Chapter 491 - 490- Onto the real world

When Grey and Iria came closer to the barrier that separated the true depths of the Corroded Zone from its peripheral region, a low roar suddenly sounded from beyond the distance.

The roar was strange.

It sounded like the unwilling cry of some ancient and terrifying existence. A being that had suffered for countless years and was finally releasing the last remnants of its anguish.

Although the sound seemed to originate from an extremely distant location, it still reached Grey’s and Iria’s ears with terrifying clarity.

The moment they heard it, their heads buzzed violently.

For a split second, Grey felt as though the roar had transformed into something tangible. It seemed to burrow directly into his mind, attempting to force its way through his consciousness and influence his thoughts.

Grey’s expression changed instantly.

His body staggered backwards as an intense sensation of corruption surged through him. His pupils contracted, and for a brief moment, his mind became blank.

What was this?

The roar wasn’t merely a sound.

There was something contained within it.

Something that could affect the mind.

Iria suffered a similar reaction.

Her face instantly turned pale, and genuine fear appeared within her eyes. The sudden roar had placed an enormous strain on her mind, awakening a deep-seated terror within her that she had never even known existed.

It was not simply fear of death.

It was an instinctive fear.

A fear that originated from somewhere deeper than reason.

A light-green screen of light suddenly appeared around her body.

It was the final protective talisman that Iria possessed.

The moment the roar reached her ears and attempted to burrow into her mind, the screen of light immediately reacted. Countless faint ripples spread across its surface as it forcefully blocked the invisible influence contained within the roar.

However, the protection stored within the talisman was completely depleted in an instant.

Crack!

A tiny fracture appeared across the surface of the talisman.

Then another.

Within the next moment, the protective talisman shattered completely, breaking into countless fragments that scattered onto the ground.

Iria staggered backwards as well.

Blood trickled from her nose and the corner of her mouth, staining her pale face.

Yet compared to Grey, her condition was considerably better.

Grey felt as though an intense corruption had entered his body and was attempting to take control of his very existence. It was not merely attacking his mind. It seemed to be trying to seep into his flesh, his soul, and even the invisible foundation that supported his existence.

The Sentient Spirit and the shadow beneath Grey’s feet, however, appeared completely unaffected by the roar.

Neither of them showed any signs of being influenced.

Nevertheless, the expression of the Sentient Spirit became extremely solemn.

"What was that?"

Grey asked inwardly.

Before he could contemplate the answer himself, the Sentient Spirit’s voice sounded within his mind.

"A lingering will."

The Sentient Spirit paused briefly before continuing.

"A lingering will that has been trapped here for decades. The sudden change that occurred within the Corroded Zone must have caused some peculiar circumstances, allowing us to hear the final cry of that will."

Grey’s expression remained grim.

"It should fade after a while," the Sentient Spirit continued. "However, its appearance will inevitably cause unrest throughout the Corroded Zone. The concentration of corruption will increase, and many creatures will enter a state of frenzy."

Grey’s eyes narrowed.

"You who heard the roar so clearly will also be affected by the corruption. However, if you deal with it quickly, the influence should not be too severe."

The Sentient Spirit’s voice became increasingly serious.

"Many mutated creatures will enter a frenzy after hearing this roar. Even some Bizarre existences will be slightly stunned by it."

The Sentient Spirit glanced toward the depths of the Corroded Zone.

"I strongly suggest that we leave this place before they recover."

There was an unusual sense of urgency in its voice.

Grey immediately understood the seriousness of the situation.

He did not hesitate.

He reached out and placed a hand on Iria’s shoulder.

Before Iria could even react, the space around them seemed to distort.

In the blink of an eye, Grey disappeared.

He transformed into a blur and rapidly fled toward the veil of darkness separating the depths of the Corroded Zone from its peripheral region.

His speed was astonishing.

In less than twenty breaths of time, Grey had already appeared before the thin veil.

He continued forward without slowing down.

However, just as he was about to reach the veil, several strange arms suddenly reached out from within it.

They were long.

Abnormally long.

Their elongated forms were completely pitch-black, and their fingers were twisted into strange shapes. They stretched out from the veil as though countless dead creatures were desperately attempting to crawl out from the darkness.

At the same time, loud and mournful cries rang out.

The cries echoed throughout the surroundings, causing the already oppressive atmosphere of the Corroded Zone to become even more terrifying.

Grey was momentarily at a loss for words.

He had not expected the creatures within the veil to react so quickly.

However, his hesitation lasted only for an instant. A thought flashed through his mind. Grey immediately formed a hand seal.

Boom!

A blazing fireball suddenly appeared before him.

The crimson sphere radiated an intense heat that seemed completely incompatible with the cold and corrupted environment of the Corroded Zone.

With a wave of Grey’s hand, the fireball shot forward.

It crossed the distance between them in the blink of an eye and appeared directly before the cluster of elongated black arms.

But just before the fireball made contact, Grey suddenly snapped his fingers.

Boom!

The crimson ball of fire exploded.

An enormous wave of flames erupted in every direction, swallowing the surrounding darkness and illuminating the veil with a brilliant crimson glow.

The mournful screams rang out again.

But this time, they were accompanied by cries of agony and pain.

The elongated black arms violently twisted as the flames engulfed them. Their pitch-black surfaces began to distort, and they rapidly curled backward, desperately attempting to retreat into the veil.

Grey’s eyes narrowed.

The fire was clearly effective.

The arms were about to completely fuse back into the veil when a strange phenomenon suddenly appeared in the sky.

Grey instinctively raised his head.

For the first time since he had entered the Corroded Zone, the sky seemed to have become bright.

The endless darkness that had always covered the Zone was gradually illuminated.

It was no longer completely dark and gloomy.

Instead, it was as though a miniature sun had suddenly appeared somewhere within the Corroded Zone.

Brilliant radiance descended from above.

The light pierced through the darkness and illuminated the vast, corrupted land below.

The sight was extraordinarily strange.

The Corroded Zone had always been a place where light seemed to be rejected by the very laws of existence. Yet now, a radiant light had appeared above it.

Very soon, countless loud roars echoed from every direction.

They came from the depths of the Zone. From the forests. From the mountains. From the darkness hidden beneath the earth.

Strange and terrifying sounds continuously rang out one after another.

It was as though the entire Corroded Zone had been disturbed.

As though the appearance of this light was some sort of taboo that should never have existed within this place.

Grey’s expression became solemn.

The strange gaze he had felt upon himself ever since entering the depths suddenly weakened considerably.

He could clearly sense that most of that terrifying attention had been retracted from him.

Instead, it had shifted toward the radiant light that had suddenly appeared in the sky.

This immediately caused several questions to emerge within Grey’s mind.

What was that light? Where had it come from? Who had summoned it?

And why had it appeared at this exact moment?

Grey’s gaze lingered on the distant radiance for a moment.

Yet he did not attempt to investigate.

The peculiarities of this world and the Corroded Zones in particular had taught Grey one extremely important lesson. Some mysteries were better left alone.

His natural instinct was to investigate the cause behind every strange phenomenon he encountered.

But in this world, following that instinct could easily lead to death.

There were too many things that he did not understand.

Too many existences that could kill him without him even realizing what had happened.

Therefore, Grey had long since learned to suppress his curiosity whenever something appeared to be beyond his current understanding.

This time was no different. Under Iria’s surprised gaze, Grey did not hesitate any further. He turned around and continued moving.

The two of them quickly passed through the thin veil that covered the depths of the Corroded Zone.

Then, they stepped into the peripheral region.

---

Leaving the depths and entering the Peripheral felt almost like stepping into an entirely different world.

The oppressive darkness was noticeably weaker here.

The radiant light from the mysterious sun that had appeared above the Corroded Zone had failed to completely penetrate the barrier separating the depths from the outside.

However, faint traces of its radiance still managed to shine through the clouds and reach the cold forbidden land below.

The atmosphere also felt different.

As soon as Grey and Iria emerged from the depths, they could immediately sense that the concentration of corrosive substance in the surroundings was considerably lower.

It was still dangerous. This was, after all, the Corroded Zone. But compared to the depths, the difference was enormous. The strange mourns and cries of the frenzied mutated creatures were also nowhere to be heard.

For the first time in what seemed like a long while, the surroundings became relatively quiet.

Grey did not waste any time. He led Iria forward and accelerated toward the edge of the Corroded Zone.

They moved at full speed. Along the way, they encountered several dangerous beasts.

Some were mutated creatures whose bodies had been distorted by the corruption. Others possessed strange appearances that made it impossible to determine what kind of creatures they had originally been.

However, Grey did not deliberately engage them. If the creatures ignored them, Grey ignored them as well. They were already in a frenzied state from the roar and could hardly focus on what was in front of them.

Only when one of the beasts attacked did Grey retaliate. His attacks were swift and decisive. He did not waste unnecessary energy on creatures that posed no immediate threat.

After all, the deeper danger had not completely disappeared.

The strange roar had caused too much disturbance within the Corroded Zone.

The mutated creatures were becoming increasingly restless, and Grey did not intend to remain here long enough to discover what would happen once the entire Zone descended into complete chaos.

Several minutes later, the surroundings finally began to change. The dense mutation gradually became thinner. The distorted trees became fewer and the oppressive atmosphere also began to fade.

Grey could already sense the outside world ahead. Hence, he increased his speed. Soon, the two of them crossed the final stretch of the Corroded Zone without any stoppage by the inhabitants of the zone.

And then, they finally stepped out of the forbidden land.

For the first time since entering the depths, Grey felt the oppressive weight that had been pressing down on him begin to disappear. They had finally left the Corroded Zone.

But at the same time that they came out, they saw a large and incomprehensible existence swoop into the cold and anomalous looking forest that composed of the Corroded Zone.

The existence did not seem to have a form. Instead, what it carried was an endless swarm of dust haze that filled the sky like clouds. And within the cloud like dust haze, black and red lightning would occasionally flash periodically.

Briefly illuminating the insizable creature that flew even above the clouds.