Dungeon of Pride, Laplace

866  Chapter 866- 85th Floor (3)

The Ivory Terraquake Rhino spoke patting his armour. Beside him, the Black Ogre King and the Emerald Viperlord used their own abilities to resist the incoming firing.

"I see now, indeed in an atmosphere like this, there is no way of knowing where the attack is coming from or where the attacker is"

Everywhere they looked, darkness covered their eyes making it impossible to see anything past a few feet away from them.

"Shasurna, you possess the best dark vision among your clan. can't you see through the darkness?" Gil-garna questioned.

Shasurna's face at this moment was a sight to be seen. Fluctuating between green, red and pale, his expression said it all. It appeared that even this mighty Emerald Viperlord and one of the Seven Kings was unable to see through the darkness pervading the ruins.

"There is something wrong with the darkness here or else with my rare superior tier Scotopic Vision, I should have been able to see through everything clearly" Shasurna defended himself.

"Right, if even your skills aren't working, then it must be some kind of trick at play here" Gil-Garna added giving his fellow seven kings some face.

"Besides, it isn't just the darkness, these attacks…"

BANG… he hurriedly crushed an attack targeting his head before continuing "They are quite unusual as well. I have never seen these kinds of attacks. They do not conform to any magic, skills or techniques that I have seen. Yet from the look and feel they appear like highly condensed arrows of light".

These arrows of light were extremely fast and the only visible source of light in this darkness. Power wise, they packed a lot of energy and could easily kill a being on the level 300 or below. No wonder, it was able to wreak havoc on their alliance.

"Well, whatever they are, they aren't a threat to us. Let's proceed forward and see where the enemies are. This time I clearly felt the direction of the attack".

With those words, the seven kings started moving. They were constantly besieged by the heavy firing of these light arrows; however, other than slowing them down a little, it managed nothing else. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Careful there, there is some kind of mechanism hidden there. I can feel mana pulsating from over there, it must be a magical trap" Gil-Garna casually cautioned.

There was no sense of any real danger that could be sensed from his words since they all knew that even if they activated or fell into the trap, it would do nothing to them. As such, they went forward with a sense of invincibility.

At first, when they entered the dungeon all that greeted them was darkness with arrows of light barraging them from unknown directions. However, as they continued forward, the darkness swiftly receded and they could finally see some light in this tunnel of darkness.

"Hoh!! Does that mean that we have cleared the first part of these ruins?"

What appeared before them after the darkness was a vast huge illuminated by numerous torches that hung on the wall. Tall columns supported the ceiling of this place and the walls here were marked by carvings and glyphs that looked quite ancient.

"What do we have here?"

Shasurna walked ahead and looked at the walls which were lined with rows of murals and tapestries each depicting scenes of epic battles, rituals, and legendary heroes. These drawings were carved in an intricate and grand manner giving those who looked at them, a sense of awe and reverence.

"I have to say, the demon did really create something impressive. Look at these murals on the walls, they looked quite ancient with the weight of history imbued into them"…

"You are right, I have seen these kinds of murals back in the ruins that I occupy. These words and symbols hold a special meaning and usually signify a place of great significance or importance. A site that had been hidden by the world or lost in history" Gil-Garna stood by the Emerald Viperlord and also inspected the murals on the wall.

"Hey, enough of looking at the drawings. I don't know what joy you find in looking at them. However, shouldn't we focus on clearing these ruins rather than reading what's on those walls? I have yet to see even the shadow of a treasure here. This trip is turning out to be quite boring"

 Yverza complained, unlike the other two, he had no interest in the craving and drawings on the wall. What he wanted was treasure and excitement, none of which was present here.

"Don't say that, do you see any exit here? Since there is none, it must mean that we have to find it or activate some kind of mechanism. The murals here could be the key to where the treasures are" Gil-Garna mentioned, rationally assessing the situation.

 "Anyways, come look at this. You will also find it interesting"…

 "No thanks, I would rather sleep than use my head. Wake me up once you find anything" Yverza did not wait for a reply and immediately sat cross legged and fell asleep. His posture even while asleep was as tall and impressive as a mountain.

 "This guy… " Gil-garna couldn't help but shake his head.

"Leave him be. Rather, you were in the midst of telling something, I would like it if you continued"..

"As I was saying, I have seen these kinds of drawings back in my territory and they usually signify a place of great significance. But of course, this ruin was something that was created by that demon, there is no way these drawings and the ones on my temple are of the same significance. Still, if we look at them we might be able to find the clues or the piece that would get us to the next part of this ruin"

As Gil-Garna and Shasurna stared at the murals, they were able to find that each one of these drawings told a story— a tale of triumph and tragedy, of heroes and villains locked in eternal struggle.

Some depicted scenes of glorious victory, with armies clashing beneath stormy skies and mighty warriors standing tall against the tide of darkness. Others showed scenes of grand sceneries, of mountains and skies, of mystical energies and life. There was a grandeur and splendour to it that one couldn't just explain in words.

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As Gil-Garna and Shasurna closely studied the drawings, they suddenly noticed a pattern.

"This…" A recurring drawing that appeared on every wall and mural. What's more, it also hinted at something, a purpose behind the construction of this hall.

Images of coffins and crypts, their stone lids carved with symbols of death and decay. It was as if the hall itself was a vast tomb, a final resting place for those who had come before.

Just as the two of them were starting to piece all of these together, it was then the hall showed its true face. a low, deep rumbling like the growl of a feral monster emanating from the darkness above.

THUD… with a noise, something fell down from the darkness above.

"About time, I was just getting bored out of my mind"

At the same time, the sleeping Ivory Terraquake Rhino opened one of his eyes and grinned. The next instant, his figure moved at the speed of a bullet and rammed into the thing that fell down.

BANG… a few columns near the area shook and dust fell down. After a while, the appearance of the thing that fell down, finally came into the vision of everyone.

"What is this thing?"

Holding the thing with one hand, Yverza questioned. The being that fell from the darkness above was wrapped in tattered bandages, its form obscured by layers of dusty cloth. At first glance, it looked like a mummy; however, there was an unmistakable aura of malevolence emanating from it, like a sinister force trapped within its ancient wrappings.

"Scavenger Mummies?!!" Shasurna muttered. He seemed to have some knowledge about this kind of monster which was unique to the great sphinx desert that bordered the Ghastly Winding Forest.

"No, they aren't just your normal Scavenger Mummies" Gil-garna shook his head "They are far more powerful and menacing looking than the scavenger mummies".

The scavenger mummies were low level monsters the likes of which even their subordinates could easily defeat. In the food chain, they belonged at the lowest level along with direwolves and such.

However, from the appearance of the being in front of them, one could see that the creature although resembled some similarity to the Scavenger mummies, was far different. Its bandages were stained with dark, rust-colored stains, as if they had been soaked in blood.

Its hands were tipped with long, sharp claws, and its eyes glowed with an eerie green light that seemed to be capable of piercing through one's soul like twin beacons of malice.

That said, its blood coloured bandages nor its eyes was the most disturbing part about the creature but rather its stomach which stood out starkly. Unlike the rest of its body, the area around its abdomen was devoid of any wrappings, exposing raw, leathery skin that wiggled sickeningly.

What's more, these leathery flesh were latching onto Yverza's arm like tendril of squid that contained numerous gaping maws lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth. The creature was far different from the monster they knew as scavenger mummies.

"This.. are you suggesting that it is the evolved race of Scavenger mummies? But how could that be? I have never heard of the scavenger mummies being able to evolve?" Shasurna was astonished.

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Creator's Thought

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