Chapter 110: The Desolate Lord & The Ruinous Empress [3]

“The strength to protect my mother’s legacy, the strength to protect MY people… The strength to kill everyone else who gets in the way, or who will,” Louis murmured to himself. He stood up and brushed the dust from his clothes. “I need more power.”

He gazed into the Dimensional Staircase leading to the Third Layer, consuming the fragments of the Ruinous Empress’s Core to restore his energy and stamina.

“Master Louis, it seems it went well! You’ve slain the two bosses already!” Zorba’s voice echoed from afar as he approached with his undead army. “Impressive…! This is just incredible! You’re so strong!”

“Hm,” Louis shook his head. “Not enough.”

“…?” Zorba was puzzled by the words. The prince was undeniably the strongest man he had ever seen. “Why?”

“There are threats that will come after the Frostbane Kingdom,” Louis said. “A bastard priest in love with a monstrous evil goddess. Then a crazed elf who is a fanatic of a talking flower… I need strength, Zorba. Enough strength to destroy them before they take away everything I care about—everything that gives my life meaning, everything my mother built…”

Zorba felt the weight of the emotions in Louis’s voice. He still did not fully understand what the prince meant, but he recognized the grand mission: to grow stronger so he could stop those who threatened his Kingdom.

“As always, I will help in any way I can, my lord.”

“…Thank you.” Louis stepped forward. “Are we done here? Let’s move. I only need another Relic and we’ll be finished. It won’t take too long.”

“Yes, let’s advance. I am aware that you’re running out of time even now,” Zorba sighed. “We have to finish this quickly.”

“Well said,” Louis nodded. “We’ve already spent two days in the Dimensional Labyrinth… It’s not as long as I imagined, but it feels long.”

“It does,” Zorba agreed. “Let’s move, Prince Louis. I am well aware of how worried you are about your Kingdom.”

“Hm…”

Louis gazed at the staircase with sharp eyes and nodded. The army followed closely as he descended, arriving at the Dimensional Labyrinth’s Third Layer. He surveyed the vast expanse around him. Unlike the first two layers—likely remnants of a parallel humanity—this one was strikingly different. For one thing, it wasn’t a lugubrious, somber world. It brimmed with color and beauty. For another, it was entirely underwater.

“Guuuggh?!”

Zorba was drowning. He watched Louis standing calmly at the seafloor, scanning the surroundings with steady eyes. Louis noticed Zorba’s distress, rolled his eyes slightly, and extended his hand. Ashes gathered and transformed into particles of light, forming a protective bubble around Zorba’s head.

“Ahhh! Haaa… Cough…” Zorba gasped for air, coughing violently before looking back at Louis. “L-Lord Louis, what is this place now?!”

Louis used his Fantasy Heart Essence to speak directly into Zorba’s own Fantasy Heart—a communication method between Spiralwalkers he had discovered not long ago. “This is the Third Layer of the Dimensional Labyrinth: The Abyssal Depths. We’re in the first level out of three. This area features beautiful coral reefs, and Entities take the form of giant marine life. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?”

“What?!” Zorba was stunned. “I-Is there no surface?”

“No,” Louis shook his head. “It’s all water, all the way up. As a Sinner, you should be able to hold your breath for at least two or three days… But I suppose you haven’t truly cultivated your body at all.”

Louis himself was simply holding his breath. His unique body allowed him to subsist purely on Fantasium instead of oxygen for up to two days—possibly three if he pushed himself. It made him wonder whether he could survive in outer space.

“Cultivated? Well, I haven’t used any of the arts from the Fantasy Worlds, so no, I haven’t,” Zorba sighed. “I apologize for being incompetent there.”

“The Undead are fine. Just make sure to keep yourself alive,” Louis said. “We might not even need to hunt the Bosses if we find a Relic soon enough. Though we will have to take down a Nest or two.”

“Nests?” Zorba asked.

“The Third Layer is divided into four Levels,” Louis explained. “We are in the Sunlit Zone, followed by the Twilight Zone, the Midnight Zone, and finally, The Abyss. Every Zone or Level has two to four Aquatic Monster Nests. They aren’t mandatory to clear, but that’s where we have the best chance of finding a treasure chest.”

“Oh, like the fortresses we took down then?” Zorba asked.

“Yes, like that,” Louis nodded. “They often come with a ’Mid Boss’—a Nest King or Nest Queen, sometimes both—similar to Fortress Guardians.”

“It sounds so intriguing… I’m getting rather excited to see what we can find,” Zorba admitted, clearly enjoying himself despite nearly drowning.

“Hmph. Having fun? This is a dangerous place, Zorba. Be careful and don’t get overly confident. Let’s go,” Louis said. “And stay focused.”

“Yes sir,” Zorba replied quickly. He noticed Louis was a little on edge and decided to follow without question.

Louis swiftly transformed his Bone Armor to aid swimming: it adapted into a sleek, shark-like form with dorsal fins and a long tail. Zorba imitated him, copying the design for himself. The Undead moved independently, swimming however they could.

Though Louis said nothing, he quietly admired the vibrant corals and the radiant atmosphere of this level. He realized not every layer was desolate—some overflowed with genuine life and breathtaking beauty.

But his moment of tranquility ended quickly. As he approached one of the Monster Nests he knew about, he sensed movement in the water. Looking west, he saw a group of gigantic eel-like creatures swimming toward him, snapping their maws as they already savored their prey.

“Reef Eels, Level 2 Entities,” Louis stated. “Zorba, prepare to engage. It seems we’ve already been detected by the Nest’s Drones.”

“Already?! Well, very well,” Zorba nodded and began manipulating his Undead at once.

The eels, however, were incredibly fast. They darted through the water like spears, smashing into the undead with armored, spike-covered heads.

Several skeletal soldiers—and even some salt golems—were crushed instantly, exploding on impact.

“As I thought, they’re too slow and heavy to maneuver here… Hm?”

Louis smiled faintly as dozens of Reef Eels surrounded him, each glowing beautifully with vivid colors.

“Well? What are you waiting for? Come at me.”

He summoned Gungnir and readied himself for battle.

—–

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