Death... and me

The one who spoke was Raziel. "We are now going to the entrance of the Ruins of the Stars. Make sure to stay close to us, Archangels. The Spatial Disturbances around the Ruins are very powerful. If you fall inside, you are as good as dead."

Everyone nodded as the five Archangels approached the Angels' group. The same thing could be seen in the other three groups as their top experts enveloped them in their spatial powers.

The Archangels ignored the rest and immediately opened another Spatial Gate. This time, they went straight to the Ruins with Rean and the others.

*Brummm, Krraaaaa, Vrooooo...*

The moment they emerged from the Spatial Gate, everyone witnessed the extreme chaos of the surrounding space. Spatial Tears appeared and disappeared constantly while the space contorted, destroying anything it touched.

The Archangels worked together, creating a protective bubble of Spatial Power around their group. The Tears of Space and other dangers often attempted to breach the bubble. However, the Archangels' powers quickly stabilized the space, preventing their manifestation.

Nonetheless, Rean could see that even the Archangels struggled to maintain control. They were completely focused, moving around continuously, expending their Heavenly Energy without pause.

Rean couldn't see the other groups, though. Most likely, the Archangels, Elder Devils, and Divinity Realm experts agreed on an approach where neither group would get close to the other. After all, one can never be certain of the enemy's plans.

This perilous journey through the Spatial Dangers lasted over an hour. Finally, Rean noticed the tears and contortions in space diminishing in frequency, causing the Archangels to sigh in relief. At the same time, he finally detected another group far in the distance. They weren't too far away, but the spatial disturbances were so severe that his Divine Sense couldn't sense their presence earlier. However, they remained over 50 kilometers apart, with neither side willing to approach the other.

Before long, the other two groups also appeared within Rean's Divine Sense Range. The space quickly normalized, making it much easier for the Archangels to ensure everyone's safety.

Plop!

Suddenly, the Spatial Protection the Archangels were employing disappeared, exposing everyone to the environment. However, it wasn't a problem. The surrounding space was still somewhat affected, but it wasn't beyond the capabilities of the other Angels to handle. The same applied to Rean, of course. The other groups also ceased their protection as they all flew forward.

Rean looked ahead and could still see the Ruins of the Stars. However, he couldn't see their end, indicating their close proximity. All the groups continued flying through space for a while longer until Rean's perception finally detected the presence of Light Element.

Initially, the Ruins were easily visible to the naked eye. However, as Rean approached, he noticed a very thin layer of Dark and Light lights hovering over them. This section of the Ruins remained intact, though. When he looked into the distance, he could see that the same layer was much thicker, rendering the Ruins behind it almost invisible. 'This should be the barrier they talked about,' he thought.

All the groups converged at the same point, maintaining no more than a few hundred meters of distance between each other.

*Bzzzzzz...*

Suddenly, a massive Ring of Light and Dark appeared before the group. The Ring wasn't more than a few kilometers long, but it clearly separated the dense outer layer of Dark and Light Elements from the inner region. Inside the Ring, the elements were still present, though much thinner, while the outside layer looked even stronger.

Everyone came to a stop right in front of the center of the Ring, their eyes filled with wariness. Raziel raised his hand and revealed a small piece of metal. The moment Rean saw it, he instantly recognized its significance. 'That's good material!'

He was right. It was a fragment of Divine Level Metal, something Rean had never held before. But Raziel seemed unconcerned. He simply used his Heavenly Energy to toss the metal straight at the thin layers of Light and Dark Element ahead.

Puff!

Rean's eyes widened as the metal made contact with the barrier and disintegrated. It was clear that trying to force their way through the entrance wouldn't work. Even the Archangels didn't dare touch the barrier. Their bodies might be strong, but not as strong as that piece of metal that had just been obliterated.

'I wonder what kind of power created this thing,' Rean shared with the others in the Soul Gem Dimensional Realm. 'Even the most skilled experts won't go near it or attack it.'

'Who knows?' Roan shrugged. 'What I do know is that I can feel it perfectly. It's just as they said. You can get through it if you can harmonize with the barrier. But if you fail, you're as good as dead.'

Raziel then turned to the Angels who planned to enter the Ruins. "I'm sure you all saw what happened. I did that to show you what will happen if you don't take it seriously. If you're not confident that your method of harmonizing with the barrier will work, don't try it. None of us Archangels will blame you. Once the exploration is finished, we'll take you back to the Heavens, and you can wait with us."

*Arrrrrrgh!*

*Puff!*

Suddenly, a scream echoed through Divine Sense. Anyone who wanted to enter could do so now. That said, a duo of Devils was the first to try. Well, it seems their method didn't work because they died right after reaching the barrier.

Rean and Roan were quite grateful for that, though. That short moment where the barrier destroyed the two devils was enough for them to feel the frequency of Light and Dark Element hovering inside. Of course, they didn't tell anyone.

As for the rest, some had their own ideas, while others seemed concerned. Nonetheless, everyone thought twice before attempting to cross the barrier. As anyone could expect, no one wanted to be the next to try.