Chapter 9: Trapped in a Siege

The dark square stretched as far as the eye could see, making it impossible to imagine how such a massive square-shaped structure could be built in the second underground level. Faint outlines of more buildings could be seen deep within the square, but due to the great distance and dim lighting, it was impossible to discern what they actually were.

However, those were not the things that concerned everyone at the moment. What was truly terrifying was what appeared in the light of the fire: two black warriors stood quietly about twenty meters away from the passage door. Their vacant gazes seemed to indicate that they were still in a state of confusion, while faint black flames occasionally rose from the blades of their oddly shaped black swords. A faint black mist swirled around their bodies. Their pale golden cheeks showed no expression, nor could they possibly have any.

Facing off against the two black warriors was a huge humanoid monster covered in fur. Its thick, long arms hung loosely, almost touching the ground, and its slightly crouched legs resembled those of a mammoth. When the monster turned its head, its copper-colored eyes flashed menacingly, and its nostrils continuously exhaled white vapor. Behind it stood a row of smaller monsters arranged in a circular formation. Though smaller than the giant monsters at the front line, they looked identical, though clearly more mischievous and active, constantly emitting strange chirping sounds, seemingly communicating through them.

On the thick stone pillars in the square, several snake-like creatures as thick as buckets slithered around. At first, no one noticed them. Perhaps sensing the scent of living beings, the snakes began to move around the pillars, but their heads could never be seen. Yet their shimmering golden scales made some experienced magicians feel uneasy as they guessed what these creatures were.

Squeaking noises came from along the walls, and a series of dark shadows appeared in the corners. They wielded clawed pincers, had narrow mouths from which they spat venom, were covered in black scales, and had a huge tail stinger glowing with a faint green light at the back—enough to make one realize that touching one of these creatures would likely mean certain doom.

At the edge of the light and shadow in the distance, a group of skeleton warriors appeared before everyone’s eyes. Their worn armor and rusty weapons proved that they had lived in this dark world for a long time. The weapons these skeleton warriors held were slightly different from those of the skeleton warriors they had seen or used on the Land of Azure—almost all of them were spears and hammers. The dark weapons were covered in rust, but it didn’t affect their effectiveness; instead, it added to their menacing aura. These skeleton soldiers had well-ordered bones and steady steps, seemingly marching in a certain formation. The harsh cracking sound of their bones echoed as they moved, causing unease among those present.

Who knows what else lurked in the endless darkness? But Komer’s intuition told him that there might be many powerful creatures he was unaware of, and perhaps his group was doomed.

A shadow seemed to want to attack them, rushing forward like a black lightning bolt across the open sky. However, a faint magical glow at the entrance of the passage stopped it. As it approached the glow, the magic seemed to be stimulated by the magical energy, causing the light to intensify suddenly as magical power burst outward. The shadow recoiled instantly and disappeared into the dark sky above the square.

Almost everyone realized that the original state of confrontation—or balance—in the square had been disrupted by their arrival. Perhaps sensing human presence or noticing a better target, both the black warriors and skeleton soldiers, as well as the various strange magical beasts, turned their attention toward Komer and his group.

“Mr. Rebrí, Mr. Mihajović, things don’t seem good. This place seems to be their paradise—we’re not welcome here.” By now, Komer had gathered all his magical power to its peak. Holding his black crystal staff, rings of light representing the accumulation of magical power flowed up and down the staff. His gaze remained fixed on the square—undead creatures and magical beasts! There wasn’t a single one missing, and almost all of them were formidable foes. His group really had bad luck!

“Well, Lord, it seems your territory is more suitable for their survival. Our arrival has disturbed their mood; we need to prepare early and be careful. The magic power of this magical barrier seems to be declining rapidly—it seems our arrival has triggered some mechanism that’s rendering it ineffective. Damn it, it’s really about to disappear! Newman, what’s going on here?!” Even the usually calm Rebrí couldn’t help but shout, clearly realizing the severity of the problem.

Rebrí had been observing the reason behind the failure of that dark shadow’s attack earlier. The magic power in the magical barrier was clearly the only reason why that shadow failed to succeed. But the creatures living here should know the function of this magical barrier—why would they waste effort like this? He quickly realized there was a problem with the barrier; the gradual weakening of its magic power made Rebrí increasingly anxious. For now, this magical barrier could still protect everyone, but once it disappeared, they might truly be trapped.

Newman was already sweating profusely. He was even more concerned about this magical barrier than Rebrí. It was a mechanical barrier, but he didn’t know what caused its magic power to decline so rapidly. The rate of decline was astonishing—within just a few moments, over a third of the barrier’s magic power had vanished. Holding a testing rod at the edge of the barrier, Newman was flustered, and despair began to show on his face.

“We’re doomed. This is a magical altar, seemingly one from a Dark Sanctuary. This barrier has been damaged by the presence of light. Only dark creatures and magic can enter or exit here. Now that this magical barrier is about to fail, we must leave immediately!”

“Leave immediately? Newman, you must be crazy!” It was Mihajević who remained the most calm at this moment, his gaze fixed on the creatures slowly moving toward them in the square. Several armbands with a dim glow had already been placed on his arms. Clearly, he understood the situation best. “These creatures are faster than we can keep up with. As soon as we retreat, they’ll pounce on us like possessed demons until we become like them. Now there’s no way back—we have to fight!”

“That’s right. This is a dark sacred site, a place for the dark race to conduct their magical rituals. I fear our suspect should be here—hidden in the darkness. I can sense it watching us, probing for our weaknesses. The moment we show any weakness, it will lead those even more terrifying creatures from the darkness to tear us apart and devour us.” Komer stared intently into the darkness ahead. “Mr. Mihajic is right. We can’t retreat; we must move forward!”

Perhaps realizing his earlier agitation, Rebril now appeared much calmer. “There are even more ferocious undead creatures gathered here that haven’t appeared yet. Otherwise, just these black knights and skeleton soldiers wouldn’t be able to stand against these magical beasts. This altar is ingeniously designed, seemingly using mechanisms to maintain a stalemate between the two sides. But now, it seems that balance has been disrupted by our arrival. We may have to face an unprecedented battle filled with bloodshed and hardship.”

Komer stared blankly at the various undead creatures and magical beasts gradually closing in. A familiar scene surfaced in his mind. He tried hard to recall it, but everything remained vague. That sense of déjà vu lingered, yet the situation before him left no time for further reflection.

“Lord, we need to maintain a semi-circular formation. This passage is too wide. I suggest we charge in first and line up against the walls, creating layered defenses. This will greatly reduce our defensive pressure and help us sustain the fight and inflict damage on the enemy.” Sorenberg, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke up with his advice. As a dark knight skilled in battle formations, though this was the first time he encountered such a situation, countless trials had forged his unyielding character—he wouldn’t flinch even under heavy attack.

Komer finally snapped out of his reverie. Now wasn’t the time to reminisce. This place was surely related to King Kenifer III’s memories, but first, they had to deal with the immediate threat to their survival. Only after overcoming this could they consider anything else. “Hmm, alright. Shatima, you lead the way. Sorenberg, you take the left flank, and Vladkov the right. Advance first, then immediately line up against the walls. Remember not to go too far ahead, nor too far from the passage entrance. If all else fails, we might have no choice but to flee.”

“Lome, launch a holy light attack! Mr. Rebrí, please clear a path for me and me. Mr. Mihajić, it seems your puppet won’t be able to hide it any longer—take it out. If you don’t, you won’t have much of a chance left either.” Even at such a time, Komer didn’t forget to joke to liven up the atmosphere. After saying that, he gently said to the two girls, Grace and Finitz, whose faces had turned pale: “Follow me! Don’t get separated from the group!”