Lord of The Mysterious Realms Chapter 1197

The scene that followed was utterly horrific. The wildly thrashing Lak Stuart suddenly froze. Then, with a long, drawn-out wail, his entire body exploded from the chest outwards. ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ novelꞁire.net

Icy blood and fragments of bone, hair, and viscera splattered in all directions as a ceaseless white frost seeped from the remains. The turbulent spirit and rampaging power even triggered a localized natural anomaly. Flesh and frost writhed together, and tiny clusters of fleshy buds squirmed within the repulsive sludge, only to be incinerated by Jenkins's flames before they could fully form.

He walked over to the largest piece of Lak Stuart's remains, reached into the disgusting mess, and pulled out a frost-flower-shaped medal.

The medal was made of a silver-colored metal, dotted with tiny blue gems. It was frigid to the touch, yet holding it sent a jolt through the mind, like waking from a deep, weary slumber.

Jenkins had felt the power within the medal before—from Dolores's chess pieces and from the scroll in the hall behind them. He now possessed a similar power himself. While he was frozen earlier, he had attempted to absorb the extreme cold that encased him and discovered it was remarkably similar to the power of the chess pieces.

His [Frost Punch] had originated from absorbing a portion of the chess pieces' power. Since the scroll's power was fundamentally similar to that of the pieces, when he tried to absorb it, the essence of his [Frost Punch] predictably evolved to a higher level.

As a result, this [Red Martial] ability, originally based on [Simple Boxing], no longer had any connection to boxing after its latest evolution. But it also meant that from now on, Jenkins had achieved true mastery over ice:

[Frost Punch (Red Martial)] → [Ice Solidification (Red Martial)]

The ice spear he had just created was his first experiment with the new ability, and the results were excellent. This meant that, aside from [Twin Demons], he finally had a viable long-range attack.

The speaker was another royal princess, though Jenkins couldn't tell which one.

"Lak must have stolen it!"

Dolores walked up to Jenkins and naturally took the medal he offered her. This was how Lak, an ordinary person, had been able to wield extraordinary power. It seemed similar to how the so-called Icebringer had stuffed the chess pieces into its head back then.

But he wasn't an Enchanter, after all. It was predictable that he would lose control of the power and die in the explosion.

Dolores's action clearly showed that the man who had killed Lak was on her side, and her siblings could not object to her claiming the medal.

Now, whether they understood the Stuart family's mission or not, they all knew that certain family heirlooms held immense significance. Possessing them was very likely a key factor in the royal selection.

Jenkins asked Dolores. She shook her head and glanced at her eldest brother, but she didn't ask Jenkins to heal him, nor did she ask him to treat the still-unconscious king.

The hall that sealed the crystal and the parchment scroll was inaccessible. But with so many snowmen killed by Lak, the group was able to retreat to a relatively safe section of the tunnel.

In the meantime, Jenkins gathered bits and pieces of information from the Stuart children. While none of them had known Lak's plan in advance, a few had heard scattered details. Piecing them together, he was able to draw some conclusions.

"So it's the Tree House again? The plan only started two months ago, not long before that. And no one knew about those two steam cannons. Were they Lak Stuart's final trump card for seizing the throne?"

Jenkins muttered to himself. He had originally thought this was another one of those plans that had been in the works for over a decade.

"The Archer chess piece was only returned to the Hamparvo Kingdom a few months ago. It seems the royal selection doesn't require all seven items, but opening the seal does. No matter how meticulous the Tree House's plans were, they couldn't have predicted this."

Dolores whispered, leaning against Jenkins's arm.

Suddenly, the ground trembled, and dust sifted down from the ceiling. Everyone tensed. If the tunnel collapsed, they would all be buried alive.

Jenkins squeezed Dolores's hand reassuringly. His eyes could clearly see the spiritual glow of the ritual directly above them growing stronger and stronger.

They were all located beneath the parliament square. According to Sarrot Stuart, this place was originally the underground shelter for the parliament complex, but it shouldn't have been this large.

"No one would design an underground shelter like a maze," he explained. "From what I know, this area isn't any larger than the main parliament building above, and it's not multi-leveled."

Sarrot Stuart's left arm was severed. Although the bleeding had been stopped, he was still in bad shape.

"I heard my grandfather mention that the seal our family guards is beneath Ruen City. The very layout of Ruen—the streets, the buildings, even the residential districts—is actually part of the sealing ritual. It's very likely the seal isn't in a physical location, but in a separate dimension beneath Ruen. The 'Tree House' that Lak mentioned must have used some method to connect that dimension to this underground shelter."

These were the words of Dolores's eldest sister, the First Princess of the kingdom. She was trying desperately to distance herself from any connection to the Tree House. In her view, powerful as the organization might be, collaborating with madmen would never end well.

The First Prince and First Princess knew the most about the Stuart family's secrets. Both were rational and cunning individuals. If not for Dolores, the final battle for the throne would undoubtedly have been between these two.

The First Princess was twenty-seven years old and still unmarried. While they were looking for a safe place, she had deliberately tried to get closer to Jenkins, but Dolores blocked her.

Jenkins, of course, knew what the woman wanted. He had to admit that Princess Yani Stuart was beautiful, but he had no plans to abandon his friendship with Dolores.

"There are no paths leading up anymore. When I was coming down, I saw them blowing up all the passages. Trying to dig through the rubble would be just as hard as digging a new tunnel to the surface. I think we need to find another way... We're running out of time."

According to Lak Stuart, the ritual to summon the great being was divided into two parts. The surface part involved collecting corpses for a blood sacrifice, while the underground part required Lak Stuart to use the Stuart family's heirlooms and bloodline as a key to unlock a terrible, sealed contract.

Now, the underground part was impossible to complete, but the surface part was still in progress. Jenkins worried what kind of trouble an incomplete ritual would ultimately summon.

"What about the people from the Orthodox Church? Where are the Enchanters who were supposed to be guarding the seal?"

Jenkins asked, but no one could answer him.

"So what do we do now? We can't stay underground forever..."

Yani Stuart spoke, trying to find a suitable way to address Jenkins, whose name she still didn't know.

"He is Mr. Herkly Pollo," Dolores declared, leaning against Jenkins. "Mr. Pollo is my friend."