Elsewhere, Nassandra found a small branching cave, and watched over the entrance. Tolin was sprawled on the ground, his leg bleeding profusely everywhere. Evylin tried to treat his wounds, but the light from the rocks was too dim. She could not see properly. Upon seeing her desperation, Nassandra gathered her courage to use a fireball spell. The bright light shone through the small cave and into the tunnels, like a beacon. Anything wandering by would notice it, especially that monster. Her nerves were pulled taut. Not to mention, she kept using her Magic Perception to search for her friends. There was nothing though. Nobody at all. She could only pray that they were safe, while she kept watching the endless darkness.
In another place, Elizabeth and Freon were discussing what they should do next. Their Cores were empty, so they could not cast any more spells without World Energy. However, World Energy was a double-edged sword. It could not be controlled, and in the worst case, it would whittle away their lives. It was not an option. Using Martial Energy, on the other hand, was a bold idea. Although their bodies were beaten and bruised, they had not tapped into their Martial Energy yet. Furthermore, unlike Arcania which required spells to use, Martial Energy could be handled without a martial technique. The only question was whether they could control it properly. They decided to try, before seeking out the source of the water they heard.
Below them, on the opposite side of the large cavern where the webs were, Benedict and Shirley decided on using Magic Energy faster. That decision came with its own set of challenges though. They had no wands, no spells, and no practice to speak of. In particular, having a wand was a hard requirement. It was impossible for them to free cast at this stage, no matter how gifted they were. Only the likes of Protector Avin, a Rank 3 King, or the Featherwind Sect birds could accomplish that. But luckily, the Arcane Knights were equipped with wands. They just had to find them, except that eventually led back to the first problem. They could not go anywhere without weapons. Benedict and Shirley were thoroughly stumped.
Yuna and Lady Kalasena too, including the surviving Arcane Knights and Grand Knights. Everyone was divided up and scattered throughout the caves, as they struggled to survive. Some managed, like Elizabeth and her friends. Others did not, like the nameless knight. They quietly died in places nobody knew without anyone to hear their cries. The insects, their own injuries, and even their mental states… Their lights were disappearing one by one. Despair crept in, because everyone knew even if they could survive the onslaught of bugs, there was the all-important question: how were they going to get out? How would they see the light of day again? Without an answer, their struggles were ultimately futile. Death was all that awaited them.
Slowly approaching the Mordrigan Peaks from the sky was the Featherwind Sect's four elder birds. The heavy winds and snow made travelling an arduous task, even though they were strong people in their own right. Alas, that was the might of mother nature. Their current power was too feeble to resist! What made matters worse was that they were flying in the middle of the night… It might have been easier if they were closer to the ground; however, they heard from Elder Unvo that these mountains was a One Summit Three Kings natural formation, a place teeming with Rank 2 Beast Lords. They wanted to avoid antagonizing any local Beast Lords until they met up with Elder Unvo.
While they flew, Elder Crus and Ludin would occasionally cast their gazes back to check if Protector Avin had caught up. He was nowhere to be seen though. It was a peculiar situation that made Elder Argo ponder. Surely, the Rank 3 King's performance could not be that disappointing, right? Every Rank 3 King needed an overabundance of effort, talent, luck, and opportunities to reach that point. It could not be stumbled upon by dumb luck. In a world where hundreds of thousands of Rank 2 Lords existed, perhaps only one Rank 3 King would arise. The barrier between Half-Rank 3 King and Rank 3 King was painfully difficult to breach! Many brilliant geniuses and prodigies were stopped here. Elder Argo understood, because he used to be one of them. So, he firmly believed that anyone who could best him and become a Rank 3 King should not be underestimated.
As they got closer to Elder Unvo, the eyes of the four birds shifted. They went from confusion to amazement. There was a powerful presence ahead, and it was one they were quite familiar with. The birds descended as the snow parted and the ground appeared. There, in front of the cave entrance that Elizabeth and her party went into, was Elder Unvo and three other people. The first was a rather elegant-looking gentleman, except… he was crouched in the snow and wrapped in layers of clothing. From the way he was shaking and sneezing, he looked pitiful. A small fire burned by his feet, offering what little warmth it could. It was being tended to by another man, a Perception Realm Adept. The four birds did not recognize Lord Fredrick and his guard, but they did recognize the last person. The owner of that powerful aura was Protector Avin Arcellius!
But how? How did he get here faster than them? Moreover, how did he evade their perception? What did he do? Baffled, the birds landed, unleashing a small shower of snow that doused Lord Fredrick's fire. The poor Grand Lord was aghast. Elder Argo squinted as he regarded Protector Avin with a cold look. The other birds were the same as they showed faint signs of hostility. Protector Avin's performance had taken them by surprise, which left them wary and suspicious. The tension was palpable.
The man responded by smiling, "Sorry, I was in a rush, so I came here first."
Elder Argo chuckled. "No worries. I understand, but I'm quite curious. How did you get here before us?"
"That's a secret."
"I see. What a shame," he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
He had to admit he was fooled. Protector Avin's methods were clearly better than what he displayed. This reaffirmed his belief that anyone who could become a Rank 3 King could not be measured by common sense. They were monsters in their own right! Still, Elder Argo saw that Protector Avin's aura had degraded significantly. The man must have done something extreme. He glanced at Elder Unvo, who was standing there awkwardly. He would get the details from him later.
Protector Avin snorted on the inside. He did not trust these scheming birds one bit. If it were up to him, he would have 'dealt' with them a long time ago. However, Elizabeth was collaborating with them. It was unsightly. And as Elder Argo correctly assumed, the method he used to get here first had certain downsides. The largest being that he had to expend a vast amount of Magic Energy. Even for someone like him, a Low Blue Depth Core Arcanist, he had used around two-thirds of his Magic Energy. It was crazy to imagine he needed that much energy! So, he was in a rare moment of weakness while he recovered.
Lord Fredrick and his guard were here, because of Protector Avin. When he travelled here, he saw the numerous out-of-place carriages parked at a small town. Their insignias bore the mark of Princess Elizabeth, the Royal Ambassador, so he knew they were nearby. After a bit of investigating, he found Lord Fredrick. The guard opened the door tiredly and annoyed that someone was disturbing them late at night. The second he laid eyes on Protector Avin though, his demeanor completely changed. The senses of an experienced Perception Realm were hard to fool. He could tell that Protector Avin was absurdly strong! There was not much of a conversation though. Protector Avin suppressed him, nabbed Lord Fredrick, and flew to the sky in the blink of an eye. The two men trembled uncontrollably, powerless to resist. Even Lord Fredrick turned silly from the shock. His grace and nobility were nowhere to be seen. Along the way, Protector Avin interrogated them about the situation, which was why he knew what happened. Thinking about how this was caused by Nassandra irritated him. It brought shame to the Arcellius Family!