CHAPTER 566: WASN’T EXACTLY FRIENDLY

"What is this place? And... everything in here feels so strange..." Ethan muttered, frowning slightly as he stood before the massive chasm that looked like a natural cave—only it wasn’t just any cave.

It looked like a cavern, sure, but the air was thick with spatial energy. It was everywhere, like the whole place was rigged with invisible traps. One wrong step, and you could get warped into another dimension.

"My Lord, should we go in and check it out?" Ataneya asked, unable to hide her eagerness. She had just evolved to a 15-Tier SS rank, and her confidence was through the roof. With that kind of power, fear wasn’t really in her vocabulary anymore.

"Hold on..." Ethan shook his head, wanting to play it safe. At the same time, Elira was already studying the mysterious cave entrance with sharp, focused eyes.

"My Lord, this place really does feel... off," she said, her brows knitting together.

"Elira, can you sense anything inside?" Ethan asked quickly.

"I can feel something... but it’s faint," Elira replied, nodding, then shaking her head. Her eyes flickered with uncertainty. "There’s something big in there. Something powerful. I can’t say for sure, but I’d bet it’s at least as strong as Ataneya and me."

"As strong as you two?" Ethan blinked, then immediately caught on. "So... another 15-Tier SS?"

"Could be," Elira said, her voice low. "But I can’t confirm it. This cave is weird. My powers can’t fully penetrate it. I can only skim the surface, get a rough sense of what’s inside."

That made Ethan go quiet for a moment.

He knew exactly what that meant. No doubt about it—this place was dangerous.

But then again, danger and opportunity always came hand in hand.

You don’t get the reward without taking the risk.

With that thought, he clenched his jaw and made up his mind.

"Alright. We’re going in. But everyone—stay sharp. If anything feels off, we get out. No hesitation."

"Yes, My Lord!"

"Got it, My Lord. Don’t worry—at our current level, we can handle it."

...

The next moment, Elira and Ataneya took the lead, with Ethan right behind them. The three of them stepped into the mysterious, otherworldly cave—ready for whatever lay ahead.

But right then—

Something went wrong.

BOOM!

BOOM!

BOOM!

In an instant, the space around them twisted violently.

A terrifying, overwhelming pressure exploded out of nowhere.

The scenery around them—what looked like the walls of the cave, the air itself—suddenly shattered like glass. Cracks spiderwebbed through the space, and then everything just broke apart with a deafening crack-crack-crack, like a thousand mirrors shattering all at once.

And then—

A cold, mocking voice echoed through the chaos.

"Well, well... You sensed me and still walked right into my domain? Gotta say, that’s some serious confidence."

The voice paused, then chuckled darkly.

"In that case... I guess I’ll have to play with you a little."

BOOM!

With a sneer, the air itself split open. A massive rift tore through the void, and from it, warped fragments of space began to twist and ripple outward.

Then came the hands.

Pale, ghostly hands—dozens, maybe hundreds—shot out from the rift, clawing through the air like a tidal wave of death. They surged toward Elira, Ataneya, and Ethan, impossible to tell which were real and which were illusions.

But before they could reach—

Elira moved.

"Tch. What a joke."

"Soul of the Abyss!"

With a cold snort, she raised her hand. A surge of terrifying, abyssal power erupted from her body. Her innate skill activated in a flash, and the pale hands—real or not—were obliterated in an instant, shattered into nothingness.

Turns out, they were all fakes.

And then, finally, the real threat revealed itself.

A childlike figure emerged from the swirling chaos, his body wreathed in faint, flickering flames.

But this was no ordinary child.

The space around him bent unnaturally, as if he were the very embodiment of spatial magic. The heat radiating from him was intense—like he could burn the sky or boil the sea.

And yet, his expression... wasn’t exactly friendly.

"Skytear Demon Moth? Seriously?" he muttered, eyes narrowing as he stared at Elira. "There’s still one of your kind left in this world? Or am I seeing things?"

He looked genuinely surprised, like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

"You seem to know a lot about my race," Elira said coolly, her voice calm but sharp.

"Know a lot?" the boy blinked, then let out a low, mocking laugh. "Let’s just say... when I was a kid, my elders used to tell me Skytear Demon Moth meat was delicious. Roasted, especially. And your souls? Even tastier. I always wanted to try one. Too bad I never got the chance."

"Oh?" Elira’s eyes flashed with icy light. "Well, now’s your chance. Go ahead—try me."

"Heh... You think I won’t?" the boy sneered. "Do you even know who I am? I’m Sorlenth, you arrogant bug."

BOOM!

Before the last word even finished echoing, Elira struck.

A wave of raw power exploded from her, surging straight toward Sorlenth. Her innate ability roared to life, dark and devastating.

But Sorlenth didn’t flinch.

He calmly raised his hand, and a small, palm-sized wand appeared in a flash of light.

Then—he tossed it.

BANG!

A burst of radiant energy exploded outward. Countless magical particles shot through the air, and in the blink of an eye, they wrapped around Elira—locking her in place.

"What?!"

Ethan’s eyes widened.

Sorlenth smirked.

"Looks like your power doesn’t quite match your mouth," he said, voice dripping with mockery.

"Damn it..." Ethan’s face darkened. He could feel it—Sorlenth wasn’t just a 15-Tier SS like Elira and Ataneya. He was stronger. And worse, this was his turf. That gave him a serious edge.

Which meant—

They had to fight together.

"Ataneya! Go!" Ethan shouted.

"I’m on it, My Lord!"

BOOM!

Ataneya launched forward like a missile.

Behind her, six massive tails unfurled, each one pulsing with terrifying energy.

After absorbing so much fire magic, her tails now shimmered with molten patterns—like veins of lava. Just a flick of one could unleash a wave of searing heat.

...