Guided by Byron, Sein arrived at the fourteenth level of the subspace prison.

Within the Atlan Interstellar Prison, the level of confinement directly reflected a detainee’s strength and threat rating.

Law-wielding beings were confined from the seventh level onward.

The level where Leena was being held primarily housed Rank Five entities and a handful of peak Rank Four beings.

Her placement here clearly indicated the prison’s evaluation of her strength and danger.

Thanks to the rapport he had built with Byron earlier, Sein learned that Jerry, the mage whom Leena had severely injured, was a peak Rank Four mage.

It was Jerry’s formal accusation that had led to Leena’s imprisonment in the Atlan Interstellar Prison.

If Sein wanted to secure her release, he would first need to resolve the matter with that mage.

But who exactly was Jerry? What background or connections did he have?

Sein knew nothing about him.

The uncertainty left him with a heavy feeling in his chest.

Leena’s ability to severely wound a peak Rank Four mage also surprised him deeply.

After escorting Sein to a spacious yet isolated chamber, Byron temporarily withdrew.

Not long afterward, Leena appeared. Her wrists and ankles were bound in specialized magic restraints.

Between them rose a dark, semi-transparent energy barrier.

The moment he saw her, Sein instinctively moved forward. He recognized her immediately—and a flash of excitement flickered through her eyes as well.

“What happened? How did you end up like this?” Sein asked, hovering close to the barrier.

Leena’s appearance had changed.

In the past, she had two forms—one as a red-haired teenage girl, the other as a mature woman with long black hair.

But the Leena before him now was something in between. She stood taller than her teenage form, now about 1.6 meters in height, yet her hair was black.

Her facial features were largely unchanged, though her pupils had darkened noticeably. A faint black-gray flame flickered across her skin.

Sein recognized that flame instantly. It was her Cinderbone Flame.

At the sight of him, Leena’s expression shifted rapidly—excitement, sorrow, and then, at last, a deep, unsettling calm.

With a conflicted expression, she looked at Sein.

“You don’t need to worry about me. I’ve really gotten myself into trouble this time, and my body is now...”

Before she could finish, her expression shifted abruptly.

The familiar look in her eyes vanished, replaced by something cold and foreign—someone Sein did not recognize. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂

The Cinderbone Flame flickering across her skin suddenly flared up.

She suddenly shouted, “Why did you say that?! Isn’t he your lover? Do you want to spend the rest of your life locked away in this prison?”

Sein’s expression twisted in shock and anger.

“Who are you?!” he demanded.

The “Leena” before him smiled, her expression a chilling blend of allure and cold detachment.

“Who else could I be? Your dear Leena, of course.”

Verdant flames rose from Sein’s body as fury surged through him, and he struggled to restrain his demonic lawful form.

BAM!

His flaming demonic fist slammed into the energy barrier. Though the barrier did not break, the impact sent violent ripples through the surrounding space.

Byron’s voice immediately rang out, asking if everything was alright.

Sein stared at the figure before him and forced himself to take several deep breaths.

“We’re fine,” he replied.

Leena had returned to normal.

It was clear that whatever was inside her did not wish to reveal itself further.

The sorrow on Leena’s face deepened. Under Sein’s anxious gaze, she finally spoke.

“That was my mentor... Mikaeli,” Leena said softly.

“What?” Sein’s voice was filled with disbelief.

***

While Sein was visiting Leena, Warden Norton was meeting with an important inmate on the eighteenth level of the Atlan Interstellar Prison.

This prisoner was a Rank Six being who wore a tall top hat and an owl mask.

For someone incarcerated, he was receiving rather exceptional treatment.

His hat, mask, and clothing all radiated extraordinary energy fluctuations.

Even after being captured and brought to the Atlan Interstellar Prison, none of his equipment had been confiscated.

Standing before this Rank Six being was the uncrowned ruler of the prison—His Excellency, Warden Norton.

He was a portly, balding, middle-aged peak Rank Six mage.

Warden Norton gave off an initially friendly impression, yet even some well-known Rank Six demons and devils from the star domains surrounding the Magus Civilization preferred to keep their distance from him.

His meticulous management of the Atlan Interstellar Prison alone spoke volumes about his ability.

“Have you made up your mind?” Norton asked calmly. “Will you accept employment under Magus World and handle a few matters for us?”

“As for the War Emperor of Challenger World, the alliance overlord you provoked... We’ll deal with him and smooth things over,” he said, puffing on his pipe.

Becoming a lackey for the Magus Civilization was clearly not what this Rank Six being wanted.

He understood better than anyone how ruthless the Magus Civilization could be.

Once one boarded Magus World’s warship, stepping off again would be extremely difficult.

Still, his immediate concern was how to resolve his current predicament. Escaping the Atlan Interstellar Prison on his own was nearly impossible.

Though he had already made up his mind, this Rank Six powerhouse of the Astral Realm—who had stirred up no small amount of trouble during the Clash of Civilizations—remained unwilling to state his position outright.

Instead, he let out a mocking laugh.

“They say the Quatar Star Pirates is the criminal organization the Magus Civilization is most determined to eliminate in the surrounding star domains. And yet, who would have thought that this group, whose core members are mostly high-ranking devils and demons, secretly serves as Magus World’s lackeys?”

“What? You want me to join you and become one of your black gloves as well?” He sneered coldly.

His capture this time had actually been at the hands of the Quatar Star Pirates, not by any direct force of the Magus Civilization.

He had assumed he would be executed on the spot by that devil overlord.

Instead, the overlord had simply handed him over to the Atlan Interstellar Prison.

From the moment he entered this prison, he understood far more than he had before.

Warden Norton remained completely unruffled.

Tapping the bowl of his pipe lightly, he replied, “No, not a black glove. You’re not qualified to be one yet. A gray glove—that’s what you’ll be.”

“I suggest you consider your options carefully. If you continue to refuse, I’ll transfer you to one of the three upper levels. According to the Magus Alliance’s law, your sentence is seven hundred thousand years,” Norton added with a faint smile.

At those words, the corner of the Rank Six being’s mouth twitched beneath the owl mask, and the expression hidden behind it stiffened noticeably.