The black sun hangs high

Chapter 436 Beneath the Mountain

Hugh remained relatively calm in the face of the search party composed of Dark Abyss Palace hounds. To him, the hounds were old adversaries; he had personally dealt with at least dozens of Dark Abyss hounds during the Merlinle and the conference.

Theoretically speaking, as long as the one running in front of us isn't the master of the hounds, then everything is still under control.

However, for his ratman hunting party, this situation was truly terrifying.

The moment the hounds appeared, fear and panic spread uncontrollably among the ratmen.

They came to the Dark Abyss and settled here from an immeasurable ancient time. Therefore, they are already very familiar with the changes and threats in the Dark Abyss Wasteland. Among a series of sudden events, the pursuit from the Dark Abyss Court is undoubtedly the most deadly and terrifying.

In terms of fighting ability alone, the hounds may not be as good as other creatures in the wasteland, but the problem is that these "adult hounds" belonging to the court often only appear in packs.

The powerful will of the Hound Master and the court itself will completely control and dominate these hunters, making their actions efficient and orderly. All the hunting instincts of the hounds will be suppressed at this moment, replaced only by absolute execution of commands and will.

In this situation, the hounds of the Dark Abyss will maximize their ability to utilize space. They can easily find the slightest trace of magic in the surroundings and track it thoroughly. Once the prey is caught in this situation, they are destined to face the endless pursuit. No matter where they escape, the hounds can always use their power to emerge from any unpredictable corner and carry out a merciless attack.

Although this ratman tribe has been rooted in the Abyss for a long time, it has experienced several crises of extinction in the past, many of which were caused by the hounds.

For the members of the rat-man tribe, "a dog catching a mouse" is not a joke or metaphor, but a harsh reality they least want to face.

Hugh clearly sensed the state of the hunting party members. Even the seemingly knowledgeable and experienced old priest began to tremble involuntarily in the face of such a scene.

As members of a tribe that can only keep a low profile as much as possible within the Dark Abyss Wasteland, all they can do now is try to retreat and hide.

However, the arrival of the hounds came as a complete surprise.

Even though the ratman hunting party consciously began to back away the moment the incident occurred, their magic to conceal their tracks was clearly insufficient against the keen hunting dogs. Soon, several Dark Abyss Hounds simultaneously detected the magical traces left by the ratmen in the surrounding environment.

When the first hound began to bark eerily, the entire search party was instantly infused with astonishing energy. All the scattered Dark Abyss Hounds began to converge in this direction, their figures constantly appearing from those nooks and crannies, and one gloomy crack after another sealed off the ratmen's escape route.

Next, they will need to conduct the most detailed search within this locked area.

Hugh gently stroked the fur on the back of the running rat with his palm. Sniggy seemed quite anxious in the face of these potential threats. Although its body was completely filled with the magic of the Dark Abyss, its strong instincts still connected it with these "kin" around it, which made Sniggy very worried about the safety of the rats around it.

Inside the metal disc, the magic that Theseus had infused into it was still actively pulsating, and Hugh knew that he could mobilize it at any time.

"It seems you'd prefer I could lend them a hand?"

"The decision is yours."

Theseus replied, "The reason I'm giving you some authority is simply because you currently have many methods and spells that you can't use properly... I'm more worried about you causing even bigger trouble because you're not quick enough than about the lives of these rats."

The faceless god sighed: "Don't forget, this is not only my 'hometown,' but also that stupid dog's territory. The chase has only just begun, so don't let your guard down."

Hearing this, Hugh nodded slightly.

Although Theseus did not give a clear suggestion on whether to help these ratmen, the powerful abyssal magic active within the metal disc was enough to show his attitude.

Hugh turned his head and saw the old rat-man priest from before staring at him with pleading eyes, his green eyes filled with helpless pleas.

Clearly, it desperately wanted the help of this "messenger of the Mother Goddess," but due to factors such as status, power, and faith, it dared not directly express its desires.

So Hughes raised his hand, and a tiny ball of magical light appeared from his fingertip and floated in front of the old priest.

"Gather your troops, don't reveal your whereabouts, and don't help me, just keep an eye on things."

This brief message is filled with an authority that cannot be disobeyed or questioned.

This is an absolute command issued from top to bottom.

"Yes Yes!"

The old priest's eyes flashed intensely, and the instructions from Hugh were quickly relayed. In an instant, all the members of the hunting party began to converge in the direction of the old priest.

Their experience of surviving in the Dark Abyss made the ratmen react quite correctly at this moment. Instead of hiding in the rocky areas, they stayed on a relatively flat area of ​​ground. The ratmen warriors with weapons fought on the outside, while the priests responsible for maintaining the magical ritual were protected in the very center.

Although the formation is simple, it is the safest and most sustainable strategy when facing a hound charge.

Hugh nodded in satisfaction. Then, the somber power originating from the God of a Thousand Faces was drawn out from within the disc, and a dense shadow suddenly erupted around Hugh. At this moment, all the familiars and creations that had been forced into a state of hibernation and dormancy due to entering the Dark Abyss Wasteland were revitalized.

The scurrying rat let out an excited screech. Following Hugh's will, it leaped out of the ratmen's magical ritual. Its long tail began to change, with sharp serrations and barbs growing out of it. The very tip of its tail even evolved into a blade formed from dark abyssal magic. The two huge horns on its head also gleamed with a dangerous light.

Swaying roots continued to emerge from within the Dark Abyss Wasteland. As a race that directly worshipped Theseus, the Roots of Fate reacted even more directly to this magic and authority. At this moment, Hugh completely took control of the entire Roots of Fate race, and they began to move about freely around as if they were native to the Dark Abyss Wasteland.

A massive magical illusion, large enough to cover the entire area, was generated in an instant. These illusions, which directly affected the magical level, not only isolated the connection between the inside and outside, but also seriously interfered with the judgment of every Dark Abyss Hound.

"We need to be quick. This approach will easily alert that stupid dog... We need to finish the fight before it comes over."

Theseus's warning entered his mind, so Hugh didn't delay any longer. He leaped off the back of the running rat, unleashing its full fighting power. Then, accompanied by the trembling of the dense mist, the Hound's Fang and a jet-black sword silently appeared in Hugh's left and right hands. Behind Hugh, the figure of the Messenger in the Mirror slowly walked out, holding a huge magic book made of black mist in its hands. Inside this book were all the spells that Hugh had memorized.

"By Mel, where the hell am I?"

A familiar voice reached Hugh's ears.

That was General Bernhardt's voice. Not only that, but the wills of the rest of the Ernst family, which had previously fallen into slumber, were also awakened at this moment. However, before these old guys could figure out the situation, they were forced to take over control of all the magical rats and hurriedly threw themselves into the battle.

This was clearly a "rich battle," so Hugh didn't even need to use too many techniques. With just these magically amplified servants and their abundant magic, Hugh was more than capable of wiping out all the hounds trapped in the illusion.

However, this brutal fighting method left the "rats" who were busy watching on the sidelines dumbfounded.

After witnessing firsthand the frenzied rats chasing and killing the hunting dogs, and the massive encirclement launched by the suddenly appearing rat swarm, the rat people's initial surprise, fear, and confusion instantly transformed into a deep longing and admiration.

The prophecy of the tribe's "prophet" was perfectly confirmed at this moment.

All the members of the hunting party are now convinced that what they have encountered is definitely the important messenger mentioned in the prophet's prophecy!
Soon, the massacre targeting the search team was nearing its end. The battle was completely over when the last two cowards who tried to cross the edge of the illusion and escape to the outside world were hooked out of the spatial rift by the sharp limbs of the spider.

The ratmen immediately sprang into action. With Hugh's permission, they began clearing the battlefield at top speed. As before, the priests extracted dark abyssal magic from the hounds' remains and compressed it into crystals of various sizes.

Soon, these crystals filled the containers that the ratmen carried with them.

In order not to waste them, a considerable number of ratmen devoured the extra crystals on the spot, and this behavior caused their own power to increase rapidly. Among them, one of the weaker members of the hunting team was unable to withstand too much magic power and his body exploded, turning into a miserable mass of flesh and blood on the spot.

The priests had no choice but to quickly stop this foolish behavior. Meanwhile, with Hugh's order, the ratmen could only reluctantly destroy all the remaining spoils of war. After using magic to destroy all traces at the scene, the group set off again, heading towards their original destination.

Shortly after Hugh and the ratmen left, a huge, exaggerated crack suddenly appeared in the sky above the area where the battle had taken place, and behind the crack, countless dark purple eyes kept flashing.

He had already sensed the target's presence.

The aura of that despicable villain who had repeatedly provoked him and the entire Dark Abyss Palace.

However, just as before, the other party once again left easily after committing a provocative act, completely destroying all traces. Even the Lord of the Dark Abyss Court was unable to accurately pinpoint the other party's whereabouts.

Here, all He could sense was the lingering traces of despair left by His frail offspring and their families.

……

In the distance, a dull howl filled with the desire for killing and hunting transformed into a magical storm, sweeping across the wasteland.

The impotent rage from his "old friend" clearly brought Theseus some pleasure, so he let out two strange laughs and then disappeared from Hugh's perception. Needless to say, Hugh could guess that the guy had already slipped back to experience life with his mentor's shadow.

Of course, it's not good for Hugh to ask about the specific details; asking too many questions will only bring trouble upon himself.

Theseus may enjoy prying into other people's secrets, but if he were the one being pried into, he would turn on them in a second.

After witnessing the miracle brought by the "messenger," the ratmen became extremely excited and thrilled. As if they had received the highest reward and encouragement, they began to actively explore the road ahead. One of the priests organized a small team and took the lead to the tribal settlement. They were ready to deliver the good news that "the messenger has arrived and the prophecy has been fulfilled" back to the tribe.

And so, Hugh followed the ratmen toward the mountain peak, and as the distance shortened, more details that he had not been able to see before finally came into his view.

The moment he saw the mountain's appearance clearly, Hugh couldn't help but widen his eyes.

He discovered that his previous guesses about the mountain were actually 80% correct.

It was not a normal mountain peak, but an incredibly huge, dilapidated building.

Although the surface of this massive structure has been severely eroded by the magic of the Dark Abyss and covered with a thick layer of bone fragments, some exposed smooth surfaces and strange textures that seem to be some kind of sculpture still reveal its original identity.

Hughes looked up and gazed at the central area of ​​the triangular building.

There, a massive, conspicuous crack stretched out, and the light that had been guiding Hugh's advance was now slowly flowing out from within it. In this desolate, eerie, and gloomy world, such bright light was truly...

This doesn't seem real.

(End of this chapter)