Extraordinary Voyage-Chapter 600 - 527: Dire Situation

In the ancient god-styled labyrinthine architecture, the Maze God whose name exists only on golden tablets, the chaotic demons of the Spirit Realm, the humanoid creatures speaking the Kuma Empire language... Various elements intertwined, making this treasure hunt that faced mishaps from the start increasingly mysterious and bewildering.

Aiven and Olivia exchanged a glance, reaching a unanimous decision:

"Capture them!"

Since these were intelligent beings different from ordinary monsters, there was a possibility for communication. Before reuniting with his sister, it wouldn't hurt to first determine their current situation and prepare an escape plan post-reunion.

Aiven was well-versed in the essence of the operative approach, "sneak into the village quietly, without firing a shot."

To avoid attracting attention from other monsters in the labyrinth, invisible ripples spread from his body far and wide, diffracting through electromagnetic waves, bypassing the intricate obstacles, penetrating deeply into the labyrinth's interior.

[Desperate Thunder Swordsmanship: Low-Pressure Pulse]

From the feedback, it was quickly determined that the nearest labyrinth creatures were three intersections away; a swift victory was achievable without issues. Moreover, a tall and athletic figure had already appeared at the edge of the detection range, so there was no worry of unexpected events.

Thus.

While maintaining a state of invisibility, Aiven raised his left hand adorned with a Tourmaline Ring, and the invisible magnetic field from [Divine Power] quietly permeated out.

Crack—

A dazzling white light flashed and disappeared.

Blue-white lightning wove through the air like a serpent, but before those bizarre silhouettes could react, it had already crashed down upon them.

[Desperate Thunder Swordsmanship: High-Voltage High-Frequency Pulse] Aiven preferred to call it [Thunder].

Though the thunder wasn't obvious, the effect was significant.

Among the five strange figures, four were directly thrown away by the high-voltage current, hitting the walls; electric currents still coursed through their bodies long after, convulsing them into complete incapacity to resist.

However, around the neck of the figure wearing a giant kestrel skull, a gold talisman suddenly lit up, surprisingly negating the power of the lightning.

Upon realizing the enemy attack, without hesitation, it quickly bolted towards a dark corridor, its robe draped over its body like reptilian skin slowly blending with the surrounding environment.

In a blink of an eye, following the circular corridor, it sprinted 20 meters, nearly merging completely with the labyrinth environment.

Yet, just as it was about to quietly celebrate its narrow escape.

A voice shouted in the darkness:

"Go back!"

Boom—

The "kestrel" was kicked back by the slender figure that flew from the opposite direction.

The figure wore the same "Venom" armor as Aiven and Olivia, it was the sister who, hearing the thunder, had just arrived.

Thud!

The kicked "kestrel" conveniently landed at the feet of Aiven and Olivia, who had just jumped down from the circular hall's top, rolling twice on the ground, with the giant kestrel skull it wore falling off to reveal its true face.

The two of them, along with Anita, who walked out from the opposite corridor, simultaneously turned their gaze onto it.

"Ugh!"

Seeing its appearance beneath the mask, the three of them were hit with a wave of nausea. This guy's appearance was an absolute desecration to all human aesthetics and art, delivering heavy visual pollution.

The body beneath the robe was thin, emaciated, tinged with the greenish-black of decaying flesh.

In contrast, atop the frail neck sat a grotesquely mismatched head, bloated to gigantic proportions like it had soaked in water. On the wrinkled pale head, four asymmetrically placed green eyes clustered like sores.

At the bottom, there was a small, cherry-like tubular mouthpart.

"Rrrrr..."

The two girls, faces pale and bodies trembling, their teeth clattering lightly, akin to someone with trypophobia encountering a hive.

Simultaneously raising their hands, the Spiritual Light of Combat Qi and Witchcraft began to flicker, ready to immediately execute a merciful demise upon this abomination not meant to exist in the world!

"Hey, wait, wait, don't be hasty!"

Aiven grabbed both of them, struggling to hold them back.

Only after activating the "Activated Spiritual Light" to put the kestrel skull back on the monster did the girls' expressions slightly brighten.

"Though they're ugly, at least they are aware of it, considering they wore a mask when going out... ugliness isn't fatal. At least wait until after interrogation before sending them for reformation," he convinced his sister and Olivia.

Aiven himself didn't want to touch these entities; "Activated Spiritual Light" gathered these cultists of Tier 2 Transcendent level together.

Olivia took out a Cat's Eye Bracelet, waving it in front of them, watching as those grotesquely pus-filled eyes lost their luster, then began the interrogation.

[Gem Witchcraft: Enchantment]

Benefitting from the knowledge garnered in the Spirit Realm, the girl began fluently in the Kuma Empire's language:

"Then starting with the simplest question, tell me, who are you?"

Half an hour later.

Pondering over the intelligence extracted by Olivia, all three of them were deep in thought.

"The situation isn't looking too good..."

First, it's about the identity of these ugly creatures.

Undoubtedly, they used to belong to the Kuma Empire, and they were even among the upper nobility.

After ultimately choosing to worship the Maze Master Aihote and offering massive human sacrifices, they were twisted by the power of this unknown god into grotesque monsters, but they got what they yearned for—immortality!

Yes, this group of hideous beings, grotesque in every possible way, are actually what could be commonly known as "Immortals."

Even someone as powerful as Ilya's Kingdom Guardian Knight "Stormy Sea Tide" has to face birth, aging, illness, and death. Who could resist the temptation of "immortality" if given the chance?

The downfall of the Kuma Empire is clearly linked in some way to the "Maze God" Aihote, but these people don't know the causal link, and in fact, neither do Aiven and his group find it very concerning.

What Aiven and his team do care about is why they are here, what they will face next, and they can piece together some truth from the mouths of these monsters.

These beings, named "Blasphemous Cultists" because of their hideous appearance by Aiven's group, call this a grand ceremony to honor the "Maze God" Aihote.

All the gold and jewels on the island are real, but they might not allow this group of treasure hunters to take them away.

All the extraordinary individuals in the team have been brought to this lost island under the influence of the [Maze].

The island has an upper and lower layer.

Those with great power, abundant life force, vast potential, or unique nature... are chosen to enter the large underground maze directly.

Only those with the greatest wisdom, power, and luck can come before the god by passing through countless obstacles and dangers. After making the right choice, some will receive the god's "blessing" while some will leave empty-handed.

This is the core part of the ceremony.

Ordinary extraordinary individuals will come to the island's surface and, during the ceremony, try to entertain the god with thrilling battles and a wise fight for survival. If unfortunately, they enter the altar in the island's center before the ceremony ends, they will become nourishment for the god and His Beloved.

And those mortals without qualifications will, in their all-out battles, witness this ceremony and the god's great moment with their lives.

Of course.

These are the thoughts of the obsessed believers. Translated into the thinking of normal people, they would mean: sacrifice, defective product, fodder.

No matter the category, the outcome seems unfavorable.

However.

Though it seems bleak, there is still a glimmer of hope.

Mortals will only die due to infighting over treasures; ordinary extraordinary individuals only need to hold out until the ceremony ends; for them, it's about making the correct choice before the god.

These give them a chance to escape safely.

As for the so-called god's blessing, based on the experiences of Aiven and Olivia exploring the ancient divine city of the Spirit Realm, it's better to be respectfully declined.

The additional point that concerns them the most.

With the start of this ceremony, the prayers of the "Blasphemous Cultists" included a new term: the Just Rule Maker, a phrase never used in the past hundred years.

A god's title isn't just casually named; it involves their power, path, anchor point, divine position... all the evidence explaining why this god is what it is.

"The so-called ancient gods are mostly survivors from before the eras, and perhaps this 'Maze God' is seeking a new divine position, purifying any lingering power, and reintegrating into the new world?"

After discussing, Aiven and Olivia, relying on their extensive family knowledge, tentatively came up with this guess.

Actually, changes or extensions of divine authority are not unprecedented, with the last instance happening not too long ago, and it's widely known.

Before the Age of Navigation began, the authority of the "Queen Goddess" Hekater experienced a subtle shift, becoming the "Queen and Goddess of Navigation"!

But this so-called "Just Rule Maker," despite sounding like a positive title, doesn't necessarily mean the deity harbors amicable feelings towards humans. Setting rules without informing anyone is the deity's deepest malice kept hidden!

However.

Since it required them to step forward initially for the [Maze] teleportation, there must be some constraints involved, which even the rule maker must adhere to, unable to act freely.

With this understanding, they held a hope to escape.

"Let's explore the first level first, determine how many people were directly teleported into the maze, and hopefully gather everyone's strength."

Looking at the corpse in the Sak military uniform, this young officer was clearly a chosen genius, what a pity...

Through the "Blasphemous Cultists", they've confirmed that their current location is essentially an inverted pyramid. The lower they go, the smaller and closer to the end, while the top layer is possibly even larger than the exterior island.

Though the position during their teleportation was random, the general rule clearly related to the relative position of the battleship to the island at the time, only the actual area inside the maze was expanded manifold, hence the personnel were widely dispersed.

Though Aiven and Olivia both knew that in nearly 2000 years of history, the Kuma Empire might have built over a hundred thousand pyramids of various sizes.

It held no reference value for them since those pyramids were all solid structures, never featuring a maze.

The two of them took out their respective "Golden Compass," left a few little elves to destroy the "Blasphemous Cultists," who were supposed to live forever, and the officer's corpse, ready to set off.

Aiven suddenly noticed at the end of a corridor, at the edge of the dim boundary lit by the "little elf's" firelight.

A little girl wearing traditional Atrean garments and adorned with golden ornaments was watching them.

Though her appearance seemed indistinguishable from normal Atreans, her white curly hair and hollow, black eye sockets sent chills down their spines.

"You guys quickly..."

Aiven was about to warn Anita and Olivia when the little girl, in the blink of an eye, vanished into the darkness.