'Is it around here somewhere…?'
The damp cave walls dropped with unknown liquid, filling the entire cave system with a strange yet oddly calming scent.
Damien walked through the cave system for several hours without end, almost to the point where his perception of time began to blur.
At the moment, he was chasing something indescribable.
'I felt something strange during the trials, but that feeling came from deep within the Wild Continent. I wasn't sure if there would be tunnels connecting to such locations, but I should be able to get relatively close as long as I keep following this route.'
Even Damien didn't know exactly what he was looking for, only that it was important.
After all, a long-forgotten ability of his eyes had activated, the same ability that allowed him to sense Kurt Galloway's subspace and even Zara back when he was in the First Dungeon.
This sense always warned him about extraordinary danger or opportunity.
It had been dormant for a very long time. It was evident that this particular ability had extremely high standards for reacting.
Hadn't it been the only reason Damien saved Zara back then? Who would've thought that she was a being with such mysterious origins?
Knowing the past track record of this ability, Damien wasted no effort to try and find the source of that feeling, but as far as he'd been searching, he'd been unsuccessful.
'The only thing changing is this burning heat in my chest. The sensation has been incrementally growing fiercer with every second.'
It felt like the sun was blazing within his Mana Heart.
Yet, this sensation made Damien feel like he was continuously getting closer to the source of his troubles and curiosity.
Rumble!
Just as he stood up to continue searching, the earthen walls and ceiling enclosing the space began to shake chaotically.
HONG!
HONG!
HONG!
Three ancient bell rings that sounded almost vibrant were accompanied by three shockwaves that threatened to collapse the cave system Damien was in.
His attention was immediately drawn to the surface. His gaze pierced through reality, allowing him to see the slight gold hue that had permeated the Wild Continent's atmosphere.
'I see, so that heavenly treasure is finally blooming. The surface will become chaotic soon enough.' Damien thought with a grin.
'If this thing turns out to be what I think it is, my plans will proceed far smoother than expected. Haha, just gather in peace and fight those fools from Asuran Gate for now. I'll make sure both of you exit this world together.'
Damien shook his head with a smile and began moving again. From the looks of it, there were still several days before he needed to act. In that time, he had a few specific goals he absolutely needed to accomplish.
'Which means no more dawdling.'
His eyes sharpened.
It was time for him to get serious.
***
A few hundreds of thousands of kilometers wasn't a distance that meant anything to a high-level 4th class expert, but when it came to moving as an army, even such a distance became taxing.
Putting aside the weaker forces that held the army back, there were also several security matters, conformity rules, and other circumstances that made it difficult for Heaven's Army to move at its full potential speed,
Overall, it took almost an entire week to reach the mountain valley where the heavenly material was hatching.
The groups of Heaven's Army joined together 4 days in and passed the great mountain that blocked them from their location.
It was a grueling journey for many, especially near the end, but most of them were able to make it through without dying.
Lucas stepped over the horizon, his figure occupying one of the two great mountains bordering the valley. Behind him, several million troops stood uniformly, slightly separated by unit and squad.
'Damn, we're late.' He thought with narrowed eyes.
As he gazed across the valley, he could clearly see the repulsing form of Sir Theon and his elite troop standing at a spot nearly parallel to his own.
Lucas furrowed his brows. 'As expected, his troop is far less numerous than it was previously. That mysterious expert really did leave a severe blow.'
It wasn't just the troops, even Sir Theon himself had a slightly weaker aura than he did previously.
'Just how?'
Lucas couldn't wrap his head around it. Even he, someone who stood on par with Sir Theon, couldn't leave a lasting internal injury on the man. Just how powerful was the mysterious expert to do so and escape without his identity being known?
In reality, Sir Theon was injured by the backlash of his own skill when the Demon God Summoning failed to consume its target, but that was perhaps even more embarrassing!
What would Sir Theon and Lucas do when they realized the mysterious man they'd been fearing and respecting was actually a junior that they could kill with a single slap?
Nevertheless, that was a story for another time.
At the moment, these two men stood across from each other and, despite the distance, didn't break eye contact even once.
Silence descended on the mountain valley.
All eyes were drawn to a small golden light that appeared in the dirt.
"Haha, nobody can stop me now!"
A voice suddenly rang out. A Nox being stood near the golden light, seemingly having snuck there while the two sides were busy standing off.
The sound of necks snapping in his direction was almost palpable.
Countless eyes went red with envy.
"How dare you take what's mine?!"
"Catch him first, we can compete later!"
"Hahaha, you are all too weak for this treasure!"
From both Heaven's Army and the Nox side, several weaker or less intelligent beings shot forward. The original Nox was cut down in an instant as several thousand others tried to take his place and steal the material before it bloomed.
However…
Thuk!
Thuk!
Thuk!
Bodies suddenly started dropping on the floor. Their vitality was sucked away and they were turned into lifeless husks in an instant.
Numerous small vines receded into the ground after completely devouring the thousands who charged early.
Their blood and vitality nurtured the half-birthed secret treasure.
The true golden light below the ground was tinged golden-red.
Rumble!
'Those idiots caused changes in the heavenly material, but they also caused it to bloom faster. I can't say whether this is a blessing or a curse.' Lucas thought to himself as he watched the ground split apart.
He didn't stop those people, and neither did Sir Theon.
It was for the sole purpose that their sacrifice, even if it changed the nature of the heavenly material, would definitely strengthen it.
And finally…
BOOM!
The ground burst into countless fragments that flew into the surroundings and embedded thems legs into any solid surface they could find, including the bodies of many unfortunate souls.
From the cracked earth, a massive vine rose into the sky. Beautiful iridescent flowers bloomed on its surface with every few meters that it raised out of the ground, growing large enough that even a single flower could eclipse several dozen people.
'This is it…!' Lucas exclaimed.
He didn't know the exact identity of the treasure, but the breath it exuded was extremely enticing. It felt like even a Supreme like him could benefit from consuming this treasure.
Realizing this, he didn't hesitate to make the call.
"Heaven's Army, don't falter! Charge and take the treasure before those scum can!"
