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Since awakening from his slumber, Cassius had not felt this sense of threat for a long time. Even the newly reborn Balor Demon had been nothing more than a troublesome pest in his eyes.

Yet now, this calling from the void made him feel an immense threat.

"It’s time to uncover the truth behind all this."

After pondering for a moment, Cassius thought this.

If the entity behind this truly had the ability to eliminate him, it could have struck during the recent battle. There was no need to lure him over.

With Cassius’s current power, only the quasi-divine Abyssal Demon Lords could truly trap him, but these beings were repelled by the Material Plane and could rarely manifest fully in this world.

Whoever was behind this surely had a vested interest in Cassius. Otherwise, why cultivate him into a world boss in his past life? He could perhaps exploit this fact, staging a daring play to steal away the power meant for "Cassius" from the hidden entity.

With that in mind, Cassius folded his wings tightly against his body, lowering his head cautiously to enter the tunnel.

For the numerous demons and the Fallen Giant, this tunnel was spacious enough, but for Cassius, it felt a bit cramped. Nonetheless, it was the only path to the heart of the nest.

Fortunately, his darkvision allowed him to see everything clearly, his pale golden eyes gleaming faintly in the dark.

Finally, he entered the deepest part of the cave.

The cave interior was filled with foul, black-red gore, writhing worms, and acid that corroded everything.

However, this was not all there was.

"This is..."

A rare look of astonishment appeared in Cassius’s eyes.

A twenty-sided prism floated in the center of the cave, with chaotic runes carved into each facet, from which emanated numerous dark yellow beams of light.

Black, chaotic mist swirled around it, with minute particles constantly moving in a disorderly manner, emitting a piercing shriek—like a miniature Abyss.

"The Astral Prism."

Cassius murmured the name.

In his eyes, this twenty-sided prism was a gateway to the Astral Plane, though it had been temporarily tainted by demonic power.

The Astral Plane.

A familiar name.

It was a purely spiritual world, the silver void between all true planes.

Boundless and mysterious, yet incredibly dangerous, the Astral Plane was often traversed by the pirate fleets of the Githyanki, who roamed the silvery streams, launching raids across planes. However, they were but a tiny part of the Astral.

There were far bigger and more grotesque things in the Astral Plane—Astral Behemoths, Astral Whales, and floating islands formed from the corpses of dead ancient deities.

Even the powerful and mysterious Planewalkers regarded this plane as a waystation best departed swiftly.

They often skipped the exploratory step, preferring to use magical devices to complete this stage. The most direct method was through Astral conduits or pools, which could propel a person from the Material Plane straight into any of the Outer Planes.

"The Astral Plane, huh."

Unless absolutely necessary, Cassius had no desire to enter the Astral at this stage. Though he was strong enough to have a foothold in the Astral, he was not prepared to face unknown dangers.

"Come, it is your inevitable destination..."

"Do not fear, do not hesitate, accept it all..."

The deep voice called once more from the Astral Prism, more intense this time, like waves continuously battering the red dragon’s mind.

"No..."

"I can’t let this voice affect me."

The red dragon shook his head, his eyes glinting.

Even in his greed for power, he could not afford to be reckless.

After some thought, he summoned [Cataclysmic Dragon Eye], then breathed a blazing fire to craft a draconic avatar out of flames.

The powerful will of the Dragon Sorcerer distorted reality.

The illusory dragon eye was embedded in the avatar’s head, allowing it to observe the outside world and serve as a conduit for Cassius to control the arcane flames.

"Open."

Cassius exerted a slight amount of will, and each rune on the prism began to emit a starlit glow, slowly opening a portal to the Astral Plane before him.

Under his control, the elemental avatar of flame roared with heated winds, stepping into the passage.

Through [Cataclysmic Dragon Eye], Cassius saw the rainbow-like tunnel of flowing light, crossing an indiscernible distance until the surroundings blurred, and finally passing through the last gateway, arriving in the deep void—the Astral Plane.

"So this is the Astral Plane..."

Cassius’s flame avatar stood atop pitch-black stone, muttering to itself.

In his previous life, he had been but a mercenary wandering the Material Plane, never having undertaken an advanced interplanar mission. Now, at last, he could witness this magnificent scene.

—Endless void surrounded him, with silvery currents flowing through the darkness, dotted by countless shimmering stars. These weren’t merely sources of light but could be gateways to other planes or projections of Outer Spaces.

Massive floating islands drifted through the void. They could be the bodies of Astral Behemoths or even the forgotten remains of ancient deities—their origins lost to the sands of history, known to no one.

The familiar voice called again, now incomparably clear.

"The fire of vengeance burns fiercely..."

"Embrace the Abyss..."

"Come..."

Cassius’s avatar floated toward the source of the voice.

He traveled between one floating island and another until he finally found the source.

On an island nearly ten thousand meters in diameter, a three-meter-tall humanoid figure was bound there. Its spread wings, grotesque horns, and bare red skin all revealed its identity—a Balor Demon from the Abyss.

This demon had three pairs of wings on its back, each asymmetrical. Its twisted body was bound in heavy chains, its hands and feet nailed to the rock, surrounded by intricate and mysterious magical runes.

The entire island seemed to be a massive prison, existing solely to imprison this demon. Broken fragments of rock floated around the island, and massive fissures, over a thousand meters long, hinted at an intense battle.

The demon before him wasn’t as massive as a typical Balor, even appearing somewhat gaunt, yet it exuded an air of extreme danger. Even the slightest loosening of the seal would cause nearly tangible Abyssal mist to leak out.

The demon hung suspended in mid-air, its head bowed.

Suddenly, as if sensing Cassius’s arrival, the Balor Demon lifted its head. In its deep eyes, the fire of vengeance burned fiercely, and a twisted smile spread across its lips.

"The trajectory of fate may change, but the destination has long been anchored, unchangeable."

"This is the decree of the world’s laws, the final choice of the Abyss’s will."

"Cassius, my most perfect and destined contractor, you have come here, as expected."

"Pleased to meet you. I am the Lord of Vengeance—Jezal Slak, an ancient Balor Demon, former Abyssal Lord, and your future collaborator."