This dungeon has mushrooms growing on it.

Chapter 199.030. Out of Control
As Lin Jun began assembling the Puji troops at the bottom of the dungeon, the battle at the entrance had already reached a fever pitch.

Apart from the two engaged in fierce combat, the nearby elves had long since fled far away.

One of the Pokémon that couldn't see the situation clearly and didn't run away is now a corpse. It's unknown whose attack it was hit by. The remaining Pokémon can only wait for the battle to end from afar.

After realizing he couldn't completely counter Ilos's double casting and was being suppressed, Eko's playstyle became increasingly aggressive.

Despite being severely injured himself, he left two wounds on Iros.

But that's it.

Although the wounds were deep, with the full-level recovery from [Nature Magic], these injuries could not truly affect Iros.

In contrast, Eko suffered heavy losses in both of his hard-fought battles, and even with continuous treatment, he gradually found it difficult to sustain his condition.

He knew he only had one last chance.

Just as Eko was moving at high speed, the roots controlled by Iros burst out of the ground, causing him to pause slightly.

At the same time, a scorching ray, poised to be unleashed, burst forth from the tip of the staff!

Faced with this fatal blow, Eco threw the scimitar in his hand with all his might.

The blade transformed into a silver wheel, aiming straight for Iros's face. However, Iros was prepared. He lashed out with the giant vines protecting him, and at the cost of the vines being severed, he deflected the scimitar away.

With the loss of a weapon, Eko's fighting strength would be greatly reduced. Iros was about to end the battle as soon as possible to find the artifact when he heard a crisp metallic clang coming from the direction from which the scimitar had flown.

Iros realized something was wrong and turned his head, only to find a spinning silver blade piercing through his shoulder!

His left arm flew out and landed on the ground some distance away, along with the scimitar.

At that moment, the other scimitar in the air fell limply to the ground.

"Ah! That... brute!"

To Iros's utter surprise, facing the deadly scorching rays, Eko didn't keep a single sword for defense. Instead, he used his second sword to strike the first curved sword, which had been deflected, in mid-air, changing its trajectory to attack him.

The price, however, is...

When the smoke cleared, Eco was found charred black, his breastplate dented from melting, and the mixture of metal and flesh emitted a burnt smell.

Iros wasn't even sure if he was still conscious.

He staggered back two steps and plunged headfirst into the spiral of the underground city. By the time Iros reached the edge, he could no longer see anything.

Ignoring his severed hand, Eko's twin swords possessed a "destructive" attribute, making it impossible to reattach them even if he retrieved them. In fact, the two sword wounds on his body were only barely suppressed thanks to continuous healing spells.

Now, time was of the essence. After quickly stopping the bleeding, Iros, pale-faced, rushed down to the next level.

After he left, the other elves, seeing that the commotion had finally subsided, hurriedly arrived. Looking at the dungeon entrance, which was covered in traces of battle but deserted, they were all bewildered.

After searching, they found only Eko's twin swords and Iros's severed arm.

"Could it be... that they all perished together?"

If this were true, the Elf King, the Chief Mage, and the Royal Guard Captain—three important figures—died on the same day, which would be nothing short of a catastrophe for the elves.

Finally, the royal guards rushed back to report the dire situation to Galadriel, the Elf King's daughter, who remained in the capital, while the rangers ventured into the dungeons to search for the missing two.

……

three days later.

As the giant tree's movements became increasingly sluggish and weak, the previously trapped ranger forces finally began to move again.

They hadn't walked far when they bumped into Iros, who was rushing down the street. "T-Teacher?" Salian stared in disbelief at the scene before him. He had never imagined that Iros would look like this when they met again.

His face was pale, his hair was disheveled, and most importantly, the sleeve of his left arm was empty, indicating that he had lost an arm.

“Sarian, you’re here too…”

Upon hearing this, another mage student of Iros stood on tiptoe and craned his neck in the crowd, but Iros did not notice him.

"Sarian, I know you have a lot to say, but right now I need to find the stolen artifact. Don't stop me!"

"The divine artifact has been stolen?!"

Salian was unwilling to be enemies with his teacher, after all, even in that situation, his teacher had not tried to kill him; the two only had disagreements.

If his sister is ultimately safe and sound, then the conflict is not irreconcilable for him.

In fact, if everything goes as Iros plans, when they are finally released, Eko may not be able to, but Salian will most likely accept the status quo with a heavy heart.

Upon hearing the news of the stolen artifact and seeing his teacher's current miserable state, Salian instinctively stepped back.

But not all the elves made way.

Eko's adjutant stood in front of Iros, coldly watching his severed arm.

Although Eko hadn't mentioned Iros's plot to him, the elven lieutenant had his own judgment.

"If I'm not mistaken, that wound was caused by the captain of the guard's scimitar, wasn't it?"

Upon hearing this, all the wandering knights simultaneously focused their attention on Iros's severed arm.

They themselves might not recognize the differences in the wounds, but they clearly believed what their superiors said.

"My lord, can you tell me where the head of the guards is now?" The adjutant placed his hand on the scimitar at his waist, and the sound of swords being drawn could be heard from nearby.

Iros gripped his staff tightly, unable to contain his pent-up rage any longer: "You bunch of idiots! One after another! Can't you just wait patiently? Why do you have to jump out and become stumbling blocks at the crucial moment?"

Giant vines rose from the ground among the rangers, and magic and swords clashed amidst screams and shouts of battle.

When Iros finally arrived at the sacred tree sapling at the center of the spiral, he had already sustained several more wounds.

The deepest wound on his waist was left by the elven lieutenant, who had been pierced through the chest by a branch.

Iros's goal was simply to break free, not to fight the ranger forces to the death. And not every ranger could use their full strength without restraint when facing the chief, so Iros eventually managed to shake them off and reach this place.

His magical mark disappeared here, and it's easy to guess where the artifact was ultimately taken.

Since the other party was able to hide in the abyss space, it's highly likely that the one who released Eko was this guy.

Iros felt like he'd been tricked!
It all seemed like a conspiracy, that an unknown entity was using him!

Even though he didn't know who the other person was, Iros's hatred had reached its peak.

At the same time, fear also reached its peak!
The opponent may not be as strong as him, but he is extremely cunning and treacherous, and his methods are unpredictable. Even if he cannot obtain the artifact, he must not let it fall into the opponent's hands!
He knew he was in terrible shape, weaker than he had been in a century, and that what lay ahead might be a trap.

But he had no choice; once the arrow was released, there was no turning back—it was either success or death!

For Project Ark! For the future of the Elven race!
After setting up the ceremony, several layers of buffing magic were applied to his body, and then he drank the potential-enhancing potion from his waist.

Stimulated by the potion, his physical strength was restored and his magic was activated again. Apart from losing an arm, Iros is now back to his peak condition!
With limited time, Iros skillfully communicated with the magic circle, and in the next moment, he arrived in the empty abyss space.

(End of this chapter)