Monsters in the Depths of Machu Picchu

The place Charlotte had "found" was an orcish assembly hall, where the orc officers held meetings. It was indeed quite "clean."

The adventurers were quite satisfied with this "camp." After a little cleaning, they cleared out a large area.

Though Lord Leo was somewhat wary, he merely thought he was being overly suspicious. Confident in his own strength, he paid it no mind and had two servants spread out a thick carpet, intending to rest for a while and recover his energy.

His two servants stood faithfully guard beside their master, keeping Lord Leo separated from the adventurers.

No one noticed that Charlotte had disappeared.

By then, Charlotte had already ventured deep into Machu Picchu Fortress. Alone, he stood on a desolate road, staring toward the deeper reaches of the fortress.

This desolate road marked the boundary of Machu Picchu's Labyrinthization.

He could sense that Machu Picchu's Labyrinthization was driving certain things toward the depths of the fortress.

"Machu Picchu Fortress really does have some strange things in it!"

"I wonder if I can catch a few and use them to strengthen the labyrinth."

Charlotte had looked up some information at Sheffield University and consulted several professors, piecing together a fragment of the "truth."

When the two evil gods had clashed, they had likely both lost a portion of their power, which merged into the diary.

If he could devour and claim the power contained within the Labyrinth of Agmiras and the Vampire Secret Scroll before the two evil gods found it, they would never again be able to sense this lost Fel Energy.

Because that power would no longer belong to them.

But if Charlotte failed to digest this portion of power within the allotted time, once Agmilas and Carnstein sensed their lost Fel Energy again, they would be able to lock onto the coordinates and descend once more.

Although the deadline for the Vampire Secret Scroll was tighter, Charlotte was proficient in Bloody Glory, so learning the House of Adonis's vampiric secret arts from the Vampire Secret Scroll would not be difficult.

The Labyrinth of Agmiras had a longer deadline, but there would be no further extension. Once the deadline arrived, Agmilas would surely return, and there would be no stopping it.

Humans could not resist evil gods!

Only gods could fight gods.

That was the consensus of the Old Continent.

Charlotte was more urgently concerned with how to take control of all fifteen labyrinths.

Charlotte was a cautious man. He did not step beyond the labyrinth's boundaries, nor did he intend to take any risks. But certain beings lurking in the dark could no longer restrain themselves. A soft whisper suddenly sounded beside his ear, as though his most beloved lover were calling him over.

That whisper held limitless enchantment. Within its range, dozens of beasts rushed from their hiding places and, with stiff steps, wandered toward the depths of Machu Picchu.

Charlotte pressed a finger to his brow, hesitating over whether to activate Insight.

He did not know what kind of monster was producing the whisper, but he was not afraid. I've stared directly at evil gods twice. How could a mere enchantment affect my mind?

Charlotte was certain that as long as he did not leave the labyrinth's boundaries, the monster hiding in the dark could do nothing to him.

"Qian Nan! I'm here..."

Just as Charlotte sat calmly and waited, a young woman with wavy blonde hair called out softly as she rushed into the darkness.

"Hannah?!"

"Come back!"

Charlotte cried out, but it was already too late.

This young woman of average appearance had shown him quite a bit of affection, but Charlotte had never considered having an intimate relationship with her. After all, they were still on the run.

If their escape came to an end, he already had someone else he intended to pursue.

He had not expected Hannah to follow them here, much less be lured away by the monster hidden in Machu Picchu's depths.

Without hesitation, Charlotte sent the Vampire Hand Axe flying. Under the control of Blood Flame Qi, the Vampire Hand Axe should have been nimble and responsive, yet after flying several dozen paces, he lost his connection to it. It vanished into the darkness of Machu Picchu's depths and never returned.

A chill ran through Charlotte's heart. After crossing into this world, he had been in Senis, Fars's famous seaside resort. Later, he returned to Strasbourg, the imperial capital, home to countless important figures and even watched over by gods. He had almost never encountered monsters or danger.

Except... for the time he attended the auction and was dragged into a labyrinth.

And the time he summoned two evil gods...

Well then!

He had not encountered monsters, but he had faced evil gods head-on!

In any case, Charlotte could not fathom just how terrifying the things lurking in Machu Picchu's depths were, nor what strange powers they possessed.

Charlotte looked toward the pitch-black fortress ruins of unknown depths, then at the place where Miss Hannah's shadow had already vanished. He forcibly suppressed the urge to charge into the darkness and save her.

Though he was already a fourth-rank Transcendence and possessed two Supernatural Weapons, he was still no match for the monster hidden in Machu Picchu's depths. If he rashly barged in to save her, he would have no chance of rescuing her and would only throw his own life away.

Charlotte closed his eyes, drew a deep breath, and circulated the Protagoras Breathing Method, forcibly suppressing the pity that kept rising within him.

The whisper continued without end...

An invisible force invaded the darkness inch by inch, while the Labyrinthization continued to spread.

Several dozen minutes later, Charlotte's spirit stirred slightly. He shouted, and a small Vampire Hand Axe rose gracefully into the air before falling back into his hand.

At the same time, Charlotte saw Hannah, who had become a withered skeleton, as though she had been weathered for centuries!

The poor female adventurer had had every trace of life devoured by the monster hidden in the darkness. A faint look of happiness still lingered on her wrinkled face, like the bark of an old tree. It was bizarre and horrifying.

Near Hannah's corpse lay dozens of animals, all dead in the same strange manner and reduced to dried skeletons.

Charlotte pressed down with one hand. Countless clumps of earth overturned, burying Hannah and the animals' corpses. Within the labyrinth's range, he could slightly manipulate the terrain, alter the roads, and even subtly distort space.

This was not a power an ordinary Transcendence could command.

It was the strange ability lost by Agmilas, the God of Labyrinths, an overseas evil god.

After finishing this, Charlotte turned around and walked away without looking back. Though he had no real feelings for Hannah, nor any intimate relationship with her, he was still filled with fury. No matter what kind of damned thing you are! In eighteen days, I'll find you and leave you under the blazing sun, watching you turn to ashes.

"No! Fifteen days may be enough."

The instant Charlotte turned away, the whisper stopped as well.

More than a dozen vines rustled forward, crossing some boundary and entering the desolate road. These demonic vines, seemingly alive, appeared to be tugged by a mysterious force. They were suddenly pulled taut, letting out chilling, shrill squeals, yet they could no longer stop. Even their roots were torn free, and every vine was dragged into the labyrinth's domain.