Chapter 674: Fourth Layer

Within moments, Rowan and all other True Lords team members were frozen by the 'Zero Touch' spell and became ice statues.

Only Alistair and Charles stood on the battlefield and faced the Fallen Jinn.

"It seems this expenditure is also a failure," Alistair muttered with a bitter smile and soon noticed his thoughts also getting affected by the Zero Touch spell.

Although he still had the energy to kill the Fallen Jinn, the final result would be he ended up in a critical situation.

'I should pull all my frozen comrades into my dimensional ring and back away.' He muttered inwardly and ready to move.

"Not yet." Interrupting his thoughts, Charles calmly unsheathed his sword and cast the [Rebirth Domain] spell.

A second later, the surroundings started to change as the crimson fire appeared all over, slowly melting the ice.

At the same time, Charles disappeared and reappeared before the Fallen Jinn.

'No, he didn't disappear. He is moving faster.'

His movement appeared incredibly fast, causing Alistair to widen his eyes in surprise.

Although the ice domain energy around the Fallen Jinn slowed Charles's movement, it wasn't enough to stop him.

While raising its single arm, the Fallen Jinn infused ice elemental energy around its fist and made it into a pure crystalline one.

Then, it uttered a strange word and punched it toward his head.

But Charles cast [False Field] spell and doubled his speed again.

In a blink, he disappeared from where he was standing before and reappeared behind the Jinn.

Simultaneously, he cast [Burning Thoughts], [Fire Seed], and [Purple Consciousness] spells and started disturbing its mind.

At the same time, he raised the long sword and made a vertical slash, cleaving the Jinn into two.

Bluish blood splattered all over the melting ice as the cleaved bodies fell with a loud thud.

"Tsk, no wisdom points." Charles sheathed his sword and quietly glanced around.

A silence descended to the battlefield.

"You hid your abilities well," Alistair said solemnly after a short deliberation, walking closer toward the Fallen Jinn.

"I just did what any person would do, Mr. Alistair." Charles shrugged his shoulder and soon spoke.

"Compared to the Abyssal Hound from the second layer, this Fallen Jinn was more than two times stronger."

Alistair nodded his head and spoke with a thoughtful look.

"The more we move to the upper layers, the stronger the Magical Beasts will become. I wouldn't be surprised that most of the Legend Rank Magical Beasts from the Fourth Layer would be as strong as this Fallen Jinn."

"But how strong the Boss Monster of Fourth Layer will be?" Charles asked.

Alistair went silent upon hearing those words.

"Even beating this Fallen Jinn seems like a dream to me, Charles. Anyway, be careful of the Boss of the Fourth Layer."

"Don't worry, Mr. Alistair. Even if it is two times stronger than Fallen Jinn, I'll think of something and kill it." Charles said with a reassuring tone.

On the other hand, Alistair shook his head and spoke gravely.

"It won't be a simple matter. Even though Pentagon Family, Amber Church, and others reached the Fourth Layer, none even revealed the information about the fourth layer or the Boss to their family head. From what I've heard, they only shared the wealth and artifacts they got from the fourth layer and never leaked any information. I suspect the Boss of the fourth layer might not be as simple as you think. Challenge the next layer's Boss only after you reunite with your comrades or get help from a strong team like Pentagon. Specifically, the team leader's power should be around Level 69 in your world's power ranking."

"I'm indeed far from reaching that point." Charles nodded his head in agreement and started increasing the temperature around them.

Thanks to his Rebirth Domain, the ice that froze the other members started to melt slowly, releasing them individually.

Alistair also helped the others and started giving healing potions to the severely injured ones.

But only Nyx ended up in critical condition.

Although he was still alive thanks to the 'Life Potion,' his original consciousness had disappeared completely, resulting in him entering a coma state!

"We can only wait for his soul to form a new consciousness and let him wake up as a new person. Although he would lose some of his memories, it's far better than dying." Alistair said in a regretful tone and turned his gaze towards Rowan.

"Can you stay in this layer and bring Nyx to the Edhen? 'm not sure if we can protect him in the next layer."

"Won't it be more dangerous for him? What if he ended up encountering any other group?" Charles asked.

Alistair let out a chuckle and said in a reassuring tone.

"He has a secret item that could hide his presence from this world. Unless he reveals himself, even a Demigod-level powerhouse will find it hard to track him." Saying so, he also took out his Dimensional Ring, transferred essential items to his other space ring, and tossed it to Rowan.

Meanwhile, Rowan walked closer to the sleeping Nyx and stored him inside the Dimensional Ring.

"I will pray for your safe return, Lord Alistair." Rowan turned his face solemnly and bowed his head.

Alistair nodded and ordered everyone to gather at the center of the Oasis.

Slowly, Charles and others gathered at the center of the Oasis and soon noticed a dense spatial elemental energy appearing around the surroundings.

After a short time, a deep crack appeared in the space and soon formed into an appearance of a 2-meter-tall bluish portal.

"Let's go." Alistair was the first to jump into the spatial portal and disappear into the void. After that, Charles and the other members also vanished into the portal.

"Hope they get something good treasures in the fourth layer. Otherwise, the whole expenditure will become a failure." Rowan muttered as he touched his necklace and soon disappeared from there.

...

Land of Wicked Souls, Fourth Layer.

It was a realm that only had scorching fires and violent heat waves. As Charles and others entered this layer, a landscape of unfathomable devastation and infernal chaos unfolded. The surroundings looked barren, with rocky hills and strange chaotic plants. Rivers of molten lava snaked through the terrain, their fiery currents shifting and writhing in a dance of destruction. The ground beneath was a treacherous expanse of jagged rocks, charred earth, and ashen remnants of whatever once existed.

The air was heavy and smothering, choked with suffocating smoke that rose from the chasms of lava. The sky was an eternal, ominous shade of crimson, illuminated sporadically by bursts of infernal flames that licked at the horizon.

"Even the air feels suffocating and hard for us to breathe," Alistair said solemnly, glancing around to check if they were safe.

At that moment, Charles also checked the surroundings and asked.

"What do you guys planning to do from now on? I'm planning to search for my companions."

Meanwhile, Alistair pondered for a moment and soon spoke.

"We will find a safe place to rest and then think of a way to gather more information about this layer."

"Then, I'll move on my own and search for my companions," Charles said with a smile.

"I wish you good luck, Charles. Also, be careful of otherworldly travelers. Not everyone would be kind enough to help a stranger for no reason." Alistair said.

"I'll keep that in my mind, Mr. Alistair. If an opportunity arises, I'll visit Edhen Plane and share some drinks with all of you." Charles soon bid farewell to the 'True Lords' team and departed randomly.

...

Charles continued walking on the rocky terrain while observing the surroundings and soon saw a large lake made of lava a few kilometers ahead. He also saw a strange fortress-like building standing at the top of the nearby hill and slowly halted his footsteps.

At the same time, he sensed someone's presence from the left side and turned his gaze towards that direction.

No, his eyes soon zeroed at the crimson sky.

The other being also seemed to have noticed his presence and was flying in his direction at an incredible speed.

Before long, an adult human male descended gracefully, his boots making near-silent contact with the ground a hundred meters distant from Charles. As his feet settled, he directed a piercing gaze toward him, the intensity of his scrutiny cutting through the air.

This man stood approximately 1.8 meters, his frame exuding an aura of confident poise. His skin, the shade of pale ashes, seemed almost to capture the moonlight. The most striking feature, however, resided in his eyes – a mesmerizing shade of violet, running vertically like the twilight hues of a dusky sky.

When his lips parted in a half-smile, they revealed an intriguing secret – sharp, elongated canine teeth that peeked beneath the curve of his lips.

His attire, too, spoke volumes, a formal black suit that clung to him as if it were a part of his very essence.

"A human from another world?" As Charles muttered, a row of information appeared before his eyes.

...

[Name: Dorian Obsidian

Race: Vampire The origin of this chapter's debut can be traced to N0v3l-B(j)n.

Pathway: Warlock

Rank: Marquise (Rank-6)

Age: Immortal

Health: Weakened due to the presence of the chaotic sun

Affiliation: Neutral Evil

Title: Lord of the Scarlet Eclipse

Attributes:

Strength: 35 (45)

Agility: 31 (43)

Vitality: 39 (49)

Wisdom Power: 540

Bloodline Spells:

Soul Larceny, Phantom Familiar, Bloodmoon Ritual, Life Drain, Vampiric Revenant, Hypnotic Gaze, Sanguine Manipulation.

Unique Skill: Blood Alchemy, Clandestine Thievery, Undying Artistry, Void Manipulation, ]

...

'A vampire?' Charles's face stiffened.

Before he could even blink, strange energy came from those purplish eyes, affecting his consciousness.

Meanwhile, the Vampire named Dorian stepped forward and started walking towards him while asking a question in a completely different language.

"*%u%%( *%o$( $*(%?"