Chapter 376: Final Sprint

They had planned to rest for the night, to be in peak condition for the battle to leave the valley, but Saul didn’t rest at all.

He only meditated briefly just before sunrise to restore his mental energy.

When he and the soul bodies stepped out of the white wooden hut, they found the other four already standing at the edge of the forest.

Clearly, none of them had slept well.

After being trapped in this cursed place for half a year, even with their magic progressing by leaps and bounds—now that they had entered the Third Rank—they had long yearned to escape.

Yet every attempt to flee had ended in ambushes. Many died of mental breakdowns. The survivors had grown exceedingly cautious, even about fleeing.

Now, with a new possibility before them, excitement was inevitable.

Saul walked to the forest edge, holding two scrolls in hand.

The other apprentice wizards looked on with envy.

They had long since used up all their scrolls during their time in the Elven Valley, relying only on spellcasting to survive.

Although they had found a few methods to restore mental shock, each use made them increasingly unstable—tantamount to a slow suicide.

But while they envied Saul, none tried to ask him for any scrolls.

Once everyone had gathered, Kongsha—vaguely the group’s leader—gave a soft chuckle. “Entering the forest together will definitely draw the Pale Humanoids’ pursuit. From here on out, whether we live or die, whether we make it out or not—that depends on each of us.”

No one replied. Even the most erratic one among them, Kasila lowered her head silently.

In that tense silence, Saul took the first step forward.

The three soul bodies followed closely behind.

Sure enough, within a hundred meters of entering the forest, the surrounding trees began to change.

Their trunks alternated between human skin and bark.

When the last apprentice entered the forest, vines even reached out to block Saul’s path.

“Run!”

Faced with the suddenly stretching branches, Saul didn’t hesitate for a second. With a loud shout, he bolted forward.

The three soul bodies were already prepared—they sprinted after him.

The others were caught off guard by Saul’s sudden dash and froze for two seconds.

But in those two seconds, he had already gained more than ten meters.

Seeing that Saul was about to vanish from sight, the apprentices grew anxious and immediately gave chase.

Saul picked up the pace again.

With everyone now sprinting, their initial caution and tension faded.

There was no other way—wherever Saul passed, the trees would warp with eerie changes. If the others lagged behind, they’d be cut off by the Pale Humanoids.

And getting cut off likely meant they’d miss their chance to enter the palace and to compete for the Pure White Throne.

Even if they weren’t sure they’d claim that throne, it wasn’t something they could give up on before even trying.

Not to mention, if the Pure White Throne truly existed, it likely wasn’t the only valuable treasure within.

Under Saul’s lead, everyone cast aside doubts and reservations, sprinting as fast as they could.

Even so, before they could escape the forest, a horde of white silhouettes surrounded them.

They stood at the forest edge, as though they had long anticipated this route and were waiting in ambush.

Seeing the wall of figures, Saul frowned slightly.

“Force our way through!” he ordered.

Agu and Morden immediately began casting—activating Golden Dust.

But this time, the Pale Humanoids didn’t vanish as before. Only a few of the most directly hit faded into the air.

“Damn. They’ve adapted. They no longer treat Golden Dust as an attack.”

These Pale Humanoids weren’t mindless monsters—they had awareness, organization, and could even adapt their strategies.

“Switch to Fireball! Open a path!”

Without hesitation, Saul gave the command. The scroll in his hand vanished and was instantly replaced—Lesser Fire Pearl this time.

These scrolls cost far more than Golden Dust. Every throw pained Saul deeply.

But now wasn’t the time for frugality. He unleashed the Lesser Fire Pearl.

Three fireballs blasted into the white horde, shattering seven or eight figures instantly.

A breach opened in the human wall. Saul immediately tossed another scroll, blowing the wall wide open.

The three soul bodies flanked him as he charged through.

But the Pale Humanoids had no intention of letting them through easily. As Saul broke the first layer, they blinked into position behind the breach.

Only those directly hit and dispersed didn’t reappear.

Saul didn’t linger. Touch of Torment erupted from his palm, specifically targeting those blocking their advance.

Since these figures kept attacking to halt them, they became easy targets for Saul’s strikes.

After several frontal clashes, the original wall had been broken into a wedge shape. The flanking enemies converged and collided directly with the rest of the apprentice wizards following behind.

While those behind were forced to hold back the flanking attackers, Saul became the first to set foot on the blackened soil of the Dead Season.

As soon as he did, he restrained his overflowing mental energy and disabled all magic.

Then he sprinted swiftly along the edge of the Dead Season toward the Elven Palace.

But just then, a blade of ice slammed into the ground beneath his feet.

The light-blue crystalline shard exploded upon impact, releasing a concentrated burst of water-element particles.

Saul turned to see Kongsha—second to break through—smiling faintly at him.

“Sorry. Can’t let you go in alone.”

Saul narrowed his eyes. Before he could reply, the ground beneath him surged like a wave.

He dropped low to stabilize himself, and when the first black tentacle burst from the ground, he somersaulted backward—rolling right out of the Dead Season.

Now, the only one with both feet in the Dead Season was Kongsha.

Saul didn’t glance back at her. The moment he reentered the forest’s boundary, the eerie figures lunged.

He crossed his arms over his head and endured a direct hit, then immediately cast Soul Armor, hugging his skin.

A second later, two Lesser Fire Pearls flew over and struck the figures attacking him.

Several figures were hit head-on and vanished into white smoke with silent screams.

Saul took the opening to stand, flicking ice crystals from his sleeves. Then he broke to the right—re-entering the Dead Season.

At this point, two others had also entered: Kongsha, who was cautiously inching forward to avoid drawing attention from the tentacles…

And another moving far faster.

It was the seemingly deranged Kasila.

Her eyes bulged wide, laced with red veins, and her mouth twitched in a strange smile.

She pumped her arms like a clock’s pendulum—her thickened legs pounding the ground awkwardly but rapidly.

She was now less than a hundred meters from the palace gates. At her pace, she’d be inside in seconds.

Kongsha shifted her gaze and met Saul’s.

To her surprise, he was smiling—not angry at all over her earlier interference.

Saul was actually closer to the gates than Kasila, but he made no move to stop her.

Instead, he shouted clearly:

“Kasila! Once you’re in the hall, head straight to the twisted staircase inside!”

As he spoke, his gaze remained fixed on Kongsha.

Now someone else is about to enter ahead of you.

Are you really going to do nothing?

(End of chapter)

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