And Then Burning the Bridge

Ksaz sprinted through the quicksand, sinking with every heavy step. Shane, resting on his shoulders, showed no sign of panic.

But even with his enhanced body, navigating the quicksand—which had now turned into a muddy bog—drained a massive amount of his energy, and he began to pant.

“A little faster,” Shane urged in a low voice. Ksaz didn't reply, only gritting his teeth and pushing himself to go twenty percent faster.

The quicksand behind them seemed to pursue Ksaz's footsteps relentlessly. Fortunately, Ksaz finally broke free from the mire with Shane in tow. Stepping onto the yellow sand of the slope, he scrambled upward and safely delivered Shane to the top of the dune.

“Sir, we're here!”

Ksaz panted heavily, his scales trembling slightly, but he still immediately helped Shane down from his shoulders and set him on the ground.

As soon as Shane's feet touched the ground, Elon hurried over, a solemn expression on his face. “How is it? Will it slow down?”

Shane first patted Ksaz, gesturing for him to rest, before turning to reply, “We were short three soul bones, so the effect was slightly lacking, but we barely achieved our goal.”

Elon nodded, then looked at the pit below the sand slope. “Then what do we do next? Are we just relying on this pit to stop the quicksand from advancing?”

“Of course not.”

Shane shook his head. He didn't look at the pit, but rather at the Red Willows and Suosuo behind Elon. “They are the main force. To put it simply, the pit only serves as a buffer, giving me time to—”

“Mr. Leynas!”

Before Shane could finish, the princess interrupted. Even she was visibly tense as she watched the dark green quicksand pour into the pit below. “The plan is still proceeding smoothly, right?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

Shane bowed slightly and explained, “Just as I told you that night, the quicksand moves because it contains too much of the water element. As long as we cause it to settle or disperse, we can stop it.”

“Therefore, I used the soul bones and the necromancy spell 'Desolation' to create a death zone to neutralize the water elements within.”

“Neutralize?”

Isha, who was following behind the princess, looked at Shane with a strange expression. Having heard many stories about necromancers, she naturally knew what "Desolation" entailed, which prompted her to speak up. “Legend has it that land destroyed by a necromancer remains barren for decades. Surely it's not as simple as 'neutralizing' it.”

Before Shane could speak, Elon smoothed things over. “Things are not as terrifying as you imagine. As an exile, Shane's strength is suppressed by the Ring of the Exiled. With his power alone, he cannot unleash the true power of Desolation, which is why he needed the assistance of the soul bones.”

“Moreover, the water elements in the quicksand are highly active, and the Golden Sea itself is overflowing with the earth element. Thus, a tiny bit of Desolation can, at most, serve to disperse and neutralize them.”

Isha nodded. Since the Archdruid Elon had offered an explanation, she naturally had no doubts. She looked back down the sand slope, seeing that the dark green quicksand had already flowed into the pit.

The quicksand at this moment did not feel fluid or smooth at all. Instead, it was sticky and viscous, like mud on the verge of drying up.

“Then, there is only one question left now.”

Alicia looked at Shane and asked, “Since your plan worked, why is the quicksand still advancing?”

Shane did not hide anything, frankly admitting, “Because I only neutralized a portion of it. There are still water elements remaining in the quicksand, and since the death magic didn't disappear after neutralizing them, the quicksand is still advancing.”

“But as you can see, the way it advances has already changed.”

Alicia looked down the sand slope. Indeed, the quicksand that had originally rotated slowly like a millstone as it advanced had now become simpler, turning into waves of sand that pushed straight forward.

Yet the heavy sense of oppression did not disappear; instead, it gradually crept up as the bottom of the pit filled.

“Therefore, what needs to be done now is to dispose of those soul bones and drain the death magic from the quicksand.”

Shane bowed to Alicia again. “Please step back a bit, Your Highness.”

Alicia nodded, then pulled Isha back a few steps. Isha looked down at the princess's hand on her arm, a flash of secret delight crossing her face.

Shane turned around and raised his hand, reaching forward with splayed fingers toward the standing soul bones below the slope. Having consumed too much energy, their surfaces were now dull and lusterless.

Shane clenched his hand hard.

“Crack!”

A crisp cracking sound echoed from below the slope. The seven soul bones shattered simultaneously, turning into grayish-white powder that vanished into the sand.

At the same time, the dark green sand eroded by the death magic began to fade at a visible rate.

The eerie green glow receded from the surface of the sand, revealing the original yellow-brown underneath. The speed of the quicksand's advance also began to slow down the moment the color changed.

But it didn't stop.

It still slowly advanced, creeping bit by bit into the pit, causing it to gradually overflow.

“The pit seems to be full.”

Isha approached again, looking at the pit below. Her voice trembled slightly. “But it's still moving. It looks like it's going to climb up. Is it really okay?”

However, Shane did not offer an explanation, instead looking at Elon.

The two locked eyes for a brief moment, and Elon nodded solemnly.

Then Shane faced the princess again and bowed. “Your Highness, please return to the camp. Next is the final step.”

The princess didn't ask further. She only glanced at Shane, then turned decisively, pulling Isha along. “Miss Val, come back with me.”

“But...”

“We can't help with what comes next.”

To her friend, the princess explained patiently, “Staying here will only distract them.”

Thus, Isha said no more. She followed the princess for a few steps, with Lena trailing behind them, but in the end, she couldn't help but look back.

Elon and Shane had already walked to the area where the Red Willows and Suosuo were most densely concentrated on the slope.

Elon stood firm, raising his hands and stretching them out to both sides. He closed his eyes, and a vibrant green light slowly spilled out of his body.

The light was faint at first, like a firefly, but it quickly grew thick and dense, enveloping his entire body.

At this time, Shane stood by Elon's side, the dark green light on his body glowing faintly, yet not at all overshadowed by Elon's.

This sight made Isha's breath catch, as if she wanted to imprint this image into her mind forever.

She didn't know what all of this meant, but she saw that the Red Willows and Suosuo around the two of them began to sway gently, responding to their magic.

It was as if the plants on the entire dune were being awakened by the two of them, preparing to face the oncoming quicksand.