abnabooks Chapter 201 The World Behind the Bronze Gate
Chapter 201 The World Behind the Bronze Gate
Chapter 201 The World Behind the Bronze Gate
"Everyone, prepare for impact! We are about to reach the edge of the Valley of Annihilation!" the captain shouted.
The airship was like a small boat in a storm, struggling to navigate through the devastating thunderstorm.
Behind them, inside the Ironforge palace, Maya stood on a high watchtower, gazing towards the Thunder Mountains, her clenched fists revealing her inner turmoil.
"Shield strength at 62%, approaching the designated hovering coordinates Twin Cliffs." The captain's roar echoed through the gaps in the thunder.
"Execute according to plan. Captain Eric, Captain Martin, and Captain Elena, follow me ashore. The rest of you will split into two teams to guard the gunboat."
With Li Ang's command, the hatch opened, and violent thunder and chaotic energy flow instantly rushed into the cabin.
Li Ang was the first to leap out. In order to conserve magic power, he took out [Gentle Breeze Barrier LV7] and instantly opened the barrier, enveloping the team members who followed him.
The barrier isolated most of the energy turbulence and the occasional violent lightning strikes.
As I stepped onto the charred, broken rocks at the edge of the Valley of Desolation, a chill that seemed to originate from the depths of my soul suddenly rose within me.
Unlike the raging chaos elsewhere in the Thunder Mountains, this place is deathly still, cold as if it could devour all life.
"Follow me." The shadow wolf that Elena had transformed into growled, its nostrils flaring as it quickly locked onto a faint, fresh scent in the air, the scent of a living person.
The others followed closely behind, not daring to be careless in the slightest.
Li Ang maintained the [Gentle Breeze Barrier], his mental energy highly concentrated, and his Precognitive Ring was also quietly activating, capturing any possible signs of danger.
The team spread out in a battle formation, with Eric and Martin positioned on either flank, vigilantly watching their surroundings.
The deeper they went, the more intense the deathly chill became, and a faint gray-black mist began to permeate the air, carrying a pungent smell of sulfur and decay.
Suddenly, Elena in front stopped, lowered her body, and let out a warning growl.
Following her gaze, everyone saw a colossal bronze door standing at the end of a relatively open valley that seemed to have been cleaved open by a tremendous force.
The door is carved with countless twisted, painful, and wailing images of souls, and just looking at them makes one feel uneasy.
The door was emitting a faint green light, and a crack had appeared in the middle, slowly but steadily opening inwards.
Before the bronze gate stood a figure—it was Loki, whom they had been searching for.
At this moment, Loki's face no longer held the composure and elegance he had displayed in the royal city; instead, it was filled with an almost fanatical devotion and anticipation.
He opened his arms as if welcoming something, muttering to himself.
Hearing the commotion behind him, Loki slowly turned around, a dangerous smile, a mixture of sarcasm and fanaticism, curling at the corner of his lips: "The Alliance's dogs, their noses are really sharp—too bad, you're too late!" His voice echoed through the deathly silent valley, carrying a chilling resonance.
"The door is open!"
Li Ang's pupils contracted sharply. He keenly sensed that not only was there no lightning around, but even the originally violent lightning elemental energy in the air became docile and even deathly still when it approached the bronze gate, as if it had been suppressed by some kind of force.
Just then, a black, withered hand suddenly reached out from the crack in the bronze door and grabbed Loki, who was closest to the door.
"No! It was I who opened the door, I am your loyal servant—" Loki's fanaticism instantly turned into terror and disbelief as he struggled in vain, trying to explain.
But the black hand paid no heed, its five fingers closing as if crushing a fragile berry, instantly crushing Loki's body. His flesh and bones turned to dust in an instant, and were then completely absorbed by the black hand.
Immediately afterwards, a twisted, dark spirit, exuding intense resentment and the aura of the underworld, screamed as it flew out from Loki's shattered body.
"This is a vengeful spirit!" Celia's voice rang out with a hint of solemnity.
"Loki's soul has long been deeply corrupted by the power of the underworld, or rather, he is not a true human being at all. He is likely an ancient vengeful spirit that escaped from behind the door thousands of years ago and has been constantly possessing human bodies!"
In the air, the vengeful spirit that Loki had become let out a sharp, joyful howl, its voice filled with madness and ecstasy: "Hahaha—foolish! You thought you could stop me? No, you have only destroyed the future of this continent with your own hands. Hades could have stood against the End!"
At the same time, the gap in the bronze gate widened, and thick, inky darkness poured out, accompanied by a teeth-grinding scraping sound and countless shrill howls.
First to emerge were countless vengeful spirits of various shapes and sizes, surging out from behind the door like a tide, their icy negative energy causing the temperature of the entire valley to plummet.
Immediately afterwards, an even larger figure stepped out from the darkness behind the door!
He was over five meters tall and had a humanoid torso, but his head was a hideous horse's head burning with eerie green flames.
A pair of enormous eyes, like two black holes, devoured the surrounding light.
He was clad in rusty, jet-black armor that seemed to be forged from countless tormented souls. He dragged a massive iron chain, as thick as an adult's thigh, which was scorched red-hot. The chain sizzled and burned across the rocky ground, leaving streaks of scorch marks.
A deathly pressure far more terrifying and pure than that of the Thousand-Faced Wraith swept out as if it were a tangible force.
"Watch out!" Celia's voice carried a noticeable tension for the first time.
"This is Samigina, one of the ten great generals of the underworld!"
Faced with the surging army of vengeful spirits and the Samigina that exuded an aura of despair, Leon did not hesitate and immediately established an emergency communication with Ironforge.
"Your Majesty! The gates of the underworld have opened, and a large number of high-level vengeful spirits and underworld general-level monsters have appeared. Immediately activate the highest alert and dispatch all available heavy firepower to provide support. Their location is on the path from the Valley of Annihilation to Ironforge. We need firepower coverage and blocking positions."
Inside the Ironforge royal palace, Maya received a communication, her emerald eyes instantly igniting with fire. She issued a command to her royal ring: "All heavy cavalry of the Royal Guard Division, depart immediately to meet Li Angqing and his group. First Magic Cannon Squad..."
Second and third squadrons, use all available airships to proceed to the designated area and establish blocking positions at top speed! Hurry!
The order was passed down, and within Ironforge, horns blared. Nearly a thousand heavily armed cavalrymen, already fully prepared, rode their armored black goats and surged out of the city gates like an iron torrent.