The Flower Is Finished

At this moment, I had already removed the clothes I was wearing and changed into the fallen soldier's uniform, while we immediately let the soldier's body drift away with the current.

Once everyone was wearing the soldiers' clothes, we hurried toward the connected secret chamber.

We swam far enough from the entrance and headed downstream, where fewer soldiers guarded this gate.

"We must enter the palace first, then leave through the back door of the Hall. That way, we can escape without triggering the defenses," I said as I gave orders to my subordinates. They nodded in agreement.

"One by one, we will surface. Do not stay too close to each other—keep some distance."

After that, I rose to the surface and glanced around to make sure the situation was safe.

"Oh, I'll show you the branches I placed along the path."

We had already entered the palace when several guards realized that we were not part of their unit.

We decided to knock them unconscious first to avoid suspicion.

"George, we split up here. We'll meet again at this spot later," I said. He nodded, and we parted ways for now.

I moved together with Farrel. He was fully dressed like me, but hesitation was clearly visible on his face. I whispered softly, "Is there something you're afraid of?"

He fell silent and shook his head.

"I'm not afraid. I just suddenly feel uneasy," he replied.

I nodded, thinking it might be the spiritual bond he still shared with his parents, who were currently in Sandra.

"Stop…"

Suddenly, I raised two fingers, signaling everyone to stay still. I sensed someone approaching.

"Hide first, and don't keep your distance!" I ordered. They slowly moved back, retreating quietly from our position.

As I suspected, a soldier was walking toward us. Farrel and I immediately stopped and remained still, convincing them that we were part of their clan.

"Have you already switched with the others?" asked a soldier from the demon clan. I nodded.

"Yes, we just did," Farrel answered firmly, staring straight ahead.

The soldier narrowed his eyes, as if suspecting we were spies, and continued to watch us closely.

"Did you just arrive?"

We both nodded.

"Yes, we were newly recruited," Verrel replied plainly. The soldier nodded.

"Very well. If there are any intruders, shout loudly. This room will echo through the entire corridor," he said before the two of them walked away.

I continued to observe them until they disappeared.

"Are you hiding something from me right now?" I asked, staring straight ahead. Farrel also looked forward into the darkness of the corridor.

"Hiding what?"

"I think… you're the one hiding something."

I fell silent the moment he said that.

"Let's go. The path ahead might be steeper," Farrel said, urging me forward. Several guards immediately followed behind us.

George and I were now separated. He led his own unit.

This time, I only brought ten soldiers with me since I didn't know the true situation. I decided to send more soldiers with him than with us.

We walked slowly and made no sound at all.

I didn't know how long we had been walking, but we were still inside the corridor.

Now we were close to the palace entrance. In front of us stood a sorcerer inspecting every unit entering and leaving the palace.

"How are we supposed to get inside if they can identify who we are?" one guard whispered, staring in fear at the demon guarding the entrance and the sorcerer ready to detect that we were not from their clan.

"Drink this," Farrel suddenly said, handing out several pills. I didn't know whether they were medicine, seeds, or herbal substances.

"What is that?" I asked, raising my brow.

"Swallow it quickly and wait five minutes," Farrel said, giving one pill to each person. He handed one to me as well.

Without hesitation, the soldiers swallowed the pills, though they glanced at me for approval. I nodded after seeing that Farrel showed no reaction after taking his.

"This is a potion I prepared myself," he explained.

"It manipulates scent and adjusts it to match our current environment."

I nodded and swallowed the pill.

After five minutes passed, we decided to keep our distance again. From the ten soldiers I selected, the rest were ordered to guard the corridor.

"You come with me. The rest stay here," I ordered. They nodded obediently, and we entered separately.

A cold aura immediately struck my skin. Even the fine hairs on my body stood on end as I faced the demon before me. The stench was overwhelming, and I had been holding my breath to endure it.

Several soldiers collapsed unconscious, increasing suspicion from the two figures in front of us.

Brakkkk

Brakkkk

Brakkk

"What happened?" the demon asked with a terrifying expression as he approached.

My soldiers trembled violently—the demon's appearance was truly revolting.

Its legs were massive, its arms small, and its head grotesquely large, impossible to describe in human terms. Its form made me nauseous just by looking at it.

"He just fainted from exhaustion," Farrel said, stepping closer to the fallen soldier. The demon stopped advancing.

"Quickly, put him into the Water of Awakening," the demon ordered, instructing us to carry the unconscious soldiers away.

"Yes, we'll take him!"

After that, the demon resumed chatting with the sorcerer.

As the sorcerer passed us, he suddenly sniffed the air.

"Wait… you're not from the sorcerer clan?" he asked sharply. Farrel and I froze.

"Yes, we are sorcerers—just from a lower rank," Farrel answered firmly. The sorcerer nodded.

"Tch… lowly sorcerers," he sneered. The demon burst into loud laughter.

"You really enjoy insulting others… hahahahaha!" the sorcerer mocked back.

"Of course. They're nothing but weaklings craving power," the demon replied arrogantly. I let out a slow breath.

"Hurry up and get inside!" the demon barked impatiently. We entered, carrying the unconscious soldiers.

"They are nothing but weak and powerless beings. They beg for mercy, yet once they have everything, they act as if they're above the clouds and seek an even higher sky," the demon muttered.

Though I didn't hear the rest clearly, my fists clenched tightly.

Aren't they obvious? They despise the weak, yet when something goes wrong, the weak are used as bait, I thought bitterly.

After we successfully entered, we moved to the emergency chamber. It was empty.

"You—wake the unconscious soldiers now," Farrel ordered once the area was secure. We were now inside a vast section of the palace.

I didn't know where we were, but Farrel clearly did.

"Have you ever been to the palace?" I asked, watching how confidently he navigated the halls.

"I want to know every room in this place."

"Have you forgotten who I am?" Farrel asked. I shook my head.

"I don't think any memories have been erased from my mind," I replied confidently. He fell silent.

"I'll explain later. Let's help them wake up first," Farrel said. I nodded.

Some soldiers regained consciousness, but others did not.

"Are we leaving them behind?" one soldier asked after failing to wake them.

Reluctantly, I nodded. "Yes. We don't have much time."

"Leave them clues for when they wake up," I said. We then hurried onward, continuing our search while still on the lowest level of the palace.

"Yes, sir. We'll leave instructions," they replied.

Five soldiers remained. Together with Farrell, we decided to explore the palace further.

The chaos inside was worsening—piercing screams echoed through the halls, painful to anyone who heard them.

"What's happening?" I whispered.

We heard moans, cries, even gasps echoing clearly.

"Which bastard is raping the elf clan?"