Chapter 344: The Labyrinth Core

Elsewhere in the Labyrinth, more than a hundred Lords of Fivefold Heaven surrounded Ilyse Ardent. Every face turned toward her as she spoke.

"A whole day searching, and an Azurefiend Domain was the weakest target we could find."

She looked far from pleased.

"Rank XIX is too much. Even if we win, we’ll lose at least half our army at this rate."

Several kilometers away, an army more than a hundred thousand strong was attacking a City Domain. Every troop was Epic or better. Nearly ten thousand were Legendary.

Blue rays stabbed out from the Azurefiend defenses. Each killed an Epic troop, sometimes several at once.

One of the Lords beside Ilyse spoke immediately.

"Don’t worry, Lady Ardent. Whatever it takes, we’ll get you through the twenty-seventh checkpoint."

The others hurried to offer their own assurances. None wanted to fall behind in showing his devotion.

Ilyse looked from one earnest face to the next, her eyes softening.

"I won’t forget what you’ve done for me today."

That was all they needed to hear.

What did it matter if they lost every troop? A connection to Ilyse Ardent was worth the price. If one of them won her heart and became her partner, he could rise farther in a day than a thousand years of effort would take him.

In their excitement, they missed the brief disgust in her eyes.

These were among the Elemental Covenant’s most promising young Lords. On average, each commanded over a hundred Legendary troops and a thousand Epics. Any one of them would far surpass the Governor of Vaust on the Homeworld.

Even so, they fell well short of Divine Province’s Lords. Most possessed only Grade-B Lord Talents and Grade-B Hero Command.

Their Legendary troops had lower attributes than the Azurefiends’ ordinary Rare defenders. Their Epics were little more than fodder. A single blow from a defender could tear one apart.

The battle dragged on for hours.

At last, the Azurefiend city collapsed.

"We did it!"

The Realm’s announcement brought cheers from the Covenant Lords.

Ilyse’s smile was strained. Less than half their army remained. There was little hope of clearing twenty-seven unless she risked everything herself.

She watched the delighted men around her.

Was this really all it took to satisfy them?

——

News of Ilyse’s twenty-sixth checkpoint spread through the Human Champions Channel. Even the commanders of the great Realms took notice.

Some lacked her connections. Others disdained her methods, or simply refused to spend their armies so freely. Whatever the reason, she now held the highest reported stage among Humans.

Seth Varr of Shatterstar Reach offered his congratulations. Broad-shouldered and handsome, he spoke with easy confidence.

"Congratulations, Lady Ardent. First among Sector 666’s Human Lords. Perhaps Humanity’s Paragon will be yours as well. If the Racial Gates open after this contest, I hope you’ll visit Shatterstar Reach."

Ilyse gave him a warm smile.

"You’re too kind, Lord Varr. I’d be delighted to visit when the opportunity comes."

She was enjoying the attention when another voice entered the conversation.

"Have you heard that Cassian Vale of the Homeworld is attempting the twenty-sixth checkpoint too?"

Lucan Merrow of the Ninefold Sanctum had followed Cassian’s movements closely ever since seeing the authority he held over his fellow Lords.

"Cassian?"

Ilyse frowned for an instant, then smiled again.

"You know how difficult twenty-six is, Lord Merrow. He’s strong, certainly, but still a little short of you or me. Even if he stakes his life on it, he won’t clear that stage."

"Of course." Lucan smiled. "I happened to hear the report and thought I’d mention it. The two of you did have a disagreement."

"He is talented," Ilyse said. "He was disrespectful to me, but we’re both Human. If he’s willing to apologize, I see no reason to hold a grudge. I’d even offer him a place in Fivefold Heaven."

The meaning was plain. She wanted Cassian in her service, and she expected the others to leave him to her.

Lucan did not object.

"Then I hope it works out as you wish."

The other commanders congratulated her on gaining a capable subordinate. Few Lords from a lesser Realm could resist an invitation to settle in a greater one.

"I still have four bridges available," Ilyse continued. "I can use them to hunt a few more cities in stages twenty-one and twenty-two. Please excuse me."

By now, only a few dozen Lords at the level of Legion Commanders were still using Prism Bridges to hunt in the Labyrinth’s earlier stages. Hundreds of thousands of Human Champions had finished their attempts. Darian was among them.

——

The next day, Cassian was forced out of the Labyrinth again.

He exchanged thirty million points for another Prism Bridge without delay and entered for a third time.

The forces watching him began talking at once.

"He isn’t even resting. Has he already chosen his target for twenty-six?"

"If he has, he’s lucky. Ilyse had more than a hundred Lords helping her, and they still needed a whole day to find a suitable city."

"Or he’s become obsessed. Some people don’t know when to stop."

"Perhaps he just can’t bear to come back and admit defeat."

Even Divine Province’s Lords were beginning to look worried.

They had no idea what Cassian was waiting for.

Crystal Nine was scouting the twenty-fifth passage. She had traveled twenty thousand kilometers and still had not reached a dead end.

A notice suddenly appeared.

[Your troop Crystal Nine has died.]

Cassian straightened.

"Found it!"

Nine had sent no final report. Even so, he was eighty percent certain she had found stage thirty-one—the center of the Labyrinth.

"Reconstruct her."

The Fountain of Life confirmed Nine’s death and belonging record. Its stored Life Energy covered the cost, and Cassian paid the required Battle Essence. Crystal Nine took shape beside the water, the same Maiden at the same Level and star rank.

She reported as soon as she could speak.

"Lord, my Echo Survey showed the same passage continuing ahead. Then I suddenly found myself in an enormous chamber. Before I could react, the defensive Buildings killed me."

"Good!" Cassian clapped his hands. "Everyone, assemble in the Domain."

Nine hours remained on his countdown. He left them unused, withdrew from the Labyrinth, and paid another thirty million points for a fresh Prism Bridge.

His fourth entry began with a full twenty-four hours.

"Passage twenty-five. Full speed."

He turned to Liora.

"Teleport the Kinetic Mechs and Flamecallers forward. Keep them with the main force."

Orders passed through the army. Liora began ferrying the slower units in repeated batches of five, returning for each new group and spending Aether with every cast.

Twenty thousand kilometers.

Even the Eclipse fighters using Wings of the Windlord would need roughly ten hours to cover it. The Mechs and Flamecallers had no hope of keeping pace without Liora’s help.

That was why Cassian had reset the clock. Even now, the journey would leave only about fourteen hours for the checkpoint itself.

The army traveled in silence for ten hours.

"We’re close, Lord," Nine reported.

Cassian nodded.

A little later, he felt himself pass through an invisible barrier. The passage opened into a vast plaza, a hundred kilometers across. A magnificent palace stood in the distance.

[You have entered the Labyrinth Core.]

[Warning: You cannot voluntarily leave the Thousandfold Labyrinth while inside the Labyrinth Core.]

"Can’t leave?"

Cassian’s heart jolted. Before he could take a proper look around, countless beams of energy shot toward them.