Chapter 153- Figure (Part 1)

Chapter 153: Chapter 153- Figure (Part 1)

Chapter 153- Figure (Part 1)

Rize felt like he was losing his mind after hours of walking in the pitch-black darkness of the tunnel. His eyes had already gotten accustomed to the environment, but it was still very exposing to be walking in a place this dark and only being able to see as far as a few meters ahead of him. He knew if something attacked at high enough speed, he wouldn’t be able to react, and that was purely because he couldn’t even see what was coming.

Coupled with his injuries and his exhaustion, it made the trip even more hellish and nerve-wracking. Rize felt like he was exposed, to the point where he used Endless Hunger to scout ahead every now and then when he felt like something was watching him. He knew it was mostly paranoia, but Rize also knew that the mist was probably aware that he was within the tunnels.

The fact it didn’t attack yet alarmed Rize a bit, since from what he saw earlier, it was able to find him anywhere and its attack is relentless and terrifying. It encloses him and tries to trap him before consuming him.

’What is it planning? And those whispers... Why are they not coming back?’ Rize wiped the sweat off his face as he continued walking. ’Are you playing mind games with me? Are you trying to make me lose control from paranoia?’

If that was the case, then the mist was clearly underestimating Rize’s mental strength. He was someone who lived in danger for years and years and never feared or ran away from facing danger. He was someone who honed his mind under hard training and constant struggle. If the mist thought it could break him with this, he was going to prove it wrong.

The time that had passed since Rize walked into this tunnel became so distant that Rize wasn’t even sure if it was a few hours or even a day since he started walking. He didn’t know if he was really even going anywhere or if this was just another illusion the mist was casting upon him to trap him in that endless tunnel forever.

The fear and doubts in Rize’s mind were oddly an indication that he was at least aware of that possibility, which made illusion a slightly less likely idea. Either way, Rize wished to see something different or even find any traces of Venera and Rose.

"Where are you guys... Please... Be safe..." He muttered as he pressed his hand against the wall and continued walking.

After what felt like ages of walking, Rize suddenly noticed something odd for the very first time since he got into the tunnel. It was very faint, but with the lack of signs, Rize was able to pick it up quite quickly.

It was the faint smell of something burning...

Rize frowned when he smelled it. He hadn’t smelled anything like it before, and he couldn’t tell what it was. So, he continued walking, but with a more careful and deliberate intent. The more he walked, the stronger the smell became till it became the only thing he could inhale.

’What even is that? It smells like fire or... Burning wood?’ He mused.

Then, not that long after, the very first ember of light Rize had seen in hours manifested before him. It was distant, but it told him where the possible end of the tunnel was. His eyes lit up when he saw that, and he instantly hurried his steps toward the light.

He was ready to do anything to get out of this hellish tunnel that kept him moving for hours while his feet were burning from pain.

As he reached the end of the tunnel, he suddenly came to a screeching halt again as his heart sank. A sound penetrated his ears... It sounded like something boiling or bubbling, and his heart raced.

The end of the tunnel wasn’t a path; rather... it led nowhere except downwards into a bright abyss. Rize immediately realized what this could be, and if the temperature rising in the tunnel didn’t prove it, then seeing it with his own eyes made it abundantly clear.

Beneath him was a huge pool of boiling lava that was hundreds of feet wide and stretched to the other side. The lava was active and moving constantly, almost as if something awakened it.

’Lava... This...’ Rize realized something as he quickly looked up and, much to his dismay... He couldn’t even see the roof of this chamber, which gave him an idea of where he was exactly. ’I’m in the heart of the mountain, almost near the core of it.

"... I’ve walked till I reached the heart of the mountain," Rize muttered to himself as he rubbed his face. "Ok, now what?"

He had followed the trace of the mist till this point, and shockingly, he could still feel the traces of the mist coming from within the lava. His heart sank, thinking of the worst possibility as he stared down.

’No, it can’t be... It just can’t be.’ He bit his lip before he sucked in a deep breath to try to calm his nerves. ’I just need to go back on track and try to find them in other tunnels. It just can’t be that they’re... down there...’

As he was about to turn around and head back, he suddenly heard a small noise coming from the lava pool. He quickly shot his eyes back to the lava just as he noticed something moving unusually in it. While everything was bubbling, a part of the lava slowly started rising.

He frowned as the lava kept rising, forming a disfigured protrusion. Rize watched as the lava slowly fell off the protrusion, revealing something that made him freeze completely. It wasn’t a rock... It was a humanoid figure.

A human figure was standing in the molten lava. The person’s skin was charred black, and he didn’t have a single hair on his body. He looked like a shadow figure rather than a human being.

However, a single look at the monster made Rize’s entire body shudder. In his entire life, Rize had met quite a few terrifying beings. The strongest being was the king of Sagardia, and he felt a lot of fear from him. Yet, nothing in his life made him feel the same fear he experienced at that very moment, seeing that man standing in the lava and not being affected by it whatsoever.

Then, the man exhaled, his voice so rough and deep that it rumbled through Rize’s bones.

"Ra...." His breath was steaming hot before his eyes slowly opened, revealing fully red eyes that had no irises in them. He slowly moved his hands, pulling them out of the lava, and then slowly looked up.

His eyes wandered left and right, almost as if the man was confused about where he was and what he was doing there. He then slowly looked up and instantly locked onto Rize. The two made eye contact for a split second before the man blinked.

That slow blink was Rize’s sign... If he stayed there another split second, he was dead meat. He knew it without even thinking. There was not even a small chance for him to defeat that monster. That man was in another realm compared to him.

He turned around and started running as fast as he could, ignoring all the pain he was feeling in every inch of his body. There was no time for pain or contemplation. His instincts took over and pushed all the adrenaline into his legs so he could run even faster. He used all his essence to boost himself even more.

Rize was so fast that he crossed a hundred meters in less than 5 seconds. However, even with that ridiculous speed, Rize knew he wasn’t even anywhere near safety.

’This is bad! This is really bad!! Fuck, this is so bad!’ He cursed in his mind a thousand times as he looked over his shoulder. Nothing was appearing near the entrance, but he didn’t stop to check or even wait as he continued running. ’What the hell is even that creature?! What the hell do you mean he was submerged in lava and he didn’t turn into fluids?!’

That fact alone told Rize how ridiculously powerful that being is. Even the strongest awakened would suffer from being submerged in lava, so this was something he had never witnessed before.

’I need to get the hell out of here before that thing dec-’

Before that thought could even settle in his mind, suddenly, something appeared before him in a split second. Rize came to a screeching halt as he looked ahead with wide eyes and a heart that raced in his throat.

The figure was standing before him, a layer of red aura wrapped around his body as if it was a barrier. He stared at Rize silently.

Death was staring Rize in the eyes.