Chapter 115: Erosion

Chapter 115: Erosion

Why is he here!!!

Lynch stared at the alchemy man appearing in the mist in the distance, his entire being froze in place for an instant.

Fear! Fear!

Waves of fear surged uncontrollably, quickly taking root in Lynch’s heart and spreading rapidly throughout his body.

The Multi-element Shield was instantly deployed at full strength, and Frankenstein immediately stepped in front of him. Even Parker leaped out from the Dragon Nest in response to the call, landing on Lynch’s shoulder.

The Spiritual Field activated quickly, and several models in the Sea of Consciousness were instantly engaged.

Almost in an instant, Lynch entered a state of combat readiness.

During his years in the Wizard World, Lynch had seen his share of trials and tribulations, yet among them, nothing had left as profound a mark as the encounter years ago in the Corrupted Forest.

He could never forget the helplessness and weakness he had felt before that dreadful beast.

It still haunted his mind to this day.

Time seemed to freeze in place.

Who knows how long had passed—it might’ve been just a second, or perhaps it felt like a century.

All of a sudden, the alchemy man disappeared into the gray mist.

“Huff! Huff!”

All that was left was the sound of Lynch’s ragged breathing, echoing.

Lynch’s wide-eyed gaze slowly calmed, a trace of doubt surfacing in his expression.

’A hallucination?’

’Was it because the Negative Energy Particles here were amplifying internal fears?’

’Yes, that man… How could he just coincidentally be here?’

’This is… far too absurd!’

Lynch shook his head, anger flickering within him.

It’s been years, he was no longer the novice who had just entered the Wizard World back then.

He had worked tirelessly, sacrificing so much.

Yet why did he still feel fear?

All this over a mere hallucination!

Avery asked curiously, “What was that just now? That looked like a…person? Was it modified?”

Lynch jumped in shock: “You saw it?!”

Avery nodded: “You mean the man who just walked by? His unusually long arms made him look almost like an alchemical creation. Yes, I saw him.”

It wasn’t an illusion!

Lynch’s face darkened sharply, his breathing becoming labored.

The Negative Energy Particles here were impacting Avery and also assaulting him. Earlier, his seemingly stable psyche was merely lacking susceptibility. But now, with cracks appearing within, negative emotions bloomed uncontrollably and spread swiftly.

In an instant, fear, anger, despair—every conceivable emotion—began surging through Lynch’s spirit, suffocatingly oppressive.

’No, this can’t go on!’

Lynch realized he couldn’t allow these negative emotions to fester; he had to act, or he’d lose his sanity.

He immediately raised his hand and grasped the Fearless Great Sword.

“I need to go check it out!”

With these words, he ignored Avery’s stunned cries and set off unhesitatingly to pursue the direction where the gray mist man had vanished.

He chased the figure, arriving at a twisted patch of shrubbery, yet still couldn’t find any trace of the man.

Lynch bellowed, “Show yourself! Come out!”

His call was answered by mocking laughter.

“Coward!”

“Useless wretch, scared out of your wits over a fabrication.”

“Weakling.”

“Pathetic fool, just die already.”

The mist seemed to form hazy, distorted silhouettes—those of the alchemy man, Yuri, Alice, Richard, and others—all jeering and mocking him as they twisted grotesquely.

Lynch understood these were mere illusions caused by the Death Element eroding his Sea of Consciousness—not reality.

But once the cracks in his heart emerged, such invasions became unstoppable, plunging Lynch into an uncontrolled frenzy.

The rationality in his eyes faded piece by piece, overtaken by streaks of blood-red madness.

He swung his Great Sword wildly at the phantoms gathering around him, resembling a rabid beast.

As the situation spiraled toward catastrophe, a high-pitched female voice suddenly rang out:

“Light, divine, faith—in my name, purify!”

A beam of radiance descended from the heavens, enveloping Lynch.

In the forest, where he’d succumbed to madness, Lynch’s body abruptly stiffened, akin to a machine being powered down.

The blood-red streaks in his eyes visibly retreated, his gaze regaining clarity.

The ragged breaths calmed, returning to steadiness.

“Damn it!”

Having regained his sanity, Lynch felt utterly defeated. Just earlier, he had sneered at Avery for her fragility, only to almost succumb himself a moment later.

He glanced at the remaining phantoms around him and quickly reinforced his Sea of Consciousness, not daring to relax for even a second.

Meanwhile, not far away, Avery wobbled on her feet, leaning against her Magic Wand before collapsing.

Lynch darted over instantly to her side: “Are you alright?”

Avery glared at him irritably: “What do you think?”

Her condition was already poor, and forcibly casting a spell had worsened it. Her pale complexion betrayed her struggle.

Lynch scratched his head awkwardly: “Sorry, this won’t happen again.”

He had been too careless earlier, completely underestimating the effects of the Negative Energy Particles.

Avery said, “Let’s hurry and get out of here.”

Lynch nodded.

He helped Avery up and prepared to move forward again, but just then, he keenly sensed approaching footsteps accompanied by unusual Elemental Fluctuations.

Lynch remarked, “Something’s coming.”

Avery froze: “What? Could it be that strange man from before?”

Lynch shook his head: “I’m not sure.”

Thanks to the earlier ordeal and Avery’s purification, Lynch managed to remain composed, avoiding internal chaos. He quickly assessed the situation: “Let’s hide for now.”

His eyes scanned the surroundings and soon settled on a nearby large tree.

The tree was so massive it’d take two or three people to encircle its trunk. It was fully withered, and its center featured a hollow cavity just big enough for them to squeeze inside.

Without hesitation, Lynch grabbed Avery and jumped into the hollow, using the crisscrossing branches for cover, carefully concealing themselves.

Frankenstein lay close by, utilizing the dirt and dead leaves for camouflage. With the thick mist prevailing here, it wasn’t easily noticeable unless scrutinized.

Inside the tree hollow, they waited silently. Not long after, a figure emerged into the clearing.

Yet upon seeing the figure, Lynch was stunned.

This wasn’t the alchemy man.

But,

This was still someone he recognized…

If you find any errors ( Ads popup, ads redirect, broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.