Chapter 87: Rescue

Neolan appeared somewhere completely unknown.

The first thing that caught his attention was the enormous underground cavern surrounding him, its rough and uneven ceiling stretching far above his head. A circular stone platform occupied the center of the cavern, elevated above the surrounding floor and connected to it by several sets of stairs.

Small crimson lights were scattered around the perimeter, illuminating the area alongside a brilliant pillar of deep crimson light that descended from the ceiling and struck the center of the platform.

‘Huh? What is this place? Did I appear somewhere els—?!’

Before Neolan could finish his thought, his perception caught sight of a familiar figure inside the pillar of crimson light. His eyes widened as he immediately recognized her, and his voice echoed through his mind in disbelief.

‘Alice?!’ She was using her Aspect ability, crimson petals striking the pillar of light from the inside continuously as she tried to break the chains binding her wrists and legs, desperately attempting to break free from both her restraints and the pillar of light surrounding her.

However, despite her efforts, she remained trapped within the crimson radiance as though it were indestructible.

Neolan’s expression changed the moment he took a closer look at her condition. Alice’s body was battered, her face was pale and exhausted, and her cheeks had become sunken as though she hadn’t received proper food for days.

Seeing her in such a state caused him to freeze momentarily, his eyes widening further as he instinctively took a step toward her. He had finally found her, yet she was in a condition that made his anger rise before he could even think clearly.

ZZZTTTZZZZ!

The moment Neolan moved forward, an invisible barrier stopped him in his tracks, sending a burst of energy against his leg. His eyes immediately shifted toward the point of contact before his expression darkened, a murderous glint appearing in his gaze.

‘This barrier… Demonic energy?’ Killing intent poured out of his body in waves as he wondered how a demon had managed to appear here. ‘It’s still years away… So how is there demonic energy here already?’ While the question occupied his mind, he summoned Bifrost into his right hand.

Without hesitation, Neolan swung the sword horizontally with one hand, making no unnecessary movements as though breaking the barrier required nothing more than a casual strike.

‘Demonbane.’ The moment the name formed in his mind, purple and black lightning condensed along the edges of Bifrost, crackling violently as the blade swept toward the invisible obstruction. The attack struck the barrier before the surrounding air could settle, producing a series of sharp shockwaves that spread throughout the cavern.

ZTTTZZZTTZZZ!

CRACK! CRACK!

The barrier fractured like glass, its surface breaking apart under the force of the strike. Neolan exhaled and forced himself to calm down, suppressing the rage threatening to cloud his judgment before stepping through the damaged barrier without hesitation.

Within moments, he had reached the elevated platform, his eyes never leaving Alice as she continued struggling inside the pillar of crimson light, ‘Seems she can’t see me from outside. You bitch of a Pope, just you wait… I’ll kill you!’

Neolan raised Bifrost again, preparing to strike the pillar of light itself and free Alice from whatever was binding her. However, before he could swing the blade, a sudden presence emerged behind him, accompanied by a voice that carried an unmistakable sense of authority.

“I don’t know how you entered here, but you are not allowed to touch that.” Neolan’s eyes widened as an immense pressure descended upon him, forcing his knees to tremble under its weight. For a brief moment, it felt as though the sheer pressure alone would force him to kneel.

“Khuk!”

Neolan gritted his teeth and immediately manifested the will of his Talent around his body. The familiar white aura enveloped him, severing the pressure bearing down on him and allowing him to straighten his posture once more.

He had already recognized the speaker from her voice alone, and as he turned around, his suspicion was confirmed. Standing behind him was none other than the Pope herself, her expression slightly furrowed as she examined him.

“Hmm? How are you still standing?” The Pope asked, a hint of surprise entering her voice. Neolan remained silent, keeping his eyes fixed on her while the white aura continued to surround his body.

He deliberately suppressed his anger, forcing himself to think carefully rather than allowing his emotions to dictate his actions. ‘She was colluding with the demons? But how did she even come into contact with them?’

Before Neolan could explore the question further, another possibility emerged in his mind, causing his expression to change slightly. ‘Wait… Is the God of Light she worships actually a demon?’ He couldn’t be certain, but considering the demonic energy surrounding the barrier and the circumstances in which he had found Alice, that possibility seemed more plausible than the alternatives he could think of.

Nevertheless, he knew this wasn’t the moment to dwell on theories, especially when the Pope was standing directly in front of him.

“This is troublesome. Didn’t the NOX organization kill you? How are you still alive?” The Pope questioned calmly, behaving as though Neolan’s unexpected appearance was little more than an inconvenience.

Her gaze remained fixed on him as she observed the white aura surrounding his body, and her expression gradually changed as she seemed to reach another conclusion. “You have already awakened the Will of your Talent? But that shouldn’t be possible unless…”

She paused, examining the silent young man before her. “Unless your father, Ranson, forced it out of you. Well, regardless, you are still weak.” Her words caused Neolan to grit his teeth momentarily, but he soon exhaled and forced himself to relax.

He couldn’t afford to let her provoke him into making a reckless decision, especially when he knew that fighting her directly would most likely result in his death.

“For a bitch, you sure talk a lot. Controlling the King must have really gotten into your head.” The moment those words left Neolan’s mouth, the Pope’s eyes widened beneath the white blindfold covering them.

Her previously composed expression changed completely, and for the first time since appearing before him, she seemed genuinely shocked. “How?!” she exclaimed, her voice losing its earlier calmness as she stared at him in disbelief.

Neolan grinned inwardly as he watched her reaction, ‘Shock your opponent with a simple piece of information, then use that opportunity to turn the tables! It’s such a classic tactic my Master taught me.’ He still remembered her lessons vividly, even after all those years, as though each one had been engraved into his mind through countless repetitions.

That wasn’t surprising, considering he had trained under his Master throughout the years the Demon had spent on Earth in his previous life.

“You want to know how I know that?” Neolan asked with an amused expression, deliberately prolonging the moment. The Pope frowned beneath her blindfold, clearly attempting to determine how much he knew, before finally giving a slight nod.

“Too bad I can’t answer that right now,” he continued, his grin widening. “Besides, I can’t stay here any longer. I know you have subordinates waiting outside, and fighting you right now would obviously get me killed a thousand times over.”

Neolan paused before raising his fingers and snapping them.

SNAP!

“I also know you have plenty of different artifacts placed beneath me and throughout this entire platform, However…” He deliberately left the sentence unfinished as he thought, ‘Until now, I have been avoiding using the elements but now…I have no choice but to use the space element!’ watching the Pope’s expression as confusion gradually replaced her shock.

She had no idea how this young man had managed to learn so much in such a short time, and before she could even begin to figure it out, her eyes suddenly widened in horror. Alice had appeared beside Neolan, her battered body falling toward the ground as he caught her before she could hit it.

“Before you can activate those artifacts, I’ll be taking my leave from here.” Neolan held Alice securely with his right arm as Bifrost disappeared from his hand.

He then turned his head toward the Pope, a grin spreading across his face as he raised his left hand and showed her his middle finger. “Bye, bitch. Don’t worry, I’ll come back because I have some personal business with you.”

The Pope finally moved, realizing that Neolan was far from an ordinary young man. Everything he had done since appearing in the cavern suggested that he had already prepared something, and she couldn’t afford to let him escape with Alice.

“SEAL THE SPACE!” she shouted, her figure appearing before him in an instant as she reached toward his neck, intent on killing him once and for all. However, Neolan had already activated his technique before she even began moving.

‘Void Steps.’

His figure vanished completely, leaving the Pope’s hand grasping nothing but empty air. For a brief moment, she stood motionless, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Then, as the realization of her failure finally sank in, her expression twisted beneath the white blindfold.

‘Huh? N-N-N-No!!!!!!!!!!!! GOD LUMINOUS’S OFFERING!!!’