Chapter 46: Old Friends

Chapter 46: Old Friends

While Weirafiya and the others were still camping at the entrance of the God Palace, Gilbaris had tracked their scent all the way here.

“Is this the volcanic zone? It’s crazy hot! What’s Weirafiya doing here? Is there some hidden secret?”

Brushing off the ash from his clothes, Gilbaris surveyed the surroundings. He wasn’t as good at tracking as Freya; he could only sense the general direction based on the scent. He had no way to pinpoint their exact location.

But who cares? Let’s not forget, Gilbaris is also an Ultimate Life Form! He had his own ways to track down Weirafiya.

“Take me to the owner of this feather.”

He poured a shadow slime previously used by Harker onto the ground and placed a Phoenix feather inside it to help track its owner.

As for how he got the feather? Naturally, he picked it up during the fight between Titan and Weirafiya earlier. Any items from the enemy should be collected whenever possible—they could either lead to tracking their location or help forge weapons against them. It was useful in many ways.

The slime was initially tracking quite smoothly until…

*Puff!*

Just as it stepped onto the first ledge of the volcano, the slime got crushed under some unseen pressure, bursting into a puddle of black liquid in front of Gilbaris.

“What?! What was that?”

Gilbaris stared at the scene, sensing something wasn’t right. He looked up at the volcano. The slime had led him here, which means Weirafiya should be up there, but if the slime just got crushed… does this volcano have some kind of special power? A mountain god, perhaps?

“I don’t care if you’re a mountain god or something else; you’ll need more than that to stop me!”

Gilbaris brushed it off and stepped onto the staircase. The moment he entered, he felt a heavy pressure that nearly forced him to bend over. But after all, he was an Ultimate Life Form; there was no way he’d submit to this!

“Don’t underestimate me!”

Gilbaris roared, boosting his energy output to counter this mysterious pressure and pushed forward.

“Hmm?”

After continuing a bit, Gilbaris encountered a Flame-Maned Lion blocking his path. The creature glared at him menacingly, unwilling to let him pass.

“Annoying, get out of my way.”

Gilbaris tried to intimidate it just like Weirafiya did, hoping to make it back off, but the Flame-Maned Lion wasn’t having it and lunged at him.

“So bothersome, just die!”

Gilbaris frowned, unleashing a blue lightning bolt that struck the Flame-Maned Lion to the ground. After a roar, the lion lay there, defeated.

“Seriously? Just a lowly beast dares to block my path.”

He tossed the lion aside and ignored it, ready to continue on, but…

“What?”

It was unclear whether the lion’s roar attracted other creatures or if Gilbaris’s earlier commotion was too loud, but other animals living in the volcano swarmed towards him, blocking his way.

“Did I disturb a lion’s nest or something?”

Looking at the fiery creatures surrounding him, Gilbaris couldn’t help but doubt his life choices. But doubts aside, these were just a bunch of low-level beasts; as an Ultimate Life Form, they were no threat. He could easily wipe them all out.

“If you’re not afraid of death, come at me. I, Gilbaris, wouldn’t mind playing with you; it’s been a while since I had this much fun.”

Rubbing his hands together, Gilbaris beckoned the volcano creatures with a finger, provoking them. With a call from a volcano bird, they charged at him recklessly.

“What’s going on down there? It sounds so noisy.”

At the mountaintop, Weirafiya, ready to rest, sensed the commotion at the base of the mountain. She decided to check it out.

“Lady, please stay here. I’ll go take a look.”

Arthur stopped her, reasoning that such minor matters didn’t require her presence; he could handle it as her servant.

“Okay, I leave it to you. If you find anything, let me know.”

“Understood.”

Stepping out of the tent, Arthur looked down from the mountaintop and spotted what Weirafiya sensed—a group of volcano creatures attacking a single person. Yet that person seemed quite powerful, as none of the creatures’ attacks appeared to harm him. In fact, with every strike, he could eliminate a volcano creature in an instant.

“What on earth is happening?”

Arthur was bewildered. Who was that person, and why did he come to this volcano? Why was he being swarmed by these creatures?

“What’s going on? Did something happen?”

Yake, alerted by Aierjisi, also sensed the abnormality and hurried over. When they saw the figure at the base of the mountain, they instantly panicked.

【That treacherous soul is…】

“Of course, it’s Gilbaris! He actually followed us here.”

“Gilbaris? Your acquaintance?”

Arthur, having never met Gilbaris before, was clueless.

【You could say he’s an acquaintance. But he’s an enemy—an Ultimate Life Form from the Adrian People, and he’s hunting me. I didn’t expect him to show up here at the volcanic zone; what a hassle. But it’s great—we have some debts to settle with him. Yake, let’s show him our current strength!】

“Sure thing. Arthur, that guy is the enemy. Aier and I will go handle him. You and Weirafiya should quickly enter the God Palace. Otherwise, it will be troublesome soon. I guarantee it’ll make a big ruckus.”

Without giving Arthur a chance to reply, Yake jumped down. Thanks to Aierjisi’s Wind Magic to cushion his fall, Yake was secured.

“Ah…?”

Arthur watched them drop, unsure of how to react. First things first, he better notify the lady!