A Sorcerer's Journey 427 War of the Dark Destroyer Kingdom XVII

"What's going on?"
Solumn, Millie, and the Demon-Hunter sorcerer who was riding on top of the Giant Lava Bird, were shaken.
A mechanism that could alter the massive underground terrain was no small mechanical feat. If the Acraepoids really had the technology, and if they could scale this place up to ten or more times, and if their skills were perfected for a few more millennia, perhaps they could have created the most primitive version of the Void Fortress.
The original Void Fortress was the culmination of the Stigmata Sorcerers and many ancient sorcerers. It consumed mana heavily to negate the effects of the void space as they formed an army that plundered across the foreign worlds.
In some large-scaled plunders, a city in the sky the size of a mainland under the protection of the True Necromancer would lead numerous fortresses and innumerable ancient sorcerers across the boundless void space to pillage and plunder. The duration of the expeditions was often counted by the millennia.
Just by thinking about it, the city in the sky, in the form of a floating mainland, hovering above the skies of the foreign world, blocking sunlight out would easily transform the principles of the world. Tens, or even hundreds of Void Fortresses, innumerable ancient sorcerers and an even larger army of soul slaves would pour down like rain. It was not hard to figure out why most of the conquered worlds of the ancient sorcerers broke down at the first sight of them and surrendered to the Sorcerer's Will.
In any case, possessing a piece of huge machinery that could alter some terrains of the world showcased the race's intellectual direction.
Looks like at some point in the Acraepoid's history, they were headed towards greater intelligence. Yet in the end, they were replaced by the Infernal Swordsmanship.
In the endless world where passive evolution was the norm, carving out a path of active self-evolution through intelligence was too difficult.
It was not hard for the humans, who had evolved through their own primal instincts and developed their potentials. It was tough to imagine how much the ancient human race had to sacrifice for this path of active-evolution.
The principle of actively looking for knowledge to evolve required a race to ignore their own naturally-born talents in order to discover a type of certain knowledge.
It would be like sealing off their natural racial traits that contributed to their base strengths to enhance certain potentials.
Perhaps, for the Eternal Dominators that led the pack, they had leveraged the unlimited potentials of their race using their own racial traits to achieve the principle of balance?
Rumble! Rumble!
More sounds were coming from the machines. Not only the low-level Demon-Hunters; even the Level-3 great Demon-Hunter sorcerers that called for Solumn and Millie were startled.
"These machines… they're only at the basic mechanical level of levers and gears."
The great Level-3 Demon-Hunter sorcerer that could manipulate both lightning and fire had some knowledge of mechanical spells. He made the observation on the spot.

"Hmm? These Darkness Pools…"
At the upper ceiling of the underground cavern, a Level-3 great Demon-Hunter sorcerer who was trained in the discipline of elemental lights was the first to sense something. He let out a surprised gasp.
The group of people turned their heads to look. They saw streaks of elemental lights that were slowly but surely breaking through the enclosure of the darkness. The light was expanding ceaselessly as if the light-consuming darkness was continuously in retreat.
"Yip yip yip yip…"
A red-eyed macaque was holding a peach bigger than its own size as it sat on her shoulder. Beneath the murky eyes of the sorceress underneath her loose robes, there was a glimmer of the Light of Wisdom.
"The Darkness Pool is retreating back into the seal?"
"Hiss…hiss...hiss…"
The photophobic creatures that traversed in darkness with ease wailed in pain. The elemental lights ignited by the sorcerers were like the most devastating spell to them. Burns of different degrees appeared on their skins.
The dark creatures retreated as the Darkness Pool became smaller. They were still hiding, yet they were running out of space.
Slowly, the elemental lights from hundreds of Demon-Hunter sorcerers had shone through every space of this underground cavern. The mysterious dark creatures were pushed into every corner, between the gaps of stones, and the few shadows behind the door frame.
Their mouths were attached to their strong tails. Scales covered the bones behind their backs. Their heads were like a fake faceless sorcerer—exceptionally smooth, as though they had no internal organs. Their bodies were like a snake but segmented. Black scales covered their whole bodies as if they could meld into the darkness.
These dark creatures that terrorized the group of Demon-Hunter sorcerers were now hiding in a corner like whimpering kittens, fighting amongst themselves for the limited shade.
It was a scene out of the transformation of a world principle.
One could only begin to imagine if the powerful Eternal Dominators were to trigger a change in the principle of the world and go on to cause a cataclysm, what kind of apocalyptic scene would await the world's inhabitants!
"Hmph!"
The Level-3 great Elemental Light Sorcerer shrugged coldly. There was a brilliant light in the air above him. He looked on as the dark creatures were shaking in the shadows and had started killing each other. Their eyes were filled with a cold look of fear.
"Kill them all!"
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Now, the Demon-Hunter sorcerers had not only regained their senses, but it was also like they had a home-ground advantage. They massacred the dark creatures. Though a small number of them escaped the shadows to resist the sorcerers, their efforts were futile.
For them, a world filled with the element of light was hell.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom…
After almost half an hourglass, the Demon-Hunter sorcerers' ruthless killings turned into greed. They started to capture these dark creatures that traversed in the dark as their own research specimens, competing among themselves.
The world was filled with many faces. Who was to say who was right or wrong?
After the Demon-Hunter sorcerers had wiped out or captured the dark creatures, the three hundred over sorcerers began waiting silently in the ice-sealed area where tiny azure ice flames were bursting in mid-air.
Even if there were no hidden secrets within the underground cavern, by just destroying the sealing formation, it would land the Level-3 sorcerers Rank-3 Honor Badges.
The operation of the ancient sealing array would have to be supported by a tremendous reserve of ice element crystals. The low-level Demon-Hunter sorcerers would have a notable income for themselves as well.
Quite sometime later.
"Masters, though we have enough crystals and tools, this is all I could do given such a short amount of time to set up a magical array of this scale."
The Level-2 sorcerer sighed.
Sensing the general defensive points of the magical array, the sorceress who had a red-eyed macaque nodded and said, "This will do!"
The Level-3 great Demon-Hunter sorcerer that manipulated the forces of lightning and fire roared at the hundreds of sorcerers surrounding him. "Open up the inner sanctum seal immediately! The honor badge belongs to whoever destroys the array node controlling the Darkness Pool and the sealing ice first!"
The Demon-Hunter sorcerer was yelling out loud, as if he were giving the announcement to everyone.
However, all the Demon-Hunter sorcerers who were present knew. Who else could get the honor badge other than him?
As some of the Level-3 great Demon-Hunter sorcerers channeled an impressive amount of spell ripples, they unleashed the spells along with the group of sorcerers behind them!
Boom! Boom! Boom…
The hundred-meter tall gigantic ice seals had an exceptionally strong energy structure. It looked like a death flower from afar. Yet, under the relentless attacks of hundreds of Demon-Hunter sorcerers, a huge crack formed on top of the death flower.
Thump, thump, thump…
Bam!
The inner seal had been shattered. There was a clear whooshing sound as cold air poured from within, filling the whole area. A thick layer of ice was viciously spreading in each direction.
Most low-level Demon-Hunter sorcerers could sense the terror of this windchill and retreated. Only the few Level-3 great Demon-Hunter sorcerers charged forward instead into the azure seals of the icy flames.
"Damn it!"
Millie exclaimed in a low voice.
As an ice-elemental sorceress, she knew that in advanced ice-sealing techniques, when a seal had been broken, a secondary ice-sealing spell would be unleashed.
Thus, the low-level Demon-Hunter sorcerers were irrelevant in the mission of destroying the inner seals.
"Hmm?"
Solumn was surprised as he took out his crystal ball. He turned to Millie and said, "It's Claudia."
"Claudia?"
Millie was dismissive about it at first. She had never taken a liking to her. But she soon realized what it meant and said," Does it mean that Grimm's here?"
Solumn got through to Claudia's communication crystal ball. Her once ravishing face was pale. "Something happened to Grimm."
Solumn and Millie were in shock. Suddenly, the first few Level-3 Demon-Hunter sorcerers who charged in first flew out in terror as well. They did not even turn their heads to look behind. They shouted," Retreat!"
Bam!
A huge azure ice claw reached down from the inner sanctum, pressing against the ice layer that was spreading in all directions. A huge chunk of crystalized ice fell off.
The huge claw was deterred by the huge protective barrier for a brief moment. After a fierce struggle, something pulled the claw back into the inner seals.

Chapter end