Chapter 262: 262. Going Beyond The Veil – 2

No man’s land…

A few miles away from the destroyed base of the Clayman cult, in a patch of forest completely untouched by any living being, William stood quietly in front of an unimpressive pond filled with deep, still water.

He looked down at the object in his hands and could not help but let out a small laugh at the strange coincidence. The object in his hands was the key he had found in Agrath’s storage ring.

The key that could open a rift at the bottom of this lake, the very passage through which he could cross over to the realm beyond the veil.

William observed the key more carefully and noticed that it was a wooden key shaped like an infinity symbol. The infinity symbol itself was something he was very familiar with, as it was also a part of the emblem he had designed for his own organization.

Even so, William did not think too deeply about it. To him, it was nothing more than a coincidence, since his version of the symbol was quite different. In his design, a radiant sun covered the infinity mark, making it far more distinct.

He slowly walked around the pond, his eyes scanning the surroundings carefully. He searched for any signs of beasts or any other presence that could cause trouble while he remained inside the veil.

William was particularly concerned about the possibility of monsters from that realm escaping into Aris and causing chaos after he opened up the rift. Because of that, he had already decided that once he entered the veil, Barash would close the rift using the same key.

If William ever found himself in danger, he could retreat into the Infinite Domain to ensure his safety, so there was no real downside to this plan.

With that thought firmly in mind, he called Barash out from the Domain of Infinite and calmly instructed him on what needed to be done.

A few minutes later, after making all the preparations, William covered himself with the Trickster’s Veil.

He then formed a protective bubble of mana around his body and stepped forward before diving straight into the pond. Barash followed closely behind him.

Both of them descended deeper and deeper until they finally reached the bottom of the lake. William’s mana bubble kept him completely dry, while Barash remained unaffected as he created a layer of demonic energy around himself.

William carefully searched the lake bed, his gaze moving across every inch of the ground. After a short while, he finally found what he was looking for.

There was a slot for this specific key.

The slot initially appeared rough and unremarkable, blending almost perfectly with the uneven bedrock. For a brief moment, William had mistaken it for a natural formation before realizing its true purpose.

Without wasting time, he inserted the key into the slot.

Almost immediately, the base of the pond reacted.

A sudden tremor passed through the ground, causing the entire lake to convulse. The water around them began to vibrate, and the once still surface above turned restless.

William watched the phenomenon with keen interest. The ground beneath him shook and shifted before slowly splitting apart.

The rocky layer opened up, revealing a glowing rift filled with swirling teal and bluish energy. Anything beyond that glowing boundary remained completely hidden from sight.

He glanced up toward Barash and gave him a simple thumbs up before, without hesitation, jumping straight into the rift.

As soon as William disappeared into the glowing opening, Barash waited for a few seconds. Then, following the plan, he removed the key and returned to the Domain of Infinite.

William, on the other hand, suddenly found himself standing on a solid stone surface.

His eyes adjusted gradually as the environment around him changed. When his vision cleared, he realized that he was standing on a massive, floating piece of a broken pillar.

He looked down at the structure beneath his feet and could not help but feel a sense of awe. If Titans, in their real transformed enormous forms, had ever built a grand palace meant to house thousands of their kind and size, then a pillar like this would surely belong to such a structure. Its sheer size and scale were overwhelming.

As William continued observing the pillar, he slowly lifted his gaze and looked around.

The sky above was dark and apocalyptic, filled with swirling clouds, howling winds, and flashes of crackling thunder. The air felt cold and humid, pressing down on everything.

There was no sun in this place. For William, it means delayed regeneration and recovery.

For a brief moment, William was reminded of the Prison of Gods. However, after observing the vast scale of everything around him, he dismissed that thought. This place felt different; it felt like the ruins of a civilization, although he had no idea how, without any presence of a star, such a civilization would have survived.

Far below, he could see the ruins of a city, along with countless pieces of floating debris. It was clear that this had once been a thriving, advanced, and immensely rich civilization from the scale of things, now reduced to nothing but broken remains.

William remained still for a moment, thinking carefully.

He considered taking flight to explore the area more easily, but quickly decided against it. Releasing energy here would only increase the chances of being detected by whatever creatures might be lurking in this realm. He needed to be cautious, even with the trickster’s veil, he did not want to take a risk.

Before attempting the subquest, he wanted to make sure every precaution was in place.

The first thing he did was check his connection with the Domain of Infinite. He had already prepared for the possibility of being unable to access it. In such a case, Barash had been instructed to reopen the rift if William failed to make contact within a few hours.

William willed himself to enter the domain, and in an instant, his figure appeared inside it. After confirming that his connection was stable, he gave Barash further instructions.

He told him that he would return within two days. If he failed to do so, Barash was to proceed with reopening the rift without hesitation.

With that done, William left the domain and returned to the same floating pillar.

He moved closer to the edge and looked down, carefully judging the distance to the ground. After a brief moment, he confirmed that the height was manageable, only a few thousand feet above the ground. With his Pseudo Divinity demonic cultivation, his body could easily endure the impact of jumping from here.

To avoid using energy too early and risking detection, even with the Trickster’s Veil active, William decided to descend without relying on any abilities.

He took a slow, steady breath. Then he began to run.

His footsteps echoed against the polished stone pillar as he sprinted along the length of the pillar. Without slowing down, he pushed off the edge and leaped into the open air.

For a few seconds, he fell freely.

The wind rushed past him as the ground below grew closer and closer. William kept his eyes fixed on the landing point, preparing his body to absorb the impact.

But just as he was about to reach the ground, something unexpected happened.

He suddenly felt himself being caught midair.

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