Chapter 236: The Sudden Dread

Elias froze where he stood, his mind struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

[Elias?]

The spatial rift that had reached its second stage only days ago had now spilled into reality and transformed into a hidden dungeon, trapping everyone inside an unfamiliar world.

[What is happening?]

Dread seized him so completely that he could barely notice Natasha’s words. The city around him had become a place he did not recognize. Buildings that had stood proudly moments earlier were now weathered ruins, their walls cracked, and their roofs collapsed beneath layers of dust. Gray clouds smothered the sky, casting everything in a lifeless gloom, while the streets were split by deep fissures and littered with broken stone.

The people who had been cheering moments earlier were scattered amid the ruins. Their cries echoed between the abandoned buildings, mingling with the distant growls of monsters and the crashing sounds of collapsing structures.

Elias forced himself to focus on the connections he shared with his wives. The moment he sensed them, he streaked forward, moving through the ruined streets as quickly as his Lord-level Aura allowed.

[Do not worry. I am coming.]

In his desperation, he sent the same thought to all of them, hoping they would receive it.

He soon reached a ruined stone house that resembled the one hiding Olide’s underground hideout in the real world. Its entrance was half-buried beneath fallen masonry, and weeds had grown through the cracks in its steps. Without wasting a moment, Elias rushed inside and descended the staircase.

The darkness below was so thick that barely anything could be seen. The damp walls smelled of mold and old earth, while loose stones shifted beneath his boots. He continued down, relying on the faint connections he sensed rather than his eyes.

As he reached the hideout, the sound of fighting and low growls echoed through the passage.

Elias gritted his teeth and ran toward the noise. Two of his connections were coming from that direction, and the thought of his wives being in danger sent his anger surging. His heart pounded harder with every step, while the crimson Aura around his body flickered and grew denser.

He entered a vast chamber illuminated by burning torches. Their flames trembled against the stale air, throwing wavering shadows across the walls. Bones of various shapes and sizes littered the floor, scattered between broken stone pillars and old debris. The chamber looked less like a hideout and more like a forgotten burial ground.

The first thing he noticed was a large wolf covered in red spots. Its lower jaw had been split by a deep vertical cut running from the center, allowing it to open sideways as it snarled. Saliva dripped from its teeth, and its claws scraped against the stone as it lunged.

Greta was fighting the creature with her Aura-covered daggers, moving around its snapping jaws while searching for an opening. Her movements remained sharp, but the strain was beginning to show in her shoulders. Behind her stood Natasha and Young Stella, watching the battle.

Natasha’s hands were clenched tightly against her chest. Her eyes darted between Greta and the monster, and the tension in her posture made it clear she was struggling to remain composed. Young Stella, on the other hand, watched with wide, curious eyes, seemingly more fascinated than frightened.

Elias’s anger exploded.

His crimson Aura crashed into the wolf with such overwhelming force that its body burst apart. Flesh and blood scattered across the chamber, splattering the floor and raining down over Greta. The impact sent a gust through the room, making the torches flare and the loose bones rattle across the stone.

Greta stood still for a moment, her dagger lowered, then turned toward Elias with a deadpan expression as bits of the creature slid from her black clothes.

Elias ignored her and rushed toward his wives.

Natasha and Young Stella stood beside one another, holding hands. Natasha looked horrified, her face pale and her breathing shallow, while Young Stella was giggling as though the sudden destruction of the monster had been an amusing spectacle.

Elias reached them and pulled both into his arms.

"Thank goodness you are safe," he said, his voice thick with relief. He kissed Natasha’s forehead, then Young Stella’s. "I was so worried. I do not know what I would have done if something happened to you."

Natasha clung to him, her fingers tightening around his clothes. Her body trembled against his, and she buried her face in his chest as though afraid he might disappear again. She did not say anything, but the fear in her eyes and the way she held him conveyed everything she wanted to say.

Young Stella giggled and leaned into his embrace.

"That was amazing! The wolf just exploded!" she exclaimed, her eyes shining with excitement.

Elias gently patted her head, relieved that she seemed unharmed, then looked around the chamber. The relief of finding two of his wives safe was quickly overshadowed by the absence of the third.

"Where is Monica?" he asked.

No one answered.

His expression darkened as he focused on the connections he shared with his wives. He could sense them, but the farther they were from one another, the weaker those connections became. He tried to reach Monica again, pushing his awareness through the faint thread that linked them.

Elias clenched his fists until the veins along his arms bulged. His worry began to turn into frustration, though he knew there was no point in letting it control him. He concentrated harder, reaching through the faint awareness that remained.

A moment later, he sensed Monica.

His eyes widened.

’How is she so far away?’

The connection was much weaker than the others, suggesting that Monica was somewhere deep within the ruined city. The thought of her alone in this unfamiliar place made his chest tighten.

"A hidden dungeon, huh?" Greta mumbled as she wiped the bits of wolf flesh from her clothes. Her voice was calm, but her eyes had sharpened as she studied the chamber and its strange surroundings.

Elias glanced at her, then turned back to Natasha and Stella.

"We do not have time for this," he muttered. [Let’s go.]

He took Natasha’s and Stella’s hands and began leading them toward the staircase. Natasha stayed close to his side, still shaken, while Young Stella skipped along beside them, occasionally glancing back at the spot where the wolf had been.

Greta watched him for a moment before following behind.

As they emerged from the hideout, horrified screams and desperate cries reached Elias from the ruined streets. The air outside was colder than before, carrying the smell of damp stone and something foul. People were running through the unfamiliar city, some stumbling over rubble while others desperately searched for family members.

Strange shapes moved between the collapsed buildings. In the distance, a creature shrieked, followed by the sound of metal striking stone. A plume of dust rose beyond a row of ruined stone houses, and the ground trembled faintly beneath their feet.

Elias gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep walking. Every cry he heard tugged at his conscience, but he could not afford to lose sight of his priorities.

"Greta, find everyone," he ordered.

Greta looked at him, then nodded. Her expression had become serious, and she understood the urgency behind his command.

Without another word, she disappeared into the ruins.

Elias continued forward with Natasha and Stella, scanning the surroundings while keeping his focus on Monica’s connection. Benjamin, Sermus, and the other servants had not been in the hideout, which meant they had been transported somewhere else, just as Monica had.

He looked toward the deeper part of the ruined city, where the connection grew faint. The streets ahead were narrower, crowded by leaning buildings and broken archways. Shadows stretched across the uneven ground, and the silence between distant screams felt unnervingly heavy.

’Please be safe.’

Monica was much farther away than the others, and Elias could only hope she was still unharmed.

He couldn’t simply leave Natasha and Stella behind while he searched for Monica. He had to find a safe location and, perhaps, people who could keep them safe while he was away.

Suddenly, he heard the sound of chewing.

The noise came from a narrow alley between two crumbling buildings. Elias turned toward it and spotted a beast he knew far too well. A Dark Thorne was feeding on what appeared to be a young boy. The creature’s back rose and fell with each bite, its dark hide blending into the shadows beneath the broken wall.

The sight sent a cold weight through Elias’s stomach.

The monster lifted its head and growled at him, its maw snapping open. Blood stained its teeth, and its claws scraped against the stones as it shifted toward them.

Natasha stumbled backward, her face pale with fear. Her grip tightened around Elias’s hand, and for a moment, she seemed unable to move. Stella, however, stared at the creature with bright eyes, her curiosity overcoming any sense of danger.

"It is a big kit—"

Elias crushed the Dark Thorne into paste with his Aura.

The beast’s body collapsed in an instant, splattering the alley walls and scattering fragments across the ground. The sudden burst of crimson pressure sent dust swirling through the narrow passage.

Stella’s eyes widened.

"It exploded too!"

Elias pulled Natasha close and sent her a reassuring thought.

[Do not worry. Everything will be all right. I will not allow anything to happen to you.]

Natasha stared at his face with trembling eyes before nodding.

[I trust you.]

Her trust only made Elias’s worry heavier. He smiled anyway, hiding the fear that had begun to settle deep inside him, and they continued moving.

Fortunately, Monica’s poison kept other creatures from coming close, so it wasn’t a completely disastrous situation. Still, he needed to find her as quickly as possible.

As they made their way toward the nearest sounds of combat, Elias encountered more monsters. Each one was crushed into pieces beneath his Aura before it could approach his wives. Their deaths left the streets stained and scattered with debris, while the pressure of his Aura sent loose stones skittering across the ground.

The sounds of battle grew louder as they approached a broad intersection. A ruined fountain stood in its center, its basin cracked and filled with gray dust. Beyond it, a familiar figure was locked in combat with a Rusted Reaper.

"It is good to see you again, Sir Marcus," Elias said as Marcus blocked the scythe-like arms of the Rusted Reaper.