[Vol. 8] Chapter 194: The Place Where All Paths Meet
Before Rowan could even react, Ashnard suddenly appeared behind him like a ghost, and kicked him hard!
“Waaah!!!”
The force from behind was incredibly precise. Though it was powerful and unstoppable, it didn’t knock Rowan off balance. Instead, it sent him flying forward over ten meters through the air, and somehow, he landed safely and steadily on his feet, only letting out a startled gasp.
“Thud thud thud thud thud!”
Behind him came a harsh, grinding noise, like blades slicing into something soft and thick. Rowan, just getting his footing, froze for a moment. Then, instinctively, he turned to look back, and his eyes widened in shock.
From the dark end of the river tunnel they had come from, countless twisted shapes surged forward like a tidal wave, some looked like giant snakes, others like wildly growing roots, rushing toward them all at once. But Ashnard stood there alone, sword in hand, blocking them all!
The massive sword danced in his hand like it weighed nothing, moving through the air with impossible speed and grace. Rowan could barely follow its movements. They left glowing trails in the air, and each swing thundered like a storm!
“BOOMMMMMMMMM!!!”
Anything that entered the range of that sword was instantly torn to pieces, shredded into nothing. It was as if a violent storm had formed around the lone swordsman, turning into a massive invisible meat grinder.
He was… holding off the entire river of monsters by himself! That kind of strength was unbelievable!
“You still standing there?! Want to die? I can help with that!”
Blocking the endless flood of monsters with just one sword, Ashnard shouted again. His voice snapped Rowan out of his shocked daze.
And then Rowan noticed something horrifying—
Not only were the monsters coming from behind, but the very spot where they were standing, the magic crystals that had mutated into infected lumps, had also begun to explode one by one. From inside, the same strange snake-like monsters were “hatching” out!
Even though Rowan still didn’t understand the full picture, everything he’d seen since waking up gave him a rough idea of what was going on. One thing was clear: if he stayed here, he’d only be a burden to the swordsman.
“Got it! Ashnard, you be careful too!”
Without hesitation, Rowan turned and sprinted deeper into the tunnel, quickly disappearing into the darkness.
“Hmph… not bad, kid’s got some instinct after all. No wonder he was chosen. He’s even a little like you… He really should’ve picked up the sword sooner~”
Still muttering things no one could quite understand, Ashnard swung his blade once more.
“BOOM!!!!!!!”
A storm of sword energy exploded around him, colliding with the countless twisted monsters rushing in. He stood like a dam against a raging river, unshakable and solid, never letting the flood pass him.
The strange underground tunnel shook violently, and an eerie roar echoed from the darkness beyond. But Ashnard wasn’t afraid. Instead, a calm, almost mocking smile appeared on his face.
“Tartanos… you’ve gotten slow. I don’t know what scared you or made you hesitate… but if you’re only reacting now… isn’t it a little too late?!”
The wind from his sword howled, spraying black blood across the walls as his eyes reflected deep hatred and ancient pain.
Maybe this battle could only end when one side was completely destroyed.
…………………………………………
“Hmm?”
At the center of the Chaos Magic Valley, in a barren rocky pit that looked like it had been formed by some powerful impact, the young priestess who had just arrived tilted her head slightly. She seemed to sense something and suddenly stared at the ground beneath her.
“Did you guys hear a sound?”
“Sound? What sound…? Anyway, Miss Violet, weren’t we supposed to cross through the Chaos Magic Valley? Why did we come all the way out here instead?”
The black-haired girl glanced at the mage, Miss Chloe, who was clearly worn out and looking drained, probably because of the valley’s magic-suppressing environment. She shook her head slightly and replied without much emotion:
“This path is actually one of the few ways to reach the other side of the valley. Sure, it’s a bit farther, but I wouldn’t call it going out of our way.”
“And since we’re already here, aren’t you even a little curious about the secrets this valley might be hiding?”
“You mean… this place, Sister Violet?”
Following the hero girl’s thoughtful question, the black-haired girl nodded slightly.
“Yeah. It might just look like a boring hole in the ground, but this place is far from ordinary. It’s not naturally made. Do you remember that monster from last night, the one that suddenly appeared and tried to attack Eudora? The one Elunie called the [Devourer of Magic]?”
Violet pointed at the ground, speaking in a calm tone like she was just talking about the weather, but what she said was shocking.
“My guess is that the real body of that creature is hiding down there.”
“Eh!?”
Everyone was instantly shocked.
That strange flaming snake that had leapt out of the campfire had left a deep impression on all of them. Even though the priestess casually crushed it like it was nothing, that didn’t mean it was weak.
On the contrary, because they had felt its presence up close, these top-tier elites could clearly sense the terrifying power and killing intent inside that fire snake. Even though they never fought it directly, they knew, if Violet, the “Hero’s Instructor,” hadn’t stepped in, the rest of them would’ve struggled badly in that fight.
And since the snake’s body had clearly been made of magical fire, it was probably just a remote projection, definitely far weaker than its real body. If the real creature was hiding under this creepy sunken pit…
Just thinking about it made everyone’s hearts tense up. They didn’t feel afraid exactly, but they all began getting ready for battle, even the youngest, Eudora, instinctively clutched the necklace on her chest. The relaxed mood from earlier was gone, replaced by serious tension.
But surprisingly, the priestess who had just shared this shocking news didn’t seem worried at all. She simply kept listening to the faint sounds coming from below. Then, after a moment, she turned toward the dragon girl beside her.
Xiao Guang nodded slightly.
“Master, it’s coming out.”
“Heh, seems like it’s going to get lively. Looks like we’re not the only ones here~ Once it shows up, just go ahead and fight. See what it’s capable of. You can control how hard you hit.”
“Okay. Leave it to me.”
Just as the two girls finished their calm conversation, like it was no big deal—
“RUMMMBBLLLEE…”
The ground suddenly started to shake.
The tremor grew stronger quickly, changing from the tiny rattling of loose stones to full-on shaking and rumbling. In just a few seconds, the entire pit, and even the whole Chaos Magic Valley, seemed to be shaking violently. Huge rocks began to roll, and it felt like something huge and terrifying was about to burst out from beneath the earth!