In the dark depths of the cave, Merlin and the others finally caught a faint glimpse of light. Moving cautiously through the narrow passage, they soon saw the light coming from an open area ahead.
This light indicated they were nearing the end of the cave. Yet instead of relief, both Merlin and Lorinka felt an even greater sense of caution, aware that more danger likely awaited them.
As they stepped out of the passage, they found themselves in a massive cavern lined with towering stone pillars. Bound to the pillars were several nearly unconscious elemental swordsmen and two spellcasters. Sensing movement, the two spellcasters looked up, a flicker of hope crossing their faces, though they were too weak to speak.
Merlin's heart sank. He realized these prisoners were likely Mage Palio, Warden General Walton, and the rest of the group from Eastlin, now captured and reduced to this pitiful state.
Suddenly, Merlin felt an intense mental force bearing down on him—a power comparable to that of a Level Two spellcaster. Startled, he looked up to see a high altar in the center of the cavern, where a frail, silver-haired old man stood, radiating a threatening aura.
"Who are you?" Merlin demanded, sensing a strong connection between this man and the Dark Blood Bats in the cave.
Before the silver-haired man could reply, two figures emerged from another passage—Mages Holmes and Relis.
They both looked disheveled. Holmes's robe was dim, its runes damaged, while Relis appeared pale, as if she had narrowly escaped death.
"Merlin, Lorinka… you're here too?" Holmes was briefly surprised to see them before shaking his head. "Lucky you didn't take our route. We ran into a Dark Blood Bat that was close to becoming a Blood Bat King—it was nearly impossible to kill. Relis and I had to use several Level One spell scrolls from the Tower of All to take it down," he said, still visibly shaken from the encounter.
Merlin gave him a grave look, then motioned toward the altar.
Holmes and Relis turned and saw the mysterious silver-haired man standing above them. Their expressions grew wary.
The silver-haired man glanced at Holmes and Merlin, then sneered, "So, you killed two of my precious pets? Not bad for spellcasters of the Dark Spirit Realm! But my pets are going to enjoy your blood and flesh!" He laughed maniacally, his eyes gleaming with madness.
"Two?" Holmes's eyes widened in shock. He turned to Merlin, exclaiming, "Did you also encounter a Dark Blood Bat on the verge of evolving into a Blood Bat King?"
Lorinka cast a complicated look at Merlin before answering for him, "Indeed, we faced a powerful Dark Blood Bat, but Mage Merlin managed to take it down."
Holmes was stunned. He knew Merlin was stronger, with five-element spells, but defeating such a creature without any spellcasting tools was beyond his expectations.
Before Holmes could question further, the silver-haired man on the altar began chanting, pointing to the blood pool below.
"Come forth, my precious one—your feast awaits! Kill them, devour their blood and flesh, and you shall become the true Blood Bat King!"
With his command, the blood pool began to bubble. Rising from its depths was a massive Dark Blood Bat, fully red, towering at nearly two meters, its immense body filling much of the pool.
Watching this monstrous creature emerge, the silver-haired man's eyes shone with fanatical delight.
Merlin and Holmes exchanged horrified glances. The sheer size and power of this creature's aura made it twice as menacing as the bats they had fought in the passages.
And unlike other elemental monsters, this bat showed clear signs of life. Its body was lined with visible veins, bones, and living tissue. Merlin could feel a faint but undeniable life force emanating from it, a stark contrast to the lifeless elemental creatures they had encountered.
For an elemental monster to possess a life force was unheard of. This creature had nearly completed its transformation into an elemental being—a Blood Bat King.
The bat rose from the pool, its vast body imposing a crushing presence upon them all. Yet, as it fully emerged, Merlin and Holmes noted that it only had half of its body completed with life force. The remaining parts were devoid of life, indicating it had not fully evolved into an elemental creature.
Even so, it was far stronger than the Dark Blood Bats they had previously encountered.
"So, you're a ritual shaman," Holmes remarked, his expression darkening as he connected the dots. "You created this blood pool to forcibly evolve Dark Blood Bats into elemental creatures? Then you must be the one who controlled the bats that attacked Eastlin and drained people's blood."
As a member of a prominent spellcasting family, Holmes knew of such dark practices and recognized the silver-haired man's methods.
Merlin, too, recalled the legends of ritual shamans. Before the rise of spellcasters, the world had been ruled by ancient shamans. Some of these shamans could tame beasts or brew strange potions, many of which had influenced spellcasters' alchemical practices.
Ritual shamans, however, neither tamed beasts nor brewed potions. Instead, they offered sacrifices and performed prayers to the elements, which greatly enhanced their mental powers over time. Some shamans could control elemental monsters and even had methods to accelerate their transformation into elemental beings.
Since the emergence of spellcasters, who wielded immense elemental power, the shamans had all but disappeared. The silver-haired man might be a rare inheritor of the ritual shaman's practices, aiming to use this blood pool to create a Blood Bat King.
The silver-haired man smirked at Holmes's revelation. "Oh, so you know of the ritual shamans? Heh! Pity for you, then. Knowledge won't save you. Once I kill you, I'll leave the Dark Spirit Realm's territory and wait until the Dark Blood Bat completes its transformation. My pet, kill them!"
With a twisted expression, the silver-haired man pointed at Merlin and Holmes. The massive Dark Blood Bat, its eyes gleaming with malice, locked its gaze on them, ready to attack.