CHAPTER 200: THE CONTROLLER HIDDEN BEHIND THE SHADOWS (3)

Nolan pushed his way through the shrubbery that blocked his path. Suddenly, his eyes caught sight of something ahead—a black castle standing among the trees and bushes.

The castle wasn’t large; in fact, it was rather small. Its pitch-black walls were flanked by two towers rising on either side.

From its architecture, it was clear the building was centuries old. The air felt heavy, as if a powerful presence were lurking within.

At first glance, it looked abandoned and uninhabited. Yet Nolan could sense the strong magical energy radiating from it.

The energy spread out like spiderwebs in every direction. One of them was massive, stretching far into the distance.

It was obvious the web was connected to the sea monster that Luvistar and Ruthark were fighting.

Without hesitation, Nolan walked toward the castle at a steady pace, showing no fear of whatever might appear before him.

When he reached the gate, he clenched his right fist and struck.

Bang!

The seemingly casual blow shattered the castle gate instantly. Nolan peered inside and saw that the chamber was far larger than he expected.

What a big living room, he muttered, raising an eyebrow.

The room was filled with weathered, broken furniture. Dust, rusted metal, and wood chips covered the floor.

Ancient paintings still hung on the walls to his right and left, though time had blurred and damaged the images.

Nolan stepped inside, his eyes scanning curiously from side to side.

With every step, the magical energy grew stronger. Without a doubt, the figure was in the deepest part of the castle.

Grrr!

A beast’s growl suddenly echoed from the side. Nolan turned his head to the right and spotted a wide passage, where three massive bear-like monsters, each nearly three meters tall, glared at him.

Their black fur was matched with fiery red eyes, and sharp spines jutted out from their bodies, making them look even more menacing.

To make things worse, their fangs were razor-sharp—even sharper than the ten wolves he had fought earlier.

This is really troublesome, Nolan muttered with a sigh.

Argh!

The three monsters lunged, jaws wide open.

But Nolan remained unfazed. He whispered under his breath, "Destroy..."

In an instant, all three monsters froze before exploding on the spot.

Blood, entrails, hearts, and shattered limbs flew in every direction—even toward Nolan.

Fortunately, an invisible barrier shielded his body.

Unmoved by the gruesome scene, Nolan turned away and stepped forward once more.

***

"Oh?" The black-cloaked man was taken aback. "What a surprise. That man actually withstood the attacks of my three monsters. His strength is greater than I thought."

Those three bears were middle-class monsters, strong enough to wipe out a small village.

And yet, even they failed to stop the man’s advance. The sight clearly unsettled him.

A moment later, he regained his composure and let out a cold smile.

"Well, they aren’t the strongest. Let’s see if he can handle the others... hehehe..."

As he spoke, he poured more magic into the crystal ball before him, causing its light to flare even brighter.

***

"Damn! What a pain!" Nolan cursed inwardly as his gaze fell on a giant snake.

It stretched nearly thirty meters long and stood about seven meters tall. Two horns jutted from its head, while its black scales gleamed with a sinister glow.

Compared to it, Nolan looked tiny—small enough to be swallowed whole in a single bite.

"Huh..." Nolan exhaled and rubbed his temples. "Looks like I’ll have to waste quite a bit of energy."

With a flick of his finger, a massive magic circle formed above the monster’s head.

From it, a blazing fireball—ten meters wide—shot downward and slammed into the snake’s body.

Bang!

The strike shook the entire castle, and the explosion set the surrounding chamber ablaze.

As for the snake, there was no doubt—struck by such high-level magic, it stood no chance of survival.

Nolan continued deeper into the castle, and as before, more monsters barred his way. At first, they were easy to cut down.

The deeper he went, the stronger and larger the monsters became—many times greater than before.

Even when his attacks landed, some monsters withstood them, forcing Nolan to strike again and again.

He wasn’t sure how long he had been wandering inside the castle, but by his estimation, nearly half an hour had passed.

Don’t tell me this place is a special dimension created by that mysterious figure? Nolan thought to himself.

The special dimension he meant was a space separated from the real world, existing on its own.

Normally, only a Celestial-level mage could create something like that, which meant the figure was most likely at that level.

No wonder he can control a sea monster that’s nearly at the catastrophe level—his own power is surprisingly great, Nolan muttered, narrowing his eyes.

Still, even knowing how powerful his opponent was, Nolan felt no fear. Celestial mage or not—even if the figure were a Singularity-class being, he still wouldn’t flinch.

He walked through hall after hall with a calm, almost indifferent expression. Then, all of a sudden, his eyes locked onto a vast chamber about a hundred meters ahead.

Quickening his pace, he soon arrived—and froze at the sight before him.

The hall was immense and perfectly circular. Lining its perimeter were statues of monsters from countless species—dragons, lizards, wolves, minotaurs, wyverns, and more.

Four towering black pillars supported the ceiling, while stained glass in red, blue, and yellow decorated the upper front side.

The light filtering through the stained glass gave the hall an atmosphere that was both gloomy and sinister.

Is this the final destination? Nolan wondered as he surveyed his surroundings.

With his Eyes of Chaos, he could see that the magical energy wrapping around the castle was all concentrated in this very room.

At the center of the hall, a black crystal ball floated in the air, radiating a fiery red glow. Clearly, this was the core of the magical energy he had been sensing.

Just as Nolan was lost in thought, the glow from the glass above suddenly dimmed, and the hall was instantly swallowed by darkness.

Click!

The sound of a switch echoed, and then a spotlight flared to life overhead, illuminating the entire chamber.

Startled, Nolan immediately shifted into a guarded stance.

"Hahaha! I didn’t expect you to make it this far," a cold laugh echoed from above.

Nolan lifted his gaze and saw a man in a black robe hovering in the air.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, but his face was completely hidden beneath the hood.

Frowning, Nolan asked casually, "Who are you?"

The man chuckled lightly. Placing his left hand on his chest, he bent slightly forward.

"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mathias, the mastermind behind the monsters that attacked you. And by the way..."

A faint smile curled on his lips as he looked down at Nolan mockingly.

"I am the one you’ve been seeking, Your Highness the Prince..."