Chapter 957 Bridge Keeper

Chapter 957 Bridge Keeper　　A few days later.

Theo had finally reached his home. Because he needed to take care of the matter about his main body, Theo put a notice that any information would be traded after one month.

Isaac was convinced that the price would increase in one month, so he stayed quiet for a while.

Meanwhile, Bernard had agreed to talk about it in a month since it was the agreement between him and Isaac.

After settling everything, Clone Theo vanished into thin air.

"This is the time…" Theo muttered with a serious expression. After going to the center of this place, he found the landscape gradually tilted downwards.

Since it matched the riddle, he continued forward while assessing his surroundings.

Even though he had prepared for this, he needed to enter a place called Hel. There was no way he wasn't afraid, especially since his main body had died.

As he traversed further, the scenery gradually changed. The mist became thinner, allowing him to see through the fog.

However, this thin mist made the place eerier as Theo could see a few dead trees, black fences, and some small hills in the distance.

Some strange noises started entering his ears, saying, "What are you doing here?"

"Why do you kill me?"

"I don't want to die."

"Don't torture me."

"Aaahhh!"

There were despair, regret, and madness. Even Theo didn't know where they came from because he found nothing no matter how hard he looked around.

Theo narrowed his eyes because the screams started to disturb his heart. They all didn't want to die, but they ended up enduring all this.

"Did my main soul endure all this too?" Theo muttered while trying to calm his heart down.

Theo looked up and realized the sky was red even though it wasn't supposed to be like this. He thought this blood-red sky was produced because of the mist reflecting the light.

But he was no scientist. Even if he investigated it, he had no idea what truly happened to the sky.

All he could do was keep walking forward, ignoring all the noises from his surroundings.

"…" Theo took a deep breath and wondered, "Or is this just an illusion?"

Since the mist could make him hallucinate, he thought these voices were an illusion. Still, there was only one job to do in here.

Theo stopped thinking for a moment and continued. He didn't know why after entering this place, his mind and heart got distracted easily.

"I need to focus…" Theo shook his head with a serious expression. He then continued observing the environment.

After walking for a day, the mist became even clearer to the point Theo could see anything within a quarter-mile radius. The blood-red sky became even brighter, making it hard for anyone to know the time.

The snow underneath his feet gradually disappeared, replaced by soft, wet soil. Theo knew what made it wet, but he would rather think something else instead of imagining what kind of fluid did the ground absorb.

To his surprise, the Magic Power became denser, the closer he got to the bridge.

After running for one day, Theo finally found his destination.

He found another land across the river, but it was clear he couldn't cross it through the water or air, especially with a giant bridge standing between the two lands.

Theo lowered his vision and saw the red river flowing from the upstream, carrying many souls. He raised his head and found numerous lines of Magic Power, becoming the ceiling to prevent any souls from escaping.

The land was shrouded by mist, so he couldn't see through it. However, he knew it was his destination.

Some blue-colored souls started crossing the bridge with lifeless eyes. As soon as they stepped on the bridge, the latter glowed in gold.

'Thatched with glittering gold…' Theo muttered, knowing it matched the description of the bridge.

Without hesitation, he approached the bridge, preparing to enter Helheim.

Suddenly, a huge black hole appeared on the bridge as a black-robed female emerged from within.

The female had pale blue skin with half of her face starting to rot. She raised both hands while looking at Theo with her gray eyes.

Theo felt chills down his spine when their eyes intertwined. He couldn't feel any energy from those eyes as if the female before him had already died a long time ago.

He also covered his body with Magic Power, preparing to fight if necessary.

'Wait a minute… I think I have heard about this. There's a guardian in front of the bridge. Is it her?' The thought appeared in Theo's mind, making him hesitate to advance.

As if reading his mind, the female asked, "Who are you? For what reason the living wants to cross this bridge? This is the place that separates the dead from the living."

Her voice was cold and emitted some killing intent as if she wanted to kill Theo so that he could cross this place.

Theo remembered the myth once again before stating with a grim expression. "My name is Theodore Griffith. I only have one purpose… I wish to reincarnate my dead body. As soon as I finish my matter, I will return."

To his surprise, the female started releasing all her gray-colored Magic Power while shouting in anger. "Bold courage. How dare you lie to me?"

"Lie? What?" Theo widened his eyes in shock. He had stopped lying a few years ago. To think the female would say it was a lie, he couldn't accept it. "I'm not lying. I truly want to reincarnate my dead body."

The female became even angrier as she stated. "It's possible to reincarnate your body, but what can I do with your current body? You've lied to me. You are not Theodore Griffith. You are not dead either!"

"What? I'm—!" Theo was bewildered by her statement, but when he was about to repeat it, he felt an enormous presence behind him.

He turned around and found no giant creature. Instead, there were numerous black hands gradually emerging from the ground, trying to hold him. Even his feet couldn't move because two pairs of hands had caught him like earlier.

He remembered what happened the moment he entered the illusion. If he hallucinated again, he might not be able to return.

Sadly for him, everything was too late. The hands had already reached him and prevented him from moving as they gradually made their way toward his head.

While the hands climbed his body, Theo gritted his teeth and saw the female opening her mouth, stating the so-called truth. "You're Theodore Griffith's Clone, and your purpose is to reincarnate your original's body."

Anger rose in his heart as it was clear that she would accept it if he actually answered her with that. However, he also had his own pride. He didn't want to be a mere clone… He wanted to be the original Theo Griffith.

"Nooo!" Theo shouted as the hands started to cover his head again.