CHAPTER 324: YOUR FATE

Seven days ago, the moment those four got close to that city, Darian could clearly sense everything inside it through the karma of the people within.

He located, deep underground in one part of the city, the forge where all the Heavenly Elemental Spirits were imprisoned. Once he knew where they were, he came up with that whole plan to sneak into the ruins, already sure he’d be able to escape afterward.

He even made a point of flashing the talisman to the beasts, making sure they believed he had teleported far away. But in truth, he had only shifted down into the underground. Of course, the beasts would figure that out soon enough, but he only needed a few minutes.

Since that race was basically made of tiny runes, Darian could gather them together, linking them with the power of the ring, just like he’d done with the three youths. With that, Tir could dig a tunnel out, and Awel could guarantee a fast escape.

In short, Darian’s plan was almost perfect. Almost. Because he knew one variable might show up.

Back to the present moment.

Right after Awel’s scream, the three immediately lashed out with their swords, throwing in every bit of power they had.

*Clang!*

The metallic sound rang out as their blades cracked, almost snapping apart. But the cage of black runes... didn’t even shudder.

"Don’t waste your energy." a deep voice echoed.

The three froze, eyes wide at the sound.

Through the runes trapping them, they could still see the outside clearly. They turned, and saw a golden figure walking closer. Around him, several beasts appeared—ones that hadn’t been there before.

Tir and Eleri’s faces twisted in confusion when they recognized the Golden Monkey standing with the beasts.

"Wh-what... what are you doing?!" Awel shouted, her voice trembling.

The Fiendgod snorted, glaring at them, "Foolish kids..."

Darian’s gaze hardened into ice.

That was the variable he had prayed wouldn’t show up.

To complete the special mission and defeat the Abscess, he needed allies. He had assumed the Fiendgods were meant to be those allies. But from the very beginning, he had felt something was off with their leader.

Still, he’d given in. After all, the man had saved them twice, asking for almost nothing in return. Before leaving, he’d even left behind a mountain of resources to help them rack up points. If that leader had even a shred of honor...

But instead of gratitude, what had filled that leader was greed.

Darian had purposely avoided fighting or showing his true abilities. Because the three young ones couldn’t keep secrets and trusted that man completely, they innocently told him everything. So of course, the Golden Monkey knew all about what they were doing.

With the three by his side, Darian was the only one capable of wiping out those thieves and killers with ease. Even if others had the ability, no one would be crazy enough to try.

That was because those people were organized, united, and even had their own rules—all to protect themselves from powerful individuals, usually descendants of those who came from the last stage of the Trial.

The Golden Monkey could’ve tried talking to Darian, convincing him to stop. But instead, he waited... a cold, calculating move from someone measuring how to get the biggest gain.

When he learned they were going to attack the city of the primal beasts, he saw the perfect chance. He already knew about Darian’s talisman, and after hearing rumors that they had infiltrated the ruins flawlessly, he became certain of what Darian’s next move would be. After all, the original reason for risking the city was to free the Heavenly Elemental Spirits.

With the ability to enter the ruins without using the talisman, it was obvious Darian would try to fool the beasts to reach the forge. Of course, the Golden Monkey had no idea how Darian knew the exact location of that place in the city, but it was a solid bet.

If Darian had used the talisman just to escape the city, there would’ve been no way to catch him. So, the Fiendgod went to the beasts, told them everything, and together they set up that ambush, hoping they were right.

"Hahahahaha! In the face of absolute power, you think your little tricks are unbeatable? That you can just come and go as you please? Ridiculous!" the mocking laughter of the primal beast leader echoed out.

Darian shot a cold glare at the Golden Monkey.

"Looks like you’ve made your choice."

His voice was shockingly calm, and it made everyone turn their full attention to him.

The Golden Monkey snorted.

"What did you think you’d gain? You were slowly leading hungry wolves straight into our home. I couldn’t allow that to go on."

"You... you betrayed us?!" Eleri screamed, and finally she and Tir realized the truth.

"Don’t be insolent. I’m the leader of my race, and it’s my duty to protect them. The retaliation from those people would put all of us at risk..."

"Enough nonsense." Darian’s dry voice cut him off. "You chose to betray these three, even knowing they had no malice at all and trusted you completely."

The Golden Monkey smirked with sarcasm, while tears of disbelief streamed down the eyes of the three youths.

"Well... whatever..." Darian finished with a scoff.

"Oh? Decided to accept, huh?" The leader of the beasts said, stepping forward. "A hybrid like you usually isn’t worth much. But, you’re clever, and that could be useful. If you accept a soul contract, I’ll spare your life and take you in as my servant."

"Hahahahaha..."

Suddenly, Darian burst out laughing as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke ever.

Everyone narrowed their eyes, killing intent flashing in their gazes.

"Brother Darian..." Awel choked back his sobs and stepped forward.

The other two also took a deep breath and moved to stand by his side.

Tir muttered, "Let’s fight with everything we’ve got... if we use the new techniques..."

"Yeah, then brother might be able to escape." Eleri answered, her voice breaking with tears, stripped of her usual joy.

On their foreheads, a glowing rune pulsed like a star. They immediately unleashed 100% of their power. They knew they couldn’t win, but with their sacrifice, they believed they might at least break that cage.

"Please... brother, you have to escape. We don’t want to lose anyone else because of us." Awel put into words what all three were feeling.

"Escape? What a pathetic dream." The beast leader roared, waving his hand.

The cage’s runes pulsed even harder, shrinking and compressing the space inside.

Until...

"Don’t cry for someone who doesn’t deserve it," Darian said gently, then waved his hand, activating the ring on his wrist.

"!"

Suddenly, the black runes of the cage froze and began to tremble.

Everyone’s eyes widened. The three youths froze at once. Every gaze in that place turned to a single person.

He still wore a faint smile, but that smile alone made everyone swallow hard.

In the next instant, with just a wave of his hand, all the cage’s runes started letting out terrifying sounds, as if they were losing control and could no longer endure.

"Seems this is your fate... don’t blame me for being ruthless."

He spoke slowly, staring straight at that Fiendgod. In that moment, his body darkened.

It was like a demon born from the abyss had emerged. His crimson eyes turned into beacons, and even the light around him vanished, as if he was wrapped in a malignant mist.

The smile vanished in an instant, replaced by an icy killing intent. The atmosphere grew so cold it felt like the whole world had been swallowed by ice.

When he released his killing intent, it was like the world itself fell into the realm of death. Everyone felt as if an invisible blade was pressed against their throats.