Chapter 151: Light Phantom

"Damn it! Where is the Hollow Lich?!"

Ethan Morvendrell cursed as he searched the surroundings once again, unable to find even the slightest trace of the creature.

Not only had the Hollow Lich disappeared...

Even its lingering aura had completely vanished.

Unknown to Ethan and his group, while they had been occupied fighting the Undead Knight earlier, they had gradually been lured toward the very area where Jojo and Voomie were currently wandering.

Coincidentally, it was also the exact location where Grozni Gefährlich Morozov Höllenbrand had prepared his trap.

"Where are we going, woof?" Voomie asked while running alongside the group.

Although she and Jojo weren’t acquainted with Erica at first, their recent visits to the Senior Division had made them somewhat familiar with each other.

After all, they were Caelum’s and Paul’s summons who knew Erica.

Moreover, unlike ordinary beasts that could merely understand human intentions to some extent, talking magical creatures were rare but not uncommon.

Most creatures capable of speech were also remarkably powerful.

As the group searched they moved deeper into the trap, while occasionally encountered wandering undead and swiftly eliminating them before pressing onward.

Then, Voomie’s nose suddenly twitched.

She stopped for a fraction of a second before her tail began wagging in excitement.

’Owner... he’s finally here!’

***

"...What?"

Caelum wore a thoroughly bewildered expression.

First, the Hollow Lich had called him the Heir of the Dark One, a title he had never heard before.

Then, it had calmly asked him to become its disciple.

To be fair, the Lich certainly possessed an imposing presence.

It sat majestically upon a throne crafted entirely from bones while four Hollow Liches carried it and two Undead Knights marched ahead as escorts.

The entire procession radiated an undeniable dignity befitting royalty.

"Do you truly know nothing about the blood flowing through your veins?" the Hollow Lich asked calmly.

For the first time in both his lives, Caelum found himself having a conversation with a Lich.

The experience felt surprisingly strange.

"...My father’s blood or my mother’s?"

He answered uncertainly.

Then, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Wait...! Don’t tell me you actually know something about my–"

BOOM!

Before he could finish speaking, a violent explosion erupted near the doorway through which he had entered the sixth floor.

Smoke and debris scattered in every direction.

From within the dust, two bloodied figures stumbled into the chamber.

A moment later, two more people emerged behind them.

Finally, Instructor Stalin stepped through the ruined entrance.

His sharp eyes immediately swept across the battlefield with a frightening intensity.

Before Caelum could react to the sudden arrival, a bony hand gently rested upon his shoulder.

It belonged to the Hollow Lich.

Caelum could have escaped effortlessly.

Yet, finding no malice, he chose not to.

In the next instant, his surroundings blurred slightly.

When his vision cleared, he found himself seated upon the massive bone throne...

Right beside the Hollow Lich.

The truly bizarre part, however, wasn’t the sudden movement.

It was something far stranger.

Although every person standing before him was at least a Master or a Fourth Circle High Mage.

Not a single one of them reacted.

None of them looked toward the throne.

None of them noticed the parade of Hollow Liches.

And none of them even sensed the overwhelming undead presence surrounding him.

It was as though the entire parade, simply didn’t exist in their eyes.

***

"Fuck! Why is the Light Phantom here?!"

"Leader, our intelligence never mentioned him!"

"Our transfer was interrupted! That bastard outside didn’t finish his job properly!"

Complaints erupted one after another as the cult members instinctively took several steps back.

Standing at the front, Korrik’s expression darkened.

As the leader of this operation, he possessed extensive intelligence gathered through the Hidden Kosilori Cult’s information network.

Naturally, he recognized the man standing before them.

Unfortunately, that recognition only made the situation worse.

Both he and Stalin belonged to the realm of Old Masters who have lived for a long time.

Under normal circumstances, Korrik wouldn’t fear fighting someone of the same realm.

The problem was, Stalin wasn’t an ordinary Old Master.

He was an Extreme Master like himself.

An existence that had surpassed the limits of a Peak Master and stood only a single step away from becoming a Grand Master.

It was also the stage where one could undergo Metamorphosis.

Normally, Aura user’s first broke through into the Grand Master Realm before allowing their bodies to transform.

However, there are extraordinary geniuses who achieve absolute mastery over their Aura while still remaining within the Master Realm.

Instead of advancing immediately...

They perfected themselves first.

Only after refining every aspect of their Aura did they undergo Metamorphosis, allowing them to maximize the benefits before stepping into the Grand Master Realm.

Such people were exceedingly rare.

Stalin happened to be one of them.

As if that weren’t troublesome enough...

He also belonged to the White Order of the Zenith Empire.

Unlike the Black Order, which carried out covert operations in the shadows, the White Order acted openly under the authority of the Empire and the Imperial Family.

Attacking one of its members wasn’t merely an assault on an individual.

It was a direct challenge against the Imperial Family itself.

’Even so, the mission cannot fail.’

Korrik’s eyes hardened.

The next moment, pitch-black Aura erupted from his body, spreading across the surroundings like a tidal wave.

It was Aura Burst.

In response, Stalin calmly released his own Aura, releasing Aura Burst.

Unlike Korrik’s oppressive darkness, Stalin’s Aura resembled brilliant light itself, illuminating the surroundings with a dazzling radiance.

The two forces collided in midair.

BOOM!

The violent clash distorted the atmosphere as invisible pressure swept across the surroundings.

Without wasting another second, Korrik issued an order through mental transmission.

’I’ll hold him back together with the mage. The two of you will capture the girl and retreat immediately. Whether I survive or not doesn’t matter. Complete the mission.’

The others silently acknowledged the command.

Leaving the mage beside Korrik, the elf and another operative immediately split off, disappearing in opposite directions as they searched for their target.

"You old fool! You dare ignore me?!" Korrik roared while raising his weapon.

His shout successfully drew Stalin’s attention.

However, instead of looking angry, Stalin wore an unusually conflicted expression.

"...Damn it! I should never have granted those two talking beasts permission to enter the dungeon!"

The instructor was regretting helping a certain panda and a dog.