Chapter 333: Chapter 333
The Castle felt ominous, and Aaron wanted nothing but to leave the place.
Why did he feel ominous about the Castle?
Well, every part of the ruins appeared to be in ruin, except for this part. The Castle remained untouched by time.
How can that be possible?
Either there are restrictions around the Castle that even time can’t penetrate easily, or someone has been maintaining it inside the Castle for quite some time.
Neither option looks good.
Even though that was the case, a part of him told him that if there was an exit, it existed in this part of the ruins. He was so sure of it. So, there was no other option for him but to enter the Castle, even though he felt that it might be dangerous.
Aaron, with no other option, slowly entered the Castle.
Though there was no other option for him, and he felt that the exit was inside, he didn’t rush inside. If there were an exit inside, then the place would be the most dangerous within the ruins. Until he entered the exit himself, he was sure that he was not out of danger.
Also, it was just a feeling that there was an exit here. He was not sure about that. So, rushing in would be stupid. He didn’t want to lose his life right at the end. If someone finds his skeleton one day, that would be the day of embarrassment.
Of course, he won’t be alive to care about that, but at the moment, he still has parents who are alive and waiting for him. He didn’t want to die and leave them alone and depressed.
So, as usual, while checking out new places, he sent his undead before entering himself.
---
When Aaron entered the Castle, he couldn’t help but mutter at the surroundings.
The Castle looked as if it could withstand a siege of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of awakeners, even maybe Rank-7 awakeners, easily.
From the outside, it was not visible, but as soon as he entered the castle walls, he could see the protective devices that were in place clearly.
There are cannons placed on the top of battlements, which are not visible from outside, but from inside, he could see them. They appear to be in prime state, at least from the back side, and there are hundreds of them.
It was why, though he didn’t know how strong they were, he felt that they could battle thousands of awakeners easily.
Additionally, he can perceive that there are defences, which would easily restrict the attackers, making it easier for the cannons to take down most of them. Combining the facts, this Castle was well protected, at least that’s what he came to think after observing the walls.
---
A few minutes after observing the defence wall, Aaron checked the land between the wall and the main Castle.
A few herbs were growing for a while. He collected them one by one. Although there were no delays in enemy attacks, he was delayed because he felt that the area was too quiet and suspected the presence of silent enemies, but he was wrong.
After collecting the herbs, he entered the main door that led him inside.
The inside was a vast hall. There was nothing there, except for a throne at the end of the hall. There were various murals painted on the wall and pillars, and except for those, there was nothing else.
There are doors to the side that could lead to other areas, but he thought it best to check the throne first.
This was not his first time encountering a throne in a ruin. The last time, there was someone, and this time, he felt that there was someone. So, he thought that it was best to check with them before he started looting their treasures.
He slowly approached the throne while keeping his perception at an all-time high. The hall may appear empty, but appearances can be deceiving.
"What took you so long?" Aaron heard a voice as he neared the throne.
He looked around frantically, but he couldn’t discern where it came from.
"Hahaha, you can’t find me like that", the voice came again, but Aaron felt that it was all around him, but that should be impossible, "Unless whoever it is was using a skill", he thought.
Slowly, black smoke appeared out of thin air and formed a figure, sitting on the throne.
"I knew it", Aaron thought to himself, but kept calm on the outside.
"Who are you?" Aaron asked the figure.
Aaron couldn’t discern the figure. He could only say the voice sounded like a man, rather than a woman.
"I am just an echo, an echo from the past", the figure replied, "I know what your questions are next, but it’s better to show than say. The time is nearing, and I don’t intend to waste any more time".
The man turned into black smoke again and swiftly moved towards Aaron, while Aaron didn’t get any chance to make a move, even with his high attributes and skills. The smoke was moving at a speed even he couldn’t perceive.
The smoke entered Aaron’s body, and once that happened, his body started convulsing, and he fell onto the ground. A few seconds later, he lost consciousness.
---
Near Deathlands...
"Huh? What was that?" the man muttered to himself.
"Did I just feel fear? That should be impossible. Though the other four may defeat me, that holds only true if at least three of them fight me at the same time, but they are busy with things, and there should be nothing in this world that should cause fear to me", the man wondered.
He then looked at the portal leading to Deathlands.
"Is my fear due to what I am doing to the Deathlands?" he questioned himself.
"Maybe it is or maybe it is not. I can’t leave to check if the threat was elsewhere. I would just message her to be careful. As long as whatever I felt doesn’t disturb me before I complete this project, I would be golden", the man smiled and continued his work.