Chapter 573: Breaking the Illusion Array
In the jungles surrounding the Five Mountains Shrine, dense trees blocked out the sunlight, and the interplay of branches and leaves cast mottled shadows on the ground. The air was thick with the damp scent of soil, and occasional bird calls echoed faintly, feeling distant. Vines tangled around the trunks, creating a massive net that enveloped this jungle in a mysterious atmosphere.
A small green snake silently slithered through the grass, its scales glimmering with a faint sheen under the dim light. Its tongue flicked out occasionally, sensing the aura around it. The snake moved gracefully and swiftly, as if it had fused with the jungle, unnoticed by any nearby creatures.
The little snake passed through a patch of low shrubs, navigated over several moss-covered rocks, and finally stopped in front of an ancient giant tree. Its tongue continued to flicker as it scanned the surroundings with its bright eyes. After confirming there was no unusual presence, the snake’s mouth suddenly widened, defying logic as it expanded to the size of a human. Inside its mouth was not flesh, but a pitch-black space, seemingly leading to another world. Then, three figures slowly emerged from the snake’s mouth—it was Kazumi, Fujiwara, and Masashi Sakuraba.
“Is this the vertiline of the Five Mountain range? We wasted quite a bit of time,” Masashi Sakuraba stood up straight, his heterochromatic eyes surveying the surroundings, yet a trace of faint sadness glimmered in his gaze. The green snake that had brought them here continued its motion, its mouth expanding until its thin body stretched into a piece of snake skin. The original green scales changed color gradually until they blended perfectly with the environment, transforming into a camouflage covering that concealed all three of them.
“Lord Sakuraba, over there,” Kazumi emerged from between the two, albeit feeling somewhat uncomfortable after being inside the snake’s belly, but it seemed she had grown accustomed to the odd transportation methods of this [Dark] organization after so many times.
Her jet-black eyes glanced towards the horizon, then she pointed at a red shooting star streaking across the sky and spoke up. “Hmm, that’s Akahi. This could be quite troublesome, but as long as we steer clear of a direct confrontation with him, we should be fine.”
Masashi Sakuraba immediately recognized the identity of the figure patrolling the sky; having spent considerable time in Kyoto, his originally lazy demeanor now showed a hint of solemnity. He slightly raised his gaze, his heterochromatic eyes fixed on the red star.
Naturally, Masashi had crossed paths with Akahi. Compared to Fujiwara’s skillful use of cold weapons, Akahi’s abilities were far more troublesome for him. His powerful fire elemental abilities and outstanding fighting skills were both aspects Masashi found challenging to counter. However, Akahi did possess a critical flaw—his battle intelligence or situational awareness during combat was somewhat lacking, which was precisely why he ranked only twenty-ninth among heroes. If it came to a battle of abilities, Masashi felt confident he could rank among the top tier.
“Lord Sakuraba, there’s still half a day left until the scheduled time with the organization. Should we take a moment to rest or head over early to prepare?” Fujiwara reported, keeping an eye on his timer as he spoke to Masashi.
“No need to adhere strictly to the schedule. Our actions are bound to be exposed; otherwise, the people from the Association wouldn’t have arrived here so easily. Since this is their setup, we can act openly,” Masashi waved his hand dismissively. He had no concern for the so-called scheduled times. It was certain that there were moles within the Association, considering the size of the organization. Their plan was an open scheme meant to disperse the Association’s hero forces to achieve their goals. There wouldn’t be reinforcements arriving promptly in a short timeframe; after all, those who came, like Akahi in the sky, were already prepped to set up defensive measures.
A direct assault wasn’t realistic either. The inner defenses relied on the powers of the mountain range, and even if one attempted to break through quietly, it would be nearly impossible not to disturb them, especially since Akahi had set up crystal nodes at key points that would alert him the moment they were tampered with.
Masashi squatted down, absorbing the information his earlier reconnaissance group had gathered. His eyes narrowed slightly, a cold glint flashing through them. He gently stroked the little black snake coiled around his wrist that delivered information, speaking softly. “Should we choose to utilize Fujiwara’s abilities to directly break through the main seal?”
“Lord Sakuraba, what if powerful heroes are guarding the core? Our fighting capability is insufficient for an expedient assault,” Kazumi interjected, clearly aware of Masashi’s unease regarding Akahi. Having studied Akahi’s combat style in the hero handbook, she understood that this individual was not someone Masashi wanted to face directly.
She shook her head, “Enemies of this caliber are difficult to kill quickly. Even if we choose to bypass Akahi and head directly for the core, it’s likely that the defenders will also be of Akahi’s caliber. There’s little chance of breaking through the seal.”
“What now? Then what should we do?” Kazumi’s hypothesis prompted Masashi to roll his eyes, shrugging his shoulders as he faced her.
“If I end up tangling with Akahi, it’s guaranteed to take a long time. If there’s another hero of his level, plus the Five Mountains Shrine master, my suggestion is to abandon the mission entirely and wait until the time is right to make a move.”
Kazumi had not anticipated such a casual response from Masashi. While it seemed there wasn’t much to worry about, his nonchalance made her feel uneasy.
“Hahaha, just joking! Relax, relax! You’re worrying too much, Kazumi. Heroes of such high rank are far and few in the country; the Heroes Association can’t be that useless. They can arrange for two top-tier heroes to be here.” A mischievous smile danced on Masashi’s face as he patted the girl’s shoulder, relishing her expression. He then pointed at the red star swirling in the sky, his lips curling into a satisfied smile, a teasing tone underlying his words. “What we need to do now is take a good rest; breaking through requires quite a bit of mental energy, and we have to wait until that guy flies away before we act.”
