Chapter 1156: Section 1157: Progressive Corridor
When Angel pushed open the door, he noticed something peculiar.
The previous rooms were all quite narrow, but this one, even before entering, Angel could tell it was very large, its visible area almost rivaling that of an underground hall.
The air inside the room differed from those before, devoid of any stench of smoke or miasma.
The black-and-white checkered ceramic floor reflected a faint, icy light, giving off a cold and solemn sensation. It made Angel momentarily feel as though he had stepped into the exhibition hall of the Hunting Museum.
It wasn’t just the cold solemn air making Angel feel as if he were in an exhibition hall; even the objects inside were strikingly similar.
——The room was empty except for four statues facing different directions at its center.
From a distance, these statues bore an uncanny resemblance to the specimens in an exhibition hall; only upon closer inspection would one notice that their skin had the texture of stone.
In the exact center of the statues stood a display stand, upon which rested a massive, blood-red war axe carved with mysterious patterns.
Even a fleeting glance filled Angel with an overwhelming oppressive force emanating from the axe, as if he had glimpsed an endless sea of blood.
From this alone, Angel could ascertain that it was no ordinary object.
Moreover, this axe appeared to have been crafted using a method unfamiliar to Angel, and as an alchemist, he couldn’t help but be drawn to step forward and investigate it, with a hint of covetousness rising in his heart to claim it as his own.
But just as Angel prepared to step inside, a warning surged from deep within his heart.
This vague premonition of danger firmly halted his steps.
Why was there a sense of danger? The room was spacious, with no apparent hazards at a glance. Could there be hidden traps, or was the danger emanating from the war axe—or perhaps… Angel’s gaze slowly shifted to the four statues beside the axe.
He hadn’t looked closely before, but now that he did, Angel detected something amiss.
Could it be that these statues were—Gargoyles?!
Angel took an abrupt step back, realizing that it was all too normal for a gargoyle to have stone-like skin! Furthermore, a slumbering gargoyle would seem indistinguishable from a statue, devoid of any living breath, but should anyone approach within its alert range, it would awaken from its slumber.
Many Demon Nobles, because of this characteristic, liked to keep gargoyles as guards.
Angel could not be certain whether these were simply statues, or… actual slumbering Gargoyles. Even with a fifty-fifty chance, he did not wish to gamble, nor did he fancy risking his life to find out.
Even if the war axe was truly powerful, to Angel, who would only use it for research, risking his life for it was not worth it at all.
With that thought, Angel didn’t hesitate to turn around and close the door.
As the door shut, the room fell back into darkness, and in a place beyond Angel’s sight, one of the statues opened its eyes, a fleeting crimson light passing through them, as if sensing something in the air. However, in the end, it made no move and closed its eyes once again, returning to its slumber.
…
Unaware, Angel’s caution had just spared him from a calamity.
Now, he continued searching for a way to leave. However, oddly enough, so far, all the doors he had opened led to enclosed spaces.
He found neither the path to the higher levels nor any exit.
This was becoming rather strange.
Angel emerged from a “kitchen,” puzzled: “Could it mean that the symbol behind the Fire Control Statue only indicates such enclosed spaces, and the actual exit is marked by something else?”
But after nearly making a full round, he hadn’t seen any signs more conspicuous than the Fire Control Statue… conspicuous?! No, Angel suddenly paused, realizing there was indeed something conspicuous.
Thinking of something, Angel quickly walked toward the source of light ahead.
This was a resting area in the corridor.
If there was a more conspicuous sign, then it could only be the resting area!
Angel had even rested here before!
Following the source of light, Angel arrived at the resting area’s sofa, next to the Fire Control Statue, and his eyes lit up. This Fire Control Statue was very large, a size larger than the other wall lamps, and he had passed by several times without giving any thought to this Fire Control Statue!
If this Fire Control Statue could also be moved… then it was highly likely to be the exit he had been unable to find before!
With this in mind, Angel decisively reached out and touched the arm of the Fire Control Statue.
The familiar “click-clack—” sound reached his ears, and Angel looked back to see the entire high wall behind the resting area flip over, revealing a wide passage.
It was indeed so! A moment of realization washed over Angel—looking right under his nose yet thinking too complexly, he hadn’t noticed the answer had been in front of him all along.
Though he had found the way, the path ahead remained unknown.
Angel carefully stepped in, his silhouette instantly disappearing into the darkness.
Angel thought that maybe the darkness behind was the way out, but it turned out not to be. This was still a corridor. The furnishings and style were nearly identical to the previous ones, with fire-holding statues and resting areas as well.
Angel simulated a map in his mind and realized that this place seemed like a labyrinth of corridors, as each one contained several resting spots, meaning there were many paths.
Upon closer consideration, it seemed quite complex, but finding a way out wasn’t difficult.
He had the Scouting Puppet take a lap around this corridor and gathered some data, which showed that this corridor was notably shorter than the previous one. If this labyrinth of corridors progressively led closer to the center, then that meant he was closer to the heart of the Void Tower than before.
In his heart, Angel calculated that perhaps the path to ascend to the second layer should be right at the center of the Void Tower. It might require passing through many layers of corridors to get there.
However, he wasn’t aiming to reach the higher levels of the Void Tower, but to leave this place, which meant he didn’t need to move inward but outward instead.
That is to say, the path he was on now was actually wrong.
Angel went back to the resting area he had entered from and found another resting spot within that corridor to leave.
Sure enough, choosing this method led to a noticeable increase in the distance of each corridor, which meant he was closer to the outer ring.
After ten minutes, Angel stepped into a new outer ring.
When he stepped out, he immediately experienced a completely different sensation from before. In the previous corridors, everything seemed calm, and there were no sounds to be heard; it was dark and desolate.
But now, Angel distinctly felt the floor vibrating slightly, and the energy in the air was not as stable as before.
This meant that he was nearing the very outer circle!
With this confirmation, Angel quickly headed for the next resting spot. He had a feeling that perhaps the next layer of the corridor was the outermost one, which would be the exit of the Void Tower!
Soon, the new resting place was found, and Angel, holding back his excitement, slowly merged into the darkness.
While Angel was still in the darkness and had not yet reached the next corridor, the ground’s shaking grew stronger, and he faintly heard the distant shouting that sounded like Komodo’s voice.
Angel felt a surge of happiness. Hearing Komodo’s voice meant the exit couldn’t be far.
However, when the darkness faded and Angel entered the new corridor, he suddenly stopped.
In front of him was a resting place, but this one was different from the others.
On the sofa of this resting spot sat a massive figure.
This was an alien creature that Angel had never seen before, with terrifying, smooth wings on its back, skin glowing an odd red, covered in bumps and sharp angles, and green viscous liquid constantly dripping from the pores of its skin.
The “alien” just sat there on the sofa, and when Angel appeared, it lifted its hideous head and glanced at him.
With that one glance, Angel suddenly felt an oddly familiar sensation.
This feeling of familiarity, not long ago in the underground hall, had also arisen when he caught a fleeting glimpse of a figure at the door. Judging by the size, could they be the same entity?
Angel put aside the strange familiarity for the moment, as the most urgent question was what to do about this alien creature.
As Angel’s thoughts were racing, a rustling sound suddenly reached his ears.
“That sound, it seems like…” Angel appeared to realize something and quickly looked up.
He then saw a chain of flames appearing on the shoulder of the alien, slowly emerging from there and then extending into the air towards him.
Angel wanted to retreat, but for some reason, he was unable to move under the chain’s target.
When the chain reached in front of Angel, it rose slowly like a snake lifting its “head”.
Angel could now see the details on the chain.
His pupils shrunk, that chain was clearly… the one he had crafted for Popota!
And Popota’s chain, which had undergone the Blood Soul Sacrifice, couldn’t possibly be used by anyone else!
Following that logic, could this alien creature actually be Popota?
If he thought about it, it seemed plausible. After all, Angel had clearly seen Popota before at the Magma pool outside. The only inconsistency was the drastic transformation in form.
Angel’s gaze fixed on the alien sitting on the sofa and asked in a doubtful tone, “Are you… Popota?”
Following Angel’s inquiry, the alien finally lifted its head and looked directly at him.
Its gaze was eerily sharp, with a crazed disregard on one side and an absolutely rational coldness on the other.
“Why are you here? Are you trying to stop me? Indeed, I should have killed you after having you craft the chain, instead of wishing for luck!” At first, his tone was calm, but suddenly, his voice rose sharply, “But, hee-ha-ha-ha… it’s too late, no one can stop it now!”