Chapter 410: The Answer is not Enough

Adrian thought long and hard as he knew the answer is just at the tip of his tongue.

"Kanlaon and Saena would be perfect to think for an answer but I cannot hear their replies. To think a guardian could even block the connections of soulbounds. If I was strong enough then maybe I could talk to them. I become like a human in front of being like them." Adrian thought but he suddenly remembered the word.

"A Human. The answer to your riddle would be a human." Adrian stated with confidence since he remembered what his father told him.

Adrian read in a book that the sphinx gave them a riddle, but they were unable to answer it. The sphinx jut looked at Adrian before it spoke.

"You are correct in answering but that is not enough to determine you utilizing the relic. You will have to undergo another trial. The Trial of the Sphinx!" The Sphinx stated as it stomped its paws.

A sphere then enveloped the area and Adrian's vision became flooded with light. They were transported to a location where there is only sand. Adrian looked around and saw that the area they were in has no sight of civilization.

"Where have you brought me?" Adrian asked as all the restrictions placed on him is suddenly lifted.

"The test will be rather easy. You just need to become victorious. You will fight the golden army of the past. It is the army of the once great emperor that managed to conquer the whole western continent." The sphinx stated as its figure vanished from the location.

"Wait! This is not fair! At least give me an army!" Adrian shouted but he got no reply.

Soon, the sand about a hundred meters away from Adrian started forming humanoid figures. The humanoid figures are like the guards that Adrian have met but their armor is much luxurious. If the guards that Adrian encountered in the first kingdom in the western continent only had gold plated armors, the ones he is seeing are wearing full gold armor.

Even the weapons that the humanoid figures are wielding are all made of a gold like metal. Adrian knew that this is not really actual gold because gold is a soft metal that cannot be used as armor or weapon. Gold is the best conductor when it comes to corrosion resistance as the elements do not affect it like other metals.

"Why do they keep on generating?! Is this not impossible? Oy! You are cheating guardian! I answered your riddle, so you best keep the deal. I would just use the relic once anyways." Adrian complained and he noticed that the golden soldiers started spawning faster.

The golden foot soldiers wielding golden spears numbered in the ten thousand. The golden archers numbered in the three thousand. The golden cavalry numbered in the thousand with bulky camels in golden armor.

In the middle of the formation is a figure emanating dignity surrounded by ten warriors armed with sickles. It seems that the figure in the middle is the forgotten emperor of the western continent that all kings and queens of the western continent claim that they are his descendants.

The forgotten golden emperor held an ankh in his left hand and a scepter in his right. He raised his ankh, and all the soldiers are suddenly surrounded with a golden light. The weapons and armors that they wore seemed to become tougher and sharper as well.

The golden army started their march towards Adrian's location. Adrian summoned his soulbounds and waited for the battle. He also used Soul Recall to summon another aid in battle. The magic circle for the Soul Recall emerged and from it rose a sarcophagus.

The sarcophagus opened and a mummy came out with its bandages still clean. It had a golden mask on its face and the same weapons that the golden emperor is now wielding. The golden army marching forward even stopped for a second before marching again.

"I guess this is the best time for me to use that spell then." Adrian muttered as he gathered the mana in his body.

Adrian's soulbounds all waited for his command and saw him floating up in the sky without using his wings. The sand beneath his feet swirled like a vortex as he floated in the air. His eyes glowed and his voice echoed in the distance.

"Gabriel! Blow the trumpet!" Adrian stated as his voice echoed with authority.

A shining bright light came down from the heavens. A magic circle that is made of golden lines manifested in the sky. It measured about ten meters but the figure that emerged from it is the size of a human.

The person he summoned looked like a well-built man with six wings like that of a white dove. He had blonde flowing hair, but his eyes are covered by his helmet. He wore cloth armor made of white silk linen and platinum armor.

Gabriel's line of sight looked at Adrian and the latter could feel that the former is disgusted because of being summoned by a demon. Still, the angel did his thing and summoned his trumpet that looked like an ordinary trumpet with no lavish decoration.

A loud heavy sound erupted once the angel blew on his trumpet. The angel soon disappeared into particles of light once it did what it was summoned for. It still gave Adrian a death glare before vanishing into particles of light.

"Where is the disaster though?" Adrian thought as he could not see anything visible in the distance.

The golden army still proceeded with their march and are reaching Adrian's location in a short amount of time. Adrian wanted to wait but there is no more time, so he started to prepare for battle plans. He knew that the sphinx would not make him lose or the game would not put a trial form him that cannot be conquered.

As Adrian is about to command Kanlaon to bombard the golden army, simultaneous magic circles started to appear on the sand. They appeared like fireworks on the sand until a large magic circle appeared to encompass all the magic circles.

"That damned angel! They should be the real devils!" Adrian shouted as he knew that the Angel Gabriel deliberately wanted him to be caught up in the spell.

Since the magic that Adrian is using has neither origin energy or nether energy, if he gets hit with his own spell then he would get hurt like a novice magician that cannot control his or her mana. The sands rumbled as numerous sandpits emerged and swallowed some of the golden army.

The sandpits were just the start of the disaster because a sandstorm is brewing in the distance and rolling over to Adrian's location. Adrian had to do something so commanded Kanlaon to protect them by using shields of fire and frost.

Thankfully, no sandpits appeared below his feet. He did saw that the golden army marching towards him getting decreased by the second. He also saw that the sandstorm rolled out and swallowed the golden army.

Adrian wanted to see what happened clearly, but his vision is blocked by sand. He accepted that he will be damaged to some extent. He hoped for the fact that he could use Rewind and Invigorate to fully heal himself and his soulbounds.

He did not know how to utilize the mummy that he summoned because no details about his skills were given to Adrian which was odd. He did not think about it now though because he needed to survive first and be shocked later. The raging sandstorm and voracious sandpits continued on for bout ten minutes before disappearing.

The desert became peaceful as the disaster subsided. There were no traces of even the golden army or Adrian's group. The sphinx who is overlooking everything from the skies is utterly shocked by the audacity that the demon showcased.

"He wanted the Sands of Time so badly, but he does not look like the greedy type. What do you want it for demon? It takes time for me to read the hearts of your kind due to your strange dispositions. Humans are much easier to read because they wear their desire like a coat." The sphinx muttered as he continued observing the battle.

The sand erupted and from it is the golden army still half as strong. The soldiers that were swallowed by the sandpits are the ones who were missing. The golden emperor scanned the desert as its eyes glowed in a red light.

With its eyes, it saw heat signatures coming from a few meters away. It commanded the remaining cavalry and soldiers to charge at the location. When the cavalries are about two meters away from the location that the golden emperor pointed at, bandages suddenly erupted from the sand to constrict the camels.

A twister made of sand suddenly appeared and the sand in the twister became glass. Inside the sand that became glass is Adrian's group that did not get damaged one bit.