Chapter 55: Battle III
He reached another intersection.
Four different passages stretched before him.
Just as he was about to choose one, another message reached him through the Soul Link.
This time, the message carried a hint of surprise.
"Master."
"We found something."
Kaiser’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"What did you find?"
"A room."
"There is a pedestal in the center."
"And a sword floating above it."
Kaiser immediately changed direction.
"Stay there."
"Don’t touch anything."
"I’m coming."
The Spectral Knight acknowledged the order.
Kaiser increased his pace.
The Imperial Nemesis Knight silently followed behind him.
Several minutes later, Kaiser reached the passage where the three Spectral Knights were waiting.
Beyond them was a circular stone room.
In the center stood a white pedestal.
Floating above it was a silver longsword.
The blade radiated gentle Light Mana.
Ancient runes slowly revolved around it.
Kaiser stopped at the entrance.
He didn’t approach immediately.
Instead, he quietly observed the room.
"There are no visible traps."
"But that doesn’t mean it’s safe."
He looked toward one of the Spectral Knights.
"Go."
"Pick up the sword."
The knight walked toward the pedestal without hesitation.
The Spectral Knight reached the pedestal.
It grabbed the floating sword.
Nothing happened.
No traps were triggered.
No guardian appeared.
The runes surrounding the pedestal quietly faded away.
The knight returned and presented the sword to Kaiser.
Kaiser took it into his hands.
A smile slowly spread across his face.
"Haha..."
"A Tier 9 Light Sword."
"Nice."
The blade was forged from pure white crystal.
Golden Light Mana flowed through countless runes engraved across its surface.
Even after thousands of years, its aura remained incredibly powerful.
Kaiser looked at it for a few moments before his eyes turned completely black.
"Hands of Death."
Dark Death Mana flowed from both of his hands like black mist.
It slowly wrapped around the crystal sword.
The sword immediately began resisting.
Brilliant Light Mana burst from the blade, trying to drive the Death Mana away.
Kaiser calmly increased the flow of his Mana.
The black mist completely engulfed the sword.
The white crystal gradually darkened.
The golden runes slowly turned silver, then black.
The radiant Light Mana was steadily consumed and replaced by dense Death Mana.
Minutes later, the transformation was complete.
The once white crystal sword had become a jet-black crystal blade.
Its aura had completely changed.
Instead of holy radiance, it now released a cold and oppressive Death aura.
Kaiser examined it with satisfaction.
"Now..."
"You’re a Tier 9 Sword of Death."
He swung it lightly.
A thin black slash flew across the room and silently cut through the stone wall before disappearing into the maze.
Kaiser nodded.
"The quality didn’t decrease."
"It simply changed its attribute."
He smiled as he stored the sword inside his storage ring.
"Not a bad start."
"If every trial room contains treasures like this..."
"This Secret Realm is far more valuable than I expected."
With that, he turned toward the exit.
"Let’s keep moving."
The Spectral Knights immediately followed him as they continued exploring the endless maze.
Kaiser continued through the maze with his Spectral Knights.
After several more turns, he finally saw a faint light ahead.
"An exit."
He increased his pace.
A few moments later, he walked out of the maze.
He found himself standing in the middle of a vast grassy field.
The grass stretched as far as he could see, and the air was filled with pure Light Mana.
Kaiser looked around carefully.
"So, this is the next trial."
His gaze soon stopped in the distance.
Three enormous magic circles were floating above the grass.
Each circle was covered with ancient Light runes.
Kaiser studied them for a few seconds before noticing the creatures surrounding them.
Hundreds of Light Weaver Spiders were scattered across the field.
Their bodies were covered in pale golden armor, while strands of glowing silk stretched between their legs.
Kaiser narrowed his eyes.
"I guess this is the second trial."
"If these spiders are protecting the magic circles, then destroying them should be the objective."
He raised his hand.
"Go."
The Nemesis Spectral Knights immediately rushed forward.
Their heavy footsteps shook the ground as they charged toward the spiders.
The Light Weaver Spiders reacted immediately.
They opened their mouths and released countless strands of glowing silk.
The threads shot through the air toward the approaching undead.
The first wave of silk wrapped around several Spectral Knights.
The knights immediately swung their swords.
Slash!
The glowing threads were cut apart.
More spiders rushed forward from every direction.
Kaiser calmly watched the battlefield.
"Don’t let them surround you."
"Destroy the spiders around the magic circles first."
The Spectral Knights adjusted their formation and continued advancing.
Their swords began cutting through the glowing webs as they slowly pushed toward the three magic circles.
The Spectral Knights continued advancing, but the Light Weaver Spiders soon began to slow them down.
The spiders were small and extremely fast.
They moved between the Spectral Knights, avoiding their heavy swords while constantly covering their bodies with glowing silk.
Several knights were forced to stop and cut themselves free.
Kaiser frowned slightly.
"They’re more troublesome than I expected."
He raised his hand.
His shadow spread across the grass.
Dark Soul Mana began gathering beneath him.
"Come out."
Twenty undead Liches emerged from the shadow one after another.
Each Lich carried a staff and wore dark robes covered in ancient runes.
Behind them walked a much larger undead.
Its body was covered in black armor, while a dark crystal staff rested in its hand.
A powerful aura spread from its body.
This was Kaiser’s fourth strongest undead.
The Arch Lich.
Kaiser looked toward the spiders.
"Help the Spectral Knights."
"Destroy all of them."
The Arch Lich raised its staff.
The twenty Liches immediately spread out behind it.
Dark Mana began gathering around their staffs.
The Light Weaver Spiders sensed the danger and quickly released more glowing silk.
But before the webs could reach them, the Arch Lich slammed its staff against the ground.