Chapter 98: Conquering The Hollow Salt Forest Layer – Facing The Hollow Queen [3]

At the center of the throne room sat a giantess—entirely of brittle white salt—with an extremely beautiful human-like face and bright white eyes framed by long red crystalline eyelashes.

She had long white hair of red-and-white crystal, wore a shimmering salt-crystal dress, and bore a red crown. She stood twenty meters tall—the Area Boss of the Dimensional Labyrinth’s First Layer.

The Hollow Queen.

“Welcome… my dear guests… you have… proven worthy…” she spoke, surprising Zorba. “Have you come… to pass? I will allow… let’s not… fight…”

“She doesn’t want to fight?” Zorba asked, surprised. “But why? I thought all Entities or Grievances were…”

“What? Dumb? Stupid? Idiotic?” Louis replied. “It varies. The higher their level, the more intelligent they become. The Hollow Queen is a Level 3 Entity bordering on Grievance. Records show that sometimes, when facing a strong opponent, she offers passage without battle. She’s surprisingly easy to deal with.”

“Is that so?” Zorba asked. “Then what do we do? Is it okay to let her live?”

“No, it’s not,” Louis said. “As long as she lives, she will continuously create more Entities. If she produces too many, she can open Dimensional Rifts and invade inhabited areas. Have you not heard of the Salt Break Incidents? A few times, this Entity has succeeded—entire cities turned to salt, becoming her Fantasy Fields… She must be killed regularly, or she becomes a threat to humanity.”

“I see. I understand,” Zorba nodded. He felt no pity for the Hollow Queen, knowing her true nature: a scheming being who let strong opponents pass without fighting but planned humanity’s destruction anyway. She had to be slain no matter what.

“So you… want to fight…?” The Hollow Queen made a pitiful expression, as if slightly afraid. “I am tired of dying… please… no more…” She shed white and red crystal tears.

“I wonder if those tears are genuine,” Louis said. “If you were truly tired of dying, you would have allied with the VPI instead of attacking cities whenever given the chance.”

“I am just the queen of this Kingdom… why must you torture me with endless deaths…” She continued crying, ignoring Louis’s words. “Ahhh… please, have some pity on me…”

“She’s not listening, huh?” Zorba wondered.

“She has no interest in alliances,” Louis said. “It is in her nature to cry crocodile tears and then backstab us when we’re not looking—attacking a city and killing thousands. Since the last incident ten years ago, we cannot afford to let her live too long. The VPI has been killing her regularly for the past decade to keep her in check.”

“Uuuh… I am so pitiful… I am merely trying to live… my Kingdom and my people… all dead…” She kept crying. “It’s so awful, so awful that they’re gone… I want to live, please let me—”

“Holy Dragon Lance Style.”

“First Form – Radiant Fang!”

Louis waited no longer. He thrust his spear forward while propelling himself with Skeletal Wings. He reached her in an instant and pierced her left shoulder. His Aura surged like a radiant dragon claw, tearing her entire arm apart.

In truth, Louis had aimed for her chest, but she dodged within a split second—showcasing incredible speed.

“AAAAGGGHH!”

The Queen’s peaceful, adorable face twisted into fury. Sharp teeth gleamed as her eyes turned completely red. Red spikes sprouted from her back, red horns and a long red tail emerged—all formed of red salt crystals.

“HOW DARE YOU HURT THE QUEEN!!!”

White flames covered her remaining hand—now a long sharp claw. She swung it at Louis. He had one second to react—spinning midair and intercepting with another technique. Energies clashed, generating an explosion that forced both back.

“As expected of an Area Boss. You’re not just a Level 3 Entity—you possess power far beyond that…!” Louis smiled. He stepped forward, enhancing his speed by combining several cultivation methods. His body overflowed with Aura, the Five Elemental Spiritual Roots, and First Step Sword Energy. Within his chest, the Fake Dragon Heart beat faster, pushing all his capabilities to their limits.

The Hollow Queen clenched her sharp teeth and rushed toward Louis—only for three Knights to step forward, shielding him with their bodies. She snapped furiously, swinging her single claw and grinding through their armor, pushing them back one by one.

Louis charged energy into both hands—sword in one, spear in the other. He leaped high and descended, combining techniques once more. A vertical slash and forward piercing thrust converged into a blinding strike of holy light and sword energy.

“Nnngh!”

The Hollow Queen felt the immense pressure of Louis’s attack and instantly tried to dodge. Zorba had anticipated it. He commanded the remaining knights to surround her—sacrificing armor, arms, or heads to attack and hold her in place as Louis descended like a dragon-shaped beam of light.

BOOOM!

She raised a barrier of psionic power and corrupted Fantasium—resembling a fortress of hardened salt crystals. Louis broke through with ease, piercing her chest and tearing out one of her cores instantly.

“Y-YOU!”

The Hollow Queen screamed and released a potent shockwave that sent all the Knights flying. Hecatoncheires—enormous—emerged behind her and grappled her tightly, preventing her from slashing or screaming. She struggled furiously, manifesting spikes of hardened salt crystal that began tearing Hecatoncheires apart.

“Gravewalker!”

Louis handed the Ashen Frost Blade to his Incarnation. Both charged together. The Gravewalker—as an expression of Louis himself—unleashed his sword technique, slashing open the Hollow Queen’s stomach. Louis pierced her head with Gungnir.

“GAAAAHHH!”

The Hollow Queen cried crystal tears as her two remaining cores were safely extracted and shattered. Her entire body—made of hardened salt—slowly crumbled into a pile of salt crystals…

“It’s… It’s done?” Zorba could hardly believe it. “That was so fast…!”

“Yeah…” Louis stared at his own hands, feeling the power surging within him. “I think the same… I have truly grown stronger. Alright, we should probably rest and then—Hm?”

As Louis considered resting before descending, he noticed a strange red-and-white soul floating before him.

The Hollow Queen’s Soul.

—–

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