Chapter 238

(3)

6.

A massive chasm appeared with an earthquake.

The Power of the Abyss surged forth from the space teeming with Undead.

KUGUGUGUGU!

The vibrations shook the ground, enough to make it hard to keep one’s balance. However, there was a group dashing across the battlefield without a care.

Composed of nine men and women.

It was none other than Ulan and his crew. They pressed on with relentless momentum, breaking through the swamp of Undead and heading toward the chasm’s entrance.

Meanwhile, at that moment.

There was a presence keenly observing Ulan’s party from their target location.

A monster with shimmering blue eyes. The pinnacle of all Undead and the master of the Abyssal Magic Palace.

Lord of the Immortals, Astevan.

【Those guys are definitely…….】

The Herald of the Stars and the Outsider.

Their presence here meant that Astevan’s minions had already suffered.

Of course, he had somewhat anticipated this since the moment the presence of the Herald, Calex, vanished, but he never expected it to turn out so unilaterally adverse.

Is that why? Astevan’s eyes flared with strong anger.

【That guy, Rakus!】

A fierce wave of murderous intent swirled around Astevan’s throne. It was anger directed at Rakus, the lord who deliberately concealed information.

But that was short-lived.

The fury dissipated quickly as his focus shifted elsewhere.

【Foolish mortals.】

Before long, Ulan’s party had reached the entrance of the Magic Palace. Watching them enter, Astevan wore a mocking smile.

【From the moment you set foot in my royal castle, your defeat was all but guaranteed.】

The Magic Palace was Astevan’s dominion.

He could interfere with any space at any time if he willed it. It meant that Ulan’s party was basically in the palm of his hand.

Finding an exit or even knowing his location would be impossible. Astevan could simply keep changing the internal structure of the palace.

【Unless Kazan Rudrik returns alive, you will wander the maze eternally.】

No exceptions, not even for the Herald of the Stars or the Outsider. The only exceptions would be Kazan Rudrik himself or his minions, as mentioned by Astevan just now.

Thus, he lost interest in Ulan’s crew.

Now that they had entered the Magic Palace, they would eventually self-destruct even if he did nothing.

【Rather, I should think about how to punish that Rakus guy.】

Originally, he thought about annihilating his existence and absorbing his source. But the more he considered it, the more he thought it was far too lenient a punishment.

【How about leaving just enough power for him to remain and then making him a slave?】

Rakus’s power seemed quite useful.

So, instead of destroying him, using him like a puppet didn’t sound too bad. Imagining this, Astevan wore a sinister smile.

【But the problem is…….】

If he attacks Rakus, another lord might intervene.

The second of the lords, the Giant King Rargtan.

Astevan had come out of the Abyss alongside him. Shaking the thought of Rargtan from his head, Astevan dismissed it.

【No, that won’t happen.】

The last report he received clearly stated that Rargtan was headed for the desert.

Besides, even if Rargtan were to realize what he was up to, he could punish Rakus before any intervention.

【With this, the plan is flawless.】

Astevan smiled contentedly.

All that was left was to enjoy watching Ulan’s crew collapse from his throne inside the Magic Palace.

His eyes quietly flared with anticipation.

7.

The chasm revealed the swamp of the Undead.

Having broken through countless Undead, Ulan’s party successfully entered the Magic Palace. Just as the last member, Noa, arrived, the entrance vanished.

“Hah, hah!”

Was it from the sudden sprint?

Noa gasped for breath.

At the same time, she felt relieved. If she had been a moment later, she might have missed entering the Magic Palace altogether.

While silently thanking her luck, she suddenly heard her party’s voices.

“So, where is this place?”

“It looks like the inside of a building.”

Ulan and Laurea were looking around.

Noa raised an eyebrow at their oddly laid-back demeanor. After catching her breath, she tapped Ulan on the back.

“Hey, Ulan?”

“Hmm?”

“Why did you charge in without saying anything?”

This wasn’t just a question for Ulan.

She also directed it at Kadel, who had charged alongside him, and soon received a similar answer.

“Well, there was a monster right in front of us.”

“Seeing all those Undead defying the natural order was just too much to bear.”

Both claimed they rushed in because enemies were present.

Noa couldn’t hold back the frustration she had been suppressing all along.

“Then what was the point of putting me in charge!?”

Thinking about it, she realized it was indeed true.

Ulan fell silent, seemingly at a loss for words, and Kadel also kept quiet. After a moment of fuming, Noa let out a deep sigh.

“Hah, it’s already spilled milk, so there’s nothing we can do. But promise me you won’t act on your own from now on.”

“Got it. I promise.”

“……And all of you too.”

Noa glared at the rest of her party.

After getting firm assurances from everyone, Noa finally wore a satisfied expression.

Then she swiftly shifted the topic.

She wanted to address the concerns Ulan and Laurea had just voiced.

“This place is Astevan’s Magic Palace.”

“Magic Palace? Like a maze?”

“Well, half right and half wrong.”

In terms of complexity, the Magic Palace was indeed maze-like. However, there was a fundamental difference.

It was about the degree of control.

The Magic Palace was an absolutely dominated space overseen by Astevan. Essentially, it was a place drastically favorable to him compared to a typical maze.

“So it’s far more complicated and dangerous than a maze. Astevan and his minions could appear anytime and anywhere. But……”

“But?”

“For now, I don’t think we need to worry about that. He’s already eliminated all his minions.”

Astevan was a cautious individual.

With all his minions gone, he wouldn’t come out himself. So, they didn’t have to worry about being ambushed first.

Of course, he might use Undead soldiers to wear them down, but that was about it.

“So, if we find where Astevan is and take him down, we’ll be set.”

“Yes, that’s right. The problem is we don’t know how to get there, though.”

Noa forced a sheepish smile.

It was only natural not to know.

Every time she fought Astevan, there had always been at least half of his twelve minions still standing. Hence, she had always been on the receiving end of his strikes.

In other words, it meant there had been no need to look for him once they entered the Magic Palace. Acknowledging this, Ulan nodded and turned to Laurea.

“I see. So if we could use the Reflective Eye…….”

“Sorry, but that might be tough.”

Laurea shook her head.

Ulan thought the Reflective Eye’s power could help find the way, but that was just his assumption.

“I can see the essence of the Magic Palace, but I have no clue where Astevan is located.”

Even Laurea, whom Ulan trusted, was giving him the thumbs down.

So how do they find the way? Ulan sank into silent thought. However, the situation didn’t allow him the comfort of pondering for too long.

“Enemies ahead.”

Sven, leading the group, perked up his ears. At those words, Ulan’s eyes sparkled.

“Could it be Astevan?”

“No, just Undead it seems.”

No sooner had Sven’s answer left his lips than several presences emerged from all directions. Undead soldiers, armed with swords and shields. There were hundreds of them.

“When did they show up?”

“I didn’t even sense their presence until now…….”

The sudden appearance of the Undead left Ivella and Delia perplexed. Immediately, Sven cleared up the confusion.

“They burst out from the shadows.”

“What? From the shadows?”

“Like I said, this is Astevan’s unique domain. It wouldn’t be weird for them to ambush us right from beneath our feet.”

So they had to be cautious.

With Noa’s warning, the Undead began to close in quickly. Watching the scene unfold, Laurea clasped her hands respectfully.

“It’s my turn to step up.”

She intended to use a holy purification spell and sweep them away in one go. But just then, someone held her back.

It was Ulan.

“Wait a sec.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Can you hear the Voice of the Stars right now?”

“Oh? Come to think of it…….”

The Voice of the Stars was silent.

That meant she couldn’t recover her Divine Power through prayer. Realizing this, Laurea heard Ulan’s next words.

“Better conserve your Divine Power as much as possible.”

“Yeah, that would be wise.”

“So what are we going to do about those guys?”

“I’ll handle it.”

It was just the right time for him.

After finishing his words, Ulan drew his axe.

Yet, instead of charging out immediately, he stared intently at Noa.

“Huh? What’s up?”

“Well, I made a promise.”

Not to move without instructions.

Understanding his meaning, Noa burst into laughter. Then she pointed to the approaching Undead and grinned.

“Wipe them all out.”

It was a clear and straightforward command.

Ulan responded with action.

CRACK! THUD! SPLAT!

The mad axe crushed the enemies in an unrestrained manner. The rest of the party didn’t even need to pitch in.

After a while.

Each of the surrounding Undead, without exception, turned to Ashen Remains. With a relaxed expression that suggested he hadn’t even warmed up yet, Ulan declared, “Let’s move again.”

Though there were a few other ambushes that followed, they were nowhere near enough to face Ulan.

How long had it been?

After walking for a while, Laurea’s voice broke the silence.

“Hey, I just realized something.”

She directed her party’s attention towards herself, then pointed at the wall.

“The inside of this place reminds me of the architecture we saw in the jungle earlier.”

“Hmm, now that you mention it…….”

“Definitely has some similarities. This mural here looks strikingly similar to what we saw in the desert.”

Kadel nodded in agreement.

Noa narrowed her eyes. This was information they had no knowledge of even in the original narrative.

‘……Desert Order and Astevan.’

Was it just a coincidence that the architectures of the two factions looked alike? Or was there something hidden that she was unaware of?

While pondering this sudden question.

Sven, who had been walking at the forefront, suddenly stopped in his tracks. Ulan quickly asked.

“What’s going on? Are enemies appearing?”

“No, look here.”

Sven pointed to a gash on the wall.

There was a cut mark, left to prevent them from getting lost. However, Sven currently didn’t have a dagger drawn.

In that case, there was only one answer.

Sven’s eyes darkened.

“This is where we passed earlier.”

“What? So…….”

“You mean to say we’re just going in circles?”

“That seems to be the case.”

No sooner had Sven finished his reply than Ulan swung his axe without warning.

BAM! RUMBLE!

He targeted the wall of the Magic Palace.

With a strike imbued with great power, the wall crumbled effortlessly. At the sudden commotion, Sven looked utterly startled.

“W-What are you doing?”

“Breaking the wall to move straight ahead.”

In contrast to his casual response, Ulan was nonchalant.

If they break through the enclosed walls and keep pushing forward, they wouldn’t have to worry about the maze anymore.

This was Ulan’s signature escape method he often used whenever he got trapped in a maze. As Sven looked taken aback, Noa shook her head.

“But I don’t think that’s going to work this time.”

The reason was simple.

Beyond the broken wall loomed not another path, but an inky, endless darkness.

In the face of such a void, the party instinctively sensed.

If they stepped into that blackness, they would likely never return to their original spot.

“So it seems we have no choice but to find the proper path.”

“But Astevan mentioned he could change the structure of the Magic Palace at will. Doesn’t that put us in a disadvantageous position?”

Delia muttered with a sigh.

Then Ivella raised a pertinent question. If Astevan kept twisting the paths, finding an exit might be nearly impossible.

However, with no concrete ideas in mind, Noa delved deeper into her thoughts for a solution.

At that moment.

Suddenly, something unusual occurred.

Flutter! Swoosh!

Ulan’s shadow began to move of its own volition.

Moments later, the writhing shadow surged upward behind Ulan.

“……!”

Recognizing this, Sven sprang back in alarm. He quickly assumed a combat stance and shouted.

“Enemies! Fall back!”

A sharp warning echoed in their ears.

Kadel also readied his sword and shield.

Yet, only Sven and Kadel were prepared for battle. The rest of the party did not retreat or prepare to fight.

Just then, Ulan spoke up.

“This one’s fine.”

“What? What do you mean by that…….”

“I don’t know where it came from, but it’s definitely not our enemy.”

No sooner had he finished.

The beast that had surged up from the shadow concurred with Ulan’s words.

[Grrrr!]

A fluffy white-furred creature.

Its eyes shone a blood-red, just like Ulan’s, it was a gigantic wolf.

The Minion of Rudrik, the White Wolf.