Chapter 96 – Anxiety
My steps onto the eleventh floor of the Cave of the Forgotten felt heavy. Not because my body was exhausted no, an undead like me doesn’t know fatigue like ordinary humans do. But... there was something else. Something that pierced from within, striking my awareness like an inaudible whisper echoing at the edge of my soul.
That feeling... it came out of nowhere. As if... someone important... was in danger.
My heart or whatever was left of that feeling was suddenly filled with unease. It was as if an invisible thread was slowly being severed, sending a faint thud to the bottom of my soul. I clenched my teeth. No. I couldn’t afford to be distracted right now.
But my mind was already split. And unfortunately, this place doesn’t allow even a moment of lost focus.
The eleventh floor greeted me with a swarm of armored skeletons dozens of them, each wielding weapons shrouded in a dark aura. These were no ordinary undead. Their movements were coordinated, agile, as if they had once been trained soldiers in life.
I greeted their attack with my chains and claws. But because my thoughts kept drifting, my movements were slower than usual. A skeleton’s sword managed to graze my shoulder, and though my regeneration healed it instantly, it still made me scowl. frёewebηovel.cѳm
"Idiot," I muttered, leaping backward. "Focus, Sylvia Focus."
But that unsettling feeling wouldn’t go away. It was growing stronger. My heart, which shouldn’t even be beating, suddenly felt heavy trembling in a chaotic rhythm. I clenched my teeth. This wasn’t normal.
"I can’t go on like this."
With a stomp of my foot, I retreated from the battle and called out to my three werewolf zombies.
"Handle them," I ordered coldly. "Eliminate anything in the way."
They nodded and immediately lunged at the skeletons without hesitation. Their fangs and claws tore through, dismantling the enemy ranks one by one.
While they fought, I closed my eyes for a moment and took a deep breath a leftover habit from when I was alive. Then, I reached out to the one entity who might have the answers I needed.
Tyrant.
It took a few seconds before the connection formed. When my mind finally linked with his vast, steady consciousness, I asked immediately:
"Tyrant. What’s Sofia’s status?"
There was a pause. But then the reply came his voice deep and flat, as usual.
"Sofia and her group are fighting. Their base is under attack by rebels. The situation... is not good."
Thud.
I froze. It felt like the world around me shook. My fingers tensed. My breath caught.
"Anything specific? Is she hurt?"
"Unclear. Too much interference. But she’s still moving."
Damn it.
That unease transformed into anger. Panic. But I knew I couldn’t go to her just yet. I was too far away and this dungeon wasn’t something I could just leave. I was trapped here... while she was out there, fighting. Surviving.
And I couldn’t do anything.
"Deploy every hidden zombie near the base to protect her," I commanded firmly. "Her life takes priority above all else. If necessary, drag her away."
"Understood."
The connection cut off. But the feeling in my chest didn’t ease. If anything it intensified. It felt like a fire had been lit that refused to go out. I wanted to scream. To destroy something.
But all I could do was move forward back into the fight. My body flew down to the next floors, clearing battle after battle with a fury that only grew stronger. Everything in my path I tore apart without mercy. Skeletons, undead, even magical traps I’d normally avoid I stormed through recklessly.
I didn’t care.
Each floor I cleared like a storm. The hellfire of my Nether magic scorched everything. I didn’t speak. Didn’t think. Didn’t stop. I just wanted to reach the end to finish this as fast as possible.
And finally, the twentieth floor.
A vast room, filled with gray mist. At its center stood a lone figure.
A Death Knight.
Tall, muscular, clad in black-silver armor that reflected the dim light from the walls. His eyes glowed blood-red behind his helmet, and he carried a massive sword that seemed to exude death from every inch of its blade.
He didn’t speak. No warning. Just raised his sword and charged.
I met him, fueled by fury.
But that fury... made me reckless.
Our fight was fast. He was incredibly skilled with his sword. Every slash had purpose. Every move was precise. And amidst it all, that overwhelming dread returned louder, sharper.
And in one crucial second... I slipped.
SLAAASH!!
A flash of silver cut through my defense. My left claw moved too late, and the chain in my right hand failed to wrap around in time. I saw it that blade slicing through the air and striking my left arm.
And... severing it.
My arm was cut clean off.
No pain. But... the world seemed to freeze.
I watched the limb spiral through the air before landing with a dull thud on the floor.
Then I turned my gaze to the Death Knight.
Rage surged.
"I’ve held back long enough."
In one motion, I kicked him with everything I had. My kick slammed into his chest, launching him into the stone wall with a thunderous crack. Cracks spread across the wall, and his body partially embedded into it.
I floated toward him, both my eyes glowing with dark purple light.
"Burn," I hissed.
Nether Flame.
BOOM!
I unleashed the spell in rapid succession.
BOOM!! BOOOM!! BOOOOM!!!
Explosion after explosion crashed into the Death Knight, scorching, destroying, engulfing him in black death-flames. I didn’t stop. Didn’t care about my mana reserves. Didn’t care that my body was beginning to falter from the overload of magic.
I just wanted him obliterated.
I just wanted to destroy something because I couldn’t protect the one person I wanted to protect the most.
When I finally stopped, my breath was ragged. A breath this undead body didn’t even need... but still exhaled. My eyes trembled.
Dust and smoke filled the room. The Death Knight was nowhere to be seen only a crater and the smoldering remains of armor amid the rubble.
I staggered. My knees nearly hit the floor.
But I didn’t care.
I raised my remaining hand and reconnected the link.
Tyrant.
My voice trembled.
"What’s happening? Give me a full report Now."