Artemis Unveiled:The Descent

Untitled Part 53: The Stolen Sacred Spring

This thought pierced her heart like a cold blade. Aria rushed towards the stairs, but after only a few steps, she heard shouting from above. The noise was like a raging wave, instantly drowning her thoughts.

The crowd surged down like an uncontrollable flood. Aria was jostled, nearly losing her footing. She clung desperately to the railing, like a fish swimming upstream, each step as challenging as climbing a steep cliff. Her progress was almost halted, the pressure on her shoulders growing as the crowd behind her pushed harder. She mustered all her strength, squeezing through a narrow path, struggling upward.

When she finally reached the top of the stairs, her legs nearly gave out, her breath ragged, heart pounding like a drum. She looked ahead and was utterly stunned by the scene before her.

The corridor was filled with Serpent archers, releasing volleys of arrows upon command, targeting the chaos below. Thick smoke billowed above the arena, where the deafening roars of countless Night Ghouls echoed.

Aria rushed to the cliff's railing and looked down, trembling uncontrollably. The iron gate below had been blasted open, and Night Ghouls swarmed out like a plague.

At that moment, one lift had crashed to the ground, and another dangled precariously in mid-air. Night Ghouls frantically leaped onto it, climbing higher up the chain. But the chain was too thin, and as it swayed, Night Ghouls fell like black beetles, crashing to the ground below.

In the arena, Neven stood alone. His golden mask had fallen, revealing a face smeared with black blood. His burly opponent was nowhere to be seen, an axe discarded on the stone floor, and the Soul Stone lay in darkness.

With hundreds of Night Ghouls attacking, Neven was nearly forced to the edge of the arena, with boiling lava rolling below.

Aria leaned over the railing, shouting, but her voice was quickly drowned out by the cacophony of ghastly wails.

Neven tried to move towards the dangling lift. The serpent archers in the corridor swiftly redirected their arrows towards the shaky lift, raining arrows on the climbing Night Ghouls.

Aria's eyes followed Neven as he slowly moved along the path cleared by the archers. He stepped on the bodies of Night Ghouls, trying to jump up and grab the lift. The Night Ghouls, smelling blood, rushed at him, jaws snapping.

"Neven, be careful!" Aria cried, her heart tightening, hands covering her mouth. She closed her eyes, trying to dispel her fear. When she opened them again, she saw Neven clinging to the lift, swinging in the air like a leaf in the wind.

The archers were tense, even though they were the most precise shooters, hitting a moving target was still extremely difficult. They continued to shoot the darting Night Ghouls to keep them off Neven. Arrows rained down, and Neven's body was soon covered in scratches.

Aria looked around and rushed to an archer, grabbing his bow and arrows. "Lend me these!" she demanded urgently. Taking a deep breath, she focused on the swaying lift, her mind clear like she had learned from the Aether chieftain.

"Neven, hold on!" she prayed silently. Whenever a Night Ghoul approached, her arrows flew, hitting their mark. She quickly drew and fired, one arrow after another, her movements fluid and precise.

The surrounding serpents paused to watch her, eyes filled with astonishment. Aria's entire focus was on the target below. Neven climbed with difficulty, each step a battle against death.

Aria's heart almost stopped, her breath heavy and fast. She knew that in this life-and-death moment, she had to do everything to help him, each arrow representing another chance for Neven to survive. Sweat dripped from her forehead, but her hands remained steady.