Chapter 65 Undercurrents: He tasted it once again with Ancia...
Vilian stood at the front, his cold gray eyes sweeping over each of them, lingering only slightly longer on Ancia, before calmly explaining, "This is a forbidden area. Deep within the ruins lies an unstable ancient magical core, its violent energy poised to erupt at any moment. By His Majesty the King's secret decree, to ensure the exploration of the ruins and the safety of everyone, no one is permitted to approach this place."
"Please leave immediately."
Ancia stepped forward without backing down, her tone calm, "I didn't sense any violent energy, only a dark and obscure magical fluctuation, which doesn't match any known magical attribute. Verion, can you explain this?"
Verion raised his eyes, his expression indifferent. "The royal family's decision needs no explanation to anyone. Everything regarding the ruins is being handled by designated personnel. As explorers of Gracia, your only task is to participate in the competition. Now, return to the designated area immediately, or you will be dealt with for violating secret orders."
The atmosphere froze instantly.
Verion placed his hand on his staff, and the guards stepped forward in unison, their weapons slightly drawn, producing a synchronized sound of being unsheathed.
Heligaluo chuckled softly, not taking a step back, calmly gazing at Verion. "Secret order? Your Highness Verion, forgive my intrusion, but is the 'King' you speak of the one who sits on the throne right now, or the 'Lionheart King' who resides in a separate palace but still holds imperial power?"
A hint of anger and displeasure surfaced deep in Vilian's eyes. Even though it was common knowledge among the upper echelons of the Eternal City that true power still rested in the hands of the former king, no one had ever dared to bring this matter up in the open, especially not in front of him!
He closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again, the emotions in his grey eyes forcibly suppressed, leaving only calmness and sharpness. "The affairs of the palace are none of the Vatican's business." His tone hardened, issuing a final ultimatum. "I'll say it again, leave!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the guards drew their swords completely, all pointing them at Ancia and her group.
At this tense moment, Ancia made a move that surprised everyone.
Ancia didn't look at the approaching swords, or even glance at Vilian. Without a moment's hesitation, she turned and touched the metal door.
Of the male protagonists, she spent the most time researching the walkthrough for Verion. If he made a single wrong step, he would end up with a bad ending. Even though she spent the least amount of time with Verion after entering the Miracle Continent, she still understood his style of doing things the best.
If Velien had been able to act, the wind blades would have been at their throats the moment they realized they might pose a danger.
The reason he repeatedly emphasized the secret order and commanded them to leave was because they lacked the means to act. She didn't need to figure out which side he was concerned about—the Papacy, the elves, the orcs, or Gracia—she only needed to know one thing—
Now nothing can stop her from opening this door!
Ancia took out Shadow Embrace and slashed it at the metal door. Unfortunately, it didn't work. It was a pure metal door, without any magic circles or barriers.
"Skark, break down the door!" She sheathed her dagger, beckoned, and her voice was clear and decisive. The moment the command was given, Ancia had already turned around, picked up her staff, and joined the melee.
Skalk put on his boxing gloves and slammed them against the metal door.
Bang!
The seemingly indestructible door was smashed inward by Skark's violent force, causing a large section to cave in.
"Stop them!" Verion's expression finally changed, and he shouted sharply. He raised his staff, and the wind elements in the air began to gather towards him, condensing into the shape of wind blades. But he still held back, not releasing any magic.
"Blinding spell!" Ancia waved her staff, and a bright, dazzling white light exploded among the guards. All the guards were temporarily blinded by this magic, stiffly gripping their longswords, afraid to swing them for fear of accidentally injuring their comrades.
Heligaluo stepped forward, and a dazzling golden light surged from his staff, forming a solid wall of light that stood firmly in front of them.
Once the blinding spell's adverse effects wore off, the guards' attacks were all blocked by the light wall.
Arlan stood at the back, not using a bow and arrow, but instead channeling wood-based magic. The ground trembled, and countless resilient vines burst forth, wrapping around the guards' ankles. Even when slashed by longswords, they would regenerate frantically, hindering their movements. He precisely controlled the output of his magic, not even deploying his poisonous stings, thus avoiding inflicting any truly fatal wounds on the guards.
Ancia cast Courage Hymn on Skark, boosting his strength attribute, and then used her own light magic to reinforce the light wall that had been weakened by the guards' attacks.
Bang bang bang!
Skullcrucker's triple hammer, through brute force, twisted and deformed the lock on the metal gate, and cracks spread across the gate.
"Your Highness!" The captain of the guards looked anxiously at Verion, awaiting a clear order to attack. The guards were all two-star warriors, possessing only brute force, but their hands and feet were bound by the enemy's defensive magic.
Vilian stood at the very back, coldly watching them. His fingers gripped his staff tightly, his knuckles turning white from the effort. Wind blades floated beside him, but he restrained the urge to unleash magic; he couldn't make a move.
This is a tacit understanding between the two sides. Once these people start fighting each other, the meaning of this conflict, which can be interpreted as an accidental one, will change.
In the few seconds that Vilian hesitated, something unexpected happened.
"Open it for me, you bastard!!!"
With the blessing of the Hymn of Courage, Skark gathered all his strength and launched a swift final attack.
Boom!!!
The entire metal door was completely broken, leaving a huge gap. Behind the door was a winding staircase leading downwards, and a sweet, cloying scent, several times stronger than that outside, wafted out.
Ancia covered her mouth and nose and rushed towards the opening, shouting, "Quick!"
Skalk leaped down and ran ahead of Ancia to scout ahead, while Heligalo maintained the light wall to cover their retreat. Ellan withdrew his magic and followed closely behind.
The wind blades around Velien finally broke through the air and disappeared into the still-existing light wall. With no obstruction, the guards were finally able to act freely and shattered the light wall a moment later.
Vilian rushed to the gap, staring at the empty staircase, his heart once again churning with turmoil.
Once again, he tasted defeat with Ancia.
He quickly calmed down and instructed the guard captain beside him, "Take a few men and come down with me."
*
The stairs spiraled downwards, and they arrived at a maze made of countless mirrors. The mirrors were not vertical, but tilted, creating countless reflecting spaces.
Skark frowned. "Another maze? Does the royal palace really like designing these kinds of things?"
Once you step inside, you're instantly surrounded by your own reflection. All around you, up, down, and in front, behind, are shadows of yourself and your companions. You can't tell where the path is or where the wall is, let alone find the Marquis Moreno's location.
Skark tried to smash his head against the mirror, but the mirror didn't budge. The reaction force made his arm go numb. In the surrounding mirrors, countless Skarks also made the same smashing motion at the same time.
The labyrinth was dimly lit. Heligalo released holy light, and the bright light was reflected back and forth by the mirrors, creating a dazzling halo. He could only light a sliver of light at his fingertips to maintain the bare minimum of illumination.
That magical fluctuation came again, getting closer and stronger.
Ancia took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and stopped looking at the mirrors around her. She focused all her mental energy on her senses to try and detect the source of the magical fluctuation.
She suddenly remembered what Murtrey had once told her: "Trust your intuition; your mental power is more reliable than your eyes."
Once she was free from visual distractions, her world consisted only of magic and mental power. She could sense the flow of magic in the space, and that familiar magical fluctuation reappeared in a certain location, like a pebble thrown into a pond, creating ripples.
“Follow me,” Ancia said softly. She closed her eyes and groped her way forward, using the mirrors as a guide. She led her companion through the mirror maze, navigating winding passages, and stopped at a corner on the edge of the maze.
Heligalo: "Ancia, we've stopped in a blind spot."
Ancia had no doubt about her senses. She reached out and carefully felt the gaps in the wall. Finally, near the ground, she found traces of magic. The faint magical fluctuations were emanating from there.
"Found it, it's here!" Ancia smirked, her fingertips gathering magic as she forcefully covered the crack. The confusion magic on the wall was dispelled, revealing a narrow passage just wide enough for one person to pass through sideways.
This is not a real angle, but a passage entrance hidden using confusion magic.
The group passed through the passage one by one, with Skalk having the most difficult time. He practically shuffled along the walls in front and behind him, cursing the maze's designer through gritted teeth.
Footsteps gradually grew clearer in the quiet mirrored maze, then slowly faded away. Verion and the guards were still wandering around the maze.
After passing through a long, narrow passage, the view suddenly opened up, revealing only a simple gate.
Skalk held his breath as he pushed open the door, fearing that another maze lay behind it.
Thankfully, it wasn't. As soon as the door opened, a nauseatingly sweet smell almost overwhelmed them, but they couldn't care less. The ground was covered in blood, and a gloomy, dark demonic aura was spreading from it.
Marquis Moreno, whom Ancia had been investigating, lay on the ground, next to Connor, whom she had met a few times. Connor was still wearing a one-star mage's robe, his face pale and unconscious.
Marquis Moreno seemed to still be conscious, licking the liquid on the ground repeatedly. After hearing the door open, he raised his head and slowly looked in the direction of the intruder.
His eyes, once a melancholy pale purple, are now only a deep crimson.
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