On the other side of the central region of Hall Plains.
Amanda and the other two archaeologists were inside an abandoned ruin. They were putting all the clues that they'd discovered so far.
"So far... There is a really ancient civilization here before the Hall of Power's rise." Amanda muttered.
"Yeah, it seems comparable to a large country." Jason nodded.
"Then, how do we stop the Mountain of Demise with this? There is not much time before the so-called emperor broke out of the seal." Amanda asked.
"We can use this to disrupt the flow of energy in the layers of the crimson net. As long as we find the central point of ruins, then it's possible." Lindi answered.
"Lindi is right. If we do nothing then all of the people in the Hall Plains will be purged. But it won't happen right away. According to our investigation, the first seal will occur first, and a portion of the emperor's power will break out. In this case, the emperor needed a vessel to hold his power." Jason explained.
"Speaking of the vessel, if the Hall of Power started the ritual, it means that they already had the perfect vessel for it," Lindi added.
"Perfect vessel...?" Amanda narrowed her eyes.
She had a bad feeling about everything that was happening so far. The ancient civilization before the rise of the Hall of Power was one of the things that could stop the ritual.
Amanda knew that Souta and the others would also try to stop this. In fact, even the other warriors of Athena would help them. It was the truth and she believed them but she also had to try her best too in case something goes wrong.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Franklin and Eztein were fighting Drayrin fiercely across the land area. They were too fast and strong as their battle devastated the nearby landscape.
Despite being both at the top level One Shackled Realm. Eztein and Franklin couldn't overpower Drayrin.
"Hey, old man. It seems that the rumors about you are true." Eztein said as he repeatedly thrust his spear at their opponent.
"What rumor?"
"Rumors about you injuring a Two Shackles expert and even breaking through the formation of several One Shackle experts," Eztein answered.
"Oh, that happens." Franklin shrugged his shoulder.
"You two are taking it easy." Drayrin smiled as he increased his speed and more.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The collision of their powers caused an intense reaction in the air. A large amount of energy swept out, shaking the entire ground. The whole area feels like it was about to burst open as the energy of the three experts fiercely clashed in midair.
Boom!!
Franklin smiled as he rushed forward. He didn't even try to block Drayrin's attack at all causing his left leg to explode. His blood sprayed in every direction but he kept moving forward.
"Come here and let me rip your stomach!" Franklin laughed.
"This lunatic shit!" Drayrin took a step back. He gathered his energy in his hand and threw another punch.
Swoosh!
Eztein appeared beside Franklin before he heavily swung his spear. The blade of the spear collided with Drayrin's attack.
Argh! Fuck!
Eztein gritted his teeth and he used all of his might. In an instant, he activated the [Element Drive] to bolster his overall stats and firepower.
With this boost, he managed to deflect the opponent's attack. Also, Franklin didn't hesitate and used his [Element Drive] too in tandem with Eztein. He rushed forth heading in front of Drayrin in the blink of an eye.
Swoosh!
"You fucking!!"
Drayrin roared. A vast amount of elemental energy exploded out of his body. It created a vast net that expanded nonstop until it covered a huge area.
Franklin crossed his arms in front of him and tore the energy field violently. The energy field also scraped his skin and muscles but the parasite quickly recovered his body to normal.
He pounced at Drayrin without wasting any second.
Drayrin became mad. This fucking immortal being was annoying and he knew that he had to end this quickly. But killing Franklin and Eztein was easier to say than doing it.
He tightly clenched both of his fists and clashed with Franklin. The two wrestled in midair as their energy field swept out every second without an interruption.
Bang! Bang!
Eztein watched both of them and was preparing himself to join once he saw an opportunity.
"The old man is several times stronger than before... His improvement is too fast."
Eztein took a glance at the other soldiers of Astros. Torkez was commanding the soldiers and was giving the enemy side a good fight. He smiled and shook his head. He could leave that side to Torkez without any problem.
"Torkez will handle that side. I need to make sure to kill that guy. He is the one who killed Elder Guan."
Eztein narrowed his eyes.
Franklin continued to wrestle with Drayrin. He was taking more damage than he expected. He couldn't completely avoid Drayrin's powerful attacks so he could only rely on his parasite and avoid taking damage to his vital parts.
Bang! Bang!
Drayrin felt a numbing sensation around his fists. Franklin's attack was affecting him and vice versa. Franklin's bones cracked and his skin was shredded every time he took Drayrin's attack. The only difference between the two was that Franklin had a super regenerative ability thanks to the parasitic essence eater while Drayrin didn't.
Argh!
Drayrin groaned as he felt pain assault his back. He glanced over and saw Eztein attacking him with a sharp spear.
"This trash!!"
Drayrin turned around to attack Eztein but Franklin didn't let him do so easily. Franklin viciously swung both of his arms which turned into gigantic blades.
Bang! Bang!
He ignored the pain as he heavily struck Eztein's stomach. His fist, which was full of elemental energy, exploded upon contact with Eztein's body.
Boom!
Eztein was blasted away and crashed on the ground causing a deep pit. He spat a mouthful of blood and felt hundreds of bones within his body were shattered instantly.
"Argh, fuck!"
Eztein gritted his teeth as he stood up while the parasite rapidly repaired his body. He took a deep breath before he joined the battle once again.
...
It was chaotic in Hall Plains. Battles were happening everywhere and civilians were dying every second. Those people who didn't have the strength to protect themselves were the first ones to die.
Every city and organization was taking sides, the side of the Hall of Power or they would go against the Hall of Power. There were only two options and those who didn't move would perish if the ritual was completed.
On the other side of the central plains...
Alice and Isabella's group were also facing a bunch of people from the Hall of Power. They were killing people left and right but the enemies kept coming at them. It was a nonstop assault.
"Isabella, hide for now and find an opportunity to assassinate the enemy's higher-ups," Alice said to Isabella.
Isabella nodded before she took a step back and vanished in the shadows.
Alice had a serious expression on her face as she looked at the top of the Mountain of Demise. She knew that they couldn't keep up with this pace. They had to defeat the enemies as soon as possible.
This entire plan was reckless from the beginning. Souta's words made sense but she felt that that wasn't the true reason why he divided the Astros into several groups. He must be planning something.
Alice took a deep breath before she lead her subordinates to fight the enemies in front of them.
"Charge!!"
She immediately brandished her weapon and rushed at the enemy's leader. Alice would keep them busy so that Isabella would gain an opportunity to kill the others.
With a single swing of her spear, dozens of enemy soldiers were blown away. She continued to advance while defeating all the enemies that were blocking her way until she arrived at the focal point of the enemy. There were three One Shackle Realm experts but they weren't enough if they wanted to fight Alice.
She was already Two Shackles ever since she came out of that underground tomb in Bland City. She hasn't fought anyone that could make her go all out. The Hall of Power was a good place to test her newly found strength. According to Souta, the enemy had a lot of strong experts.
'But I don't think that it will be easy...'
Alice said inwardly. She thrust her spear at the three One Shackle experts. The three experts tried to jump away but Alice simply spun her spear at high speed. A strong suction force appeared that slowed the three experts.
She then gripped the spear and swiftly launched consecutive strikes at the enemy.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
When Alice was at One Shackle Realm, she could already fight several of them at the same time. Now that she achieved a level above, an ordinary One Shackle Realm was too weak in front of her.
