Chapter 132: The Twilight Garden

  Sleeping Mermaid Tavern.

  A wooden signboard adorned with a lifelike mermaid sculpture hung at the entranbsp;

  It was a well-knowablishment in Northwind Fortress, doubling as a secret meeting spot for pureblood serpentfolk spies. The proprietress had long been bought off with gold, willingly being a minion of Ember .

  At the moment, chaned across the city.

  With the city guards preoccupied by the Dragonkin invasion, the tavern had bee an open gathering pber ’s fa.

  A four-person team pushed open the door, stepping into a bustling se.

  The tavern was filled with pyers.

  "Hey, boss! Got any Bzing Red Lips?"

  "I heard that stuff gives you the Frenzy buff."

  "The drinks here are way more expehan in Baator City!"

  Mantou excimed, "So many people…"

  Summer Night Autumn Rain muttered under her breath, "I thought we were the only oo get this special quest."

  Singo surveyed the room, immediately reizing familiar faces.

  Royal Authority’s Overlord, Steel Frenzy of the Meical Faith, Charlotte of Magic , Alpha of Golden Age...

  Professional pyers from all the majuilds were present. Almost everyone who had been drawn to the tavern for this quest had reached the closed-beta level cap—Level 4. In Erezaghe, this pced them among the elite adventurers, the bae of any expedition, far from ordinary batants.

  Born Battle Maniaeered at Royal Authority’s Overlord seated not far away, letting out a disdainful "Tch."

  Singo lowered his voice, advising, "e on, Battle Bro, o csh with Royal Authority in a team mission. Focus on the key NPCs."

  "Look over there."

  He gestured subtly.

  In the ter of the tavern, Alger and Medrosh sat at a wooden table with two gsses of red wiween them.

  Despite past tensions, the two had e together tize against their on enemy—Duke Brad La.

  On the brink of fronting his nemesis, Alger looked both exhirated and apprehensive.

  After a moment of hesitation, he spoke, "I’ve lived here most of my life. I know a secret path into La Castle. What we o do is infiltrate."

  "Then… kill him."

  Medrosh nodded slightly, taking a sip of wine before replying, "A simple and crude pn. But you’re fetting ohing: you’ve been away for years. Ember is about to breach the city walls. That ing old vampire won’t be unprepared."

  Alger’s draic face froze momentarily before he replied, "It’s our only option. If we let him plete his assion, the sequences will be catastrophibsp;

  Medrosh chuckled softly. "True enough. These Starnaughts are immortal, but you and I—we’ve long been dead. There’s o fear dying again."

  Alger poio a map of Northwind Fortress spread across the table.

  "Given the importance of the assion ceremony, the main roads will undoubtedly be heavily guarded. We’ll take this route instead, through the Shadowed Path in La’s rear garden."

  "Very well."

  Medrosh stood and decred loudly,

  "Warriors, we are ready to move out."

  "Stop the assion, and the Lord shall reward you handsomely."

  The twenty-odd elite pyers iavern turheir intense gazes toward him.

  Medrosh had mastered the art of anding pyers.

  At the outskirts of La Castle, iwilight Garden.

  The lush forest encircled the castle, cutting it off from the outside world.

  T trees with grunks bore scars like a wounds. Darkness spread through the dense undergrowth, blurring the distin between day and night. Sinister branches swayed in the wind, whispering eerie secrets.

  The twisted trees resembled ghastly specters with cwed hands.

  Deep within the woods, chilling howls echoed, sending shivers down spines.

  Alger studied the shadowy forest and the twisted branches lining the narrow path, his expression grim.

  "This wasn’t like this before."

  "What has Brad La been doing these past years since I left?"

  Medrosh smirked coldly. "Maybe he’s been raising a pack of loyal guard dogs to protect his ir."

  "Looks like we’ll o tread carefully."

  "Let’s go."

  Alger, Medrosh, and their team stepped into the dense forest without hesitation.

  As they traversed the vine-covered path, Mantou heard rustling noises behind him, sending a chill up his spine.

  "No way… is there really something creepy here?"

  "Wait, there’s something behind me!"

  Mantou felt a faint tou the back of his ned let out a yelp.

  Cold sweat dripped down as he turo look, only to find a twisted vine dangling from a branbsp;

  Exhaling in relief, he turo Singo. "This pce is seriously cursed. We o move fast a out of here."

  Singo, too serious to mock him, nodded grimly.

  He had just noticed the underbrush ahead shift slightly, though he wasn’t sure if it was his imagination.

  "Let’s keep moving."

  Mantou pressed forward relutly, but when he gnced back again, the vine had shifted, resembling a cw reag for him.

  He gasped audibly.

  The rustling around them grew louder and more frequent, as if something unseen writhed in the darkness.

  Faint, broken voices filled the air, carrying dread and desperation.

  "It’s alive…"

  "Don’t… leave me behind…"

  "Grab my hand, save me…"

  But none of the voices came from anyone in their group!

  Summer Night Autumn Rain’s face turned pale, sweat dripping from her . Her voice trembled, "Did you… did you hear that? Those voices."

  Singo’s voice was low and steady. "I heard it too."

  "They don’t sound like monster growls. More like the st words of victims before they died."

  Mantou, now panicked, stammered, "Stop messing with me!"

  "Take a good look around," Singo replied grimly.

  Mantou surveyed his surroundings, only to find himself enveloped by a pulsating, oppressive darkness.

  At the front of the group, Alger raised his Ever-Burning Greatsword, illuminating their surroundings. The light revealed the grotesque forms of their enemies.

  Uhe dappled shadows of the forest, twisted roots, branches, and vines gathered together, coalesg into numerous shambling, gnarled specters.

  Their bodies were formed of withered wood, vines, and thorns, with half-digested human limbs entangled within their grotesque forms. Blood seeped from their thick roots.

  Gritting his teeth, Alger shouted,

  "Prepare for battle!"

  "Damn it, this forest is alive!"

  FAL