Chapter 520: What the hell is that...
"My Lord, there’s a powerful creature lurking in that part of the Dark World," Andona said, her expression grim. "We don’t know exactly how strong it is, but rumor has it—it’s on par with one of the top ten Overlords."
"An Overlord-level threat?" Ethan narrowed his eyes, but his tone remained firm. "Doesn’t matter. We still have to check it out."
As soon as the words left his mouth, he glanced at the map, pinpointed the location, and in a flash, his body surged with power. With a burst of energy, he shot into the sky.
Whoosh!
Seeing him take off like that, Ataneya, Andona, and Namyanna had no choice but to follow quickly behind.
...
The world they were in was vast—massive beyond comprehension. The group flew through the skies for what felt like ages before finally arriving at a barren stretch of land that looked like a desolate wasteland.
At first glance, it didn’t seem much different from the other forbidden zones they’d seen—lifeless, bleak, and saturated with dark energy.
"This should be the place, right?" Ethan asked, steadying his breath as he pulled up the system’s map.
After comparing the coordinates, he confirmed it—this was the spot.
But something was off.
According to the map, this area was supposed to be a realm of lightning and magma. Yet what lay before them was cold—eerily cold. The air was frigid, and there was no sign of molten rock anywhere.
"My Lord, I can feel it... this place is dangerous," Namyanna said suddenly, her voice low.
"They say a terrifying ancient giant sleeps here. No one knows how strong it really is, but..."
"If it wakes up, the entire world could collapse."
Ethan frowned. The whole world? That sounded like an exaggeration—but it also meant whatever was buried here was no joke.
Still, if they wanted to clear the Citadel of Shadows dungeon, they had no choice. He had to push forward, no matter what.
"Let’s keep going. With our current strength, it shouldn’t be that bad... We’ll take it one step at a time."
"Yes, My Lord," the others replied in unison.
BOOOOM!
Just as Ethan finished speaking, a terrifying surge of energy suddenly erupted from deep underground. The sheer force of it was overwhelming—so intense that it made their bodies tremble and their scalps tingle.
BANG!
"Tidecaller’s Domain!"
Namyanna sprang into action. She slammed her trident into the ground, and instantly, a wave of Sacred Realm energy burst forth, spreading like a tidal wave. Violent, raw power surged outward, forming a protective barrier around them.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
At the same time, the ground itself began to pulse with strange energy. Streams of magical force erupted from the earth like rivers of power—twisting, writhing, and glowing with heat.
It was clear now—this was some kind of Fire Magic... and Thunder Magic too.
And it wasn’t just powerful—it was terrifying.
Even just standing in its presence made their souls tremble.
That’s how intense it was.
"Let’s go. We need to see what we’re dealing with," Ethan said, steadying his breath again.
Then, with a sudden burst of energy, he launched himself forward.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Ataneya, Namyanna, and Andona immediately followed. Normally, scouting ahead was their job. The fact that Ethan had gone in first made them feel both anxious and a little ashamed.
"My Lord, please be careful..." one of them called out.
They didn’t dare hesitate any longer and rushed after him.
And then—
When they reached the massive crater ahead...
They saw it.
Lying at the bottom of the pit was a creature—something they couldn’t quite identify. It looked like a giant white insect, its body pristine and almost... harmless.
But appearances were deceiving.
Even though it didn’t seem to have any intelligence, its body was radiating waves of terrifying energy—lightning and fire pulsing off it in waves.
It was practically screaming: I’m not what I seem.
"What the hell is that...?" Ethan muttered, narrowing his eyes as he studied the creature.
And then—
Everything changed.
BOOM!
BOOM!
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble violently. In the blink of an eye, a deafening roar echoed out from all directions, all centered around that seemingly harmless white insect.
Then—
Cracks began to spiderweb across the ground, spreading fast and wide.
And from those fractures, searing-hot magma erupted upward, spewing into the air like a volcanic explosion. The entire landscape transformed into a hellish scene of molten fury.
"Shit!" Ethan’s face darkened. He immediately flashed backward, retreating from the blast zone.
Buzz—!
At the same time, a shimmering blue barrier flared to life in front of them. It was the power of Namyanna’s Tidecaller’s Domain, shielding them from the worst of the eruption.
"The legends were true," Andona said, her voice tense. "That monster really was buried here... and now it’s waking up."
THOOM!
As she spoke, a deep, thunderous rumble shook the earth again.
Then, slowly, a massive figure began to rise from the molten depths.
"What the hell is that..." Ethan’s pupils contracted as he locked eyes on the emerging titan. Even from this distance, he could feel the overwhelming pressure radiating from it—raw, cataclysmic power that seemed capable of tearing the world apart.
It was pouring off the creature in waves.
"Yeah... this thing’s on a whole other level."
There was no doubt about it.
This monster was even stronger than the Abyssal Overlord Poseidra... and more terrifying than Klorvax.
No wonder Andona and Namyanna had been so wary of this place.
They had every reason to be.
"My Lord, are we really going to fight it?" Namyanna asked, gripping her trident tightly. "Its power is insane. If we go in head-on, we might not make it out."
"Hold on..." Ethan said calmly. "Let me take a look."
There wasn’t a trace of fear on his face as he activated the system, trying to analyze the creature’s stats.
But the system didn’t return any data—just a long string of question marks.
As if this thing’s power exceeded the system’s ability to measure it.
And then—something completely unexpected happened.
The white insect from earlier suddenly shot forward with a sharp hiss, darting straight into the chest of the massive creature.
It burrowed into the titan’s heart.
Everyone froze.
Ethan’s eyes lit up with sudden realization.
"They’re connected..."
"No—more than that. That bug... it might actually be the real body."
His words hit like a lightning bolt.
Andona and Namyanna’s eyes widened as the pieces clicked into place.
So that towering, terrifying giant... was just a puppet?
If that was true, then maybe—just maybe—they had a real shot at this.
"My Lord, its weak spot might be the heart!" Ataneya said quickly.
"No," Ethan corrected, "It’s the insect. That’s the core. If we can force it out, we can win this."
Namyanna’s eyes gleamed. "Then we go for the heart. Hit it hard enough, and we’ll flush the real body out!"
"My Lord, give the order," Andona said, her voice steady. "We’ll bring you victory."
Ethan nodded.
"Then let’s do it."
"Bring me that win."
"As you command, mighty Lord!"
"Yes, My Lord!"
...