Chapter 820: The Spirit within the Fairy Realm
In the meantime, Shane just pressed deeper into the cavern.
There was no need to use Light Orbs since there were already red mana crystals glowing on the walls.
Still, as he walked further inside, the pressure of the corrupted mana grew heavier. It was not uncomfortable to him just yet, but he was monitoring it closely in case he had to retreat.
Well, if not for the Corruptor Set hugging his body and the resistances from his Corruption’s End title, the oppressive energy would have slowly injured his body.
’No wonder the Forest Sprites don’t want to enter too deep..." he thought.
Nonetheless, Shane continued as he was curious about this place...
Along the way, he collected more Red Mana Crystals that were just on the ground or stuck on the walls near him and stored them in his inventory.
He wasn’t bothering the few red mana crystals on the ceiling since they were the ones giving some light in his surroundings.
Even after hundreds had been stored, the cave still seemed abundant. It was like a never-ending vein of corrupted energy.
The tunnel eventually widened, opening into an underground chamber.
"Hmm?"
Shane paused for a moment as he realized what was inside this chamber.
Apparently, a large pond was inside...
It was even glowing faintly from within, so he knew that it was quite special...
’Maybe the corpse is underneath?’ Shane mused.
He could feel its energy pulsing against his chest. It was both intoxicating and dangerous.
Looking above, he noticed a sharp stone or stalactite that was dropping some mana water into the pond.
The moment water touched the surface of the pond, it would release a wave of corrupted mana in the surroundings, empowering the red mana crystals that had formed everywhere.
’It’s just like the mana lake near the World Tree, but it had been corrupted...’ Shane mused as he found some similarities.
He didn’t waste time.
Soon, he pulled several jugs from his inventory...
Then, he knelt beside the pond, carefully scooping the red liquid.
The containers glowed ominously once filled, as if barely able to contain what they held...
Shane was a bit afraid that the jug would fail to contain for a moment... Thankfully, the red mana water wasn’t as violent as he had thought.
As he looked into the pond with his various detection abilities, he realized that it was a lot deeper than he thought.
Of course, diving in was tempting... After all, there might be treasures buried there. Or perhaps, he could find the Ascended Being’s corpse at the very bottom. He wasn’t sure.
Still, instinct and caution screamed at him... It would definitely be dangerous.
’Not worth dying for...’ Shane thought.
As he turned to secure the last jug, the surface of the pond suddenly stirred.
Suddenly, a ripple spread outward...
’Something’s coming up?’
Shane thought as he used his Aura Sentinel to ensure that he wouldn’t get ambushed.
Then, it was at this time that he felt a powerful wave of energy that almost broke his Aura Sentinel...
Still, he spent over 200 Spirit Points to maintain the skill, and it protected him till the energy calmed down.
Then, from the very center, a figure rose. It was a translucent form shaped from red light.
It suddenly merged into the likeness of a tall, graceful being.
’A spirit?’
Shane froze. The long hair, noble features, and elegant armor...
It resembled a High Elf he had seen before.
He had no idea that the spirit of a High Elf would be inside his pocket dimension...
Then, as he recalled that it was given to him by the Fairy Queen, she must’ve planned this!
’What are you thinking? Why did you not tell me about this? What am I even supposed to do?’ Shane had various thoughts about this matter since he believed that the Fairy Queen had a very deep plan for him.
From the dimension itself, the Elf Admins of the System, the World Tree, the Elf Recruitment Stones, and now, the Spirit of the High Elf!
He believed that there was something more to this...
Now, Shane just wanted to find out what kind of secret this spirit had.
Shane took a deep breath before he confronted it.
"Who are you?" he asked...
The spirit’s gaze met his.
As it spoke, Shane confirmed that its voice was neither male nor female, but something in-between..
"Come back... when you are ready..."
Before Shane could react, the pond’s surface erupted.
A wave of corrupted energy blasted outward, striking him with irresistible force.
He didn’t even have the chance to use any of his skills.
Furthermore, even at his current level strength, he felt his body lifted and hurled backward as if space itself rejected his presence.
"Aacck--"
A blinding red light swallowed his vision.
When it cleared, Shane staggered and clutched his head.
The cool air of the Fairy Realm was gone... He no longer felt the refreshing mana that was supposedly within the Fairy Realm.
Instead, he stood in the Eclipse Domain Shelter, back in his private chamber.
[ Warning: Your connection to the Fairy Realm has been forcibly severed. ]
[ Remaining Time: 2 hours, 17 minutes. ]
[ The remaining time will be added in the next visit. ]
Shane’s eyes widened slightly. Never before had he been ejected early. He didn’t even know it was possible.
’Forced out...? By that spirit? That’s actually possible. Just what kind of spirit did you send me, Fairy Queen?’ Shane couldn’t help but recall the Fairy Queen.
’Whatever...’
He exhaled slowly, as he decided to find out soon...
"Come back when you are ready, huh... Alright..."
Still, Shane liked this challenge as he believed that there would be a reward waiting for him once he was acknowledged by that spirit...
"Interesting... Guess I’ll have to prepare for my next visit." Shane muttered.
However, he suddenly recalled that he didn’t say goodbye to Axis.
’I hope she’s not looking for me...’ He mused.
Shane then felt some strain on his body and seemed to be experiencing the lingering effect of the corrupted mana blast that he had taken...
This left him exhausted in a way that even his resistances couldn’t easily shrug off.
With a sigh, he unbuckled the Corruptor Set piece by piece, setting the dark armor aside before pulling on a simple shirt and trousers.
He no longer needs the Corruptor Set just to take some rest.
After he changed into more comfortable clothes, he immediately felt heavy and wanted to rest...
He barely managed to lie down before sleep pulled him under.
...
When his eyes opened again, several hours had passed.
The dull ache in his body had faded...
He was still concerned about the High Elf Spirit he had met within the Fairy Realm, but lingering on it now wouldn’t change anything. He had to prepare for his next move.
And right now, his attention shifted back to the threat of the Vampire Lord.
"Time to move," Shane muttered as he straightened himself.
’I probably need some Mech Frames to add more firepower.’ Shane muttered as he swiftly visited the hangar to get his Mech Frame units.
He didn’t plan to bring Juggernaut, Vanguard, or Phantom Mech...
Instead, he had decided to bring a Mech with long-range suppression.
There were four massive Mechs waiting in the hangar of the Eclipse Domain shelter.
Indeed, they weren’t in the New Genesis Shelter as they had already been transported a week ago.
These units were Aegis-05 Reaper.
They had black frames equipped with powerful artillery systems and an enhanced targeting system that Cloud had guaranteed.
Unlike the close-combat monsters like Juggernaut or Phantom, these were precision bombers designed for one purpose... The annihilation from a distance.
Shane’s decision came from a simple plan...
Against the Vampire Lord, who likely had layers of minions and defenses, what he needed was overwhelming firepower raining down from the skies.
"We will load them into the Floating Fortress..." Shane commanded the pilots.
The pilots weren’t the elite ones he had recruited, but those who had just passed the tests recently, so they could get more experience.
Well, he didn’t need heavily battle-trained pilots for the bombardment operation. They just need to aim and fire from the skies after all.
He just let the ace pilots like Xyrille and the others guard the shelter.
Soon, they were ready to leave.
It didn’t take them that long to arrive at the spot below the Floating Fortress.
With Shane’s control, the ground rumbled as the lift activated, slowly carrying the Reaper Mechs up into the Floating Fortress.
Shane watched as the Fortress came into view above.
Even after seeing this place for some time, the sight of it still inspired him. A fortress made of steel suspended in the sky, filled with cannons, turrets, and other weapons, was quite an incredible sight.
"Vampire Lord... let’s see how you like hellfire raining from the sky..." Shane murmured as he was ready to eliminate Statham for good.