Daniel, Kayn, and Melia came out of the underground passage. The outside air hit their faces like a blade.
Cold, bloody, and so heavy that breathing became difficult for Melia. Every time she inhaled, it felt as if something invisible was pressing down on her chest.
They had felt something similar when they first entered the lands under demon control, but this was on a completely different level. It was so intense that even Kayn felt uncomfortable.
Clearly, this heaviness and pressure in the air was not caused only by demons.
They then took a closer look around.
They were standing beside a massive ravine.
An endless ravine, dark, with cliff walls that looked as if blood and curses had seeped into them for centuries. Dark mist swirled deep within it, and no sound came from below, an unnatural silence.
What was even stranger was that with the naked eye, they could not see the bottom at all. It was as if the ravine had no end.
Daniel quickly scanned the surroundings. Fortunately, there were no guards, no ambushes, and no signs of pursuit. There was no need to deal with more trouble.
That alone helped a lot with saving time, especially since all three of them were in a hurry.
Melia let out an unconscious sigh of relief.
"So... which way now?" Kayn said, resting a hand on his waist. He was not familiar with this area, and there was no trace of this place on his map.
So once again, he could only rely on Daniel.
Daniel did not answer with words. The ground beneath his feet suddenly turned bloody.
The blood was alive; it boiled, twisted, rose up, and in the blink of an eye, formed into a mass, and A monster emerged from it.
A body like a tiger, huge and muscular, covered in black and purple veins. A single eye shone in the center of its head, deep and alert. From its back stretched two massive wings, and when they spread open, a cold wind shook the surroundings.
Melia and Kayn both froze.
"...What—"
"Get on. It’ll take you to the other side of the Gulf," Daniel said calmly.
His gaze rested on the monster for a moment. Naturally, this Fallen was none other than Vorak. And judging by the wings, it was clear that he had evolved.
Every time Daniel grew stronger, his Fallen grew stronger as well. This was no longer the weak Fallen from the past. In terms of power, Vorak was now firmly at the peak of A-rank.
Daniel let out a short sigh, mixed with nostalgia. Remembering his early days as an Awakened felt a little funny.
What was even more interesting was that not much time had actually passed since then, maybe a bit over a year, or around that.
Melia hesitated, but when she saw Kayn climb on without hesitation, she clenched her teeth and stepped forward. Her hands trembled, but she swallowed her fear and sat behind Kayn.
"What about you?" Kayn turned and asked.
"Like I said, our paths separate for a while," Daniel replied without hesitation.
He still had to go to the Pagoda, the main reason he had come to this Gulf in the first place. Until he obtained the Legacy of Eternity, he was not leaving.
Kayn looked at him for a moment, then nodded.
"I’ll wait for you. Come back fast. We should leave the Gulf as soon as possible."
Daniel nodded. He understood that Kayn wanted to warn the organization behind him as quickly as possible.
Then Daniel looked at Vorak and gave the order. The monster roared, slammed its wings, and leapt powerfully into the air. Within seconds, it became just a dot in the dark sky, and then nothing.
Daniel turned and walked toward the ravine.
He stood at the edge and looked down. Nothing could be seen, but he could feel them, auras, dozens, maybe hundreds.
All of them were extremely powerful auras, enough to make him frown slightly. Just as Wargon had said, this place was heavily guarded.
"So... the Pagoda is down there," he murmured.
He knew that the moment he entered, conflict would be unavoidable.
But if he waited, the Crown Prince, the generals, and all of hell would descend on this place.
The choice was obvious.
Without a moment of hesitation, he threw himself into the ravine and jumped down.
The fall lasted for minutes. During that time, he completely concealed his aura and presence, no sign, no ripple, not even an extra breath.
And finally, he landed softly, like a feather.
When he raised his head, he saw the Pagoda.
A massive, multi-story structure made of black, rune-etched stone, with lines that looked alive, slowly shifting. Faint red lights shone through its cracks, giving the place an eerie atmosphere.
Majestic... and terrifying. It reminded him somewhat of the Pagoda of Death. Considering they likely shared a common origin, that made sense.
Around it stood hundreds of elite demons. With just one glance, Daniel could tell that all of them were A-rank or higher.
And worse than that, there was nowhere to hide.
The moment he landed—
"Intruder!"
Several demons shouted. The instant they saw him, they attacked without asking a single question.
This was a forbidden zone. Its punishment was only one thing: death.
Multiple demonic auras erupted at the same time, and the demons charged straight at him.
Daniel sighed.
He did not move forward. He did not have time to personally fight these demons and needed to choose a faster approach.
The ground beneath his feet turned bloody once again.
This time, dozens... then hundreds of Fallen rose from the blood.
They formed up behind and around Daniel. He raised his hand, pointed toward the charging demons, and said:
"Destroy them."
And the army of the Fallen began to move.
Even though these demons were powerful, his army of Fallen should not be underestimated either.
Especially now that most of them had gone through an evolution.