CHAPTER 211: RUINS BENEATH THE EARTH

When he looking upward, Dominic saw the wall rise endlessly, stretching into the dim sky and merging with the far-off ceiling of this underground world.

When he looked down, it seemed to widen as it sank into the earth and connecting seamlessly with the land below.

The mountain-like wall gave off a sense of overwhelming power, enough to make Dominic believe that this structure truly supported the entire subterranean space around them.

"Is this... a ruin? It looks like what’s left of some kind of building," Shiao Yi murmured softly, his eyes scanning the massive wall as they began to descend slowly.

Dominic followed his gaze.

As they moved lower, he noticed white stones scattered across the uneven ground below.

Some were round, others rectangular, and their shapes were too deliberate to be natural.

The more he looked, the more it seemed that these stones had once been part of a grand structure and now lay collapsed, as if they had fallen from the sky itself.

The closer they got, the stronger that impression became.

Maybe they really had fallen from above.

They landed near one of the stone clusters and Dominic walked closer.

The material was clearly different from the rough rocks and boulders they had seen until now.

It was white stone, smooth and refined, and he could even make out faint carvings reliefs etched into the surface.

The grooved pillars suggested that they were once part of grand architecture and perhaps the remains of columns.

The polished marble slabs lay scattered about.

Among them, Dominic spotted fragments of statues, the head of a woman and the graceful curve of a torso clothed in finely carved drapery so detailed it seemed to ripple like real fabric.

That was enough to confirm it.

These stones were once part of a castle, or maybe a church.

Judging by the sheer number of fragments, it could have belonged to an entire city.

Dominic stood there while staring around in silent awe.

Had these ruins originally existed here, deep within the underworld? Or... had they fallen from the surface above?

No one could answer that question.

However, before he could ponder it further, Dominic suddenly felt it.

It was a wave of unfamiliar magic.

A group of entities, each cloaked in an aura of strange and foreign power, was approaching.

Shiao Yi stood in stunned silence, overwhelmed by the strange sight before him.

All around, artificial stone blocks lay piled and scattered across the ground.

Their deliberate shapes and smooth surfaces made them stand out sharply against the raw earth of the underground world.

Even if they were only ruins, the man-made structures felt completely out of place in such a land.

At that moment, Dominic’s body tensed, his blade ringing sharply as he drew it. The air around him filled with a killing intent so thick it was almost visible.

At the same time, Shiao Yi felt it too, it’s a surge of hostility that was raw and primal, not the kind that came from thought or reason, but something born of instinct, the kind of bloodlust a wild beast directed at its prey.

From the shadow between the collapsed stone pillars, something blue-black shot toward them.

Dominic’s sword flashed through the air gleaming with fire and silver light.

"Gyaaah!"

The creature was cut clean in half and crashed to the ground with a wet sound.

Its broken body twitched and though half-crushed, it began to move again.

Dominic’s magic flared, wrapping the creature in flames. Fire roared up and a foul stench filled the air.

Another one leapt across a pile of stones toward Shiao Yi.

He threw a knife without hesitation, the blade spinning through the air and piercing the creature’s neck.

It froze for a moment, then Shiao Yi caught it with his telekinesis, lifted it high, and slammed it into another creature rushing from behind.

There were at least twenty of them and it’s seems they were surrounded.

Back to back, Shiao Yi and Dominic faced the enemy together.

At first glance, the creatures looked almost human.

But their skin was blue-black and not one of them looked the same.

Some still retained a vaguely human shape, while others had warped into grotesque parodies of humanity. They have twisted limbs, melted faces and bodies that no longer belonged to any living species.

They were what remained of humans who had turned into magical beasts.

This was the fate of those devoured by the black slime.

Were they once the people who lived in these ruins?

Perhaps.

With that thought, Shiao Yi and Dominic fought desperately, he was determined to give them at least a final peace.

But dragging out the battle would be dangerous.

No one knew when the black slime might be drawn by the noise and appear again.

Using his telekinesis, Shiao Yi seized several of the creatures at once and forced them together into one spot, holding them in place.

Dominic raised his hand and unleashed his magic.

It was a single, decisive strike.

Flames burst upward within the ruins, burning high into the darkness.

The fire roared and twisted in the stale underground air, consuming everything in its path.

The things that had once been human were shattered, burned, and vanished without leaving behind even a drop of that blue-black liquid.

At last, they were freed from their long chains of hatred and suffering.

For a while, the area was filled with heat and a nauseating stench. It was heavy enough to make breathing painful.

But after some time, a faint wind swept through, carrying the smell away until it gradually faded into the distance.

Shiao Yi and Dominic left the ruins and began walking toward the towering stone wall ahead.

The structure rose almost straight up from the ground, it truly was a wall.

At the point where it met the earth, something dark was crouched against it.

"A surviving beast?" Dominic muttered as he drew his sword.

He moved forward, placing himself protectively between Shiao Yi and the creature.