"Everyone, to me!"
Ethan called out to Eluna, Sherry, and Pale Wolf. Leading the way to a dimly lit section of the cave, he cast a Holy Light spell, filling the cave with illumination so bright it mirrored the daylight.
Without hesitation, the rest of the group swiftly followed Ethan's lead.
Soon, they came upon a scene that sent shivers down their spines.
"What is that?"
Mia's face turned ghostly pale, her legs faltering as if she were about to collapse.
The others were rendered speechless.
Before them stood a Lady Knight, clad in her knightly armor.
Yet, her greatsword lay discarded beside her.
Her armor seemed to have been burst open from within by some writhing creature, exposing the flesh it once shielded.
More horrifyingly, half of the Lady Knight's body was being pulled into the cave wall.
It was this sight that deeply unsettled Ethan and the rest.
"The walls... they're alive!" Eluna exclaimed, her voice distant with shock.
But nobody could answer her. In that heart-stopping moment, as the group was enveloped in disbelief, the Lady Knight, half-consumed by the wall, seemed to notice Ethan and the others.
A desperate gleam filled her eyes as she pleaded, "Kill me!"
Ethan was taken aback.
"Quickly, end me!" she cried again.
"This thing is alive. It feeds continuously, consuming flesh and blood, giving birth to a new form. Yet, once a body is formed, it needs a consciousness to command it."
"It wants to devour my mind," she continued, her voice tremulous with fear.
"If it acquires a consciousness, no one in this cave will be safe. It will spell an unstoppable disaster!"
Perhaps sensing its secret was exposed, the writhing wall erupted in rage.
Suddenly, several tentacles shot out from its surface, entangling the half-exposed body of the Lady Knight.
With a swift, forceful pull, her body shattered gruesomely.
"Attack now!" Even without knowing the full extent of the situation, Ethan was sure this was no good omen.
Without waiting, he conjured a ball of thunder within his palm and hurled it towards the Lady Knight.
The ball exploded fiercely, enveloping both her and the undulating wall in its electric fury.
"Is it over?" Mia whispered, her voice tinged with hope.
Ethan's face was etched with seriousness as he shook his head, "No, it escaped."
On the ground, the charred remains of the Lady Knight lay, testament to the fury of Ethan's Thunder Orb.
The wall was deeply scarred, bearing a gaping hole, yet within its depths lay only ordinary stone, not the anticipated flesh and blood.
"Will it come back for revenge?" Mia asked, worry evident in her voice.
"Most likely," Ethan said gravely.
When the Thunder Orb detonated, a raging roar echoed in his mind: "Insolent insect, how dare you defy me! You shall face my wrath!"
But hidden beneath that roar, Ethan detected a hint of fear.
"Does it fear me?" He wondered. "What power do I possess that could make such an entity cower?"
"And, this creature that devours flesh, bearing its own consciousness... According to Eluna, this cave is the very embodiment of the Devourer Oksd. Is there a connection between the two?"
Thoughts swirled rapidly in Ethan's mind, stirring a sense of excitement deep within.
He felt an intuition that this time, he might be facing an adversary unlike any other.
After their harrowing encounter, the group proceeded with heightened caution.
Surprisingly, the final stretch towards the heart of the cave went smoothly.
Other than piles of discarded clothing, eerily strewn along the path, the surroundings almost felt pleasant.
Because, at the center, darkness was no longer their companion.
The long-absent sunlight bathed a vast crimson wasteland, its edges framed by towering cliffs, their peaks hidden from view, encircling the landscape to form a basin.
Along the periphery of the basin were countless black entrances.
"We never expected the heart of the cave to look like this," Ethan remarked, genuinely taken aback by the unexpected beauty before them.
However...
Lost in thought, Ethan glanced at Eluna, asking, "Eluna, didn't the reports say that the heart of the cave is where the Devourer Oksd's heart transformed? This doesn't look anything like it."
"Perhaps..." Eluna's voice trailed off in confusion.
The map's annotations were clear. According to the intel she'd gathered, the center of the cave should reveal a heart-like boulder.
Instead, they were presented with a vast crimson wasteland with no such heart in sight.
"Could something have changed?" Eluna murmured to herself.
But just then, a bizarre phenomenon began to unfold across the wasteland.
Crimson mists erupted from the ground, exploding mid-air, releasing a heavy metallic scent of blood.
From within the fog came countless shouts.
"The Blood Source has appeared!"
"Excellent! There are more than ten drops of Blood Source this time! They're all mine!"
"You fool! Who gave you the nerve? Get lost!"
"Hahaha, I've grabbed a Blood Source!"
Sounds of battle, jubilation, and angry roars emanated from the expanding fog, leaving Ethan and the others puzzled.
However, Ethan quickly grasped the situation.
The crimson mist was rapidly encroaching upon their location.
Along with it, two drops of the Blood Source were hurled towards them, shooting swiftly in Ethan's direction.
Without missing a beat, Ethan reached out and caught both.
"This... Blood Source..." Sherry muttered in disbelief, surprised at the ease with which they had acquired it.
Eluna found it hard to come to terms with. She had paid a heavy price for just one drop of Blood Source in the past.
Not only was she cursed by a monster, but she was also hunted down by some.
"Now's not the time to ponder on this. We have company," Ethan urgently alerted the group.
In an instant, he secured the two intercepted Blood Sources inside his Space Ring.
As soon as he completed this action, seven or eight imposing Heroes approached them, eyes filled with menace.
"Boy, hand over the Blood Source!" one of them demanded threateningly.
"What Blood Source?" Ethan feigned ignorance.
The inquiring man hesitated momentarily.
After sensing around, his face darkened. He roared, "It's impossible! I clearly saw those two drops of Blood Source flying in this direction. How can they be gone?"
The others accompanying him also looked perturbed.
"It seems they vanished. Strange occurrences are becoming more frequent in this accursed place," one of them commented.
He then looked towards Ethan and the group, asking, "Young ones, are you newcomers?"
As he posed the question, the rest shifted their gaze onto Ethan and his party, a cruel smirk playing on their lips, as if they considered Ethan and his companions as lambs ready for slaughter.
"Is that a problem?" Ethan inquired calmly.
The men chuckled, responding, "Oh, boy, it's a big problem indeed! While everyone else is desperate to escape from this place, you lot dared to venture in!"
In the midst of their conversation, the men swiftly encircled Ethan and his companions.
Remaining calm, Ethan positioned himself protectively in front of Mia and the others.
"Attack!" the leader commanded.
Instantly, the men surrounding Ethan lunged at him.
However, what transpired next caught everyone off guard.
Those who advanced were sent flying backward, faint arcs of electricity flickering over their bodies.
Ethan flexed his wrists and looked at the group with a mischievous smile, "It seems you're mistaken. I'm the hunter, and you are the prey."
Electricity surged around Ethan, the dancing arcs instilling sheer terror in the approaching men.
The man who had given the order was especially gripped with fear, contemplating an escape.
Yet, a bolt of lightning deterred him, making him halt.
"Sir, we were just joking earlier," he said with a forced smile.
Ethan wasn't buying the feeble excuse. Teasingly, he retorted, "Oh, so if I say I'm joking about killing you, that'd be fine?"
The man's face paled, and lowering his head, he asked, "Sir, what do you desire? We'll fulfill any request."
Ethan didn't intend to obliterate them all. While these men were formidable — at least compared to the average person — they were no match for Ethan's present power.
After all, he possessed the Golden Divine Dragon Bloodline and had advanced using the red jade.
"I want to know: what's the situation at the heart of this cave?" Ethan demanded.
Under the weight of Ethan's undeniable strength, the men had no choice but to submit.
Learning of their identities, Ethan was somewhat surprised.
These men weren't from the same group but were lone wolves that had banded together.
The leader, known as Black, had merely been a slightly powerful adventurer before entering the cave.
The others were much the same.
All had experienced a significant surge in power after reaching the cave's center.
Hearing Ethan's inquiry, Black hesitated for a moment.
Finally, he divulged the secret of the cave's core, "Sir, the heart of this cave..."
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