Chapter 724 - The Demon King's Intention
Although Leon made sure the Abyssal Wood Demon King's ice coffin had no traps before he touched the treasures inside, it did not stop the hidden mechanisms from activating.
'Were the hidden traps set up by the Abyssal Wood Demon King too advanced for me to detect?' Leon frowned in thought.
However, the urgent situation did not allow him to dwell on it.
With the loss of the safe zone and the army of wood-like creatures charging towards him, Leon could only ponder the issue later.
He quickly stored the entire ice coffin into his Worldspace before drawing his Tier-4 Bone Spear.
"Come!"
Leon pointed his Tier-4 Bone Spear at the army, preparing to face them head-on. It was a good chance to test the effectiveness of the Everlasting Blood Mantra's Second Stage, the Stage of Rejuvenation.
Swoosh—!
In a short instance, the two sides collided—or rather, the army collided with Leon's Tier-4 Bone Spear as it turned into a fierce whirlwind in his hands.
Hundreds of creatures were slaughtered every passing moment.
It was as if an absolute barrier had been formed within a 10-feet radius of Leon, turning everything into minced meat as the creatures entered his range.
Hundreds… Thousands… Tens of thousands…
The wood-like creatures were diced up into numerous pieces by the absolute sharpness and speed of Leon's speed, scattering red blood all over the resting ground like a shower of rain.
Without a doubt, his attack speed had significantly improved.
"So, my physical traits have been optimized to such a state after reaching the second stage, huh? It seems like I can go a little bit faster, but any faster than this is an unnecessary expenditure of stamina," Leon mused as he swung his Tier-4 Bone Spear.
The killing speed was great, but the stamina expenditure was equally so.
Leon could quickly feel the fatigue building up in his arms, but he continued to consume his stamina without concern.
'Time to see if the Everlasting Blood Mantra works as it claims!' Leon's eyes flickered with a red hue.
In that instance, the surrounding blood rose like numerous floating raindrops frozen in time before they swirled towards Leon's body like a whirlpool and entered his pores.
Shortly after, his skin turned red, and his body temperature rose sharply, creating a sizzling sound as steam exited his body.
The blood essence of the fallen enemies became nutrients that fueled his stamina, washing away all his fatigue instantly.
His aura surged explosively.
"Hahaha, amazing!" Leon laughed with heartfelt appreciation for the blood technique, "Truly a divine and everlasting technique!"
On a battlefield of blood, so long as he was killed instantly, he would be infallible and inexhaustible, allowing him to fight until the last enemy is cut down.
…
As Leon revered in the advantages of the Everlasting Blood Mantra, Aria and the rest of the group frowned with worries.
Even when they could not see past the second trial ground due to the swarms of enemies blocking the entire entrance to the resting ground as they rushed inside, they could tell that Leon was fighting on the other side.
"Why is Young Master Leonhardt wasting time in there?! Why isn't he using that spatial movement he used earlier to come back to us?" a Mid-rank Battle Master questioned.
"It's not that he wouldn't, but he can't," Aria solemnly stated as she stared into the distance with concern.
One-Eyed Venerable Shaman and Chief Baskara both shifted their gaze to Aria and Darlene for further explanations.
"In order to use the spatial movement, a clear and unobstructed pathway is needed. However, those creatures have completely blocked the entrance and cut off his escape!" Darlene explained as she clenched her small fists.
"So if Young Master Leonhardt wants to leave, he would have to clear the entrance first?" Chief Baskara frowned and said, "Even that group of demons couldn't get past those walls of woody flesh. I doubt Young Master Leonhardt could do it alone."
"Right, we have to help him!" Darlene stated urgently.
However, right at that moment, everyone heard Leon's urgent voice from the other side of the blocked entrance.
"No! Don't worry about me and leave the tomb immediately! I will be fine, but you will all be in danger if you don't leave right now!" Leon shouted.
As he slaughtered his way towards the blocked entrance leading to the second trial ground, the gears in his mind churned with great clarity in the midst of battle.
He finally understood the reason behind why something felt off before he entered the resting ground.
Although brief, he did not sense the Demon Core inside the Abyssal Wood Demon King's corpse when he retrieved the ice coffin.
The Demon King's Demon Core was hidden elsewhere.
The maze… the Hellbiters… the absence of the Demon King's Will for the trial takers… the endless power to produce limitless numbers of enemies… and the sudden situation…
Everything clicked in Leon's mind.
The Abyssal Wood Demon King never intended to hand over his inheritance to the successful trial takers. That being wanted to bury all trespassers that came to disturb his resting place and aim for his treasures!
Rumble…!
The entire space began to shake as the tomb's structural integrity destabilized, threatening to collapse and bury everyone inside.
At that moment, Aria and One-Eyed Venerable Shaman both felt chills in their hearts as they quickly understood the reason for Leon's words.
"We need to leave right now!" One-Eyed Venerable Shaman barked.
Chief Baskara and all the Battle Masters immediately agreed, but Darlene was also quick to oppose such a decision. She could not accept it.
"No! We need to save to Leon! I won't leave without him!" Darlene stated resolutely.
However, just as she was about to recklessly charge into the second trial ground and draw the enemies' attention, she was quickly knocked out by Aria and carried on her shoulders.
"Let's go," Aria stated solemnly.
Even she wanted to charge into the second trial ground to help Leon recklessly, but she knew she had to be level-headed and follow Leon's wish.
'If you die, I won't forgive you!' Aria bit her lips.
With a little bit of self-awareness, everyone knew that getting crushed by a collapsing tomb was never the issue.
The bigger problem was the Mother Hellbiter.