Hancock and Lynch had disappeared, most likely they had fallen beneath the temple.
With Nyonba's frail body, jumping down was too risky; she would likely be crushed. So instead, she chose to call for reinforcements.
Inside the cave, a wooden sign stood with warnings on both sides—but their meanings were entirely different.
The first side was a genuine warning, meant to keep the people of Amazon Lily away.
The other, however, was a deceptive lure, hinting at a hidden treasure ahead. By telling intruders not to approach, it was actually enticing them to go forward.
"What should we do? Should we keep going?" The Empress hesitated, recalling the bat from earlier.
Going deeper could mean even greater danger. She and Lynch could handle it, but the two guards might not survive.
Lynch glanced back at the guards and said, "Wait here until we return. Don't move."
With that, he retrieved two mechanical armors from his system space and placed the women inside for protection.
"See the button in front of you? It controls the machine. You can also fly back the way we came to report that we're safe."
The new mobile armor was simple to operate—just a joystick, a flight button, and a sword-swing button. It was designed for beginners to practice.
After a quick test, the two guards were hooked.
This was way easier than using a bow and arrow! And it could fly!
"Alright, let's go."
With their worries settled, Lynch and the Empress pressed on.
As expected, the difficulty skyrocketed. Compared to before, it was like stepping into purgatory.
Traps were everywhere—one every few steps. Lurking in between were beasts thought to be long extinct.
The ground suddenly gave way, revealing a pit of poison-coated steel spikes.
A giant stone, weighing hundreds of tons, came crashing down from above.
A gas trap spewed liquid mercury into the air.
Quicksand. Blow darts. Crushing walls.
Hundreds of different traps and dozens of ancient beasts and poisonous insects make the next journey for the two extremely difficult.
Who knew what effects a bite from one of these unknown creatures might have? Would it make them drowsy? Paralyzed? Worse?
"Did you notice something?" Lynch asked as he casually shattered the stone door ahead. "These traps—aren't they usually found in mausoleums?"
"You mean...?"
"That's right. The underground layout looks like a huge tomb."
Lynch asked suspiciously: "Who from Amazon Lily's history is buried here?"
The deeper they go, the more powerful the ghostly energy radiates from inside.
This terrifying ghost energy can still be formed after death. It stands to reason that there should have been an invisible strong woman in the ancestors of Amazon Lily.
The empress didn't know why, "We never knew there was a tomb under the temple."
While the two were chatting, a stone door made of heavy metal appeared in front of them.
"We should be at the end. Inside is the last room."
Lynch stretched out his hand and knocked on the metal door in front of him.
From the reply, he judged that the metal block that could barely be called a door must be at least ten meters thick.
This is the only metal they have seen since entering the tomb.
Behind the door is probably the last "tomb chamber" in the mausoleum.
"Stay back. I'll be careful not to hurt you," Lynch said to the Empress.
Judging the force needed, he aimed to punch through the stone door in one strike.
Too much power underground could cause a collapse, burying them alive.
But when his fist landed—nothing. The metal door remained completely intact.
Frowning, Lynch reached for his demon sword. That's when he noticed it—an invisible ghostly energy wrapped around the door.
Damn, they're using ghost energy on doors now?
Wait. No, that wasn't it.
Looking closer, Lynch realized the door itself wasn't infused with ghost energy. The energy was actually leaking from the surrounding area, and over time, the metal had absorbed it—just like how a cursed blade gains power.
Over time, the metal door also gained power similar to the "demon sword".
To be precise, this is a "demon door".
For a moment, a ridiculous image flashed in Lynch's mind—others wielding cursed swords to slay their enemies, while he swung a cursed door at them.
Still, this explained something. If the ghost energy was seeping out at this level, then the ancient beasts inside the mausoleum had likely evolved under its influence.
"Come here, my love," the Empress called out, noticing Lynch deep in thought. She assumed he was struggling with something and swiftly took action.
"Perfume Femur!"
Boom!
Her flawless jade foot struck the Demon Door, and the area she hit immediately began to petrify, turning to stone.
With a soft "hmph," she watched as the transformation took effect. A single kick from her could turn a Vice Admiral-sized giant to stone—yet here, it barely affected a small portion of the door.
Lynch clutched his chest in silent agony. My demon door...!
Then again, maybe this was for the best. The idea of lugging around a giant metal slab as a weapon wasn't exactly appealing. Better to get rid of it now.
"Perfume Femur:Magna!"
After several precise kicks, the Empress finally managed to petrify the ten-meter-thick door, creating a narrow opening just big enough for one person to squeeze through.
"This thing is too tough..." she muttered, sweat glistening on her skin. In the tight space, her already snug cheongsam clung even closer to her body.
With a gentle push, the petrified section crumbled away, making way for their final destination.
At last, they stepped into the final tomb.
"So big!"
The final tomb stretched as far as the eye could see—vast as a football field and towering over 100 meters high.
At its center, 91 coffins, coated with preservative materials, were arranged in ninety rows with eerie precision.
"Ninety-one coffins?" Lynch muttered, his mind flashing back to the 91 tablets enshrined in the temple—the first settlers of Amazon Lily.
"Could it be… these are your 91 ancestors?"
The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. If someone wanted to conceal the truth from future generations, only those first settlers would have had the power to do it.
But why build the mausoleum so deep underground?
And why was the ghostly energy here so overwhelming?
Lynch tightened his grip on his demon sword, watching as 91 strands of ghost energy seeped from the coffins, twisting and coiling in the air like living shadows.
The tomb, already massive, was now completely saturated with this dark energy.
And it wasn't just staying here. The excess ghost energy was slowly seeping through the stone walls, passing through the soil, and continuously affecting all of Amazon Lily.
Lynch felt he was on the verge of uncovering the island's deepest secret.
Yet, something else gnawed at him.
Was it just his imagination… or were the 91 coffins showing hostility toward him?
The "corpses" inside… were stirring.
Lynch thought he must be losing his mind.
If someone who had been dead for thousands of years could suddenly come back to life—then fine, he'd personally make sure Smoker stayed single forever in his next life.
Unlike Lynch, the Empress was drawn to one of the coffins. Without thinking, she knelt in front of it, her delicate hand brushing away the thick layer of dust.
A name was revealed beneath—"Hanabi."
She read it twice, her breath catching.
Hanabi.
One of the 91 honored ancestors worshipped in the temple. The very first name recorded.
The realization hit her like a tidal wave.
"They… They really are the remains of the 91 people enshrined in the temple!"
Her voice trembled with disbelief.
.
.
TO BE CONTINUED
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