Lord Evolution: Starting With SS-rank Skills - Chapter 264

Chapter 264: The Cult (34)

The quaking of the confinement kept intensifying every single second, and everyone within it began to panic.

“What’s going on?”

Rowan opened his eyes and took in the chaotic scene unfolding before him, wondering what the cause might be.

To his right, Riela had already opened her eyes and was gazing at Rowan with evident worry.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before…”

To his left, Eliman spoke up, his voice heavy with both concern and confusion.

“This is odd,” Rowan replied.

The other captives engaged in the same anxious conversation. In this chaotic moment, none of them paid heed to the no speaking policy and began to exchange their troubled thoughts among themselves. Their collective discussions quickly produced a clamor which, merging with the quaking sounds, rendered the place even more chaotic.

Some of the captives were utterly scarred shitless about their safety.

Some of them even emerged from their swimming pools in sheer fright.

And unlike before, no one materialized in the room to punish them for breaking the rules.

Eliman became even more confused and worried after witnessing captive after captive stepping out of their swimming pool.

“I don’t believe this is the cult’s doing. Whatever is behind this must be something significant—if it weren’t, a cultist would have already burst in to drag off and punish those disobedient fools.”

Rowan nodded in agreement.

If there had been a way to escape, he would have long since left his own pool to flee this devastating place.

Sadly, he hasn’t figured out a way yet.

Even if there were absolutely no restraints on his power, he would still be unable to leave this place, which has no sort of opening.

Rowan turned to look at a worried Riela and consoled her, urging her to remain calm and composed, since freaking out would only make matters worse.

BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM!!!

As he spoke to Riela, another round of explosions began, this time even louder, as the source of the sounds appeared to be drawing ever closer.

“The cult is under attack. Someone has undoubtedly found a way to breach their formidable security. That would explain why none of them have come to warn this chaotic crowd—they must be caught up in an intense battle right now.”

Rowan conveyed his suspicions to Eliman.

Eliman pondered the matter for a brief moment and realized that Rowan’s speculation was entirely correct.

A wave of refreshing emotions rapidly swept through his body, filling him with hope.

“So, what do we do now?” he asked.

“Just wait,” Rowan replied plainly.

Eliman shot him a questioning look.

“If we join in with the others and start causing a commotion, the cult might arrive—and who knows what they could do? Since they wouldn’t have time to properly dole out punishments, they might end up killing us,” Rowan explained.

Eliman nodded, while Rowan turned to Riela, who grew even more worried as the explosions continued unabated.

Noticing that Rowan kept speaking to Riela, Eliman asked, “Is she your sister?”

Rowan gave him a distant look before shaking his head. “She’s my wife.”

“Your wife?” Eliman echoed, disbelief etched on his face.

Rowan bristled immediately. “What the heck is with that reaction? Do you really think I’m too ugly to bag a pretty girl or something?”

“You’ve clearly misunderstood me. I wasn’t commenting on looks—I was talking about your mana cores.”

“What happened to our mana cores?”

“Nothing’s wrong with them, it’s just odd that a girl with such high magical talent would choose someone with a lesser gift.”

Rowan grew somewhat agitated, wondering what on earth this guy was rambling about.

“Where I come from, that kind of match is nearly impossible for certain reasons. My crush once looked down on me and said her family would never allow her to be seen with someone like me, with a weaker magical talent. You’re lucky your woman doesn’t care about that.”

Eliman smiled slyly as he explained himself. Rowan finally understood his reasoning, yet he also grew curious about the origin and backstory of this man.

Both of them began discussing while the noise in the room grew louder and louder with every passing second.

Most of the captives could be seen punching the walls crazily and desperately, trying to burst them open and make their way out.

They endured the pain from each strike as their minds were fixed on nothing but escape.

They felt this was their only chance, and if they didn’t act, they would remain trapped here forever.

Furthermore, by daring to leave their pools, they had automatically drawn the cult’s attention and would be subjected to punishment. Thus, even if they ceased trying to escape, it would be very unlikely that they would survive once the cult finally regrouped and came for them.

Meanwhile, the sounds outside were gradually diminishing, as though the commotion were shifting away from their location.

Amidst this chaos, Rowan came to know Eliman even more.

Eliman claimed that he was the crown prince of a vast kingdom and also a student at the Wishiros 7th School of Magic.

The name of the school struck a familiar chord with Rowan, he paused for a moment and recalled his first conversation with Xandros when he had posed as Vishirk, a student of that very magical institution.

Eliman further revealed to Rowan that he had been abducted during one of the academy’s hunting trips about a year ago, and that all his teammates had been mercilessly slaughtered before his eyes.

As he shared his story, Eliman’s expression turned cold, his eyes reddened with anger, and he clenched his fist with vengeful determination.

“No matter what it takes, I will ensure the downfall of this cult!”

Eliman finished his narration with a fierce oath, then sighed deeply, relaxing his tense expression as he turned to inquire about Rowan and his past.

While the two men continued their discussion, the chaos outside continued to brew.

“So, this must be the cult’s hideout.”

A cold voice sounded as it entered the hideout.