"If I didn't know this led to the battlefield ruins, the scenery would actually be quite nice," Noelle said, looking at the mountain scenery.
However, just at this moment, she suddenly noticed that the clean water she had sprinkled using Water Magic was fluctuating in size. This was a sign of magic running out of control, but she was certain she hadn't lost control!
"Little Noelle noticed it too, huh? We have probably entered the ancient battlefield ruins now. The magic here is violent, so magic will run out of control for reasons other than human error." Vanessa explained.
"I see. But the journey has been so peaceful!" After getting the explanation, Noelle felt slightly relieved, but then she felt that this ancient battlefield ruin wasn't as terrifying as everyone said.
"Big Sister Noelle, this path was opened by our ancestors, so there is no danger on the way in. But once you enter, you will experience a momentary dizziness and will never be able to find the original path again. Anyone who hasn't entered has a high chance of walking into a dangerous area," Nero explained.
"We're almost there," Asta said, looking at the pale blue halo that appeared before them.
"How come I don't see it? Ugh... I feel like throwing up..." Noelle didn't stop walking as she spoke, walking straight in. However, this feeling of discomfort was instantly eliminated by a hand placed on her shoulder.
"Little Asta's eyes are really pretty; they've actually turned dark red." Vanessa rested her hands on Asta's shoulders, staring unblinkingly at his dark red Sharingan. Her expression was like a Persian cat that had discovered a novel toy, and her light purple pupils dilated slightly.
Looking at his energetic state, it was clear that he had not been affected by the dizziness when entering the battlefield ruins just now.
"Vanessa, don't get so close, okay? I'm still a child!" Asta looked at the swimsuit-clad older woman who kept teasing him, feeling bitter inside!
"Hmm, you didn't use the title of Big Sister again. It seems Asta really wants something to happen between us!" Vanessa straightened up, her jade-white fingertips gently tapping her red lips. This action was simply cheating, as it possessed not only the charm of a mature woman but also the ignorant cuteness of an innocent girl.
The combination of two completely different attributes was an absolute explosion of charm!
It made Nero blush slightly. She secretly envied her, wondering when she would be able to grow up! She wanted to have that kind of charm too!
"Big Sister Vanessa!" Noelle protested after steadying her mind. Although she was very jealous, she would absolutely not say it out loud!
"Alright, Little Noelle, let's continue moving forward. Although this is the edge of the ancient ruins, the magic has already started to become murky and chaotic, so don't easily cast large-scale magic, or it will be hard to control," Vanessa said seriously, then pulled out the map tucked into her swimsuit and examined it.
"Big Sister Vanessa, don't you think it's a bit late to study the map now?" Asta couldn't help but retort.
"I forgot, we have little Nero as our guide. So, Nero, can you sense your brother's location?" While Vanessa asked, her gaze didn't leave the map, because it recorded very important information, such as the fact that insects with life force so strong that they could survive even in the cruel battlefield ruins would appear in the ruins.
It was just that it was best not to encounter them in here, because these were mutated insects, and they were present in huge numbers.
"I can sense my brother's location. He is right in front of us, but he is very weak right now!" Nero closed her eyes and began to sense with all her might, finally determining the exact direction.
"The place you are pointing to is exactly the most dangerous part of the battlefield ruins. According to the markings on the map, insects with powerful life force will definitely appear in this area, and in huge numbers. Moreover, the only person who reached this place and made it out alive only provided this information, as he could only reach the outer layer and couldn't go any deeper," Vanessa said, closing the map.
"Bugs?" In Noelle's mind, all sorts of hideous insects appeared, and the little pink ahoge on her forehead stood straight up.
"Battle mode!" Asta stood in front of Noelle. "As long as you call me Big Brother Asta, I guarantee that no bugs will be able to get near you from now on!"
"In your dreams!" Noelle raised her little head and walked forward alone. However, she didn't get far before she screamed, because a riddled corpse appeared before her eyes. On the corpse was a creature that looked like a maggot, only black in color, with a head full of fangs. After this insect discovered Noelle, it displayed amazing jumping power!
"Water Bullet!" In her panic, Noelle released a huge Water Bullet, but the black maggot actually charged right out of the Water Bullet!
"Asta!" Noelle didn't know when she had replaced the words "Help me" with "Asta." Maybe it started from the Magic Palace! No, it might have started from the day her magic went out of control.
"Kekeke!" The black maggot made a terrifying and sharp sound, as if mocking Noelle that calling for anyone was useless. It had absolute confidence in its own speed. Among the group that had broken in earlier, they only managed to escape by feeding it with the corpses of their companions. Now that it had smelled such delicious food, it could not let it go!
"Get lost!" However, just as the black maggot's speed became so fast that it left afterimages in mid-air, a figure with even faster, more explosive speed—like a azure dragon from the nine heavens—actually broke the sound barrier!
"Bang!" The massive demon-slayer sword emitted a dazzling red light, directly swatting the black maggot into a mist of blood!
"Next time, remember to call me Big Brother!" Asta laughed.
"You jerk Asta, who was it that said as long as I encountered danger, you would come to save me?" Noelle said with dissatisfaction.
"Fine..." Asta rubbed his nose, deciding not to reason with the girl, because reasoning was absolutely impossible!
"The thing we just encountered is called a Devouring Maggot. It likes to devour flesh and blood and is a very dangerous creature. It also likes to live in groups, so we had better leave here quickly!" Vanessa frowned. These were creatures unique to this place and were very troublesome.
"Okay!" Asta replied. Afterward, the group hurried along blindly. Along the way, they could see skeletons that had been dead for a long time, as well as corpses that had died not long ago.
Clearly, these skeletons belonged to earlier adventurers, while these still-warm corpses belonged to the bandits.
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