Chapter 162: Gate to the Underworld

The attacks of the Corrupted Dryad were relentless and never-ending.

Aurelius was given no chance to process what was happening.

Attacked by a wave of branches that resembled shadowy spears, he immediately controlled the sacred light of Purification to wipe them out.

A sizzling sound echoed throughout the underground room as they rapidly melted away.

After doing this, Aurelius no longer remained on the defensive.

Taking advantage of the opportunity before the next wave of branches arrived, he cast another skill.

Radiant Lance!

Under his control, a golden lance condensed from light emerged in front of him before launching itself toward the opponent.

Perhaps because she had never expected Aurelius to counterattack, or perhaps she had simply lost her sanity as a result of being corrupted and could thus not think clearly, the Dryad did not defend herself.

She allowed the Radiant Lance to strike her body.

The moment the tip of the lance touched the shadows surrounding her, it easily pierced through them.

It then continued unabated, penetrating the Dryad’s body in a single swift motion.

Bang!

The Dryad appeared to be made of wood. Rather than blood splattering, wood fragments scattered in every direction.

"Aagh!" A high-pitched scream came out of her mouth.

This time, it was not a voice trying to shake Aurelius’ soul, but one full of pain and resentment.

For the first time in their confrontation, the Corrupted Dryad had been injured!

Clearly, the light attribute of Radiant Lance and its terrifying speed and power were enough to suppress the opponent.

Ordinary enemies would perish instantly upon being penetrated by this skill.

Unfortunately, the Dryad was far from being an ordinary opponent.

Under Aurelius’ eyes, wood rapidly squirmed within the gaps in her body and wove together, transforming into bones and then skin.

Subsequently, that area was covered by shadows and dense black mist.

’Sure enough, dealing with such a monster is obviously not going to be that simple...’ Aurelius sighed.

He had long known that he would not be able to suppress the Corrupted Dryad alone.

The reason he had attacked her was not to kill her, but rather to free up his lone ally!

As Aurelius unsheathed his sword, a silver light flashed through the underground room.

Creak! Creak!

The tentacles binding the Undead Knight were cut off!

The skeleton broke free!

Seeing it stand up and look at the Corrupted Dryad absent-mindedly, Aurelius frowned.

"Do you have a way to suppress her?" he couldn’t help but ask.

When faced with complete silence, his frown grew deeper.

"I’ve already completed my part of the agreement. Even if I leave now, I won’t suffer any harm. At most, I’ll abandon the inheritance you promised me."

"You, on the other hand..."

Aurelius didn’t finish his words, but his threat was double-layered.

On one hand, the Undead Knight would suffer greatly for breaking its oath to the Gods. Divine Punishment was not something a mere Rank 3 Awakener could withstand.

Besides that, Aurelius had noticed that the skeleton and the Dryad had a complicated relationship.

Rather than say that purifying the Dryad was trying to kill her, it would be more accurate to say that it was helping her break free from the resentment, shedding her Undead Evil Spirit identity and regaining her true appearance.

Indeed.

Aurelius’ threat immediately worked.

Hearing that he was about to leave, and knowing very well that he could afford to do so, the Undead Knight’s expression shifted.

Its gaze alternated between Aurelius and the Corrupted Dryad, complicated emotions flashing across its face.

In the end, it let out a sigh.

"My current condition is extremely bad. I doubt I have a chance to suppress her, even with your help."

"You should have already noticed it," it added.

"Although her Rank has fallen to Rank 3 like mine, she still retains her physical strength from back then."

"Moreover, the Undead Evil Spirit’s possession has made her quite terrifying."

When all these factors were added together, the Undead Knight, injured by Purification, had absolutely no chance of defeating her.

Even so, Aurelius did not believe that this creature had no trump card to deal with the opponent.

Sure enough, seeing that Aurelius’ frown was getting deeper and he was slowly moving toward the entrance, the Undead Knight continued hastily:

"The thing currently empowering her is the Undead Evil Spirit’s resentment. As long as we purify it, she should be able to wake up and return to normal."

"Although we were previously tricked and she had long escaped from the prison, this doesn’t mean our efforts were wasted. We’ve at least purified the coffin itself."

"This is a powerful Relic. It couldn’t be used before, having been corrupted as well. Now, however, I should be able to unleash its power."

"As long as we suppress her back inside of it, the purification afterward will be a simple matter."

The Undead Knight had a lot of things to say, but it ultimately summarized everything in a few sentences.

Hearing its words, Aurelius nodded, though the idea of fleeing this place had not fully disappeared from his mind.

Still, considering the Mission’s rich rewards, he chose to give it a try. Escaping would only be a last-resort option.

Aurelius glanced at the Corrupted Dryad and then at the coffin beside him. It seemed that following the Undead Knight’s suggestion was the only solution for now.

Thinking of this, Aurelius gave his approval to the skeleton.

The moment he did, the Undead Knight sprang into action.

Its hands moved, and a cloud of black mist fired out, wrapping around the coffin and bringing it onto its shoulders.

Then, its hand slapped the coffin. The lid flew out, like a CD being ejected.

A bottomless darkness was revealed inside the Relic, as though the coffin could lead directly to the depths of the Underworld.

Countless wailing screams came from it.

The next moment, the Undead Knight slapped the coffin once more.

"Gate to the Underworld—Open!" it shouted.

The instant its words fell, black mist similar to that controlled by the Dryad rushed out of the coffin.

Terrifying shadowy creatures stepped out of it.

Undead Evil Spirits!

The moment they appeared in the underground room, they launched themselves at the Corrupted Dryad.

"Agh!" Their shrill cries rang out.