Chapter 24: The Lengthy Incantation

That voice was seething with fury, saturated with a hatred that would rather destroy than see another possess its object, threatening to erupt into a cataclysmic outburst at any moment.

Yet…

Luo Yong found himself speechless. It was clearly the barbarian priestess who had lunged at him; even if he responded with an embracing gesture, in this foreign world where customs differed so greatly, was it really such an unusual thing? Not long ago, he had embraced several beautiful women as well…

Perhaps, this was simply a matter of custom!

Ahem.

Of course, more importantly, even as the barbarian priestess was held tightly in Luo Yong's arms, her hands remained clamped around his wrists with a death grip, as if she would not relent until she had pried the secret realm’s key from his grasp.

After that furious shout, seeing Luo Yong unmoved—his face even bearing a trace of provocation—Ivan was beside himself with rage. With a swift motion, he drew his longsword from his back.

If he’d had a white glove, he might well have whipped it across Luo Yong’s face with a dramatic snap.

He would have liked nothing more than to slap him senseless.

“You’ve already angered me, boy! Aman is mine! And as for…” Ivan’s gaze turned vicious. He swept his eyes over the beautiful women at Luo Yong’s side, his lips curling into a cruel smile as he said, “They’re all mine, too!”

“Heh heh!”

“Heh heh!”

The two minotaurs, who had been silent for some time, hefted their massive broadswords and lumbered forward, towering over everyone.

In their eyes, anyone who kept company with a bunch of level 8 weaklings incapable of advancing was surely weak themselves.

Before two level 10 minotaurs, level 8 was simply nothing.

Even though their profession was thief, their natural racial advantage allowed them to accomplish feats few thieves could, or would dare, attempt.

“No! Stay away!” the barbarian priestess cried suddenly, shouting at Ivan, “I’ll go with you! Just don’t hurt them!”

“Eh?”

With her outburst, the two minotaurs halted in unison and turned to look back at Ivan. After all, she was the one he’d set his sights on; her words and her feelings could not be ignored.

However…

By this point, Ivan had already counted the other three beautiful heroines as his spoils as well. Whether they agreed or not was irrelevant—he had the strength, he had a secret realm to explore…

Or perhaps…

Ivan’s gaze swept over Luo Yong, who stood silent and motionless, his wrist still gripped tightly by the barbarian priestess, his palm aglow with a dreamlike radiance.

A mid-level secret realm?

One never before seen!

Was this not a gift delivered right to his door?

The thought brought a smug smile to Ivan’s face, the towering rage from moments before replaced by self-satisfaction.

Ah, men…

Ahem.

“It’s too late for words now.” Ivan’s face twisted again into a cruel smile. “I’ll take the women, and the goods as well. As for you…and you…” He pointed to Luo Yong and to Elia, who stood nearby.

“You two must die!”

“You!” The heart of the barbarian priestess plummeted. When a high-level hero cast aside the mask of hypocrisy and revealed his vile, naked ambition, how was one to respond?

Compromise, or fight to the death?

Knowing defeat was certain, should one still resist?

How could the evil in men’s hearts be dispelled by the holy light?

As these thoughts raced through her mind, the two minotaurs were already striding up, raising their great blades high into the air!

Swish, swish, swish!

Elia was no fool. She began casting rapidly, unleashing several curses in quick succession with remarkable speed and skill.

At this moment, there was no room for hesitation—weakness, stun, poison, slowness…

She hurled them all at once!

“Heh heh!”

“Heh heh!”

The two minotaurs made no attempt to dodge, taking the barrage head-on. Holy light flashed across their bodies, drastically reducing the negative effects.

With their formidable physiques, they possessed strong resistance to magic, and their higher level gave them an additional edge.

Thus, Elia’s curses were almost entirely ineffective, barely slowing their stride.

Seeing this, the two grinned broadly, their expressions exaggerated as they shouted, “We may be thieves, but you lot are so weak you can’t even scratch us!”

“Hahaha!”

Arrogance is the privilege of the powerful, and these two minotaurs were the very embodiment of that truth.

Elia felt awkward; despite her exceptional casting, she had barely scratched the surface of their “health.”

It was almost as if she had dealt no damage at all…

Damn it!

With the minotaurs’ blades raised high before her, she was utterly powerless. Even the serpentine mark on her forehead seemed to grow dim.

She could not outrun them.

She could not defeat them.

A low-level hero before a higher-level foe could only kneel…

A moment’s hesitation could cost her life.

Seeing death approach, the barbarian priestess let out a mournful cry, her heart filled with bitter regret.

If only she hadn’t…

If only she hadn’t wandered off from the group…

If only she hadn’t provoked that bastard Ivan…

Swish!

Just as the blades fell, she sensed Luo Yong raise his arm slightly, as if making a gesture.

Not to grope, but to cast a spell.

Crack, crack!

With this motion, a skeletal warrior erupted from the earth, positioning itself directly in front of Elia.

Clang!

The broadsword struck the skeleton, which merely wobbled, seemingly unharmed.

Moreover, somehow the minotaur’s blade became lodged in the skeleton’s body—neither could it be withdrawn nor swung through.

“A skeleton?!”

Ivan was taken aback. The area surrounding the stone circle was laced with magical wards—under normal circumstances, no skeletons should appear here.

And yet, one had just materialized, right in the minotaur’s path.

“I’ll handle this!” said the other minotaur, stepping forward, blade raised. After a moment’s thought, he chose not to attack Luo Yong, who was holding the priestess, but instead targeted the curse witch Elia.

“Damn it all…” Elia felt the world itself held malice toward her; was it a crime to be a curse witch? Was choosing this profession a death sentence?

As she despaired, Luo Yong again waved his hand; with a crackling sound, another skeletal warrior emerged, intercepting the minotaur’s blow.

Again, the minotaur’s sword became stuck.

“This…this can’t be a coincidence!”

At that moment, Ivan realized what was happening—there had been a surge of magical energy just now; someone had cast a spell!

The skeletons had been summoned!

Necromancy!

But… necromancers were so despised a profession that none had been seen for years!

Could it be that one among these people had studied necromancy?

His gaze swept swiftly over the heroines, over Luo Yong, over Elia…

Wait!

The man embracing the barbarian priestess!

He was a necromancer?!

The instant this realization dawned, memories of necromancer legends sent a chill through Ivan’s heart.

Yet, seeing the priestess in Luo Yong’s arms, delicate and tear-streaked, his fleeting fear was swiftly consumed by boundless rage.

“Well done! You scoundrels have fallen so low as to consort with an evil necromancer, plotting to overturn the world!”

“I, Ivan, shall act today in the name of the Mage Guild, the Heroes’ Association, and all righteous powers, to utterly eradicate you!”

With a furious roar, he brandished his sword and charged at Luo Yong.

It was a shameless onslaught, a basin of filth hurled without pause for rebuttal.

“Since you’ve discovered me, there’s no need to hide any longer. If it’s death you seek, I shall oblige. Let the end begin now…”

Staring at the enraged Ivan, Luo Yong’s voice was cold and devoid of feeling, mechanical as an automaton.

In that moment, Luo Yong suppressed his magical aura, letting forth a powerful presence that rendered him inscrutable.

He ignored Ivan, who was nearly upon him, and instead began to recite a lengthy magic incantation:

“Something darker than darkness…”

As the words rang out, those near Luo Yong—Elia the curse witch, the storm sorceress, the wild huntress—bowed their heads, dropping to one knee like devoted supplicants in a solemn rite.

The wind began to stir…

A heavy atmosphere settled over the air.

The sky seemed to darken, as if something momentous was about to occur.

At the first line of the incantation, Ivan was seized by a sense of impending doom.

“More terrifying than terror…”

“No, this… could it be…”

A dreadful realization flashed through Ivan’s mind. He saw storm clouds blotting out the sun, dimming the world.

Out of the corner of his eye, he glimpsed the giant wolf nearby crouching low to the ground, trembling.

“No…no, it can’t be…”

“Shattered flesh forms holy raiment, bloodstained broken bones forge divine arms…”

“Glory and brilliance lie buried in the past.”

“Foolishness and arrogance will meet with fire and blood!”

“O tortured souls writhing in the abyss…”

“Hear my summons…”

“Break your icy shackles, throw open the gates of hell, return to the world of men, and let all taste anguish!”

As the incantation neared its end, Ivan saw the Flameblade Maiden—renowned for her righteousness and courage—lean on her flaming sword and, like the others, sink to one knee in submission.