Chapter 696: Nightfall Canyon
As a claw stretched out from the Infernal Gate, Oracis erupted in fury. The relationship between the Abyss and Hell was never good—especially for Oracis, whose animosity toward hellish creatures defied description.
Whenever Oracis encountered hellish creatures, it was a fight to the death. Sometimes, the mere sight of them would drive Oracis into a frenzy, destroying every living thing in its path.
In the instant Oracis's attention was drawn to the Infernal Gate, Leon cast a Triple Gate of Eskrym ahead of the Dark Elves, shielding them from the onslaught of berserk spells they could no longer withstand.
Then, without hesitation, Leon leapt into the teleportation array. In the blink of an eye, he vanished...
Hellish creatures are never easy to deal with. Many mages know the Infernal Gate spell, but they only summon low-level hellish creatures for research, carefully controlling their magic. Summoning hellish creatures for battle? Almost no one dares.
Because most hellish creatures, once summoned, immediately try to kill the mage who called them forth. Only by suppressing and enslaving them can you force them to fight on your behalf.
For this reason, even knowing that every incarnation of Oracis harbored deep hostility toward hellish creatures, Leon wouldn't dare summon the Infernal Gate in battle. That would be suicide.
But now, things were different. After leaving through the teleportation array, whatever carnage unfolded between the hellish creatures and Oracis had nothing to do with Leon.
Especially since, when Leon summoned the Infernal Gate this time, he poured every ounce of magic he had into it. As for what actually came out... even Leon had no idea.
Leon had vanished, and the Dark Elves finally caught their breath. With Oracis's spell pressure gone and an active teleportation array behind them...
There was no need to think twice—all the Dark Elves rushed madly into the teleportation array.
Flashes of light erupted one after another as the Dark Elves disappeared into the array. On the other side, the enraged Oracis unleashed a torrent of spells at the Infernal Gate...
............
On a shadowy continent of leaves, a teleportation array carved into the branches of the Tree of Wisdom slowly lit up. A pillar of light rose, and Anderson and the others stepped out from the array.
Moments later, Leon emerged from the teleportation array as well.
The first thing Leon did was release a dozen Wizard's Eyes, sending them flying in all directions.
Once the area was confirmed safe, everyone finally relaxed. Hubert slumped to the ground, rubbing his sore arms, while Seth managed a bitter smile and began to recover his magic.
Less than ten seconds later, the array lit up again, and Dark Elves began to emerge one after another.
The surviving Dark Elves, seeing Leon again, were far less hostile. No one could deny it: if Leon hadn’t cracked the teleportation array and cast the Gate of Eskrym at the last moment, giving them a brief respite, they wouldn’t have even had a chance to escape.
Anderson, on the other hand, immediately became wary at the sight of the Dark Elves, steering the Arcane Wheel into the air, ready for any surprise attack.
Leon waved Anderson off, not bothering with the Dark Elves. He’d saved them on a whim and wasn’t worried about them causing trouble now.
Including Elsa and Jeremy, only a dozen or so Dark Elves remained alive. Most had burned through their magic, barely able to stand.
Leon ignored the Dark Elves and turned his attention to the surroundings.
This place felt like a sealed little world—branches and leaves of the Tree of Wisdom blocked out every scrap of light overhead and on all sides. Only a few phosphorescent plants gave off a faint glow.
Ahead lay a deep, shadowy canyon—its depth impossible to measure. The cliffs on either side soared straight up into darkness.
Looking back, it was the same—a dead end, nothing left but the still-glowing teleportation array.
A deathly silence and eerie aura seeped from the canyon ahead. There was even a faint, wavering sob, making the place feel all the more unsettling.
Leon cast a Life Detection, then an Undead Detection spell—but sensed no sign of the living, nor any trace of the undead.
Yet the uncanny feeling lingered, making everyone deeply uneasy.
Leon was still sending Wizard's Eyes out to scout the canyon ahead when Jeremy suddenly cried out in alarm.
"My gods, this is Nightfall Gorge!"
Jeremy spun around and glared at Leon, shouting at him in fury.
"This is all your fault, you wretched outsider! As if it wasn’t enough to doom our Dark Elf warriors, now you’ve dragged us to this cursed place. You—"
Leon arched an eyebrow, letting out a cold laugh.
"Idiot. I didn’t force you to follow me. If you have a problem, the teleportation array behind you is still open. Go back—Oracis will be thrilled to see you."
"And one more thing—point your finger at me again and it won’t be this simple!"
Jeremy, still angry and a bit confused by what 'not so simple' meant, suddenly saw a lifelike, fully-formed Mage Hand appear in front of him. It grabbed his finger and bent it sharply, twisting it to a grotesque angle.
"Aaaah—"
Jeremy howled in agony as one of his spellmarks began to glow on his skin.