Soon the three found themselves right before the cave.
The three adepts could very easily sense any movements inside the cave using their Spirit.
No one was there.
This was expected.
It would be weird if the knights expected enemies to break in from such an impossible location. Thus the guards in charge of this place's security didn't have a fixed station at the opening of the cave. Rather, they were supposed to check this location every once in awhile. Moreover, with the chaos in the capital, it was unclear if the guards would even come to patrol on a fixed and consistent schedule.
The leaf slowly lifted Greem to the side of the cave, allowing him to get a clear look at everything inside.
Inside of the cave was a small tunnel. There were specialized sliding rails on the ground covered with dust and metal waste.
The only thing blocking Greem’s path were several metal fences that were thick as a child's arm. Rust and cobwebs covered the entire structure, but it was clear it had been installed to keep out any trespassers.
To avoid alerting any possible guards, Greem didn't choose to jump inside with his Fire Teleportation. Instead he gripped the upper portion of two metal bars tightly and silently drew from the fire powers within his body.
No flames appeared; only terrifying and intense heat.
The two metal bars quickly turned red and liquified in Greem's grip, before flowing down the cave.
A path appeared before their eyes!
"Come in. Let's finish this quickly!" Greem softly ordered before going into the cave.
Runeforge Camp, without a radiant knight’s protection, was like an unsecured playground in Greem's eyes. He could do whatever he wanted. Those spellbreaker knights stationed within were not even worthy of being put on his list of enemies.
A dozen steps into the tunnel, in the side of the wall, was a small stone resting room for three guards. Greem casually threw a fireball into the room as he strode by before continuing on his path.
Before the vicious fireball exploded behind him, Greem had already walked out of the waste dumping area and had progressed towards the entrance of the Runeforge Camp through a large and wide tunnel.
Indeed, he was not rushing towards the heavily guarded forging area or drafting room. Instead he headed towards the camp's entrance.
There were no more radiant knights in Runeforge Camp, but there was still one stationed in the knight's headquarters outside. If he caught wind of the raid and rushed over, he would very likely stop Greem and the others from escaping. Thus Greem, who was already planning to go all out on the troops in the Camp, walked unhesitatingly towards the entrance. The first thing he had to do was to cut off all connection the camp had with the outside.
When the first fireball exploded behind the camp, every single guard in Runeforge Camp had been alerted. Countless guards surged out of their shelters and camps, and after a chaotic scrambling they finally managed to find the source of the explosion.
Under the orders of the camp commander, scores of guards grabbed their weapons and headed into the stone tunnel, running towards the location of the explosion.
Chapter 243
The entire Runeforge Camp was located in the belly of the mountain, which had been emptied to make space for the infrastructure.
Aside from the large halls of the central living and forging areas, almost all of the other areas were just long stone corridors connected with each other. It was undoubtedly a difficult task to find any enemies who had managed to sneak their way into such a complex web of tunnels.
The two local adepts that had followed Greem into the camp didn't continue moving forward. They stayed in the waste dumping area and used the narrow corridors as a choke point to stall the enemies.
Their presence drew most of the attention of the enemies to the back of the camp. The camp commander wouldn't alert the radiant knight at the headquarters before the central area was at risk.
And this gave Greem the chance to sneak by!
The tunnels stretching across the entire Runeforge Camp were extremely complex yet connected. This allowed the commander to easily redirect the guards around the areas. However, at this moment, the nature of the tunnels also provided Greem with a great deal of convenience.
Having combined the map provided by Mas with the chip's high-speed battlefield data collection system, all of the enemies within Greem's sensory range were marked in his mind. Greem wove through the stone corridors with the help of the chip, using the confusing crossroads and the shadows to avoid the reinforcements and quickly head to the entrance of the camp.
He might be able to avoid the moving guards, but there was no avoiding the lookouts stationed at the exit of the tunnels.
Greem chose to make his way through these enemies forcefully. He emerged from the dark tunnels into the brightly-lit area. Before the lookouts could even sound the alarms, terrifying streams of flame had already engulfed their bodies.
No human warrior could endure more than two seconds of the flame streams shot from Greem's hands. Such a short period of time was not enough for them to sound the alarms.
Thus Greem casually strolled through the one and a half kilometer long tunnel and reached the entrance at the very front of Runeforge Camp.
To prevent enemy attacks, this place was armed to the teeth and the security was extremely strict.
A hundred meter long stone tunnel was the only path into Runeforge Camp. Numerous guardhouses and crossbows were positioned along the sides of the tunnel exit. All of the materials and resources transported into Runeforge Camp had to be checked and verified multiple times before they were allowed into the camp.
Sadly, all of the defenses were designed to deal with an external threat.
It was probably because the person that designed this airtight underground fortress never expected enemies from the inside!
Greem no longer needed to hide when he reached this point.
Under everyone's horrified gaze, his silhouette stepped out from the darkness and transformed into a terrifying Flame Fiend. Magma Fireballs exploded one after another down the long stone tunnel.
The result of such intense and dominating attacks was the collapse of half of the tunnel. Even Mount Mingsu shook slightly from the impact of the explosions.
Greem looked at the massive rocks that had completely sealed the tunnel, and turned his focus to the camp guards.
The sound of crossbows bolts whistled through the air. Countless camp guards shouted as they rushed at Greem. There was even a spellbreaker knight and three witcher-knights mixed in with their ranks.
Sadly the narrow geography and the cluster of guards made it hard for everyone to surround Greem.
Greem completely ignored the human warriors, whose blades were clinking against his magma armor, and focused his firepower on the more dangerous targets. Even without using the Scroll of Voodoo, just three Magma Fireballs, along with two Explosive Fireballs, made quick work of the few individuals that could have been a threat to him.
Violent elementium flames and splashing lava quickly turned the spot the spellbreaker knight was standing at into a magma hell. Many human warriors were scalded and burnt by the flames and lava, running through the crowd and shouting for help as they were turned into human torches.
Sadly no one could save them now!
The remaining soldiers couldn't even save themselves.
The human warriors around Greem weren't even worth his time. He didn't need to lift a single finger. Every person within range of the Ring of Fire clutched their throats and breathed painfully. Yet with every breath they took they were inhaling air at terrifying temperatures.
This scorching air caused their windpipes and lungs to ignite like charcoal.
At the end, even the clothes on their bodies had started burning. The swords and spears they held in their hands were heated as red as flames, sizzling in their palms.
The Flame Fiend didn't need to attack. All Greem had to do
was stand amid the soldiers and they would die one after another while clutching their throats in agony.
Everything turned to dust where the Flame Fiend walked!
Even the stone floor beneath their feet had started to glow red and soften. Red hot lava was surging everywhere, quickly turning the places where they stood into an area not unlike a magma pool.
It was only now that the commander of the camp realized the urgent and critical nature of the situation they were in. Sadly, the military strength left within Runeforge Camp was not enough to stop a rampaging adept.
When the two native adepts finally met up with Greem in the tunnel leading to the forging hall, the remaining hundred or so guards were gathered in a corner, barely hanging on using the tough defensive structure and their runic arrows.
The transforming adept Cobalt tried to force his way into the hall several times, but he was rebuffed at every attempt by a concentrated barrage of runic arrows. After all, the place was small and narrow and didn't afford him much room to dodge about. Cobalt couldn't have endured the focused fire without any defensive spells or magical equipment.
Greem’s Flame Fiend form squeezed into the tunnel with a lot of difficulty and joined back up with the two adepts. This was an underground passage after all. Most of the ceilings weren't even four meters high, making it challenging for the Flame Fiend to maneuver its way about inside.
The two native adepts looked at each other when they saw the Flame Fiend’s terrifying demonic shape striding towards them in the tunnel. They could feel the suffocating heat in the air. Greem's terrifying power filled the two adepts’ hearts with immense respect for the evil adepts.
Greem's burning red eyes swept across the two's wounded bodies and nodded in acknowledgement, "Good job, you two! Leave the rest to me!"
Adept Cobalt wanted to warn Greem of the four spellbreaker knights and the dozen witcher-knights still in the hall, but the silhouette of the Flame Fiend had already vanished before their eyes.
The next second, a massive flame halo exploded in the very midst of the crowd gathered in the hall. The Flame Fiend's massive body appeared in a blazing radiance.
Flame Shockwave!
Ring of Fire!
Violent and vicious waves of fire were amplified by the two fire spells, instantly turning Greem's surroundings into a raging sea of flame. The remaining camp guards that were still able to put up a fight were quickly set alight without any resistance. They ran about screaming in pain.
The only ones that were able to survive Greem's double flame attack were the spellbreaker knights and witcher-knights. They raised the energy shields in their hands and charge at Greem's side while under the heavy assault of the Flame Shockwave. Their runic swords turned into freezing blades. With a single slash they cut through the Lava Shield.
However, in the small moment where their blades were halted by the Lava Shield, Greem had already managed to summon a Fire Deity with a slight wave of the Fire Lord’s Scepter. It did only one thing when it appeared. Its only job.
Self-destruction!
The self-destruction of the pseudo-adept level Fire Deity instantly brought about annihilating damage to the entire hall.
Every single inch of the stone floor beneath their feet shattered. Even the resilient rock walls had an entire three-finger deep layer shaved off of them by the destructive Flame Shockwave.
The camp guards at the center of the explosion had been instantly vaporized. Not even a fleck of their ashes could be found after the fire. The witcher-knights and spellbreaker knights by Greem's side fell to the ground and coughed up blood in agony. Greem quickly picked them off as he shot out Explosive Fireballs at each and every one of them.
When the two native adepts walked into the hall, the entire place had already been turned into a horrifying hell of boiling magma and a burning sea of flames. The enemy? Many apologies, but with how weak they were it was hard to find even a speck of their remains!
The only people that could match adepts were spellcasters of the same Grade. Normal humans? They had no chance of ever matching up against the might of adepts!
Meanwhile, the improvement in Greem's abilities was extremely apparent.
From his initial cautiousness against the spellbreaker knights, to the now reckless and easy slaughter, Greem's use of fire spells had improved by several levels. He was already starting to develop his own combat pattern and style.
The violence and prominence of fire spells was becoming increasingly obvious!
"Let's go. It's time to reap the fruits of our victory!" The Flame Fiend's body shook slightly. The chaotic flames slowly dissipated and the magma started to solidify as the elegant and mysterious Greem appeared once more.
He nodded at the native adepts and turned towards a corridor by the side of the hall.
This was the central hall of the entire Runeforge Camp. There were many passages that led to different areas from here. And the place Greem headed towards was, naturally, the drafting room where the blueprints and classified documents were stored.
Looking at how easily Greem dealt with the situation, the two adepts couldn't help but look at each other again, their faces full of frustration and dejection. They were both First Grade spellcasters, but wasn't the difference in combat power way too large?!
In the past they were only able to feel the prowess of the evil adepts through Diviner Mas’ descriptions. But when the opponent's terrifying powers were displayed right before their eyes, the massive shock that went right through their bodies and into their souls stomped their past pride and arrogance into the ground.
They might have felt a little better if the opponent was intentionally using his overwhelming prowess to intimidate them. After all, that meant he noticed and cared about how powerful they were! But it was precisely Greem's nonchalance that caused the two native adepts to feel increasingly upset.
Their existence had been completely ignored!
How were they any different from being Greem's lackeys?
"You go and check for anything of value in the drafting room! I'll check about the forging area. We might be able to find some good stuff!" Adept Cobalt held his hand over his heart and spoke, before stumbling into another passage.
Adept Flower shook her head in helplessness and dejection before walking towards the drafting room.
Chapter 244
Runeforge Camp; drafting room.
The two bronze doors were wide open and the bodies of two witcher-knights were spread before them.
Heat still emanated from where the lock had been as red-white iron liquid slowly dripped down.
This was an old storeroom. Disorganized piles of parchment sat on the stone platform in the middle. Some of them were spread wide open, others not so much. There were even emptied ink bottles and used quill pens scattered across the platform.
Several ancient wooden stands along the stone walls took up the rest of the drafting room. Many wooden chests, parchments, and gray sacks were stacked on them.
When Flower hesitatingly walked into the room, Greem had already begun to inspect the items on the stands. It was clear that Greem had an oddly sharp eye for item identification. He was able to figure out the value of any object in a matter of seconds.
The common or worthless objects were put back onto the stands while the expensive and valuable items vanished in the blink of an eye.
"Spatial storage equipment!" Adept Flower couldn't help but gasp in envy.
A spellcaster with space affinity had appeared for a short period of time within the knights' plane. He had made his name by crafting spatial storage equipment. Sadly, even a genius like that had died a painful death under the witcher-knights' butcher knife.
The few spatial storage items scattered across the knights' plane had all come from his hand, but not only were they few in number, they were often in the hands of a select few powerful individuals. A First Grade spellcaster like herself had only heard rumors of them, but had never seen one with her own ey
es.
Greem turned around and saw the female caster taking out a large sack. It seemed she was about to use the most inefficient method and physically lug all of the loot out with her. He couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. Even though they were both casters, their situations were so different simply because of the worlds they had been born in.
Greem removed a storage waist-pack from his belt and casually threw it over to Flower. There wasn't much storage space within the pack, but it was more than enough to carry a bunch of simple casting materials.
Greem ignored her joyful and excited toying with the pack and drew his attention back to the massive pile of scrolls and drawings.
Almost all of the runic knowledge, life source knowledge, and theories about this plane's system of operation, gathered throughout the thousand-year history of the kingdom, had been stored here. The treasury of the palace high above them was likely home to more materialistic and valuable objects such as antiques, treasures, or unique items.
Greem's storage belt had limited space and there was no way he could bring everything here with him. He needed to do some filtering and selection!
Greem randomly picked up an ancient scroll and swept through its contents. Most of it was crude guesses and assumptions about the source of life… useless stuff. Next!
He picked up another scroll. This one was full of elementary and basic rune drawings… useless. Next!
He lifted a volume of books this time. Hundreds of arrangement methods for different runes were listed within it in great detail. It wasn't very useful but it could still serve for comparison and reference against the runic knowledge of the World of Adepts, so there was still some research value to it… basically useful. Kept!
Greem grabbed a drawing on the table. It was a visualization of the meridian lines in the human body, much like those he had seen back on Earth. The intellectuals of this plane had probably succeeded in merging runic energies with the life energy within the human body after an in-depth study of human anatomy! This was useful. Kept!
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