Everything around him seemed like an illusion, colors thick and overlapping, swiftly receding.
Just as Klein came to his senses and began to observe this peculiar traversal, he felt the hand of Mr. Azik, who was gripping his arm, tremble slightly.
Before he could react, he experienced a strong sense of weightlessness, his body uncontrollably falling, even spinning.
The surrounding red, yellow, white, and black colors quickly faded, and Klein landed heavily on solid ground, dizzy and with his insides churning.
Through his blurred vision dotted with golden stars, everything he saw had returned to normal. To his left was a dark abyss with no visible bottom, like the legendary Demon Abyss. To his right was a gray stone wall that extended upwards, seeming to support the entire area.
There was no sun, no clouds, no mist. Dim light came from phosphorescent moss growing in various places. Darkness and depth were the main colors of this “world”.
Klein propped himself up with his left hand, agilely rising, and found that he was standing on a regular road paved with stone slabs, wide enough for two carriages to travel side by side. It was definitely not a natural formation.
The road wound downwards at one end, plunging into dark crevices, and at the other end led upward, where vaulted corridors and halls could sometimes be seen within the rock walls.
Klein raised his head but couldn't see the top, his view completely blocked by the gray stone walls.
Suddenly, he had an epiphany: he and Mr. Azik had “fallen” into the depths of the earth, finding themselves among the ruins of an ancient civilization.
Was this a different region, or still near Backlund? Just as the thought crossed his mind, he heard Mr. Azik speak in a low voice: “Leave this place first, go up.”
“Huh?” Before Klein could grasp the meaning of these words, he saw a flash of light on the side, instantly outlining an illusory double door.
That door seemed to be made of bronze, unreal yet extremely heavy, its surface covered with countless strange patterns and enigmatic symbols.
With a creak, a crack opened in the door, and pale, bloody arms eagerly extended from it. Besides these, there were dark green vines with baby faces and slippery tentacles with protruding eyes.
“This is very similar to the effect of Miss Sharon's mystical item...” Amidst his fleeting thoughts, Klein noticed that the arms, vines, and tentacles had ceased their frenzy, becoming quiet and sticking to the ground. This was completely different from their previous mad behavior when they had forcefully pulled a Sequence 6 “Corpse” into the door.
Then, the gap in the illusory door widened noticeably, and a figure stepped out from it.
The figure was wearing a pure black priest's robe, his features like classical sculptures, distinct and clear.
He had dark gold hair, deep blue eyes, a high-bridged nose, and wore a soft cap favored by the elderly. His temples were somewhat white, which didn't quite match his middle-aged appearance.
Seeing that one of his eyes had completely lost its luster, the name of the newcomer surfaced in Klein's mind: Ince Zangwill!
The former archbishop who single-handedly orchestrated the Tingen incident and severely damaged the Nighthawks team, the holder of Sealed Artifact “0-08”!
Almost simultaneously, Klein turned around and, following Mr. Azik's words, fled upward along the road.
He understood very well that as a Sequence 6, staying in a fight between demigods would only be a burden, only distracting Mr. Azik.
In such a critical moment, false modesty and affected words were unnecessary, only harmful to himself and his companions!
Footsteps thudding. Since there was nothing in the underground to ignite, Klein could only grit his teeth and run with all his might, while Azik's calm and gentle voice came to his ears:
“Escape from here. Don't worry about me. I've recalled many things. I know I was once at a Sequence for a long time. That Sequence is called ‘Undying’.”
Thud, thud, thud. Klein rounded a cliff wall and entered a dim corridor with a domed ceiling. The walls on both sides were covered with mottled murals.
Just then, he heard a dignified and hoarse voice echo from the location he had passed: “Teleportation is forbidden here!”
Beside Ince Zangwill, a figure had arrived at some unknown time, floating in the air contrary to physical laws, wearing an ornate mask as if made of gold.
But Ince Zangwill did not attack immediately; instead, he glanced at the corner where Klein's figure had disappeared.
The Night Goddess Church's Sequence 4, “Night Watcher”, can bestow bad luck on others to some extent, but Ince Zangwill, who had silently “blessed” Klein, found that he had not encountered such things as slipping and falling into the deep valley.
Not only that, but Ince Zangwill's vision also seemed to have an illusion, seeing some thin, illusory gray mist.
Without time to think too much, he withdrew his gaze and turned back to Azik Eggers.
Thud, thud, thud, squeak... Klein, running at high speed, suddenly stopped. His spiritual intuition told him that there was someone ahead, a Beyonder, and likely the guards of this place!
After a moment of thought, he reached out his left hand and wiped it over his face. At the same time, a crisp sound came from inside his body, and he forcibly grew seven or eight centimeters taller.
When his left hand left his face, he had become a middle-aged man with dark gold hair and a high nose bridge, a one-eyed middle-aged man — Ince Zangwill!
Recalling the other's demeanor, he used illusion to modify his clothes, then walked quickly, rounded a corner, and entered a hall.
There were four guards in full black armor, all with sharp gazes.
Klein, with a stern expression, walked over and deliberately said in a hoarse voice: “Someone has sneaked in here. I'm looking for him. Have you found any clues?”
The leading guard examined him, then lowered his head and said: