149 A FAMILIAR FACE
"Those fools from Sodom City have proven useful," Ma-Shi remarked, a smirk forming on his lips. "They cleared the path for us to reach the heart of the ruins without trouble."
"Yes," Egger added with a cold chuckle. "They've become our cannon fodder, unfortunately for them."
Their conversation was interrupted as the hunters brought forward a woman, bound and gagged. Ma-Shi gestured for the gag to be removed. "Who are you?" he demanded.
The woman, dazed and disoriented, glared at them. "Who the hell are you?" she shot back.
"We are from the Hunter Associations," Egger said coolly. "We're here to hunt demons."
The woman stammered, "Erm... I'm one of the expeditioners from Sodom City—Sodom City Academy of Magic."
"How did you get so far into the ruins?" Ma-Shi asked, his eyes narrowing.
"I was looking for my friends who went missing and got lost until your men captured me," she explained nervously.
One of the hunters approached, dragging another woman behind him. "We found her friend," he announced.
Yun-Yun and Petunia had been trying to return to Sodom City but became lost in the labyrinthine ruins. Petunia had been captured by the hunters, and Yun-Yun had followed in search of her.
Ma-Shi's eyes widened slightly as he recognized the second woman. "Yun-Yun from the Cloud Mountain Sect. Why are you here? I thought you were captured by the Koresh Empire soldiers and sold as a slave." His lips curled into a grin.
Yun-Yun's expression hardened as she bit back her anger. "I was rescued from the slavers by one of the students participating in this competition."
Ma-Shi raised an eyebrow, glancing at Petunia. "This girl is your savior?"
"They're on the same team," Yun-Yun replied. "The one who helped me is still missing, and we were searching for him." She shifted her gaze. "Why are the Hunter Associations in the ruins of Sodom?"
"We're here to hunt a demon," Egger answered simply.
"Who?" Petunia asked.
"That is none of your business, girl," Ma-Shi snapped.
Turning back to Yun-Yun, he added, "We're hunting a powerful demon boss, the Skeleton King. We've received intelligence that he's being resurrected. With the weakening of Heaven's Cage over these ruins, his escape is imminent and would spell devastation for the continent."
"How did you manage to enter Heaven's Cage at your magic tier?" Yun-Yun asked, her tone skeptical.
"We used magic restraints to lower our magic levels," Egger explained. "We're currently at the peak of Svad."
Petunia's eyes opened wide in shock. The peak of Svad was a seldom heard tier even in Sodom City. And these people's magic was restrained which meant they were far stronger originally.
"Alright, we'll be leaving now. Petunia, let's go," Yun-Yun said firmly, pulling her companion by the arm.
"No," Ma-Shi interjected, his voice cold and commanding. "You two are not leaving. We can't risk exposing our operation. You'll be tagging along with us."
-----
Argun prepared an elaborate ritual.
Over a hundred demon casters were assembled around a grand altar, weaving a complex magic array. This altar, steeped in dark energy, was meant for Bael's resurrection.
Though Bael existed in his skeletal form, his revival remained incomplete; he needed a body—a divine vessel contained within the jade coffin at the altar's center—to fully return to life.
"I've waited years for this moment. Finally, my wish is within reach," Bael said, his hollow voice reverberating like a death knell.
"We shall ease your resurrection by empowering the divine body with our ritual of regeneration," Argun assured him, his tone reverent yet determined.
With coordinated precision, Argun and the shamans activated the intricate magic array. A shimmering web of light and shadow enveloped the jade coffin, pulsating with an otherworldly rhythm.
Inside, Leo felt the air shift, dense and stifling, as if the coffin were alive and feeding on the energy.
The magic seeped into his body, binding him tightly, and he felt as though invisible hands were tearing him apart from within.
"Damn it! Before they break the fucking coffin, they'll tear me to shreds!" Leo growled, his voice strained.
Desperate, Leo activated his control panel, analyzing the magic flowing around him. The intricate codes danced and twisted in chaotic patterns, but he quickly realized something.
The shamans' efforts in breaching the jade coffin were futile. The jade coffin couldn't be broken by them.
"We can't open the coffin with our spells," Argun admitted with frustration, turning to Bael.
"Of course not," Bael snapped. "If it were so easy, I'd have done it centuries ago."
"Then how do you plan to break it and claim the divine body of the Great Emperor?" Argun pressed, his voice edged with impatience.
"I have a plan…" Bael began, but his explanation was cut short by a distant rumble that grew steadily louder. A powerful force was approaching.
The ground shook as an army emerged from the shadows, led by a vanguard of powerful mages. Bael's hollow eyes flared with recognition and fury.
"The Hunter Association! How did you infiltrate my realm?" he bellowed, his skeletal frame trembling with rage.
Egger stepped forward. "Accessing the ruins wasn't difficult with the magic of the Heaven's Cage weakening."
"Enough talk! Attack!" Ma-Shi commanded, and the hunters surged forward, unleashing a barrage of magical strikes aimed at the shamans.
Bael's gaze snapped to Argun. "Where are our soldiers?"
"Out hunting the humans," Argun replied, his face pale.
"Damn it, and at a time like this?" Bael growled. "We have no choice. Prepare for battle!"
Abandoning their ritual, Argun and the shamans fell into defensive formations, quickly casting a protective magic array around themselves and the altar.
The air crackled with energy as a loud trumpet blast echoed through the realm, summoning the demon soldiers to return and defend their master, the Skeleton King.
Suddenly, the sky darkened, and sharp forms materialized amidst the gloom. These shapes twisted and transformed into enormous swords that plummeted toward Bael and his shamans with devastating force.
"Swords of Heaven's Fury."
In response, a massive skeletal hand rose from the ground, conjured by the collective magic of the shamans. The hand surged upward, meeting the descending swords in a cataclysmic clash of power.
"Grasp of Evil Domination."