Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 571: The Drowned Palace

Chapter 571: The Drowned Palace

The plan was quite simple.

Using the blood of seafarers to soothe the murderous intent of the palace, Udele, using her unique constitution as an Undead Wheel Mystic, would attempt to possess the structure in a bid to transform it into her ’body’.

The plan, though with a few flaws, was considerably risk-free.

There was the chance she would succumb to the destructive energy of the relic, a situation which could either lead her to madness or directly destroy her.

There was also the possibility of being trapped, unable to escape the pseudo dimension the structure was trapped in.

But in her initial calculations, Udele, otherwise known as the Phantasm, could have never anticipated a situation where someone would manage to survive long enough to put a dent in her plans.

Her agreement with Morgen ensured that no troublesome elements would be invited to the pseudo dimension.

Only those that would serve as a sufficient sacrifice to assuage the bloodthirsty nature of the palace.

So how did the entity, one troubling enough to take initial control over the relic, manage to find its way here?

Had Morgen betrayed her and picked someone else to assume control over the relic?

It was plausible, after all, that conniving snake was not exactly a close friend of hers.

They were only working together now as a matter of convenience.

As it was said, the enemy of my enemy is my friend and Sinbad was an enemy to both she and Morgen.

Shaking her head, she decided not to overthink things.

As it was, she had also gained preliminary control over the palace, same with the other figure who had somehow found a way to do the same.

Now, it was a matter of who wanted this relic more and Udele did not think she would lose out in that regard.

Twenty years had passed since that fateful day at the Temple of the Sea Goddess.

It was the day she was betrayed by the one she loved, treated like a criminal by those she wished to protect, and finally, beheaded for crimes she did not commit.

The images were still vivid in her mind like it was yesterday.

Those images were the reason she had reached this point and no matter what, not even if she had to sacrifice everything, there was no way she would accept defeat.

So, with renewed vigor, she reached out to Tyrant, her most trustworthy ally.

He had been with her since day one, assisting her on her journey of vengeance.

Now, it was time to help her once again.

And just like several times before, he answered her call for help.

***

"The Drowned Palace," Alex muttered softly as he parsed through the information flowing into his head.

It was what this structure, or, rather, this relic, was called.

Relics came in different forms and sizes, not just limited to things that could be held in one hand and this relic came in one of the biggest sizes imaginable.

Alex tried to better understand the relic’s history but for some reason, though it entered his mind as something understandable, the moment he tried to discern it, it became unintelligible.

And so he opted to better understand its capabilities, and that was quickly comprehended.

It trapped people in different regions within itself, subjecting them to death by drowning in scary but rather inventive ways.

Thinking back now, the name Drowned Palace seemed like an apt name to have.

Based on what he could tell, the palace was substantially big, equal to the city of BlackWatch in sheer size with dead ends riddled at different areas to ensure that escape was not an option.

The space within was also quite confusing but it seemed Ana’s kidnapper held slight reins over that aspect and so could adjust it to better suit him.

But that was not all, as the deeper he went, Alex began to encounter resistance, not from the palace itself, which was quite strange considering he was trying to take control of it.

The resistance seemed to be coming from someone doing the same thing he was doing, which made him realize that the serpent was not alone, which was a troubling fact.

The dragonoid was already a troublesome adversary.

Adding on a second foe left Alex feeling slightly distressed.

Just then, he felt something causing him to immediately snap.

The next moment, a lightning bolt emerged from the emptiness of space and struck him, sending him crashing to the ground.

When the blinding white light dissipated, it revealed Alex in an illusory form that flickered between black and white.

Nightborne!

But that was hardly the end of the surprise attack as several more bolts followed soon after, crashing down without mercy, causing the ground to crack and the walls to tremble at the sheer force behind each strike.

Alex grunted because even though he did not feel anything, the force was slowly starting to disorient him and it didn’t seem like the attack was planning on stopping anytime soon.

Weighing his options, he decided to fight back since fleeing would not spare him the torture.

Taking a deep breath, he channeled his control over the palace, using it as an avenue to hit back.

Meanwhile, in the enclosed space with no entrance or exit, Tyrant had its attention split in two, one focused on prying Ana from her temporal seal and the other on preventing Alex from furthering his control over the Drowned Palace.

Just then, he sensed something causing him to split his attention into three.

At the same time, despite being enclosed, streams of water poured in without restraint, from the roof and the walls, quickly filling up the space with water.

Tyrant didn’t dare to contend with the sudden attack, instead opting to flee as he was well aware of what it was capable of.

Grabbing Ana with one of his clawed hands, he immediately teleported to a different space only to be met with a black hole that warped time and space.