancient era, with the Spirit Realm right above it. In the past—these two realms were about equal to one another. As of this moment, Rex didn’t know how many other realms there were other than those two realms.

Others with a similar level of energy most certainly existed.

However, the God Realm is different.

It has always been a higher plane, right alongside the Chaos Realm.

Unlike the Spirit Realm, the God Realm demands no special methods for entry. It opens itself to all. But opening the door and walking through are two different things—because death is always waiting on the other side.

No sane person would be sane enough to enter the God Realm without being a God or near it themselves.

But Rex was not among the sane.

“Enjoy your last moments, Kaiser,” Rex grinned as he stepped into the portal. “I’m hunting you down,”