BXBX NOVEL Chapter 171: Maze of Abyss
The Minotaur would smash the ground with enough force to create tremors, causing the advancing Orcs to stumble and slip.
Once they were delayed, Lyerin could use the 4 minutes granted to him by the mysterious notification to tame the creatures and make them part of the Stonehooves Tribe.
It seemed like an easy enough task. But as always, things rarely went according to plan.
The Minotaur raised its enormous club high above its head, then slammed it down onto the earth with all its might.
The impact was tremendous, and the ground beneath the feet of the Orcs quivered and shook.
Dust rose into the air as the floor trembled violently, just as Lyerin had anticipated. But instead of seeing the Orcs lose their footing and tumble to the ground, something unexpected happened.
The Orcs didn\'t slip or falter.
They stopped.
Their massive, brutish forms froze in place, their eyes wide and alert, as if they could sense something far more dangerous approaching.
And then, a rumble—deep, resonating, and primal—emanated from beneath the earth, louder and more powerful than the tremors caused by the Minotaur\'s strike.
It was a sound that sent a shiver down Lyerin\'s spine, and suddenly, he realized this was not part of his plan.
"What...what is that?" Corora, who was standing far behind Lyerin at the base of the statue, muttered in confusion. Her voice was barely a whisper, but it carried over to the others around her.
"I don\'t know..." another person from the Stonehooves Tribe said, looking nervously around at the shaking ground. "It\'s not the Minotaur. It\'s something else...something below us."
In a distance, Lyerin burst into laughter, his voice echoing across the battlefield. "HAHAHAHAHAHA! This is better than I expected!"
His voice was filled with both excitement and curiosity. He had and idea what was coming, but he didn\'t want to say it!
Corora turned towards him, eyes wide with bewilderment. "Lyerin! What\'s happening? Why are you laughing? What is going on?" Her voice wavered between fear and anger.
Another member of the tribe, standing beside Corora, joined in. "This tremor...it\'s not natural! What have you done, Lyerin? What\'s coming out of the ground?"
Lyerin, still seated cross-legged on the Minotaur\'s shoulder, only grinned, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Oh, you\'ll see soon enough. But trust me, this is going to be interesting."
The ground began to crack.
Thin fissures snaked their way across the battlefield, spreading out from where the Minotaur had struck the earth.
The rumbling grew louder, and it became clear to everyone that something enormous was moving below them.
The Valley Orcs, though brutish and savage, stood still, watching with wide, frightened eyes.
"Lyerin!" Corora shouted again, panic now rising in her voice. "What\'s happening? Are we under attack? Is this some kind of trap?" She turned to the others. "Does anyone know what\'s going on?"
Lyerin shook his head. "No."
The fissures widened, and suddenly, with a deafening roar, a massive stone wall erupted from the ground.
The wall rose higher and higher, towering above the battlefield, cutting off Lyerin and the Minotaur from the rest of the tribe.
The wall was thick, ancient, and covered in strange, intricate carvings that glowed faintly with a dark, ominous energy.
"What...what is that?!" Corora gasped, her heart pounding in her chest.
"It\'s a wall," another warrior said, his voice trembling with awe and fear. "A massive stone wall...but where did it come from?"
"Lyerin!" Corora called out again, her voice now filled with desperation. "We\'re cut off! What are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to fight against this?"
But Lyerin remained silent, his laughter fading as he stared at the massive stone barrier before him.
---
Meanwhile, back on Earth, the Asura girl hovered above the battlefield, her expression one of confusion and growing concern.
She had been narrating the battle between the Minotaur and the Valley Orcs with excitement, but now, something was different. Something unexpected was happening.
Her voice faltered for a moment as she addressed the viewers watching from Earth.
"Everyone...I...I\'m not sure what\'s going on. The battle was about to begin, but now, something strange is happening. The ground is shaking, and...there\'s a massive stone wall that just erupted from the earth. I\'ve never seen anything like this before."
She frowned, her mind racing to understand the situation.
"The Minotaur is strong—one of the most dangerous creatures from the deepest dungeons—but the Valley Orcs are cunning. If they can\'t defeat the Minotaur directly, they\'ll target the weaker members of the Stonehooves Tribe.
"That\'s how they fight. They attack the vulnerable, the unprepared. Lyerin and his tribe may have a powerful spirit, but can they defend themselves against an entire army of raging pigs? That\'s the real question."
She paused for a moment, her eyes narrowing as she watched the unfolding scene.
"And now, with this wall...it\'s almost as if something is trying to trap them. Is it meant to protect them or isolate them? Whatever\'s happening, it\'s not normal. This is beyond anything we\'ve seen before."
Her voice grew more urgent as she turned back to the audience. "Keep watching, everyone. Something big is about to happen. The Minotaur is fierce, but even it may not be able to handle what\'s coming."
---
Far beyond the earthly battlefield, in the realm of the Overseer and the six-armed shadows, the tension was palpable.
The shadows watched the unfolding events with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
"What...what is that?" one of the six-armed figures muttered, its voice trembling slightly. "Where did that wall come from?"
The Overseer, normally calm and collected, narrowed his eyes as he watched the massive stone wall rise from the ground. "It\'s...it\'s not part of the game. It wasn\'t supposed to happen."
Another of the shadows spoke up, its voice tinged with fear. "Could it be...something ancient? Something from before the game?"
The Overseer shook his head slowly, his eyes fixed on the glowing carvings that adorned the wall. "No...this is something else. Something...unexpected."
The other shadows exchanged nervous glances, their whispers growing louder. "What if it\'s a trap?"
"No," the Overseer said firmly, though there was a trace of uncertainty in his voice. "It\'s not a trap."
One of the six-armed shadows stepped forward, its voice shaking. "Should we intervene? Should we stop the game?"
The Overseer hesitated, his gaze still locked on the wall.
He didn\'t want to admit it, but he didn\'t fully understand what was happening either.
This wall, this power...it was beyond his control. But stopping the game wasn\'t an option.
Not yet.
"No," he finally said, his voice resolute. "We\'ll wait. We need to see how this plays out."
Another shadow, more cautious than the rest, spoke up. "But what if this wall changes everything? What if it gives Lyerin and the Stonehooves Tribe an advantage?"
The Overseer\'s eyes flickered with doubt for a brief moment before he responded. "If that happens, we can\'t do anything about it… Let the game continue."
The shadows fell silent, watching with bated breath as the wall continued to rise, towering over the battlefield.
And then, the Overseer\'s eyes widened in disbelief as recognized what are the stone walls are. He muttered, almost inaudibly, "Maze of the Abyss..."