Chapter 452: Secrets Unveiled
Barris...
Hearing that name, Leon's expression froze. His guess had been correct—the person killed by Emperor Samuel all those years ago was Barris.
But... why Barris?
Barris, barely in his forties and already a Sky Rank powerhouse, was almost universally recognized by the royal family as the heir to the throne. Even Emperor Samuel himself had groomed Barris as his successor. Leon wracked his brain, unable to think of any reason why the Emperor would want Barris dead...
"I want to know why Emperor Samuel killed Barris, and what happened to Barris's soul and body..." Leon's gaze shifted to the Three-Eyed Shadow Wolf. Given that the wolf had lived through those events, it might know some hidden truths.
"Actually, Samuel had no choice. He always treated Barris as the crown prince, and Barris's talent for magic was praised even by Samuel himself. But Barris was a complete bastard. After learning that Samuel planned to battle Ronan in the Turin Mountains, Barris secretly led his men to follow, intending to strike when both sides were exhausted and kill Samuel to seize the throne..."
"After Barris's plot was exposed, Samuel was devastated. He killed Barris with his own hands, buried him in the Second Layer Necropolis, and left his royal crown at Barris's tomb. That should have been the end of it. But it wasn't. After Samuel and Ronan left, I discovered by accident that, at the moment of death, Barris's soul possessed the avatar of a great lord—specifically, the Wasteland Lord Gallax's avatar of the Seventeenth Abyss—and completely took control of it."
At this point, Leon's brow gradually relaxed. Most of the mystery in his heart had unraveled. He tried to piece everything together—the Wasteland Lord Gallax's avatar in Skyline Gorge, which he had originally believed to be controlled by Gallax's will.
Now it was clear—he'd been wrong. The one controlling that avatar was none other than Barris, the Sky Rank powerhouse.
"What exactly is Barris after? When we arrived at Skyline Gorge, we encountered the Wasteland Lord Gallax's avatar..." Leon frowned.
"He's insane. He wants to reclaim his original body; he can't accept defeat." The Three-Eyed Shadow Wolf's agitated voice echoed in Leon's mind. "Now, Barris is a complete monster. His body has become an undead creature in the Second Layer, and if his soul manages to enter the Second Layer and merge with it, his power will return to Sky Rank. When you reach the Second Layer, be careful—whatever you do, don't provoke him..."
Actually, back when the Teleportation Alchemical Array on the Eighth Layer was about to activate, Dalson was already acting strange.
"As for my child..." The Three-Eyed Shadow Wolf glanced at the palm-sized wolf in Leon's hand. "Let me take it back."
Leon could only smile bitterly. When you meet a parent, even if you don't want to let go, you have to give their kid back—especially when that parent is a Sky Rank Three-Eyed Shadow Wolf. The only reason it helped Leon was because of Ronan's influence. If Leon didn't know his place, he'd probably never leave the Wizard's Spire alive. He nodded and carefully placed the little wolf on the ground.
"Awoo..."
But unexpectedly, the little Three-Eyed Shadow Wolf wasn't having it. After a soft, puppy-like howl, it turned into a blur and dove into Leon's arms, rubbing its little head against him. Leon glanced helplessly at the elder wolf but said nothing.
The elder Three-Eyed Shadow Wolf was stunned for a moment, then turned away. "Follow me. I'll take you to the Teleportation Alchemical Array."
"Alright..." Leon rubbed his nose, momentarily unsure of the elder wolf's intentions—did it want the little wolf to stay with him, or to take it away?
Honestly, he was pretty reluctant to part with the Three-Eyed Shadow Wolf...
Led by the Three-Eyed Shadow Wolf, Leon and his group spent about ten minutes before arriving at the Teleportation Alchemical Array at the mountain's summit.
As they stood beside the array, Leon suddenly noticed something odd about Dalson, who was at the rear of the group. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but the feeling was unmistakably strange.
Leon made a mental note of it before turning his attention to the array. With just one glance, he could tell it was ancient. What surprised him was the mana source powering the array: a Soul Mana Crystal, no expense spared.
As he prepared to activate the array, the elder Three-Eyed Shadow Wolf still stood nearby, never once mentioning the little wolf. Leon wondered if it had quietly agreed to let the pup stay with him.
He channeled a surge of mana into the array. Instantly, everyone's vision blurred, and the world shifted—forest, mountains, everything vanished, replaced by a pitch-black sky and soil, with death hanging thick in the air...
Where is this place?
Feeling the heavy presence of death, Leon frowned. Everywhere he looked, he saw countless will-o'-the-wisps. Instantly, he knew—they were all undead creatures!
And there were so many undead that it could only be described as a sea.
Earlier, when the elder wolf mentioned the Second Layer of the Spire, it only said Barris's body had become an undead creature and warned them not to provoke him. It never said the entire Second Layer was a world of the undead.
Out of the corner of his eye, Leon took in everyone's expressions—shock, panic, and confusion. But when his gaze landed on Dalson, he saw calm determination. Dalson was scanning the surroundings with furrowed brows, utterly composed...
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He really is hiding something...
Actually, back when the Eighth Layer's Teleportation Alchemical Array was about to activate, Dalson was already acting strange.
But at the time, Leon hadn't thought much of it.
Looking back, this guy must be hiding something important.
With that thought, Leon's expression turned cold as he looked at Dalson. "Sir Dalson, what else do you know? It's time you told us..."
Instantly, everyone's eyes snapped to Dalson.
"Huh?"
Dalson was stunned, staring at Leon in shock. Especially after meeting Leon's cold gaze, he shrank his neck and forced a smile. "Magus Merlin, you must be joking... How could I possibly know anything? Heh, it's my first time here too..."
"Sir Dalson, at this point, is there really any need to keep hiding things?" Leon's tone sounded perfectly calm, like a casual question between friends. But only he knew that behind his calmness, the Arcane Wheel was already charged with mana.
If Dalson kept hiding the truth, Leon would not hesitate to act...
Honestly, Dalson couldn't keep secrets from Leon. After all, Master Shaun, the Soulwalker’s magical avatar, was an expert in extracting confessions.
Leon wouldn't mind treating Dalson the same way he treated Herman.
By hiding crucial information, Dalson was putting Leon in danger.
That was something Leon could never tolerate...
"I'll talk!"
Suddenly, as if sensing something, Dalson's face turned pale. He looked at Leon with lingering fear, cold sweat breaking out on his forehead and body in just a few seconds...
It wasn't Leon's mana surging into the Arcane Wheel that frightened him. No, what truly unnerved Dalson was realizing that, in all the months he'd traveled with the young mage, this was the first time Leon had asked the same question twice.
For Dalson, the unknown was the real danger—and that's why he gave in so quickly.
He'd seen firsthand what the young mage was capable of—immense power, ruthless methods. Not long ago, when Leon dealt with Herman, Dalson had witnessed everything.
Cruel wasn't even the right word. Leon hadn't treated Herman as a person at all.
If he angered the young mage, he'd probably end up just like Herman. The thought alone made his heart clench—worse than death itself...
"Go ahead and speak..." Leon smiled, secretly dispersing the mana from the Arcane Wheel.
"Magus Merlin, I'm sorry—I wasn't trying to deceive you... I swear I'll tell you everything I know." Dalson breathed a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. Still, his gaze toward Leon held a trace of fear. "When the royal descendants of the Third Dynasty from Odin Kingdom found our Apocalypse Mercenary Company, they gave us not only a partial map but also a crucial piece of information..."
"Oh?"
"Actually, from the beginning, I knew that Emperor Samuel's son, Barris, died in the Turin Mountains and was buried by the Emperor in the Second Layer of the Spire..." Dalson glanced apologetically at Leon, bowing his head. "The man from Odin Kingdom wanted us to find a certain item—a crown. That crown was the funerary offering left by Emperor Samuel for Barris after his death. If we brought it back, we'd earn a Sky Rank reward from Odin Kingdom."
"And? Keep going..." Leon stared intently at Dalson, certain there was more to the story.
"Let me explain..." Dalson gave a bitter smile. "That man also said the crown was hidden somewhere in the Spire, in a place filled with death—a world of the undead. Barris's body had become an undead creature, but it remained dormant in the tomb. As long as it didn't awaken, we could retrieve the crown. Risky, but possible..."
"Alright then..."
Leon nodded, his expression cold. "I don't owe any protection to your three mercenary companies, and I have no interest in that crown. Let's part ways here. Hugh, Cousin William, Cousin Ross, Cousin Lyon—let's go."