Fire Mage

Chapter 628: Verdant Grove

Damian shook his head and continued to speak.

"If what you said is true, then we should move faster and enter the Dungeon before more magical beasts spawn out of those caves and surround us." Noticing the concern in his eyes, he chuckled and added.

"You are underestimating the Church members too much. Although we look powerless outside, we are the strongest force here. As long as the connection with our god remains stable, not even a demi-god-level powerhouse could kill us without putting in a hard fight."

"Borrowing divine power from your god, huh?" Charles nodded thoughtfully and continued to fly.

As they moved closer towards the strange towering pillar, a few flying magical beasts like Shade Griffons, Nightmare Ravens, Bloodwing Eagles, and Fearstorm raptors flew from the ground and started attacking them.

But thanks to a squad of Holy Knights, who were closely following them from behind, they managed to avoid being delayed and advanced closer toward the towering pillar.

After a considerable journey, the Sun Church, the Order Church, and the Amber Church groups eventually reached their destination—the base of an imposing, towering dark pillar. As they arrived, their eyes were drawn to a massive five-meter-tall entrance gate before them. Although already open, this gate seemed to resemble more of a mystical portal, a gateway to an entirely different dimension.

However, their progress was hindered by the presence of a formidable obstacle. In front of the gate, blocking their path, stood a mysterious creature—a darkish wolf. This creature stood at an imposing height of approximately two meters, its presence exuding an air of power and mystery. Its body was adorned with peculiar leaf-like patterns, giving a bizarre appearance. To add to its enigmatic nature, the wolf even protruded a bluish horn from its forehead, further emphasizing its uniqueness and mystical nature.

Utilizing the chance, Charles gazed at the wolf and inspected it.

'Nightmare Wolf... It has bloodline spells like Dream Invasion, Shadow Veil, Dreadful Slumar, Fear Visage, Nightmare Burst, and Spectral Phantasm.'

Simultaneously, he noticed a strange thing about the portal and soon widened his eyes.

'We are already under its 'Shadow Veil' spell.'

As Damian was about to step forward and attack the Magical Beast, Charles telepathically spoke to everyone from Sun Church.

'I'll stop its movement for two seconds; use that chance to move towards the portal. But once you reach the portal, move ten steps to the left and run into the black wall. That's where the real portal is located.'

Although they were puzzled by his words, Damian nodded and spoke.

"Trust him."

"Go," Charles said while looking at the wolf and casting [Burning Thoughts] spell on it.

Meanwhile, Damian and others didn't hesitate momentarily and sprinted incredibly toward the wolf.

Before the wolf could wake up from an empty mind state, they had already arrived closer to it.

Surprised by their sudden arrival, the dark wolf instinctively opened its mouth and fixed its gaze on one of the three Archbishops.

Within a brief period, the entire gathering witnessed a startling transformation unfolding before their eyes. The Archbishop, known for his flowing blonde locks and serene countenance, underwent a grotesque metamorphosis akin to a grotesque scene out of a nightmare. His once slender form began to distend like an inflating balloon, expanding in size with each passing moment. What stood before them was now a towering, monstrous figure, reaching an imposing height of three meters.

The Archbishop's complexion underwent a profound alteration as his skin assumed a ghastly shade of brownish red, resembling the hue of dried blood. His once lustrous golden hair lost its shine, cascading down in clumps as if plagued by decay. Teeth that were once ordinary and unassuming sharpened into jagged, menacing fangs, occupying a greater portion of his menacingly altered face. The transformation extended beyond superficial changes, as his entire physique mutated, contorting into a dreadful form.

In a surreal display, two additional heads sprouted from his broadened shoulders, each grotesquely distorted and bearing a visage distorted with primal rage. As the trio of heads bellowed in a cacophony of wild roars, the sheer ferocity of their vocalizations reverberated through the air, leaving an unsettling feeling in the hearts of those who bore witness to the ghastly transformation. The once noble and serene Archbishop had been transformed into a nightmarish horror, a chilling embodiment of dark power and uncontrolled savagery.

"M-Monster!" One of the archbishops tried to attack the newly transformed monster, but Charles shouted and stopped him.

"We are facing an illusion. Don't attack him and run towards the portal." In truth, that blonde-haired Archbishop didn't notice anything anomaly about his appearance and ran after Damian madly.

'It seems this nightmare spell influenced everyone's thoughts and let us attack our ally.'

Furrowing, Charles again cast [Burning Thoughts] spell on the Nightmare Wolf and tried to stop it. But unlike before, he noticed that this Nightmare Wolf resisted it.

'As expected of a Legendary Magical Beast, it's not an easy job to stop it.' Before he could even mutter, the Nightmare Wolf turned its gaze towards Damian and others and chased after them.

As the group, led by Cardinal Damian, drew nearer to the portal, a sudden turn of events unfolded. Charles, who had been strategically positioning himself, utilized his [Burning Thoughts], [Fire Seed], and [Purple Consciousness] spells to hamper the Nightmare Wolf's movements again. The potent spells lingered, causing the formidable creature to move sluggishly and exhibit signs of confusion.

In a surprising twist, Charles vanished from his previous position and materialized directly before the bewildered wolf.

"Activate the Celestial Key and enter. I'll follow you guys soon."

Saying so, he cast [Accelerate Thoughts] skill and observed its movement very slowly.

Simultaneously, Charles calmly extended his hand and invoked the power of the [Golden Shield] spell. Instantaneously, a remarkable transformation occurred as a solid, shimmering shield of gold materialized out of thin air. While standing at an impressive height of one meter, the shield levitated between Charles and the Nightmare Wolf, serving as an impenetrable barrier and safeguarding him from the creature's malevolent intentions.

Meanwhile, Nightmare Wolf growled, opened its terrifying mouth, and cast its bloodline spell 'Nightmare Burst.'

A powerful ray filled with pure Nightmare Law power shot out from its mouth and moved toward the shield at an incredible speed. Even though this small ray appeared more like a light ray, one would see that each strange streak of essence hidden in the spell held a unique person's terrifying nightmares!

Even a single streak of essence entering anyone's soul would result in them entering a coma for months.

A second later, a banging sound echoed at the base of the towering pillar, sending shockwaves in all directions.

No, it wasn't a mere shockwave but scattered Nightmare Streak Essences!

But what shocked everyone at the scene was that the strange golden shield managed to block every nightmare power and stood like a mountain!

On the other hand, Charles, Damian and others had long disappeared from there!

Slowly, the golden shield started to tremble and soon burst into pure golden fire before vanishing.

Noticing its prey being escaped right under its nose, the Nightmare Wolf let out an angry howl and turned his gaze towards the other group.

"F*cking Lunatics! I knew those Sun Church bastards would do something reckless like the last time!" Amber Church's Cardinal shouted in a raging voice and hurriedly took a wooden staff from his space ring to prepare for battle.

...

As Charles jumped into the void-like portal, he soon found himself caught in a swirling space vortex. The tumultuous motion disoriented him momentarily, but soon he noticed a faint glimmer of light at the opposite end of the vortex. Determined to escape this chaotic space, he pressed forward, maneuvering through the treacherous currents of the space tunnel.

With each passing moment, Charles drew nearer to the source of light, and eventually, he arrived at a small opening resembling a fissure in space. As he emerged from the vortex, he was abruptly expelled into the vast expanse of the open sky. The sudden transition startled him, causing him to lose his balance in mid-air.

Reacting swiftly, Charles invoked his 'wisdom power' to restore stability and control. After that, he regained his composure and stabilized himself in the air.

But at that moment, he noticed a strange sensation. No, it was more like a new memory appeared in his head.

Simultaneously, a new quest popped up before his eyes.

[Quest Title: Find ten 'Star Totems.'

Mission: You must find ten Star Totems hidden in this 'Verdant Grove' Demiplane before nightfall and offer them at the altar of Snake Deity Naga.

Success Reward: Portal to the first layer of Star Tombs Dungeon, A Clue to Star Crown.

Failure: Return to Edhen World.

Time Limit: 9 Hours, 11 Minutes, 25 Seconds.]

...

'Someone managed to etch a memory in my Inner World without alerting me? Now that I think about it, Eddie Nightwind mentioned meeting the Dungeon's guardian in his book.' But what surprised him was that he didn't even sense any anomaly.

Shaking his head briskly to clear his thoughts, Charles composed himself and directed his gaze toward the picturesque landscape. The land stretched out in its splendor, a vibrant tapestry of lush greenery sprawled as far as the eye could see.

In the distance, majestic mountain ranges punctuated the horizon, their peaks reaching toward the clouds. The melodious symphony of cascading waterfalls added a touch of ethereal beauty to the scene, their crystalline streams glistening in the sunlight.

As Charles's eyes scanned the panorama, they fell upon a small, tranquil lake nestled at the heart of this idyllic terrain, its glassy surface reflecting the pristine surroundings.

Yet, amidst the serenity and tranquility of this land, Charles couldn't escape the faint echoes of cries and roars that reverberated through the air. Curiosity piqued, he slowly turned away from the captivating beauty ahead and cast his eyes upon the vast expanse of untamed wilderness behind him.

The endless expanse of uncharted territory seemed to stretch out in all directions, harboring myriad unknown creatures and hidden wonders. The distant calls of animals, a primal symphony of life, were a constant reminder of the untamed nature of this vast realm.