Chapter 183
Chapter 183
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: Immortal Citadel Escape Operation (5)
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Olivia's intervention during the Fifth Princess and Hesperon's escape hadn't been part of the original plan.
They never imagined she'd pick up on the minor disturbance in Siana's territory—where they'd deliberately drawn her away—and rush over so quickly.
It was exactly the kind of meticulous handling befitting the overseer of the Immortal Citadel.
'She's already the busiest person in the citadel, yet she handles even these trivial details herself. Talk about an overly competent talent.'
Now that everything had gone smoothly, he could joke about it casually, but in truth, her sudden appearance had thrown him for quite a loop at first.
Thank goodness they'd timed the operation to coincide with 'Hans's' visit as a contingency—it had nearly forced them to scrap and restart the whole plan from scratch.
'At least we turned that situation to our advantage, steering things into an even better flow than expected.'
The dramatic flair had heightened the tension and resolve, while the sudden crisis had deepened the bond between Riley and Hesperon.
'Recreating the ability I used in front of the princess later might be tricky... Well, I could always claim it was superhuman strength born of desperation.'
Naturally, blocking Olivia's interference mid-escape and whisking the pair far away had been the work of Immortal King Hans operating in secret.
As the master of this 'Eternal Labyrinth,' he could manipulate the internal space with a mere thought, making it a simple task.
'Hesperon should grow stronger quickly from here on. Eventually, he'll be able to pull off something similar on his own.'
With the Fifth Princess's full backing, he'd thrive in a comfortable environment from now on.
Plus, the karma rolling in as a bonus was nothing to sneeze at—altogether, a most satisfying outcome.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ You've arrived, Immortal King! We've been waiting! And now, Hans was facing off with Archlich Dwelle in the undead production workshop deep within the Immortal Citadel.
The preliminary process for the 'Salma' he'd long awaited was finally complete.
'Even so, it's only been about a week in Earth time.'
Normally, this step required embedding all sorts of rare materials and a full year of maturation, but by actively harnessing the energies of the Abyss and death, they'd achieved similar results in just over two months.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Keh-heh— Well done, Dwelle. Must've been quite the hassle, but you pulled it off splendidly. No need for flattery! This Dwelle McCain will ensure the remaining subjects are finished to Your Majesty's satisfaction! Dismissing the lich who prostrated himself in affection at the light praise, Hans gazed quietly at the shadowy figure suspended in the Abyss-filled incubator.
Salma—the corpse of the first transcendent-grade Awakener to fall into his hands.
Even in its unfinished state, an ominous presence already emanated from it.
'Turning an Earth Awakener and martial arts high master at the Profound Realm into an undead with the Abyss to boot. Can't wait to see what comes of this.'
Given the exceptional foundation, he'd poured tremendous effort into the undead conversion process.
Not some run-of-the-mill method from the world's annals—he'd devised an entirely new procedure.
Laying the groundwork with Forbidden Knowledge bolstered by Immortal Heart, then fine-tuning via Wicked Wisdom and Path of the Sorcerer.
After polishing the Abyss conduits with Eye of the Abyss and optimizing the ritual via Mana Domination, the result was this: every skill at his disposal mobilized.
Hans, the Immortal King's original undead never before seen in the world—tentatively dubbed 'Abyss Revenant.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ I'll handle the rest. Do the same for the remaining subjects. Yes! Leave it to me! With that, Hans retrieved Salma—leaving only the final process—and gave the site one last inspection before slipping quietly back to Earth.
Time to shed Immortal King and don the mask of 'ordinary' once more.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Immediately after escaping the Immortal Citadel.
Riley carried Hesperon on her back, constantly scanning their surroundings as they headed south.
She had no clue about their exact location yet, but monsters roamed everywhere—this clearly wasn't a secure zone. She couldn't let her guard down for a second.
"Hoo— Hoo—."
"...Riley? I'm fine now, really? I can walk on my—."
"Ah, shut it. It's only been a few hours—how are you suddenly okay? Don't push yourself; just stay put up there! Hoo—."
Several hours into their trek like this.
Even with magic aiding her, she was already utterly spent, barely managing each step.
'Actually, holding out this long is impressive enough.'
Reinforcement spells didn't solve everything, no matter how potent.
Such buffs scaled with one's baseline physical prowess, and Riley—who'd lived a sheltered life far from manual labor—wasn't exactly a natural fit.
To maximize the effect, she'd overtaxed her mana circulation. With her modest skill level, the inefficient drain had exhausted her all the faster.
And to make matters worse, obstacles plagued their path beyond just fatigue...
"...Riley, incoming again."
"Ugh! How many is this now? We can't still be inside the Northern Mountains, right?"
Panting yet fleet-footed, Riley grumbled softly at Hesperon's whisper from her back and hurriedly ducked into the underbrush.
A small barrier activated around them, isolating the space.
And soon after—.
"Kruk— Kruk—!"
"Krrhek!"
A horde of monsters thundered past, oblivious to their hiding spot.
Thankfully, the presence-concealing artifact they'd kept active during travel meant these weren't pursuers who'd sniffed them out.
"...Gone?"
"Yeah, just passersby."
"Hoo— We've run into nearly twenty groups in just a couple hours. This doesn't feel like the Northern Mountains interior anymore. No way every spot outside a city is this bad, right?"
"Huh? First time out for me, so who knows...?"
"I know, just thinking out loud. ...Which leaves only one candidate. Or rather, it was obvious from the start."
South of the Immortal King's domain, adjacent to the Northern Mountains.
A territory recently overrun by monsters after its defensive lines collapsed.
"The Rohan Duchy. A small nation north of the Empire... No idea what it's like now. All I know is pre-capture intel."
Seizing the chance to rest now that they'd hunkered down, she briefed Hesperon—who knew zilch about the area—on what she recalled.
Truth be told, two low-tier mages—a pampered princess and her frail patient—surviving this hell was near impossible.
"Here, drink this."
"Thanks, Heron. Never seen this one before?"
But his self-proclaimed unique skill, Avatar Cloud, supplied everything they needed.
Food, drinks, clothing, sleeping bags, camping gear... even...
"Krraaang—!"
"Kyung kyung!"
Dudududu—
"Ah, another group. Must be a monster highway."
"Impressive skill, though. Can't just buy artifacts like these with money."
"Not free, mind you. It has limits."
"Fair enough. Makes sense, since you said spatial jumps were off-limits after overdoing it."
With endless supplies at hand, hiding and moving wasn't so tough—as long as no major threats arose.
"Ready to move?"
"Yeah, rested enough. Come on! Hop on, Heron!"
"I can walk now, seriously. I'll say if I tire out. Let's go."
"Sheesh— Worry a little."
"Come on, let's move."
Right—as long as no 'major' issues cropped up.
But this was the fallen Rohan Duchy's domain.
A demonic landscape where madness-ridden monsters had seized all but the capital, barely held with aid from the Church of the Main God and imperial forces.
And surely a nation didn't crumble to mere rabble?
Countless elite beasts capable of soloing entire units prowled these lands.
As one might expect.
Whoooosh— Whooosh—!
Top-tier monsters' senses spanned far beyond mortal limits.
And their speed outpaced human perception.
"...Ah, damn it."
"Heron? Why the sud—."
Screeeee—!
Mid-stride after dropping the barrier, a ferocious wind howled in Hesperon's ears—the entity already upon them.
'Danger!'
Instinct accelerated his thoughts; time dilated around him.
His superhuman mind amplified, dissecting the crisis in an instant.
Seizing full grasp, he acted with cold rationality.
Mana surged through him, bolstering strength and hardening his body...
"Mm?!"
...as he yanked Riley into an embrace and hurled them backward full-force.
One hand activating a concealment barrier all the while.
The next instant.
KABOOOM—!
A ferocious shockwave erupted at their former spot, kicking up a massive dust cloud.
And then...
"Kieeeek—!"
Whoooosh—!
A savage roar shook the air as mighty wingbeats scattered the dust in a blink.
Revealed: a colossal lion's body with eagle head and wings.
Madness gleamed in crimson eyes scanning relentlessly, saliva drooling from its beak.
"...A griffin."
Sprawled on the ground, Riley muttered lowly, suppressing her awe at the overwhelming beast.
'I checked thoroughly before dropping the barrier!'
Scanned with detection artifacts, presence fully masked—yet here they were.
Without Hesperon's lightning reflexes, that first strike would've ended them.
'No, this situation's still dicey.'
The fresh barrier had bought a momentary lapse, but griffins rivaled ogres—an apex predator.
Flight made it trickier still.
'If it starts hunting in earnest, this barrier won't hold long. Need a plan, fast.'
They teetered on the brink still.
"Hoo, you're amazing as always, Heron. Owe you again. But our spot's... Huh? Heron? Hey, you okay?"
Whispering tensely, Riley hesitated, then tentatively touched his unmoving back as he shielded her.
Squelch—
"Ah?"
A slick, nauseating wetness met her hand.
Dread surging, she scrambled up and inspected him cautiously—biting her lip hard.
He hadn't fully dodged; a long gash wept blood down his back nonstop.
The shock had left him unconscious too.
"...Potion, the potion..."
Riley tore open his emergency potion and splashed it over the wound.
But this was mere first aid—proper treatment demanded more expertise.
"How's it...?"
Yet things worsened relentlessly.
A sinister presence prickled; she whipped her head around to...
"Kiek?"
"......!"
...lock eyes with glowing red orbs, freezing on the spot.
The griffin had crept close, head lowered to peer piercingly into their barrier.
Tension choked the air in heavy silence.
"Kieeeek—!"
"Ah, damn."
Mad roar and her unwitting curse mingled.
'Just escaped the Immortal King, and now this!'
Outrage swallowed, Riley clutched the fallen Hesperon and squeezed her eyes shut.
A futile, instinctive reflex devoid of meaning now.
Thus, she missed it.
His one strained eye fixed steadily on the griffin.
The next moment.
Fwaaaah—
"Kiek?!"
Dawn-like radiance erupted, birthing a massive blade of light that cleaved the world asunder.
"Hup—!"
Skreeek—!
Spluuurt—
Perfectly centered on the griffin.
Full power from the start: divine power hyper-condensed into a razor edge at its limit.
No mere beast, madness-enhanced or not, could withstand such an ambush.
"Kihek, kii— kek!"
Thud!
The staggering bulk crashed down, resounding heavily.
An anticlimactic end unworthy of its dramatic entrance—but fitting, given its foe.
"Ah... Ah? ...N-No way. Is that the Saint?"
"Long time no see, Princess. I had a hunch, but to meet here of all places—truly the Main God's guidance."
A man cloaked in luminous aura smiled gently down at the disheveled Riley.
The Church of the Main God's Saint and world's prophesied savior.
Heinrich Saint Landgard.