Chapter 24 : Search

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...

Dark Night Woods loomed ahead, its gnarled branches clawing at the sky like skeletal fingers. The thick mist coiled around the ancient trees, and an eerie silence blanketed the land, broken only by the occasional rustling of unseen creatures.

Leylin walked at a measured pace, his black robe flowing like a shadow behind him. His fingers idly traced the hilt of the sword at his waist, the cold steel humming with potential. Before him, Viscount Jackson led the group with a stern expression, his hand gripping the hilt of his own weapon tightly. (Image)

"Be careful! We have entered the withering domain!" Jackson's voice rang out, cutting through the stillness like a blade.

Leylin's lips curled into an imperceptible smirk. The withering domain? With the help of his Knights and commissioned mercenaries his A.I. Chip had already mapped out a portion of the area, and he knew exactly what awaited them ahead.

But he remained silent, his sharp eyes scanning the withered foliage as the group pressed forward.

The deeper they ventured, the more the environment twisted around them. The trees, once proud and towering, stood lifeless, their bark peeling away in brittle layers. The ground was soft, almost spongy underfoot, as if decayed flesh had seeped into the earth.

Murphy adjusted his strange monocle, its lenses glinting ominously. "The heart of the woods," he muttered. "Only by reaching the center can my spell take full effect."

Leylin's gaze flicked to the item with interest. 'That monocle… No one else realizes its true purpose. Even the Great Withering Snake Mankestre wouldn't escape its influence and would he restrained.'

He said nothing, merely committing the details to memory.

A sudden chime in his mind broke his thoughts.

[Warning! Warning! Dangerous organism detected ahead!]

Leylin's smirk deepened. Finally.

The woods erupted with movement. Branches snapped, leaves scattered, and a monstrous shadow lunged from the darkness.

A blur of fangs and muscle shot forward, its tongue lashing out like a whip.

A guard barely had time to scream before he was yanked off his feet, his body vanishing into the monster's cavernous maw. The sickening crunch of bone echoed through the forest as blood splattered across the dead leaves.

"Damn it!" Jackson bellowed, unsheathing his sword.

Murphy's hands moved swiftly through the air. "Sluggish Spell!" A ring of yellow-green light formed around the beast, its speed faltering.

The creature's full form emerged—a lizard-like abomination with clay-yellow scales, a twisted horn, and unnaturally long limbs. It hissed as Jackson charged, his sword glowing with deadly intent. (Image)

"Death Arc of Light!"

A radiant blade of energy slashed through the air, severing the creature's head from its body. The beast stumbled a few steps before crashing to the ground, motionless.

The silence that followed was tense, broken only by the crackling of decayed leaves beneath Leylin's boots. His gaze remained impassive as the monster's flesh began to wither unnaturally fast.

"Look!" An acolyte's panicked voice rang out.

Before their eyes, the corpse decomposed at an unnatural speed, its flesh melting away until only a skeleton remained. But something shifted beneath the bones.

Leylin's sharp eyes caught the movement immediately. 'There it is.'

More red veins pulsated beneath the skeleton, writhing and converging into a smaller, more grotesque form. The blood-colored creature that emerged was no ordinary beast—it was an entity of pure malevolence.

Xiu!

With inhuman speed, it bolted from its spot, vanishing into the woods before anyone could react.

Jackson swore. "Give chase! That thing is connected to the curse on this forest!"

The Black Iron Guards surged forward, weapons drawn. The grey-robed figure at the rear murmured something to Jackson, who nodded grimly before leading the pursuit.

Murphy hesitated before sighing. "Let's follow them!"

Leylin remained still for a moment, watching as the others rushed ahead. His fingers flexed around the hilt of his sword.

"Yes my old friend, lets go."

He stepped forward, his eyes gleaming with calculated intent.

....

"This should be the heart of the Withering Woods!" Murphy rubbed his nose, glancing around the desolate landscape. The air was thick with decay, and the gnarled trees stood lifeless, their twisted branches clawing at the sky. (Image)

"The scouting method I have prepared can now be used!" Murphy announced, retrieving a black-colored potion from within his robes. With a flick of his wrist, he unplugged the bottle and poured its contents onto the forest floor.

Plop plop!

The liquid writhed unnaturally, shifting and solidifying into dozens of tiny black ants that scattered in all directions. The sight was eerie—like drops of ink bleeding into the earth and sprouting legs.

The group waited in tense silence, their hands resting on weapons, wary of whatever lurked within these cursed woods. After a dozen minutes, a single black ant scurried back, climbing Murphy's robes with an unnatural sense of purpose. It reached his ear, as if whispering.

Murphy's eyes gleamed. "It's been found! Follow me!"

He led the group through the trees, his steps sure as if guided by an unseen force. They soon arrived at a massive withered oak, its bark peeling, its roots gnarled like a corpse's fingers.

"Move this oak tree away!" Murphy ordered. "According to my probing, there's a secret tunnel beneath it."

"Squad One! Go!" Jackson barked.

The Black Iron Guards stepped forward. Their pikes stabbed into the brittle wood, piercing deep and sending splinters flying like snowflakes. The old tree, already weak from age and corruption, collapsed under the assault. The guards wasted no time rolling the remains aside, revealing a dark, gaping hole. A sickly, humid air exhaled from its depths, carrying the scent of rotting earth.

"Here it is!" Murphy's voice was thick with excitement as he chanted an incantation.

At his command, the ants returned, flowing into the hole like a living tide. For a moment, all was still. Then—

Murphy staggered backward, his face turning deathly pale. His body wavered, and he nearly collapsed.

"What happened?" one of the acolytes demanded.

Murphy's lips trembled. "There's… something down there. Something strong. It destroyed all my precious babies." His voice held a rare tremor of fear.

Some of the men exchanged uneasy glances. An acolyte hesitated before speaking. "What should we do?"

Jackson's expression hardened. "Prepare a fire! We'll have a look down there!"

The guards responded swiftly, lighting torches and readying themselves.

The entrance was narrow, forcing them to crouch as they descended. The deeper they went, the wider the tunnel became, until it was large enough for several men to walk side by side. The flames flickered against damp stone walls, revealing strange carvings and claw marks.

"Lord Viscount! There's a fork ahead!" A squad leader called.

"Let me see." Jackson stepped forward, peering into the darkness.

Two tunnels stretched before them, identical in size and equally ominous. They gaped like twin mouths of an ancient beast, their ends swallowed in blackness.

Jackson's jaw tightened. "Two squads. One takes the left tunnel, the other takes the right. Report back if you find anything." (Image)

The knights saluted and moved swiftly into formation. The group that went left returned after some time, reporting nothing but damp rock and eerily quiet passageways.

The ones on the right never came back.

An uneasy silence settled over them. The air was thick with a presence unseen, something that watched from the abyss beyond their torches' reach.

Leylin stood apart, his expression unreadable. He had made no move to assist, nor did he offer advice. The fate of those who had vanished did not seem to concern him in the slightest.

Everyone received their orders, and they ventured deeper into the tunnel, where shadows whispered, and something unseen waited in the dark.