Chapter 1008 Speed is of the Essence <TOC> Chapter 1010 Farewell to the Fortress
Translator: SumTLMan
“Stubbornly clinging onto my trail!” Angel grumbled inwardly. This serpent seemed dogged in its pursuit.
Could it be that Toby had inadvertently disturbed a snake’s nest?
Angel glanced down at Toby, who he had tucked safely inside his pocket. Ever since he had rescued Toby from the cliffside, he seemed to understand he was now safe. He had given himself over to slumber, sinking blissfully into a dream-filled oblivion.
While fleeing, Angel had checked Toby’s condition. There were no visible injuries, and his deep sleep was perhaps due to exhaustion.
Shifting his focus from Toby, he watched as the colossal serpent was about to emerge from the underground lair. He had no choice but to resume his flight.
The terrain of the cavern and the subterranean river was tricky, preventing Angel from making full speed. But now that he was in the open, and with Watchtower Fortress close by, he was confident that he could outrun the beast.
With this thought, a gray mist swirled around Angel, who, without hesitation, bolted into the snowfall.
At the same time, the colossal serpent also emerged from the lair.
As soon as it exited, a white fog shrouded it, and its massive body ascended into the mid-air. Its cold eyes locked onto the direction Angel had disappeared in, and it launched itself after him like a white whip.
Angel risked a glance back and had to admit that the spectacle of the gigantic serpent soaring through the fog was quite imposing. Moreover, its already terrifying form seemed even more colossal with the partial concealment of the fog.
The serpent was relentless in its pursuit.
Upon turning his head, Angel noticed that the troll he had previously seen floating in the underground river and the sea anemone crab, its size comparable to that of the troll, had also surfaced from the underground.
“Just how much animosity have I incurred?” Angel muttered, his face awash with incredulity.
All he could do now was run.
Fortunately, the fortress was nearby. When it wasn’t snowing, one could see Shadowy Hills from the fortress’s watchtower, suggesting they weren’t far apart. As Angel was heading towards the fortress, the Frost Moon’s guard team spotted the situation and swiftly headed over.
However, quicker than the proficient guards, there was one individual whose pace surpassed all.
A shadow slipped by in a blink, leaving the Frost Moon Guards puzzled, their nostrils teasingly filled with a faint scent of lunar halo that permeated the atmosphere.
In this moment, Angel heard a voice drifting into his ears.
“What mischievous endeavor has kept you occupied in the brief span of a few hours?” The familiar, husky male voice sparked joy in Angel’s eyes.
In the next moment, a figure in an all-black gentleman’s suit, his cloak whipping fiercely against the snowy gusts, materialized before Angel’s gaze.
“Mentor!” Angel paused in his tracks, “Thank heavens, I am finally saved!”
The man before his eyes was none other than Sanders. Prior to this, he had been in his study, wrestling with the perplexities surrounding the “Wilderness of Dreams.” Just as he was yet to resolve these issues, he was alerted by the guttural roar of a demonic beast from not too far away.
He casually glanced up and around.
The very next moment, his eyes locked onto a scene.
“That rascal has stirred up trouble again…” Sanders cursed under his breath, twitched his slightly stiffened lips, nevertheless exited the study, and flew towards Angel’s location.
Sanders’ arrival worked as a calming antidote for Angel, steadying his nervous heart.
Sanders cast a glance at the body that Angel had been lugging with his soul. The pale lips of the body were indicative of the extensive duration Angel’s soul had been wandering outside.
“You return to your body now, leave this situation to me,” Sanders’ words sent a wave of exhilaration through Angel. However, the joy was short-lived, as Sanders added, “If you wish to court death by causing such troubles, I advise you to do so at a greater distance next time.”
As his soul reentered his body, Angel felt a wave of weakness wash over him. It took him a good while to recover.
When he slightly regained his senses, he saw that Sanders had already engaged the giant serpent in combat.
At this point, the Frost Moon’s guards also arrived. Upon seeing the giant serpent locked in battle with Sanders, a hint of regret flashed in their eyes.
This was a magical beast of the wizard level, and certainly not some destitute demon.
Upon slaying this monster, a windfall of at least six figures would come to pass. However, with the conflict already ignited by Sanders, it wouldn’t be well-received for them to angle for a slice of the pie.
Nevertheless, this regret did not linger for long, as the distant snow hillocks abruptly set off cascades of snow dust.
On closer inspection, the culprits were yet another two monsters.
Although the prowess of these two creatures couldn’t stand toe to toe with that of the giant serpent, their ranks were all nascent wizard-level, making them no less valuable!
“Are those two creatures also stirred up by you?” Sanders inquired while he was embroiled in a tussle with the giant serpent, noting the upheaval in his rear view.
With a touch of awkwardness, Angel nodded, “Not exactly, I didn’t particularly provoke them. Merely passing by them seemed to be enough to rouse their pursuit.”
In response to Angel’s statement, Sanders cast him a cold glance, followed by an expression of surprise from the Frost Moon Guards.
Having deduced the unfolding events, the Frost Moon Guards could only marvel at Angel upon learning that all three monsters were roused by him.
A mere apprentice at his zenith, had led three wizard-level monsters on a merry chase and escaped their pursuit unscathed — this was no small feat.
Even if the guards themselves were to face such a predicament, they wouldn’t fare any better than Angel. Moreover, the most striking aspect was Angel’s flawless condition, as if he’d merely taken a leisurely stroll outdoors.
“Indeed, he is a worthy disciple of the Phantom Master,” the guards couldn’t help but internally commend.
By this time, the sea anemone crab and the giant had also appeared within their sight. The captain of the guards loudly proposed, “Phantom Master, and Sir Pat… Shall we handle these two monsters?”
Angel hadn’t anticipated an inquiry from the Frost Moon Guards. Naturally, his response was an affirmative nod.
With Sanders showing no interest in squabbling over the two monsters, the guards were immediately fired up, brandishing their weapons with zeal towards the two pitiful monsters, still oblivious of the impending doom on the snowy terrain.
Approximately half an hour later, Sanders successfully slew the giant serpent.
On the other hand, a dozen wizards from the escort team found themselves caught in the midst of a skirmish with the troll and anemone crab. Moreover, this battle began drawing the attention of more and more wizards from the fortress, resulting in a swelling tide of wizards offering their spellcraft for the clean-up operation, all hoping to claim a sliver of the spoils.
For Angel, it was a rare spectacle to witness such an extensive confrontation; he was utterly captivated.
What’s more, he finally understood that a formal wizard, when pitted against a monster of the same rank, didn’t hold much of an advantage. Although the troll and the anemone crab seemed to be somewhat caught off guard, they only sustained minor injuries. On the other hand, several wizards from the escort team were already injured, with one severely so.
Consequently, the escort team had to enlist more wizards to help in the operation, which meant that even if they succeeded in slaying the monsters, the rewards would be thinly distributed, leaving but a modest portion for each participant.
Therefore, the most rewarding outcome belonged to the one who had single-handedly slain the giant snake—Sanders—who was the sole claimant to the carcass of a wizard-level monster.
While Angel watched the proceedings with keen interest, Sanders gathered the remains of the giant snake into his Gravity Garden. Then, soaring over to Angel, he coldly proposed, “Come back to the fortress with me. I am curious to know what exactly have you been up to?”
As the crowd began to thicken, Sanders’ invitation served as a means to shield Angel from potential interrogations. After all, many who had initially noticed the anomaly here knew that Angel was the instigator.
Having been addressed by Sanders, Angel had no choice but to return to the fortress with his tail between his legs.
Upon entering the fortress, Angel could feel the gazes around him, heavy with unspoken questions. Many seemed on the verge of speaking out, but none dared to step forward and ask, given Sanders’ presence at Angel’s side.
After all, they were dealing with three wizard-level monsters!
While wizard-level monsters might be abundant in the Abyss, the number of such monsters they could handle — excluding the low-profit demons — was relatively small.
It seemed as if Angel had disturbed a hornet’s nest of monsters, drawing out three at once, and apparently right in the vicinity of the fortress.
What exactly had he done, and how had he managed to do it? Those were the questions that hovered in the minds of all.
“Speak. What on earth did you do in less than three hours?” Sanders stared blankly at Angel once they returned to their territory.
As Angel weathered the stinging glare of Sanders’ gaze, his countenance bore an unmistakable awkwardness.
Hesitation marked his words as he motioned towards the peacefully slumbering Toby, and whispered, “Truth be told, I didn’t do anything. I merely sought him out.”
The veil of helplessness further descended upon Angel as he recounted his turbulent ordeal.
His initial intent was nothing more than to rescue Toby, yet the winding path he embarked on inadvertently beckoned the ire of three formidable demons.
Upon hearing Angel’s narrative, Sanders was left speechless. From Angel’s perspective, he hadn’t indulged in any extreme actions. All he could deduce was that it was a serendipitous series of coincidences.
Moreover, if Sanders’ memory served him right, the Shadowy Caverns had been previously cleansed, and no wizard-level creatures were found. Due to this, many apprentices had ventured into the cave with impunity from the fortress.
Yet, against all odds, Angel’s descent into the Shadowy Caverns led him to encounter not one but three wizard-level demons.
If Sanders wasn’t acutely aware that Angel had never ventured into Downfallen Forest, he would suspect that Angel had somehow been tainted with the aura of the Harbinger of Doom. How else could one account for such an unfortunate turn of luck?
Particularly concerning was the colossal serpent that Sanders had previously encountered head-on. Its power was nothing short of terrifying, a challenge even for the Frost Moon’s elite guard.
Its ability to manipulate emotional fields was borderline domain-level. If it took just one step further, it would indeed attain domain-status.
Facing such a formidable entity would require even Sanders himself to tread with caution and vigilance.
If not for Angel’s control over “Gravity Lines,” he would have undoubtedly become a mere corpse by now.
With a sigh, Sanders conceded that it would be unjust to blame Angel. It was a classic case of being at the mercy of fate.
“I suspect those three demons in the Shadowy Caverns came from an underground river,” Sanders hypothesized, “Though typically, wizard-level creatures don’t relocate their territories on a whim. I can’t fathom what transpired to induce them all to move at once.”
Chapter 1008 Speed is of the Essence <TOC> Chapter 1010 Farewell to the Fortress