"Oh, who would have thought that we would meet the loser again?" Devil remarked aloud in Michael’s ear rather than speaking telepathically.

"The question is, would he be a sore loser, incapable of accepting his own defeat and demanding a rematch, or does he have more than two working brain cells?"

Evidently, Devil was eager for a fight.

While Michael had experienced the benefits of wielding greater power upon their fusion, Devil had yet to truly rejoice in the essence of being a Supreme rank.

Since evolving, all Devil had done was sit on Michael’s shoulder like a mascot, which irritated him quite a bit.

In his eyes the newcomer Lord was the perfect outlet to vent his frustration on. He wasn’t willing to miss the chance.

Supreme Lord Noctis effortlessly picked up on Devil’s whisper but didn’t display any reaction, indifferent to the words.

Ignoring the gaze Devil gave him, Noctis focused on Michael, a smile still playing on his lips.

"Given that you stand tall next to Nicole, would it be correct to assume that you have managed to best a Monarch alone?" There was a hint of surprise in his voice.

Michael nodded nonchalantly.

"Yes."

The answer was so straightforward that Noctis couldn’t help but chuckle slightly.

"Fabulous! Not only have you reached the Transcendent Lord realm with absurd speed, but on top of that, you even managed to slay a Monarch. It appears that my eyes didn’t deceive me regarding your talent. It would be a pleasure to work with you."

"At least you two seem to get along." Nicole let out a sigh. She had worried that, given their history, problems might arise the moment they met.

"Oh, but of course! During our clash, Michael managed to showcase the capabilities of his mind when he remained unbroken by my Authority Manifestation! Now that I mention it, I have yet to grasp the secret he used to beat me..." Noctis exclaimed.

After a second he waved his hand and turned back to Michael.

"No matter, knowing that you don’t bend under pressure is sufficient... especially when we consider where we are going. I hope you like hot climates!"

Michael stared blankly at the Supreme Lord.

"You do know where we are going, right?" Noctis asked for confirmation.

"..."

Bewildered, Noctis glanced at Nicole. "You managed to convince him to participate without telling him where we are going? Are you some kind of genius manipulator, or is he really that confident to not even bother asking?"

Nicole shook her head. "Michael has his reasons."

In actuality, the accumulated stress had been one of the reasons why Michael hadn’t bothered to voice concerns or doubts... Though most of it was because he was going with Nicole. Due to the trust bond he still held onto from his past life, he naturally felt more comfortable around her, lowering his guard subconsciously.

Of course, Devil was well aware of that fact, so he had assumed the role of a troublemaker, ensuring that Michael always kept an open eye on the surroundings just in case.

Fortunately, Noctis was wise enough to know when not to poke further.

"Regardless, we are going to—" Extending his finger, he pointed to the sky, only to realize that night had fallen over the capital.

After a few seconds, Noctis shifted his gesture downward, toward his feet.

"The Sun."

Despite what some people who still claimed the world revolved around Earth believed. It was a well-known fact that the planets in the solar system orbited the Sun due to its gravitational pull.

Over a million Earth-sized planets could be contained within the star, making any attempt to traverse its surface an immense challenge. And that without even bothering to factor the heat that was capable of harming even cultivators of the higher realms.

Considering the logistical limitations when it came to exploring the Sun, the cultivators were set to gather on the closest planet to it, Mercury.

Thankfully, since Mercury and Venus were neighboring planets, the journey wasn’t expected to take too long, factoring in the speed their space shuttle was capable of reaching.

Out of every planet in the solar system, Mercury wasn’t just the smallest but also the least inhabited.

Even with the partial terraforming humanity had managed to achieve, Mercury still lacked a proper atmosphere, leading to extreme temperature fluctuations.

The challenge of securing enough materials to build the necessary facilities to survive in such a hostile environment, combined with the lack of prestige in residing on the smallest planet in the solar system, meant that only a few bases were established, mostly with the purpose of monitoring the Sun’s fluctuations.

Michael, Nicole, and Noctis didn’t have a lavish palace awaiting their arrival but a crooked base at best... Although whatever greeted them was going to appear as heaven itself when compared to what awaited them on the Sun.

Rather than twiddling his thumbs, Michael made the most of the downtime of the trip. Nicole provided him with a video recording that showcased the Titan tier aliens that awaited them on the surface of the star.

Thanks to the knowledge gained from his past life, Michael had a strong suspicion about which alien race would open a portal to the Sun. When he saw the footage, all of his suspicions were confirmed as true.

’Iskra.’ He thought, a frown twisting on his face.

Given the foreign nature most alien races usually possessed, they tended to range from hideous to repulsive.

The Iskra’s race was one of the rare exceptions to the rule.

In every sense of the word they were completely mesmerizing.

Radiant beings, which constantly emitted blinding light. Composed of shimmering beams and rays. They thrived in extremely hot temperatures, using it as a form of nourishment.

The cause of the danger was that since they were composed of light, they didn’t necessarily need spiritual energy to cultivate, only light rays like those the Sun possessed. The problem arose with their ability to blend with the star’s terrain, making them hard to detect.

If even a single Titan were to miss their mark, the leftover alien could theoretically endlessly gain power, eventually reaching the next stage in its evolution.

Should an entity stronger than a Titan be allowed to emerge in the solar system, humanity would without a doubt be doomed, for even the Emperor wouldn’t be capable of beating it.

Another trait of the Iskras was that, since they lacked tongues, the only way of communication they knew was mind connection, specifically by sharing images directly through mind waves.

That meant when facing them, not only would Michael actively have to protect his eyesight, but also his mind, lest he want his senses to be tricked at best and brainwashed at worst.

While Michael was still busy studying the footage, Noctis suddenly proclaimed.

"Make sure not to blink, otherwise you might miss a detail. Even though these creatures are beautiful, they can move near light speed! If it wasn’t for King Zaiden, giving his life once or a couple of times to capture them on camera, this recording wouldn’t have been possible."

Lord Noctis was trying to boost the image of the Immortal Legion’s leader while also casually mentioning one of the King’s abilities, perhaps trying to forge a bond of companionship with Michael.

There was no way for the Supreme Lord to know that Michael’s knowledge surpassed his own.

Responding to Noctis with a nod, Michael went back to watching the footage.

"They don’t seem to have a problem using illusions and alteration of the Sacred flames..." Michael concluded his assessment at last, turning towards Nicole.

"How many Titans have been recorded so far, and has the location of the portal been found?"

Nicole’s expression darkened slightly.

"We have yet to find the portal itself. Most likely it is blending with the Sun itself. The deduction of its existence was made simply by the abnormally high number of Titans." She paused for a moment, then added. "Ten... so far."

Michael didn’t like the sound of that.

When the Emperor had to deal with multiple Titans, he relied on the Kings and Queens to hold the others at bay, yet even with their help, they were still outnumbered.

Now it made sense why no help had arrived to deal with the Monarch in the hollow valley and why Lords with a history of triumphing over Monarchs were being gathered to challenge Titans...

Humanity had no other choice.

It was either do or die.

At long last, they landed on Mercury, stepping out of the space shuttle.

Several of the Lords who were to participate in the upcoming raids had already gathered to welcome the newcomers.

Instantly, a few disapproving glances were thrown towards Michael before shifting towards Nicole.

It wasn’t surprising, given that Michael had the weakest cultivation of everybody present.

What was surprising, however, was the sight of two familiar faces, whom Michael had faced during the faction wars not too long ago.

The sister Lords of the Golden Vanguard, Eliza and Elina.