Chapter 239

(4)

8.

Suddenly, the White Wolf appeared.

It circled around Ulan a couple of times before dashing forward. Then it nodded towards the direction where the group was.

[Grrr! Grrr!]

It seemed like it wanted to say something.

But since I couldn’t understand it, I just stared blankly at the creature for a while.

Suddenly, Fertisha spoke up.

“It’s telling us to follow!”

“You mean it?”

“Yes, it says it knows the way.”

Come to think of it, Fertisha could freely communicate with spirits and magical beasts.

Ulan nodded.

But a few questions arose in my mind.

How did it know the group’s destination, and even if it did, how did it know the way there?

“Let’s follow it for now.”

However, I didn’t ponder for long.

Chasing the creature seemed better than just circling around the same spot.

At Noah’s urging, Ulan immediately chased after it, and the White Wolf seemed satisfied and quickened its pace.

[Sniff sniff! Grrr!]

The White Wolf was sniffing around to find the path.

As we followed along, a voice suddenly whispered in Noah’s ear.

“Noah, student.”

It was a deep, resonant voice.

Kadel, the knight guarding Laurea, spoke with a curious expression.

“I have a question for you.”

“Uh? What is it?”

“Earlier, you mentioned dividing into groups for smooth commands; is there a specific role for each group?”

“Oh, right. You’re spot on.”

Earlier, Noah had formed three groups.

At the time, he explained that the division was merely for smooth and efficient command, but the real reason was different.

Just as Kadel had mentioned, each group had a specific task.

“First and foremost is Group 1.”

It was the core force of this battle.

The group that consisted of Ulan and Laurea, along with the commanding Noah.

After explaining the members again, she briefly summarized Group 1’s mission.

“Their role is to reach Astevan’s source and destroy it.”

“I see. Then what about Group 2…?”

“Their role is to determine the location of the source. There are two warriors specialized in tracking.”

Kadel, Sven, and Fertisha.

Not to mention, Hunter Sven and Fertisha also shared senses with spirits. They had incredible perspective thanks to that.

So they should be well-suited for finding the source.

“Lastly, Group 3 assists the other groups. Their role is to draw the enemy’s attention or disrupt their attacks.”

This task was mainly suitable for Delia.

Ian and Ivella’s main role was to protect Delia. Once Noah’s detailed explanation ended, Kadel silently nodded his head.

It seemed like his questions were finally answered.

“So when we encounter Astevan, everyone needs to remind themselves of their roles and fight.”

“Understood. I’ll keep that in mind.”

Ulan nodded, and the rest of the group agreed with Noah’s words. Just then, after walking for a while, the White Wolf suddenly stopped.

[Grrr!]

The White Wolf growled at the air.

After a moment, it turned to Ulan and let out another sound that seemed like it was saying something.

Ulan reflexively looked at Fertisha, and soon the correct interpretation followed.

“It says we should speed up from now on.”

“Speed up? Why?”

“Astevan has realized that we’ve escaped the repetitive maze. So he’s likely to pull some tricks again.”

I was curious how it figured that out, but I didn’t ask.

What mattered was not solving the mystery, but preparing for the tricks Astevan might pull.

Then, all of a sudden.

“…The path is changing.”

Just as Fertisha finished her interpretation, Sven warned. Just as he said, the structure of the path quickly changed, and Noah’s eyes widened.

“That is…”

A phenomenon of twisting space.

It was a phenomenon seen when Astevan intervened in the Abyssal Magic Palace. Ulan, seeing this scene, silently nodded.

“Looks like that’s the case.”

It was proof that the White Wolf was correct.

The White Wolf soon slammed its paws against the ground. Before the distortion of space ended, it intended to break through the path in one go.

The group quickly followed behind it. But at that moment, a new obstacle appeared blocking their way.

[Grrg! Grrrr!]

[Gaaaah!]

An undead army armed with armor and shields.

In the blink of an eye, hundreds of corpses filled the pathway. But it didn’t mean much.

Crunch! Crunch!

No matter how formidable the undead were, they were no match for an axe imbued with the power of a spirit.

“Let’s keep moving.”

After turning all the undead to dust, Ulan and his party urged onward. Just then, the White Wolf started moving much faster than before.

At the same time, Fertisha’s shout rang out.

“It says we need to go even faster!”

According to her explanation, the White Wolf said they needed to move twice as fast to escape the distortion of space.

However, there was a problem.

Simply put, Noah and Delia lacked stamina compared to the others. As a result, instead of speeding up, they were slowing down.

‘At this rate…’

They were likely going to get swept away by the distortion of space and stumble around in the repeating maze. Ulan had to prevent that, so he quickly came up with a special measure.

He executed it immediately.

“Eek! U-Ulan?”

A startled Noah shrieked.

It wasn’t just her. Delia also looked momentarily flustered.

Ulan had suddenly lifted the two girls onto his shoulders. Moreover, he hoisted all three other girls onto his shoulders, whispering.

“Hold tight. I’m going to expand my domain.”

At those words, the group realized what Ulan was intending to do.

They grabbed onto the outer skeleton of the Magic Armor for dear life to avoid falling.

And soon, the domain was expanded.

Forty-nine steps.

In the blink of an eye, the distance was closed.

Kadel and Ian also expanded their domains, following Ulan closely. Just as they managed to prevent falling behind the White Wolf…

[Gaaahhh!]

An undead horde appeared once more.

This time, they were twice as numerous.

However, this time they couldn’t recklessly swing their axes. If they accidentally entered combat, the girls on their shoulders could get hurt.

But the worry didn’t last long.

“I’ll clear the path.”

“I’ll join you!”

There were two masters next to Ulan.

The two, Kadel and Ian, quickly stepped forward, swinging their glowing swords wrapped in Divine Power.

Whoosh! Swoop! Smash!

Like cutting through weeds, the strikes were effortless.

The undead couldn’t withstand the power of the holy light and turned to dust. With the obstacles gone, Ulan charged forward fiercely.

“We should be arriving soon!”

Fertisha, listening to the White Wolf, announced they were about to reach their destination. Meanwhile, Laurea looked momentarily perplexed.

“Is this really the right way?”

“Yes! It is.”

“No matter how I look at it, it seems like a blocked path…”

Laurea’s reaction wasn’t abnormal.

The direction the group was heading was clearly obstructed by a thick wall.

But that wasn’t a problem.

“Then, we just break through.”

Delia had finished casting her spell without hesitation.

She reached out towards the wall and without hesitation unleashed a 7-star Stellar Magic.

Stellar Impact.

A magic that fires the concentrated power of stars in a straight line, boasting enough strength to change terrain and functioning as strategic magic.

Naturally—

It was more than sufficient to break a measly wall.

Boom! Bang!

In the blink of an eye, the wall vanished.

As smoke billowed up, the first to soar through was the White Wolf, followed closely by Ulan and his party into the space beyond the wall.

Then, a new sight unfolded.

“This place is…”

It was an extremely bizarre space.

The floor was covered with a foul-smelling black swamp, and the walls were decorated entirely with human and beast skulls.

But that wasn’t all.

The ceiling was strung up with numerous corpses tied with ropes. However, what captured the group’s attention most was something else.

A throne made of human bones.

In this grotesque space sat a magic user clad in a red robe.

As they faced the eerie blue glow in its eyes, a spine-chilling voice scraped out from the being.

【You…】

The moment I heard that voice.

Moreover, the instant I faced its burning gaze, Ulan instinctively sensed it.

This creature was none other than the Lord ranked number one, the Lord of the Immortals, Astevan.

9.

Around the same time.

The Lord of the Immortals, Astevan, watched with amusement as Ulan’s party stumbled through the repeating maze through the floating image in the air.

【Yes, keep struggling.】

He didn’t lose his composure even while witnessing the sight of hundreds of undead turning to dust.

After all, there were plenty of corpses.

Thus, his goal was to methodically torment them, both physically and mentally, until they reached their breaking point.

【Then, fatigue would build up, and eventually, they would collapse on their own.】

However, the smile on his lips didn’t last long. An unexpected presence appeared beside Ulan’s party.

【What’s that…?】

A massive wolf with white fur.

As Astevan noticed the wolf circling around Ulan’s party, his gaze narrowed.

For some reason, it felt familiar.

Where had he seen it? Just as he rifled through his memories, very long-ago recollections resurfaced. Memories from before he became immortal.

【—Minion of Kazan Rudrik.】

The memory of the White Wolf, from its appearance to its presence, was unmistakable. As he recalled its precise identity, questions flooded in.

【Why is Rudrik’s dog here?】

The blue glow in his eyes shifted to one side.

It was a sign of his inability to understand the current situation.

Naturally. As far as Astevan knew, Rudrik’s minions followed only Kazan Rudrik or a successor who inherited his will.

【Wait, a successor?】

Astevan’s gaze sharpened.

Kazan couldn’t have come back to life, so the remaining possibility was that his successor existed.

The moment this speculation crossed his mind.

It felt as though the scattered puzzle pieces in his head aligned into one.

【Could it be that Lakus is hiding a variable…?】

The successor of Kazan Rudrik?

Then it made sense that the White Wolf would follow.

Furthermore, it also explained why the twelve minions had suffered. If it was Rudrik’s successor, it would be a considerable threat, surpassing the star’s agent.

Just as he faced the truth.

Suddenly, the blue glow quivered as if agitated. It had noticed that Ulan’s party was escaping the repetitive maze.

【───!】

Moreover, he made eye contact with the White Wolf beyond the space. In that moment, Astevan realized his position had been uncovered.

【That damn hound!】

A rough roar shook the hall.

However, mere outbursts of anger wouldn’t resolve the issue. Having grasped the situation, Astevan actively began to interfere with the Abyssal Magic Palace.

He aimed to twist the space from where Ulan’s party was to where he was, turning all terrain into a repeating maze.

Meanwhile, he awakened elite troops among the undead to bind Ulan’s party’s feet.

Yet Ulan’s strength was too overwhelming, and ultimately, all of Astevan’s prepared moves were in vain.

【Then—!】

I shall separate the space.

Astevan drew upon the Power of the Abyss.

He intended to hide deep within the Abyssal Magic Palace, avoiding the Ulan’s party now approaching him.

But at that moment.

The united Ulan’s party expanded their domain and quickly closed the distance.

Boom! Bang!

Meanwhile, the wall that Astevan had artificially created to separate space crumbled, and at that moment, a powerful aura came through.

【…….】

Along with that, Astevan’s mouth snapped shut.

He realized it was already too late.

Was that the reason? Astevan gazed at the party that had ventured this far with calm eyes.

But then, one individual caught his attention.

【You…】

A being clad in massive armor like a golem.

A warrior wielding axes embraced by spirits in each hand, staring back here alongside the White Wolf.

The moment he made eye contact with the crimson eyes visible beyond the helmet, Astevan instinctively knew he was the successor of Kazan Rudrik.

Chapter 55. The Fierce Battle