Chapter 979 Walpurgis Night
Chapter 979 Walpurgis Night
Souta and the others listened to the conversation around them for a while. There was nothing new except for the wars across the entire region. The only places that weren't affected were those lands that housed Shackled Realm experts.
"We should go," Souta said before he stood up.
Alice, Eilish, and Amanda followed behind him.
The next day, the group continued their journey.
They came across several cities with the same situations; all of them were embroiled in war. They personally witnessed how the war affected these places. It was different from the current peaceful Hall Plains. After all, the Obsidian Desert didn't have an organization that held absolute power over the whole region, like how the Dragon Council did in the Hall Plains.
Soon, they arrived in a place where sandstorms were rampant, with towering boulders of rock providing some protection against the elements.
"Are you sure this is the right place?" Alice asked, her voice barely audible over the howling winds.
"Yeah," Souta replied confidently.
The group pressed onward until they reached an area where a strange formation of rocks gathered, forming what appeared to be a makeshift magic circle.
Souta retrieved the invitation and noticed that it emitted a strong aura of Dream Power, confirming that they were in the correct location.
Alice and Eilish, both attuned to Dream Power, immediately sensed its presence emanating from the paper.
"It feels like no one has been here before. Are we the first ones to arrive here?" Eilish wondered aloud as she surveyed their surroundings.
"Probably not. This place was likely constructed to facilitate faster travel for those near the Obsidian Desert. There are probably other similar locations with the same function, serving as entry points to Walpurgis," Souta explained.
Indeed, there were likely several such locations where witches could enter and exit Walpurgis Night. If it were only situated in the Obsidian Desert, someone would have surely noticed witches in the area. Alternatively, perhaps they were exceedingly cautious and remained within their headquarters.
Turning to Amanda, Souta handed her the invitation. "Here, you're the only one who can bring us to Walpurgis Night."
Only a witch could activate the invitation. Even if someone stole it, they would be unable to enter Walpurgis unless they were a witch.
Amanda didn't initially know what to do with the invitation, but as soon as she held it in her hands, information flooded her mind.
In just a second, she knew how to activate it and enter the Dream Realm.
Turning around to look at Souta, she said, "I'm going to activate it."
Souta nodded in response, but then he raised his hand and said, "Wait!"
Alice and Eilish glanced at him, wondering why he asked her to stop. Even Amanda was confused by his action.
After a moment, Souta frowned and continued, "The doppelgangers I sent to resolve the small wars in this place are gone. Someone destroyed them."
"What?!" Alice and Eilish exclaimed in surprise.
They knew the capabilities of Souta's doppelgangers, so if someone managed to destroy them, it wouldn't be an ordinary expert. Whoever possessed the power to destroy the doppelgangers must be hiding in the Obsidian Desert.
"Indeed, I wanted to investigate it, but it seems I have to postpone that for now. I'll look into it later," Souta said.
The individuals who destroyed his doppelgangers must be wary. They probably suspected that someone from the countries with Shackled Realm experts was involved. While the situation was still manageable, Souta knew he needed to address it before it became a bigger problem.
Glancing at Amanda, he said, "We'll investigate that later. For now, let's focus on the witches."
After hearing Souta's words, Amanda took a deep breath. She then cut her palm and let her blood drip onto the invitation. Summoning her soul weapon, she sliced the invitation into several pieces.
Swoosh!
The pieces of the invitation emitted a stronger Dream Power. They swirled in the air before striking Amanda's hand.
Bang!
A mark of the Walpurgis Night appeared on the back of her palm, emitting a dazzling light that enveloped everyone.
In the next moment, they found themselves in a different place. Standing on a huge platform, countless islands floated above them. The unmistakable sensation of the Dream Realm confirmed their arrival.
Alice looked around and said, "I wonder which part of the Dream Realm this is."
"I have no idea. The witches keep this place a secret," Souta replied.
"But it doesn't seem like we're at the Walpurgis," Eilish noted.
"Yeah," Amanda nodded. "We need to find a way to get there. Follow me."
They leaped from the platform and landed on one of the floating islands. Each island was unique; some were engulfed in ice or flames, while others were shrouded in storms.
"Be careful. This place is different from where we earned our Sovereign titles," Souta cautioned.
Vanko was relatively tame compared to this place, even though it was situated in the Nightmare Realm. Souta could sense countless dream beasts on different floating islands, either fighting or sleeping.
Thud!!
The islands shook heavily. Souta, Alice, Eilish, and Amanda paused as they felt a powerful energy in the air. They all raised their heads simultaneously as a shadow loomed over the entire island.
"That's...!" Eilish widened her eyes.
"Don't move," Souta commanded, noticing that the other dream beasts on nearby floating islands had stopped moving as well.
Alice and Amanda remained silent as they watched the monstrous figure soar above the floating islands.
The creature was terrifyingly huge, spanning almost fifty kilometers in length. Its body was covered in red scales, and its wings emitted a large amount of flames. Its sharp claws seemed to grasp at space as it continued its forward motion.
It was a fifth-stage dragon. Judging from its presence, Souta could guess that it was at its peak—a powerful monster even among fifth-stage dragons.
The dragon shifted its gaze, scanning the numerous floating islands. After a while, it continued forward without bothering any of the creatures in the area, simply passing by.
Once it disappeared from view, Souta and the others breathed a collective sigh of relief. Luckily, the dragon was just passing through; otherwise, the situation would have become much more troublesome.
Eilish glanced at Amanda and asked, "Are you sure we're in the right place?"
Amanda nodded without hesitation. She was certain. The information she received had led them here, unless the invitation contained false information.
"If Amanda says so, then this must be the right place. It's possible the witches chose this location due to the powerful dream beasts, making it difficult for those who seek them to approach," Alice added.
Without further delay, the group pressed on. Half an hour later, they stumbled upon a room teeming with dream beasts. These creatures were formidable, with the strongest among them reaching the peak of the fourth stage.
The group swiftly dispatched all the dream beasts, their combined strength making the task relatively easy. Souta's prowess far surpassed that of an ordinary peak fourth stage monster. While his inner consciousness was nearly healed, he still couldn't utilize his douion, and had to be cautious when employing his inner spell, as the magic circle was situated within his inner consciousness.
Once the room was cleared, they discovered a magic circle etched into the ground.
"A magic circle?" Eilish remarked after examining it closely. "The pattern and structure suggest it's another teleportation circle."
"Teleportation?" Souta's interest piqued.
Amanda nodded in confirmation, explaining, "Yes, it's a teleportation circle. This one appears to transport us directly to the territory of the Walpurgis Night. It's a one-time use, and only a witch can activate it."
Only a witch could activate it? It seems that witches really have a long history. They can even create magic circles exclusive to them," Eilish muttered.
Only experts who truly mastered spellcasting could create a spell. These experts were called Archmages. Even if their power level was low, as long as they truly mastered spellcasting, they would be called as such.
Souta glanced at Amanda. The Walpurgis Night had a long history, so their force couldn't be underestimated, and they were cautious too. They set up teleportation so no one could pinpoint their location.
He wondered if the thing that Chief Captain Vandal gave him would work. The witches must have prepared something to prevent anyone from pinpointing their location. They were prepared this much, so it should be possible.
"I'll activate it now," Amanda declared, her hands firmly placed on the magic circle as she channeled her mana into it.
Ohm!
The magic circle radiated a brilliant light, engulfing Souta, Alice, and Eilish as they stepped into its glow, their forms vanishing from sight.
Swoosh!
As the light faded, they found themselves in a new location, facing a colossal metallic gate adorned with the symbol of the Walpurgis Night.
"We're here," Amanda stated softly.
Souta nodded in agreement. With little information about this place, he could only anticipate what awaited them beyond the gate.
Thud!
A resounding sound reverberated as the gate slowly began to swing open.