Chapter 149: Search For Help

’This is exceedingly tricky... There are a total of four intricate spirit energy pathways leading directly into Sara’s core. Likely due to her possessing four distinct Physiques, three of these energy pathways are completely shattered, rendering those three Physiques entirely useless. The fourth pathway remains active, but it’s heavily fractured... which I suspect is her Diamond Body Physique, this is why the Toxin is still held back.’ Asher thought, gritting his teeth in intense concentration.

​’The critical issue here is the concentrated Toxin residing deep within the ruined remnants of those shattered pathways... To extract it, I must carefully thread my Aether energy into the damaged channels and gently pull the poison out, while strictly preventing any residual venom from leaking into the fourth broken pathway.’ He slowly nodded to himself, locking his focus onto the delicate procedure.

​For his entire life, Asher had relentlessly focused on honing every form of combat to absolute perfection—relentlessly pushing himself to earn his father’s approving gaze... But now, he didn’t care about the validation of a tyrant, or anyone else. His sole focus was entirely dedicated to curing his wife and relieving her excruciating pain.

​Juliana stared at his tense face with deep concern. Moving swiftly to the side, she pulled out a fresh, clean handkerchief and gently wiped the beads of sweat off his brow.

​’Even with the fan running, this level of control is insanely difficult... Hang in there, Husband.’ Juliana thought, her heart aching with worry.

____

​[Unknown Location in the Wilderness — 11:00 PM.]

​VOOM!

​A heavily armored black vehicle pulled to a sharp halt in front of an abandoned, eerily dark industrial factory complex. Aaron stepped down onto the gravel, slamming the heavy reinforced door shut.

​"Let’s go."

​"Umm... Why... I am genuinely scared of this place." Angelina stammered, trembling uncontrollably inside the passenger seat.

​"We literally passed through swarms of mutated high-tier monsters on the road here and you didn’t even blink. Why are you suddenly terrified now?" Aaron marched around the front of the vehicle, coming to a stop right before her door and staring down at her with his single visible eye.

​"Those beings in there are far more evil than standard monsters... Aren’t you even the slightest bit worried?" She whimpered, her anxious gaze darting frantically across the dilapidated four-story factory building.

​"Just get out of the car."

​Aaron pulled the door open, grabbed her wrist with an unyielding grip, and pulled her out onto the ground. Dragging her close to his side, he stared straight into her trembling green eyes:

​"I thought you said you loved me!! Then trust me!" He snapped firmly.

​Angelina blinked through her fear for a few seconds, slowly giving a subtle nod: "Alr... Alright."

​"Come, stay close to me," he commanded, releasing her wrist as he began walking toward the rusted main entrance.

​Angelina quickly hurried right behind him, staying glued to his shoulder. Her frantic gaze darted continuously toward the pitch-black windows lining the upper floors, spotting countless pairs of glowing red eyes peering down at them from the dark. None of the hidden entities moved; they simply blinked in the shadows.

​Aaron brought his steps to a halt in front of the heavily worn metal door. Before he could push it open, Angelina’s trembling body bumped hard against his back. He paused, looking over his shoulder at her.

​"Get a hold of yourself," he growled low.

​"I am trying! But we clearly aren’t welcome here! I don’t want to die yet," she whispered, staring into his eye.

​Aaron let out a heavy exhale: "Where are you currently standing?"

​"Huh? Right at the front door."

​"Good. We’ve already walked over a hundred steps through their outer perimeter. If they wanted us dead, we wouldn’t have even been allowed to take a single step past the gates... So stay close to me, and don’t say a word," he said, placing his heavy palm on the door and shoving it open.

​What met their eyes was a pitch-black, cavernous hallway, coated in thick layers of old, dried-up blood.

​Aaron took a firm step forward, walking inside with an utterly indifferent expression, while Angelina quietly trailed behind him.

​"Soon, everything will be good again." he muttered under his breath.

​"Why are you so confident when you’re standing deep inside someone else’s lair?" A chilling voice echoed.

​".....?!"

​The two froze instantly, snapping their heads around. Standing directly in front of the now magically sealed entrance door was a tall, humanoid figure wrapped in a dark cloak, its face entirely concealed within the depths of its hood.

​"Greetings, I am—"

​"—We already know exactly who you are."

​The two whipped back around, discovering a second cloaked figure standing completely motionless at the far end of the hallway. The slender, elegant frame beneath the heavy fabric gave her away as a woman.

​’When the hell did these two get so close to us?! I am an SSS-Rank Awakened, and with my Physique, I can effortlessly detect all living creatures around me—especially in total darkness! Yet I couldn’t sense a single trace of their presence...’ Angelina thought in absolute terror.

​"I apologize for arriving completely unannounced, but I lacked the proper communication channels to reach any of you directly... I am here to request an audience with the Lord... I only require a brief moment of his time." Aaron stated quickly, keeping his head respectfully lowered.

​Aaron couldn’t accurately gauge the rank of the two shrouded figures standing before him. As a seasoned SSS-Rank fighter, there were very few Awakened across Vaeloria who could ever hope to challenge him in combat—yet standing before these entities, he felt completely outmatched across all stats and abilities.

​"A brief moment? You failed us miserably in the past. Why on earth would we ever grant you an audience now?" The cloaked woman tilted her head to the side.

​In that exact instant, an invisible, blindingly fast slash tore across Aaron’s chest, cleanly shredding his leather shirt and drawing a deep line of fresh blood across his skin.

​"Aaron—"