Your Majesty's money, why don't you engrave my name on it?

"You mean Grimald? Yes, it won't either—"

Almost simultaneously with the words spoken in the mind-to-mind connection with the witch, a colossal gray-black object burst forth from the black mist outside, crashing violently into the wall of the hall opposite the stone gate. As the elemental creature fell, it also overturned a stone coffin that was completely different from the others.

Although two of its eight limbs had wings, this time, it definitely didn't fly over on its own.

"Roar!" On the grotesque face of the stone statue, eerie green light swept across the people hiding there, but ultimately chose to ignore it. Four strong arms each pulled up two stone coffins beside them, and with the four-armed gargoyle's seemingly frenzied roar, the heavy coffins flew through the air and crashed into the black mist with a whooshing sound.

Raslaufer's pupils contracted slightly: the gargoyle's physical strength was probably no less than that of the adamantite golem. This creature was a completely different concept from the powerful warriors that could be seen on ordinary battlefields!

But what could be so capable of beating it so badly?

"Whoosh—" Amidst the astonished gazes, a strong wind suddenly swept through the tomb, so powerful that it even stopped the two stone coffins that were hurtling towards them at high speed in mid-air! The next moment, two beams of flame burst out from the dissipating black mist, blasting the heavy projectiles into pieces.

When a figure stepped across the stone gate, both Raslaufer and Daisy couldn't help but widen their eyes!

How could it be him?!

Chapter 300 The Second Batch of Visitors

The newcomer's clothes were completely different from those of a few months ago, but Daisy would never forget his appearance!

Because it was she who gave that Matthias a solid whack on the head that had that face on it!

Dragon Points to Fidel! How could it be him?

"Damn it, that prophecy!" The witch's voice echoed in Mary's mind. "I hope this guy just wants to take Joki away, otherwise you'll all be stuck here and I'll die too!"

"Tell me, who came here before me!"

The newcomer was none other than Fidel, but this Dragon Finger was clearly in a bad mood. The inexplicable swarm of giant rats outside had wasted a lot of his strength, and after fighting his way back into an empty room, he found that there were nearly thirty gargoyles crouching there, and they weren't dormant; every single one of them was awake—including a four-armed gargoyle!

This is not as simple as having an extra pair of arms. This guy is two meters tall and weighs two and a half tons. If it even grazes him, it will be enough to kill him!

When they reached the entrance of the hall and saw the raised stone gate, Fidel became even more certain of his guess—someone had gotten there before him!

Who are they? What are they doing here? How did they get the key? Fidel hated things that were out of his control, and now he had too many questions!

How could things have gone so drastically wrong simply because persuading those foolish human kings took a little longer? What happened to his plans and contingency plans?

Several years ago, Fidel had already begun making arrangements in Inasas. He anticipated that the small kingdom of Arkent would not behave itself during the upheaval, but would instead seek to reclaim their original land. Therefore, he handed the key to this place to its treasurer, instructing him to find someone to come here and open the tomb when needed.

Earlier, he also made a deal with a night ghost woman known in the story as the Nightingale Granny to destroy the green ghost woman who was entrenched here. In exchange for some of Joki Popazobote's knowledge, he persuaded the ghost woman to become his ally and to adjust the opening time of the tomb in the vicinity!

But why? Why, despite his meticulous and thorough arrangements, did this unexpected situation still occur? Nightingale remains unreachable, and now this place has been opened—could it be that the hideous monster has become so selfish and short-sighted that he has stolen from his own territory?!

A host of unsettling speculations swirled in Fidel's mind, with the last one taking center stage—he had seen those enormous rats, many times smaller, near the Green Witch's lair here, and these gargoyles were old acquaintances and neighbors of that Green Witch. Could it be that Nightingale hadn't destroyed the witch here, but instead struck a deal?

But as everyone knows, these selfish creatures only stay together when three witches are gathered together! How could two of them possibly form a stable alliance?!

Unless this four-armed gargoyle was also involved!

However, Grimal could not understand what Fidel was saying or what he was thinking. Faced with this bastard human wizard who had destroyed twenty-six of its kind, it only wanted to use its four arms to grab his limbs and tear him to pieces!

"Oremok, my great lord!" The massive living rock pounded its chest in fury, roaring in the Tu language, "These villains have defiled your land, stolen your wealth, and harmed your people! Give me your strength, let me do it for you, and crush these scoundrels!"

“For a gargoyle, this is probably the prayer it came up with using all its wisdom—hurry up, little girl!” the old hag muttered, warning Mary. “It’s demanding even greater power!”

"Can we defeat that wizard?" Mary quickly braced herself against the four sides of the sarcophagus with her arms and legs. "He looks incredibly powerful! Who is he?"

“I don’t know him, but I can guess that he must be a member of that organization established because of the prophecy, and he’s here to recruit Jogi… Maybe I’ve had some connection with him before, and Nightingale has had some cryptic exchanges with some being!”

"I can't say whether Grimore can defeat him, but don't forget one thing: gargoyles are earth elemental creatures, and we are currently in an underground stone tomb!"

At that very moment, Dragonfinger Fidel's pupils suddenly contracted. As the gargoyle let out an unintelligible roar with a sound like stones rubbing against each other, a blessing from a more powerful being began to manifest on this elemental creature. He had to finish the battle quickly!

"Spirit of the Fiery One, obey my command! Ring of Flames, bind the enemy's form!" The strong winds around Fidel ceased instantly. As he hurled the fragments of the sarcophagus destroyed by the flame rays at the gargoyles, the sorcerer began another incantation.

A blazing ring of fire suddenly rose from beneath Grimore's feet, fiercely scorching his rocky body. Even though the four-armed gargoyle could not be ignited by the flames, it was still burned by such a powerful spell and howled in pain!

Grimal could feel the rock on his body being gradually melted, but the power of the earth elemental prince was protecting him. As the parts with lower melting points turned into liquid or even gas, a harder and shinier substance was being born from his body to resist the burning of the fire magic!

The gargoyle, whose pain had been slightly relieved, roared excitedly and slammed its four arms into the ground. Under Dragonfinger Fidel's feet, as the stone bricks shattered, endless mud gushed out, engulfing the sorcerer who was trying to escape. Thousands of crystal shards also appeared out of thin air from inside the mud cage, piercing into Dragonfinger's body like blades!

However, while this binding spell was quite effective against gargoyles, it could not restrain Fidel. Just like when Daisy hit him on the head, Fidel instantly turned into a cloud of mist, separated from the mud, and then reassembled. When he reappeared, all the wounds on his body had disappeared, and there was not even a scratch on his robes.

"You floating dust!" Seeing the intruder use a power similar to air element for the second time, Grimor, an earth elemental creature, could no longer contain his rage. He fiercely destroyed the burning spells around him, and his four terrifying arms crushed towards Fidel like a meat grinder.

Long Zhi naturally dared not confront him head-on, so he used the Misty Steps again to adjust his position. However, to his surprise, his landing point was slightly off. Instead of appearing on the back of a stone coffin as he had planned, he ended up standing inside the open stone coffin.

The room was empty and there was nothing amiss, but behind him, a figure jumped up and, after several months, swung the mattho once again!

Chapter 301 Fidel's Goal

"Om-"

The underground tomb was completely different from the wilderness. The thunder from the bombing echoed between the walls several times. Even though Fidel was under high tension and had set up defenses to deal with the sneak attack, he was still hit so hard that he saw stars.

No wonder he couldn't land in the designated spot; there was actually—

"It's you?!"

Long Ding stared intently at the attackers and immediately screamed as if he had seen a ghost: "Who are you people?!"

This is the second time!

"You who will take your dog's life!" Daisy swung her harp again, but this time it was just a feint—from three other directions, Raslaufer flipped over two sarcophagi with his sword; von Dahl swung a sarcophagus lid away; and magical light burst from Angelita's hand and sword at the same time.

Even more, a dinosaur over three meters long leaped into the air—Fidel couldn't fathom how this beast had managed to hide from him!

Unless, this is a druid!

What started as a one-on-one duel instantly turned into a gang fight! Not only was Fidel completely unprepared, but even Grimal hadn't expected these humans to step in and help it at this moment!

Generally speaking, gargoyles like this are the ones who get ganged up on!

"Don't just stand there, rip his head off!" A skull glowing with ghostly fire spoke up just in time, waking the somewhat dazed gargoyle from its confusion. As the longbowstring on the other side twanged, the four-armed gargoyle and a spotted cat-man charged toward Fidel in quick succession!

Sistine and Rosso had no idea what was going on. They didn't know Fidel, nor did they understand why Raslaufer and the others were suddenly attacking this wizard. But since they were their saviors, they figured they might as well follow along!

At this moment, Dragon Finger Fidel was completely bewildered. No matter how powerful he was, his strength was not limitless. Especially when several opponents who were clearly skilled in close combat attacked from different directions, even he could hardly defend himself. He could only barely use Dragon Breath Technique to force open a path and break through.

If it weren't for the fact that Grimald and Raslaufer had almost no coordination and their massive size made them easy to hinder, he would probably be a pile of minced meat by now!

If it weren't for the fact that the dragonborn, led by Mascara, were in dire need of preparing for war and simply couldn't spare a few skilled men to serve as his followers, he wouldn't have ended up in such a predicament!

But reality doesn't allow for such a "what if" situation. Fidel had no choice but to calmly deal with the attacks from all sides while searching for a way to escape or break the deadlock.

These people had disrupted his plans once again, perhaps even for the third time. After the fall of Qingzun City, Wood also disappeared without a trace, and it was hard to say whether these bastards were involved. However, Wood had accomplished his mission, and now he should do his own thing—though it was best not to die here.

It wasn't that he, Fidel, valued his life; it was simply that those dragonborn and other fools were outrageously stupid. If he died, everything would be over, and all his efforts would be in vain.

He cannot die; in fact, he wants people to live!

Raslaufer's greatsword grazed Fidel's thigh, nearly knocking him to the ground. Dragonfinger endured the pain, his eyes suddenly transforming into golden vertical pupils. A force field shimmering with a blood-red glow surrounded him, deflecting Angrita's fire arrow and also swerving Bella's outstretched claws aside.

Before Grimore's stone fist could strike, the human wizard used the same trick again, turning into a wisp of smoke and drifting into the distance. When it materialized, its entire left arm had transformed into a dragon claw shape, grabbing the hostage holding the skull in front of it!

"Don't move, or this woman's life will be in danger!"

Dragon Finger suddenly raised his foot and kicked away the dagger Mary had just acquired, shouting loudly, "Make that gargoyle stop too!"

The old woman immediately translated into the Tu language, since Mary was now in this man's hands, and she was in Mary's hands. Although Grimore was extremely unwilling, he reluctantly stopped and halted his attack.

"Hostage? Is this the only despicable trick a Grand Mage can come up with?" Leslaufer slammed his greatsword into the ground and raised his left hand. "Aim at him!"

"The trick isn't new, as long as it works!" Fidel scoffed. "You wouldn't dare actually shoot me!"

As he spoke, Longzhi's vertical pupils coldly swept across the crowd opposite him, and more importantly, the doors behind them. His eyes could see through everything behind them, and while there were jewels, magical materials, and scrolls, he did not see Joki Popazobote's coffin.

Fidel's entire plan began with that brooch key. He had explored the vicinity of the outer witch's lair but hadn't actually entered, so he didn't know the true situation of the Extinct Ones. Even so, when his gaze turned to the northwest corner, to the half-open, unlocked door—a door whose contents even his demonic eyes couldn't see through—Fidel revealed a triumphant smile.

"found it."

The instant everyone's ranged attacks rained down, Dragon Finger shoved Mary forward and simultaneously shot towards the door like an arrow. Teleportation spells couldn't be used at this moment, but even so, he was faster than everyone else!

Bizarre flesh and hair swept past his sides, but Fidel paid no heed. He charged straight at the cocoon of flesh hanging high above, and with a flick of his finger, a spell that had not yet taken shape erupted upon it, blasting a hole in the cocoon.

"Jorki! Sleeping here is far too boring!" Fidel laughed loudly. As the crowd chased after him from behind, Dragon Finger not only did not stop, but instead used his magic to tear at the cocoon of flesh even more frantically. "The prophesied time of your ancestors is approaching. Get up! I know you live for this!"

"Stop! You're destroying him!" the hag's head shrieked. "He's not there yet—"

"That's your idea!" Fidel had an arrow in his shoulder, but he gritted his teeth and pulled it out, letting his blood stain his palm. "Come on, Joki! Waiting here must be tiring you. I have some delicious food here to accelerate your maturation! Devour them!"

As he spoke, Dragon Finger soared into the air and poured the blood plasma in his hand into the cocoon. All that could be seen was a shapeless tentacle that quickly extended out and retracted from the cocoon, pulling Fidel inside.

But the man showed no sign of panic. His laughter echoed in the increasingly ominous space, and even the gargoyle's four arms slamming into the ground, shaking the entire tomb with an earthquake, could not stop him. Wisps of golden blood mist spread from the cocoon, enveloping it in reverse. The next second, the entire cocoon of flesh and blood, along with Dragon Finger Fidel, vanished into thin air!

"Enjoy your burial! It's what you deserve!"

Chapter 302 The Sunken Tomb

The cocoon of flesh and blood that enveloped the dragon's finger, and perhaps also Joki, vanished into the air, leaving only those helpless white hairs and threads fluttering about, but these were all minor details.

The earthquake triggered by the gargoyles was unusually severe; the entire tomb began to shake, and cracks appeared on the surrounding walls, showing a tendency to grow larger.

If this continues, I'm afraid that in just a few minutes, everyone will be buried alive in this grave!

"Big guy, can you think of a solution?"

The group could only try to escape, but judging from the speed at which the earth and rocks were falling from above, it seemed unlikely they would reach the exit alive. The bard couldn't help but shout at the four-armed gargoyle.

The demonic face, carved with axe and chisel, was indeed terrifying, but there was no time to dwell on those emotions now.

"You caused this earthquake. As an earth elemental being, you can surely stop it, right?"

The old hag immediately relayed this to Grimald, but the latter simply shook his head, grabbed the slow-moving Mary, and made some scraping sounds like rocks.

"What did it say?!"

"It says it didn't cause this!" the witch cried. "It summoned the power of the most powerful elemental prince, and what he dislikes most is people building things with earth and stone!"

"What kind of nemesis is this, the civil engineering guy?!" Daisy's screams echoed throughout the entire tomb.

Despite everyone's best efforts to escape, when the exit was right in front of them, the light representing hope and freedom rose a full meter upwards during another violent tremor!

"It's not that the exit is too high, it's that the entire tomb is sinking!"

Raslaufer's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly reached out and grabbed Angelita, forcefully throwing the girl toward the shrunken exit.

"Uncle Leslaufer!" Angelita, still in mid-air, exclaimed in surprise, "Then how come you—"

"Stop running! Those who can get out, get out now!" the mercenary shouted, grabbing Daisy's collar again. "So I don't have to poach another person later!"

"Stop it, stop it, I can run by myself!"

Daisy was startled by Leslaufer and quickly transformed into a wisp of silvery smoke, disappearing from her spot. The next second, she reappeared outside the door and pulled Angelita out.

At that moment, the two spotted cat-men unleashed astonishing agility and explosive power, managing to rush out at the same time as Bella, who had transformed into an animal, before the entire mausoleum sank again.

But Leslaufer, clad in heavy armor, and the short-legged dwarf were not so lucky. And Mary, along with the four-armed gargoyle, was also completely swallowed up by the darkness of the underground.

“Tsk, this is a bit of a problem,” von Dahl could be heard scratching his beard in the darkness. “But it’s not a big deal, is it? The structure of the building hasn’t completely collapsed yet, so we still have a chance to dig it out.”

“Then you’d better hurry,” the hag’s two will-o’-the-wisps lit up in the darkness, allowing Leslaufer to see his surroundings. “This place is already collapsing, and if you can’t dig as fast as it’s sinking—”

Before the old hag could finish speaking, Raslaufer heard a series of dull knocking sounds around him, and at the same time, the gargoyle, who was two heads taller than him, had already walked up to them.

As the four sturdy arms supported the falling roof, the falling soil and stones disappeared, and even the descent of the entire mausoleum paused!

"You're insane!" the hag exclaimed in surprise. "This is the will of Oremok! You intend to use its power to rebel against it?!"

“It is but a plea,” the four-armed gargoyle said slowly in a language that Leslaufer and the others could not understand, as it fell into the hag’s skull, “that it may fall more slowly.”

As he spoke, the gargoyle slammed its foot into the ground, and the surrounding earth and rocks immediately parted, separating like ocean waves as they rose diagonally upwards to both sides!

Two or three minutes later, the sunlight outside shone into the ancient mausoleum once again and for the last time, and a road more than one person wide was laid out!

"Get out of here! Get out of here!" Even without the gargoyle's reminder, the hag was already shouting, "Grimore is disobeying orders, it won't last much longer!"

"And you, little girl, are you planning to hold onto this old woman's head for the rest of your life? Put me down right now!"

"Put it down?" Mary, who was about to follow von Dahl away, was taken aback. "Wouldn't that mean..."

"This is my hometown! I wouldn't mind dying here!" The ghostly fire in the old woman's eyes flickered excitedly. "Hurry! Hurry! Are you planning to stay here with me?"

Mary hurriedly put it on the ground—or rather, underground. The only reason she held the skull was because she couldn't be of much help in most situations; she had no real affection for the witch herself.

What will happen to you?

Vondar and Marie crawled out ahead, while Leslaufer paused slightly and turned to look at the skull on the ground.

"What, you're reluctant to part with us? That's not a typical human reaction," the hag laughed hoarsely. "Get lost! We don't need your concern, or are you preparing to be dragged into the next conspiracy?"