Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100

"Nobody among the people from the Lower Domain or even inside this citadel has the mark of the curse one receives after killing a member of our Xuan Family," Aria muttered, her brows furrowed in deep thought. "Even if they had ganged up to kill Silus, the one who delivered the final blow should have been marked. But I don’t sense it on anyone. And that… that’s strange."

Her voice was cold and sharp, her gaze sweeping across the entire dome like a predator searching for a scent.

Elias nodded, his expression darkening with the same realization. "I noticed that too," he said quietly. "That’s the only reason I let everyone go earlier. Even if I never liked Silus, even if he was arrogant and pathetic… killing a direct member of the Xuan Family is a crime punishable by death. A mark should’ve appeared on the killer. But if I can’t find who has it, I can’t just go around slaughtering everyone, now can I?" he scoffed, shaking his head in annoyance, though his clenched fists revealed his frustration.

"They must’ve used some sort of treasure to wipe away the mark," Aria said thoughtfully, still looking out over the scattered groups of Lower Domain experts in the distance. "But do such treasures truly exist? Ones capable of erasing the brand of the four divine beast bloodlines?"

The thought was unsettling. Such a thing went against all the rules and legacies handed down by the Four God Nation. If it was true, then someone—somewhere—was hiding something incredibly dangerous.

Elias only shrugged, as if brushing the concern off. "Who cares? Let’s focus on why we came here," he said casually, pulling out a parchment from his spatial ring. It was old, yellowed with age, and covered in cryptic symbols and fading ink. "I’ve already uploaded the map to my holowatch, but we’ll use the original as backup. I don’t trust tech alone with something this important."

With a few taps on the sleek silver device on his wrist, a glowing hologram projected into the air in front of them—an exact replica of the ancient map, but updated with their real-time location within the dome. Aria gave a small nod of approval.

"Let’s go," Elias said with a grin, turning back toward the rest of the group. He looked at the two towering 5th level Master Rank commanders and the other seven elite warriors—four at peak Expert Rank and three already at the 2nd level of the Master Rank. "You all should spread out and explore, but don’t go too far. If anything happens, we might need your assistance," he ordered calmly, his voice carrying the weight of a superior who expected immediate obedience.

The others nodded respectfully and without a word began scattering through the dome, each heading off in different directions to begin their search.

With that, Elias and Aria stepped away, walking side by side, both unaware that the answer to their mystery was already slipping deeper into the citadel.