"Master! Look over there!"
When Lizbeth pointed ahead with a face full of joy and called out, Riezel had already sensed that faint glow earlier.
At the end of the corridor, the endless branching paths were gone, replaced instead by an exit where light shone through.
Meanwhile, the little fairy and the crow, who had been guiding them all this way, were pacing back and forth at the entrance before finally vanishing, their task completed.
Needless to say, this was proof that they had reached the exit of the labyrinth.
"We finally made it, huh?" Riezel felt relieved.
It had already been nearly fourteen hours since they entered the ancient ruin, so if they still could not find the way out, then they might have been forced to spend the night inside.
More importantly, the monsters in this labyrinth were strange, and Riezel had no intention of resting in such a place, which made finding the exit now the best outcome possible.
"I'll go scout ahead, Master!"
Lizbeth clearly had no desire to remain in the sweltering labyrinth any longer, and the moment she saw the exit, she wanted to run straight for it.
However, Riezel quickly reached out and grabbed the reckless little princess by the collar.
"Master?"
Lizbeth looked at Riezel in surprise, not understanding why he stopped her.
Riezel raised a finger to his lips for silence, took Lizbeth's hand, and slowed his pace while drawing in his aura.
Seeing this, Lizbeth instantly tensed and quietly squeezed Riezel's hand back, suppressing her aura as well, and carefully followed him toward the exit.
Before long, the two of them reached the opening and caught sight of what lay beyond.
What greeted their eyes was a vast and spacious stone hall that resembled a cavern chamber—square and bare, like a massive sealed room.
Two rows of pillars stood on either side, and at the far end of the hall stood a stone statue, with murals covering the surrounding walls and ceiling.
As they looked at the murals, Riezel and Lizbeth exchanged glances, both of them feeling as if they had returned to the central temple within the ancient city inside the Underground Demon Beast Yarakulon.
They still remembered that in that ancient city, the temple's walls had been covered with murals as well, and this place bore a striking resemblance. Most of all, the statue at the deepest end of the hall was identical to the temple's divine image—a cube.
Yet what drew their attention more than the murals and the statue were the wandering figures within the hall.
They were black-clothed beings, draped in dark cloaks, each wielding strange, eerie weapons.
As soon as Riezel laid eyes on those weapons, his eyes widened slightly before his gaze turned cold.
Not only him, but Lizbeth's eyes widened slightly as well.
"Master, aren't those the same magic dolls that attacked us before?" Lizbeth whispered, tugging at his sleeve.
Indeed, the black-clothed figures roaming the stone hall were the very same magic dolls that had once ambushed Lizbeth in the Mavros Territory and Riezel within Yarakulon's body.
They were bizarre entities without hearts, moving silently like phantoms and wielding eerie abilities, while the strange weapons in their hands were known as holy relics.
"Why?" Lizbeth's voice quivered. "Why are these magic dolls here?"
"...Do you remember those footprints we saw before entering?" Riezel, already having the answer, offered her a hint.
Lizbeth froze for a moment before realization dawned.
"You mean... the ones who entered before us... were these magic dolls?"
Her face lit with sudden understanding.
"More precisely, someone brought them here." Riezel said with narrowed eyes. "I don't believe a group of puppets that only follow orders could manage something as delicate as exploring ancient ruins."
"Master, you mean…?" Lizbeth blinked.
"My meaning is simple." Riezel's lips curled into a smile, though his voice carried no warmth. "By chance, we may finally meet the ones pulling the strings behind these magic dolls this time."
As soon as these words fell, he cast his magic.
"Time Stop."
In an instant, the world froze—the magic dolls in the stone hall turned into statues, motionless, and even Lizbeth, standing at his side, remained frozen as she was.
Riezel stepped out of the corridor and walked into the stone hall, placing his hand on one of the magic dolls.
"Delay Maximize Magic - Energy Drain."
He touched the magic doll briefly, then moved on to the next, pressing his hand against them one by one, casting the same magic each time. Only after every magic doll had been touched did he walk to the statue at the far end.
Turning his back to them, Riezel snapped his fingers, and time resumed.
"!!!"
In that instant, every magic doll trembled violently as they saw him—the young man who had suddenly appeared in their midst.
Seeing the sudden intruder, even these heartless puppets couldn't help but be startled.
When they regained their senses, they raised their weapons one after another, ready to charge at him, but before they could move, the delayed magic Riezel had planted finally took effect.
As energy drained away from their bodies, the magic dolls were horrified to find their power plummeting at an alarming rate. Meanwhile, Riezel's own power surged upward, visibly growing stronger with each passing moment.
In the next moment, Riezel turned around, his body flashing like lightning.
*BOOM!*
Thunder exploded in the stone hall as bolts of lightning burst forth, racing toward the magic dolls.
"Thunderclap and Flash!"
Riezel's thunder-wreathed blade split the air, cleaving through doll after doll—each strike carrying the lightning into its next target.
*Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!* *Pu-chi!*
Every second, the sound of flesh being cleaved rang out again and again.
"Egh…"
"Argh..."
One by one, the magic dolls collapsed to the ground—their weapons clattered loudly against the stone floor, powerless to resist any longer.
*Click—*
Riezel emerged from the lightning, slowly sheathing his sword before turning once more to face the fallen magic dolls.
"Master!"
Lizbeth was stunned by the scene before her.
Truthfully, she had no idea what had just happened—only that one moment her master had been beside her speaking, and the next, he had already vanished, appearing amid the magic dolls.
By the time she caught up, it was already over, as Riezel had effortlessly cut down every single magic doll alone.
Lizbeth hurried out of the corridor and ran toward him.
At the same time, Riezel reached for the nearest magic doll, placed a hand on their head, and cast another magic.
"Control Amnesia."
Riezel forced his way into the magic doll's mind without hesitation.
He had no thought of being gentle, so he stormed directly into the magic doll's memories with brute force.
"AAAAAARGH—!!!"
With their eyes bulging as if they would burst, the magic doll shrieked, making Lizbeth's heart leap in fear at the sight.
Meanwhile, Riezel soon found what he sought—it was a memory from only a short while ago.
Like the others, this magic doll had been carrying out orders received remotely.
Apparently, the magic doll was in the middle of another mission when suddenly the order was canceled. Right after that, a new order came—travel to a designated location and assist a superior with ancient ruin exploration.
As soon as the magic doll arrived at the location, they discovered many others of their kind already gathered.
Evidently, all had been summoned for the same purpose—to obey the superior and follow every command until the exploration was complete. When their numbers had swelled beyond what seemed necessary, the superior finally appeared.
Through the magic doll's memory, Riezel saw the so-called superior.
It was a young woman who looked cold as ice.
She had waist-length hair of icy blue, and her pupils were the same frosty color. She wore courtly attire of white patterned with blue and carried at her waist an eye-catching weapon. Her entire being exuded chill and detachment, like a block of ice.
If Morgan's indifference reminded one of the winter season, then this young woman's chill evoked a blizzard.
One was cold from the inside out, the other from the outside in.
Neither carried humanity—only a presence.
'Who's she?'
Riezel couldn't help but question the young woman's identity.
However, just as he began to ponder, searching his memories for clues, another figure beside her instantly caught his attention.
It was a familiar, fierce-looking man with a grim, shadowed face, radiating a menacing aura like a beast about to devour its prey—his amber blade gleamed ominously at his waist.
He knew very well who this fierce-looking man was.
"Sigmund Bayard..."
Riezel froze as he muttered in surprise.
'Why him?'
'Why was he here?'
'Was he working with the ones behind the magic dolls?'
At this thought, Riezel's expression darkened.
Clearly, the rest needed no words.
Soon, at the young woman's command, the magic dolls swarmed into the ancient ruin, splitting into several groups, each searching for an exit, and ultimately ending up here at the stone hall.
Afterward, the young woman and Sigmund went deeper with a portion of the magic dolls, leaving the rest behind.
Not long after that, Riezel and Lizbeth arrived.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones.]
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