’The increase in my potential because of the Eternal Grade bloodline is truly off the charts. I absorbed three blood beads in just a few minutes, while it took them quite some time to absorb only a single one.’ Azrael thought as he looked at Elyara and Luo Bingqing.
Elyara was the first to open her eyes, and upon realizing she was very close to reaching Epic Rank, a flash of joy appeared on her face.
She looked around, and seeing Azrael was already standing, she hurriedly walked toward him.
"You also reached level 25," She said with a smile, unaware that Azrael had reached level 25 only after absorbing three of the blood beads.
"Yeah," Azrael replied, choosing not to tell her about it. Instead, he asked casually, "You’re about to break through to Epic level."
Elyara smiled at his question and nodded. For origınal chapters go to 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹~𝓯𝓲𝓻𝓮~𝚗𝚎𝚝
"Hmm, in four or five days at best, I should be able to reach the Epic level."
Luo Bingqing also woke up at this time, and despite his normally composed personality, even he could not help but grin excitedly after noticing he was already at the peak of Class Rank.
At that moment, a loud rumble poured a basin of cold water over their enthusiasm as one of the load-bearing pillars of the castle collapsed.
Tremble! Rumble! — — —
As the supporting pillar gave way, large sections of the walls and roof also began to fall apart, raising a massive dust cloud throughout the underground area.
The barrier protected them from the falling rubble, but even then, the expressions of all three turned grave as they knew that if not for the barrier, they would have all been buried alive under the collapsing castle.
"Let’s get out of here," Azrael said without delay and once again took out the exit stone from his storage ring.
As he held the stone, he suddenly remembered something and spoke in a serious voice.
"There might be some problems once we go outside..." He looked at Luo Bingqing and Elyara.
"Since not a single individual other than us will be able to leave these ruins, the security forces stationed outside will definitely become suspicious about why we are the only ones who managed to escape."
Luo Bingqing and Elyara frowned at Azrael’s explanation, realizing that the situation could indeed become troublesome.
"Moreover, there is also that Legend Rank warrior who ordered Morrison and the others in the security forces to capture us. There’s a high chance he’ll make things difficult for us as well."
Luo Bingqing rubbed the back of his head with a frown and asked in a low voice.
"Then what should we do after leaving?"
Elyara did not seem as concerned as Luo Bingqing and suddenly suggested,
"How about I simply reveal my true identity outside? Once they realize that I am actually an elf who came to Slayer’s Academy under the exchange program, they’ll definitely have to think twice before doing anything. If they act recklessly, it will cause major problems, since the higher-ups of both humans and elves are currently in the middle of negotiations to form an alliance between the two races."
Azrael looked at Elyara, who still had the appearance of an ordinary human girl, and thought for a moment.
’Hmmm... It might work to some extent, but...’ He shook his head inwardly. ’I don’t think they’ll let Luo Bingqing and me go, even if they decide not to act against Elyara.’
Azrael sighed internally before finally speaking.
"You two don’t need to do anything. Just make sure that if they ask what we found inside the ruins, you simply say that you didn’t find anything."
"Huh?" Both Luo Bingqing and Elyara were confused when they heard Azrael’s words.
"Are you sure?" Elyara asked softly. "I still think revealing my identity would be much better."
"You can try that as well," Azrael said flatly. "But make sure you don’t mention anything about what we found inside the ruins."
Elyara pouted at Azrael’s response and clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.
Azrael ignored her and looked down at the exit stone in his hand.
"What about Morrison and the others?" Luo Bingqing asked. "What should we say if they ask about them?"
"Just tell the truth," Azrael said as he began channeling his cosmic energy into the exit stone. "There’s no need to hide anything about them."
As his energy entered the stone, Azrael sensed something unusual and narrowed his eyes. He turned toward Luo Bingqing and spoke in a deep voice.
"Create a safe zone around us. I’ll have to remove the barrier to successfully open a portal here."
Both Luo Bingqing and Elyara were startled at his words, but they quickly realized he was right.
To prevent others from entering, the Star Rank barrier had also sealed off the space inside, making it impossible for anyone to pass through using space-related skills or similar methods. To open a rift, Azrael would have to remove the barrier first; only then would the Legend Rank prop be able to create a passage leading outside.
A mass of cold air erupted from Luo Bingqing’s body and formed into a solid ice dome that encased all three of them.
Azrael looked at the thick ice dome, and his eyes flashed with green light as he created a wind barrier around it to reinforce it.
Elyara also contributed, summoning a golden light that surrounded the double-layered barrier, strengthening it even further.
Once they were done, Azrael took a deep breath and, with a thought, removed the Star Rank barrier.
The moment the barrier was lifted, an even larger section of the castle’s roof collapsed onto the ice dome, producing a deafening crash.
Cracks began to spread across the three-layered barrier, and without hesitation, Azrael activated the exit stone.
As he poured cosmic energy into it, the stone suddenly shattered with a booming sound and at the same time, a rift began to open before them.
More sections of the castle continued to collapse around them, forcing Azrael and the others to reinforce the barrier with their cosmic energy.
Crack! Crack! — — — —
Suddenly, thick cracks appeared on the ice dome, and all three of them began to sweat.
The rift fully opened, reaching a size large enough for a person to pass through.
"Go in quickly!" Luo Bingqing shouted as he maintained the ice dome.
Without hesitation, Azrael and Elyara leapt into the rift.
As soon as they entered, Luo Bingqing looked at the cracking dome and followed right after.
The moment he jumped in, the ice dome shattered completely, and tons of sand and debris buried the entire area.