Chapter 1021 Ice Lotus
Joey finished off the demonic eel before jumping out of the painting. After that, it crumbled into pieces and disappeared. Then, he tried to enter a different one, but he was unable to do so. With a sigh, he turned toward the empty room, where only Dal was placed on a table.
"What happened to this place?" asked Joey as he walked forward with leisure. Dal looked pale, and only noticed his return when Joey called for him. "It looks like someone wanted to renovate this room but stopped midway. Even the tiles are turned upside down!"
"That happened… because of him," said Dal with sweat covering his face as he turned his gaze toward the painting in the center. "I just realized that gods do exist."
"Who do you think cursed us with this life if not them?" rebuked Joey as he turned toward the central painting. "I'm curious about him too. He is too powerful to join the army as a new recruit, but he seems to be hiding it from others."
The central painting was dyed with golden petals, but it didn't prevent them from seeing Alexie slice the figure into several parts. However, even after doing so, that figure kept moving. It was at that moment that a looming shadow appeared behind Alexie.
"Is that another creature?" muttered Joey before he walked toward the painting, slamming his fist into its glassy exterior. However, he could not go inside. "I thought these fights would be one against one!"
"That is not a demonic creature," said Dal with a face drenched in sweat. "The giant wolf is… a manifestation of Alexie's wrath. We need to run away."
"Run from what?" muttered Joey with confusion as he turned toward Dal and, seeing his complexion, realized that something was off. "What are you hiding?"
Before the head could answer him, a roar shook the heavens and ripped them apart. Joey fell on the ground as he tried to cover his ears, but it made his blood boil nonetheless. As he felt like embers coursed through his veins, the man turned toward the painting and saw that it was falling apart.
"What in the world is happening?" asked Joey, before red eyes stared at him from within the painting. His entire being shook in fear when he saw the wrath in those eyes. In seconds, his body was retreating without realizing, and the paintings exploded into countless fragments of glass.
Boom!
A giant claw crawled out from the painting, destroying the ground effortlessly. It sent a shockwave of black flames that destroyed the other paintings, throwing all party members outside. The three fell onto the ground, confused, before seeing the giant claw beside them.
"Get away from that thing!" roared Joey as loud as his lungs could, almost shaking the entire room. The three dashed forward, one helping the other before reaching Joey.
The giant claw did not attack, but its mere presence made doomsday laughable in comparison. However, as the flames began to rise from it, golden petals rushed from the painting into the room, confusing the group.
"What the hell is happening here?" asked Koby with confusion. "Where did such a monster come from? Where is Alexie?"
"Alexie went into that painting," said Joey with a frown, but did not know whether he should tell the group that this same creature might be Alexie himself. However, luckily, the golden petals seemed to counter the flames, and the claw began to shrink in size.
It soon turned into an arm outstretched from the painting. Once the threatening aura disappeared, the group approached and managed to see Alexie sprawled on the ground. Koby was the one to rush forward without thinking, pulling him out of the painting before it collapsed as well.
The entire room seemed to have been ravaged by a storm with a large crater on the ground. However, once the last painting disappeared, the demonic palace announced their victory. Unable to proceed with Alexie in this way, the group decided to rest for the remainder of the next hour.
"How are we going to finish this place without Alexie?" asked Nixie while sprawled on the ground. Fae shot her a glare, making her close her mouth.
"Ah! His fever is inhuman," said Koby as he flicked his hand, which had been burned by Arthur's skin. "Although he is breathing fine, no human can withstand such heat. We need to cool him down as soon as possible!"
Koby rushed to take out the water he had in his pack before he poured it over the unconscious man. However, as soon as the water touched the skin, it evaporated instantly. The group was surprised, making them stare at each other with genuine fear.
"If we don't do anything, he would die," said Joey with a frown. "If we only had herbal items…"
It was at that moment a chilling breeze washed over them. Everyone shivered while staring at the source. Then, to their amazement, a white glow came from the spot Alexie had fallen unconscious. Joey was the one to advance forward, getting to see what was there. Then, he began to laugh.
"Are you telling me that not even the tower wants him to die?" asked the man as he covered his face. His tears were streaming from laughter, before he turned toward the group. "An Ice Lotus sprouted here! Koby, come over here and harness its coldness!"
The four were shaken, including Dal. Koby rushed forward and crouched beside the Ice Lotus that had appeared out of thin air. Then, with his skill, he managed to harness its coldness and ran back to redirect it toward Arthur.
The process took almost half an hour, but it managed to lower his temperature down. The four stared at the miracle of Alexie opening his eyes while the rest stared at him with genuine shock.
"Have you… seen a ghost?" asked Arthur with haziness as he turned around. "We are still in the fifth room. How long was I unconscious for?" as he asked, he even managed to push himself upward.
"It has only been half an hour," said Koby with sweat covering his face. "Your fever almost killed you, but a miracle happened. An Ice Lotus sprouted inside the demonic palace!"
Koby rushed to point toward the icy glow at the end of the room. Arthur turned his eyes slowly toward it, before his face froze. Shrouded in unknown emotions, his lips pressed together. Koby was confused by the lack of response, as did the rest, and all turned to look at him.
Tears streamed down his face with lips pressing hard not to cry. The four were confused by his tears, which flowed down effortlessly. Before any of them could say anything, Arthur began to rise and walk toward the icy glow. His gait was wobbly and unstable, but he was determined to reach the Ice Lotus. Once he did, he fell to his knees in front of it.
"You still protect me to this day," he whispered in a soft voice as he caressed the Ice Lotus. "I will see you again, soon."
The Ice Lotus gave one final glow of bright light before it disintegrated into pieces, like a final farewell. Arthur remained in place, holding the remains in his hands without moving an inch. Koby tried to check on him, but Joey held him back.
After another fifteen minutes, Arthur finally rose and turned toward them. His expression was different than before, as he seemed to have been reborn by the entire ordeal. With a soft smile, he expressed his gratitude.
"Thank you for helping me," said Alexie to them as he returned. "We don't have a lot of time left to clear this demonic palace. Let's advance forward once again."
Since the man was reluctant to share the origins of the Ice Lotus and his tears, none of them dared to pose their questions. Instead, the group decided to recover from their earlier battles. Alexie sat down in the middle and closed his eyes, before a strange energy started to come out from him.
The energy was no harmful, but the opposite. It managed to help the rest recover their strength and prepare for the next battle. As for Alexie himself, his complexion turned for the better. Once he opened his eyes, he was more determined than before.
Once the group entered the next room, its furnishings seemed different. This one had carpets all over the floor and dangling ornaments from the ceiling. An ethereal demonic creature greeted their arrival, looking like a muscular man.
"This is a Djinn, a demonic creature that causes misfortune while disguising it as wishes," explained Dal to the rest. "It would grant your desired wish, but it would twist it into something horrific."
"Hello, hello!" called the Djinn for the group. Its magnificent body towering over them, as a twisted grin appeared on his face. "Tell me, what are your wishes, dear visitors?"
As if falling into a trance, the weakest among the group leaped forward to make their wish. Nixie seemed to be hysterical as she wished to be released from this tower, and the Djinn nodded in understanding. Then, it gave her a wide grin before reaching his hands toward her.
"The easiest way to be released from this tower… is to be killed by a demon!"
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