Old Cody gazed at the youthful face before him, already knowing the answer in his heart.
With his power… he had no need to impersonate anyone.
Strength could prove everything.
"You’ve actually been resurrected… heh… then what have we been doing all this time?"
"Under the corruption of the evil god, you’ve slaughtered lives and indulged in self-satisfaction." Xia Lun showed no mercy to the old man before him, even though the latter had devoutly worshipped the Hero and was even willing to sacrifice himself to resurrect him.
"Did it never occur to you that the first thing the true Hero would do upon resurrection is wipe out all of you for your heinous crimes?" Xia Lun coldly stared at Old Cody. "Even the cultists who worship the evil god would come up with a decent excuse for their actions."
"Resurrecting the Hero… was our own choice. What the Hero does to us afterward doesn’t matter…" Old Cody forced out his reply.
"I see." Xia Lun nodded, his tone laced with disdain. "A bunch of selfish fools. You truly care only about yourselves."
Old Cody remained silent.
"Then, do you have any further plans? Or where is your headquarters? If you confess now, I’ll make your death quick." Xia Lun’s gaze grew colder.
Old Cody shook his head lightly. "We have no headquarters, nor any grand plans… all actions are carried out independently by members, guided by the Enlightened Ones…"
"Enlightened Ones? How are they created?" Xia Lun pressed.
"Gifted disciples… receive revelations from the Hero…"
Great. That explained nothing.
Xia Lun knew Old Cody wasn’t lying—he truly had no idea what the Twilight Disciples would do next.
A faint blue arc reflected in Xia Lun’s pupils.
The Eye of Insight could pierce through all illusions and lies.
In Old Cody’s eyes, Xia Lun’s right hand became a blur. Before he could react, darkness swallowed his vision, and he lost consciousness forever.
Aina snapped her fingers, and flames instantly consumed the two corpses on the ground, reducing them to ashes without a trace.
Xia Lun frowned, still troubled.
"Xia Lun… what would you like for dinner?" Aina hooked her arm around his. "I need a serious answer so I can prepare, not something like ‘your body’ or the like."
Xia Lun laughed helplessly. "Do I seem like the type to say such things? I’m not Liyana."
"Mida, will you be staying for dinner too?" Aina turned to Mida, who sat on the swing.
"No, Mother. Guarding the Snow Realm is my duty. I must return soon." Mida knew it was time to leave.
A pair of small wings, over a meter long, unfurled from Mida’s back. With a few flaps, she soared into the sky and vanished.
"Don’t be too harsh on her." Xia Lun’s voice carried a hint of reproach. He was fond of the girl, even if she remained wary of him and their bond wasn’t particularly close.
Aina stuck out her tongue playfully.
"Dinner! What’s for dinner?!" Liyana’s loud voice suddenly rang out. "I heard you talking about it! That little one who just flew away—was that Mida? I never expected the Frost Demon King to be such an adorable kid."
Liyana chattered nonstop, having tactfully avoided eavesdropping earlier.
She glanced at the two charred silhouettes on the ground without a hint of surprise.
"Liyana, you’ve been sneaking out every night lately. You haven’t caused any trouble, have you?" Xia Lun rubbed his temples, exasperated.
"Of course not! Do I look like someone who goes around stirring up trouble? And Xia Lun, just focus on taking care of Aina. Why are you prying into my personal life…?" Liyana waved her hands, laughing awkwardly with a blush.
Xia Lun: "…"
Something was definitely up.
But as Liyana said, her private affairs were none of his business.
…
The Ashen Corridor was a labyrinth that had appeared within the last century.
Its halls were overrun by powerful monsters known as Ashen Beasts.
In truth, the Ashen Corridor was an extremely perilous dungeon. Yet within a month of its emergence, it was conquered.
And the one who breached it wasn’t some renowned adventurer, but an obscure young student from Olifendor—Wolund.
From that moment, Wolund’s fame spread, eventually leading to his appointment as the academy’s headmaster.
Once a dungeon was conquered, its danger level dropped significantly. Subsequent adventurers could enter with prior knowledge, avoiding the territories of the most fearsome creatures… The structure of the labyrinth remained stable, rarely presenting unexpected threats.
Unless one stumbled upon hidden areas even the conqueror hadn’t discovered.
Deep within the Ashen Corridor…
A crimson glow flashed as two graceful figures materialized.
One tall and alluring, capable of enchanting any who gazed upon her; the other petite and delicate, radiating an air of vulnerability.
"This should do." Feina pulled out a formation diagram from her robes.
"Aina has been acting strange lately, always assigning us these odd tasks… I really don’t know what she’s thinking." Niya sighed, hugging a stuffed bear. "First, she had us disguise ourselves and lure that elf girl to Kro City. Now she’s sending us to this godforsaken place to set up a spatial array…"
"Aina must have her reasons." Feina pinched Niya’s cheek. "Stop complaining."
"But… even the underlings could handle this…" Niya muttered.
"This mission was delivered by Aina’s blood bat!" Feina reminded her. "It must be important. How could we entrust it to just anyone?"
"Fine, fine… At least I’m paired with you this time. If it were that disgusting creep Xie Lun, I might’ve torn him apart mid-mission." Niya hugged her adorable plush bear while uttering terrifying words. "I’d yank out his squirming intestines and use them as a jump rope."
Feina wrinkled her nose in disgust, as if picturing the gruesome scene. "I wouldn’t touch something so filthy."
"ROAR—!"
A thunderous bellow erupted behind them.
A ten-meter-tall humanoid creature crashed down from above.
The grotesque monster had pallid, scaleless skin like a freshly gutted fish, a single glaring eye, and a back lined with terrifying spines.
This was the Ashen Beast—the nightmare of the labyrinth, renowned for its agility, monstrous strength, and near-impenetrable hide that resisted both blades and magic.
Niya stared up at the colossal beast, utterly unfazed. Instead, she grinned and let out a playful growl of her own.
"Rawr~"