Chapter 183

Chapter 183
## Chapter 183

### Operation: Escape from the Demon King’s Castle (5)

Olivia getting involved in the flight of the princess and Hesperon was completely outside their calculations.

The group never anticipated she would so quickly detect the minor disturbance in Siana’s sector—a vulnerability they had intentionally left ignored—and pursue them personally.

It was an incredibly precise response, entirely worthy of the chief administrator governing the Immortal Fortress.

‘She bears the heaviest workload in the entire Immortal Fortress, yet she still manages to oversee such minor incidents. Her efficiency is terrifying.’

It was easy to reflect on it lightly now that the danger had passed, but her abrupt arrival had genuinely sent a wave of panic through him initially.

It was incredibly fortunate he had scheduled the breakout for the exact day “Hans” made his appearance, acting on a whim of caution. Otherwise, the strategy would have required a complete overhaul from scratch!

‘Yet, because of that unexpected variable, the momentum shifted even more favorably than we initially calculated.’

The sudden theater of it all amplified the feeling of life-or-death urgency, and Riley’s emotional reliance on him grew significantly stronger due to the abrupt peril.

‘Replicating the phenomenon I displayed to the princess will be tricky… Though, I suppose I can always claim it was a burst of latent potential triggered by extreme stress.’

In truth, it was Immortal King Hans who had covertly interfered from the shadows, neutralizing Olivia’s suppression and warping the pair away.

As the absolute ruler of this Eternal Labyrinth, altering the interior geometry was a simple matter of shifting his focus, requiring very little exertion.

‘Furthermore, Hesperon is bound to evolve at an accelerated rate. He will eventually replicate a comparable feat entirely on his own.’

Backed by the unreserved sponsorship of the Fifth Princess, he would find himself in an ideal environment to rapidly increase his strength.

The resulting harvest of Karma would be substantial as well, making this a highly profitable outcome.

—

[You have returned, Immortal King! My anticipation has been immense!]

At that moment, Hans stood before Arch-Lich Dwell inside the primary necromantic manufacturing bays of the Immortal Fortress.

The initial cultivation stage for “Salma,” which he had been eagerly awaiting, had finally concluded.

‘Even though barely a week has gone by in terms of Earth’s calendar.’

Under normal parameters, such a procedure required a full year of maturation alongside an immense investment of exceedingly rare components. However, by aggressively channeling the forces of the abyss and death energy, they condensed the timeline to just over two months while achieving an identical grade of success.

[Hehehe— Excellent work, Dwell. This was undoubtedly a grueling assignment, yet your performance was exemplary.]

[Your praise is my highest honor! This Dwell McCain vows to apply the same standard to the remaining specimens, ensuring Your Majesty’s complete gratification!]

Hans paid no mind to the lich, who had thrown himself flat against the floor in intense appreciation of the brief compliment. Instead, he silently evaluated the form suspended inside the glass vat brimming with abyssal fluid.

Salma, the physical remains of a transcendent-tier awakened individual, marking his very first acquisition of this caliber.

An intimidating aura was already radiating from the vessel, despite the entity not being fully realized.

‘An awakened individual originating from Earth, a martial expert who penetrated the Mysterious Realm, reconstructed into a servant of death via the abyss… The final product should be spectacular.’

Given the premium quality of the raw subject, he had overhauled the traditional methods of reanimation entirely.

He bypassed the conventional formulas known to the world, engineering an unprecedented methodology from the ground up.

He laid down the structural matrix utilizing “Forbidden Knowledge” bolstered by the “Immortal Heart,” subsequently refining the design parameters through “Wicked Wisdom” and “Path of Magic.”

Following that, he employed the “Abyssal Eye” to map out the internal circuits for the dark energy to travel through, while utilizing “Magic Domination” to fine-tune the spell work. The culmination of rendering every resource at his disposal stood right before him.

It was the “Abyss Revenant,” a custom tier of undead engineered solely by Immortal King Hans, completely unique to history.

[I shall oversee the concluding phases myself. Replicate this exact standard for the other assets.]

[Understood! It shall be executed according to your will!]

With those words, Hans claimed possession of Salma, who required only a final touch to awaken, and quietly slipped back to Earth after conducting a concluding survey of the facilities.

It was time to discard the mantle of the “Immortal King” and become “Hahoe Mask” once more.

—

In the immediate aftermath of breaking out from the Immortal Fortress,

Riley pressed southward with Hesperon secured against her back, keeping her senses completely alert for any incoming threats.

Their exact coordinates remained a mystery, but the sheer density of predatory beasts wandering the wilderness made it obvious they were far from a safe zone.

“Hah… Hah…”

“…Riley? You can set me down. I am capable of walking…”

“Save your breath. You honestly think you’ve recovered after a mere couple of hours? Stop pushing yourself and stay put on my back! Hah…”

They had been trekking continuously for hours.

Despite reinforcing her body with magical arts, physical exhaustion was rapidly taking its toll.

‘Honestly, the fact that she has managed to keep going this long is a small miracle.’

Reinforcement magic was not a magical cure for exhaustion.

The efficiency of such enhancement spells depended heavily on the target’s underlying physical conditioning. For a princess who had spent her life insulated from rigorous physical labor, the synergy was incredibly poor.

Consequently, she was forced to burn through her internal reserves at an accelerated rate to maintain the boost, draining her stamina rapidly due to the sloppy control that allowed her mana to bleed away into the air.

Compounding their difficulties, that was far from the only obstacle complicating their flight…

“…Riley, more of them are approaching.”

“Ugh! How many times does this make it? Please don’t tell me we’re still trapped within the Northern Mountains!”

Riley, forcing her aching legs forward while drawing ragged breaths, offered a quiet complaint at Hesperon’s warning and ducked quickly into a dense patch of shrubbery.

Simultaneously, a minor defensive ward snapped into place around them, completely sealing off their immediate space from the outside world.

Shortly after—.

“Grrr—!”

“Kehehek!”

A pack of wild beasts trotted directly past their hiding spot.

They did not appear to be actively hunting them, likely misled by the active stealth artifact that shielded their signatures even while in transit.

“…Have they passed?”

“Yes, it looks like they were merely moving through the area.”

“Phew— We’ve run into nearly a score of these groups in just a few hours. This cannot be the interior of the Northern Mountains. Is the entire world outside civilization this overrun?”

“Huh? I have no idea. This is my very first time venturing past the walls…”

“I’m aware, I was simply venting… That leaves only a single logical territory. It makes perfect sense, given the geography.”

An expanse situated directly south of the Immortal King’s domain, sharing a frontier with the Northern Mountains.

A realm that had recently fallen to ruin, its borders entirely shattered by an onslaught of corrupt entities.

“The Rohan Duchy. It used to be a minor sovereignty positioned north of the Empire… Its current state is a mystery to me. My data only goes as far as the period leading up to my confinement.”

She relayed what context she possessed to Hesperon, who was understandably ignorant of regional geopolitics, utilizing the brief window to recover her breath.

In reality, it was an absurd notion for low-tier practitioners—particularly a coddled royal and a pair of recovering invalids—to survive such a brutal landscape.

“Take this. Drink this as well.”

“My thanks, Heron. This is an unfamiliar ration.”

However, the continuous logistics provided by “Avatar Cloud”—the ability he designated as his ‘unique attribute’—fully mitigated those survival issues.

He could manifest an endless supply of nourishment, beverages, outerwear, and wilderness survival gear, including heavy bedding…

“Kuhruung—!”

“Woof, woof!”

Thud, thud—

“Ah, another pack is crossing by. Is this a main migration trail or something?”

“Regardless, your talent is truly extraordinary. An artifact capable of this level of concealment isn’t something one can simply purchase, no matter how much currency they possess.”

“It carries a cost, believe me. It isn’t a power I can abuse indefinitely.”

“That stands to reason. You did mention you were temporarily locked out of your spatial movement due to overextending your capacity earlier.”

He could generate an array of specialized magical tools on demand, ranging from privacy fields and environmental scanners to isolation barriers.

Since he could source whatever utility the situation dictated, navigating the terrain undetected was relatively straightforward, provided they avoided any ‘major problems.’

“Shall we continue our advance?”

“Yes, my energy has returned sufficiently. Alright! Up you go, Heron, back onto my shoulders!”

“My legs are functioning fine now. The moment I falter, I will inform you, so let us walk side by side.”

“Sigh— You constantly keep me on edge.”

“Come, let us move.”

Indeed, everything was manageable as long as no ‘major problems’ manifested.

But this territory belonged to the shattered remnants of the Rohan Duchy.

It had transformed into a corrupted wasteland, where every major settlement outside the fortified capital had been surrendered to beasts driven mad by corruption, with survival hanging by a thread thanks to the intervention of the Holy Church and imperial legions.

A sovereign nation did not collapse into ruin solely due to low-tier monsters.

Inevitably, creatures capable of decimating an entire military formation single-handedly claimed these lands as their hunting grounds.

And naturally…

Whoosh—! Whoosh—!

The sensory perception of apex monsters covered an immense radius.

—

“…Ah, curse it all.”

“Heron? What is the matter…”

Their closing speed was utterly devastating, completely outstripping ordinary human reaction times.

Screech—!

The containment ward had barely dropped to allow their departure when—

The violent tearing of the atmosphere struck Hesperon’s ears, and ‘that entity’ materialized right alongside them.

‘Threat!’

His internal cognitive processes went into overdrive, the world slowing to a crawl as a primal instinct of impending doom washed over him.

His mental fortitude, surging to its absolute limits in a fraction of a second, parsed the hazard instantaneously.

Having calculated the parameters, his body executed a flawless, clinical response.

Mana surged through his pathways, dramatically amplifying his muscular output and reinforcing his physical frame against impact…

“Mmm?!”

He seized Riley by her side and threw his entire weight backward, launching them away from the point of origin.

Simultaneously, his free hand triggered a concealment artifact to mask their coordinates.

In the next breath,

Boom—!

A catastrophic concussive wave blasted through the soil where they had stood a moment prior, sending a massive wall of debris exploding into the air.

And then…

“Kieeeeek—!”

Whoosh—!

A deafening, frenzied shriek shattered the silence, followed by a violent sweep of massive wings that dispersed the dust cloud instantly.

Revealed within the clearing was an enormous griffin, sporting the powerful hindquarters of a lion paired with the lethal talons, head, and wings of a raptor.

Crimson embers of madness flickered within its wild gaze as it whipped its head about, aggressively scanning the terrain for the prey that had slipped from its grasp.

Corrosive saliva dripped steadily from its hooked beak.

“…A Griffin.”

Riley, pressed flat against the earth, whispered the name in absolute terror, staring up at the terrifying predator.

‘I checked the sensors thoroughly before lowering the ward!’

They had scanned the sector for any hostile signatures using their tracking gear and verified their active cloaking tools were operational before stepping into the open.

Had Hesperon not intervened with such impossible reflexes, that opening strike would have spelled their immediate demise.

‘No, the reality we are facing right now is barely any better.’

The emergency ward had temporarily broken line of sight, but a Griffin was an apex hunter capable of butchering a mature Ogre in single combat.

Its capacity for flight made evasive maneuvers infinitely more complicated.

‘This cloaking field will collapse the moment that thing begins a systematic search of the immediate area. We have to formulate an escape strategy right now.’

They remained trapped in a lethal scenario that could devolve into a slaughter at any second.

“Phew, your instincts are incredible, Heron. You saved my life once more. But looking at our options… Huh? Heron? Hold on, talk to me!”

Riley, keeping her voice to a tense whisper, froze as she reached out to touch his back. He remained completely motionless, still locked in an embrace around her.

Squish—

“Ah?”

A warm, viscous fluid coated her fingers.

She scrambled into a sitting position, her heart hammering against her ribs with dread as she inspected his torso, her jaw tightening in horror.

He hadn’t emerged from the ambush entirely unscathed; a deep, ragged tear ran across his shoulder blades, weeping dark crimson.

He had slipped into unconsciousness, likely incapacitated by the sheer force of the concussive shockwave.

“…A restorative, we possess a restorative fluid.”

Riley frantically ripped open the emergency vial Hesperon had compiled for such a scenario, emptying the contents directly over the laceration.

Yet, this was mere stabilization; without advanced medical intervention, the wound would remain critical.

“What do I do…?”

The variables, however, were deteriorating rapidly.

A sudden, chilling sensation caused her to slowly pivot her gaze…

“Kieek?”

“………!”

She locked up entirely, her eyes pinning against a pair of glowing crimson irises.

The Griffin had closed the distance silently, lowering its massive skull to peer directly through the illusion, locking its gaze onto her form.

A suffocating stillness descended over the clearing.

“Kieeeeek—!”

“Oh, damn it all.”

Her curse spilled out involuntarily, swallowed by the predator’s deafening, mad roar.

‘We finally broke free from the Immortal King’s grasp!’

Squeezing her eyelids shut, she pulled Hesperon’s limp form tight against her chest, bracing for the impact.

It was a primitive, futile gesture in the face of such power.

Because her eyes were closed, she missed the subtle movement beneath her.

She failed to notice that he was tracking the beast, forcing one eyelid open through sheer force of will.

In that exact instant,

Flash—

“Kieek?!”

A blinding torrent of pristine radiance erupted, slicing through the canopy like dawn breaking across a midnight sky.

Coinciding with the light, a titanic blade forged of pure brilliance manifested from the ether, cleaving downward with enough force to shatter the horizon.

“Gasp—!”

Clang—!

Whoosh—

The strike connected squarely with the charging Griffin.

The construct of light was saturated with an overwhelming quantity of concentrated holy energy, honed to a razor’s edge, indicating the caster had unleashed their absolute maximum capacity without hesitation.

No beast, regardless of its status as a high-tier predator augmented by madness, could endure a ambush of that magnitude.

“Kihuh, kki— Ugh!”

Thud!

The massive avian carcass crashed heavily into the dirt.

It was an abrupt, unceremonious conclusion for a beast of such terrifying reputation, though entirely logical given the caliber of the individual who had intervened.

“Ah… Ah?… No… No way. Are you… the Saint?”

“It has been quite some time, Princess. I harbored a hope that it might be you, yet I never truly anticipated crossing paths in a wasteland such as this. This can only be attributed to the divine intervention of the Main God.”

A figure bathed in an aura of pure sanctity looked down at the disheveled Princess Riley, offering a serene, comforting expression.

It was Heinrich Saint Landguard, the designated Saint of the Holy Church and the prophesied champion destined to deliver the world from darkness.