Chapter 138 – Chapter 25: Opening
In-gong"s mind was blank. Before it recovered, In-gong was already crossing the air on White Eagle.
The wind blew around him, and just like the saying, he flew faster than the wind.
Maybe he was too hasty. In-gong felt anxious after seeing the Tears of a Dark Elf, but it was just the light which had been lost. There was a possibility that one of its feature was simply broken.
However, he couldn"t not consider it. Felicia was far away, so it was better for him to waste time going there, than to delay. No, it was better for In-gong to go there in vain, than for Felicia to be in a crisis.
In-gong didn"t inform Vandal. He simply shouted to Carack that Felicia was in danger.
The distance between the fourth base and Takar was considerable. If he marched in the normal manner, it would take around four days. Even if it was a hard march, it would take two days. However, that speed was when he was moving with soldiers.
In-gong didn"t have anyone with him. Moreover, he was pouring his power into White Eagle; the magic from the dragon heart increased White Eagle"s speed. If he maintained this speed, he would be able to reach Takar in a few hours. It was tremendous speed.
However, In-gong felt impatient. He needed too much time. A few hours was too long.
"A little bit faster, a little bit faster!"
Aura was added to the magic power, while White Eagle moved in the darkness.
&
The Famine Knight entered the ruin. Smoke filled the pa.s.sageway. The dim light from the ceiling faded, and the faint scent of magic power disappeared completely.
The Famine Knight felt a funny sense of nostalgia at the scent. He remembered things from 1,000 years ago and 10,000 years ago. It felt like just yesterday that he was walking through this ruin.
Gerard"s memory also recognized the Black Flame Dragon, the treasure of the dark elves. However, he had spent 20 years in the lycanthrope prison. Therefore, he didn"t know the current owner of the Black Flame Dragon. He just guessed that it was one of the kings of the dark elves.
It didn"t matter if the owner was someone Gerard knew or if they were from a new generation. In the first place, the encounter with the dark elves was a coincidence. His purpose was on the lowest floor.
Of course, he didn"t plan to miss it. The magic power flowing through the royal dark elves were like a light wine.
The Famine Knight didn"t rush. He advanced while devouring the ruin"s magic power.
&
Felicia looked up at the ceiling. The light from the ceiling shone again. However, it was fainter than before and blinked occasionally. Something strange had obviously occurred.
Felicia thought about it as calmly as possible. The sudden change was due to something they had done or an external factor.
Nothing had happened when their group came to the fourth floor, and they hadn"t touched anything. Therefore, there must be an external factor. She wondered what had happened. What was this unbearably ominous feeling?
Felicia grasped Silvan"s hand. It was a firm hand without any shaking.
Silvan smiled at Felicia before looking up at the ceiling. No, he seemed to be looking beyond it.
There was a problem above ground, not underground. It was a hunch, but he also had some evidence to prove it. Silvan stared down at his arm. He had a magic device to track the location of the Black Flame Dragon. The arrow of light inside the gem was supposed to point toward the place where the Black Flame Dragon was, however, there was currently no light. If so, it was either one of two options:
The Black Flame Dragon had been destroyed, or his connection was blocked.
Silvan thought about the crew members of the Black Flame Dragon. Either way, it was highly likely something abnormal had happened to his crew members. Normally, Silvan would already be climbing the stairs up to the ground. However, Felicia was in this place. That fact made him calm.
“It is approaching."
Silvan said quickly. He felt something ominous approaching in the darkness.
Felicia breathed roughly. Although Silvan was relatively ignorant about magic, he was still a prince of the dark elves. He instinctively noticed that the scent of magic power was changing. The spirits around them were scared.
Silvan watched the stairs. Instead of raising his aura, he took Felicia"s hand again, and he deliberately gave an exaggerated smile.
“Don’t worry. I, your Oppa, is here."
Felicia laughed awkwardly. She swallowed her dry saliva repeatedly and called upon the wind spirit.
Right now, she didn"t want to go to the floors above, so she sent the wind spirit up.
&
The ruin of the indigenous species boasted a vast size. The ruin, which started in the forest of Karamis, reached the Great Desert.
The Famine Knight crossed the first floor. He didn’t leave anything behind in the place he pa.s.sed. The ceiling was depleted of magic power and lost its light, making the pa.s.sage go dark.
He felt wind coming from in front of him. The Famine Knight laughed happily. This was because it wasn"t a natural wind.
The Famine Knight lifted a hand, and the hungry power of Famine didn"t let the wind blow.
&
The wind spirit had been extinguished. The presence was still coming closer.
It was clear that there was an external problem. Felicia took a deep breath. The spirit had vanished and horror filled her chest.
Silvan looked around. The pa.s.sage on the fourth floor was rather large because the size of the ruin grew every time they descended a floor. The height of the ceiling seemed to be approximately six to seven meters.
Silvan made a decision. Instead of going to meet the enemy, he decided to wait. The ruin was vast. Considering the speed at which the ominous presence was approaching, it would take a considerable amount of time to reach this place.
"Felicia."
Silvan called out with an affectionate voice. Felicia straightened and nodded. The two people didn"t say anything, but they had reached the same conclusion.
A battle of waiting was the specialty of a magician. She would convert the fourth floor"s stairs into a trap.
The ceiling light became weaker. The ominous presence was now much closer.
&
Time pa.s.sed. It was too slow for some people and too fast for others.
Felicia swallowed her saliva. The ominous presence was like a snake that tightened around her neck. Her breathing was rough as she looked at the magic she had prepared. The stairs to the fourth floor was now a magical fortress.
She wondered how much time had pa.s.sed. Her back was moist with sweat. It was clear that at least one hour had pa.s.sed, maybe even more.
Felicia closed her eyes tightly and restored her breathing. She had been with Shutra for several months and experienced many things, but she had never been so nervous. As time went by, it seemed like she would die.
"It is coming."
Silvan said quickly. Felicia quickly opened her eyes and stepped back in dismay. Sepira and Delia stood on either side of Felicia, while the five crew members took out their weapons and watched the stairs.
Silvan pulled out Amita"s sword as well. His aura glowed as he stared at the ceiling. It was obvious the presence was on the third flood.
Now, it was coming down. This was the moment they would face the ominous presence.
Everyone stared at the stairs. The presence was approaching them. Silvan shouted. His shout was like a thunderbolt as he stared at the ceiling.
"Avoid it!”
Kwa kwa kwa kw.a.n.g!
The loud explosion swallowed up Silvan"s cry. The ceiling collapsed and rocks. .h.i.t the floor.
Delia grabbed Felicia"s waist and pulled her back. Sepira turned hurriedly toward the sound. Something was seen in the darkness.
It spread like a mist. At the same time, the dark spirit at the center moved like lightning. He naturally twisted the neck of a crew member who had been knocked down by a rock.
The crew member couldn"t even scream. He dried up without a sound. Then the heart of the second crew member was crushed. Silvan triggered his aura while Felicia screamed.
"Gerard!"
He was the one Felicia had seen in the lycanthrope territory. The one who had forced Chris and Caitlin, as well as Shutra, to the brink of death!
The Famine Knight, formerly called Gerard, smiled. The black energy surrounding his body absorbed the magic power of the ruin. The ceiling lost its light, and the floor was deprived of its vitality. It was dry and cracked just because the Famine Knight was standing on it. The ceiling the Famine Knight destroyed was turned to dust.
The Famine Knight kicked off from the ground, with the explosive movement distinctive to Divine Beast Authority. The pa.s.sage was wide, but the distance between them narrowed, and the Famine Knight arrived in front of Sepira.
Sepira swung her sword reflexively. The Famine Knight moved along the trajectory of Sepira"s sword, then he turned and grabbed Sepira"s wrist.
"Drain."
The moment the Famine Knight ordered it, Sepira"s wrist disappeared. At the same time, Silvan wielded his sword. He cut Sepira"s arm off cleanly.
Sepira groaned from the sharp pain. Blood spurted from Sepira"s arm, while the cut wrist held by the Famine Knight dried up and became dust.
The Famine Knight laughed.
Did Silvan see it? Or did he just feel it?
Either way, Silvan"s aura exploded. It was an act to create a gap. Silvan pushed Sepira away with his feet and watched the Famine Knight. He wielded his sword once again. It cut through the atmosphere sharply.
The Famine Knight moved backward smoothly like he was sliding over the ground. Gerard"s memories revealed that Silvan was as strong as Chris. Therefore, he felt pleased. He pushed off from the ground while using the power of Famine!
"Silvan!"
Felicia screamed desperately. Silvan triggered aura around his whole body, and the aura barrier opposed the power of Famine. Once again, Silvan"s sword moved like lightning.
It was fast and accurate.
However, Gerard was extremely strong. He was once the strongest among the lycanthropes, and he read all of Silvan"s movements. Almost all the sword trajectories were crushed before they even started.
Silvan was gasping for air. In order to stop the power of Famine, he continued pouring aura into his aura barrier. It seemed like his aura would be depleted before his stamina.
“Captain!”
The remaining three crew members rushed in at the same time. Silvan wanted to tell them not to come, but he was out of breath. He had barely squeezed out his voice when a thunderous sound was heard.
Kw.a.n.g kw.a.n.g kw.a.n.g!
There were three roars, and the hearts of the three crew members were crushed. Their bodies fell to the ground, and their remaining health was lost to the power of Famine.
Silvan let out a loud sound. He was lost in his rage for a moment, then the Famine Knight"s palm reached Silvan"s chest. It wasn"t a simple attack.
Arang—
A technique of Divine Beast Authority which destroyed the enemy from the inside.
Aura exploded inside Silvan"s body, and the blue aura protecting Silvan"s body became faint.
Silvan was thrown into the air, then he crashed down to the ground, coughing up blood.
The Famine Knight admired Silvan. He had a remarkably disciplined body. While the lycanthropes were unmatched in toughness, the fragile elves shouldn"t be able to endure Arang with their bodies.
The Famine Knight stared at Silvan with fascinated eyes. Silvan coughed up blood again but somehow managed to stand up.
Sepira ran up to Silvan. At the same time, Felicia moved. She couldn"t watch anymore.
She poured all the magic she had set up on the stairs onto the Famine Knight. The Famine Knight felt the flow of magic power. With the power of Famine which swallowed everything, he set up a barrier and walked between the flow.
The black darkness broke through the dazzling magic light, and the power of Famine devoured the magic. He twisted the trajectory of the magic.
It only took a few seconds.
The Famine Knight escaped from the magic and stood before Felicia. Delia invoked dozens of red lights from Amita"s armour and created a force field. Amita"s armour was fine, but Delia wasn"t. It felt like she had been hit by a dump truck.
The Famine Knight looked at Felicia, then Gerard remembered.
She was the woman who had been with the Conquest Knight.
Was it coincidental or inevitable?
The Famine Knight reached out his hand.
&
Felicia waved her hand reflexively. It was a struggle to say anything. In the first place, she wasn"t a match for this opponent. The Famine Knight avoided Felicia"s attack like it was a joke and touched Felicia"s chest. It looked like a very mild blow, but it wasn"t. The armour Felicia wore took the blow and distorted. Due to her chest piece being crushed, Felicia had trouble breathing.
The Famine Knight touched Felicia"s cheek. Rather than draining her with the power of Famine, he wanted to tear her apart.
It would be good to throw her decapitated head to the hateful Conquest Knight.
The Famine Knight kicked Felicia"s abdomen once again, and Felicia made a hissing sound. She was barely able to maintain consciousness, so it was impossible for her to cast a spell.
Silvan raised his body. The Famine Knight spread out the power of Famine to provoke them.
Everyone moved as they thought of Famine. Sepira moved to save Delia just before the power of Famine reached her. Despite still coughing up blood, Silvan jumped in front of the power of Famine and defended using his aura. He then used the shortest distance to reach Felicia.
The Famine Knight had expected it and stretched out a hand toward the expected orbit. Silvan twisted his body desperately but couldn"t flee perfectly. The Famine Knight struck Silvan"s waist, and his aura was removed. Then the power of Famine rushed like a vulture toward Silvan.
However, Silvan pushed against the ground. He broke through the power of Famine and reached Felicia.
Felicia gasped as she looked at Silvan, but Silvan smiled at Felicia. He smiled despite the b.l.o.o.d.y state of his body.
"No."
Sepira thought as she held Delia.
It was the same for Felicia. Even though she couldn"t breath properly, she tried to somehow speak.
"No, you can"t do that. There must be another way. There had to be something more!"
However, Silvan didn"t listen. It was unreasonable. His flow of aura was ruined by Arang, and there wasn"t enough time to correct the aura. At this very moment, the power of Famine was stretching toward him and Felicia.
So, this was the only way. No other way existed.
Silvan reached out to Felicia"s forehead and invoked a hidden magic spell. He forcefully got her permission to act in the state of emergency.
The Famine Knight only cared about Felicia, so Silvan couldn"t wait any longer and reached out a hand. However, Gerard remembered something, and he ordered the Famine Knight to retreat straight away.
"Why?"
"What was the reason?"
Questions were created. During that time, Felicia screamed. Silvan smiled at Felicia as he raised a hand to his right eye.
Gerard"s warning reached its peak, and the Famine Knight strengthened the power of Famine reflexively. Sepira and Delia cried out Silvan"s name.
At that moment, tears flowed down endlessly from Felicia"s eyes.
Silvan took off his eyepatch.
He opened up the power of the fairy.