Chapter 72: The Revelation of the Alcantraz Tower

"Are you still worried?" The usually silent Thomas opened his mouth to ask that question of Anna.

"I am, but we don't have the luxury to care about that right now. Our priority is Sarah, and we need to make sure she is okay," Anna replied.

Even though she was worried about William, Anna had no choice but to prioritize Sarah's safety first. Other matters could be dealt with later. Right now, they were fleeing away while heading to the place where William said he had hide Sarah.

They moved quickly, carrying the unconscious Captain Garz with them. After running for a while, they finally reached the tree where William said he had hidden Sarah.

When they reached the base of the tree, they initially thought they would have to climb up to retrieve Sarah. However, a sudden, blinding light assaulted their eyes, forcing both Anna and Thomas to shut them tightly. After a few moments, the light disappeared, and they cautiously opened their eyes.

Before them stood a silhouette of a woman with long white hair, her face radiant and emanating a holy aura. As Anna looked more closely, she recognized the woman.

"Sarah!" With a feeling of relief, Anna jumped towards Sarah and hugged her tightly. She couldn't express how glad she was to see Sarah safe and sound. Not only that, but Sarah's newfound power clearly indicated that she had successfully inherited Queen Elizabeth's legacy, promising a brighter future.

"Anna, why are you here? Thomas and Uncle Garz too?" Sarah's first words were filled with questions. It was only natural for her to ask, considering that Anna, Thomas, and Captain Garz were not supposed to be in the Emperor's Garden.

"And why am I here? Wasn't I supposed to be with William right now? Speaking of William, where is he? Why don't I see him here?" Sarah bombarded Anna with a barrage of questions, making it challenging for Anna to explain.

"Actually..." Anna began to explain from the beginning, recounting their journey up to this point. She tried to downplay the dangers to avoid making Sarah feel guilty and anxious, but it seemed her efforts were in vain.

After hearing Anna's account, Sarah's face went from shock to fear. "We have to go to William and save him quickly, or it will be too late!"

Anna couldn't understand why Sarah was so frightened. True, Jonathan was a formidable opponent, but that didn't mean they stood no chance at all. With Sarah's newfound power, they might even be able to defeat him. Still, Sarah seemed insistent on her thoughts.

"Sarah, calm down for a moment. It's not too late to retreat now. Once Thomas and I have healed from our injuries, we can go back. Trust me, William assured us he would retreat if there was any life-threatening danger." Not knowing what was going on inside Sarah's mind, Anna tried to calm her down by presenting a rational option.

"No, it will be too late if we wait. We have to go now," Sarah insisted.

Just as Anna was deliberating whether to go or not, a massive pillar of black light suddenly appeared, emanating from the tower they had fled.

"No, it has begun," Sarah muttered to herself, her face pale as she gazed at the pillar of black light.

"Sarah, do you know what that light is?" Both Anna and Thomas looked at Sarah with questioning eyes.

"There's no doubt, that's the Alcantraz Tower," Sarah said.

"Alcantraz Tower?" Both Anna and Thomas were still puzzled by the answer. They knew about the Evil Necromancer Alcantraz, but they had never heard anything about an Alcantraz Tower.

"It's normal for you guys not to know about it. It was one of the most closely guarded secrets of the higher society. When the allied forces banded together to defeat the evil mage Alcantraz, they suffered a disastrous loss. But that wasn't all. During that war, they also managed to confiscate Alcantraz's lifetime treasure. This part was never disclosed to the public, but the leaders of each race decided to divide the treasure secretly. Most of it consisted of evil artifacts, and they couldn't afford to let the public know about it, or they would be despised."

"Among the divided treasure, there was one item in the form of a blueprint. It was the blueprint for the Alcantraz Tower. The tower was a machine designed by Alcantraz himself with a single purpose—to absorb all dark energy in an area and channel it to its user. In other words, it can amplify the power of a dark mage to a terrifying level, depending on the amount of dark energy present."

Dark energy was different from mana. While mana was a naturally birthed energy, dark energy was the opposite. It emanated from the deaths of living things. The energy produced during death contained potent dark energy, especially if the deceased harbored negative emotions.

As Sarah explained, both Anna and Thomas immediately understood the immense danger posed by the tower. However, they questioned whether this place was truly suitable for the tower's power.

"I understand what you two are thinking, and you're right. This place doesn't seem to have dark energy on the surface. But if you only look at the surface, you'll miss the truth," Sarah paused briefly before continuing.

"The Emperor's Garden—on the surface, it appears to be a normal garden built by Emperor Alexander to express his love for Queen Elizabeth. But it seems we were wrong. When I inherited Queen Elizabeth's legacy, information about this place flooded into my mind, and it shocked me. I never imagined it has concealed a huge secret."

"What secret?"

"A war grave!"