As Layla entered the crypt, the ghost that was recovering from Vicente's earlier blow and the lich immediately sensed her presence among them.
They both turned their attention toward the woman, realizing that someone else had appeared to challenge them before the enemy they had expected to face.
"Shit! Quick, neutralize her, or we'll lose our efforts!" The ghost shouted from inside its cocoon, unable to do much against Layla while it was still wounded.
The lich got up and tried to move towards the woman, already casting a spell over the area and making its monsters move.
"Damned woman! Stop right there!" It shouted as it realized that Layla was too fast for it to hit her with any of its spells!
It tried to hit her with some of its special methods, but all of its blows were missed.
Meanwhile, the monsters that had moved first in front of Layla were completely destroyed as she passed through them.
Bones and body parts littered the area as Layla quickly gathered the items she had planned to collect.
The lich didn't dare to approach Layla, so it tried to stop her by using its spells on the area they were in.
"I may not be able to hit you, but you still have to use the ground to move!" It said with a malicious voice, casting a spell and directing it at the ground.
Immediately after it moved, the red earth in that area turned black while the entire underground area of The Skull City shook.
Layla saw the patch of blackened ground in her path and noted that she would have a problem if she were touched by the terrifying dark mist spreading around her.
Then she looked at the walls of that place and her final destination there. Having gathered everything she wanted, she left, running very fast across the untransformed area of the floor until she reached the walls there.
As she ran in a spiral path along the walls and then along the ceiling, the ghost and the 4th-stage lich were shocked to see her appear next to the unconscious body of the human on the cross.
"Shit! She can do that?" The lich shouted as it saw the unconscious man's body appear on Layla's back.
Layla was so fast that even these Sovereigns couldn't see her every move. Only parts of her movement were visible as she moved in front of them.
'Follow her immediately! If she warns the other of our plans, we're screwed!' The ghost said in its companion's mind as Layla left the area, passing through the bodies of the monsters there as if they were nothing.
The lich had no skin, but it felt as if it was completely sweaty and did not hesitate to move, using a special spell on itself to enhance its physical features.
Then it ran after her, a little slower than Layla but fast enough to keep the gray-haired woman in its grasp for some time.
As it moved, it cast spells at her, trying to block her path and make her movement less efficient.
Layla saw several of the enemy's attacks pass close to her as she dodged the obstacles in her path, expending much of her mana in the process.
She was faster than her opponent and could keep up the pursuit for a while. But she had less mana than her opponent and was sure to run out before it!
'Shit! I've got to find Vicente!' She thought, imagining she would be in big trouble in 10 to 15 minutes.
...
Layla didn't return to get Bella out of the underground area. Still, the green-haired woman noticed what was happening as she witnessed part of the lich's pursuit of her ally.
She didn't know if her companion was with Layla or not, but Bella was confident that whatever it was, there was nothing she could do.
Then she left her place and headed for the surface of The Skull City, as this area was naturally safer than the local underground.
Bella thought about leaving The Skull City and waiting for Layla outside this cursed place, but she considered that her temporary companion might need her help later.
'I'll wait 30 minutes.' Bella thought to herself. 'If Layla manages to lose the Sovereign and comes to me, I can help her get out of the city.'
She went to a place where they arranged to meet in case of any trouble that might force them apart.
...
While Layla ran and Bella went to her waiting place, Vicente was in the same place as before.
Inside his consciousness space, Torne finished absorbing the resource that Vicente had used hours ago to help this ghost.
By now, Torne's magic cultivation had reached the same level as it was before he lost consciousness at the end of the 3rd stage.
However, he still had the opportunity to return to the 4th stage, so he was still focused on finishing the absorption of this power and reaching a more significant fraction of his real power again.
He still wouldn't reach his old strength with this resource, but he would be much closer and useful to Vicente as a slave again.
Vicente smiled as he felt his slave's improvements, but as he did so, he noticed something strange changing in his surroundings.
'What is it?' He noticed a suppressive effect appearing around his body.
It was still fragile, but it was enough for him to notice.
As he changed his expression, trying to understand what could be behind it, Torne made his final move and reached the beginning of the 4th stage!
The old ghost stopped meditating in Vicente's consciousness space and answered his master's questions. 'This is my fault.
There may be 4th-stage ghosts in this place, master. But 4th-
stage magicians are forbidden here. Since I'm connected to you, this cursed city considers you a Sovereign.'
'Oh? So we have to leave?'
'Yes. You won't be punished or expelled right away. But this oppression will gradually increase until the power behind the local curse expels us.' Torne said to Vicente when he correctly read what was happening. 'Then we'd better leave first. That could make us vulnerable to the 4th stage beings.'
Vicente sighed, but he didn't regret leaving this place so soon. However, his goal there was to strengthen Layla and recover Torne. He wasn't sure how the woman was doing, but he had accomplished the most important part of his goal.
So when he got up from where he was sitting, he didn't hesitate to stop hiding, to find Layla, and to leave the city.
