Chapter 287 The Duel Of Opponents

Gazing upon the blazing forest, Tyler felt somewhat perplexed by the situation.

In his memory, Viviana's fighting style should have nothing to do with flames, and it was unlikely that the local goblin race would set fire to their own homeland.

This meant that there must be fire-related combatants among the Scarlet Family, and they were fighting near the goblin fortress in the labyrinth's core area.

(It seems Viviana must be fighting alongside her team. I wonder if their strength is enough to face the labyrinth boss...?)

When Tyler last saw Viviana, she had just reached the third tier, with a level slightly above fifty. After nearly two months apart, he guessed that she might have reached the full level of ninety in the third tier or even ascended to the fourth tier.

As the Divine Heir of the Scarlet Family, she would undoubtedly have access to ample resources for training, leveling up, and advancing in tiers, so this pace was not unreasonable.

However, even if Viviana had reached the fourth tier, she would still be no match for the labyrinth boss.

Tyler speculated that the boss would be at least fifth tier, sixth tier being within reason, and seventh tier... not impossible.

Therefore, if the Scarlet Family did not have a fifth or sixth tier leader, they would not only be unable to defeat the "Aqua Nest" boss, but they might also struggle to survive.

(Is the current situation... also part of the Scarlet Family's plan?)

Considering the previous cunning tactics employed by the Scarlet Family, Tyler could only assume that the current labyrinth situation was also part of their plan.

As one of the five major families of the Vester Kingdom, they should have at least this level of strategic prowess.

Based on this assumption, Tyler believed that the Scarlet Family's team would be able to successfully defeat the labyrinth boss. However, under the current circumstances, it would be too risky for him to directly enter the battlefield.

Tyler decided to approach the fortress a bit closer and continue observing the situation with his telescope.

After all, no matter how important the truth behind the Scarlet Family's plan was, it was not as important as Tyler's own life.

.n(.OVeLb1n

At the entrance of the goblin fortress, the ghostly Sword Demon floated in the air.

Obsidian Elder sacrificed half of his life energy to unleash the true form of the soul-engraved Divine Weapon "Lightbane Spellblade - Korlskin," merging it with himself.

The Sword Demon had no physical form, being composed entirely of black smoke. Instead of hands, it wielded two three-meter-long black smoke swords, and instead of legs, its torso trailed into wisps of black smoke.

At this moment, its hollow eyes stared intently at the Bloodbane Serpent, its murderous intent evident.

The Bloodbane Serpent, Erosk, laughed heartily. He had experienced this form in their previous battle and had suffered a loss. This time, he didn't know if he had a way to deal with it. But it didn't matter; experiencing the "joy" of battle was the most important thing for this madman.

On the other side, taking advantage of Obsidian Elder's intimidation of the Bloodbane Serpent, Cardinal Elder swung his Bloodfire Demonblade, severing the attacking red snake. He then activated the cloak's skill to summon a pair of "Flame Wings" and took off, chasing after another red snake!

"Fufufu, Reddy got himself some nice equipment, huh?"

While using all his strength to dodge the Sword Demon's attacks, the Bloodbane Serpent still had the leisure to praise Cardinal Elder, as the energy he used for offense was now left with nowhere to go.

Facing the smoke-formed Sword Demon, all of the Bloodbane Serpent's attacks were ineffective. Moreover, the Sword Demon's attacks were extremely lethal, and none of the defensive methods known to the Bloodbane Serpent could withstand its slashes, forcing him to continuously evade.

"Twenty seconds have passed, Blacky. You only have forty seconds left... or have you improved during this time?"

During their last encounter, the Sword Demon could only maintain its form for one minute. This time, the Bloodbane Serpent anticipated three minutes, and as long as he could endure those three minutes, it would be his turn.

The Sword Demon did not respond, but its attacks continued to grow more fierce.

Just as the Bloodbane Serpent was about to run out of room to retreat, the gaunt old man suddenly transformed into a red snake right before the Sword Demon's eyes. At the same time, Cardinal Elder, who was about to catch up with the red snake, was astonished to find that the flying red snake had turned into the Bloodbane Serpent himself!

Neither the Cardinal nor the Obsidian Elder knew of this shape-shifting ability. It seemed that during their period of progress, the Bloodbane Serpent had not been idle either.

"Fufufu, are you happy to see me, Reddy?"

Taking advantage of Cardinal Elder's astonishment, the Bloodbane Serpent extended his hands, and countless chains flew from the blood holes in the center of his palms towards Cardinal Elder. He immediately turned to flee, flying while releasing blazing slashes behind him.

However, the Bloodbane Serpent's chains were like living snakes, not only avoiding Cardinal Elder's slashes but also coiling around his ankles, grounding him and bringing him back to the entrance of the fortress.

"Burn even hotter, Dearborn!" Cardinal Elder channeled more magic power into the Bloodfire Demonblade, causing the blade to glow red-hot.

The scorching blade successfully severed the Bloodbane Serpent's chains, returning the three to a standoff at the entrance of the fortress... and now, the Divine Weapon that Obsidian Elder had paid a great price to unleash had passed its effective time, forcing him to revert to his human form.

The only thing on the minds of the Cardinal and Obsidian Elders was to stall for as much time as possible, allowing Viviana to safely escape the Aqua Nest.

As for the Bloodbane Serpent, Erosk, he was thinking about how to corner "Reddy and Blacky," learn all their abilities, and then kill them both.

After some simple contemplation, the Bloodbane Serpent made a mad move: he summoned the red skull-headed scythe Draven once more, swung it around with the chains to gain momentum, and then hurled a scythe slash at the fortress gate!

"Reddy, Blacky, you're still too restrained! Let's have some more fun! Fufufufu!!"

With the scythe's light cutting through the fortress gate, the five-meter-thick gate was diagonally severed in two, and then, with a "bang," it fell to the ground.

The Bloodbane Serpent's madness was not over yet. He manipulated the chains to bind the goblin corpses on the ground and then flung them one by one into the goblin fortress, laughing all the while, his intentions clearer than ever.

"Madman... this old monster is truly a madman...!!!"

Both the Cardinal and Obsidian Elders sensed the Bloodbane Serpent's intentions, but they were powerless to stop him. If they actively engaged him in close combat, they would fall into his trap.

The two could only watch as the Bloodbane Serpent continued his reckless actions until a thunderous roar erupted from within the goblin fortress!

The roar was so loud that all the birds in the surrounding forests took flight.

For a moment, the burning forest, the sky filled with black smoke, and the countless birds in the

air... all plunged the labyrinth's Aqua Nest into unprecedented chaos.

Following that, heavy footsteps echoed from within the fortress.

Each step was accompanied by violent tremors, heralding the imminent arrival of the goblin king.