20demayo Chapter 155: The Groups Entering the Mountain
Chapter 155: The Groups Entering the Mountain
Chapter 155: The Groups Entering the MountainAt the foot of the mountain, groups of dwarves and cloaked figures moved cautiously. Even though the heavenly tribulation had dispersed, they still dared not approach too closely, as a lingering fear held fast in their hearts. The power of the tribulation exceeded anything they had experienced before, as if signaling the end of the world, leaving them tempted to abandon the mission altogether.
Among them was Vandal, a guardian of the Badin family, clad in middle divine-grade armor. Despite his protective gear, his face was pale with anxiety, still haunted by the experience he had just endured. Now, he had to get even closer to the site of the heavenly tribulation. The fierce wind phenomenon, something he would normally dread, had been all but forgotten amid the overwhelming fear that gripped him.
However, Duke Badin continued to pressure everyone to
"Who are you? State your name!" Vandal shouted at the young man.
The young man remained silent, his eyes still closed, ignoring them. Vandal, feeling a creeping sense of foreboding as he watched the figure, cautiously approached with a group of dwarves, intending to move closer. However, they all froze as the young man opened his eyes—and then, they heard his voice.
"Over a thousand dwarves surrounding this place—a considerable force you’ve gathered. And the devils also sent nearly a thousand of their own. Is the blueprint and Mardred really that important to you?" Aldrian remarked calmly.
He had been waiting here, at the very spot where he’d undergone his tribulation, anticipating their arrival. This was the only path to the cave where the secret realm lay hidden, so these groups would have no choice but to pass him to reach Mardred.
The dwarves were stunned by the young man’s question. Two things puzzled them: how did he know their objective, and what was he talking about? The devils? Where were these supposed devils? Suddenly, Vandal and the others thought of the cloaked men who had joined them. Could they be the devils?
"What are you talking about, boy? We don’t see any devils here, so stop your nonsense!" Vandal shouted, though unease crept into his voice. In truth, he didn’t know if the cloaked figures were devils or not, and he didn’t want to find out. If they were, it meant they’d have to silence this young man at any cost to keep that secret.
Observing the dwarves confusion and their intent, Aldrian realized that these groups of dwarves truly had no idea they were working alongside devils.
"Duke Badin is quite the meticulous planner," Aldrian mused, "not even telling his subordinates that these cloaked men are devils."
Aldrian then directed his gaze at the strongest devil in the group, the one Vandal had spoken to earlier. "Well, devils or not, the truth will reveal itself. Isn’t that right, Xarz Raliath?" he said, addressing the devil directly.
Without warning, the devils surged forward, unleashing their artifacts and various techniques in a single, relentless assault on Aldrian. It seemed they no longer cared that their identities had been exposed; their only focus now was to eliminate the young man before them.
As the attacks bore down on him, Aldrian remained calm. With a mere shift of his will, the space around him seemed to distort, becoming fragile. Suddenly, it cracked open, swallowing every attack in an instant before sealing itself shut again.
The devils, charging with full force, froze in shock, unnerved by the abrupt manifestation of space laws. But even more chilling was the predatory glint in Aldrian’s eyes as he watched them.
"Thank you for coming. Truly generous of you to deliver yourselves to me," he remarked.
What the dwarves witnessed next was a scene they would later describe as "Carnage."