Chapter 291: The End of the Wasteland [1]

Iron and the four Undead Skeleton Soldiers shattered the cracked earth beneath their feet, the clashing of bone and armor ringing across the wasteland as they advanced in formation.

The Silverback Ape Grunt roared and charged from the left, while high above, Tiamant spread her enormous skeletal wings and descended from the opposite direction, her ancient bloodline pressure rolling across the battlefield like an invisible tide.

Slimy’s translucent body contracted before countless nearly transparent threads shot forward, anchoring themselves to the surrounding stone pillars and winding around the Altar Guardian’s hind legs from multiple angles.

Close to the ground, Blood Leech activated Silent Steps and slipped through the surface fissures, circling toward the perimeter of the Slumbering Altar.

At the same time, the Earth Vein Ancient Turtle continued its unstoppable charge toward the Slumbering Altar, its mountain like shell plowing through the awakened magical beasts in its path.

The beasts were knocked violently aside rather than killed, their bodies tumbling across the cracked ground as the turtle left a deep trench across the black wasteland.

The Altar Guardian’s four silver white hooves pressed firmly against the ground as it lowered its curved horn, and dense spatial energy rapidly gathered around the horn’s tip.

BOOM!

A silver white barrier unfolded around the entire Slumbering Altar. The air along its surface distorted continuously, leaving no opening that Shadow Blink could cross.

The Silverback Ape Grunt’s fist slammed into the barrier from the left. The enormous force was forcibly blocked, and the resulting recoil sent it stumbling backward several steps, its heels carving two deep trenches through the black earth.

[Special Ability: Spatial Defense.]

Zich narrowed his eyes slightly.

Until the barrier was broken, neither direct attacks nor spatial movement could reach the altar.

"Tiamant."

He did not need to say anything else.

The bone dragon had already begun her dive.

Her enormous skeletal wings stirred the gray white clouds as her claws descended upon the opposite side of the silver barrier.

BOOM!

The strike caused the entire defensive shell to twist violently, rings of spatial distortion spreading across its surface.

At the same time, Zich’s figure disappeared.

[Shadow Blink!]

He reappeared beside the Guardian’s rear flank, outside the barrier but beyond the reach of its horn, and the Frostgrave Scythe carved a cold crescent arc through the air.

Pfft!

The curved blade tore across the gaps between the silver white scales, leaving a deep wound along the Guardian’s side.

"ROAR!"

The quadrupedal beast turned its massive body and kicked backward with both hind legs, spatial energy bursting from its hooves in a violent shockwave.

But Zich had already vanished.

His figure reappeared more than ten meters away as the shockwave tore apart the ground where he had stood, sending black fragments spinning past his face.

The barrier rippled under the continuous pressure. Each time it absorbed an impact, the silver light gathering around the Guardian’s horn weakened slightly.

"Continue."

Iron stepped into the front line, raising its bone greatsword with both hands. The Undead Skeleton Soldiers spread around it, striking different points of the barrier in a staggered rhythm while Slimy’s threads repeatedly tightened and loosened around the Guardian’s hind legs, interfering with its footing whenever it attempted to reinforce the defense.

The Guardian dragged Slimy several meters across the ground with one violent step, snapping several nearly transparent threads in the process, but the brief disturbance was enough for the Silverback Ape Grunt to attack again from the left.

Tiamant circled above the altar, preparing another descent from the right.

Meanwhile, Blood Leech continued circling along the outside of the barrier, its body almost brushing the cracked ground as it examined the point where the spatial defense met the surface.

Whenever the spatial distortion along the barrier’s lower edge weakened, information was immediately transmitted back to Zich through their summoning contract.

Before the next assault could begin, the Earth Vein Ancient Turtle reached the altar.

Its enormous head crashed directly into the silver white barrier.

BOOM!

The impact shook the entire battlefield. The Earth Vein Ancient Turtle failed to break through, but its vast body remained pressed against the barrier, obstructing several magical beasts still attempting to approach the Wasteland Slumberer.

The attacks continued without pause, and the spatial distortions around the altar grew increasingly unstable.

Meanwhile, in Nadia’s Fourth Floor trial space.

Inside a canyon shrouded in black mist, the Nether Eye White Tiger stood before Nadia, its white fur stained with blood and the third eye on its forehead glowing with a cold, ghostly light.

Three magical beasts, each close to Level 30, rushed through the mist from separate directions.

"Left!"

Nadia’s command fell just as the Nether Eye White Tiger twisted its body and pounced. Its claws collided with the first beast’s skull, while a beam of pale spiritual light shot from its third eye and struck the second beast before it could enter Nadia’s blind spot.

BOOM!

The canyon wall shook beneath the collision.

The third magical beast broke through the scattered rocks and lunged toward Nadia. She stepped aside at the last possible instant, directing the White Tiger with a sharp gesture as the beast’s jaws passed close enough for its breath to brush her cheek.

The Nether Eye White Tiger turned in midair, landed behind the attacker, and tore its claws across its exposed back.

Nadia retreated several meters, breathing heavily as blood flowed from a cut along her arm. At the edge of her vision, the system timer continued counting down.

"Six minutes remaining."

The black mist was already thickening again, concealing the movements of the injured magical beasts.

She had no idea what Zich was facing, but judging from his previous clear times, he was almost certainly ahead of her in the Fourth Floor’s progress.

She refused to let that distance grow.

"Tiger, again!"

The third eye on the White Tiger’s forehead opened wider, and at Nadia’s command, it advanced into the black mist first while she followed closely behind under its protection.

Meanwhile, in Helen’s Fourth Floor trial space.

An enormous furnace stood at the center of the battlefield, continuously erupting with crimson flames. Behind its reinforced shell, a trial craftsman was repairing the damaged core of a teleportation device, each metallic impact almost drowned beneath the roars surrounding them.

Helen’s mission was not to kill every monster.

She had to protect the craftsman until the repair was completed.

Magical beasts poured in from three passages, their claws scraping across the scorched stone as they pressed toward the defensive line.

"So troublesome."

Helen raised one hand, and rings of flame spread beneath her feet.

BOOM!

A pillar of crimson fire surged into the air, swallowing the first group of magical beasts and reducing them to ash. The resulting heat wave forced the remaining creatures apart, but two still rushed through the flames along the edges.

Helen turned her wrist.

FWOOSH!

A wall of fire rose before the furnace, forcing one beast backward while a condensed flame spear pierced through the other’s chest. Sparks scattered across her face, yet there was not the slightest relief in her expression.

If even one magical beast reached the craftsman, her mission rating would fall.

She glanced toward the incomplete teleportation device.

"Zich..."

The craftsman’s hammer struck the core again, and another wave of beasts appeared within the smoke.

"You had better not have reached the Fifth Floor already."