Chapter 222: Connection Lost,

He had already pushed his perception to its absolute limit, yet he detected nothing except the endless rows of stone pillars surrounding him.

The darkness remained impenetrable, swallowing everything beyond his immediate perception.

At first, he had not noticed the strange feeling creeping into his mind.

However, as he ventured deeper into the maze of stone, that sensation began to grow stronger.

It was subtle at the beginning, but now it pressed against his thoughts like an unseen weight.

Screech.

Screech.

A sharp and piercing sound suddenly echoed from his left.

Thoren reacted instantly. He turned his head sharply in that direction, his eyes narrowing as he tried to locate the source.

Yet there was nothing there.

He stared into the darkness, as if trying to peel it apart with his gaze. He hoped to uncover whatever was hiding within, but the void remained unchanged.

There was only darkness.

The more he stared, the more it felt as though the darkness itself was staring back at him.

A cold thought crossed his mind.

Should he send one of his undead servants to investigate.

Without hesitation, he summoned one of the undead humans that had previously tried to ambush him.

When it had been alive, it had been a lancer.

The undead figure appeared beside him, holding a long spear tightly in its grip. Its hollow eyes burned faintly with soul fire.

“Go,” Thoren commanded softly.

The undead lancer obeyed immediately. It stepped forward, moving between the stone pillars with slow and deliberate steps.

Its boots scraped against the ground, producing a harsh and echoing sound that carried through the stillness.

Thoren ignored the noise completely. His focus was fixed entirely on the undead servant.

The undead lancer advanced cautiously into the darkness. Its movements were steady, and the faint glow of its soul fire flickered like a distant flame.

For a brief moment, everything seemed normal.

Then suddenly, the connection vanished.

Thoren froze.

His eyes widened slightly.

“What happened?” he whispered.

The mental link between him and the undead lancer had been severed completely.

It was not weakened or distorted.

It was simply gone.

This had never happened before.

Even when his undead servants were destroyed, he could always sense the moment of their end.

There was always some trace left behind.

But this time, there was nothing.

No signal.

No feedback.

No indication of what had occurred.

Thoren frowned deeply as confusion filled his mind.

He tried to reconnect with the undead servant. He pushed his mental power outward, searching desperately for any trace of its presence.

For a brief moment, he felt something.

A faint and distant connection lingered somewhere within the darkness.

But before he could grasp it fully…

At that exact moment, another screech echoed through the darkness.

This time, the sound came from his right.

Thoren stiffened.

The sound was much closer now.

Too close.

He spun around quickly, scanning his surroundings. His eyes darted from one shadow to another, searching for any sign of movement.

Yet once again, he found nothing.

Only darkness greeted him.

His breathing became uneven. His chest rose and fell rapidly as tension built within him.

He forced himself to stay calm, but the unease continued to grow.

Ignoring the sound for a moment, he turned back toward the direction where the undead lancer had disappeared.

It was gone.

Completely gone.

He could no longer sense it in any way.

It was as if it had never existed.

“That is impossible,” he muttered under his breath.

Nothing could simply vanish without leaving a trace. Even destruction left behind fragments of energy or presence.

Yet here, there was nothing at all.

The absence itself was unnatural.

Thoren felt a chill run down his spine.

He stared at the empty space where his undead servant had once stood. A deep sense of unease settled within him.

He had faced countless dangers before. He had fought beasts and enemies far stronger than himself. He had walked through chaos without hesitation.

But this was different.

This was something he could not understand.

Something he could not see.

For the first time in a long while, a hint of fear crept into his heart.

He remained still for several seconds. His eyes stayed fixed on the darkness ahead.

Then realization dawned on him.

Something was hiding within the shadows.

Something that had been watching him all along.

And now, he had stepped directly into its domain.

He was no longer the hunter.

He had become the prey.

That thought irritated him deeply.

“Huh. Huh.”

He exhaled and inhaled slowly, forcing his breathing to stabilize.

His heart continued to pound against his chest, but he refused to let panic take control.

Without hesitation, he made a decision.

He turned forward and began walking deeper into the stone maze.

There was only one thought in his mind.

He needed to leave this place.

His steps quickened.

The sound of his movement echoed faintly as he advanced.

His muscles tensed, and every nerve in his body remained on high alert.

Suddenly, a powerful force struck his mind.

It felt like an invisible hand attempting to pull something away from him.

Thoren froze for a brief moment, then recovered instantly.

He turned his head sharply to the right.

The Undead Elite Jackal Beastman was being dragged backward into the darkness.

Its body resisted, but the unseen force was overwhelming.

“Kill,” Thoren commanded immediately.

The Undead Royalty Stonewall reacted without delay. It stepped forward and swung its weapon toward the empty space where the pull originated.

The blade cut through the air with force.

Screech.

A piercing sound echoed from every direction. It was impossible to determine where it came from.

However, Thoren ignored the noise. His focus remained on the Elite Jackal Beastman.

The pulling force suddenly vanished.

The undead regained its balance and stood firmly once more.

Thoren narrowed his eyes.

That confirmed his suspicion.

Something was lurking within the darkness.

Something that could interfere with his control over the undead.

He scanned his surroundings again, but there was still nothing visible.

Even so, he refused to take any risks.

He commanded his undead servants to move closer to him.

They formed a tight defensive formation, surrounding him from all sides.

If the unseen entity attempted to strike again, it would not succeed so easily.

Once he confirmed their positioning, he resumed moving forward.

The stone maze stretched endlessly ahead of him.

However, a thought began to linger in his mind.

Was he moving in the right direction?

He had no way of knowing.

Only darkness and silence surrounded him.

As Thoren struggled with his thoughts, something above him shifted silently.

Two faint purple orbs appeared high among the shadows.

They stared down at him without blinking.

For a brief moment, they remained still.

Then they vanished into the darkness once more.

****

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