Chapter 400
For some inexplicable reason, as they entered the blood-soaked city, the world around them seemed to hush into an eerie silence. Even the abyssal monsters lurking in the shadows appeared to have sensed their presence, falling into an unsettling stillness. The cacophonous screams that had echoed moments ago had vanished.
Despite the relatively mild blood fog, the buildings lining the streets remained obscured, their faint outlines resembling gaping maws of monstrous creatures. Consequently, the group opted to tread carefully on the wider avenues, wary of straying into the unknown.
William surveyed their surroundings, casting his gaze over his companions. Among those who ventured here, only they truly comprehended the abyssal realm. As a seasoned player who had even achieved Legendary status, William had explored various realms, including the moon and the dark world. However, this was his first time venturing into the abyssal world.
"But then again," Prince William mused, "the dark world is connected to the abyssal realm, and this is my second visit to a realm like this." He couldn't help but feel a bit more assured. After all, combat prowess was the ultimate skill, and with caution, they could thwart any attempts to undermine their team.
A soft click reverberated, drawing their attention to the sound of something peeling away from a wall. A shadowy figure flickered briefly before them, resembling a thief in the night, trying not to be detected.
William and his companions, however, remained unperturbed by this spectacle. The two Blood Armors from the Temple of Killing did not react, the three Blue Moons remained composed and focused, and Drossis and Badlit displayed no interest in the mysterious figure.
Silence reigned. No one uttered a word, and no one paid any heed to the elusive presence.
Their progress continued, a quiet but purposeful advance, as if they were guided by their own motivations. They were not timid individuals; having come this far, they had no intention of retreating quietly.
It was unclear how many abyssal monsters lurked within the city's depths. Even ordinary people would struggle to survive in the abyssal realm, let alone thrive. It seemed the shadowy figure was an attempt by the abyssal creatures to lure them into their midst, perhaps to divide and conquer their group.
William was about to comment on the situation when he suddenly felt something soft and elastic beneath his foot, akin to flesh.
Gulping audibly, he peered down and inhaled sharply. Before him lay an abyssal monster, a segmented street, spanning hundreds of meters. Unwittingly, they had trodden upon it, and beneath their feet was a dark, indistinct mass, possibly the monster's back or tentacle. With the front of the creature obscured, it remained a mystery as to what type of monster lay beneath.
Nevertheless, no one reacted.
Drossis communicated telepathically, "Let's slow down and avoid confrontation. We've come this far unscathed; let's not wake it."
And so, they continued to tread gingerly, leaving the creature behind at a gradual pace. No one displayed any panic, no sign of combat readiness, just a seamless, coordinated advance.
Only when they had distanced themselves from the monster by tens of meters did they collectively release pent-up breaths, their tension easing.
However, their caution had not gone unnoticed. The monster had not been asleep; unbeknownst to them, one of its tentacles had silently drawn closer.
With a swift movement, the tentacle lunged at Lanze, targeting the Blue Moon scion. What set this tentacle apart were its countless small, sharp black thorns, reminiscent of a parasitic organism seeking to envelop its prey.
As the massive tentacle closed in on Lanze, he swiftly reacted, channeling his power into a palm strike. A radiant imprint formed, resembling a half-moon, and collided with the oncoming tentacle.
The impact sounded like a sledgehammer striking putrid flesh, and the resulting shockwave of blue and white energy spanned thousands of kilometers. The blood mist dispersed, and blood clots scattered in all directions.
But the monster remained alive.
It was a colossal tentacle creature, and following its agonized howl, hundreds of black tentacles sprouted in every direction. Concurrently, eerie screams echoed throughout the city.
The cityscape transformed before their eyes. Skyscrapers crumbled, and grotesque, shadowy creatures emerged from the dissipating blood mist.
William cursed under his breath and charged forward, his resolve blazing. "You two, follow me!" he commanded.
His companions wasted no time. Each of them had a purpose, an objective hidden within the city's depths, within the bellies of these monsters.
Decades ago, someone had dwelled within these creatures. The Nightmare Forest was vast, teeming with monsters, making it almost impossible to locate and eliminate them all.
To circumvent this challenge, these individuals had manipulated space itself, bridging the divide between their world and the abyssal realm. They understood the habits of abyssal creatures, which favored congregating within massive structures despite territorial disputes leading to their consumption by other monsters and the eventual emergence of even larger, more formidable entities.
This strategy had its merits: those who unwittingly entered the abyssal realm through these manipulated doors were lured into the monsters' midst, thereby creating opportunities for these creatures to kill them over centuries.
However, this time, the door to their world had been prematurely opened by a group of outsiders. These individuals were unaware of their surroundings, only having discovered the connection to the abyssal realm through the Blood Armor of the Temple of Killing. Nevertheless, they knew they were bound to find something valuable.
Driven by their mutual interest, they had partnered with the other two groups, forging a temporary alliance. While they were typically rivals, they recognized the potential for cooperation in pursuit of the treasure they believed lay hidden within these creatures.
Thus, they embarked on this journey together.
Although William and his companions initially did not comprehend the true nature of the door they opened, witnessing the multitude of abyssal monsters gathered within the dark city and understanding the historical overlap of dimensions hundreds of years ago, they grew increasingly certain that the monsters had been manipulated into congregating here.
Abyssal creatures had a tendency to gather within colossal structures, a trait exploited by those who sought to bring them together. These manipulators had toiled to forge opportunities for the creatures to clash over territory and devour one another, leading to the emergence of larger, more powerful entities.
As for what treasures lay hidden within these creatures, it was a matter of intuition. With the three blood runes that had opened the spatial door, they would surely sense something unique once they drew near.
And so, their journey continued, each step bringing them closer to their elusive goal, concealed within the bowels of the monstrous city.
In the midst of their daring escape, the two formidable warriors clad in the blood-red armor of the Killing Temple unexpectedly broke away from the group. They abruptly changed course, charging towards a towering clock tower that had seen better days. Their target? The monstrous abyssal creature lurking within.
The creature was massive, its breath ominous, yet the warriors did not falter. Swiftly, they made a crucial decision: eliminate the creature and seize their objective. There was no room for hesitation in this abyssal realm, where hierarchy held no sway, but size and strength were paramount.
William led the charge, his fiery determination pushing him forward. Amid the darkness of the city, he knew the way to the City Lord's mansion better than anyone else. As the Blue Moon allies veered away, the group dwindled to just three, William and two others, Delosis among them.
As they drew closer to the City Lord's mansion, the blood mist thickened, and the path ahead seemed to narrow, resembling a claustrophobic alleyway compared to the sunlit avenue they had started from. The monsters lurking nearby made their escape perilous, their tentacles striking out unpredictably. A single misstep could lead to a dark, inescapable fate.
"These aren't like the historical RB tentacles. These ones are lethal," William remarked, his voice tinged with concern as he applied the brakes, scrutinizing the transformed City Lord's mansion.
The mansion was the largest structure in the entire dark city, but the eerie calm of the abyssal creatures within hinted at a formidable presence hidden within its walls.
To their astonishment, Delosis and Badlit halted in their tracks, their gaze fixed on the mansion.
"One entity? Or two separate ones within that peculiar object?" William pondered briefly but couldn't afford further contemplation.
In a deep voice, Delosis questioned, "What do you expect from the gods?"
"Babies, cease the spatial overlap," William replied tersely.
Badlit raised an eyebrow and concurred, "One target; eliminate it first."
"Agreed," William nodded. Amongst comrades of similar expertise, he kept his thoughts to himself, biding his time for a critical moment.
Within seconds, the five warriors surged towards the City Lord's mansion in unison. Yet, barely a moment later, they were propelled backward, ascending into the sky with astonishing speed as they cleared the towering walls. Thousands of blood-red eyes suddenly opened, fixing their gaze upon the intruders, sending a chilling shiver down their spines.
The City Lord's mansion had transformed into an enormous abyssal monstrosity, spreading its repugnant presence throughout the entire estate. Though lacking tentacles or wings, its colossal form exuded a bone-chilling aura, akin to confronting an Epic Level adversary. Paralyzed by fear, they dared not move.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, Delosis swallowed hard, fidgeting nervously. He stammered, "Do you have a Forbidden Spell?"
William arched an eyebrow but remained silent.
"I have a Wind and Fire mantra scroll," Delosis admitted, eager to contribute.
"I possess Light and Fire scrolls," Badlit added, his voice resolute.
"I have two Ice scrolls," William replied calmly.
Delosis squinted, contemplating the options. "Ice and Fire… I'll go first."
Ignoring any objections, Delosis invoked a Forbidden Fire Mage Spell. An explosion followed, as flames erupted into the sky, creating an unbearable heat even at their lofty altitude. The City Lord's mansion transformed into a sea of fire, disintegrating before their eyes. The pervasive blood mist began to dissipate.
Beneath them, the colossal monster's body, stretching for kilometers, crackled and oozed as it burned, its multitude of eyes exploding in rapid succession.
Squeak!
A massive mouth opened at its center, emitting a deafening screech that threatened to shatter their eardrums, causing even Diablo to nearly cough up blood. Suppressed terror masked behind a stoic facade, he endured.
Never expose vulnerability before an enemy.
Yet, within the monster's gaping maw, countless razor-sharp tentacles, as flexible as they were deadly, awaited those who ventured too close. The situation grew increasingly precarious.
William wasted no time, unleashing the "Frozen Miles" Forbidden Spell.
However, casting such Spells from scrolls posed challenges, and its power could be unpredictable. The quality of the mage-crafted scroll determined its effectiveness, with advanced versions delivering only a fraction of a true mage's power.
Yet, as the scroll shattered, an unimaginable cold descended upon them. Frost spread rapidly, visible to the naked eye, encompassing a radius of one kilometer, ten thousand meters, one hundred thousand meters, and eventually the entire town.
Clearly, these were top-tier artifacts.
Delosis glanced at William, marveling at the unexpected quality of the scroll. "What a waste," he muttered.
Badlit's lips curled slightly, reluctant to resort to his Supreme God father's treasured possessions. The 80% potency ice mage Forbidden Spell scroll was a true gem among treasures.
Though the giant monster's surface now bore frost, rendering it motionless, none dared to descend.
In his capacity as the Son of the Sun God, Badlit brandished a Light-based scroll.
A brilliant light column, hundreds of meters in diameter, materialized from the darkened sky, piercing the monster's body like a divine sword. An explosive series of bangs erupted as the creature's frozen flesh and blood burst into fragments, dissolving its body.
The display was nothing short of awe-inspiring.
The final scroll descended, pulling the monster's body along, immobilizing it completely.
Yet, feigning death was a gambit the monster couldn't maintain, as it revealed its true colors.
The fourth scroll was unleashed.
The monster endured.
It remained still.
The fifth scroll descended.
It could bear no more.
Its malevolent nature began to resurface.
However, grounded and unable to fly, it could only watch helplessly as the sixth scroll was readied.
Suddenly, the monster opened its maw and expelled something, a final act of defiance. The intruders narrowly avoided becoming its prey.
With five Forbidden Spells cast in succession, the monster lay on the brink of death, its fury palpable.
All eyes were fixed on the object it had expelled, their attention rapt.