SUPREME ARCH-MAGUS

Chapter 677: Melody or Trap?!

The soft melody playing in the distance. The melody was so captivating in that dry desert. Kent and his companions became alert at the sound of melody.

High above, Phoenix Lady Ruby hovered, her crimson wings illuminating the night. She had been vigilant, her sharp eyes scanning for the direction of that melody. And then suddenly it happened.

The distant melody drifted across the desert, soft and alluring, like the lullaby of a long-forgotten deity. Ruby's wings faltered. Her head tilted, and a strange glaze clouded her fiery gaze.

Without a word, she turned towards the source of the sound and began rushing forward, her flames dimming as if the music quenched her inner fire. She completely lost herself in that melody.

"Ruby!" Kent's voice pierced the air. He stood atop a dune, his eyes wide with concern.

But she did not respond.

Kent's heart pounded as he did not understand what's happening with Ruby.

From behind him, Aran Lam, Jean, and Junji Zing appeared at the crest of another dune. Their eyes, too, were locked onto the distant melody. One by one, they began moving forward, heedless of Kent's warnings.

Their souls were entirely captivated by the music and have no sense to response to Kent's calls. Find your next adventure on My Virtual Library Empire

"Wait!" Kent shouted, raising a hand to block their path. "Don't follow that sound! It's not safe."

Jean barely glanced at him.

"Kent... you hear it, right? It's beautiful," she whispered, stepping forward as if in a trance.

Even Jabil, Kent's massive serpent beast, and Kavi, the fire kirin, slithered and bounded forward, their instincts overridden by the hypnotic pull of the melody.

"Damn it," Kent growled, running ahead to intercept them. "This isn't normal. Everyone, stop!"

But they did not stop.

The more they advanced, the faster they moved, as if the music itself hastened their steps.

Kent's eyes narrowed.

He leaped onto Kavi's back, gripping the kirin's mane tightly. "Kavi, turn around! We're going the wrong way."

The fire kirin snorted but kept galloping forward.

"Damn it! Wake up!" he roared, slamming his fist into the ground.

Silence.

Kent wiped the sweat from his brow, his chest heaving. He took a shaky breath and forced himself to keep moving, his boots scraping against the stone beneath his feet.

As he walked among the crowd, his eyes flicked from face to face. A faint hope lingered in his heart that one of them might blink or stir. But they remained still.

Then, Kent's stride faltered. His breath hitched.

There, at the far edge of the crowd, stood a burly figure draped in familiar lavish robes. His round belly, which once wobbled with laughter, now stood rigid. His chubby hands gripped the hilt of a rusted sword.

Kent's hand trembled as he reached out, brushing the man's shoulder. "Fatty... Ben?"

The words left his mouth in a hushed, disbelieving whisper.

His vision blurred with moisture.

"No... How can you?!."

He stepped closer, gripping Ben's arm. "Wake up, Ben. You idiot, wake up."

Ben's broad face was frozen in a faint smile, his eyes staring blankly ahead, lost in the endless melody.

Kent's knees buckled, and he sank to the ground.

"I shouldn't have called you to the spirit world.You came here... because I told you to," he muttered. "I dragged you into this damn world... and now you're..."

His voice cracked, unable to finish the sentence.

The baby dragon nuzzled against him, letting out a soft croon of sympathy.

Kent wiped his eyes with his sleeve and slowly rose to his feet. His gaze hardened, locking onto the castle.

A fire burned in his heart to tear this place down. His hand still tugged to the hard sleeve of Fatty Ben.

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