Chapter 558: The Strongest Drifter
The rift was even more expansive and dreadful than Northern had anticipated-a realization that dawned on him after taking numerous steps forward and covering a significant distance.
As he moved, his ability to sense essence extended ahead, mapping out the area. After a while, Northern suddenly stopped.
A wicked, yet pale grin formed on his face, prompting Ryan to halt and ask, "Is something wrong? You don't look well."
Northern closed his hand over his face and looked up, breathing and smiling heartily. "Ryan."
"Yes?" answered Ryan, confused, his gaze, still a little bit lifeless.
"I don't think I have the luxury to be conservative about how I handle this rift. It's incredibly dangerous."
Ryan narrowed his eyes suspiciously, not fully understanding what Northern was getting at but replying nonetheless.
"Why would you need to be conservative in a rift in the first place? But I guess you're getting to a point?"
Northern nodded slightly.
"I'm very secretive about my abilities."
Ryan lifted his chin slightly, sizing up Northern's expression with his cold eyes.
"Everyone knows you can summon a monster. You're a summoner who can also fight well with a sword. Perhaps due to your heritage ability?"
Northern raised a brow, not entirely understanding what Ryan was implying. But now wasn't the time for explanations.
"Whatever you all think, I guess. Black Mamba, Night Terror."
Embers of black flames ignited, giving rise to two enigmata of terror.
One was a tall, four-armed figure with four red eyes glowing devilishly; the other, a lithe figure with lean muscles, white lines over its shiny black body, and narrowed eyes gazing intently at its master.
As Night Terror arrived, Ryan frowned a little.
He had made peace with the fact that a monster was now an ally, but the memory of their battle-the final moments-never failed to send shivers down his spine.
Low-key, he wanted a rematch badly... though he wouldn't admit it.
The two monsters stood in front of Northern as he commanded them.
"Go to Jeci and Lynus, and work things through from their side." Immediately, both vanished.
Ryan narrowed his eyes slightly.
"You're sending away your summons. I thought you said you didn't want to be conservative?"
Northern stabbed Grengar into the ground and extended his hand over his head, stretching his muscles.
He twirled his dual-bladed staff gently and leaned forward, his upper body tilting ahead. "Be sure to keep up, boy."
For a moment, Northern's eyes glowed with an eerie azure light, and then-
BOOM
Northern blasted forward, the entire ground and murky water disintegrating to fragments in his wake.
Ryan's hair was blown back by the powerful burst of wind, his eyes widening in shock.
In a single motion, Northern seemed to turn into a streak of blue light shooting forward. 'What was that?' his mind questioned.
He wasn't sure, but he knew he had to catch up. Immediately, Ryan surged forward, running with a serious frown etched on his face.
With every step he took, tiny ice stars began to form around him, freezing the ground beneath his feet.
As he sprinted, threads of light wove around his body, slowly covering his casual clothes to reveal an armor.
Ryan was now clad in brilliantly white armor, resembling something from a forgotten eastern age, as though it belonged to a Heavenly Emperor.
At the peak of the helmet, two long white feathers extended backward, fluttering gently alongside a silky white cape attached to his back.
As he ran forward, Ryan spotted a small rock he could use as a stepping stone. He increased his speed, curving toward the rock like an arrow of light.
Once there, he stepped, lifting himself powerfully into the air with his second foot.
Ice wings burst from his back, propelling him even farther forward, like a shooting star.
As Ryan soared through the air, he finally caught sight of what lay ahead. A moment later, realization made his face darken with horror.
'What the hell is that?!'
At first, Ryan thought it was just another ground, perhaps a different type of plain from the murky waters—a field of crimson, rotting flesh.
But as Northern moved through it, he began to realize.
'No... those are monsters?!'
The monsters were so densely packed that they covered the entire expanse, leaving no open space. Even as Northern plowed through them, they immediately filled in behind him.
From above, they looked like a colony of red ants relentlessly pursuing a single rodent. Their sheer numbers and movements made Ryan want to vomit.
'How are we supposed to even kill something like this?'
He watched Northern plunge through the magnetic mass of morbid abominations.
Northern's speed didn't falter; the blue streak of light continued, destroying everything in its
path.
However, hundreds more surged toward him, quickly closing any openings left by the blue
trail.
Ryan frowned thoughtfully.
'What is he even running toward?'
He traced Northern's trajectory with his gaze. His eyes trembled with despair when he saw it.
There was a statue standing over nine feet tall in the center, surrounded by the Rabid Rots. 'He's going for that? Is he crazy?'
Ryan's face broke apart. Why was Northern targeting such a monstrously powerful creature
first?
Wouldn't it be better to gain more essence by killing the smaller ones? Or perhaps they should retreat and study the enemy before launching such a reckless attack.
Ryan was beginning to sweat as he hovered in the sky, steadied by his wings of ice.
Then, in a flash, memories of the Dark Continent flooded his mind.
One stood out: an enormous burst of flame from a Paragon that he was sure his ice couldn't
withstand, yet somehow, Northern emerged unscathed.
He exhaled helplessly.
"What am I even stressing for? He's the strongest drifter."
Just as he muttered, a terrible tremor suddenly shook the ground violently, making the sky
appear as if it were tumbling for a moment.
A foreboding feeling overwhelmed Ryan, like something dangerous was approaching- something that could extinguish the flames of his soul with a single, effortless blow.
Then it happened.
With a reverberating sound, like sky being ripped apart by hands of thunder, from the center
-where the statue-like monster stood amid the flood of Rabid Rots-
A forest of black lances emerged.