Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)-Chapter 344: The Abyssal Sanctum (5)

Third Person’s POV

She was... larger than he had realized, and couldn’t help but feel that this detail had been cleverly hidden under her layers of noble attire.

From the side, he caught the glare of other men on the neighboring bridges and could see the envy gleaming in their expressions.

He could see the usual demon men, some beastkin, and even a few elves who were all casting venomous glances at him.

Ethan smiled faintly, and his lips curled upward as he basked in the rare moment of indulgence.

Still, he quickly refocused as this was not a place for foolishness, and knowing that one misstep could mean death, he had no plans of falling into the void today.

The journey across the bridge was long and uneasy, and it had taken them nearly half an hour to cross.

But finally, when their boots touched the solid, gritty surface of the opposite mountain, a shared breath of relief passed through the group.

Lucy blinked rapidly, and as if awakening from a trance, she suddenly became aware of how closely she had been holding him.

Her face flushed deep crimson as she noticed the way her generous chest had been enveloping and hugging his arm between them.

The feel of his cold but firm touch still lingered against her skin, and she froze in place while being momentarily stunned by the unknown sensation she had never felt.

Ethan, reading the awkwardness, chose not to prolong the moment as with practiced ease, he gently extracted his arm and began walking without a word.

They headed toward the towering black gates ahead, and nearing them, they could see that their surface was etched with the same devilish symbols he had seen at the Tower City’s entrance.

In the middle was a huge snarling devil face that was framed by spirals of wicked script and ancient curse runes that none of them, including Ethan, didn’t recognized.

Behind him, Lucy stood still for a second, her hands clutched her dress, and her cheeks burned as she trailed after them into the shadow of the Sanctum gates while not being in any state to observe their surroundings.

And while all this was unfolding, Virelle narrowed her eyes with her gaze steady and calculating as she kept close watch on the subtle exchanges playing out before her.

Though calm on the surface, her expression carried a hidden sharpness this time, unlike the more absorbed and distracted look on Ethan’s face as he remained fixated on the grand spectacle in front of them.

The group of four continued onward and joined the slow stream of people as they stepped through the colossal, rune-etched gate that guarded the entrance to the Sanctum Peak.

But the moment Ethan crossed the threshold, his steps faltered ever so slightly, and his breath caught in his throat.

Spread out before them was an awe-inspiring sight, it was a vast, semicircular depression carved out from the interior of the mountain and encircled a forested hill that rose proudly at the center.

Atop the hill, a grand obsidian fortress stood tall with its dark spires gleaming faintly under the filtered sunlight.

Towering cliffs surrounded the entire basin and formed massive mountain walls that completely enclosed this strange domain and severed it from the outer world like a sealed sanctuary.

Looking at this realm, Ethan and the others felt that they had entered a world within a world.

Till now, Ethan had come to know that the very peak of the Sanctum stood as one of the Devil Abyss Mountain’s twin summits, but he hadn’t even imagined that the enclosing stone ridges of the Sanctum peak would be like this.

He couldn’t help but feel that this unique structure gave it the illusion like it was a secret realm hidden within the heavens themselves.

And despite all his experiences, Ethan still felt momentarily disoriented as he had not seen such a scene in years.

Had he not witnessed the journey up close, he might have believed the lush green forest below was the ground and the hill with its castle merely a scenic rise, and not the fact that this whole realm existed as the crown of a mountain peak.

His eyes traced the rich scenery below stretching below him.

From his vantage point, he could see an elegant mountain town nestled along the bowl’s sloping curves and bordering the dense forest like a guardian ring.

As he looked beyond, he saw a radiant blue lake shimmering in the distance in the eastern direction.

He stood mesmerized as its waters glinted like sapphire fire beneath the rare and pleasant sunshine that pierced through the towering ridges.

In his mind, this was no mere settlement as it radiated life, magic, and age. It was a self-contained world carved from stone, wood, and nature’s will.

Far beyond the lake, Ethan could barely make out the encircling ridges of the Sanctum Peak’s inner walls that stood tall like natural barriers forged by the gods themselves.

And then, Virelle’s voice broke through the quiet reverie.

"This is the Sanctum Realm... or at least, that’s what they like to call it," she said, her voice laced with a trace of distant nostalgia as she gestured to the expanse below.

"And in case you are wondering Brother about what sort of test is needed for newcomers to enroll, you are in for a surprise." ƒree𝑤ebnσvel-com

Ethan turned slightly, intrigued.

"There isn’t one," she added as her red lips curled into a small, mysterious smile.

"At least not for entering."

But as the last word left her lips, the smile faded from her face only to be replaced by a hard expression that darkened her features.

Her eyes flickered faintly and those familiar glowing red orbs now rimmed with cold resolve.

Catching the shift in her mood, Ethan paused as he was about to inquire about the so-called examination she hinted at, but something in her expression, something grim that made him stop short.

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