The only way to go was forward, as if they leaped up onto the cliffs that surrounded them, even Aren with his gravity ability would be swept away and likely fall back down. And going back the way they came would just be pointless.

Both of them continued to sprint forward, trying to exit this passage as soon as possible. But when they were about two miles away, a wall of water appeared, crashing towards them. It was at least thirty feet high and had over two miles to gain speed and size!

“Aren, get on my back.”

He complied, wondering what she was planning. It was a strange sight, as he was over a foot taller than her and much larger.

Just as the wave was about to swallow them, Lillia leaped up into the air over it. As soon as her foot touched the water, she blasted off using her ability, flying forwards. This continued the rest of the way, and eventually, they exited the passageway and entered a flatter area.

Aren hopped off Lillia’s back and waded through the water that was at the height of his knees. The two of them continued moving, hoping to get out of this insane storm. Eventually, they succeeded but were completely soaked. It was now nighttime and got very cold, any normal human would have long died from hypothermia.

They managed to sleep for a few hours, but the torturous weather continued on. Throughout the next couple of days, they went through things that were more dangerous to their lives than any enemy they had faced so far.

Bowling ball-sized hail fell at speeds nearing 200 miles per hour, though Aren easily melted them using Infernal Aura. A lightning strike that the pair had witnessed created a small crater in the same ground that they could barely dent with their full power, making them wonder what would happen if they were hit by it. 

Random blizzards occurred, with temperatures so low that Aren had to use his Infernal Aura to keep both of them warm. Surprisingly, there were a few large animals living around here, all of them covered in huge amounts of thick fur.

At this point, the two had no idea whether they were going the right way or not. But eventually, they escaped that hellish part of the mountain range.

Soon enough, they found the road they had originally followed, at least they thought it was. Finally, the descent down the mountain had begun. At their speed, they had almost reached the bottom in less than a day. The signs of intelligent life around here increased, the pair passing by several other roads that combined with this one. Remnants of camps could be seen every so often. 

Late in the evening as they walked, a rustling was heard from the large bushed on either side of the road. A dozen human men appeared in front of them, barring their way. The men were outfitted in crudely made armor with a light bronze color. To Aren and Lillia’s shock, all of them had raw power that rivaled even that of the Emperor.

A short and well-built man stepped forward, geared in much better armor than the rest. He had two thin, double-edged swords in his hands, and his power was even greater than the Emperor! But Aren doubted he had skill, so most of that strength would be wasted.

“Demon and an Elf? Strange pair indeed, but I’m not complaining. You’ll both fetch a high price I’m sure.” The man who stepped forwards spoke.

“High price? What are you talking about?” Aren responded.

“Oh yes! I’m sure many nobles would like to purchase fine specimens like you…especially that elf girl there.” 

The man threw a disgusting grin full of yellow teeth towards Lillia, and she glared back.

Aren was one hundred percent sure that nothing like ‘nobles’ existed on Earth or purchasing people, at least not this soon after the people gained abilities. There was definitely something strange going on here.

“Take the one talking. I’ll get rid of the rest.”

Aren whispered to Lillia, and she nodded.

He didn’t bother to draw his sword, as he felt it wasn’t needed for these mere bugs.

As he prepared to dash forwards, chains of earth blasted up from the ground, wrapping around the pair. The chains were far stronger than even diamonds, but they had no problems shattering them. 

Aren shot forward, while Lillia engaged in combat with the man at the front. 

A sword swung down, but Aren slapped the side, breaking the surprisingly strong blade in half. He kicked at the attacker’s chest, the metal chest plate caving in and instantly killing the man. A slash of fire erupted from another swing, but Aren went through it as though it wasn’t even there. He slammed the side of his fist atop the helmet of the man, and blood spurted out from inside.

A huge man swung a massive axe at him, but he dodged and swept the man’s legs out from under him, breaking them. As the man fell, Aren delivered a knee to his face, caving it in.

He quickly dispatched all that remained, some of them not even getting a chance to use their abilities, not that it would’ve mattered anyway. Surprisingly, they could all react to his movements and try to block his attacks, but their equipment was far too weak to take his strikes.

 He turned just as Lillia blasted a hole through the leader’s chest, the man slumping over while gurgling up blood. The whole exchange was over in less than a minute.

Continuing to walk at a leisurely pace, they showed little emotion to the fact a dozen men had just been slaughtered by their hands.

As they exited the forest and came out onto a small hill, their mouths gaped in surprise.

A magnificent city stood before them, looking like something out of a storybook. It was separated into three distinct sections, though there was nothing actually separating them. The outermost consisted of smaller houses and shops. The middle section was large mansions, and the final was an enormous castle. The entire city was surrounded by a towering wall that seemed impenetrable.

“What the hell is this?” Lillia whispered in shock.