Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100 - Chapter 602

Chapter 602: A New Group
As Max passed through the heavy, ancient door into the third stage of the citadel, a sudden shift in atmosphere greeted him. He found himself walking down a dimly lit, narrow hall made of dark stone, the walls etched with faintly glowing runes pulsing with a rhythmic thrum.

The air was thick, almost oppressive, but Max remained calm, his senses alert. Klaus followed silently behind him. At the end of the hallway, they stepped out into a vast, dome-like structure.

The dome stretched high above them, the ceiling lost in a haze of flickering lights, and inside it sprawled a complex maze of buildings and structures of all shapes and sizes—temples, shrines, towers, and stone platforms scattered across the floor like remnants of a forgotten civilization.

However, Max’s attention wasn’t drawn to the architectural oddities of the citadel’s third stage. Instead, his gaze immediately darted toward the multiple entrances around the edges of the dome—entrances similar to the one he and Klaus had emerged from.

His eyes narrowed when he spotted a group that didn’t belong. Aside from the remnants of Silus’ original group—the two commanders and the four peak Expert Rank geniuses—there was another faction standing off to the side. They were clearly not King Magnar’s subordinates, nor were they from Elarion.

Max hadn’t seen them in the second stage at all. That left only one possibility—they had either entered the citadel’s second stage far earlier than the rest or had entered last. And they were from the Xuan Family—just like Silus.

Max’s expression darkened as he sensed the unmistakable aura of the Black Tortoise Bloodline radiating from each of them. The energy signature was too familiar, and it made his instincts flare.

This group consisted of five individuals—three of them were clearly Master Rank experts at level 2, but the other two stood out immediately.

A young man with sharp features and long dark green hair tied behind his back, and a cold-eyed young woman with cascading dark blue hair, her presence like still water hiding monstrous depth. Both of them were clearly young, similar in age to Silus but their strength level spoke of frightening talent.

The young woman had reached the 4th level of the Master Rank, while the green-haired young man had already stepped into the 5th level, his aura thick and suffocating like a coiled beast.

Max didn’t need to be told. These two were on a completely different level than Silus. Even the other three were subjectivity stronger than Silus in terms of strength level.

In fact, everyone else was also shocked seeing the group of five people. They clearly hadn’t expected them at all. Only those who were in the same part of the second stage as the new group members were in, saw this coming.

But even then the revelation was shocking enough. It was no secret that one of the five keys belonged to the Witch of the North and yet the group that came wasn’t a faction of the north but a group from the Four God Nation.

“Look, I told you we’d meet the others here,” Elias said with a low chuckle, his green hair swaying gently as he walked casually beside Aria, his presence relaxed but sharp, like a serpent ready to strike.

Aria, on the other hand, didn’t smile—her gaze was cold and piercing, her expression untouched by the vast, dome-like structure they had just entered. At their arrival, the air around them shifted as two figures immediately dropped to one knee in deep reverence.

“Young Master Elias, Young Mistress Aria!” the two commanders—both at the fifth level of the Master Rank—called out with bowed heads, their voices filled with respect and fear.

Aria’s gaze swept past them with disinterest before her voice rang out, icy and commanding. “Where is Silus? Commander Leone, Commander Shen?”

At that moment, Commander Leone’s heart began to thump wildly in his chest. He instinctively turned his head to search the dome, eyes darting from group to group, but no matter where he looked, he could not find Silus.

Up until now, he had been unconcerned—after all, with Young Master Elias and Aria present his entire attention had been on them, and Silus known to be inside the citadel as well, he had assumed they would all naturally reunite here. In fact, he hadn’t even considered the possibility of Silus not making it.

Silus, the arrogant yet powerful young master of the Xuan Family, a level one Master Rank genius, was supposed to be untouchable—especially in a place like this where there were only experts from the Lower Domain were present. In his mind, death had never even been a possibility.

But now, as that crushing silence answered Aria’s question, the panic began to bloom.

Commander Shen, who had also assumed Silus would be here, suddenly began to sweat. His mind raced back through everything that had happened in the second stage. No signs of Silus. No messages. Nothing.

And yet they had all moved through to the third stage—which, according to the citadel’s rules, should only happen once every single person in the second stage had reached their designated door. Meaning if Silus hadn’t walked through his own entrance… he hadn’t made it.

A chill ran down Commander Shen’s spine. Because if Silus hadn’t entered the third stage… then Silus was already dead.

Max’s thoughts spun like a raging storm. The weight of what he had done pressed against his mind, though his face remained calm. He had killed Silus. That fact alone could shake the balance of everything in this third stage.

Only Klaus knew the truth, and for now, that secret was safe.

But Max couldn’t help but feel a surge of gratitude that he had eliminated Nortan as well. If Nortan had lived, his loose tongue would have caused irreparable trouble—possibly even sparking a direct confrontation right here, right now.

Max wasn’t afraid of Elias, Aria, or even the two powerful commanders standing near them. But fear and foolishness were not the same thing. He knew his limits.

Even though he was confident in his abilities and monstrous strength, going up against four fifth-level Master Rank experts simultaneously was a battle he couldn’t win. Not now. Not yet. He might be able to take down one… maybe two, if luck and strategy were on his side. But four? That would be suicide. And Max wasn’t here to die.

Then Elias spoke, and the shift in his voice sent chills through the air. Gone was the playful arrogance; in its place was an icy resolve that demanded blood.

“He is dead,” Elias said coldly, each word like a blade. “If he didn’t make it to the third stage, then that means he’s dead. You all know how the rules of the second stage work. Everyone must appear at the gates or no one moves forward. He’s not here. So he’s dead.”

His gaze turned slowly, burning into the crowd, and then locked onto the people from the Lower Domain. “That means someone among you killed him,” he said, his voice sharp with fury. “And it couldn’t have been one person. No single person from the Lower Domain has the power to kill Silus alone. That’s impossible.”

Max’s jaw tightened. His hands remained relaxed, but a dangerous glint flickered in his eyes. Inside, he scoffed. ‘Impossible, huh?’ Let them believe that. Let them assume it took a group. That was fine. That kept the attention diffused, the eyes spread out. The longer they didn’t suspect him directly, the more time he had to plan and prepare.