The passage opened suddenly, forming a slide that caught him off guard.
Grim’s eyes widened as his body began to slide down.
He descended at great speed, unable to stop himself as the narrow passage carried him deeper underground. The sudden drop made it difficult for him to regain his balance.
A moment later, he burst out from a hole.
He saw a man standing directly in front of him.
At the last moment, Grim extended his feet and tried to position himself, but the momentum was too great.
His foot struck the man.
BANG!
The person was kicked away and sent flying across the room while Grim landed on his feet.
"Lord!"
A sharp gasp echoed across the room.
Grim immediately turned his head.
His eyes landed on an inconspicuous and odd-looking man wearing a bunny mask.
’Mina!’
If not for the mask, he might not have identified her.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked sharply, making Mina flinch.
"I am asking the same."
"Shut up and answer!" Grim pressed coldly.
"What do you mean?"
"I meant why didn’t you escape and stop running around like a damsel in distress."
Hearing this, Mina pouted underneath, "I ain’t any damsel in distress. I know how to fight, but my Lineage doesn’t grant extraordinary fighting abilities. And my other abilities don’t work."
Grim was about to ask what, but paused.
His gaze slowly moved past Mina and fell upon the surroundings.
For a moment, his mind went completely blank.
The room was cold and dark, but the sight inside was far worse than the darkness.
Cages filled the entire place.
Some were made of thick iron while others were made from old wooden frames reinforced with metal bars. Inside them were humans and beasts, many of them sitting silently in corners.
There were chains hanging from the walls, and several of them were still wrapped around the wrists and ankles of the people inside the cages.
The floor was stained and dirty. Old blood had dried in several places, leaving dark marks across the stone.
The walls were covered with scratches and stains. Some parts of the stone had been damaged by repeated attempts to escape.
The air was heavy with the smell of blood, sweat, and the animals locked inside the cages.
A few beasts stared through the bars with dull eyes.Others moved restlessly and struck the cages with their claws.
Clank.
Clank.
The sound echoed through the underground room.
There were also several wooden tables pushed against the walls. Some contained ropes, chains, tools, and other things that Grim didn’t want to look at for too long.
His eyes almost jumped out of their sockets.
A look of horror flashed across his face.
For once, Grim didn’t say anything.His fingers slowly curled into fists.His shoulders became tense, and his entire body seemed to prepare itself for a big battle.
Mina wasn’t able to see his expression because of her mask, but she noticed his body suddenly tense.
She thought he was preparing to fight.
Grim took a slow breath.His eyes remained fixed on the cages.Then he turned towards Mina.
"Get up."
His voice came out hoarse.
Mina flinched slightly at the coldness in his voice and immediately got up.
"We need to leave."
She nodded quickly.
The two of them started looking for a way out while the cold silence of the underground room remained around them.
Grim turned away from the cages and looked towards the passage they had come through.
"We need to move."
Mina nodded quickly and followed him. They had barely taken a few steps when Grim suddenly stopped.
His expression became cold as he heard footsteps approaching from the passage.
"You can’t escape. This place is surrounded."
Grim and Mina turned around to look at the man.
His golden hair was slightly messy, and there was a cold look in his eyes. He glanced around the room before his gaze settled on Grim and Mina.
Grim’s eyes narrowed slightly as he didn’t expect that the person he kicked was the protagonist himself.
From afar, he saw Hector’s hand tighten around his sword.
’He must have observed me. I wonder what he is seeing, though.’
Grim thought for a moment and spoke.
"We aren’t your enemy and we didn’t come here to enjoy ourselves. We came here for the same purpose as you."
"Same purpose?" Hector muttered, tilting his head.
Grim’s eyes narrowed.
"Move."
He grabbed Mina’s arm and pulled her towards the opposite passage.
They had barely moved when Hector suddenly rushed forward.
SHING!
His sword slashed across the room.
The force of the attack tore through several wooden crates and sent pieces of wood flying.
Grim quickly pushed Mina down.
The blade passed over their heads and struck the stone wall behind them.
BANG!
Cracks spread across the wall.
Grim looked at Mina grimly.
"Run! He isn’t buying that?"
"Like hell I will buy the words of a damned sinner," Hector shouted.
Grim pulled Mina up and moved deeper into the passage.
Hector stepped forward and pulled his sword from the wall.
He suddenly disappeared from his position.Grim’s sense of danger immediately reacted.
His eyes widened.
"Down!"
He pushed Mina aside just as Hector appeared in front of them.
The sword came down with heavy force.
BOOM!
Grim raised his arm and blocked the attack with his weapon, but the impact pushed him several steps backward.
His feet scraped against the stone floor.
Mina quickly moved behind him.
"Lord!"
"Stay behind me."
Grim’s voice was low and cold.
Hector slowly raised his sword again.
"You won’t escape this time."
His pressure spread through the passage.
Grim stared at him without saying anything.
Behind Hector, more Knights were moving forward and blocking the way they had come from.
The passage was becoming crowded.
Grim glanced at Mina. Then he looked at the cages.
His eyes hardened.
"We are getting out."
He suddenly rushed forward.
Hector swung his sword.
Grim twisted his body and avoided the blade by a narrow margin.
He grabbed Hector’s arm and tried to push him aside, but Hector resisted and swung his sword again.
Grim ducked under it.
Mina immediately moved past them.
"Go!"
Grim kicked Hector backward and quickly followed Mina.
Hector stumbled for a moment before regaining his balance. His expression darkened, and a strange aura started to permeate from him.
"I didn’t take you seriously because you aren’t giving off the vibes of spirituality, but now I will take you on as if fighting a Transcendent."