'What … What is that?'
In the darkness, Thales stared fearfully at the rock strata above Kurtz's head.
He tried his best to blink, but he still could not see anything. There was only darkness above Kurtz's head.
The Sin of Hell's River did not give him any feedback.
"Hey, brat!"
The seamstress' dissatisfaction almost filled the small cave. "Are you messing with me?"
Her voice traveled through the cave, and it echoed frequently.
Thales was shocked by the angry shout.
"Nothing …"
The teenager took a deep breath and stared at the top of Kurtz's head, still in a state of shock. "I … I was distracted …"
"I'm coming."
This time, Thales straightened his arm with all his might and held the Everlasting Lamp in front of him. He looked around with lingering fear and moved forward bit by bit. With great difficulty, he clasped Kurtz's palm and climbed up.
Naturally, he attracted a lot of criticism from the seamstress.
But Thales no longer cared about that.
As Kurtz continued to explore the way forward, Thales held the lamp and walked past the spot where the face used to be.
The latter could not help but raise his head repeatedly to check if there was really a strange face above his head.
But there was still nothing. There was only a stone quietly embedded in the rock strata.
'Did I see wrongly?
I did, right? '
Thales took a deep breath and suppressed his trembling hands and feet. He tried his best to throw away all thoughts that something was wrong with the atmosphere. He followed Kurtz's light in front of him and hugged the Everlasting Lamp tightly in his arms. He braced himself and continued forward in the pitch-black environment.
They moved forward for another half an hour.
During that time, Thales carefully moved forward. Every step he took was filled with anxiety.
Even his heartbeat was almost not his own.
Before he knew it, the prince was already drenched in cold sweat.
"Very good, we're already halfway there. Now, above our heads …" The seamstress' voice traveled into his ears, and she sounded rather satisfied. "We're not far away!"
Thales felt relieved.
Kurtz pressed her left hand against the rock wall in front of the cave and turned right.
But at that moment, Kurtz pressed her left hand against the empty wall …
A human face suddenly appeared!
Thales felt his chest go numb. He could not catch his breath, and his entire body trembled!
* Thud! *
His Everlasting Lamp fell beside his feet. The light flickered and cast Thales' shadow on the rock wall, but it could not cover the outline of the face.
It was a man with deep features and blue dye on his forehead and cheeks.
Just like the first man, his muscles were thin and shriveled, his eyes were pale, his lips were closed, and his skin was so pale that he didn't look like a living person.
"Hey hey hey!"
Kurtz gritted her teeth and turned around. "I told you not to drop the Everlasting Lamp!"
"Without the light, are you going to hit your head against the wall?"
The seamstress was a palm's distance away from the face on the rock wall, but she did not feel anything wrong.
"We must …"
The man in the rock wall glared at Thales with pupil-less eyes. His cervical vertebrae rotated slowly like a rusty clock. His black lips opened and closed, and his teeth, which were like withered wood, let out an unpleasant sound. It was as if the sound was right next to his ears.
[Elves … Kill them all …]
[Kill the orcs as well …]
[Enemy countries … kill them all as well …]
"Why can't we … kill them all …?"
Kurtz was still reprimanding the teenager unhappily, as if she and the man were in two different worlds. She did not hear anything.
This is …
'The common language of the Western Peninsula that's mixed with the language of the Ancient Empire?'
Thales felt goosebumps in his heart. He was about to cry. With a stiff expression, he pointed in the direction opposite Kurtz. "But …
"There …"
However, when he turned his gaze, Thales discovered to his horror that …
The man was gone.
Kurtz turned her head around in puzzlement. There was only a black rock wall behind her.
There was no human face.
It was covered by alternating lights and shadows, and it was as serene as ever.
Thales was stunned.
He started to tremble slightly.
Kurtz frowned and looked at him. "Hey!
"What's there?"
The teenager shook his head violently.
Thales sucked in a deep breath and sprang up like an agile rabbit!
He picked up the Everlasting Lamp, and using both his hands and feet, he practically rolled and crawled away from the rock wall. He ran in front of Kurtz.
The petrified prince turned around the strange rock wall, and before his eyes was another stretch of darkness. He could barely see a downward slope.
"No, Kurtz." Thales gulped as he ran. His fingers were numb, and his voice was unsteady.
"Something's not right."
Kurtz was a little stunned. "What?"
Thales firmly resisted the desire to turn his head around. He shook his head vigorously. "The Black Track … This place is very strange.
"I saw some … things."
Kurtz looked at Thales' disheveled appearance as if she was deep in thought. Suddenly, she giggled.
"Are you really afraid of the dark?"
Thales, who was terrified, bit his lower lip and tried his best not to think. "This isn't the dark —"
He was cut off.
"Be good and shut up!" The seamstress rushed in front of him with a fierce look on her face and poked his chest. "I promised the cripple, so I will definitely send you out …
"Follow me properly!
"Don't be afraid of the dark!"
Thales, who wanted to cry but had no tears and was horrified, was speechless.
Kurtz, who was in front of him, cursed as she jumped down a slope. She stirred up air currents, and a chill surrounded them.
Thales could only put on a long face and hang the Everlasting Lamp in front of his chest. With one foot in front of him and both hands supporting his back, he slid down the slope.
This time, he widened his eyes. The Sin of Hell's River flowed faster.
"I remember that as long as we walk past this place …"
Thales listened absentmindedly, but just as he was about to slide to the bottom of the slope …
Facing him, on the top of the rock wall, three figures suddenly appeared!
Old men, women, and men.
Thales, who was falling, shuddered!
A low and strange whisper traveled into his ears again.
"You are … I am … Who are we …" This was the old man's call. The common language with a Northland accent was filled with confusion.
"You are us … We are you …" This was the man's whisper. It was filled with the language of the Ancient Empire. His words were elegant, but very strange.
They were stuck to the rock wall. Their eyes were pale, and they looked like corpses. They stared at him, and their gazes were extremely clear in the darkness!
One of the women even stretched out her withered hands towards him.
"Why …
"Why are you, over there …"
This was the common language, but the grammar was complicated, and it was filled with an accent that Thales had never heard before.
There was a heart-wrenching chill in his words, as well as hysterical pain.
"My … lover …
"Why … did you not … return … from … the battlefield …"
The brownish-gray nails swept past Thales' face, bringing with it a bone-chilling chill.
* Bang! *
The petrified Thales fell to the ground on his butt, and he fell hard on the ground!
'What the hell is this?!'
"F * ck!"
Thales could not help but curse. At that moment, he only felt goosebumps all over his body!
He got up and took a step forward, just wanting to stay further away from the figures above him.
'What the hell is this place?!'
Panting, Thales, who was panicking in the dark, bumped into Kurtz, who was trying to recall the way back.
"Are you crazy?!"
The seamstress staggered when he bumped into her. She turned around with an angry expression. "I swear, if you …"
But she could not finish her sentence.
Both of them felt the ground under their feet shake slightly.
Kurtz and Thales held their breaths at the same time.
At the same time, a frightening sound came from the rock strata in the dark.
* Crack. *
Both of their faces turned pale.
* Crack. *
'This?'
Thales listened carefully to the frightening sound.
'This sounds like …
'It sounds like … rocks cracking?'
A few seconds later, the cracking sound grew louder!
* Rustle … *
Under the weak illumination provided by the two Everlasting Lamps, Kurtz and Thales stared at each other.
With a pale face, Kurtz touched the top of her head. A few pieces of rubble the size of fingernails had fallen on their heads.
"Sh * t." That was the only word she had time to utter.
The ground shook violently again!
The panicked Thales grabbed the rock beside him so that he did not fall.
Feeling the ground shake, Kurtz finally stabilized herself with great difficulty. Her expression changed drastically. "Damn it!
"Something must have collapsed again!"
She had just finished speaking.
* Bang! *
The cracking sound and shaking sound turned into a piercing crash.
It was as if a huge rock had fallen behind them.
The seamstress' expression was unpleasant. She could not care about reprimanding Thales. She hung the Everlasting Lamp around her neck and nimbly climbed up the path. "Run!"
* Thud! *
A huge rock smashed onto a low slope not far from them and rolled down.
Thales' heart trembled. He knew that this was not the time to be afraid of ghosts.
The prince could not care about preserving his strength. He summoned the familiar yet unfamiliar power and desperately activated the Sin of Hell's River in his body!
* Boom! *
The Sin of Hell's River happily rushed to the top of his head and filled his entire body.
Thales felt the pulsation of his blood vessels and the fullness of his muscles. He felt his vision clearer than day and the flow of air in the cave. Thales stomped on the ground and instantly stood up!
He clung to the rock wall and chased after Kurtz with all his might.
The ground shook again.
Soon, the sounds around him turned into a deafening roar. Together with the tremors of the rock strata and the ground, they traveled into his ears!
* Rumble … *
The terrified prince caught up to Kurtz.
* Boom! *
The sounds of falling rocks became louder and more frequent, as if they were very close.
"What the hell …"
Thales desperately jumped over a shallow pit and clung to a rock strata going up the slope. He gritted his teeth and shouted in the midst of the roars, "This stupid place … Was it like this before?"
The ground shook again. Thales lost his footing and fell to the ground.
His Everlasting Lamp crashed against the rock wall and was instantly extinguished with a shattering sound.
But he could not care about that now.
Escaping was more important!
His skin crawled, Thales propped himself up again and covered a distance of a few meters with just two or three steps.
As the ground shook violently, he fell on his face countless times, but he could only move forward with all his might!
"Who knows? The last time I brought someone here was six years ago!" Kurtz's exasperated voice came from the roars. It was obvious that she was not having a good time either. "After Shield District was destroyed, the Black Track would sometimes collapse!
"That's why the cripple sealed this place!"
Thales crashed into the walls left and right during the tremors. He struggled to maintain his balance and keep moving forward. But in such a terrible environment, even Kurtz, who was very familiar with the path, could not move faster.
* Bang! Boom! *
A loud sound came from behind them. The slope that they passed by earlier was smashed by a rock that had fallen from an unknown place!
Crushed stones flew everywhere.
When Thales turned his head around and saw this scene, his soul almost left his body!
Thales took two steps forward and avoided a falling rock to his left.
* Bang! *
But this was far from the worst.
As the falling rock smashed open a crack, another person appeared in shock.
It was a withered figure with white hair.
"Come …
"Join us and fight against the tyrant …
"The Empire will fall, and Northland will rise …
Its eyes were white, and its muscles were rotting. But its lips were as dry as its companions', and it had sparse white hair and wrinkled scalp. It extended a hand that was only left with white bones to Thales.
Thales shuddered. The Sin of Hell's River automatically gathered in his left leg without him needing to summon it. He kicked it with all his might and rolled to the right while cursing.
'What the hell is this?!'
While he was running for his life, Thales saw from afar another charred, withered face appear in a pit to his lower right.
It widened its white eyes and released a terrifying smile at him. Its lips opened and closed.
"To protect my family, I will kill all my enemies …
"But with my family around, my enemies will find my weakness and defeat me …
"I will not be able to kill all my enemies …
"For my family, I will not be defeated …
"My family … will not be my weakness …
"So, to defeat my enemies, to protect my family, I must first …
"Must …
"First …
"Kill my family."
The moment this "person" finished speaking, he suddenly held his head with his withered hands and let out an endless howl of pain!
'What the f * ck!'
Thales covered his ears and roared in anger in his heart as he rolled and crawled towards Kurtz.
'What the hell is this?!'
In front of him, Kurtz came to a sudden stop, and Thales almost crashed into her.
* Bang! *
"My God, the roads I remember are all messed up …" Kurtz, who was panicking, howled in anger. The Everlasting Lamp swayed violently in front of her chest.
"Why are we so unlucky? I feel like wherever we go is collapsing!"
A rock smashed into their path in a frightening manner. Shocked, Thales and the seamstress immediately turned to the other side.
"Wherever we go …" Thales suppressed the fear in his heart and shouted in dissatisfaction as he ran, "Are you sure your surname isn't Drake?"
"Bullsh * t!"
Kurtz said angrily, "My surname is …"
But at that moment, Thales, who was running for his life amidst the tremors, collapses, and falling rocks, stopped breathing.
He was frightened by the scene before him.
In the field of vision of the Sin of Hell's River, countless faces, figures, and figures he saw just now appeared one after another as they ran for their lives.
These "people" had the same characteristics.
They were as withered as corpses. They had eyes but no pupils, and their movements were stiff.
They, these monsters, either revealed their heads from the cracks in the rocks, stretched out their limbs from the craters, or suddenly rose from the ground. They were everywhere, and their shadows could be seen everywhere.
Thales could only feel an endless chill invading his body from the soles of his feet.
This time, they faintly exuded an ominous black fog. Regardless of whether they were near or far, they all turned to Thales and glared at him. They opened their ugly mouths and spoke simultaneously.
"The Emperor is calling … The knights have gathered … Return in triumph, return in triumph, return in triumph!"
"Where the tip of the sword points, the chaos will end … After this war, the Empire will have no enemies, and we will be able to return home …"
"We are surrounded. We don't need to leave any rations. Those who are injured, leave your horses with the healthy. Those who don't have weapons, search the bodies of the others … Cavaliers, equip yourselves. We will make one last charge. This way, King Anzac and the others will have to deal with fewer mixed orcs …"
"Why do we have to fight … Why? The West Billows didn't attack us, so why do we have to attack them?
"Sel, Keruli, Rocatasada … Kalalukale … Sel, Sel, Sel, Sellikale!"
There were all sorts of languages, including the elegant or common language of the Ancient Empire, the ancient or modern lingua franca, and many other languages that Thales seemed familiar with but could not understand.
There were even a few existences who did not look like normal humans. They were screaming in pain in a language that he could not understand at all.
The cave was instantly filled with noise.
But Kurtz was the same as always. She did not seem to have noticed anything and only ran forward desperately.
More and more words seeped into Thales' ears. Some were whispered, some were growled, and some were roared. They were accompanied by layers of abnormal emotions.
The terrified Thales wailed and increased his speed in a flurry. He only wanted to run as fast as he could and escape this godforsaken place!
The voices continued.
"It doesn't matter if they have weapons or not. The reason is simple. This is the place the Emperor designated. It is our territory. If they don't admit that they are from the Empire … then they are our enemies …
"The uprising failed. The entire army was wiped out … The inspectors of the Empire will be here soon. Run …
"Sound the bugle. It's the ice bastards … Orcs … We must stop them here … Believe me, the humans will definitely win!
"Deserters, deserters, deserters deserve to die. Deserters don't deserve to be human … If they don't have the courage to behead themselves, they deserve to be beheaded by others!
"The city is breached, the city is breached! Follow me, we will charge forward and leave no one alive! Long live the Empire!
"Kurtz!"
Thales covered his ears and wailed, enduring the headache that came at him inch by inch.
"Kurtz!"
He forced himself not to look at the skinny, ferocious and terrifying female "person" who was only an arm's length away from him. He shot past the obstacles without a care in the world. He relied on the vision of the Sin of Hell's River to prevent himself from falling in the darkness.
"We have to leave this place as soon as possible!
"The Black Track … Something is very wrong with this place!"
Amid the rumbling sounds, Kurtz's enraged voice traveled from the front. She seemed to have just avoided a rock that fell on her head. "Yes, I can see it too …
"Also, thank you for your nonsense!"
* Crack … * The moment Kurtz turned around, another huge rock above her head cracked!
It fell vertically.
"Be careful!"
Kurtz subconsciously raised her head, and her face instantly turned pale.
That rock … enveloped all of them beneath it.
Thales felt his skin crawl. He did not care about the soreness in his legs and exerted his strength to catch up!
But when he saw the situation before him clearly, he felt a chill in his heart as he charged forward. 'No.
The area of the rock that fell from above my head is too large.
Even if he pounced on Kurtz, even if they charged at full speed …
'I can't avoid it.
'What should I do?'
The huge rock was only a few meters away from Kurtz's head.
'What should I do?'
At that moment, Thales desperately tried to recall all the skills he could use.
Jala, Ralf, Wya, Black Sword, the Corleone sisters, Aida …
But in the face of such a crisis, their skills, skills, and emergency measures were all useless …
'What should I do?'
At that moment, a figure that Thales did not expect suddenly appeared in his mind.
In his memories, that man's expression was cold and his face was pale.
He swung the blade in his hand and miraculously retracted it.
Thales shuddered.
The rare Power of Eradication seeped into his bones and joints, and an indescribable power erupted.
In the blink of an eye, Thales sped up and pounced on Kurtz, who was in front of him. He held her waist tightly.
As Kurtz screamed, they fell forward together, and the huge rock above their heads drew closer and closer.
Thales gritted his teeth.
The Sin of Hell's River began to roar in his body, causing his pores to shrink.
The surging blood in his veins gradually drowned out the endless words of those "people".
His bones began to groan.
"Ah …" Thales could not help but let out an angry grunt amidst the intense pain.
The rock above his head drew closer and closer. It even began to reflect the light from the Everlasting Lamp.
In the next moment, his forward momentum came to a miraculous stop. Thales' legs were firmly planted on the ground.
They did not fall.
That was not all. The joints in Thales' body let out unpleasant explosive sounds.
Thales' face contorted. The Power of Eradication gathered in his legs.
As if he had overcome inertia, the young prince's body, which had just reached this point, suddenly turned backwards!
* Bang! *
The huge rock fell.
The loud sound echoed in his ears.
Kurtz sat on the ground and stared at the scene before her in a daze. She stared at the rock that was only a few inches away from her.
Beside her, Thales lay on the ground and panted heavily in pain.
* Crash … *
The rock that fell before them shattered inch by inch, and many of it rolled to their feet.
At that critical moment, Thales pounced forward towards Kurtz. Then, in an inconceivable manner, he instantly changed his direction and leaped two meters backwards, dragging them out of the area where the falling rock fell.
"Wow." Kurtz slowly came to her senses. She widened her eyes. "How did you do it …"
"Don't, ask." This came from Thales, whose legs were numb and he could barely breathe.
'Damn it …'
Thales panted in a disheveled manner, but he could feel the tremors on the ground continuing. The roars beside his ears did not weaken.
'This … wants me to die.'
At that moment, Thales, who was lying on his back on the ground, suddenly narrowed his eyes!
Right above his head …
A terrifying face appeared on the rock wall.
Thales recognized that face: the thin facial muscles, the stiff smile, the sharp, rust-colored teeth.
And the brightly colored armor.
'It's that man.'
It looked at Thales with its pale, defeated eyes. It moved its stiff neck inch by inch and spoke slowly.
"Come."
"You shouldn't be there."
"You belong to us."
It was still the standard, classical, and clear enunciation of the language of the Ancient Empire.
If one ignored the deep chill contained in it …
The moment it finished speaking, a thick black fog spread out from its body.
In the next second, before Thales could react, the rock stratum beneath them shattered inch by inch!
* Boom! *
"Hey …"
The panicked Kurtz only had time to shout one word before she sank with the collapse of the rock.
"Kurtz!"
Thales cried out in surprise and pounced forward, wanting to grab the panicking seamstress. "Grab me!"
But his hand could only brush past Kurtz's figure in vain, and he touched her finger one last time.
Kurtz fell and moved further and further away from him. The shock on her face had yet to fade.
Thales watched the woman fall in the darkness with a dumbfounded expression.
But he could do nothing.
Until the seamstress' figure was completely swallowed by the darkness.
He could no longer see her.
Above him, a hoarse and terrifying voice spoke in the language of the Ancient Empire with a threatening chill.
"Come, comrade …"
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
