Fire Mage-Chapter 669: Astral Being

Chapter 669: Astral Being

I need to plan carefully, keeping their strengths in mind from now on.

Still, thanks to this battle, his wisdom power had already soared to 900 points, far beyond any normal Legend Rank powerhouse.

"We can’t stay here any longer. The blood of the Magical Beasts will attract nearby predators. Besides, it’s almost evening." Charles glanced at Nick and the others dismantling the corpses. "Take only the magic stones from the Rank-5 beasts. Also, keep the spoils from the four Legend Rank Humanoid Wolves. I’ll take only the mutant one."

He stepped toward the three-meter-tall giant Humanoid Wolf and pulled a ’Fairy’ Rank Magic Stone from its heart. The crystalline blue stone, about the size of a human head, shimmered faintly.

A water elemental Magic Crystal, he thought quietly as he stored it in his space ring, pocketing the beast’s eyes, heart, teeth, and even skin.

Once everyone had gathered their spoils, the group resumed marching toward the Fortress of the Grave of Souls.

As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long shadows across the land, they spotted a vast fortified town far ahead. Towering trees surrounded it like natural walls. Their gnarled branches wove an intricate canopy, veiling the settlement and giving the entire scene an eerie, almost surreal quality.

Underneath nature’s camouflage, the town was nearly unrecognizable. The stone walls merged seamlessly with the tangled foliage, as if the forest itself protected it.

But what made Charles stop the expenditure wasn’t just the sight—it was a strange, familiar energy in the air. Though he couldn’t pinpoint it, he decided caution was necessary.

"We’ll camp here tonight and explore the fortress tomorrow." Though he wanted to push forward, Charles sensed greater dangers lurking inside and grew more alert.

After finding a safe spot, they lit a large campfire, its flames flickering in the darkness, offering warmth and a fragile hope amid their losses.

Charles cast the [Ignis Sanctuary] spell to protect their surroundings.

I need to understand more lawful fire laws and perfect this spell. It’s good for defense, but it wouldn’t withstand a few strikes from a Legendary Magical Beast, he muttered, furrowing his brow as he stared at the towering walls.

Though the sky had darkened only moments ago, the entire area suddenly seemed as black as midnight.

Something’s not right.

But I can’t recklessly release my wisdom power and alert whatever might be hiding inside. Should I scout alone? The scouting squad would usually handle this, but the eerie fortress unnerved him.

Fortress of the Grave of Souls... the name alone gives me chills. From what I’ve gathered, it was originally a main temple of an unknown god. I thought that strange Bone Tree was a fallen god—but it was only a Boss monster, like the Fallen Jinn and that strange Dog.

Lost in thought, Charles was interrupted by Nick, the chubby-faced man, approaching him.

Though Charles looked like a young kid, Nick never underestimated him.

He’s a terrifying monster. Even Commander Erwin needed several minutes to defeat that mutant Humanoid Wolf—but Charles overpowered it and killed it in 20 seconds.

Nick recalled the order Erwin gave before the expedition.

"Once the mission ends, kill him if you get the chance..."

Tsk. Nick hadn’t found a single opening. Charles never shut his eyes these days, always alert and wary of everyone.

"What’s on your mind, Mr. Nick? You seem troubled," Charles said without turning, eyes fixed on the fortress.

Nick sighed deeply, smiling awkwardly as unease crept into his voice.

"What do we do about tomorrow’s expedition? Thanks to you, we’ve come this far, but can we succeed? From what I heard from Commander Erwin, this fortress is a Temple of a Goddess of Death—and it’s nearly impossible to approach."

"Have you explored this place before?" Charles asked, curious.

"Not us, but Erwin once tried to enter with 200 Legend Rank powerhouses. They had to retreat when the entire scout squad disappeared. He said some powerful winged creature guards this fortress, and it’s overwhelmingly strong. The closer we get, the harder it becomes," Nick said grimly.

"Overwhelmingly powerful? Even Commander Erwin can’t handle it?" Charles fell into deep thought.

I thought no being could match me besides the floor boss. But I was wrong. If Erwin’s right, even ’Madness Berserk’ won’t help. Could that being be a Guardian? Tsk... What should I do now?

His brow furrowed as he made up his mind.

"Nick, I’ll scout the area first. I’ll return in two hours. If I don’t come back, you and your men should retreat."

"Without you, we might not make it back, Sir."

Charles shook his head and touched the Dreamkeeper Pendant.

A moment later, a small snake appeared out of thin air and slithered onto his shoulder.

He reached out and patted the Shadow Princess’s head.

"Things are going to get dangerous. Stay with him for now," Charles said, handing the pendant to Nick. "Take care of my pet until I return."

With that, he gently gathered the Shadow Princess and moved toward the Nebulus Dreamkeeper Pendant.

Sensing his worry, Shadow Princess hurried into the secluded dream realm.

Without delay, Charles’s body became enveloped in crimson flames before shifting into pure elemental form. In the next second, he vanished from sight and slipped into the astral realm.

But almost instantly, his body stiffened.

Before him loomed a gigantic, cloudy figure—an unfamiliar humanoid astral shape at the fortress’s center. It resembled a giant woman, holding a spear in her right hand and a shield in her left.

What caught Charles’s attention was the spear’s tip, which pierced a black, void-like rift in the sky, pushing it deeper into the spatial crack. Though neither the astral figure nor the black void moved, Charles knew this was not an enemy he could face yet.

From the look of it, is the entire area under the influence of a ’Time Stop’ spell?

A strange thought crawled into his mind. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

Now that I think about it, the familiar energy I sensed was the power of ’Present Time.’

After staring deeply at the gigantic astral form, Charles suddenly glanced at the sword at his waist and showed a surprised expression.

Hmm, I thought Grace couldn’t enter the Astral Plane because she’s an intellectual artifact... Looks like I worried for nothing.

He cast one last look at Nick and the others, then shifted into his soul form and began moving toward the Fortress of Soul Graves.

As I get closer to the fortress, the power of Present Time grows stronger, Charles observed, walking toward the fortress-like ruined town. Soon, he arrived before the gigantic broken stone gate.

Why do I feel this strange, prying sensation?

Stepping through a narrow gap in the gate, an immeasurable pressure suddenly surged from nowhere, scanning him relentlessly. At the same time, an eerie gaze seemed to pierce from the center of the ruins. Charles looked up.

At that moment, the cloudy astral figure’s face turned toward him, sending chills down his spine.

No good! That being noticed me!

He had assumed the astral being was sealed within the ’Time-Stop’ zone, but his judgment was dead wrong.

Can she move too?

As he pondered, a strange voice echoed deep in his mind.

"&%$) $%& %(($&%,"

He couldn’t understand a single word, but he sensed the voice belonged to a woman.

A new language? Charles furrowed his brows and decided to try the rune language.

"Can you speak to me in Rune Language?"

"Yes, Human. I can speak Rune," the woman replied quickly, then added,

"Please help me once, Mortal. I swear by the Ancestor of the Sun Titan that I, Thera, will never harm you for the rest of my life."

"Sun Titan? Sealed?" Charles stared at the massive figure, then asked,

"Then what exactly are you battling? What is that huge round thing?"

The sphere, about three meters in diameter, radiated endless chaotic energy. But looking closer, Charles realized it was a force-field-like structure enclosing a vague humanoid silhouette.

"It’s an Evil God—a creation of the Supreme Demon meant to invade other planes. They seek only destruction and chaos. I came for treasure, but accidentally released it from a cursed coffin. With no other choice, I used a unique ’Time-Space’ seal in the Astral Plane to imprison myself with it for over 15,000 years. I hoped a powerful mage or even the Guardian would release me, but no one came. You’re the first person unaffected by the ’Time-Space’ seal who can walk the sealed Astral Plane as if it were nothing." Her voice carried astonishment.

15,000 years? If that’s true, she’s basically an explorer like me, and might help me reach my goal.

But first, Charles needed to confirm something.

"What are you planning to do with this Evil God? If I unseal the Time-Space barrier, won’t it escape and cause destruction?"

Silence answered.

In truth, Thera had sealed herself with the Evil God to prevent it from harming innocents in this dimension. But over the centuries, loneliness numbed her feelings.