Chapter 388 Budina
"But...how do we find the mastermind behind it?"
Caroline said hesitantly. She had already thought about quitting, but seeing Enzo's firm attitude, she couldn't say anything.
"The black mist just now flew in that direction."
Enzo raised his head, looked into the distance, and said solemnly, "I can feel the direction of that aura. As long as we follow this direction, it shouldn't be a problem to find the leader behind this group of rebels."
Caroline thought for a moment and nodded.
Then, Enzo used the chip detection function to head in a direction based on the direction of the aura just now, while Dylan and Caroline followed closely behind.
In the rugged and tortuous mining area, guided by the chip, the three of them soon discovered a path leading to an unknown area.
Not long after, the three of them stepped into the depths of the mining area.
"right here!"
Suddenly, Enzo stopped and looked forward. There was an abandoned mine. The entrance was pitch black, as if there was no bottom.
The entrance to the mine was narrow and could only accommodate one person at most. Swain transformed from the magic horse form back into a crow and landed on Enzo's shoulders.
As for Caroline and Dylan's mounts, they can only stay outside.
"Ugh! It smells so bad..."
Swain flapped his wings and covered his nose. There was a pungent smell coming from the mine, which felt like a combination of putrid smell and sulfur.
Enzo lowered his eyes and stepped into the mine.
Caroline hesitated and then followed. As for Dylan Knight, even though he was afraid in his heart, he could only bite the bullet and get into the mine.
In the small mine, three people walked back and forth.
The deeper you go into the mine, the darker the surrounding environment becomes, and the sun cannot shine here, causing the air to be filled with a damp smell.
Caroline clapped her hands gently and used the light spell.
A group of light like fireflies appeared, immediately dispelling the darkness, and the surrounding scene appeared in front of the three people. This place was located in the mine tunnel. The narrow space was a bit depressing, and there was only one way forward.
Enzo raised his head and looked forward.
Through the detection of the chip, it can be clearly felt that there is a special atmosphere in the deepest part of the mine, which is very similar to the chaotic black fog before.
"It seems that this is the hub for commanding the rebels." Enzo said calmly as he looked ahead with luster in his eyes.
"Then let's..." Next to her, Caroline spoke.
But before she could finish her words, a loud noise suddenly came from behind the three of them, and the mine shook violently, as if it had been blasted.
Boom!
Rocks and gravel fell from the sky, and the road behind was completely blocked. Knight Dylan's expression changed drastically, and Caroline frowned slightly.
The purpose of using gunpowder to destroy the mine seems to be to trap the three people here. Perhaps for mortals, this situation is a dead end, but as official wizards, it is not difficult for Enzo and Caroline to escape from here. It just takes some time.
"It seems that the other party wants to force us to move on!" Caroline's tone was cold.
The tunnel behind has been blocked by rocks. Even for formal wizards, it is very troublesome to clean it. In this situation, the three of them seem to have no choice but to move forward.
"If this is a trap, should we continue to move forward?" On the side, Dylan Knight looked pale and said hesitantly.
As a mortal knight, facing the unknown fear ahead, Dylan had already felt fear in his heart. He was just afraid of the majesty of the two wizards and did not dare to speak easily.
Enzo didn't reply, but his eyes were fixed.
Caroline also noticed something, and a cyan wand appeared in her hand. As the mine gradually returned to calm, sharp roars came faintly from the front.
The next moment, thick black fog billowed in the mine tunnel!
As if facing a formidable enemy, Knight Dylan quickly drew out his cross sword and held it tightly with both hands. In the thick black mist ahead, monsters on all fours with ferocious faces suddenly jumped out.
"The Dance of the Wind!"
Caroline took the lead and with a wave of her cyan wand, she summoned a strong wind to disperse the thick black fog in front of her.
Then, she flicked her wand again.
A green light appeared on the ground, and as a witch formation was outlined, a wind elemental creature appeared in the mine and rushed forward.
"Gulu!!"
There was a low roar from the throats of those ferocious monsters, and then the wind elements entangled together, waving their sharp black claws.
Boom!
The battle between the wind element and the monster caused powerful damage, and tremors came from the mine again, making Enzo frown slightly.
If the mine collapses again, it will undoubtedly be a very troublesome matter for the three of them.
Enzo's eyes flashed slightly, and shadows appeared under his feet.
Immediately afterwards, the shadows turned into shadow snakes and ran out at extremely fast speeds, biting those ferocious monsters in an instant.
The next moment, the shadow snake entangled the monsters!
As Enzo thought, the shadow snakes bound around the monsters turned into black spells one after another, shining with a dark luster like chains.
"Gulu!!!"
The monsters let out painful wails, their chests heaved violently, and they opened their mouths uncontrollably, and clouds of black mist suddenly poured out.
brush!
Black mist surged into the air, gathered together, and flew towards the depths of the mine. The monsters that had lost their source of power returned to human form one after another, but they were already corpses.
"What does this mean?" Caroline frowned.
The monsters that appeared in the mines were obviously the same as those before, posing no real threat to the two official wizards, but draining their magic power.
"Probably just cannon fodder."
Enzo shook his head. He could feel that the person controlling the monster was hidden in the deepest part of the mine. The other party first blew up the entrance, and then sent monsters to consume the magic power of the two people. It was obvious that everything had been planned.
"Just see what you are."
A sneer appeared in Enzo's eyes. In the face of absolute strength, any conspiracy and trick are false. After being promoted to a second-level wizard and possessing several trump cards, he is very confident in his own strength.
Afterwards, the three of them continued to move forward.
The environment deep in the mine became increasingly narrow, and in the end it could only accommodate one person. However, as a light appeared in front of the mine, the surrounding scene suddenly became spacious.
"Is this here?" Dylan Knight's eyes were surprised.
In the deepest area of the mine, there is an underground palace-like space, the surrounding area is the size of a school field, and the ground is paved with white marble.
Above, there is a huge crystal chandelier with white candles burning and flickering.
There was an altar in front, with a figure in black robes facing away from the three of them, facing a huge glass mirror, in which a young man in formal attire flashed vaguely.
"Having found this place so quickly, should I say that I am worthy of being the wizard of Phantom Crows?"
A low and hoarse voice came, and the figure in black robe slowly turned around, and an extremely old, wrinkled face appeared in front of the three of them.
When Knight Dylan saw the man in black robe, his expression suddenly changed drastically, and he screamed, ":Bu...King Budina!?"
Caroline raised her eyebrows, a little surprised.
Enzo, however, had no expression on his face. When he saw the mirror behind the man in black robe, he sighed in his heart.
The person who appeared deep in the mine was none other than the former king of the Steel Castle Kingdom, the wizard Budina who was supposed to have fallen.
Apparently, he is the mastermind behind everything!
As the founder of the Steel Castle Kingdom, Budina has absolute authority in this territory, but it is such a being who chooses to use suspended animation to cause disputes in the kingdom.
Combined with everything that happened before, the answer is obviously ready to come out!
"Oh! My dear friend, it seems you are in trouble." At this time, an exaggerated voice came from the huge mirror.
A strange expression appeared on Enzo's face. Hearing this familiar voice reminded him of some things, memories from his apprenticeship.
"Hmph! Trouble? I don't think so!"
Budina stood up slowly, staring closely at Enzo and Caroline, a fiery luster burst out from his cloudy eyes, and a greedy expression appeared on his face.
"After half a year of planning, you are finally here!"
Enzo's face was expressionless and his eyes were cold.
"My young body is really enviable. I thought that everything I planned would attract at most one wizard, but I didn't expect that Phantom Crows would directly send two!"
"I wonder if this is an unexpected surprise?"
Butina licked his lips and looked at Enzo's body, making no secret of his desire.
"Everything you did before was just to lure us here?" Caroline frowned, with an ominous premonition in her heart.
"Of course, otherwise what reason would there be?"
Budina opened his palms and sighed, "Three hundred years after embarking on the wizard's journey, my life is coming to an end, but there is no possibility of being promoted to a second-level wizard!"
"This body is so decayed that it cannot even maintain its youthful appearance. Turning into dust and returning to the loess seems to be the only ending."
"I won't let it end like this!"
Budina raised his head, a strange smile appeared on his wrinkled face, and said hoarsely: "Dealing with the devil of the abyss has always been a taboo in the wizarding world, but for me, there is no other choice!"
"I must use the power of the devil to seize a brand new body, and creating disputes within the kingdom is exactly my plan to attract you!"
Budina described his plan and seemed to have everything under control.
In a few words from the other party, Enzo already understood the whole story.
This is another depraved incident caused by a deal between a wizard and the devil. As an official wizard whose life is about to end, Budina chooses to make a deal with the devil for the chance of continuing to live.
"You need our bodies?"
There was a thoughtful look on Enzo's face. This seemed to be some kind of ancient abyss magic, and it was also one of the oldest transactions between devils and humans.
Budina's body has decayed. If he wants to continue to live, he can only put his soul into a new body, and this process requires the help of the devil.
"The body of an ordinary person cannot contain the soul of a wizard!"
Budina spread his palms and said hoarsely: "To get the chance to be reincarnated, I must find a suitable carrier. It can be either male or female, but it must also be a wizard!"
"That's it." Enzo nodded slightly.
When things have developed to this extent, everything is very clear. Budina seems to have a complete grasp of the situation, so he tells all his plans without reservation.
"Last question, how do you defeat us?"
On the same spot, Enzo raised his head and said softly: "If I'm right, even if you were once an official wizard, you should have very little power left under the erosion of time. Why are you so confident that you can deal with two wizards?"
"Of course I have the confidence."
A weird smile appeared on Budina's face, and the luster of a successful plot flashed in his eyes, and he said proudly: "If it wasn't to delay time, why do you think I would talk so much nonsense to you?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a dark light suddenly appeared on the ground below the underground palace, and the light points converged into lines, outlining a strange pattern.
"This is..." Caroline's expression changed.
As strange patterns emerged on the ground, thick black mist surged out from all sides, and the underground palace seemed to form a special magnetic field.
"Alert! Unknown energy interference..."
In his mind, an alarm sounded from the chip, but Enzo's face was calm. This level of energy interference would no longer have any effect on him who had been promoted to the second level.
"Come out, my minions!"
Opposite, Budina stood on the altar, raising his old and withered arms, and monsters with sharp claws jumped out from the surging black mist.
"The Dance of the Wind!"
Caroline paused her wand and tried to summon a strong wind to attack. However, under the interference of the altar, the magic power in her body became chaotic.
"How could this happen?" Caroline's expression changed drastically.
"Haha! Do you really think I am unprepared? The energy magnetic field here can simulate an abyss-like environment and form magical interference!" Not far away, Budina had a crazy expression on his face.
"Aren't you afraid of being wanted by the academy if you dare to attack the wizard of [Phantom of Crows]?" Caroline shouted in a stern tone.
"Phantom of Crows? So what?"
Budina showed disdain and sneered, "The guilt of the deal with the devil in the abyss alone is enough for me to die ten times. Killing two more wizards is nothing!"
"What's more, before today's plan started, I had already prepared an escape route for myself."
"As long as I can successfully complete my reincarnation, I will go to the Lost Continent and seek the opportunity to be promoted to a second-level wizard before the wanted order for [Phantom of Crows] is issued!"
"Lost Continent?" Enzo's eyes narrowed.
"Of course, the paradise of fallen wizards, the dark continent where the gods have fallen!" Budina said with a hint of fanaticism in his eyes: "In half a year, I have collected enough souls by taking advantage of the chaos in the kingdom. All I need to do next is Just take the ship to the Lost Continent.”
"Enough soul?"
Enzo's heart moved, and he keenly intercepted the key words in Budina's words, and murmured, "So is this the condition for going to the Lost Continent? If you want to step into that restricted area, you need to pay a sufficient number of souls as a price!"