CHAPTER 332: ABYSS ENERGY

Aldric saw Noan step onto the corridor of that castle, a hint of surprise flickering in his heart.

He waved his hand, and the five Dragon Knights instantly vanished.

Aldric bent slightly, then—

BAM!

His foot slammed down on the ground with a deafening blast.

His body shot forward like a cannonball, hurtling toward Noan.

However...

Tik! Tik! Tik!

"What the hell?" Aldric was startled.

While he was airborne, a bolt of lightning shot toward him at a terrifying speed, transforming into a chain that wrapped around him.

BAM!

A loud explosion rang out. Noan immediately turned his head, looking back.

A ball of black smoke, like a fireball, appeared in midair.

Noan knew instantly that it was Aldric. He frowned, deciding to save Aldric.

No matter what dangers lay ahead, having a ’Fate Holder’ as a companion was the smartest choice.

Just as Noan took a step forward—

KENG!

"What the hell?!" He was startled, reaching forward.

An invisible wall seemed to exist right before him, blocking his way back.

Whoosh!

At that moment, Aldric swung his leg, kicking the spear toward Noan.

KENG!

The spear struck the invisible wall with a shrill sound, then bounced back.

Aldric, having just been struck by lightning, was filled with pain. He had wanted to use the spear to get Noan’s attention, but—

"What?!" Aldric saw the spear blocked by the invisible wall and was shocked. He noticed Noan’s face was also filled with confusion.

"Could this place be rejecting me?" Aldric gritted his teeth, muttering, "No, I must reach the Insect Kingdom. I... have to complete the mission the queen gave me."

Aldric suddenly drew his sword, a chain tightly wrapped around the hilt.

"Go!" He threw the sword out, his body pushed backward by the force.

Whoosh!

The sword shot through the air, flying straight toward the spear.

KENG!

The two weapons collided, the clash of metal ringing sharply.

At that moment, the chain moved like a snake, guiding the sword to strike the spear once again.

KENG!

The falling spear was knocked back up into the air.

Its sharp tip thrust toward the stone wall of the castle.

Noan witnessed this scene and couldn’t help but admire Aldric once again.

’As expected of a Fate Holder,’ Noan thought to himself. ’Even under harsh and difficult circumstances, he can still find a way to solve the problem.’

Aldric landed on the stone corridor, both feet slamming into the ground, gripping the chain still connected to the sword, and laughed, "I will..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a bolt of lightning flashed.

Tik! Tik! Tik!

"That..." Aldric’s eyes widened in fear and astonishment as he saw, amidst the dark clouds in the sky, a lightning dragon appear.

Its body formed from countless bolts of lightning, its eyes like two moons staring straight at Aldric, its wings spread wide, spanning thousands of meters.

Seeing the dragon, Aldric felt his blood boil, his heart pounding as if it was about to leap out of his chest.

"Aldric... Aldric..." Suddenly, a strange voice echoed in his mind.

Aldric was startled, feeling as if the voice was coming from the dragon itself.

At this moment, his body was petrified, unable to move. He could only stand still, staring at the massive dragon.

Noan frowned in confusion, watching as Aldric simply stood there, staring up at the sky.

He looked up as well, but saw nothing—only endless dark clouds, streaked with flashes of lightning that illuminated the entire sky for an instant.

"What is he looking at?" Noan muttered, confused, but there was no answer for him.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Just then, the corridor he stood on suddenly began to shake violently.

Crack!

"What?!" Noan was startled as the corridor beneath him suddenly cracked, and then... he fell into a pitch-black void.

Aldric was still standing motionless, staring at the massive dragon in the sky.

"This place does not belong to you." That strange voice echoed again, "However... I can grant you an opportunity."

Aldric was shocked, silently wondering why.

It was as if the dragon could read his mind, immediately responding, "Because... your fate... you still have many things to accomplish."

Tik! Tik! Tik!

Immediately after, the dragon transformed into a bolt of lightning, hurtling toward Aldric.

He couldn’t move, only able to stare wide-eyed as the lightning drew closer and closer.

And then—

BAM!

...

"Ack!" Noan cried out in pain.

He felt as if his spine and legs had snapped.

However, Noan wasn’t worried. He lay still for a moment, and soon his body gradually recovered to its original state.

But... at this moment, he couldn’t see anything at all. The entire place was nothing but darkness.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Suddenly, countless loud noises rang out, making the ground tremble.

A flash of light flared, forcing Noan, whose eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness, to shut them tight.

After a moment, Noan slowly opened his eyes and realized he was standing in a massive corridor.

The two walls on either side towered over ten meters high, and the ceiling was shrouded by black clouds.

"Black clouds inside the castle? What the hell is that?" Noan sensed it wasn’t ordinary clouds, as he felt an unsettling pressure when he saw them.

The corridor was enormous, over ten meters wide and so long that Noan couldn’t see the end.

Noan frowned. The Abyss Cube transformed into a sword, which he gripped tightly in his hand.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

The space was eerily silent, with only the sound of his footsteps striking the floor and his breathing echoing clearly.

Noan didn’t dare let his guard down. He walked forward, alertly observing his surroundings, his vigilance at its peak.

Should anything unusual appear, he would react immediately.

Crack! Crack!

Suddenly, the two walls on either side emitted sounds as if something inside them was breaking open.

And then, a scene appeared that made him frown.

On both walls, large, tightly packed hexagonal cells appeared, resembling a honeycomb.

But those cells shattered, revealing the Assassin Bees hiding behind them.

They weren’t overly large—each only about a meter tall—but Noan could sense their frenzy and murderous intent.

"Damn it!" Noan growled, frowning. He knew that if he stayed here, he’d eventually be worn down and die.

So, he immediately tried to use his teleportation skill to escape.

Suddenly, Noan realized something, his eyes widening.

"This place... the space here has been sealed!" Noan gritted his teeth.

That meant he couldn’t use any space-related skills—his greatest advantage.

Krit! Krit! Krit!

The swarm of Assassin Bees began to beat their wings, hovering and filling the entire corridor.

"Do I have to kill all these Assassin Bees to get through?" Noan muttered, worry flickering in his eyes.

In truth, he was more than capable of fighting them; their strength wasn’t that great.

But... what concerned him most was his stamina and energy.

Suddenly, from the sword in his hand, a strange energy surged into his body.

"What is this..." Noan frowned, looking at the sword.

That energy was incredibly sinister, yet also powerful. It quickly occupied an area within his body.

At this moment, three types of energy existed within him.

His regular energy, Void energy, and now, this sinister energy that had just appeared.

There was also a blood-colored energy, but that one still lay dormant by his heart, as if it didn’t exist at all.

Noan knew well it was the power born from the ’Blood Pact’, so he wasn’t too worried.

But... this new sinister energy suited him so well, it left him bewildered.

Lines of red, lava-like light appeared on the sword, then spread up his arm. They slithered like snakes, crawling all over his body.

Noan didn’t feel any pain or discomfort. On the contrary, he felt his body fill with an unbelievable strength.

He swung the sword, slashing out a beam of light.

Whoong!

A sound like a bell rang out, and the red-gold lava-like light shot forward, instantly sweeping through a group of Assassin Bees.

Whoosh!

"What?!" Noan was startled, because the lava-like light not only sliced through the Assassin Bees, but also ignited them, melting them into magma.

The flames spread among the swarm, throwing them into chaos.

Noan watched this scene, then looked down at his sword in astonishment and said, "Could it be... you’re the Heaven’s Bane of Insects?"