It appeared like a carapace of something, occasionally shrinking and vanishing from Klein’s line of sight, and at times peeking out due to an invisible wind, revealing some of its outlines.
With it acting as an anchor point and looking further up, there were colors of green that was almost black, standing there silently.
Without trying to do something that was destined to be in vain, he jumped down from the staircase that seemed to lead to heaven and phased back inside the palace.
With the existence of Queen Mystic in mind, Klein did some simple tidying up before leaving the gray fog and returning to his bathroom.
After tying up the loose ends, he walked to his suitcase, took out the Sun Brooch, and wore it on his double-breasted frock coat.
After all the turmoil he had been through, the mystical items he could now use had returned to the state when he was in Backlund. However, he was already a Sequence 5 and possessed one of the most difficult powers to deal with below that of the demigods. He was, in the true sense of the word, a powerhouse in the Beyonder world.
After looking at this in silence, he raised his hands and adjusted the buttons at his cuffs and patted his black suit.
…
Lightning streaked across the sky, illuminating the stacked, dark buildings ahead.
Demon Hunter Colin Iliad, with two swords on his back, pointed ahead and said, “That’s Afternoon Town.”
He combed his grizzled hair that was flying about in the wind that swept through the wilderness.
He soon realized that it was reasonable. This was because the Giant King’s Court was located somewhere near the City of Silver. Afternoon Town was the intersecting point that connected both nodes.
With the lightning that illuminated the night sky, he clearly saw Afternoon Town in its entirety. It was built at the foot of a mountain and was naturally split into upper and lower levels. Instead of calling it a town, it wasn’t much smaller than most of the ruins the City of Silver found.
Here, the gray stones were stacked into different buildings. Some were entirely emptied out, nearing ten meters. Some were similar to the residence Derrick currently resided in; it was short as though any normal person would hit their heads onto the ceiling.
These buildings were arranged close together before spreading out. Some of them had collapsed, while a number remained standing despite showing signs of age and tear.
According to the City of Silver’s records, Afternoon Town was the door that separated reality from myth. It was a place where humans and giants lived together. There was day and night here, but most of the day was in a “noon” state. Regardless of the fog, storms, or snow, none of them were able to blot out the strong sunlight. But at this moment, it was dark and heavy. Even if the area was illuminated by light, it lacked a sense of brightness and there was no signs of life.
Clenching his axe tightly, Derrick, whose eyes had two miniature suns, was on the flanks of the exploration team. He followed Chief Colin into Afternoon Town.
This area had been cleared once on the first exploration. The streets were covered with signs of rotting flesh and dry pus. It was completely silent.
“Be careful. There are many strange monsters lurking in the darkness.” Colin Iliad, with his scarred face, didn’t let down his guard. He drew one of his dual swords as the silver light on his sword converged.
Before he could carefully observe his surroundings in search of possible clues, he suddenly heard a teammate on the other flank anxiously cry out, “There’s something!”
Derrick turned his head and saw a transparent face growing out of the wall of a ten-meter-tall stone building.
The face was filled with countless cracks. With great regularity, they spiraled around the center, forming a single eye or mouth that resembled a vortex.
The hurricane within the vortex was corporeal as it spewed out with a howl. The dawn-like light from within was dense, as though they were arrows of light.
They struck a few members of the exploration team, but they seemed to strike thick city walls. All they produced was dull and closely-spaced out thuds before disappearing into the dark environment.
At some point in time, City of Silver Chief, Colin Iliad, was genuflecting. He stabbed the silver sword in his hand into the rotting gray ground.
He had provided the front row with the strongest protection!
At the same time, the other members of the exploration team methodically unleashed their attacks. Hurricane’s of light and scarlet fireballs struck the monster.
Right on the heels of that, the holy light that Derrick summoned had landed on the vortex that resembled a single eye.
Amidst the explosive boom, the boulder, which was originally covered in cracks, collapsed. A transparent face screamed as it vaporized.
Although the battle was simple, Derrick didn’t feel happy at all. He had heard Mr. Hanged Man and Miss Justice discuss cases of Beyonder fights. Matching it with the experience the City of Silver had accumulated from resisting all kinds of monsters from the darkness, he worriedly discovered that the City of Silver had a limited number of pathways. Those who were not demigods lacked effective means of control, and the situation from before proved this point.
“Yes, Chief!” The exploration team members were mostly rich in experience. They soon formed their groups.
Derrick’s group consisted of three people. Apart from him, there was Joshua and Haim who had been to the abandoned temple with him before. The former was a Sequence 7 Weapon Master, and he had a mystical glove that could control fire. The latter was a recently advanced Sequence 6 Dawn Paladin. He was tall and reached a height of 2.3 meters.
The City of Silver, which had Warriors—also known as the Giant pathway—as the main force, had an average height of 1.8 meters (including children above the age of 6). Even if the Beyonder characteristics were inherited, the normal genes that were modified had accumulated with each generation. Although Derrick wasn’t old, he was nearly 1.8 meters tall and still had room to grow.
According to the designated targets, Derrick, Joshua, and Haim entered an alley on the left in a triangular battle formation. They checked every building that still allowed entry.
Perhaps as a result of the former sweep, they didn’t encounter any monsters. They couldn’t help but feel a little relieved.
“Rumor has it that the six-member council plans to set up camp here and make Afternoon Town a stronghold,” Joshua, who was wearing a scarlet glove on his left palm, said after observing the buildings.
Haim nodded and looked down at his two partners.
“The true target seems to be…”
He pointed diagonally upwards.
“The Giant King’s Court?” Derrick asked in surprise.
Haim shook his head.
“I’ve only heard rumors.”
He swept his gaze and pointed at the entrance to the underground chamber.
“Let’s finish our search here.”
Derrick answered tersely. With his night vision and ability to emit light, he wasn’t afraid of the darkness as he stepped into the underground chamber first. Haim lifted an animal hide lantern while Joshua followed closely in tow.
This building’s underground chamber was rather wide, with traces of dried, blackening pools. The smell of blood remained despite the many years that had passed.
Derrick surveyed the area and suspected that a sacrificial ritual had once been held here.
After some careful identification, Derrick found three names:
“Ouroboros;
“Medici;
“Sasrir.”
But in his vision, the underground chamber was empty. There was only darkness. Haim and Joshua who were supposed to be behind him were gone!
