The apprentice had such thoughts in his heart, but suddenly, a wave of darkness swept over him.
It was not a bodily reaction caused by pain, but rather a complete and utter blackness before his eyes. Then, an icy aura rapidly devoured his senses, along with all the vitality within him.
From the moment the attack was launched to its conclusion, not even a second had passed.
Even if this apprentice from the Nightshadow Fortress had the fastest reaction speed, at most, he could only fight two opponents at once. When the third attack struck, he had no way to respond and couldn't rely on the characteristics of this space to evade it.
From behind the tree, Lynn slowly walked out, his deep eyes flickering with ecstatic joy his guess had been completely correct!
"This… how is this possible?!"
Colin also stepped forward, his gaze falling upon the heavily injured apprentice. Seeing the man collapsed on the ground, blood pooling around him, completely unresponsive it was obvious that he was utterly dead!
Over this month of battles, Colin had seen countless instances where apprentices revived even after having their heads severed or their bodies torn apart.
Yet this apprentice… was truly dead!
And it was just from a single punch that shattered his spine!
"Lynn! What did you do?! Is this strange space not completely protective?!"
Colin asked in fear, recalling the past month of battles.
He had often acted just like that apprentice, choosing not to dodge attacks but instead relying on his physical resilience. After all, he wouldn't die he would always come back to life.
But now, seeing the apprentice's miserable state, a cold sweat broke out on his back. If he had been struck by a similar attack, wouldn't he have ended up the same way?
Lynn's eyes shone with thought, and after a moment of contemplation, he shook his head. "It's hard to say… maybe it's because I came from the outside world?"
Colin was slightly stunned upon hearing this and recalled what Lynn had said before.
Indeed, Lynn had come from the outside world. According to his words, he had passed through multiple layers of mazes before arriving here.
"Perhaps… only people from the outside have the means to counteract the revival ability?" Colin murmured.
Lynn watched Colin sink into thought, while he was filled with confidence, completely certain unless something unexpected happened, only he could accomplish this. No one else could.
This moment was nearly identical to his experiences passing through the first three maze layers.
In this eerie space, Lynn was connected to Little Green's aura, as if he had returned to his domain, comfortably and effortlessly in control of everything…
This place was practically his paradise!
As this thought crossed his mind, a cold glint flashed in Lynn's eyes, and his voice turned low and icy:
"Colin, do you remember when I first joined the Furnace?"
Colin's eyes flickered with alertness. He instantly detected the murderous intent in Lynn's words and quickly responded:
"You want to go after Riley!"
Lynn smirked coldly.
"Of course. He's tried to target me multiple times. Though I've always managed to avoid it… but now… hehe…"
Now that he had a chance to get rid of Riley for good, how could he possibly let it slip away?
After battling here for a month, Lynn had learned that most apprentices didn't bother dodging fatal strikes, relying instead on the spatial properties to restore themselves.
But he alone could catch them completely off guard and seize the moment to finish them off. This was far more convenient than waiting to deal with Riley in the real world.
A fire of long-suppressed anger burned in his heart. Riley had repeatedly provoked him, and now was the time to pay it all back!
Meanwhile, the Black Dragon Witch, Aestry, had finally captured the lucky apprentice who had passed through the first three layers of the maze.
"The Furnace has successfully broken through the protective array of Emerald Island's Great Forest and is continuously advancing deeper…"
The lucky apprentice, a Third-Level apprentice from the Furnace, answered in a trembling voice, his face deathly pale.
Aestry's violet eyes flickered with light. Earlier, she had attempted to probe his memories, but she had found nothing.
Some force within the three-layered maze had blocked her memory-scanning abilities.
Thus, she could only resort to questioning him directly to learn about the situation outside.
"My teacher is coming to save me…"
Aestry felt slightly relieved. In her heart, her teacher was omnipotent. As long as her teacher was there, nothing would be a problem!
Beside her, the Black Dragon let out a low growl:
"According to this person, the old man shouldn't be far away just three more layers of the maze. Before long, he'll reach our spatial layer…"
Aestry's violet eyes sparkled with intrigue. She spoke in an icy yet commanding tone:
"You said earlier that you could leave at any time can you still leave easily now?"
The apprentice nodded.
He hadn't left earlier because he could retreat at any time. Wanting to earn more battle merits, he had chosen to stay and take the risk.
"Good." Aestry smiled slightly, but then her tone suddenly turned firm and authoritative:
"In my name, Aestry, I now requisition you! From this moment on, unless I permit it, you are not allowed to leave on your own!"
As soon as these words fell, the apprentice's face changed dramatically, and he was stunned into silence, his heart filling with deep regret!
He had believed his ability to leave at any time would allow him to escape any crisis unscathed. Especially when he sensed that terrifying presence approaching, his instincts urged him to flee.
Yet when he saw the Black Dragon appear and guessed that the one coming was Aestry, the Black Dragon Witch, he had abandoned his plan to run trusting that, as a fellow member of the Furnace, he would be safe.
He never imagined… Aestry would directly requisition him.
And she hadn't done it because she valued him personally, but because of the binding power of the "Furnace Contract" on him.
The Furnace's contract had two parties: the Principal and the Subordinate. The only ones capable of signing as the Principal, aside from the Furnace's master, were Aestry herself who was second only to the master in the entire organization.
"Ah…"
The apprentice was filled with remorse. Had he known this would happen, he would have left immediately!
Judging by his reaction, it was clear he had never participated in the Nightshadow Fortress War. Otherwise, the moment he saw Aestry approaching, he would have decisively fled without hesitation.
If it had been someone like Lynn or Sonya, who had already experienced the war, the instant they sensed Aestry drawing near, they would have left without a second thought never daring to take a chance.
For one simple reason they had already been tricked by Aestry once before and wouldn't fall for it again.
"Come with me…" Aestry said indifferently, her voice carrying a faint chill.
"Based on what you said, many apprentices are currently trying to break through the maze, and more and more of them will succeed. I sensed several unique auras earlier from different locations. Those who have passed through the maze need to be gathered I have some questions, and I need answers from them."
As soon as she finished speaking, Aestry leaped onto the Black Dragon's back. The massive dragon lowered its head slightly, allowing her to step onto its scales, but the apprentice was not granted the same privilege.
The proud Black Dragon had no interest in letting him ride and simply extended a giant claw, gripping him firmly in its grasp.
"Hold on tight."
With a low growl, the Black Dragon soared into the sky, its wings spreading wide as it flew toward a particular direction.
In that direction, a unique aura had briefly appeared…
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