Judging by the sudden rise in the quest’s rewards, Michael concluded that its difficulty had risen slightly, even if it was still "just" categorized as impossible.

It took a few seconds for the other Lords to regain hold of themselves.

"What did we just witness?" Rosalie murmured, her face growing paler.

"Some sort of illusion." Nicole answered, her demeanor as composed as ever.

"But... Lady Nicole, are you certain?" Rosalie spoke slowly. "The speed at which the serpent moved, its size... could it have been MSAP-8 itself?"

Their task of facing the Titan was already bold enough. If illusions wielding such might and obeying the Titan’s orders were added into the mix, things would only grow worse.

Nicole remained unwavering.

"The serpent wasn’t a Titan, of that I am certain. If it were, we wouldn’t have been able to register its movements, only witness the light creature shatter without understanding what caused its demise."

Noctis sucked in air that seemed colder than before. "But how do we even overcome such a creature? Perhaps with Authority Manifestation, yet by doing so we would risk attracting the attention of MSAP-8 by challenging its own territory."

Persephone giggled, her laughter echoing through the stillness of the chamber.

"Finally, a monster that looks reasonably strong! It wasn’t a waste of time coming here, after all!" She declared with a dangerous glint in her eyes.

Although she seemed to rejoice at the revelation, the others appeared reluctant about the future.

Especially Elina and Eliza. The fact that their mental fortitude had been breached first was a worrying matter. With Michael being present, they had planned to use him as a benchmark, yet it seemed he was far above them in that regard.

From that point onward, they were not going to let their guard down, no matter what.

Regardless of their worries, the Lords had chosen to participate in the hunt for the Titan. They were unwilling to give up. Not with the promise of enlightenment awaiting them at the end of all their struggles.

Once they thoroughly scouted the surroundings, they climbed down the tower and headed in the same direction the serpent had taken off toward. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

Moving at outstanding speed, defying mortal comprehension, they ventured deeper.

Along their way, nothing appeared out of the ordinary, the kingdom remaining unnervingly quiet.

That changed when they entered a new section overflowing with golden vegetation.

Due to the blinding light the plants gave off, the squad wasn’t able to spot a light-born creature before they were discovered.

"Is that..." Gloria’s eyes widened in disbelief. "A deer?"

A creature with similarities to a deer’s structure stood observing the Lords with curiosity, its head tilted to the side.

Alarmingly, it moved closer.

The bodies of the Lords tensed to their limits, preparing for a fight.

"Wait!" Yet Gloria stopped them a second later, closing in on the shining deer.

"What do you think you are doing?!" Emanuel hissed. Being a member of the Golden Vanguard, he naturally took the time to care for Gloria’s safety.

Completely ignoring Emanuel’s remarks, Gloria continued.

"Hello." She exclaimed in a reassuring voice, stretching out her hand.

The deer hesitated. Its snout cautiously sniffed her hand a couple of times, yet remained on the spot.

"Don’t be scared. I will not hurt you."

Slowly, Gloria petted the creature without experiencing any hostilities.

"Incredible..." Nicole was at a loss for words, a rare occurrence. Not just her, but everybody else as well.

They had assumed that all of MSAP-8’s subjects would be hostile, yet they were proven wrong by the calm nature of the deer.

The creature’s ears twitched, enjoying Gloria’s caressing.

Concluding that the Lords weren’t predators, it lowered its head and started to munch on the grass beneath its feet.

"So it’s confirmed." Michael exclaimed. "The illusions truly have self-awareness. Maybe that is what allows them to take space in the physical world and hurt us."

The Light Kingdom under MSAP-8’s rule wasn’t merely a manifestation of authority but something one step beyond that... An ecosystem capable of functioning on its own.

While the Iskra Titan could still command its subjects, there wasn’t a requirement for its constant input.

The concept was rather similar to what happened when a King or Queen achieved enlightenment and reached the next realm.

It was the very reason Titans, and by extension the Emperor, were so terrifying. Eliminating them was never simple, as their existence itself carried consequences vast enough to affect the world around them.

Of all the lessons Michael had learned the hard way, this one hurt the most...

A cold shudder ran down his spine, recalling the past. Not willing to compromise his focus for memories of what he had endured once, he buried the anguish deep within his soul.

He knew more about the Titan’s potential abilities than everyone else present since he had walked that path in his prior life, but the others didn’t need to know that.

Not to mention that the room for miscalcination was always present. It was wiser to tread carefully than to grow overconfident in his knowledge of the altered past.

After the deer had its fill, it flared its nostrils, stomped its front leg, and turned around.

"She wants to lead us somewhere." Gloria explained.

One of her techniques allowed her to partly understand the intentions of all living beings, aliens included.

Usually, that ability came in handy when she wanted to grasp the movements of her foes before they executed them and adjust accordingly.

Today was one of the rare instances where Gloria was able to use her power for a purpose other than bloodshed.

"Are you affected by some mental haze?" Rosalie’s eyes darkened. "Or are you simply gullible enough to follow a subject of our foe to a location unknown?"

"Have faith in Gloria’s capabilities. If she says it is friendly, then it is." Nicole replied.

"It should be fun." Persephone giggled, putting her hands behind her head.

Although some of them were a bit reluctant, the Lords followed the deer’s trails.

Still traveling on Michael’s shoulder, Devil leaned closer and whispered.

"I have a proposition in mind if this turns out to be a trap."

Michael arched an eyebrow in intrigue. "What is it?"

Devil chuckled.

"We hunt it and eat it. I am curious to see what a light entity tastes like."