Chapter 101 Lynn! - Stop Hypnotizing Me, Villainous Princess!

“Run!” As the agonizing cry echoed through the mountains, the subordinates gathered outside the underground ruins jerked their heads up in surprise. Their eyes simultaneously filled with disbelief. That voice... was it Her Highness, Evester?! A ludicrous thought emerged in everyone's mind. In their impression, Her Highness Evester had always been a powerful and fearsome presence. She exuded authority and her gaze was as sharp as a knife. Even the troublesome cult riots were effortlessly quelled by her. Even fifth-tier legendary transcendents couldn't withstand more than a few rounds with her. To them, she was practically invincible. Yet, only those like Afiya, who stayed by her side, understood the price of such immense power. Every time Evester awoke after devouring a sealed artifact, she became more terrifying. Sometimes, even her temperament would become erratic and volatile. This inevitably led to the disdain and fear of those outside her circle. Only a few close to her would occasionally feel a pang of sympathy, thinking, "Her Highness is so pitiful." So at this moment, when Evester's voice echoed in the valley, the subordinates from the Augusta Manor unanimously chose to follow her orders. Even a sixth-tier demigod couldn't handle the crisis here, so what use was it for them to stay? Only Afiya transformed into her feline form upon hearing that voice filled with chaos and pain, leaping towards the subterranean relics. Yet, in the next second, dark threads formed from shadows ensnared her hind legs, binding her in place. "Don't be hasty!" Morris shouted, his brow furrowed, as if sensing something amiss. "But, Her Highness..." Afiya attempted to speak further. However, the next second, a chilling wave of despair and a surge of wet, muddy darkness erupted forth like a geyser! The endless mire of blackness seemed to revel in the presence of so many life forms. Noticing Duke Tyrus and the multitude of soldiers behind him, the murky flood rushed forward eagerly! "All troops, form a defensive array!!!" Though Duke Tyrus's face was filled with shock, he immediately issued the command. Responsible for the defensive formation, the transcendents at the center of his troops quickly activated a protective barrier with the sealing artifact. Simultaneously, a pale lavender power surged from Duke Tyrus's body, transforming into a violent, intangible gravity aimed at crushing the disgusting black entities into the earth. Alas, they were formless and intangible, like a liquid or the unrestrained flow of air. Physical attacks could not harm the black swamp. The black sludge advanced with unstoppable momentum, towering like waves and breaking through the fragile artifact defenses with ease, flooding into the ranks and scattering their previously orderly formation! Afiya watched the scene unfold in terror, instinctively leaping to higher ground to avoid the encroaching blackness. The next second, soldiers touched by the sludge began to scream in agony! "No, don't!!!!" One soldier's stomach swelled quickly and exploded amidst shocked gazes, showering the area not with gore but with gold coins bearing the effigy of Pope Saint Laurent VI! The black sludge had sensed the soldier's greed and satisfied it in the most twisted way. "Help, help me!!!" Another soldier cried for aid. His arms and chest swelled at an alarming rate as if his muscles had been magnified a thousandfold, veins pulsing violently, grotesque and potent! Yet his lower half remained unchanged, losing balance and collapsing. The upper body's expansion didn't cease. Swell! Swell! Swell! "Boom!!!" Finally, his flesh could no longer withstand the power, bursting open with blood and gore! The black sludge had sensed his desire for strength and fulfilled it in the most perverse manner. And it wasn't just these two. At that very moment, sanity-shattering scenes played out throughout the valley. Someone ripped open their stomach, cradling a grotesque black infant; others sprouted wings uncontrollably, crashing fatally into the rock walls; some melted into a grotesque pool of flesh, crawling with slick, slimy maggots. Hidden in the shadows, Morris saw the horrific display, and cold sweat trickled down his face. He exchanged a glance with Afiya, reading despair in each other's eyes. This wasn't a second-tier sealing artifact, but— "Level 0!!!" Duke Tyrus suddenly roared in anger, "Damn you, Calderon, you even deceived me!!!" Watching his elite troops swiftly fall, his heart bled. Was it the flaws in the electoral system, with local powers swelling unchecked, that drove the Emperor to take back control through this treacherous ploy?! For a moment, the heartache of betrayal surged within him. As a fifth-tier legendary transcedent, he could barely survive the uproar of a Level 0 sealing artifact. But the surrounding soldiers couldn't. These were his elite guards, yet they stood no chance against the artifact's overwhelming effects. What should be done?! At this moment, similar thoughts filled everyone's minds. "Just run, as Her Highness ordered." After a long, painful deliberation, Morris gritted out. As a third-tier transcendent, he might have been powerful in a mundane world, but amidst a calamity even Her Highness struggled against, there was nothing they could do but to avoid pointless sacrifice. "You!!!" Afiya glared at him, speechless with fury. Yet, evidently, his suggestion gained approval from everyone present. Most of Evester's subordinates who had come for the task were transcendents. So, with a nod, they swiftly moved into action. However, moments later, piercing screams echoed from the distant base of the mountain. "The Ecclesiastic Order! How dare you—" "Why kill us?! We're not tainted!" "Damn it, are you trying to annihilate us in the mountains?!" With a few screams, an icy voice echoed throughout the mountains, chilling everyone's ears. "Regrettably, these are the orders." "Please, within these Soren Mountains, uphold the Empire's honor and resist to the very end!" The voice, coupled with the powerful barrier emerging above the mountains, snuffed out any last flickers of hope in those present. They ran, dodging the pursuing black mire, while their screams filled the air in despair. What they thought would be an ordinary task had become an inescapable doom through a single wrong choice. Why? Why must we die?! This thought hovered in the minds of the surviving. Morris sank to the ground in resignation, despair clouding his eyes. Ahead lay the rampaging Level 0 sealing artifact, behind, the escape route blocked by supposed allies. Everyone would meet their end. Similar thoughts crossed Afiya's mind. Gazing at the towering black waves and the writhing muck behind, she stared blankly upward, her body seemingly stripped of motion. For reasons unknown, amidst the chaos, a strange emotion welled up within Afiya. She once believed that from the moment that winter when Her Highness cradled her nearly lifeless form, she was prepared to sacrifice herself for Evester. Yet faced with such a dire situation, she felt a twinge of reluctance. Am I really going to die? Her ears twitched slightly as she reverted to human form. Gazing at her bare white feet, Afiya suddenly felt at a loss. But the advancing black mire did not slow for the medley of thoughts in these people's hearts. The shadow of death and despair loomed over the valley. In just half a second, the towering black waves would engulf the mountains, leaving the people to perish in the most gruesome and twisted manner. It should have been an immutable scene anchored in the river of time. Yet, somehow, the hand of fate, driven by something anomalous, plucked at the string tethering them to their doomed end. "Boom!!!" A sudden youthful figure, like a beast, crushed the earth beneath and shot into the entrance of the underground ruins, vanishing from sight. The powerful gust and whirlwind blew away the black mire permeating the valley, like a heated knife slicing through butter effortlessly. Moreover, as that formidable presence passed, the once unrestrained and nightmarish black sludge seemed to face an intrinsic suppression, freezing in place and losing its aggressive drive. Moments later, it retreated like a tide, fleeing in all directions. W-What just happened?! Afiya stood there, dumbfounded. A sensation, never before felt, washed over her, leaving her weak-kneed. The figure felt strangely familiar for reasons unknown. Could it be... Impossible! An absurd rush of emotion surfaced, causing Afiya to shake her head instinctively. Not only her. The euphoria of escaping certain death welled up in everyone's hearts. "Who was that just now?!" Someone cried out in joy, embracing their companions with tears streaming down their face. Alas, the figure moved with such formidable power and astounding speed that no one had caught even a glimpse of their appearance. "Lynn!!! That was Lynn!!!" Suddenly, someone raised their arm, shouting the name like a declaration. Everyone turned to look. Among the crowd, Greya shouted excitedly. "Though I don't know what he intends to do... we've been saved!!!" Inside the Pantheon. A cold sorceress with alabaster hair, as usual under the chains of order, sat alone by the steps, absorbed in the book she held. The Chronicle of Sino. If it were him, he would likely discern the hints within, right? Her gaze remained on the page, yet her thoughts were elsewhere. According to the path of fate she foresaw and the clues she once left, Lynn Bartlean should be on a train back to the Imperial Capital by now. She wondered what scene their next meeting would unfold in. The Witch of the End closed her book emotionlessly, pondering silently. However. In the corner she paid no mind to, the surface of the chains falling from the colossal statue's hands seemed to show faint cracks for some unknown reason. As if heralding something. Many thanks to Leader Xiao Lizi Lee! The group chat starts tomorrow! Requesting monthly votes!!!