The Rich Cultivator
Chapter 166 - 165. The Rising Labyrinth

Chapter 166: 165. The Rising Labyrinth

"Astrid!" Tyler shouted. He rushed towards her, only to be stopped by Lutz, who stood between him and the princess.

"Don’t worry, she’s not dead... yet," Lutz said, his tone eerily calm. The crystal-clear knife protruding from Astrid’s chest shimmered faintly, its unnatural glow confirming Lutz’s words. There was no blood, but she lay there as if frozen in time, her body motionless, her eyes shut.

Lutz gently laid her down on the ground, turning to face Tyler with an unreadable expression. "How did you figure out it was me?" he asked, his voice filled with genuine curiosity.

Tyler didn’t answer. His gaze remained locked on Astrid’s still form. To confirm whether she was really alive or dead.

Seeing Tyler’s silence, Lutz sighed. "Very well, then. A trade for information." He smirked, his eyes gleaming with malice. "The only way to save her is to find her... inside the Labyrinth."

Before Tyler could react, Lutz paused and tilted his head, as if listening to something distant. "Looks like my time is up," he murmured, a wicked smile playing on his lips. "I’ll be waiting for your answer... inside."

Suddenly, the ground beneath them rumbled violently. The entire castle shook, followed by the unmistakable roar of stone grinding against stone. Tyler’s eyes widened as the quake intensified, sending people running in panic. The shaking wasn’t limited to the castle; it spread across the entire island, growing in intensity.

Outside, the world began to shift. The once calm sea churned violently, massive waves rising higher and higher, crashing against the shores. Buildings crumbled, warriors and mages alike scrambling to protect each other amidst the chaos. The ground splintered, and from deep within the earth, something ancient stirred.

Towering walls, colossal in size, began to rise from the earth, encircling the entire capital. The labyrinth wasn’t just surfacing—it was enveloping everything, from the castle to the surrounding seas.

"The Labyrinth is surfacing!" Captain Silver Eye shouted, standing on the deck of his ship, his eyes wide with excitement. His crew, along with other pirate ships scattered across the water, could only watch in disbelief as the massive structure, bigger than any they had ever seen, rose from the depths.

The labyrinth was unlike anything they had imagined. Its walls, the size of mountains, stretched upwards, casting dark shadows over the entire capital. The very sky seemed to be swallowed by its emergence. It was a maze of ancient stone, with paths and corridors winding up and down, trapping the kingdom within its grasp.

Tyler felt the weight of the air change. The sky, once open, was now enclosed, sealed off by the rising labyrinth walls. The capital and its people were imprisoned within this colossal maze, and somewhere deep inside, Astrid’s life was slipping away.

The Labyrinth had surfaced. The game had begun.

---

The world blurred around Tyler, his vision distorting as the violent shaking of the ground ceased all at once. When his surroundings solidified, he found himself standing alone in a narrow stone corridor. The walls of the labyrinth stretched up high, blocking out any view of the sky, while twisted vines and eerie symbols etched into the stone radiated an ominous energy.

Tyler immediately activated the Phantom mask. As the familiar sensation of power surged through him, he transformed into the infamous Phantom Blackwood. His movements became lighter, his senses sharpened, and the shadows around him seemed to cling to his figure like a second skin. The labyrinth itself felt more suffocating now, but Tyler felt he was one with darkness.

He scanned the walls. There was no clear path, and the winding corridors all looked the same. His mind raced, remembering Lutz’s cryptic words: *"Find her inside the Labyrinth."*

Meanwhile, in the very heart of the labyrinth, Lutz strode confidently through a grand chamber as if he had walked its paths many times before. The room was vast, its walls inscribed with ancient runes that pulsed with a strange light. At its center, two figures floated—one unconscious, the other barely clinging to life.

Astrid’s body hovered in mid-air, the crystal knife still embedded in her chest. Her face was pale, her breathing faint. On the opposite side, the King of Rosefall floated as well, bound by invisible chains, his face contorted in a mixture of pain and fear.

Lutz smirked as he approached. He held his staff aloft, the tip glowing with a faint blue light. He muttered something under his breath, and the runes on the walls responded, lighting up brighter. A strange hum filled the air as if the labyrinth itself was coming alive.

Suddenly, a group of pirates, who had also been teleported into the labyrinth, stumbled into the chamber. Their eyes widened as they saw Lutz standing there, unguarded, with a staff that glowed with immense power. Greed lit up their faces, and without a word, they charged at him, weapons drawn, ready to rob him of whatever treasures he might carry.

Lutz didn’t even turn his head. With a casual flick of his wrist, water splashed out of thin air, enveloping the pirates in large, swirling bubbles. Trapped inside, the pirates clawed at the surface of the bubbles, their eyes wide with panic as they struggled to breathe. Their weapons dropped, and they flailed helplessly, their movements growing weaker with each passing second.

"Fools," Lutz muttered, watching as life drained from their eyes. With another wave of his staff, the bubbles burst, and the pirates collapsed to the ground, their bodies lifeless.

He turned back to Astrid and the King, a satisfied smile on his face. "It won’t be long now..."

---

Lily, now transformed into *Temptress Blackwood*, grinned beneath her mask as she assessed the situation. The labyrinth around her seemed almost alive with its thick canopy of twisted branches and towering trees. The temple in the distance loomed large, its ancient stone walls half-covered in moss and vines. The only way across was through the trees, but before she could plan her next move, the familiar sultry voice of Isadora Nightkiss cut through the air.

"Wow, wow... Look who’s here."

Lily turned, her eyes narrowing beneath the mask. The *Manhunter* herself, Isadora, stood confidently with her hand on her hip, exuding danger and beauty in equal measure.

"Looks like you’ve got company," Lily remarked with an amused smirk, her gaze drifting toward the approaching Federation soldiers, their dark uniforms standing out starkly against the lush greenery of the labyrinth’s forest.

Isadora glanced back and let out a frustrated sigh. "Tsk. Bugs..." She said in irritation, clearly unimpressed with the sudden appearance of the soldiers.

Lily, on the other hand, was not eager to stick around. "Well, good luck with that." She waved casually, turning as if she were about to make her escape through the trees. After all, this wasn’t her fight.

But before either of them could make another move, one of the Federation soldiers called out, "Look, it’s *Manhunter* and *Temptress*! Looks like the rumours are true—they’re working together! Capture them!"

The moment the words left his mouth, several soldiers raised their weapons, ready to attack.

Lily’s playful demeanour evaporated in an instant. "Tsk..." She clicked her tongue in annoyance. It seemed the Federation had drawn the wrong conclusions, and now she was being lumped in with Isadora.

"Great. Just what I needed."

Beside her, Isadora scoffed, her irritation deepening. "These pests just don’t know when to give up." Isadora readied herself, her fingers brushing the hilts of her twin daggers.

With a quick flick of her wrist, Lily summoned a black whip, the long tendrils crackling with energy. "Looks like we’ll have to work together, whether we like it or not." She shot a glance at Isadora.

"Heh. Just stay out of my way, *Temptress*," Isadora retorted, already preparing to engage the soldiers.

The Federation soldiers charged, but before they could get close, Lily sprang into action, her form a blur of motion as she dashed toward the nearest tree. In one fluid movement, she scaled the trunk, using the branches to her advantage.

Isadora quickly disappeared and appeared near a soldier she whispered something in his ear. The man sliced his own throat.

---

Meanwhile, in another section of the labyrinth, Mathilda found herself standing in the center of what appeared to be an ancient church. The stone walls were covered in faded murals, but it was the statues that caught her attention. They were everywhere—life-sized, carved from marble, and radiating an eerie aura.

Her eyes widened as she took in the sight. The statues depicted profane scenes — naked figures locked in suggestive poses, their expressions frozen in pleasure or agony. Some were human, others...less so.

Mathilda blinked, then quickly wiped a bit of drool from the corner of her mouth. "Whoa..." she muttered, her voice echoing in the eerie silence of the church.

As she walked forward, her curiosity grew. "What is this place...?" she whispered to herself. The statues seemed to beckon her, pulling her deeper into the strange chamber.