"Okay, okay, that's enough of the chitchat," Tarosse concluded, having said all he was prepared to. "The rest you'll naturally discover upon entering. Whenever you're ready, feel free to proceed."
With that, Yunaia gracefully dismounted Oscar's back. Together, they ventured forward, entering their respective tunnels without hesitation.
Meanwhile, Ace and his companions were on the brink of stepping into the passage when they noticed Linley gazing into the distance with a perplexed expression.
"What's up with you?" Ace inquired, his curiosity piqued. "Is something wrong?"
Linley hesitated for a moment before responding, his voice tinged with confusion. "I can't quite put my finger on it, but it feels as if something is beckoning me. It's reminiscent of the sensation I felt when encountering the Azure Dragon all those years ago..."
Ace and the rest of the group followed Linley's gaze, attempting to discern the source of his unease. Yet, despite their collective efforts, whether it was Ace, whose soul was the most powerful of those present or Bebe, who had an innate connection to the young Baruch Patriarch, none of them could perceive anything out of the ordinary.
With a determined resolve, Linley decided to put aside his uncertainties. "It’s not important now," he affirmed, squashing his lingering doubts. "In a place like this, distractions can be deadly. To uncover more, I'll just have to ascend to the higher levels."
With these words, he took a step forward, leading the way into the passage to the Necropolis of the Gods.
Ace and the rest of the group exchanged understanding glances before nodding and following Linley's resolute stride.
Before completely disappearing into the passage, Ace turned back to look at Amira and the others. “Be careful!”
The first batch of Deathgod Golems only had the power of an early-stage saint, so he was confident that no one in their group would struggle much at all. Still, upon exiting, they would have reached the second floor, and according to Tarosse's description, that was a location fraught with danger.
Whether it was Wukong, Kimika, or Lazerim, they were all extremely powerful. As such, he wasn't particularly worried about their safety, but Amira and Leona were different...
One was his familiar and long-time partner; the other was his... Well, it was complicated. Still, although in terms of talent and potential, they were almost without peers, unfortunately, they hadn't had enough time to truly live up to their potential. He knew they were far from the weakest entering this time, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't worried.
"We'll be fine,” Amira, perceptive as always, picked up on Ace's concern. She reassured him with a confident nod. “See you on the other side."
With those parting words, Ace entered the passage, the group vanishing from view as they entered their respective tunnels.
Upon entering his designated tunnel, Ace found himself in a vast underground cavern. At the far end of the cavern, an imposing Deathgod Golem stood guard, blocking access to the stairway leading to the next floor.
As Ace confidently entered the cavern, the Deathgod Golem sprung to life, hurtling toward him with menacing intent. Unperturbed, Ace continued to stride forward as if he hadn't even noticed the approaching adversary.
It was only when the Deathgod Golem was on the brink of striking distance that Ace sprang into action.
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Like a dormant volcano unleashing its fury, Ace's glaive surged forward with astonishing speed and power. The crimson streak it left behind sliced through the air, striking the puppet squarely in the chest and propelling it in the opposite direction with double the velocity it had approached.
Remarkably, despite delivering such a devastating blow, Ace's unhurried gait remained unbroken as he continued his leisurely walk toward the exit.
Similar scenes played out in the other tunnels as the initial group of ten adventurers made their way through.
To the rest of the Continent, saints were regarded as lofty, almost godlike figures. Still, facing these ten individuals, it was clear that it would take far more than the power of an expert at the early stages of the saint realm to pose a challenge of any kind of significance.
Exiting the passage leading to the second floor, Ace found himself in the midst of a scorching desert, an inviting oasis with crystal-clear blue water standing before him. The surreal landscape was dominated by numerous towering volcanoes, their peaks seeming to pierce the very heavens.
Yet, what struck Ace most profoundly was the lingering scent of blood that tainted the air, accompanied by an eerie undercurrent of bloodlust that permeated the sweltering atmosphere.
After a brief moment of initial surprise, Ace selected a direction and began his purposeful march.
Just moments after he arrived on the second floor, he had already sensed the presence of Leona, located dozens of kilometres away.
Their spiritual bond allowed them to always remain aware of each other's whereabouts as long as they were within the same plane of existence.
The strange thing, though, was that Ace was moving in the complete opposite direction of his familiar.
Although he still couldn’t understand how or why, Ace and Amira also shared a similar connection, though not as keen as his one with Leona.
Regardless, it was Amira's location he was moving towards.
It wasn’t that he thought Amira was more important; it was simply because, as their connection was clearer, Ace was able to communicate directly with Leona. As such, he knew that Leona was fine and slowly making her way towards him.
On the other hand, although he could sense Amira was also making her way towards him, he wouldn’t be able to see if she got herself surrounded or hurt.
Unfortunately, before he could reach Amira, Ace found himself encircled by a group of more than twenty demonic creatures.
Though an early saint might not pose a significant threat to his current power level, facing twenty of them simultaneously was an entirely different challenge.
Although he had never entered the Necropolis of the Gods in the past, thanks to Arianna’s family records, he was able to get his hands on a lot of information from previous years. In particular, the beings that called the ruins home.
As soon as he saw the semi-humanoid-shaped creatures with bodies made from pure, scarlet-coloured lava wrapped by faint wreaths of flame, he instantly recognised them as Magma Demons.
However, Ace greeted the situation with enthusiasm. "You lot will serve as a good warm-up for what lies ahead in here," he grinned wickedly, morphing into a blazing crimson blur as he charged headlong into the small army of Magma Demons.
His glaive danced through the air with fiery grace, each thrust breaking the sound barrier with a resounding roar. The pained cries of the demons faded into insignificance as Ace systematically dismantled them, leaving behind a trail of fallen adversaries.
As the last Magma Demon fell, Ace's insatiable appetite for battle remained unsated. Amira, who had yet to encounter a worthy opponent, couldn't help but feel a hint of envy.
"Seems like you were having fun," Amira commented, her tone laced with jealousy.
Ace offered a wistful smile before releasing a helpless sigh. "Perhaps a little. But I could’ve done with there being a few more of them."
"You're just greedy," Amira playfully retorted. "I haven't even had a chance to fight since reaching the second floor."
Ace relented with a nod. "You can take on the next batch when the opportunity arises."
Amira's pouty expression persisted. "Who knows when that will be? Haven’t you noticed how stable this world is? I can barely extend my spiritual essence half a meter beyond my body."
"I've noticed," Ace acknowledged. "I can only extend my spiritual essence about five meters around my body. Even with my [Observation Haki], I can only expand it to 100 meters without compressing it."
"100 meters?" Amira queried, a dangerous light flickering in her eyes. "Are you showing off?"
"Of course not. I wouldn't dare!" Ace replied, raising his hands in mock surrender.
However, before he could continue their conversation, he sensed something which caused him to pivot his head in the direction where Leona was located; his eyes suddenly filled with worry and a trace of coldness.
Without the need for words, both Ace and Amira unhesitatingly took off, their bodies appearing as mere blurs as they raced toward their companion.