MAZE - The Endless Quest

The battle against Xivork, the Bone Warden, ended so quickly that [Awakened Wind Fury] still had more than half of its one-minute duration remaining. Dealing with the skeletons was extremely easy for Hera and her court. Each undead creature wasn’t even strong enough to face a single blade, much less three at once. In addition, their summoner followed the usual convention of being weak and frail. No other junior disciples were killed in the process, but those still standing joined in the battle, even if they were barely of any help. It took five of them to just hold back one skeleton.

Once that was over, everyone cheered and started tending to their wounds. Hera and Helena also paused, half-expecting to receive the notification that the dungeon was complete, yet it never appeared.

"What are we missing?" Hera frowned.

"Maybe we also have to help the people down the mountain?" Helena suggested.

"Master Hera, Master Helena!" Yulan yelled as she rushed to the center of the arena. Yuwei followed right after, and with them was another Orc. A short and stout man with short hair and short tusks, wearing the simple garments of a mortal.

"Yulan, Yuwei!" Hera rushed over, already telling Daskka to heal the duo. "Are you two okay?"

"We'll manage. But Lei Ming here has some information I think you should know," Yulan gestured to the small Orc man.

"This Lei Ming greets the masters," he bowed.

"Don’t worry about formalities. We don’t care about that, and this isn’t the place for it. What’s going on?" Helena quickly jumped into the conversation.

"Yes, of course," Lei Ming bowed again. "Once the Demon Cult members arrived, I was cleaning the bleachers, and I heard them talk about their plan. There were actually eleven of them. One told them all to stall for time, and he vanished in the north section of the arena," he pointed to the north.

"So there’s one more?" Hera turned toward the area where the last cult member should be.

"He’s not done," Yuwei turned to Lei Ming. "Just tell them everything."

"Right, sorry. I heard them talking about something hidden inside the mountain and how that could help the Heavenly Demon finally go past the Divine Manifestation Realm. And if he had enough time with it, he would rush past the Eternal Void Realm and even reach the Celestial Sovereign Realm in just a few days. From the way they were speaking, it seemed like the person who left them was the Heavenly Demon."

"Divine Manifestation Realm? That’s…" Helena paused.

"Beyond level 80. Then reaching 90 and past that," Hera frowned. The Heavenly Demon would become much stronger than what the dungeon was supposed to allow, even for hard mode. That meant there was some hidden condition to complete the quest, something they had to figure out in order to stop or defeat him.

"Yuwei, the last time we saw your mom, she was just entering the first step of the Eternal Void Realm, right?" Helena asked, thinking about where level 81 would be in this setting.

"Yeah. She’s on the 6th step now. She also helped a bunch of her friends reach the Eternal Void Realm, including Yulan’s master," the Sun Flower announced proudly.

"Perfect! Where is she now? Can we send a message? Don’t you have transmission stones or something to warn her that something is going on here?" Helena continued.

"She was chasing someone from the Demon Cult. I think those were decoys to lure her away," Yuwei pulled a necklace from under her shirt. "This is how I can talk to her. If I put my Qi here, I can send a message, or if I break this, she will know I’m in danger. But I’ve been trying to talk to her ever since this started, and something is blocking the message."

Yulan nodded. "They placed a barrier around the mountain that blocks all forms of longs range communication. My portals aren’t affected because they work a different way."

"Okay. Take Yuwei somewhere far away, call your mom, and tell her to come here," Helena said.

"I can’t, Master Helena. The fight drained my Qi too much. It will take me a few hours to create another portal."

"Shit," Helena grumbled.

"What about the restaurants?" Hera asked.

"What?" Yuwei tilted her head.

The Empress turned to Lei Ming. "I noticed that when we left the restaurant, the people in the inn we were staying at got a message or something to prepare. How do they do that?"

"The pipes. We have hundreds of metal pipes running all over the mountain. We mortals use small capsules to send messages to one another," Lei Ming explained.

"How far do they go?" Hera pressed.

"I think the farthest ones reach the inns on the outskirts of the city below," Lei Ming replied.

"Which ones? Are you talking about the Jade Garden, the Riverside Peak, the Fox Forest Mist, or the Old Valley, the Green Grass Ocean, and the Azure Cloud?" Yulan asked, showing surprisingly extensive knowledge of the city’s establishments.

"The Old Valley and the others. The ones outside the city," Lei Ming explained.

Hera turned to Yulan. "Would that be far enough to get outside the barrier?"

"I think so. There’s a decent amount of road between those establishments and the city itself. From what I can tell, the barrier reaches the gates," the Vanishing Lake explained.

"Perfect. Lei Ming, take Yulan and Yuwei somewhere they can send her necklace through the pipes to a place outside the city. Yuwei, write a message explaining what’s going on, and tell them to break your necklace as soon as they get it," Hera commanded.

"What are you going to do, Master Hera?" Yuwei asked.

"We’re going to go inside the mountain and try to stall the Heavenly Demon as much as we can. If we’re lucky, we can hold on until the cavalry arrives," Hera said, turning around and getting a nod from Helena before the two of them rushed to the north side of the arena.

The first thing Hera did when she reached the north section of the arena was tell her entire court to spread out as much as they could. Once everyone was in position, she triggered the [Echolocation] skill from Ariadne, hoping to find any hidden passages or small gaps that could reveal a tunnel or something. Since [Blade Graveyard] was still active, her court was large enough to cover the entire section of the arena. Quickly opening her [Treasure Map], the Empress checked the area revealed by the skill. Instead of it being on the first floor as she expected, on the second floor, there was a bench by the side of a wall sitting on top of a plate that could shift to reveal a staircase heading down.

As soon as the passage was open, Hera, Helena, and the court all rushed inside, hoping they would be quick enough to stop the Heavenly Demon. It took them a good five minutes to cross through various corridors and hallways. Every single one of them had the remains of multiple traps that were utterly destroyed by whoever passed through. Eventually, they arrived at a large chamber with a structure in the center that mirrored the four-section division of the arena. However, this one hung from the ceiling upside down, matching the outside perfectly but on a smaller scale.

Underneath it was a large spiral engraving on the ground with several tiny pillars spread out, each holding something on top. In the very center, sitting on a mountain-shaped stool, was an Orc with long dark hair, black eyes with red irises, and wearing a regal tunic of black, red, and gold. One of his tusks was black and the other solid gold. The Empress watched as the mana surrounding the place gathered violently on top of the man. There was no natural flow to the magic; it acted as if it were being dragged, trying to escape but unable to fight against an unseen force. And a barrier covered the entire structure, stopping their approach.

"It's a funnel," Helena gasped.

"Indeed," the man replied, his eyes trailing to the two invaders, "I assume your presence means my generals are gone. But I'm afraid you're too late. The ritual has begun, and nothing can stop it now."

[Heavenly Demon - Level 75 - Obliteration Affinity]

"What is this ritual?" Hera asked while Viper and her court worked to figure out how to stop it. Keeping the man talking could buy them some time.

"This is the true purpose of this land. The first Heavenly Demon built these hills, giving his life so that one day he could take it back after letting it grow. I am merely reclaiming what is rightfully mine," the Heavenly Demon explained, his face serene.

'This isn't just taking mana from the environment. It's going to drain everything—plants, animals, even people,' Viper realized how powerful this effect was.

"And what about the people who live here?" Helena asked.

"Their sacrifice will be remembered. Each one of them will live forever as a part of me, no matter how pitiful they are."

'Shadow, can you teleport inside that?' Viper asked, his eyes focusing on a specific pillar.

'Maybe. I’d need to try. Why?' the scythe replied.

'The pillar with the jade brooch on top. It's acting as a lid for the mana. If you can interrupt it, the pressure will be too much, and the mana will flow back out,' the Spymaster explained.

'Are you sure?' Hera asked.

'No, but I think I’m right.'

Hera grabbed Helena’s hand, signaling the titled blades to cluster so they wouldn’t be swept away by the torrent of mana. The mage looked at her friend with confusion, but Hera quickly told Shadow, 'Do it.'

The Alabaster Duke vanished, appearing right in front of the pillar with the jade brooch. He struck it a few times, trying to break either the jewel or the stone itself, but the structure was too sturdy. However, his ability to interrupt the mana flow and seal skills was enough.

For a brief moment, the pillar flickered, and the effect stopped, causing the entire formation to unravel and send the mana back out into the world. The Heavenly Demon froze for a moment, staring at the formation that had just been stopped, before he started to laugh.

"What’s so funny?" Livy snarled as Shadow tried to rush back to the group.

"I never imagined there would be someone here who could stop the formation. Especially in such a clean way. Not a drop of Qi was lost. Everything simply returned to the land, and the formation remains intact. Which means all I have to do is start it again. Congratulations, you’ve delayed me by a few mere minutes. Alas," the Heavenly Demon flicked his wrist, sending out a blade of red, black, and gold energy. The attack flew through the air and sliced Shadow in two without resistance.

Hera felt the pain of losing one of her court members, but she held down her scream. Yet the leader of the Demonic Cult wasn’t finished. He stood up and swiped his arm, sending another energy blade. This time, it was several times stronger and aimed directly at the group. Every single blade took a defensive position as the Empress activated all her defensive abilities, spells, adding a Frozen Rock armor to cover the titled blades. Helena, noticing the incoming attack, wrapped everyone in a thick layer of shadow, hoping it would offset some of the damage.

The blades from [Blade Graveyard] were the first to meet the attack, but their resistance was futile. Helena’s [Wasp Guards] tried to help, but they were destroyed just as quickly. Sun, Storm, Pyro, Clay, and Glacia came next, all shattering with the impact, while the rest were thrown aside violently until they reached the limits of the Empress’ range. Nimbus, Livy, and Lurize endured the obliteration energy, but despite their defenses, they were unable to stop it completely. Large gashes opened across their bodies, causing them to break down, unable to continue outside the legacy. What remained of the energy blade slammed into Hera, Helena, Vulcan, Crimson, and Viper, throwing them against the wall. They were all covered in wounds, and the mana continued to burn their bodies, but they endured. Daskka quickly came out and started healing everyone as best as she could.

The Heavenly Demon’s eyes sparkled as he watched Hera and Helena survive his attack. A smile that was too wide for his face appeared as he stepped forward. "Good, good. This is how people should be. Surprise me more. What else do you have in store for me? Show me what else you can do!" He produced a sword with a red and gold handle and a pitch-black blade, "Show me how to survive the Heavenly Demon’s Blade!"

He performed the same motion again, a practiced strike repeated a million million times. From the angle of his arm to the strength behind every movement, everything was exactly like his first attack. The only difference was the sword in his hand. Emerging from the tip of the blade, a single line of red, surrounded by black and trailing gold, appeared. It wasn’t an energy wave, but rather a fracture in reality, causing ripples to spread across the room, blocking any chance of escape. It was extremely fast, covering the entire distance in less than a second. But to Hera, it felt like an eternity.

All she wanted was to protect Helena so they wouldn’t have to face another dangerous threat. This was supposed to be a place they could survive. Even if they failed the quest, they should make it out alive. What would happen to the people outside if they didn’t? What would happen to her legacy? To the Ophidianites? She had worked so hard and sacrificed so much.

But this couldn’t be the end. Hera refused to accept it. She wasn’t done. Not yet. Creating an epic Venomous Handaxe in hand, she slashed at the incoming attack, triggering [All In], [Grasshopper Slash], and [Weapon Break]. Along those skills she covered the weapon in a Serrated Ice spell, and pumped every last drop of mana she had, pulling from every single mana stone in her possession into the blade. The added mana had no shape or spell behind it; it was just raw magic. She hoped it would be enough to allow them to survive the blow. Multicolored energy erupted from her handaxe as it connected with the Heavenly Demon’s Blade. All the magic behind the strike tried to replicate the man’s attack.

And it worked. The tear in reality was halted by Hera’s attack, or so she thought. As the Venomous Handaxe shattered, creating a large explosion that threw Hera against the wall, the Heavenly Demon’s blade continued on its path. Helena, without a word, created a Shadow Grabber to hold Hera’s hand, as there was nothing else they could do.

But suddenly, the tear in reality stopped. It was no longer moving forward. Instead, it was frozen.

"You’ve done well, old friends. But now, you can rest. We will take over from here," Master Yu’s voice echoed in the chamber as she, along with five other masters, all above level 85, walked forward.

With a wave of her arm, the Heavenly Demon’s Blade shattered. Both the one destroying reality and the one in the man’s hand. The crazed man roared in anger, but the four remaining masters surrounded him, piercing his body with their weapons. Master Yu followed shortly after, decapitating the Heavenly Demon before he could do any more harm.

With the fight over, she turned to Hera and Helena. "I’m glad you two are safe."

Hera coughed, feeling her entire body sore and the pain of having her court members destroyed while staring Master Yu down, "You’re late."