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Join the ServerAfter a moment, Lilia slowly rose, her gaze fixed on the motionless Gern, a faint smile gracing her lips.
She then settled beside Gern, gently caressing his handsome cheek.
“Gern, what was your life like before?” Lilia inquired, her voice soft with a yearning to understand him more deeply.
Gern felt a pang of internal conflict as he pondered, ‘What exactly is Lilia to me now?’
‘Is she a friend? A soulmate, someone with whom I could bare my heart and soul? Or perhaps something even deeper?’
Gern’s mind swirled with confusion, feeling as though his heart had been completely captured. His deepest emotions urged him to confess everything from his past to Lilia.
Yet, his rationality cautioned that if he were to reveal his past, Lilia would surely abandon him in an instant.
“Lilia, I…”
Just as Gern was steeling his resolve, Lilia suddenly spoke.
“Gern, if you don’t want to talk about it, then don’t,” she said softly. “Let those painful memories remain in the past.”
Gern nodded woodenly, the flicker of courage and determination that had just ignited within him instantly vanishing.
“Mm.”
After a brief respite, the squad regrouped and set off once more.
Rex’s return, coupled with the addition of Gern and Lilia, invigorated the morale of the battered remnants of the team.
Guided by Gern’s senses and the fragmented information Black and the others had gathered earlier, they continued forward in a general direction.
After traveling for roughly half a day and traversing a twisted, pitch-black forest, the landscape abruptly transformed before their eyes.
The outline of a city emerged on the horizon.
Its architectural style was unlike any they recognized from existing races.
Towering square buildings lay broken, while flat-topped structures had largely collapsed, and ruins stretched as far as the eye could see.
All the construction materials were a dull, grayish-white stone, as if weathered by countless millennia.
These stones were covered in black, vein-like tendrils, clear signs of deep corruption by Chaos power.
The entire city lay in deathly silence, like the skeleton of a colossal beast sprawling beneath the dim sky.
“What… is this? A city?” Lilia whispered, her eyes wide with shock. Even the most ancient ruins she had explored had never evoked such a desolate, ruined feeling.
Gern, too, was astonished by the expanse of architecture before him. Even though all its materials had been corrupted by Chaos power, the inherent robustness of its former state was still evident.
In contrast to Gern and Lilia’s reactions, the Olga Kingdom squad members, upon seeing these structures, could barely contain the excitement and shock brimming in their eyes.
Some even shouted, “A miracle! This is a miracle!”
Lilia and Gern stared at the group, bewildered, uncertain why they were acting so crazily.
Just then, Rex approached and began to explain to them.
“You two may not know this,” Rex began, “but every Olga citizen learns about the culture from a thousand years ago.”
“According to ancient records,” he continued, “these buildings are very likely the ruins left behind by the Olga Kingdom from a millennium ago.”
“The Olga Kingdom from a thousand years ago,” Gern murmured, his gaze complex. This was the ancient kingdom rumored to have been almost completely annihilated during the Chaos Calamity, a story he had heard more than once.
Although many questions churned within Gern, this was not the time to delve into them.
He nodded, acknowledging Rex’s explanation. Then, he moved to the very front of the squad, closing his eyes to carefully sense the flow of Chaos power around them.
Deeper within the ruined city, the Chaos power grew even stronger. Yet, Gern sensed that the city’s depths were not the true source of this power. This puzzled him greatly, as an anomaly often indicated something sinister. It seemed they would have no choice but to venture inside and investigate.
“I can feel the intensity of the Chaos power,” Gern stated. “The Chaos power within is very strong. We need to be careful once we enter.”
“Understood.”
Everyone nodded. Rex had already taken the time during their rest to clarify Gern’s identity to the squad members.
Thus, they held a certain degree of trust in Gern’s words.
The squad formed a combat formation and cautiously stepped into the silent, ancient city.
The streets were wide, yet covered in cracks and pulverized rubble.
The hollow windows of the buildings on either side seemed like countless eyes, coldly observing the uninvited guests.
This eerie scene, however, did not instill fear in the group. They pressed onward, ever forward.
Lilia followed closely behind Gern, instinctively drawing a little nearer to him. Only at this proximity did she feel a sliver of reassurance.
It wasn’t that she feared her surroundings, but rather that she feared any oversight on her part might lead to Gern encountering trouble.
Gern’s body stiffened slightly, feeling a cold breeze on his neck. He glanced back, meeting a pair of deep blue eyes.
The girl’s delicate profile appeared somewhat pale in the dim light. Her long eyelashes fluttered, giving her a somewhat adorable look.
‘Lilia is a little too close,’ he thought.
Gern wanted to subtly look away, but his eyes seemed to be hooked, possessed of a will of their own.
The corners of Lilia’s lips curved upward in a barely perceptible arc, her eyes brimming with tenderness.
Ahem.
Gern found Lilia’s gaze a little too much to handle, and finally managed to tear his eyes away.
Yet, in his mind, he insisted, ‘Lilia must have bewitched me. It was definitely her doing, not my own desire to look!’
“Captain, something’s wrong!” Just then, Black’s voice echoed from the squad’s flank.
Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, to see a massive amount of architectural debris collapsed in the center of the intersection ahead.
It hadn’t collapsed naturally, but rather bore the clear marks of deliberate destruction.
Everyone who witnessed this scene was astonished by what they saw.
‘This is the Chaos Land,’ they thought. ‘The entire secret realm has been thoroughly corrupted by Chaos power. How could there be traces of destruction clearly caused by a Sixth-tier Knight?’
Instantly, a chill ran down everyone’s spines. ‘If the entity moving here couldn’t be human,’ they reasoned, ‘then it must be a corrupted Chaos creature.’
‘A Sixth-tier, that’s a Sixth-tier Knight!’ they realized with dread. ‘Sixth-tier Knights are considered top-tier combatants across the entire continent.’
Everyone present, even if they had never seen a Sixth-tier Knight, had heard tales of their terrifying power.
Moreover, this was the Chaos Land, where their own powers were severely suppressed.
In an instant, everyone began to consider retreating.
“Captain, if it’s too much, let’s go around,” a team member suggested. “This place is too dangerous.”
“Captain, I don’t think we should linger here,” another added. “It would be best if we withdrew.”
Black shared the same sentiment. Rex looked at Lilia and Gern, with a questioning glance.
“I also agree to leave here,” Gern said, nodding. A Chaos creature of that tier was simply beyond their capabilities.
Just then, Lilia suddenly tugged at Gern’s sleeve, whispering, “Gern, look over there.”
Gern followed her gaze. At the end of the street, beneath a relatively intact tall building, stood a colossal figure, clad in iron armor and wielding a long spear.
Everyone immediately tensed.
“Run! That thing is Sixth-tier!” Lilia’s perception was the sharpest. She murmured a few words to the others, and everyone began to retreat rapidly.
But before they could get far, the creature suddenly raised its head. A dazzling red glow erupted from its black, swirling head, clearly indicating it had spotted them.
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