Chapter 186: Dungeon Walker
During the confrontation with Amber's team and After Knocking out Alexander,
In the dimly lit path where others focusing on somewhere, Eli stood over the unconscious Alexander. With a sense of urgency, he began to search through Alexander's belongings, hoping to find any clues that could shed light on his motives.
As Eli rummaged through the garments, his fingers brushed against a smooth, spherical object. It was a stark contrast to the drab surroundings, its pristine white surface gleaming faintly in the gloom.
Eli's mind raced back to the wolf boy he had encountered earlier....The boy had spoken of receiving gifts, and Eli couldn't help but grit his teeth, 'They are really powerful' as he remembered the power of these white balls.
Whether it was fate or pure coincidence, When he encountered a terrifying monster that seemed to be very dangerous, without hesitation, Eli decided to use the sphere to his advantage.
That monster that had been forcing him to kneel was currently focused on the others, giving Eli the perfect opportunity to strike.
He held Marie in his hands and during that time, he simply created another clone of him but unlike before he now created a shadow figure that was completely invisible to the naked eye, its presence undetectable in the low light.
With a silent command, Eli directed the clones towards the corners of the chamber. As it moved, it began to absorb the shadows, blending seamlessly into the darkness.
As the transparent clones stood in position, Eli's mind raced with thoughts of how to save Alysia. His gaze fell upon her, and he noticed the faint movement of her eyelids. Her murky eyes met his, and at that moment, a silent understanding passed between them.
'As Sharp as always' With a nod, Eli created another transparent clone and adhered to the surfaces of the wall. With Eli's guidance, the clone began to slowly make its way towards Alysia, who was pinned helplessly against the wall.
Eli wiped his nose pouring out blood like a dam. It would be a painful process to control more clones...as of now, but it was the only way.
Alysia, her lips dripping with blood, watched as the clone approached. Despite its transparency, she could somehow see it.
As the clone inched closer to Alysia, Eli knew that it would be impossible to move the massive stack of wood that pinned her against the wall. The clone was simply not strong enough.
There was only one way to save Alysia,
'I have to slide her through the wood stack'
It was a dangerous and agonizing proposition. But it was the only option he had.
He was only doing this for Tiana since they were good friends.
As Alysia was slowly pushed through the wood stack, Eli knew that he had to keep the monster's attention away from her.
As the clone began to slowly slide Alysia through the wood stack.
With an indifferent smile, Eli decided to play along with the monster's game.
"Well then, You can have Hero as long as you let us live"
The monster turned its attention to Eli, its voice gleaming with delight.
Eli's actions had consequences.
His decision to hand over the Hero's head to the monster had alienated him from the others. They saw him as a traitor, someone who would do anything to save his own skin and his name even worse among Fallens.
While the others rushed to help the Hero, who was now determined to take down the monster, Eli focused on finding a way to escape.
But to his dismay, he discovered that the monster had placed a barrier around the room, preventing anyone from leaving.
'sigh, first save Tiana and Alysia then think about escaping' Eli thought to himself as he devised a plan to lower the monster's guard.
As he received a signal from his clone, Eli's pupils flickered with a sky-blue luminescence, signalling his readiness to execute his plan.
"NOW!!"
'sssshhhnnnngggg'
A blinding ray of energy surged forth from a corner of the wall.
"!!!"
The Monster instinctively wore its gauntlet to shield itself from the onslaught. In a desperate act of defiance, it hurled the bloody and lifeless form of Tiana away.
In the meantime,
"Jump"
"-cough-cough-aarrrhhh-"
Eli caught Tiana who was thrown away and a silver-haired elf who was on the edge of the wood stack finally slid down the wood stack, guided by Eli's clone.
Eli rushed to her side and cradled her in his arms. She was weak and in pain, but she was alive.
"Ms. Kyra, Ms. Kira heal them faster"
The others watched in stunned silence as the events unfolded before them, their minds struggling to comprehend the chaos that was erupting around them.
/Heal/
But Kyra and Kira, without wasting a moment, began to heal the unconscious Tiana and Alysia....staring at Eli with a mix of confusion and gratitude.
"Hey, isn't that yours, Alexander?" Amber asked, her eyes widening as she recognized the source of the light beam. She remembered when Alexander had proudly shown it to them, boasting of its power.
Alexander's expression darkened as he heard Amber's question. He hard-earned hidden treasure, only for it to be taken from him by Eli.
Instead of putting it in the inventory, Alexander saved it in the storage ring, So Eli easily took it.
But instead of anger, his words were laced with sorrow.
".....Yes" he said softly.
His admission led Amber to believe that Eli had stolen the device from him.
"YOU!!" The monster roared in fury as the beam of light finally ceased. Its eyes blazed with hatred as it glared at Eli,
"HOW DARE----"
'sssshhhnnnngggg' Again those beams shot at the monster.
Eli didn't know how many times he could use those white crystal balls so instead of squandering them needlessly,
"Alright, you all go take care of it" Eli said flatly as he looked at the 'justice' team.
"Huh? Of course," Alexander's face momentarily contorted in disgust before he nodded.
"You pilfered it, didn't you?" Amber inquired, her voice laced with disdain.
"No, that's mine," Eli denied immediately.
Amber's eyes narrowed as she considered Eli's words. She knew that it was possible that he had found the white crystal ball in the dungeons. After all, it was a well-known treasure that had been rumoured to exist within their depths.
If Eli had indeed found the crystal ball, then it was understandable but surely Alexander just said it was his.
Amber knew that she couldn't lash out at Eli without knowing the full truth.
"..." With a sigh, she turned and followed the others towards the monster.
"...." Oliver opened his mouth to speak, but he decided to close it and follow them.
"...I am sorry" Arlyne said regretfully, her voice laced with guilt. She had doubted Eli, even after he had helped her brother.
"A-Asher... E-Eli" Alysia called out weakly, her voice barely a whisper.
Eli turned to look at her, his expression was plain not the same as when he saw torn Marie. Alysia's stomach had been patched up from the gaping hole that had been torn through it, but her face was still pale.
"I-It's a Dungeon Walker" Alysia gasped, her words trembling with fear, "W-We have to r-run."
As soon as the words left her mouth, everyone froze in their tracks.
"H-How did I-I forget that name?" Amber muttered, her eyes wide with terror as she stared at the monstrous entity that was trying to block the third light beam.
"Dungeon Walker?" Eli frowned, the name echoing in his mind.
Before he could dwell on it any longer, he took a large coat and It was just like the one that Marie had been wearing. He quickly wrapped it around Alysia's shivering form.
He was storing it in case he were to face a snowy climate.
Alysia didn't protest.
She was too weak to argue. She simply staggered to her feet and looked over at Tiana, who was still unconscious, but at least she was no longer in danger of dying.
The others watched in silence as Eli helped Alysia to her feet.
"T-They are the beings that jump between the dungeons and It's more dangerous than Overlord of the dungeons" Alysia said weakly, her eyes fixed on the monster blocking the attack.
"A-Are you s-sure, Princess Alysia?" Amber asked, her face pale with fear.
"Y-es, I am s-ure of it" Alysia replied, her voice trembling.
"Pearl-" Amber began, but Pearl cut her off immediately.
"No, I won't" she said firmly.
Eli turned to Alysia, "We can kill it, right?" he asked.
Alysia hesitated for a moment, her eyes clouded with doubt. "...I don't know," she said.
She reached down and picked up Tiana, who was still unconscious.
Kyra opened her mouth to offer words of comfort, but Alysia cut her off, "It's fine".
Everyone fell silent, their minds racing with fear and uncertainty.
Alexander looked at his companions, his expression masked by a veneer of worry. But beneath the surface, a hint of amusement flickered in his eyes.
'Little kittens scared by the same shit' He thought.
Trying to hide his grin, Alexander broke the silence. "Well, we can't just stand here and stare at it all day" he said, his voice dripping with 'righteousness and determination', "We have to kill it"
The others looked at him, their eyes filled with both surprise and relief.
Alexander's words were like a beacon of hope in the midst of their despair.
They knew that he was right.
Since they couldn't contact Aadya and the malfunctioned bracelets, They couldn't just stand there and wait for the Dungeon Walker to kill them.
The only option left was they had to fight.
"Ms. Alysia, where are those dragons and the Greeny Hero?" Eli asked, his voice laced with no concern as his eyes fixated on the two severed legs floating ominously in the black fluid.
Alysia spat out a venomous curse, her eyes blazing with fury, "Those damned cowards ran away!" she snarled.
A wave of stunned silence washed over the group as they digested Alysia's words. The dragons, renowned for their courage and unwavering loyalty, had fled? It was inconceivable.
"But... their pride..." Amber stammered, her voice trailing off as she struggled to comprehend the situation.
"Their pride couldn't overcome their fear," Alysia replied bitterly, "They saw the power of that monster and they ran for their lives."
Eli's brow furrowed in deep thought. There was something about the situation that didn't sit right with him.
He clenched his fist and loosened to feel something as he glanced at unconscious Tiana.
"Then do others know dunge--" As he about to ask, he suddenly noticed one of the white crystal balls shattering unexpectedly.
In an instant, a deafening roar erupted from the depths of the chamber. The monster's enraged voice echoed through the air, its fury palpable.
"YOU DAMN ANT!!!"
Eli's eyes widened in alarm as he saw a massive gauntlet hurtling towards him at an incredible speed.
Eli couldn't react to it, The gauntlet slammed his chest.
"fffuufffff"
"BAM!"
"BAM!"
"BAM!"
"ASHER ELI!!!" Rize cried out in alarm as she saw him crashing through the walls, propelled by the monster's brutal assault.