“Huh? What is that?”
Leon’s eyebrows raised slightly, and a curious expression bloomed on his face behind his mask.
The faster they rode, the closer they came to the light source.
Soon, they were only a few hundred meters away, and Leon could finally see clearly where the light was coming from.
“A crystal ball?” Leon gasped in surprise, slowing his horse’s pace before stopping about fifty meters away from the crystal ball.
He dismounted and was about to approach the crystal ball but halted when the sound of hooves and Kaelen’s worried voice came from behind him.
“General, do you wish to approach the crystal ball?” He inquired cautiously.
Leon nodded and smiled slightly as he replied, “Yes, I want to examine it closely to confirm if it’s a trap.”
Kaelen’s brows furrowed slightly, and just as he was about to speak, Leon quickly stopped him.
“Don’t worry, I understand your concern, and I will be vigilant,” Leon reassured him gently.
Upon hearing this, Kaelen sighed softly and nodded slowly, choosing not to say anything further.
“Then, be careful,” he said firmly.
Leon maintained his smile and nodded in response before turning his gaze toward the crystal ball and stepping closer to it.
As he approached, a strange sensation washed over him, as if a vague pressure was bearing down on him.
“How strange. Why do I feel this pressure from the crystal ball?” Leon wondered in surprise.
Now very close to the crystal ball, he could clearly see its overall shape.
The crystal ball was sea-blue and no larger than an adult’s palm.
Despite all he’d learned from the libraries of the Holy Empire of Elysium and the Holy Orthodox Hall, he had never encountered any records of a crystal ball-shaped item or artifact.
After a moment of contemplation, he decided to take it with him. Once the war was over, he could study it more thoroughly.
With that resolution in mind, he stepped closer, crouched slightly, and picked up the crystal ball.
As soon as his palm touched the crystal ball, the blue light it emitted flared brightly before vanishing into thin air.
Leon held it carefully, examined it for a moment, and then placed it into his magic pouch.
Instead of moving on immediately, he stood still, carefully observing his surroundings. He wanted to determine if any creatures or other parties might own the crystal ball.
After all, finding a crystal ball in the midst of a desert of chaos was unusual, and he couldn’t rule out the possibility that it might be a trap meant to lure him in.
However, after five minutes had passed without anyone appearing in his line of sight, he finally decided to return to his horse.
“Are you alright, General?” Kaelen asked with concern.
Leon smiled slightly, nodded, and replied, “I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
Kaelen let out a small sigh, relief evident on his youthful face. His gaze shifted to the spot where the crystal ball had been, and he was taken aback to find it missing.
A sense of curiosity stirred within him, but he didn’t dare to ask Leon.
Thousands of demon soldiers behind him shared the same curiosity, but none dared to ask, fearing it might anger Leon.
Leon mounted his horse and looked back, calling out, “In less than an hour, we should reach the battlefield, so let’s continue our march!”
Hearing his shout, all the soldiers nodded and raised their hands in agreement.
“Yes, General!”
With that, Leon and the rest of the demon soldiers continued their march toward the battlefield.
Moments after they vanished from sight, a speck of white light suddenly appeared where the crystal ball had been.
The speck of light gradually expanded until it finally took the shape of an extraordinarily beautiful woman, a faint smile curling on her lips.
She watched Leon depart, unable to resist licking her lips.
A hint of longing crossed her face as she spoke, but her expression shifted as a sudden throbbing pulsed in her chest.
“Oops! I must have stayed out too long. Father might be upset with me,” she muttered, a hint of panic in her voice.
Without lingering any longer, she snapped her fingers, and her figure instantly dissolved into light before vanishing from sight.
…
Meanwhile…
“Damn! What the hell are these grasses?” Guren panted as he stood in the grassland, staring intently at the attacking tendrils.
The grasses, resembling tentacles, assaulted him from every direction, overwhelming him.
No matter how hard he crushed them, they kept reappearing, as if there were no end in sight.
“If this keeps up, I might end up completely defeated,” he whispered, continuing to fend off the relentless grass that lunged toward him.
Unlike the endless onslaught of grasses, his strength was severely limited, and he knew he would surely die if he didn’t escape this illusion.
“To break free, I need to find the eye of the formation and destroy it,” he muttered, his expression growing stern.
The eye of the formation was the center and core of the illusion, and to escape, he needed to find it and shatter it.
During the previous war, he had fought against Terran and become ensnared in a similar formation. To break free, he had endured significant torment before finally locating the exit.
However, locating the eye of the formation was as difficult as finding a needle in a haystack.
It required a unique combination of precision and luck to spot it in such a vast area.
Guren continued to fend off the attacking grass tentacles while observing his surroundings with a sharp gaze.
At that moment, a grass tentacle suddenly shot forward with surprising speed, catching him off guard and striking him with immense force.
“Pufft!” Guren was sent flying for several meters before crashing into a large tree.
The tree stood alone in the vast grassland, and Guren felt a sharp pain radiate through his back.
“Damn! Once I get out of here, I’m going to kill that demon,” Guren gasped, clutching his chest.
Staring ahead, he saw the grass tentacles writhing and advancing toward him at a rapid pace.
He quickly rose to his feet to crush them but was startled by a flickering light above the tree.
Involuntarily, he looked up, and his eyes widened in shock.
“Isn’t that the eye of the formation?!” he exclaimed, his heart skipping a beat. Without hesitation, he leapt to destroy it.
As his sword struck the eye of the formation, the surroundings fell eerily silent. The grass tentacles, poised to attack, froze in place like statues.
“Hahaha! Finally!” Guren couldn’t contain his laughter at the sight.
A hateful expression suddenly blossomed on his handsome face as he tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword.
“Once I get out, I’ll really chop you into pieces,” he snarled, murderous intent swirling around him.
A loud explosion echoed nearby, and the vast grassland erupted in chaos, transformed into a terrifying landscape where rivers of hot lava flowed like an endless ocean.
Guren’s joyful expression instantly vanished, replaced by disbelief as his eyes widened.
“How is that possible?!” Guren exclaimed in horror, stepping back.
After destroying the eye of the formation, he expected to return to the battlefield. However, the scene around him revealed that he was still trapped in the illusion!
Blue veins throbbed on his forehead as he gritted his teeth in anger.
“Bastard!” Guren shouted.
A surge of terrifying holy power erupted from his body, striking the ceiling of the magma world and distorting the surrounding space.
The entire world trembled as if it might shatter at any moment.
Suddenly, a deafening roar came from behind him, startling Guren.
Before he could turn around, a powerful blow struck his back, knocking him off balance and sending him tumbling over the cliff into the sea of molten lava.
“No!” Guren felt a surge of terror at the sight of the lava below.
He desperately tried to activate all his abilities, but it was useless.
His heart raced, and his expression grew stern.
“There’s no other choice!” He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes.
Suddenly, a white star mark appeared on his forehead, radiating an intense light.
As the star mark appeared, a sword-shaped symbol materialized on the back of his right hand, and Guren raised it high.
“Holy Sword of Zenith, hear my call!”
