Rise of the Lustful Evil Monarch (Re)

Third Person's POV

Countless figures moved along them, including demons with their tall bodies and trademark horns, vampires in dark robes, beastkin with their animalistic features, dark elves with their slightly purplish skin, werewolves, and he could spot even the rare human.

All climbed steadily, like ants trailing threads in the sky as they slowly inched toward whatever secrets waited above.

The sight was both humbling and awe-inspiring, and he once again realized the magnitude of this magical world.

"Time for us to go too," Ethan said in a low voice mixed with a tightly-held excitement while his eyes glinted like twin stars.

The girls nodded with silent resolve, and together, they made their way toward the nearest wire, ready to ascend into the unknown.

When he reached beside it, his expression remained composed, but the silent shock brewing in his heart was undeniable.

Only now, when he stood so close, that he he fully grasp the sheer scale and overwhelming presence of the wire.

It loomed thicker than his own height, while being an impossibly vast bronze serpent that shimmered dully in the reddish hue of the overcast sky.

As he reached out and touched its surface, a strange sensation coursed through his fingertips.

It was neither cold nor warm, yet he could feel it pulsating faintly, like the slow heartbeat of an ancient slumbering beast.

The texture was not quite metal, not quite stone, but something in between. It was worn smooth from ages of passage, yet he could still feel its rawness, filled with an unspoken energy.

Shaking off the strange feeling that crept over his skin, he tightened his grip on Velcy's hand and jumped onto the massive cord.

Virelle followed in silence in calm and practiced movements, showing that this was clearly not her first time traversing this so-called bridge.

They balanced themselves against the swaying tension beneath their feet.

The wind here was thin but ever-present as it brushed against their clothes and hair like ghostly hands.

As he steadied himself, Ethan couldn't help but wonder about those who had stood here before and those who had never made it to the other side.

A dark thought stirred within him, and he couldn't help but ask in a voice sounding softly across the eerie stillness,

"Is it common for people to fall off these wires into this stretch of dark abyss, Virelle?"

With Velcy held securely before him, he walked along the rough upward slope formed by the countless footsteps over untold centuries.

Its weathered ridges gave some stability, though the immense drop on either side made even steady footing feel precarious.

Virelle's voice came from behind, but this time she was more solemn than before, showing her current mood.

"I wouldn't say it's common, but it is far from rare either. Reports of people falling into the abyss aren't shocking.

It happens more often than we like to admit, and the most fearful fact about it is that no one ever returns once they fall into it.

The souls that fall into it never make another appearance again, and that is one of the reasons why this towering colossus is called the Devil Abyss Mountain."

Her words lingered in the air like a cold breeze, and Ethan felt a growing sombreness inside him.

The gravity of the abyss in its physical and mental impact clearly weighed on him as he had seen many strange places in his past life, but none had been like this.

This wasn't just a mountain, but it was a place where even light dared not venture too deep.

Without a word, he let a shadowy chain emerge from his waist.

It slithered quietly through the air and moved like smoke before coiling gently around Virelle's waist.

Though barely visible and almost phasing in and out of existence, it hummed with power, which showed its real value.

Virelle's hand passed through it as if through mist, but she understood that if needed, it would become real and solid while being swift enough to pull her into his arms in an instant.

Velcy remained unaware of the depth below. He kept her gaze high and pointed to the red clouds and the mountain's unreachable peak while refusing to let her glance into the void.

He did this because she was still too young and weak to witness something this horrifying.

As for him, he allowed himself long and detailed glimpses into that fathomless darkness that was a realm where light disappeared and the soul quivered.

It was a surreal feeling to him as every breath he took felt like it echoed into eternity.

His emotions that were already tangled from the sights and sounds of this foreign place now reached their peak as he was overwhelmed by awe and a quiet dread of what might lie beneath that dark expanse.

He looked sideways, and from the peripheral mist of dust and sky, he could see other figures in motion.

People from countless races, including demonic beings, vampires, beastkin, dark elves, werewolves, and even the occasional humans, traversed the wires and moved steadily like ants across ropes stretching into the sky.

Another question tugged at his thoughts, and he didn't hold back.

"Is flying by artifacts and realm ability prohibited here, or is it simply not possible?"

From behind, Virelle answered with a calm that carried a knowing undertone.

"It is not prohibited. Instead, it is simply impossible.

Anyone who attempts to fly is pulled into that abyss without any warning and leaving no trace as always.

No one knows the reason behind it, but like I said before, no one comes back."

Ethan's brows lifted with intrigue.

"Then… are there exceptions?"

She paused on hearing his question but then replied in a low voice after a few moments.

"I can't say for certain, but… I have never seen my master walk across these Spinal Ropes. Not even once."

He turned towards her with a curious look in her eyes as he asked.

"Then?"