Chapter 601 - 520: Ants Under the Spiritual Energy Tide

Chapter 601: Chapter 520: Ants Under the Spiritual Energy Tide

Roland’s gaze was locked on the five figures that emerged from the distorted shadows, and in an instant, he confirmed their chilling identity.

Heartstealers.

And five of them at that.

But...

Roland’s brow slowly furrowed, a liquid gold luster flickering in his eyes, filled with scrutiny and a subtle, solemn weight.

Compared to the Heartstealer he had encountered in the "future" at Wailing Gorge, and the one captured by Duraga, these five before him...

Were completely different.

They still retained the Heartstealers’ signature, unsettling humanoid form and their octopus-like heads covered in slick, dark skin, with four main tentacles slowly writhing around their maws.

However, the details revealed distinct differences and...

A hierarchy.

Four of them were slightly taller, around seven feet. Their dark purple carapaces seemed thicker, and the naturally formed patterns on them—resembling a cross between circuit boards and nerve bundles—were more complex and profound, faintly glowing with an ethereal blue Spiritual Energy.

Their tentacles were extremely thick, the tips occasionally sparking with minute arcs of electricity.

They weren’t empty-handed; each held a short staff of uniform design. Made of a material that was neither metal nor stone, they were topped with a cloudy crystal and their shafts were likewise covered in fine Runes.

They stood silently on either side, like the most loyal of guards. An invisible tide of cold Spiritual Energy radiated outward from them, far stronger and more condensed than the individuals Roland had encountered before.

But the fifth Heartstealer, the one in the lead, was even more eye-catching.

Or rather, terrifying.

It stood nearly eight feet tall. Its frame wasn’t particularly burly, yet it possessed an uncanny sense of coordination and lean strength.

The skin on its head was a deeper, almost ink-black shade of dark purple, so smooth it seemed to absorb light.

The four main tentacles around its maw were exceptionally nimble, their tips glinting with a cold light like that of a Poisoned Dagger.

And beneath these four main tentacles, several thinner, almost transparent secondary tentacles could be seen faintly trembling.

As for the "carapace" covering its torso...

It was no longer simple hardened skin, but more like a layer of meticulously polished biological Plate Armor with a metallic texture.

The Spiritual Energy glowing from the seams of the Plate Armor was no longer ethereal blue, but a stranger, more powerful dark gold.

It held no staff. Instead, it wore a pair of strange gauntlets that extended to its forearms, also shimmering with a network of dark gold Spiritual Energy.

A terrifying pressure of Spiritual Energy—heavy, viscous, and seeming to suck in all surrounding light and sound—slowly spread out from it like a tangible Domain, making the very air feel sluggish.

Compared to the Heartstealers he’d met in Wailing Gorge, these were far more elite, more dangerous—as if they were the true predators and dominant class of their species.

And just as Roland was rapidly observing and assessing the situation, the other participants in the Dark Moon Hall had also recovered from the initial shock of Spiritual Energy.

There were no panicked screams. Instead, a ripple of shocked and hostile whispers and curt phrases spread through the seats.

"...Mind Flayers? How did they get in here?"

A somewhat shrill voice, filled with disbelief, came from the seats on the right.

"Five of them... And look at that aura... It’s the ’Master Brain Whip,’ a Heartstealer Hunter Squad!"

Another, older voice filled with obvious dread added, revealing a clear understanding of Heartstealer society.

"They’re here for the ship."

A woman’s voice, so calm it was almost cold, drifted from the direction of one of the private boxes, her judgment concise and direct.

"Damn it... a spatial lock! My Short-Range Teleportation Scroll isn’t working!"

A male Half-Elf in a Mage Robe, his hood thrown back, cursed under his breath as a faintly glowing scroll between his fingers rapidly dimmed.

"Keep your shields up! Don’t look directly into their primary eyes!"

A deep voice warned. It came from a powerfully built human Warrior encased in heavy Enchanted Plate Armor.

He already had his shield raised, his other hand resting on the hilt of his sword with a steady motion.

"Where are the Dark Moon’s Guards? What are they doing?!"

Someone demanded harshly, their voice laced with suppressed anger and unease.

But none who could enter this place were amateurs.

As they spoke, several beams of multicolored light flared to life.

A pale blue Arcane Shield, a silvery-white Holy Barrier, a vibrant green Natural Defense, and a dark red Wall of Blood and Qi.

They deployed with the speed of a reflex, protecting their casters.

The low chanting of Spells, the scrape of weapons being unsheathed, and the faint clicks of mechanical structures activating sounded simultaneously from several directions.

Though hurried, their actions were steady and orderly.

From behind the heavy curtains of the private boxes came the even clearer sounds of Energy gathering and items being prepared.

The atmosphere in the hall instantly shifted from the tension of a secret transaction to a dangerous, hair-trigger standoff.

Countless gazes—wary, fearful, probing, and even filled with killing intent—were locked on the five figures who had appeared so abruptly, radiating their unsettling waves of Spiritual Energy.

And on the display stage, the Shell Ship now seemed all the more conspicuous and ironic.

Like a carefully laid bait, or the quiet eye of a coming storm.

Just as the attendees, a mix of shocked and enraged, were raising their guards, the Guards of the Dark Moon Gathering finally reacted.

Or rather, they had begun to move the very instant the hum of Spiritual Energy had sounded.