Chapter 421 - 420: A Dungeon

Rivers had completely changed their course.

Entire sections of the landscape had melted into black crystalline glass.

Nothing about this place resembled the natural world anymore.

Far below...

Thousands of soldiers had already established a secure perimeter.

Temporary fortifications surrounded the ruined battlefield, while elite soldiers patrolled every direction to ensure no civilians wandered too close.

Mages remained stationed at observation posts several kilometers away, carefully monitoring the unstable Laws that still lingered throughout the region.

The moment they noticed the scarlet figure descending from the sky...

Every soldier immediately straightened.

"His Majesty!"

The voices echoed across the wasteland.

Alix merely nodded before continuing toward the center of the battlefield.

Several seconds later, the two landed upon the edge of an enormous crater.

The crater stretched for several kilometers.

Its walls were jagged and uneven, evidence of unimaginable force rather than natural erosion.

At its very center, space itself was fractured.

It wasn’t merely a crack.

It resembled a gigantic doorway that had been forcibly torn open.

The edges of the spatial rift continuously rippled like the surface of disturbed water.

Ancient silver runes drifted around it before disappearing into the void.

Behind the crack, nothing could be seen. Only endless darkness.

Yet from within that darkness came an ancient aura that seemed older than the continent itself.

Alix quietly observed the spatial crack.

His crimson eyes reflected its shimmering surface.

"So..."

"It really is a dungeon."

His calm voice echoed softly throughout the silent wasteland.

Dungeons were quite rare throughout the western regions of the Pharanthia Continent where this kingdom is located.

Many kingdoms had never even discovered a single one.

Unlike ordinary ruins, dungeons continually generated treasures, rare materials, cultivation resources, ancient inheritances, and powerful monsters.

They were both opportunities and dangers.

Any force capable of controlling a dungeon would experience explosive growth.

That was why the great powers of the Central Region constantly fought over them.

There...

Dungeons were abundant.

Entire sects had been built around them.

Ancient clans grew wealthy by monopolizing dungeon resources.

Even empires measured their strength by the number of dungeons under their control.

Compared to the prosperous Central Region...

The western lands of the Pharanthia Continent were considered barren.

Finding even one dungeon here was enough to start a war between kingdoms.

A faint smile appeared on Alix’s face.

"It seems fate favors us."

He slowly raised one hand.

At the same moment, streams of scarlet flames silently gathered around Vordon.

The flames did not burn.

Instead, they formed countless ancient runes that revolved around the beastman like protective stars.

The surrounding temperature instantly became comfortable.

The violent heat lingering from the residual Law of Fire could no longer reach him.

Even the oppressive pressure of the surrounding Laws weakened considerably.

Vordon looked at the protective flames surrounding his armored body.

His golden eyes widened slightly.

"My Lord..."

Alix lowered his hand.

"The residual Laws are too dangerous for you."

"This will protect you."

The beastman respectfully bowed.

"My gratitude, Your Majesty."

Alix shifted his gaze back toward the shattered battlefield.

Countless remnants of Laws still raged throughout the place.

Rivers of crimson fire flowed endlessly through broken valleys.

Invisible storms carved deep scars into the earth.

Bolts of azure lightning descended from cloudless skies without warning.

Gray patches of Decay slowly consumed everything unfortunate enough to enter their domain.

The entire battlefield had become a forbidden land.

Then, Alix calmly spoke.

"Prepare everyone."

Vordon immediately straightened.

"My Lord?"

Alix’s crimson eyes never left the spatial gateway.

"I’ll remove the residual Laws from this battlefield."

His voice remained calm.

As though he were discussing something trivial.

Alix continued.

"After that..."

"I want you to inform Gander."

"Tell him to gather our builders, and formation masters."

Vordon listened attentively.

"We’re going to develop this place."

His gaze rested upon the ancient spatial gateway.

"This dungeon will become one of this city greatest strategic assets."

"We’ll establish roads leading here."

In only a few moments...

His king had already transformed the discovery of a dungeon into a plan capable of strengthening the kingdom’s military, economy, and influence simultaneously.

"As you command, Your Majesty."

"I’ll notify sir Gander immediately."

Alix nodded once before looking toward the battlefield once more.

The remnants of Fire, Wind, Lightning, and Decay continued raging across the ruined land.

Alix slowly stepped forward until he stood at the very edge of the enormous crater.

The shattered battlefield stretched endlessly before him.

Even after months had passed, the remnants of the battle continued to reshape the land.

Scarlet flames burned without fuel.

Invisible blades of wind carved fresh scars into the earth every passing minute.

Bolts of azure lightning descended unpredictably from the heavens.

Patches of gray decay silently spread across the ruined landscape, reducing everything they touched to lifeless dust.

The four lingering Laws still refused to disappear.

Behind him, thousands of soldiers watched in complete silence.

No one dared utter a single word.

Even Vordon unconsciously held his breath.

Everyone knew they were about to witness something that should have been impossible.

Alix slowly raised his right hand.

Unlike before...

There was no overwhelming display of power.

No colossal phenomenon descended from the heavens.

Instead, he simply closed his eyes.

For a brief moment, the entire battlefield became eerily quiet.

Then, the surrounding Laws reacted.

The endless sea of flames suddenly trembled.

The raging storms abruptly slowed.

The descending lightning froze in midair.

Even the creeping Law of Decay stopped spreading.

It was as though the remnants had sensed the arrival of their rightful master.

Alix quietly spoke.

"Return."

His voice wasn’t loud.

Yet every corner of the battlefield heard it clearly.

The next instant, the impossible happened.

The endless flames flowing throughout the ruined land suddenly rose into the sky like crimson rivers flowing backward.

The countless tornadoes scattered across the battlefield dissolved into streams of transparent wind before gathering above Alix’s outstretched hand.

Every bolt of lingering lightning abandoned the heavens, converging into countless azure threads.

Even the gray mist embodying the Law of Decay slowly emerged from the ground before drifting toward him.

The four lingering Laws...

Were being reclaimed.

They no longer resisted.

They obediently returned to the one who had originally wielded them.

From the soldiers’ perspective...

It resembled four oceans converging toward a single person.

Warm sunlight once again illuminated the devastated battlefield.

The land became peaceful.

A gentle breeze swept across the crater.

The soldiers stared with mouths agape.

Some unconsciously dropped their weapons.

Others rubbed their eyes, convinced they had imagined what they had just witnessed.

Vordon slowly lowered his head.

"As expected..."

"...only His Majesty could accomplish such a miracle."

Alix exhaled quietly.

He turned his attention toward the enormous spatial gateway.

Without the interference of the residual Laws, the ancient doorway became much clearer.

The countless silver runes engraved upon its surface glowed faintly.

The crack in space slowly rippled, releasing waves of ancient mana that seemed completely different from the energy of the outside world.

Alix looked toward Vordon.

"Remain outside."

The beastman immediately bowed.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"I’ll secure the perimeter."

"If anything happens..."

"I’ll be waiting."

Alix nodded.

Without another word, he stepped toward the spatial gateway.

The moment his hand touched the rippling surface...

A powerful force instantly enveloped his entire body.

The surrounding scenery distorted.

Space twisted.

His vision blurred.

For several seconds...

Nothing existed except endless darkness.

Then, everything became clear.

Alix slowly opened his eyes.

"..."

The first thing he noticed...

Was the sky. It wasn’t blue, nor was it covered by clouds.

Instead, the entire sky was crimson.

Deep, blood-red clouds drifted slowly overhead, as though they had been dyed by countless years of war.

The crimson light cast across the world gave everything an unsettling appearance.

The second thing he noticed...

Was the land, dry, barren, and endless.

The cracked earth stretched as far as the eye could see.

Not a single blade of grass grew from the ground.

Towering black rock formations rose from the wasteland like the broken fangs of some ancient beast.

The air itself carried a faint metallic scent.

It reminded him disturbingly of blood. An eerie silence filled the world.

There was no birdsong, no flowing rivers, and insects.

Only an oppressive stillness.

Alix slowly expanded his perception.

An invisible wave spread outward from his body, sweeping across the surrounding landscape at astonishing speed.

Several kilometers...

Ten kilometers...

Twenty...

His expression gradually changed.

"I found them..."

Within his perception were dozens...

No...

Hundreds of living creatures.

They wandered across the wasteland in scattered groups.

Some were hunting.

Others were fighting one another.

A few perched atop the black cliffs while observing the barren plains below.