As Master led them into the cave, Sizhad asked, "You took us here expecting a battle, didn't you? Who will we be facing? The demons?"
As a general, Sizhad preferred to know beforehand what they were up against. He had heard the area around an underworld portal would be infested by the underworld demons.
"No. We will be facing the natives who were sealing the portal. They won't let us near the portal willingly," Master answered.
"My lord used to be this country's sovereign. Can't they just let us pass on account of that?" Motherboard asked.
Master explained that the group who guarded this underworld portal was native ethereals tasked by the ancient Liguritudum ruler. But at the same time they accepted the responsibility, they were stripped of their ranks. They were people who no longer had ties to the ruling party of this country. Their sole task was to guard this underworld portal with their lives. No one would be allowed access unless it was to close the portal.
"Too bad we can't get the Portal-closing Stone. Otherwise, we can fool the guards with that item to let us approach the portal," Mistress said.
Master chuckled. "Yes, that will ease our task. But with our current power, we do not need that kind of deception."
As they walked deeper into the cave, Master cast one summoning spell after another. Their number grew, but the tunnel was large enough so they weren't cramped.
A group of ten ethereal guards came out to meet them from deep inside the tunnel. Master had known about their approach from his God-eye monocle. The ten had levels ranging around level 70. One was a rare elite. The rest were special elites.
"Halt! What is your purpose for coming here?!" The rare elite leader called. The lead's tone was commanding, but all ten guards wore weary expressions after seeing the mass before them.
Master simply smiled at them. He said to his people. "I will take care of them."
He then transformed into a lightning being. He turned into a lightning bolt and zoomed forward, arriving right within the ten guards' midst. The ten guards were so taken aback that they didn't have time to react. Suddenly, a large sphere erupted from Master's lightning body. The sphere was filled with raging winds coated with lightning. All ten guards were encased within this sphere.
The ten guards screamed as their bodies were ravaged by intense sharp winds and electrocuted at the same time. The Wind God Rage enhanced by the Lightning God Incarnation swiftly dispatched all ten. Even the rare elite was dead by the time the Wind God Rage ended.
"I don't see why he asked us to come," Soundeffect sent GraphicZ a message. "Probably just want to show off his new power."
"Don't be disrespectful. You will be in trouble if he finds out your thoughts," GraphicZ replied with a warning.
"It is just a thought. Plus, he is not a God, yet," Soundeffect returned. This in turn gave him a worrying thought. He had heard that some Gods possessed the ability to read one's thoughts. If Master was finally a God and possessed this ability, didn't that mean he wouldn't be allowed to even have such a thought anymore? What kind of life would that be?
"We are close. Let's charge!" Master commanded. He again turned into another lightning bolt and rushed ahead. His summoned minions charged behind him. Ronald followed the summoned minions closely. He wouldn't wait if an attack command had been given.
"Let's go!" Sizhad commanded. They ran behind Master's summoned minions.
*
Deep inside the mountain Master's squad had entered was a giant cavern. At the center of this cavern was a large dark dome. If Jack was here, he would recognize the dome as one that sealed an underworld portal. Around the dome were ethereal mages maintaining the rune diagram that powered the dome.
Around the cavern were buildings carved from the stone wall of the cavern. These buildings housed facilities for the ethereals here. They had stayed here for centuries guarding the underworld portal and had turned this cavern into their home. Their number had grown to around a couple of thousand. The world system made it so each of them who grew up here was a combatant, but they were not affiliated with the country. They were here solely to defend this underworld portal.
At that moment, an alarm was sounding. The alarm was triggered by the guards stationed inside the tunnel leading into this cavern. Everyone, except those who maintained the sealing dome, went to the entrance of this cavern and took a defensive formation. They were ready against intruders.
As they waited for enemies to come out of the tunnel, a gigantic lightning explosion occurred at the tunnel's entrance. Several ethereals were thrown out of the tunnel following the explosion. Those ethereals were among the guards stationed inside the tunnel.
After the explosion, a lightning bolt streaked into the cavern. This lightning bolt turned into a humanoid lightning creature. It looked down at them with disdain. Large rocks suddenly materialized around the lightning creature and covered it, turning it into a giant rock creature. The rock then burst into lightning, making it a giant lightning rock creature.
This giant lightning rock creature dropped into their midst, causing a lightning shockwave and a massive tremor. All those in the vicinity received huge lightning and earth damage.
As the lightning rock creature started wreaking havoc in their midst, more monsters appeared from the tunnel's entrance. Like the lightning rock creature, these monsters just started attacking.
Not long after, a group of outworlders also entered and attacked without voicing any demand.
The ethereal defenders didn't ask. It was clear that these assailants' purpose was to eliminate them. They did not doubt these intruders were after the portal they were guarding. They couldn't let that happen. They fought with all their might. This was what they were born and trained all their lives for. This was the time to prove their conviction and carry out their duty.
Their resolve to complete their duty was unmatched. But even so, it wasn't enough.
