Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert

Chapter 145

“As expected, this isn’t enough to stop you, brother. But I guess I’ve achieved my goal by holding you off for a while.”

Damien stretched and muttered to himself.

The Spectrum Prison was quite literally a prison of light.

It disintegrates the negative mana supplied by the Crown of Spirit King through a spectrum.

This disintegrated mana appears in the form of seven different lights.

The seven negative lights fundamentally amplify hostility within living beings and affect their minds in various ways.

The red light amplifies anger, while the orange light lowers mental defenses, making one careless.

The yellow light induces laziness, and the green light causes forgetfulness. The blue light makes one see desired illusions, while the indigo light incites yearning.

Lastly, the violet light mixes all these effects, creating chaos.

This prison of light draws out every negative emotion inherent in humans, making them either clash with each other or give up entirely.

The most terrifying aspect is that each light has a different flow of time.

The outermost red light flows the slowest, while the innermost violet light flows several times faster.

Damien didn’t understand the principle behind it.

After all, dungeons are inherently incomprehensible to human logic.

Thus, he chose not to understand them.

As long as he could use it well, there was no need to delve into the principles.

In any case, it would take Zeon quite some time to reach this place.

To get to him at the core of the Spectrum Prison, Zeon would have to pass through the remaining six light prisons.

“By then, everything will be over.”

“Raaaargh!”

At that moment, with a roar, the space tore apart.

Brixton, who had been trapped in the violet space, revealed himself.

“You! What have you done? What have you done?”

Brixton roared in a furious voice.

With bloodshot eyes and a furious expression, he looked terrifying.

However, Damien, without a trace of fear, responded calmly.

“You’re quite late.”

“Don’t even start. It felt like I was fighting a Giant-Horned Armored Bear.”

At that moment, Alexandro appeared from behind Brixton.

Like Brixton, Alexandro was also bloodied.

The only difference was that a victor’s smile adorned his lips.

Brixton showed no reaction to Alexandro’s appearance behind him.

To be precise, he couldn’t react.

His side was torn open as if bitten by a monster, and his innards were spilling out.

No matter how much potent potion was poured on it, it was an unhealable wound.

The one who inflicted this fatal injury on Brixton was Alexandro.

When the Spectrum Prison was deployed, Alexandro, who was closest to Damien, along with some Awakened members of the White Bear Caravan and the berserkers, were transferred to the violet prison.

Despite being abruptly moved to the violet prison, Alexandro and the Awakeneds of the White Bear Caravan did not panic.

They had experience helping Damien break the Spectrum Prison before.

They knew well how to leverage the violet prison to their advantage.

In the violet prison, they fought fiercely against Brixton and the berserkers and ultimately emerged victorious.

“Huff! Huff!”

“Damn it, I’m dying.”

The Awakened members of the White Bear Caravan who appeared from behind Alexandro were in a pitiful state.

Even though they had the advantage of the space, it was not an easy fight.

The berserkers were terrifying.

Many of the Awakened members of the White Bear Caravan lost their lives to the berserkers, who charged fearlessly without regard for death.

Even those who barely survived and escaped the prison were not in good condition. But they stood their ground through sheer willpower.

They knew they were the only remaining shield for Damien.

At that moment, Brixton approached Damien.

Thump! Thump!

With heavy footsteps, his innards and blood spilled from his torn abdomen.

Damien smiled brightly as he watched him.

“Your willpower is impressive, befitting a believer in God. To move despite such wounds.”

“Do not mock my God, you infidel!”

“Who is your God? The one up in the yellow sky? Or is it that Johan who sucks the blood of the slum dwellers?”

“You wretch!”

“Enough. I don’t care to hear your answer.”

“Bastard!”

Brixton extended his arms to grab Damien by the collar. But his grip no longer had any strength.

Thud!

After glaring at Damien for a long while with his collar in hand, Brixton’s massive body finally collapsed.

Alexandro sighed and approached Damien.

“He’s a monster. I’d rather face a dungeon boss alone. That monstrous recovery ability is truly…”

He shook his head in disbelief.

He, too, was weary of Brixton.

Without the violet prison, it would have taken much more time and sacrifice to bring him down.

After gazing at Brixton’s corpse for a moment, he looked at Damien with a concerned expression.

“Are you okay?”

“I can still hold on.”

“Damien!”

“I’m really okay. This was expected.”

Damien’s face, though forcing a smile, was extremely pale.

“Hah! If it becomes too hard to endure, let me know.”

“Got it.”

Damien replied, looking towards Neo Seoul.

Life began to return to his weary face.

“Finally…”

“What?”

With a puzzled expression, Alexandro followed Damien’s gaze.

A group was approaching, having emerged from the gates of Neo Seoul.

Though they were too far away to identify, Damien instinctively knew who they were.

“I’ve finally drawn her out. The great queen of the other race…”

* * *

Serian couldn’t comprehend the current situation.

“So, the Thorn Attack Squad acted on their own?”

“I’m sorry.”

Borin answered with a remorseful expression.

She had just been informed that the Thorn Attack Squad had acted independently.

That was how covertly the Thorn Attack Squad had moved.

“Who moved the Thorn Attack Squad?”

“Well…”

“It was Eli, wasn’t it?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Ha! There’s nothing for you to apologize for, Borin. It was all Eli’s orders. Where is she now?”

“She’s reported to be in her quarters.”

“Bring her here.”

At that moment,

“There’s no need for that.”

With a cold voice, Eli entered the scene.

“Eli!”

“I’m sorry. But I had no choice.”

“What do you mean you had no choice?”

“We had to get the Crown of Spirit King faster than anyone else, for everyone’s sake.”

“For everyone’s sake?”

“Yes! For us and for all the other races allied with us. That’s why I moved the Thorn Attack Squad without your permission. I’m sorry for that, but I hope you understand it was a necessary choice.”

“Are you justifying it as a choice for everyone?”

“That’s right.”

Eli responded without the slightest hint of hesitation.

Serian frowned at her confident explanation.

She had always known that Eli was eyeing her position, but she hadn’t expected her to move troops so arbitrarily.

“Ha! Eli.”

“Yes, My Queen!”

“Can you take responsibility for moving the Thorn Attack Squad and the Elven warriors, claiming it was for everyone?”

“Of course. I, Eli, do not shirk responsibility.”

Eli did not avoid Serian’s gaze.

She knew that now that Serian was aware of everything, avoiding it would not resolve the situation.

Borin swallowed nervously between them.

They were the Queen and the second-in-command of the North District.

If their relationship deteriorated further, the entire North District could be destabilized.

The North District was the last stronghold for the otherworldly races in Neo Seoul.

If the North District wavered, the lives of the otherworldly races would also be at risk.

Knowing this, Serian and Eli usually compromised within reasonable limits.

Borin hoped this time would be no different.

Suddenly, Serian and Eli stood up abruptly, sensing something.

“Ugh!”

“This?”

Their faces showed clear signs of distress.

They felt a wave that ominously stirred their spirits.

Without a word, they both headed to the rooftop of the building. The first thing that came into view was the seven lights rising from the distant desert.

Serian muttered to herself.

“Could that be the Spectrum Prison?”

“What is that?”

“Then the Crown of Spirit King must have come from the Spectrum Prison…”

For a moment, Serian’s face turned pale.

Meanwhile, Eli, not understanding the situation, simply looked at Serian.

Serian spoke urgently.

“If the Crown of Spirit King is indeed an item excavated from the Spectrum Prison, the Spirit King doesn’t exist within it. That means…”

“What is it, My Queen?”

“There is no time to explain. Everyone, follow me.”

Serian jumped from the rooftop of the building.

Borin, the Blue Leaf Task Force, and the North District’s elite followed her.

Eli, left alone, muttered to herself.

“The Spirit King doesn’t exist within it? Then what is sealed inside?”

Conflict was evident on her face.

Judging by Serian’s urgency, it was clear it wasn’t an ordinary entity.

After a brief moment of biting her lip, Eli chased after Serian.

Regardless of the reason, with things as they were, she had to help solve the problem.

“Damn it!”

* * *

“Help me!”

“Please!”

Painful screams of people could be heard everywhere.

All of them were on the brink of death due to severe injuries. But Zeon ignored their desperate gazes and voices.

They were all scavengers.

Greedy for items, they had come to their deaths like moths to a flame.

Zeon had no sympathy for those who had been mortally wounded while coveting others’ possessions.

“Damn it! If you have potions, share some.”

“Hey, you bastard! Just…”

The scavengers cursed as they watched Zeon walk by indifferently.

They tried to reach out and grab him, but it was futile.

They were too weak from their severe injuries to stretch their arms out fully.

Zeon suddenly looked back.

It was due to the overwhelming presence he felt in the distance.

“The Queen of the elves.”

Like Damien, he could sense Serian without seeing her.

Her mana was unique.

It felt like a refreshing, green forest.

Zeon had never encountered an elf with such refreshing yet vast mana.

Serian was approaching with dozens of otherworldly races.

Even from a distance, it was clear they were emitting an unusual aura.

They were undoubtedly the elite of the North District.

“Everything is going just as Damien planned.”

Zeon shook his head slightly and moved forward.

There were still six light dimensions left in front of him.

He had to pass through all of them to reach Damien.

“I need to hurry.”

As Zeon moved, waves of sand followed.

It was a sandstorm.

Whoosh!

A tidal wave of sand passed through, crushing everything in its path.