Chapter 349: Limit Surpassing Battlefield (2/2)

“The Corps’ own members probably didn’t use this chute. There is likely a secret passageway or some other construct for them to enter and exit.” Ayrin swallowed audibly as he said, “Perhaps this is why the other district was destroyed so thoroughly?”

“Stingham,” Rinloran abruptly shouted.

“I understand,” Stingham replied frustratedly as tears began to well within his eyes. Closing his eyes, he jumped into the chute.

Rinloran jumped as he shouted, “What are you doing Stingham? I was going to say that if you wanted to, you can stay here and look after Moss and observe the situation. After all, only three of us have to pass for it to be considered our victory.”

“Why didn’t you say so! How was I supposed to know?! I hate you!” Stingham’s wails rang out from within the chute.

“Haha, this…” Ayrin laughed and scratched his head.

“Having arrived here, and as a member of the team, I will not stop here, even if I am injured,” Moss said as he looked at Rinloran.

“You are a true brave warrior. Even if you fall, you must fall on the battlefield!” Ayrin exclaimed as he waved his fist towards Moss in a encouraging manner.

“Hmph!” Belo snorted as he entered the chute.

Chris, being more focused and cautious, walked to the entrance of the chute and shouted into it, “Stingham, have you reached the bottom yet? What’s down there?”

But the only response was the sound of wind being displaced as Belo shot down the chute.

“Neither of those fellows are very reliable. So I’m going to head down first. Chris, wait a little bit and then shout again,” Rinloran said before also jumping into the chute.

A good half a minute later, Chris shouted into the chute once more.

But this time, the only response was complete silence.

“Perhaps sound cannot be transmitted up from below. Only by going down will we know what is occurring, so I’m also going to head down now. Chris and Moss, follow behind me.”

Ayrin took a deep breath, his eyes filling with fighting intent once more. Afterwards, he stepped into the chute.

“Eh?”

Upon entering the chute, Ayrin immediately felt a suction force pulling him down the chute much faster than he had expected.

Furthermore, the chute was not as long as he had expected. After several seconds, light assaulted his eyes once more as he fell into a spacious and empty chamber.

“What?!”

As his eyes adjusted to the light, his pupils abruptly shrank.

He was surrounded by a curtain of thick black light, forming a circular area of about sixty to seventy meters in diameter around him.

The ground was littered with various metal and crystal fragments, fragments which appeared to be broken parts from various clockwork puppets!

It was basically a graveyard of metal clockwork puppets!

Based on the many kinds of fragments, it was evident that this Corps had created and used many different and complicated kinds of puppets. It was definitely not limited to the ones which they had encountered.

Shooting up like bamboo shoots between all these fragments were many black crystals.

These crystals looked somewhat feeble and gave him a feeling of softness. They were extremely opaque and reflective. Ayrin could see his figure reflected in every surface.

A strange feeling emerged in Ayrin’s heart.

Stingham, Belo, and Rinloran were all nowhere to be seen.

He raised his head and looked at the curtain of black light around and above his head.

There wasn’t a single hole.

Could the chute have sent each of them to a different place?

But then where was the exit?

Ayrin pondered silently.

Indeed, there was no obvious exit!

Ayrin moved towards the curtain of black light. He wanted to try touching it.

But at this moment, a strange and tempestuous arcane energy fluctuation surged around him!

“What is the meaning of this?”

Ayrin’s eyes widened as the strange black crystals begin to melt like heated oil around him.

The arcane energy fluctuations filling the space were being released by these melting crystals!

The black crystals melted and formed small fluid droplets which flew across the metal and crystal fragments at an astonishing speed.

A black figure gradually took form before Ayrin!

[1] This was somewhat lost in translation. Battle and Hopeless sound the same in Chinese, although the character is different.