Chapter 431 - 430: City Of Demons? (part 1)

Chapter 431: Chapter 430: City Of Demons? (part 1)

The familiar sensation of distorted space surrounded him once more.

Everything became weightless.

His surroundings blurred into countless streaks of crimson light.

Then, his feet touched solid ground.

A gentle breeze brushed past him.

The oppressive crimson sky once again stretched endlessly overhead.

Jagged black mountains rose from the horizon like enormous fangs, while vast plains of cracked earth extended farther than the eye could see.

The dungeon was exactly as he remembered.

Silent.

Ancient.

Endless.

Alix slowly surveyed his surroundings.

Unlike the adventurers entering for fortune...

He had no need to worry about conserving supplies or avoiding danger.

This dungeon was one of the few places capable of piquing his curiosity.

The last time he entered, he had merely explored the outer region.

His goal had been to determine whether the dungeon possessed value.

Now, he already had his answer.

It was extraordinarily valuable.

Which meant there was only one thing left to do.

Explore deeper.

Much deeper.

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"I wonder..."

"What secrets are hiding beneath this world?"

Without hesitation, he rose into the air.

The surrounding wind gathered beneath his feet as he flew toward the distant horizon.

The black mountains rapidly shrank behind him.

Ruined villages appeared below before vanishing just as quickly.

Ancient roads, long buried beneath centuries of dust, occasionally emerged from the earth before disappearing once more beneath the crimson sands.

As he traveled farther...

The signs of previous explorers gradually became scarce.

He occasionally spotted abandoned campsites.

Broken campfires.

Discarded arrows.

Pieces of damaged armor.

These were clear indications that adventurers had once passed through the area.

However, as the hours passed. Even those traces disappeared.

No footprints.

No camps.

No monster corpses.

Nothing.

Only endless silence remained.

"It seems..."

"They haven’t reached this far yet."

Alix wasn’t surprised.

Most adventurers struggled to survive even in the outer regions.

The farther one ventured into the dungeon, the stronger the monsters became.

Few people possessed the strength, courage, and resources necessary to continue pressing forward.

The world itself also became increasingly strange.

The cracked wasteland slowly gave way to dense forests filled with towering black trees.

Their trunks were so massive that dozens of people linking hands still wouldn’t be able to encircle one.

Their branches stretched high into the crimson sky, forming a canopy that blocked much of the scarlet light above.

The forest was unnaturally quiet.

No birds sang.

No insects buzzed.

Even the wind seemed reluctant to pass through the ancient woods.

Alix landed atop one of the gigantic branches.

His crimson eyes calmly swept across the endless forest.

His perception expanded outward like invisible waves.

Hundreds of powerful life signatures immediately entered his senses.

Some slept beneath the roots of colossal trees.

Others moved silently through the shadows.

Several possessed auras far stronger than anything found near the dungeon’s entrance.

Yet none of them approached him.

Whether because of instinct or fear.

Every creature unconsciously avoided the overwhelming pressure hidden beneath his restrained aura.

Alix stepped from one branch to another with effortless grace.

Hours later, the forest finally ended.

What greeted him beyond caused him to stop.

Before him, an enormous wall stretched across the horizon.

It was so vast that its ends disappeared into the distance.

Its surface was forged from black stone unlike any material he had ever seen.

Although countless cracks covered its exterior...

The structure still stood proudly after untold ages.

Ancient towers lined the top of the wall.

Many had collapsed.

Others leaned dangerously to one side.

But even in ruin, the fortress radiated an indescribable sense of majesty.

Alix slowly raised his head.

The wall reached hundreds of meters into the sky.

It resembled the defensive wall of an ancient empire rather than a single city.

A thoughtful expression appeared on his face.

"So..."

"There was once a civilization capable of building something like this."

His gaze lingered upon the colossal gates at the center of the wall.

Both doors stood open.

Beyond them, only darkness could be seen.

A faint smile slowly formed across his face.

"It seems..."

"I’ve finally found something interesting."

Without the slightest hesitation... Alix walked toward the ancient gates.

The moment Alix stepped beyond the colossal gates... An ancient aura washed over him.

It was old.

So old that it felt as though countless millennia had passed without anyone setting foot in this place.

The world beyond the wall was completely different from the barren wasteland outside.

Instead of broken plains and crimson deserts... An enormous city unfolded before his eyes.

Its architecture was unlike anything he had ever seen.

Every structure was carved from smooth obsidian stone that reflected the crimson light from the sky.

Towering spires curved upward like the horns of gigantic beasts, piercing the heavens with elegant yet intimidating silhouettes.

Countless buildings were connected by elevated bridges suspended high above the streets.

Massive statues stood proudly throughout the city.

Each one depicted winged beings with curved horns, sharp claws, and long tails, their expressions solemn as though silently watching over their forgotten homeland.

The roads were incredibly wide, paved with flawless black stone that showed almost no signs of erosion despite the passage of countless years.

The walls of every building were engraved with intricate crimson patterns.

They resembled ancient runes, yet they also possessed an artistic beauty that made them appear almost alive.

Dark crystal lanterns lined the streets.

Although no one remained to tend them...

Many still emitted a faint scarlet glow.

The city was eerie.

Yet magnificent.

It wasn’t a place built merely for survival.

It was a civilization that had once flourished.

Alix slowly walked through the silent streets.

His footsteps echoed softly across the empty avenue.

He carefully observed the surrounding buildings.

Some resembled luxurious residences.

Others appeared to be temples or government halls.

There were marketplaces with hundreds of abandoned stone stalls.

Training grounds large enough to accommodate thousands of warriors.

Libraries whose towering shelves had long since collapsed beneath the weight of time.

Everything gave him the same impression.

A place where an incredibly powerful civilization had once ruled.

"...Interesting."

Alix quietly murmured.

"If this place truly belonged to demons..."

"They were far more advanced than most races I’ve encountered."

He continued deeper into the city.

Several minutes later... He suddenly stopped.

His perception detected movement.

Not one...

Not two...

But dozens of life signatures.

Then, a low growl echoed through the silent streets.

One figure slowly emerged from the shadow of a collapsed building.

It stood nearly three meters tall.

Its skin was dark crimson.

Two curved horns protruded from its forehead.

Its glowing yellow eyes stared directly at Alix with unmistakable hunger.

Sharp fangs protruded from its mouth as thick saliva dripped onto the stone pavement below.

Its long claws scraped against the ground, producing an unpleasant screech.

Before Alix could study it further...

Another appeared.

Then another, and another.

Within moments... Figures began emerging from every direction.

Some crawled across rooftops with unnatural agility.

Others climbed out of broken windows.

Several leaped down from the towering statues surrounding the avenue.

Their appearances varied greatly.

Some possessed bat-like wings.

Others had muscular bodies covered in black scales.

A few had four arms, while others wielded crude weapons fashioned from bone and dark metal.

Despite their differences... Every one of them shared the same expression.

Hunger.

An endless, insatiable hunger.

Their eyes never left Alix.

It was as though they had just discovered prey after enduring countless years of starvation.