Chapter 328 Finally Arrived At The Destination!
Meanwhile, Henia, who had remained behind the others, looked at Serena with an intense frown.
Noticing her gaze on her, Serena smiled.
"Why did you let him go? No, it's rather, why did you become so strange with him? Or maybe you're asking yourself the question to try to understand what I'm really hiding? Haha, go ahead, and you'll know that I never lied to you." She retorted these words to Henia's intention while trying to interpret her thoughts.
"Oh? Is it because you can now read my thoughts?" Henia asked with a frown when she saw Serena guess half her thoughts.
"Sigh, I don't need to read your thoughts to know what you think by looking at me like that. But honestly, I let you go all this way only because I was convinced that you could not unseal this castle that is buried underground. Look carefully at the place with your magical perception; I am sure you'll understand why I warned your dear master not to go to the end of his madness." She said, turning to the castle and looking at the back of Alvine, who was closely followed by his four generals and Elaydja and the other two.
"Sigh, I know, as this crater is currently more than a hundred kilometers profoundly underground coupled with the fact that the castle is also deeply anchored underground, then it would not be strange if you were right in saying that it hides a--
"No, not to mention this creature. Have you ever wondered about the nature of the energy that animated the formations, the queen of doppelgängers, and above all, about the origin of the energy that maintains this seal?" She stopped Henia when she saw that she was moving away from the subject she wanted to talk about with her.
"??"
Seeing her confusion, Serena sighed bitterly.
"You already know that this planet was originally a planet of divine rank, don't you? You also have that the towers were intended to seal the energy of this planet and make it a third-tier planet. You also know that the five towers had the function of channeling this energy to strengthen the seal that seals this creature, of which I myself do not know its identity or its origin.
-But what you did not know, and have never wondered before, is why, despite the towers breaking, this planet still keeps the same amount of energy without returning to its initial state?"
"!!" Upon hearing this question, Serena could see the confusion and surprise in Henia's expression.
But she didn't care; she continued.
"The reason is simple because the towers are only in the form of artifacts that facilitate the absorption and channeling of the energy generated by the core of this planet to the seal. The real engine of all this is the core of the planet. The reason why this castle is so anchored underground is that it's directly linked to the core of this planet.
-But because of the strange spell that your master cast, he not only annihilated 80~90% of the bloody most forest, but he almost committed something irreparable even for me, the creator of this planet. What'd have happened if the castle had been scratched on this planet like this place?"
"...You want to make me believe that the disappearance of this castle will also destroy the core of this planet? Tsk, as if I were going to believe you." Henia replied in a doubtful tone.
'It's strange; if it's true what she says, unless she's really a completely crazy person, she wouldn't have let us pass after the demonstration of such destructive powers.' She continued in her thoughts while looking at Serena a few times, who seemed both undecided and nonchalant.
'Sigh, I had forgotten the identity of this person in front of me. I'm even starting to wonder if it's the same person who was fighting against me a day ago. It would, therefore, not be surprising if she's disinterested in the natives' fate in this place. But why does she want to help us in this case?'
While Henia was immersed in her thoughts, Serena's lips moved. And as if she could read Henia's thoughts, she directly guessed her thoughts by reading her expression and mistrust into her golden pupils.
"The reason for my warning is simple; I don't want such an interesting subject of experience as the two of you to perish before I even understand the mystery of your creations. And as capturing you alive and by force will require much more effort and work, and capturing your master is even more complicated than before, my only strategy is to experiment all along your journey!
"!?" -Henia
"Yes, after several thoughts, I decided to follow you no matter the place, day, or even time! Until I understand everything you're hiding, I won't stop!" She reported with a smile and eyes carried by inhuman madness.
"W-wait! Why are you so crazy that I'm really no longer surprised by your actions?!"
"Believe what you want, but it will take several hundred billion years to reach my level of intelligence. But it doesn't matter; time is precisely what we, the primordials, have the most."
"... I'll never become like you! You hear me, never!" She replied in a trembling voice before moving away from her urgently as if she were fleeing her worst nightmare.
Seeing her act this way, Serena did not feel rejected, even if the intention was clearly visible in Henia's eyes.
Without saying more, she also continued to follow them like a shade in their shadows.
Meanwhile, Alvine had arrived before the sizeable sealed castle's door. But he didn't break his head to find a way to open the main entrance; since the castle was already half destroyed, he landed in the middle of the large hall and continued his race towards the basement accessible by stairs.
'Strange, I expected to meet other guards on my way, but it looks like the shadows realm had taken all the other guards who were supposed to arrest us. Um, I now understand why this girl tried to stop me with her threats in the air. But it's even strange to see her act so strangely. She seems to want to stop me at all costs but without wanting to attack me. I wonder what she has behind her head that makes her hesitate. Sigh, no one could understand her madness since her level madness reached the highest level.' He wondered while continuing his journey without stopping.
'Anyway, this place gives me a familiar and nostalgic impression. I need to know what it is. Haha~ Maybe the so-called creature in question is just an old friend.' He continued with his sarcastic smile laughing at his own jokes, which were not funny, especially in such a tense situation.
At the same time, Henia appeared by his side with a rabid expression.
"From your expression, I can guess that you have either learned unpleasant things or been dissatisfied with her silence," Alvine murmured as he continued his descent into the basement, which seemed infinite.
"Unpleasant things, yes! It's our bad luck to have such an embarrassing slut to stick to our Basques!" She retorted between her clenched teeth while looking behind her.
"Ho? It's interesting; as long as she doesn't bother us, it's not a bad thing. After all, if she's not an enemy, then she must surely be an ally." He replied with a mocking smile.
"Sigh, it's not even funny as a joke; in short, given how horribly unpredictable she is, I'd no longer be surprised by her actions and decisions. But it's precisely this unpredictability that makes her more dangerous than any enemy. She is able to save her enemy just for fun or kill her allies for the same fun. I think she lives only for the pleasure and excitement of living. It's surprising how much she can reach this level of madness." Henia continued with incredulous eyes.
"Hmm, I'm not so sure. But on the one hand, it's not only she who is crazy; according to my lord, no primordial is normal except Sylvia, who has a little common sense.
-According to my lord's analysis, Sabrina is too cold and too reserved to the point of being distant from life and tends to forget her own life and life only in the world of my lord.
-Linnaella is obsessed with her nobility and sees all the others as ants. And it's even worse for the non-primordials who will stand in front of her.
-As for this woman who masters the concept of time and her companions, umm, I think they are called Ferda, Helios, and Xelor. Even if I didn't really talk with them, I noticed something strange with them thanks to the memories of my lord. They are entirely obstinate with their quests for absolute powers to the point they dare to ask my great lord's general for some advice. Haha, I'd never need to know their bitter fate!
-As for the leaders, hah! These bastards tried to sell me at auction. Especially this Randolph! Argh! This bastard annoys me just thinking that he really dared to exchange me for a planet! Do I really have such a tiny value?!"
"... Master, I think you must also put your name on this list." Henia retorted these words, seeing Alvine complaining not about being sold as a commodity but about his 'lowest' price.
"Urgh, but think it for a second! Sigh, in fact, you were right when you said that this girl is the dumbest of them. She doesn't know how to identify the true value of my person. Otherwise, she'll never accept to sell me against a single planet. Tsk, tsk, just thinking about these events, I have the impression that my hatred for these bastards will not disappear even after my death."
"..."
Finally, Henia decided to quiet when Alvine became crazier and more shameless in his hypotheses.
But at that moment, the two suddenly stopped when they noticed Alvine's black flames spinning around a large all-black door.
"Master, even if this door is sealed, all the signs show that it's a door that should never be opened! Are you sure it's a good idea to open it?" Henia couldn't help but ask her this question with her frowned eyebrows.
"Hm? They are nothing more than seals; why do you hesitate after facing all this danger and finally coming here? I not only had to fight against ten divine high-ranking doppelgangers but also against their queen, who is as powerful as a mana beast." Alvine asked with confused eyes when she saw Henia's hesitation.
"W-wait, don't tell me that you don't feel the strange aura from this room? There's probably something that doesn't need to fight seriously against us to defeat us. I don't even know how this woman could seal such monstrosity on a simple divine planet!" Henia stammered when she saw Alvine as nonchalant as usual.
Hearing Henia's question, Alvine looked behind him and realized that all the others were tenser and more nervous and frightened than Henia.
'It's strange, apart from this familiarity feeling, I don't feel anything more. Anyway, I absolutely need to know the kind of creature that's locked up in this place. It's for my lord's good but also for my own curiosity that will kill me in the end if I turn my heel and leave as if nothing had happened!' He spoke these words in his thoughts while unconsciously approaching the gigantic door more than fifteen meters long.
"First, a white room without a door or window with walls over ten meters thick. Then, an army of skeletons and their kings. Then, doppelgängers and their queen. Now, let's see if all these guards were really necessary to prevent us from disturbing the rest of the bastard who is sealed here." He murmured in his thoughts as he touched the gigantic door.
!!
But just before he ordered his flames to burn the door to nothing, a small earthquake with a lower magnitude shook the corridor that led to the stairs, followed by the simultaneous opening of two doors. "Hah! Even better!"