Chapter 1037 The Mysterious Corridor
Chapter 1037 The Mysterious Corridor
'There are still a few hours remaining on the cooldown for Zakra's Harmonic Spear of Causality. I could try to use the Nullification Zone of my Boundless Emperor Void Perfection. But at its current level, it may not be able to create a long enough window for someone to travel through. Should I have brought along Empyrean, after all?'
Empyrean was Izroth's Soul Avatar who had the trait Innate Anti-Magic Body. Due to this, Izroth believed that Empyrean might have been able to merely walk right through the mysterious corridor and automatically break down whatever magic was at play.
However, Izroth knew that a place like the Night Lord's Crypt was unsuitable for someone like Empyrean.
Empyrean was used to soaring freely in the skies unbound by enclosed spaces. Naturally, the Night Lord's Crypt was not exactly known for its hospitable environment for those who were not of the skounae.
'Forget it. With the restricted space in this area, it's impossible for me to contact him. Not to mention, the Night Lord can be revived at any time. We do not have the luxury of remaining idle.'
After a few moments of deep pondering, Lances finally left his contemplative state and said, "With this level of protection in place, unless it's a peak legendary realm powerhouse, one shouldn't even think of breaking through it with some half-hearted attempt."
"You say that, but your words do not match your expression," Izroth commented as he witnessed the sly grin on Lances' face as if he had something in mind.
"Well, I do have an idea in mind. But it's a bit reckless." Lances replied with a grin.
"I have a feeling that alone will not be enough to deter you," Izroth said calmly.
So far, Lances had pulled off one surprise after another. Coming this far with such preparations, Izroth understood that he must have obtained some more in-depth information about the Night Lord's Crypt. Though this did not come as much of a shock to Izroth considering Lances' background as a member of the Pride Clan. There were means at his disposal that most players simply did not have access to.
Izroth, on the other hand, had a limited amount of knowledge regarding the Night Lord's Crypt and relied mostly on the reports shared by the War Intelligence Group. As a Captain of the General Support Unit, he was fortunate to be entitled to that much. If not for the connections he had to General Solomon and Commander Aurie, there was a chance Izroth would not have even managed to get his hands on any report at all.
That being said, it was not as if the War Intelligence Group expected a Captain of the GSU to charge ahead into the Night Lord's Crypt. After all, in their eyes, that was akin to handing away one's life without meaning.
"This corridor is protected by a powerful life seal; however, its foundations are still based in magic. If we shift around the building blocks, it should create an opening for us to exploit and temporarily bypass the security restrictions of the corridor." Lances explained.
"I can see why you said your plan is reckless. You want to interrupt the strands on this corridor?" Izroth said with a meaningful look in his eyes.
"Precisely. Disrupting magic sequences is one thing. But manipulating the strands of magic this complex—who knows what the end results will look like if we make the wrong move?" Lances noted.
Izroth fell silent as he carefully scrutinized every part of the corridor's entrance.
'This is different from the Death Emperor's tombstone. The layering of magic hasn't deteriorated due to the passage of time. If I hastily attempt to do the same thing that I did back then it won't end well. Still, if it's just disrupting it for a while, it should be possible, but...'
"How long do you need?" Izroth inquired.
Lancess shortly pondered before he responded, "Five minutes—ten minutes at most. Are you confident?"
Izroth replied not with words but with a carefree expression as he moved closer to the corridor entrance.
"Heh, I trust you'll handle things properly. Let's go for it." Lances said as he repositioned himself a few steps behind Izroth.
The following moment, Lances made various cryptic hand signs before kneeling down and slamming his palms into the ground at his side.
Rmmmmble...!
Out of nowhere, the entire room started to tremble as the temperature in the atmosphere instantly rose by several degrees.
"Everyone, stay alert and be prepared to move on my signal! Those who are confident in their defensive abilities gather at the front and form a protective wall!" Lances shouted as a set of blazing infernos engulfed his hands, and the ground beneath his hands began to boil as it transformed into molten lava.
"Kol'Jil, Zel'Kan—make sure that no one from the 9th Division and 5th Unit lags behind and moves on Commander Lances' signal," Izroth said without adverting his gaze from the corridor.
"Yes, young master." Kol'Jil and Zel'Kan, who stood off to the side atop the staircase, responded in unison.
As the 9th Division and 5th Unit moved into position, Izroth glanced back at Lances.
Lances gave a small nod and said, "Whenever you're ready."
Izroth shifted his attention back to the corridor's entrance as he reached the palm of his hand forward.
The instant he performed this action, Izroth felt a strong force of repulsion keeping his hand away. However, Izroth pushed through it as he was able to get his place his hand into the mysterious corridor's entrance.
'Since I'll only be interrupting the strands within the corridor, I won't have to expend much essence. It's maintaining a certain level of stability during this process that will prove somewhat problematic.'
During his time in the Netherly Swathe when he saved the Death Emperor from his slow inevitable death, Izroth unlocked many secrets regarding how magic functioned in RML.
Strands were the basic building blocks of all magic, and without them, magic itself would not be possible to perform.
Back in the Netherly Swathe, Izroth had to repair the Death Emperor's tombstone using various means at his disposal and his newfound understanding of magic. But that process was incredibly draining on his essence and required a high level of consistent concentration.
For the corridor, however, Izroth merely needed to shift around a few of the strands to the point where the corridor's structural foundations were weakened without actually destroying the foundation itself.
If he accidentally destroyed the foundation of the corridor, the backlash would be enough to annihilate everything and everyone in not just the room but possibly the entire Night Lord's Crypt!
This is why Lances warned of the plan's reckless nature. If it were anyone other than Izroth, who won the second team's selection, Lances would have never suggested this method.
"Oh, I almost forgot. The moment you start to mess with that corridor, the person who is connected through its life seal will be alerted of our presence. To be honest, even if we manage to make it to the other side, it won't be long before that person reveals themselves—the Night Lord tasked with watching over this resurrection. You understand what I'm saying, right?" Lances stated in a steady tone.
"That doesn't change what it is that we have to do. That bridge—we will cross it when we come to it." Izroth said casually as essence encompassed the palm of his hands.
Woosh!
Izroth pulled out a bundle of strands from the corridor, causing it to emit a high-frequency pitch of mana that nearly brought the 9th Division and 5th Unit members to their knees from the overwhelming intensity.
'How troublesome.'
Izroth kept a calm mind as he wasted no time getting to work carefully rearranging the strands attached to the corridor.
"So loud! What do you think they're doing up there?!" Guan Yu yelled, unable to hear himself over the ear-shattering pitch.
"What?! I can't hear a word you're saying!" Halls shouted as Guan Yu's words fell on deaf ears.
"I said-!"
A few seconds later, the high-pitch frequency died out, causing everyone to release a sigh of relief.
"Man...! I can still feel my ears ringing...! What the heck do you think those two are doing up there?" Guan Yu questioned with furrowed brows as he rubbed his ears in an attempt to rid himself of the lingering ringing sound.
"No idea. But seeing as how we haven't moved yet if I had to take a guess, there's probably something blocking our way." Halls answered.
Suddenly, a threatening wave of energy erupted from the depths of the corridor. It was a cold energy of death and darkness that made one instinctively want to retreat as it sent chills down their spines.
Izroth narrowed his eyes as he detected something unusual from the corridor.
'Why is that energy in this place?'
Deep from within the corridor, Izroth sensed a strange yet familiar energy. It did not belong to the Night Lord Zarolas or any other skounae he'd come across.
Surprisingly, the aura he discovered matched that of a shadahi!
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