Chapter 208: Descent

Naimi Xisi looked at the pyramid being suppressed by the spell circle, and for some reason felt a sudden flutter in their heart.

They shook their head, thinking they were overthinking; Kusko was only a nine‑ring shaman, and without the pyramid's aid, even if he didn't act, the army's suppression alone would be enough to wear him out.

If the algorithmic array failed, they believed that with their own spell points they could, just as they once exhausted the power of the Tikar pyramid, break through this pyramid.

They can now cast seven‑ring spells; under the boost of a power gem and divine spells, Naimi Xisi's seven‑ring spell power already exceeds nine‑ring spells by several grades, approaching Legendary spell strength.

If a normal nine‑ring spell is 100 in power, the lowest Legendary spell is 5,000, then Naimi Xisi's current strongest output spell is at least 3,000.

Even a Legendary strongman confronting this level of spell power would probably not withstand it.

Though they considered every possibility, Naimi Xisi still trusted their intuition, so they kept racking their brain for any other way to break the deadlock.

"Wait a moment."

Though much time had passed, the dragon's perfect memory reminded Naimi Xisi of something.

"Quarte once mentioned that one of the sealed ancient kings should be right here, right? No—"

Naimi Xisi stared uncertainly at the pyramid; the golden aura had been compressed by the light pillar to near disappearance, yet it gave them no comfort, only increased anxiety.

"He's about to awaken."

A noble, elegant male voice sounded in their ear; Naimi Xisi's pupils widened—it was Quarte's voice.

As expected.

"Duzula Ershi— the Destroyer, Cruel Sun‑Flame, though time has battered him, the power he now retains you probably still cannot handle, little dragon, leave this place," Quarte advised.

Naimi Xisi's gaze grew heavy; a weakened Legendary strongman, they did not know if they possessed enough power to cope.

Yet Quarte also did not know Naimi Xisi's true strength; the existence of the power gem is something even gods cannot see through, and with it they might have a fighting chance.

Escaping here, without doubt the Golden Legion's vanguard will be utterly annihilated, Baolis will suffer heavy losses and may come for them.

Compared with a peak‑state Legendary Mage, Naimi Xisi thought they would rather face a weakened Legendary who had been drained of a thousand years of power.

Moreover, if they missed this chance, Baolis and Kodel would personally go to slay Duzula Ershi, and the secret of divinity would no longer be hidden.

It's obvious even by foot that those two Legends would never share such precious loot with them; they would even start hunting for similar beings.

Deciding to stay, Naimi Xisi immediately began casting a spell to notify Saifar and others to evacuate; although they did not know where the underground pyramid that entombs Duzula Ershi lies within the city, if the opponent appears, the whole city will cease to be a safe zone.

"Evacuate immediately!!"

After sending the retreat short‑message spell, Naimi Xisi shouted at the vanguard.

The knights exchanged glances, bewildered.

Everything had gone according to plan, so why is their general the first to surrender?

Yet after days of training, the knights had become accustomed to obeying the dragon's commands without question; even such an absurd order they followed.

The withdrawal of the foreign continent's army attracted the attention of another faction.

On the opposite side of the pyramid, now swarming with tens of thousands of soldiers blocking the streets, atop a tall wooden war chariot, Duzula Shiliu Shi held a Sun Feather Long Shield in his left hand and a spear in his right, rising from his seat.

"What's happening? Why did those foreign continent troops retreat? The hardest part is done, now they regret it?"

A flicker of doubt crossed Duzula Shiliu Shi's eyes, but he quickly understood everything. As Quarte's hidden operative within the Alliance, Duzula Shiliu Shi was unquestionably a high‑rank shaman; the Feathered Serpent God had not only hinted to Naimi Xisi but also now conveyed the information to him.

Shock flashed in Duzula Shiliu Shi's eyes; before he could think, he roared loudly, "All troops withdraw from the city immediately!!"

Whether it was Naimi Xisi or Duzula Shiliu Shi, upon learning that a Legendary stronger was about to appear, they both simultaneously disbanded their armies.

The reason was that against a Legendary strongman, numbers had lost their meaning.

These weak soldiers, whether a few thousand or ten thousand, even a hundred thousand are merely a matter of expending a little effort for a Legendary strongman.

Like Baolis, a Legendary Mage can destroy tens of thousands of troops with a single Legendary spell, and Legendary Warriors are even better at crushing the weak; their great power, sturdy physical defense, and terrifying stamina let them annihilate a hundred‑thousand army unharmed in an efficient way.

Regardless of type, these soldiers are nothing but meaningless cannon fodder when facing them.

Hence, Naimi Xisi did not want the vanguard to be wiped out, and Duzula Shiliu Shi likewise did not wish his people to die in such a meaningless way.

Both made the same choice.

After the native general gave the order, he did not retreat with the troops but stayed where he was, leaving Naimi Xisi a bit puzzled.

"Aren't you going to flee?" the dragon in the sky asked the people on the ground.

!

Duzula Shiliu Shi let out a light laugh, set his shield and spear aside, and, disregarding his image, sat down on the ground.

"Flee? Why flee?" Duzula Shiliu Shi looked at the nearly vanished aura, his eyes firm.

"He is my ancestor; his bloodline made me."

"Thus, I must stop his mistake."

Duzula Shiliu Shi's eyes shone with martyr‑like zeal: "Taizika's faith ends with me."

Naimi Xisi watched the general's death‑defying stance, shook their head; their strength was indeed impressive—a level‑19 Warrior and a level‑20 Shaman, the two classes almost reaching the peak of mortal realm.

Yet they were still powerless against a Legend.

Without the power gem's aid, mortals and Legends have a cliff‑like gap in strength.

The green light pillar grew brighter; the pyramid's aura, after endless siphoning, finally exhausted its power, and the golden aura vanished with a faint, inaudible crack, leaving only green light illuminating everything.

In the next instant, the pyramid shattered.

First came thin cracks, then massive chasms; the ground around the pyramid split, the once‑hard pyramid was torn apart by an unknown force into a heap of rubble.

A huge opening appeared on the ground, a deep darkness whose destination was unknown.

Naimi Xisi stared; within the darkness a flash of red light flickered, as bright as the sun yet as crimson as blood.

"Plop, plop."

Like a heartbeat, a heavy sound echoed from the black abyss.

The red light grew larger, almost illuminating the entire dark abyss.

"Mortal. Having seen me, you shall bow your neck and be slain!"

(End of Chapter)