Chapter 1165: Ghost Under the Lava (3)
Rumbles…
Along with Canary’s reminder, Rhode felt the ground quickly trembling. The Chaos aura underneath his feet was surging and becoming denser. It seemed like his outburst of power was eventually detected by that d.a.m.ned creature. Not only that, but Rhode also sensed the wild power of Chaos rus.h.i.+ng constantly, bringing along an extremely dangerous aura!
“Bubble, how’s the situation?!”
Rhode hesitated no more and contacted Bubble immediately. Upon hearing his concern, Bubble No. 2 responded quickly.
“We’re making our way there. We need around three minutes to reach the door. There aren’t any obstacles along the way, though…”
“Pick up the pace and pa.s.s through the door immediately… Argh, d.a.m.n it!”
The instant Rhode commanded Mini Bubble Gum, he suddenly heard a series of ‘crackling’ sounds that startled him. He turned around and witnessed the dense power of Chaos encircling the cabins below, erupting wildly. Turbid liquid eroded the specimen-looking primitive men who began to struggle. Judging from their bulging trembling bodies and horns growing from their foreheads, these people apparently had no intention of gaining freedom after breaking free from the shackles.
“Argh, annoying as h.e.l.l!”
Looking at this scene, Rhode curled his lips in displeasure. Of course, he didn’t have the bad habit of game protagonists who only attacked after the transformation-animation of the BOSS was completed. The instant he witnessed the change, he dashed ahead with his sword. In a series of flas.h.i.+ng blade rays and crisp cracks, the surrounding cabins shattered immediately. The specimens that were ‘transforming’ also collapsed to the a.s.sault. But this didn’t a.s.sure Rhode just yet because he was aware that there were thousands of similar creatures like them above.
It seemed like Rhode was right. These Chaos beings had no intention of letting those idiots, who acted all high-and-mighty after attaining some power of Chaos, be their subordinates. Even if Rhode didn’t attack this time, they would still be eliminated by the primitive men who were completely contaminated by Chaos. What was funny was that those guys actually thought the Chaos beings treated them as worthy and were unaware that Chaos beings didn’t give a d.a.m.n about kindness and shame at all. Even though they resembled humans, in the eyes of Chaos beings, they were nothing more than useful tools.
… Hum…!
At that moment, Rhode suddenly heard a strange sound that startled him. He turned around and spotted the woman imprisoned in the middle cabin emanating brilliant rays. The power of Chaos surged from above to below, surrounding the woman entirely and attempting to devour her as though it were conscious, turning her into a presence of Chaos. But what shocked Rhode was that upon facing the erosion of Chaos, that woman didn’t have any reaction at all. On the contrary, the primitive men who couldn’t resist the invasion of Chaos had as though turned into monsters injected by a virus. The surging power of Chaos encircled her violently and yet, failed to take over her body. Not only that, but the woman also erupted brilliant white rays from her body that instantly converted the turbid power of Chaos into Order!
Who is she?
“Do you know what that power is?”
“I-I don’t know, Big Brother…”
Rhode’s younger sister’s voice was also filled with surprise. It was apparent that she was also astounded by what she witnessed.
“Only the five Creator Dragons have such power. But I’m sure that only five of us were born!”
“Could she be a new Creator Dragon who was born afterward? After all, weren’t you guys born the same way?”
“It’s different, Big Brother. Back then, we were born alongside this continent, so we obtained the ability to create the world. But now, there aren’t any changes to this world…”
“Forget it, no matter what she is, let’s head out first.”
The trembles underneath his feet became even more violent. Rhode realized that the situation was turning worse. He no longer had the time to discuss with his younger sister about the background of that mysterious woman. However, since the woman was able to turn Chaos into Order, she would be considered someone on their side. Without much hesitation, Rhode smashed the cabin before him and swiftly rescued the woman. At that moment, he heard vague bellows from ferocious beasts. It went without saying that the creatures completely modified by the power of Chaos were ready to attack. Rhode concealed his strength no more. He dashed ahead in a ray of dazzling light, bursting through the steel wall of the tower with the woman in his arms.
“Your Majesty Rhode!”
“Leader!”
The instant he darted out, he spotted the others who were sprinting toward the door. By Marybelle’s and Mini Bubble Gum’s lead, the group was moving quickly. Meanwhile, the lava surrounding them was constantly boiling. The ground trembled and everything seemed like an omen of the end of the world. Rhode’s group, which was searching for him, heaved a huge sigh of relief upon seeing him. Shortly after, Gracier, Madaras, Mini Bubble Gum, and the rest went up to him.
“Your Majesty Rhode, those people are being contaminated by the power of Chaos…”
Before Lydia finished her sentence, Rhode extended his arm and interrupted abruptly.
“I know, retreat immediately! Our goal isn’t to fight. It doesn’t matter to us what happens to this place. Everyone, head to the door now. After Marybelle opens it, we will leave right away!”
Rhode tossed the woman on his shoulder over to Erin. Erin caught the seemingly-asleep woman and couldn’t help but feel shocked.
“This woman is already dead. Your Majesty Rhode, why are you…”
“There are some interesting secrets about her. Bring her along. We’re leaving this place now!”
Upon realizing the terrible situation, Rhode gave his command and dashed toward the door.
The situation was horrible.
When Rhode arrived at the door, he noticed the two Canarys gnas.h.i.+ng their teeth and raising their arms palely. Along with their actions, the blazing lava rushed continuously like vicious monsters. Under the scarlet and scorching lava, the huge, indistinct shadowy figure was seen moving. It was apparent to Rhode that the two Canarys were manipulating the lava to overwhelm and stop that terrifying creature. But it seemed like they couldn’t hang on for much longer!
“R-Rhode!”
Upon seeing Rhode’s arrival, the two Canarys felt relaxed instantly. But shortly after, they gritted their teeth again and made a few hand gestures. Along with their movements, scarlet runes appeared in their hands one by one, trembling constantly. It could be seen that they were under tremendous pressure. But now, the only thing Rhode could do was to let them hang on by themselves.
As Rhode’s group wiped out the obstacles earlier, they didn’t face too many hurdles now. Moreover, even though most of them weren’t as powerful as Rhode and Lydia, they weren’t too far behind in strength either. At full sprint, the group pa.s.sed through the pitch-black, steel bridge and arrived at the plaza of the door. The guards around here were also dealt with by Gracier and Madaras earlier, so there wasn’t anyone causing trouble for them.
“Marybelle, how much longer do you need?!”
“I need some time, Your Majesty!”
While raising the magic wand high in her hand, Marybelle knitted her brows and yelled.
“This door has been invaded by Chaos. I need to purify the power of Chaos and establish a connection with the door. If I forcefully open the door, it will break the barrier between the Seven Fantasy Boundaries and this world and cause even more catastrophes later!”
“How much time do you need?”
“10 minutes!”
Marybelle responded shortly. Then, she floated off the surface slightly, opening her mouth to chant a mysterious incantation. Shortly after, runes appeared around her one by one. As though corresponding with them, similar but larger runes showed up around the pure, white door in front of everyone. However, the speed of the larger runes was much slower than the ones around Marybelle. It was apparent that just like Marybelle had mentioned, this process required a lot of time.
10 minutes.
Upon hearing her response, Rhode stood before the steel bridge and gazed at the tower above. At that moment, it was completely destroyed. Thousands of creatures contaminated by Chaos shrieked and pounced on his group. Looking at this scene, Rhode snorted. The blade in his hand erupted a blinding radiance as razor-sharp blade airwaves burst forward. Facing the blade airwaves, the st.u.r.dy, steel bridge twisted instantly like a fried dough twist, letting out a series of creaks before breaking and shattering entirely. The Chaos creatures apparently didn’t expect this to happen. After losing their footing, they fell into the lava lake instantly, letting out blood-curdling screeches before melting away in the extreme heat. Even though there were some Chaos creatures that struggled and continued to pounce on Rhode’s group rashly, Lydia and Erin weren’t ones to be trifled with either. They released a net of blade rays that flashed across the sky, smas.h.i.+ng the brazen Chaos creatures.
Everything’s going well.
Looking at the cut-off path behind them, as well as the crumbling base of Heaven’s Law, Rhode nodded in satisfaction. It seemed like they most likely wouldn’t face any more issues on this side of the bridge. And now, all they had to do was to wait for Marybelle to complete her task. If everything went well, they would need at most 10 minutes to leave this world through the door and arrive at the Dragon Soul Continent. This disastrous journey would then finally come to an end.
But… Would things really be that simple?
Boom!
All of a sudden, yet another wave of violent rumbles sounded. In an instant, gravel and sand fluttered in the air. In this enormous impact, the underground cave began to show signs of collapse. Rhode grimaced as he witnessed the white walls turning black under the erosion of Chaos. He was familiar with this scene because not too long ago, that creature also used this method to forcefully open up the door. And now, he wouldn’t be that foolish to think that the creature was kind enough to open the door and let him escape.
Indeed, as darkness penetrated deeper, the runes appearing one by one and circling the door became slower in speed, where some had even come to a halt. Marybelle closed her eyes and her forehead was covered in beads of sweat. It was obvious that she was facing a huge and stubborn resistance.
That thing sure is smart, huh!
Looking at this scene, Rhode grunted and turned to Canary quickly.
“Are both of you able to hang on?”
“We’re trying, but it is really strong!”
“In that case, stop restraining it and begin to attack!”
Upon hearing Canary’s answer, Rhode gave a decisive command. He initially decided to let them manipulate the lava and restrain the creature until Marybelle opened the door for them to escape. Rhode couldn’t care less about that creature since this wasn’t a game. He wouldn’t receive any EXP or equipment even if he killed it and had to waste time too. But now, it seemed like he needed to change his plan. If not, perhaps his group would be buried in lava before Marybelle succeeded.
“Canary, release!”
“Got it!”
Although Rhode’s voice sounded rather unclear, at that moment, the two young ladies displayed their great camaraderie with him. They yelled in unison and raised their arms, extended forward! Along with this movement, the surging lava lake split to two. Then, the true ident.i.ty of that mysterious shadowy creature lurking in the deep lava was finally revealed before their eyes!
“What in the world? That thing is so d.a.m.n disgusting!”
Although Rhode had witnessed several types of tentacles and was more or less mentally prepared, after seeing the creature for himself, he couldn’t help but feel nauseous. Fortunately, he didn’t have any food earlier. If not, he would have thrown up by now.
What displayed before everyone was an enormous, black, slimy creature. At a glance, it was like a puddle of melted jelly that coagulated again. After being left untouched for a long time, it turned into rotten trash. It was so revolting that one had a hard time looking straight at its huge body of layering black and deep green colors. Not only that, but all sorts of eyes had also covered its body. The innumerable eyes widened from the slippery body, glaring at the group. The Chaos aura dispersed, causing their hearts to palpitate with terror.
“Ooo———!!”
In an ear-deafening roar, tentacles shuttled out of its body and lashed at the group standing around the door.
“Protect Marybelle! Get ready to battle!”
Facing this attack, Rhode brandished the sword at the enormous creature. Bright, s.h.i.+mmering blade rays turned into flashes of lightning bolts that exploded, striking heavily on one of the tentacles, smas.h.i.+ng it into bits in the blink of an eye. At the same time, the two Canarys snarled and pointed their fingers forward. Two fire serpents coalesced from the lava burst out, widening their jaws and cras.h.i.+ng onto the gigantic creature. But it seemed like this Chaos creature wasn’t easy to deal with as even the all-out attack from them was only able to leave insignificant scratches on its body. Not only that, but in the blink of an eye, the wounds from the blazing heat vanished entirely.
Meanwhile, the rest had gotten to work. After all, they were also powerful; it was just that they didn’t have the chance to showcase their skills earlier. And now, it was time for them to display their formidable strength.
The pair of elf sisters held each other’s hand, chanted softly, and rays of lightning bolts emerged and struck the huge body of that Chaos creature. Standing beside them was a shriveled old man clad in a black robe. He waved his arms as though he were chanting a curse. Shortly after, a mysterious gray rune took shape between his hands. He clapped his hands together and with this action, the plain s.p.a.ce distorted abruptly, shredding three to four tentacles into bits in the blink of an eye.
A man clad in battle armor turned into a lightning bolt as he dashed across the sky. He clutched a heavy sword that was taller than him, snarling and hacking the tentacles one after another. As the fluttering tentacles flew toward him, an enormous s.h.i.+eld spun and descended from above, protecting the man from the menacing lashes. The two-meters-tall s.h.i.+eld rolled away upon impact and a young lady with cat ears and a tail emerged and jumped out of it. She hurled a punch forward and the s.h.i.+eld whirled frontward once again.
It seemed like there were lots of mixed-blood s.h.i.+eld warriors around here.
But this wasn’t enough.
Even though the strength of these people was enough to resist the attack of that Chaos creature, Rhode needed even stronger attacks to repel and stop it from continuing to erode the door. These attackers were Marybelle’s subordinates, so Rhode had no idea how to command them in battle. Fortunately, he wasn’t entirely out of ideas.
“Your Highness Erin!”
“Got it, Your Majesty Rhode.”
Upon hearing his command, Erin flew skyward, lowering her head and gazing at the Chaos creature. Then…
The moon princess took a deep breath.