Volume 9: The Phantom of the Ancient Castle
Chapter 1: The Flying Dragon of Solitude
As everyone marveled at these intricately carved and lifelike giant stone paintings, faint creaking sounds seemed to come from deep within the passage. At first, they didn’t draw anyone’s attention, but as the creaking grew louder and more frequent, the mage-knights, who had turned their gaze away from the paintings on the stone walls, seemed to realize that a thick aura of necrotic energy had once again enveloped the space.
As dense groups of skeletons emerged from the darkness of the passage in synchronized steps, it became clear that almost every one of them held a rusted iron sword and a tarnished, old shield—clearly the skeletons of warriors from ancient battlefields. Their whitened bones indicated that they had a long history. In the eyes of the others, these skeletal warriors weren’t particularly formidable, though their sheer numbers were annoying—endless in sight, as if the dark passage were the maw of some giant spewing out skeletons.
Perhaps seeking an opportunity to train, almost simultaneously, two dark knights darted past several mages like ghosts before the mages could cast their spells. Their speed-enhancing spells made them several times faster than usual, while their gathered combat auras boosted their defensive capabilities to the extreme. The mages also promptly blessed the two dark knights. With blessings from both darkness and light, the two knights were surrounded by a sacred silver-white glow and a dark purple-black aura, creating an eerily strange appearance.
The two swords emitting dark auras merged suddenly, forming a massive combat aura circle from their combined combat auras. When these auras overlapped, they unleashed unprecedented power. With a deafening roar like a tsunami, the dozens of skeletons surrounding them—raising shields and swinging rusted swords—were instantly shattered by the powerful combat aura. Fragments of white bones mixed with scattered weapons fell to the ground. The devastating combined attack created a huge empty circle in a few meters around it.
Even the usually composed mysterious mage showed a look of surprise at this moment. Meanwhile, Rebrí and Komer, who had been observing the mysterious mage quietly, noticed that beneath his surprise lay a hint of wariness and concern. This strange expression alarmed Rebrí and left Komer puzzled—why was this mysterious mage so nervous about the strength displayed by these two Dark Knights? Logically, having stronger companions should only bring benefits in an adventure; one would expect joy and excitement, not such an expression. Unless there was some unknown secret between these two Dark Knights and her.
The aura of combat energy, which continued to expand forward, became even more formidable with the fierce advances of the two knightly spears. With the continuous enhancements from the magicians, the attacking power of the two Dark Knights reached an unprecedented level. The range of the combat energy aura had expanded to over five meters—invincible and unstoppable. The poor skeleton soldiers couldn’t even approach the edge before being shattered by the powerful beams from the spears. A few that managed to evade the combat energy attacks were reduced to ashes under the relentless magical assaults before they could even breathe a sigh of relief. These seemingly ordinary skeleton soldiers were utterly unable to pose any real threat to this group with their strong offensive and defensive capabilities. Hundreds of skeleton soldiers were wiped out in less than ten minutes, leaving only debris and dust in their wake.
As the combat energy aura slowly faded, the two Dark Knights exchanged glances, clearly satisfied with their perfectly coordinated performance this time. The harmonious unity of their knightly spears not only allowed the magicians to witness the true prowess of martial arts masters but also led to further insights and deeper understanding of the art of martial combat through their teamwork.
Newman had already crouched down immediately, put on gloves, and picked up the shattered remains of skeletons, as well as the broken shields and rusted swords, created by the combat energy. Several magicians patiently waited for this companion, who had some expertise in unconventional methods, to give his judgment on these items.
“Well, these skeleton warriors must be over 150 years old, and these weapons are likely from that era as well. It seems the designers built a mechanical mechanism in the passage to trigger the opening of a magical space when the castle was constructed. We’re lucky—it’s just a necromancy spell. These skeletons aren’t a serious threat to us…” Newman boasted proudly of his extensive knowledge of history, completely unaware of the danger approaching.
“Be careful!” “Duck down!” A series of cries came from the mages, including Komer. It was still the mysterious mage who noticed it first; he seemed especially sensitive to dark creatures. Komer realized that this person’s perception was even faster than his own and that of Rebrí. It was hard to believe—someone with Komer’s own keen senses was outperformed by such a mysterious individual. How could he not feel jealous? Who was this guy really?
Two dark figures emerged from the darkness of the passage, flying one after the other, straight at Newman, who was still waving his rusty sword and skeleton club while talking nonstop. Their speed was so great that it was impossible to make out their faces. The keen instincts of the two dark knights saved poor Mage Newman’s life. After being knocked to the ground by Sorenborg’s strike, Newman lay disheveled, not even having time to react. When he glared angrily at the suddenly attacking dark knights, he realized they weren’t even looking at him—their eager eyes were fixed on something behind him. Turning around, Newman couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat.
The two flying objects suspended in midair resembled two skeletal monsters. Their skeletons weren’t particularly large, more like skeletal kangaroos soaring through the air. Their well-proportioned, finely detailed tails appeared quite sturdy, composed of a series of gleaming bone segments linked together. However, the short tail ended in a series of sharp, thorny-like bone nodes clearly designed as weapons for attack. It was this ferocious whip that had been used to strike Newman earlier; if hit, it would likely send the unprepared Newman straight to hell. They had only one forelimb, which was extremely thin, but upon closer inspection, a grayish-white bone needle could be seen between its finger bones. The thick hind limbs were clearly used as the main means of movement on the ground, with each tibia exceeding three inches in length. Being kicked or stepped on by these hind legs would likely be fatal even for an ordinary person. Yet such a deformed monster could hover in the air, with a faint black mist surrounding its skeleton, giving it an eerie appearance.
Knight Vladkov’s spear struck forcefully against the second skeletal monster, which had pounced on Newman and was rolling on the ground. With a loud crack, the dark knight, who had swept aside hundreds of skeletons without retreating, was forced to take three steps back by the whip strike from the monster’s tail. Although he hadn’t been able to exert full force due to the suddenness of the attack, the heat radiating from the grip of his spear made Vladkov unable to help but glance at its unbreakable blade. There was already a slight mark on the blade—though very minor—it was unacceptable to Vladkov. This beloved weapon, which had accompanied him for over a decade, was undoubtedly his second life. Such damage was nothing short of an insult, leaving Vladkov utterly humiliated.
With a deep, angry roar emanating from his throat, Vladkov’s dark combat energy surged to its peak. His entire body was enveloped in that hellish darkness. Wave after wave of combat energy grew stronger, causing the robes of the surrounding magicians to flutter. A dark glow quickly spread from the grip of his spear to the entire blade.
“Be careful! This is the skeletal form of a foreign magical beast—the Spine-Flying Dragon. Its true form is also one of the most powerful wind-type magical beasts in the legendary foreign world. It possesses innate wind magic and can hover in the air, unaffected by gravity. Its tail is made of linked black bone beads, which not only emit wind magic but are also extremely hard and indestructible!” A stream of rapid words burst from Newman, who had retreated to the base of the wall. He had recognized what kind of beast these two were based on their unique appearance. Seeing that Vladkov’s combat energy had reached its peak, he had to hurry and warn this dark knight who had saved his life.
Upon hearing that it was a skeletal form of a magical beast from a foreign world, the entire exploration team was shocked. The foreign world generally referred to the dwelling places of demon gods deep within the Misty Continent. No one knew exactly where they were, but when a large number of foreign magical beasts invaded the Blue Continent over five hundred years ago, it caused the most devastating disasters in the continent’s history. Almost all races and factions united to hunt down these beasts, whose origins from the depths of the Misty Continent remained unknown. Over those decades, elites from various races and factions fought continuously to eliminate the disasters caused by these beasts. Countless magicians and holy knights lost their lives in these battles, and the elites of the Blue Continent were nearly wiped out. Eventually, the threat posed by the magical beasts was eliminated, with many of the most dangerous ones killed. However, a significant number of less threatening beasts fled into the forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, swamps, and oceans across the Blue Continent. Perhaps due to the climate and environment of the Misty Continent, the threat and lethality of these beasts diminished greatly, and some even became prey for powerful warriors and magicians who sought special items from them.
“Newman, are you sure this is a magical beast from a foreign world?!” Rebrí and Mihajović asked simultaneously. Meanwhile, the mysterious mage and Komer also turned their gazes toward the thin mage huddled against the wall, constantly chanting protective magic to enhance his passive defense.
“That’s right, absolutely right! What could possibly float in the air so easily, and yet be in the form of a skeleton? Have you ever seen or heard of such a thing? Well, I haven’t either, but I seem to recall some records in a personal legend diary I read in some ancient private libraries in Prague. It’s probably in ‘Clement’s Travel Diaries 1138–1142’—yes, that book. The Single-Thorn Flying Dragon has strong legs and razor-sharp claws that can easily tear apart a mammoth. It has only one claw on its upper limb, which is quite thin, but that claw contains a spine said to be extremely soft, with a special elasticity akin to that of demon metal like onyx steel. It can be shot out instantly to a distance of ten feet, and the venom attached to it is so deadly that few who are struck can be saved.” Even in such a critical moment, Newman still couldn’t resist showing off his knowledge.
Victor Clement was a famous adventurer two hundred and thirty years ago, as well as a highly legendary and romantic archmage and essayist. Throughout his life, he not only traveled across the entire Azure Continent but also ventured deep into the Vast Continent twice. He wrote countless popular legendary essays, and the exploration maps he left regarding the Vast Continent have evolved to twelve versions, still remaining one of the most trusted essentials for adventurers heading there today.
“Whatever it is, it must die today!” Filled with rage and pain from his wounded blade, Vladkov’s eyes suddenly gleamed with intensity. A dark aura swept across, creating a fan-shaped wave of light that swept toward the two skeleton flying dragons still staring menacingly at everyone.
Obviously, everyone, including the Dark Knight, had underestimated these two skeleton flying dragons floating motionless in the air. After all, the history of human battles against magical beasts was now too distant, and most of the records left about that period were vague, making it difficult to understand exactly what had happened back then.
The dark, fan-shaped aperture surrounding the two skeleton wyverns suddenly expanded dramatically, increasing in size by more than three times in an instant. It was clear that Vladkov was also extremely cautious in this regard. The dark combat energy scattered instantly, generating a fierce wind that emitted a shrill howl. The two skeleton wyverns clearly sensed the immense power of the Dark Knight’s angry strike as well. With a swift movement, they floated three zhang away in two different directions without any warning, causing Vladkov’s slashing strike to miss completely. With a sharp exclamation, the Dark Knight swiftly moved forward, his body gliding lightly as he wielded his knight’s spear. Gently pressing the tail of the spear, it roared like an enraged dragon as it rushed toward the skeleton wyvern fleeing to the left.