Chapter 1176 - A Tough Spot (1/2)
Erin looked on helplessly at the boundless darkness shrouding the place. Then, she let out a powerless sigh.
“Looks like I can’t escape now.”
As she soliloquized, she turned to the surroundings. The spiritual flames meant to brighten the place were completely devoured by the darkness. At a glance, everything was in complete darkness. But Erin clearly knew that this wasn’t ordinary darkness, but the ultimate defense of the Darkness Capital activated by her big brother instead. This was the effects of the Dark Curtain, the ultimate defensive enchanted field set up during the establishment of the Darkness Capital. As soon as this enchanted field was activated, endless darkness would envelop the entire palace without any presence of light.
No one can enter or leave until the enchanted field is deactivated…
At this thought, Erin let out a subtle sigh. It seemed like her big brother had indeed sunk into insanity as he even activated the ultimate enchanted field. Of course, Erin knew that this was meant for him to capture her. But how could he act so recklessly just to capture her? If it weren’t for his mighty dragon’s prestige, Erin would have thought that he was a fake. If not, why would he do something so crazy?
But now, it was pointless to think about it any further. As a matter of fact, Erin also faintly realized why her big brother became like this because when facing the ambush of the undead creatures earlier, she sensed a familiar presence. It was something she had been facing throughout this time: the twisted Chaos that was born in the world named Earth.
It was due to this reason that upon realizing that something was wrong, Erin’s first reaction was to flee. She knew better than anyone the consequences of being contaminated by Chaos. That was why she decisively used her blood to activate the emergency escape route hidden inside the palace and hid into it. And now… she was inside it.
I wonder if this escape route is enough to hide away from Big Brother’s search…
At this thought, Erin stretched out her right arm and gestured with her hand. A bright radiance flashed beside her, turning into a dark, murky bracelet that fitted over her wrist. As soon as the bracelet appeared, Erin’s aura dwindled instantly. Erin had to resort to this since she was a twin of her big brother. If she didn’t do it to mask her aura, she would be tracked by him and captured in minutes. Although this ‘Forbidden Magic Bracelet’ would also suppress her spiritual powers while sealing off her aura, there wouldn’t be any issues with her battle strength… Yes… even though she now possessed the strength of her human form, she was still much more powerful than ordinary humans, so there shouldn’t be any issues.
Erin extended her arm, gripped the sword beside her, and trotted forward.
Although it was pitch-black ahead, when one was at her level, one could basically see without the presence of light. It was apparent that she was currently inside an old escape route. The escape routes in the Darkness Capital were different from the ones in other places. Back then, in order to prevent being wiped out entirely, the ancients opened up a teleportation channel that could send out one person at a time to one of the escape routes randomly. It was also meant to avoid being chased by pursuing troops. As all the escape routes were unlinked, there were no concerns about encountering them. This was also why Erin felt so assured. The escape routes extended in all directions, connecting the entire Darkness Capital. It was impossible for Ion to search for her even if he upturned the place. Unless he upturned the Darkness Capital, he could forget about finding her.
I wonder if the Dark Curtain enchanted field will stop my retreat.
Harboring some concerns in her mind, Erin sprinted ahead. Although she hadn’t been to any of the escape routes before, the escape routes were engraved with symbols and texts only recognizable by the dragon race. That was why Erin could effortlessly find the exit.
But this escape route sure is long…
As she proceeded, she became increasingly curious. The deeper she traveled, the more run-down the path was and the patterns on them gradually showed up in a more ancient and traditional style. Besides, she also found out that as she walked further, the path started to slant as though it was leading underground. But even so, she didn’t slow down her pace. Although she loved archeology, it wasn’t the right time for her to admire those ancient murals. If the pursuing troops sent by her big brother caught up with her, she would be in big trouble. The fact that even her big brother failed to resist the erosion of Chaos made her worry if she could withstand it. No matter what, there would be hope as long as she left this place.
Erin darted across the pitch-black tunnel. She was so quick that her footsteps couldn’t be heard. As the princess of the Country of Darkness, it went without saying that she knew how capable the pursuits of the undead creatures were. They never relied upon their eyes to lock onto their prey, but exploited the spiritual auras and sounds instead. Even though Erin was in the underground tunnel right now, the Darkness Capital had specialized facilities to monitor sounds in the underground. If she weren’t careful enough, she might be discovered easily.
Huh?
While Erin dashed across the tunnel, she suddenly slowed down her pace and came to a halt silently like a ghost. She knitted her brows and stared ahead alertly. She sensed a presence hiding in the corner ahead.
Could it be that Big Brother’s pursuing troops have discovered and decided to surround me?
At this thought, Erin’s heart sank slightly. But she shook her head in denial. If they were the same undead creatures around her big brother, she would have been sure of that. In the battle earlier, this was the point that startled her. Although she was surrounded by so many undead creatures, she couldn’t detect their presence even if she closed her eyes. In a battle against such bothersome enemies, it was simply too dangerous for her. On the contrary, the undead creatures ahead seemed to be ordinary undead creatures. She also sensed the pure undead aura being released from them just like most undead creatures in the Country of Darkness.
Could it be there are secret guards even in these escape routes?
Erin pondered, but couldn’t reach a conclusion. She knew about the existence of the escape routes from reading the dragon race’s records. However, none of them wrote about guards defending the escape routes. If they were truly secret guards, they would be a beneficial force for her. But… safety was her top priority. Erin gripped the sword and proceeded ahead.
One step, two steps, and three steps. Erin held her breath and gazed vigilantly at the corner of the tunnel. The presence didn’t seem to notice her as it stood on the spot. Meanwhile, Erin continued to hold her breath and squinted at it like an elegant cheetah about to pounce on its prey. She stretched her body taut and padded forward. Then…
Shing———!
In an almost inaudible sound that broke the air barrier, Erin swung and repositioned her sword before dashing forward, stabbing at the corner toward the wall. Almost at the same time, she fused as one with the shimmering blade light. Before the target responded, the tip of her blade had arrived at its throat.
“Don’t move.”
Erin said softly, staring at the pair of shocked, wide-open scarlet eyes. After confirming the unknown presence’s identity, Erin became more nervous instead. Because the scarlet eyes only proved one thing. The unknown presence was…
“… Angelina?”
Erin widened her eyes, gazing at the terrified young lady who didn’t dare to budge. Erin couldn’t be more familiar with this young lady. After all, during her stay in the Void Territory, it was Angelina who attended and looked after her. It was due to this reason that when Erin saw Angelina, the first thought that came into her mind was whether she was struck by an illusionary spell.
“… Why are you here?”
“Y-Your Highness…”
Upon hearing Erin’s curious question, Angelina put up an awkward expression and her eyes wandered away. She was completely speechless. Looking at her reaction, Erin knew that something must be up. But now, having a familiar person accompanying her was much better than her being alone, which helped to relax her tension. More importantly, Erin didn’t sense the annoying presence of Chaos, which proved that this young lady was safe to be with.
(… Alright, stop talking.)
As Angelina was about to speak, Erin shook her finger and interrupted, staring at the pair of scarlet eyes. She waved her hand gently, put away her sword silently, and gestured to the surroundings. Angelina understood what she meant and nodded gently in response. Shortly after, Angelina’s voice rang inside Erin’s head.
(Your Highness, you’re back.)