Chapter 758: Underground Master
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
With the hazy blue light far away, Natasha observed the surroundings carefully. On one side, it was a spherical hollow, and on the other side, it was the deep, depressing water and all kinds of bizarre monsters. The two sides were so distinctly separated that there was no mix-up at all.
"That part of water seems to have been squeezed out by the qualities of the Blue Gate. There is not the slightest air inside. It will be barely possible to avoid Harex's detection." She drew her conclusion.
With Lucien's assortment of amazing spells, it should've been easy to sneak to somewhere near the Blue Gate without catching any attention. However, according to Doris and the previous priest, Harex was exactly before the Blue Gate. Considering his strength at the peak of legendary and the corresponding intuitions, it would be barely possible to approach him without the cover of water, fish, sea monsters, microorganisms, and plants.
Lucien nodded and checked the environment again. Then, his body turned heavy, allowing him to sink to the bottom of the ocean and on the "ground" that contained abundant minerals.
"You stay here. I'll take a look inside first." Lucien had an idea.
Without any hesitation, Natasha nodded her head. "Alright. If anything happens, I'll fly over immediately."
She knew very well that there was a major gap between her and legendary sorcerers in terms of reconnaissance and stealth. Those unimaginable spells were the perfect choice at a moment like this. Therefore, if she insisted on going together, she would be a liability for Lucien in case of an emergency. For example, he would have to cast two spells in order to cover their traces.
Of course, it did not mean that sorcerers were necessarily better at stealth and reconnaissance than knights. It was just that the blood power of "Sword of Truth", which highlighted charging and pressing the assault, was not up for such a delicate job. Other bloodlines that were adept at those were as good as sorcerers.
Now that Natasha agreed, Lucien activated the magic models inside his soul with a smile. He had fallen in love with her probably because she was always decisive and never too emotional.
Tawny colors arose on the surface of Lucien's body and enshrouded him. Thanks to his advanced skills, the magic waves were barely perceivable.
In the tawny brightness, Lucien's body was suddenly softened. All the items including the Robe of Grand Arcanists and his body turned into a pile of mud!
"A mud monster?" In the telepathic bond, Natasha asked in slight confusion. She had never seen such a strange spell before and could only propose the most approximate guess.
Lucien's mud-like body wriggled and melted into the soil at the bottom of the ocean. His spiritual power seemed to have turned into countless tentacles that spread out into a gigantic web of spiritual power, getting the land around under his control.
"Not exactly. This is a rarely-seen ninth-circle spell named 'Underground Master'. The Blue Gate has merely squeezed out the water without collapsing the bottom of the ocean, so the spell is still usable," Lucien explained to Natasha. "In any case, this is still part of the underground world."
Natasha stopped asking. Holding the Sword of Truth tightly, she was ready for battle, and Lucien sank further deeper into the bottom of the ocean before he snuck toward the Blue Gate without a sound.
The darkness below the bottom of the ocean was even more depressing than that in the ocean, giving the feeling that one could be buried here at any moment. Although Lucien could perceive the environment through the tentacles of spiritual power that were extended to the surface, he still felt that space and time were so chaotic that he did not know which year it was at all.
After moving for almost three hundred kilometers, the projection of Lucien's Host Star of Destiny in his soul suddenly sensed something. The spiritual power that was extended to the surface was recalled, and his movement came to an abrupt halt. He crouched below the soil quietly in a weird posture.
He could not move forward any further, or he would be in the range of Harex's "Absolute Defense"!
The so-called "Absolute Defense" was the area around a top legend that was almost absolutely under their control. The size of the area varied according to the strength and specialties of the legend, but nobody could possibly enter the area without alerting them, not even demigods.
Therefore, the cases where top legends were ambushed were all launched outside of the area, or under the cover of other targets. When the elven queen ambushed the last Prince of Demons, she took advantage of the altar that he set up in person. When the Demogorgon of Darkness devoured the previous Prince of Demons, he had been serving him dutifully and loyally. That was why Lucien thought that he could blend into a school of fish if there were any in the area. There was a chance that he could escape the detection of Harex's "Absolute Defense" if he were distracted by other matters.
Although Lucien's tentacle-like spiritual power had been significantly reduced, there were still many tiny hollows in the middle of the soil and rocks. They were like the secondary eyes of "Underground Master", thus allowing Lucien to catch a fuzzy view of what was outside.
Not far away ahead of him, there was a magnificent palace, one that did not have any walls but was entirely supported by stone pillars.
The palace was not nearly as magnificent as the Temple of Spirits. It was only the size of a Nekso Palace. Also, the stone pillars were mottled and old. Some of them were breaking and collapsing all the time, exactly like other ancient cities that had been drowned by seawater.
The palace was circular. At its center was an open-air altar. There was a vague blue gate above the altar, which gave Lucien an unusually familiar feeling because it was as transcendental, intangible, and unapproachable as the Furnace of Souls.
"They are indeed somewhat similar…" From Doris' narration, Lucien already sensed that the Blue Gate shared certain similarities with the Furnace of Souls. Also, it had something identical to the ever-changing, lofty "God's Glory". "Perhaps… they are the different reflections of the truth of the world. That's why they give a similar feeling.
"The Blue Gate is rather out of the place compared to the altar and the palace. I cannot sense the passage of time on it at all, but the altar and the palace have both been corroded by the passing years. The Chamber of Immortality and the Pathway of Immortality, as well as the Furnace of Souls and the Temple of Spirits, are much more matched than they are…" Lucien identified the unusual environment and drew a preliminary deduction. "The palace must've been built by a certain expert of the sea clans after the Blue Gate was discovered in order to highlight the Blue Gate's status. However, future generations paid little attention to the extra stuff. That's why it is dilapidated right now."
The altar was much more intact than the palace that was full of bricks and fallen pillars. Also, near the Blue Gate and on the eight sides of the altar, new and complicated symbols had been added. Even an erudite arcanist like Lucien could barely tell what they meant. He only sensed that every symbol and every part was simple and time-tested. Infinite mysteries seemed to have been contained in them.
"Are these the words that the experts controlling the Blue Gate like Harex created based on the specialties of the Blue Gate, like the Dark Dialect?" Lucien speculated the reason. In any case, those fundamental "extraordinary words" revealed their function through their influence on the environment, thus giving Lucien a chance to analyze their meaning as well as the effect of the whole magic circle.
Below the eight sides of the altar were the magic circles of blood sacrifice that Lucien was quite familiar with. There were plenty of sea elves, Gipps, more Kuo-toans, mutated seahorses, venomous jellyfish, and deep-sea drakes.
By the time Lucien noticed them, the magic circle of blood sacrifice had been activated. Those poor creatures completely lost their lives and were rigidified like dry corpses. Intense bloodiness and ivory light were condensed around them, brimming with pain, hate, desperation, and other negative feelings.
Above the altar, before the Blue Gate, two strange creatures were standing. One of them was a murloc that was as tall and brawny as a frost giant. The scales on his body were not silver or in the color of blood, but they emitted a brightness that was as blue and clear as gems.
The blue crown on his head covered his upper face with a strange shadow and revealed only a pair of crimson, cold eyes. Together with the tough lips on the lower half of his face, they left a deep impression on whoever saw him. Also, his limbs were not as shrunk as the other murlocs but healthy and strong. He was holding a gold trident in his right hand, and at the head of the trident, a gem that was as blue as an eye released a vague feeling of space-time ripples.
He was Harex, the emperor of the Kuo-toans and the Master of the Boundless Ocean.
Next to him was a creature that was even stranger. His whole body seemed to be made of soft, transparent materials and was wriggling and floating all the time. One moment, it blossomed like a flower, and the next, it stretched out like tentacles. In the meantime, the creature did not have eyes, nose, or lips. He was like a transparent bag that was filled with water.
"The Dark Jellyfish, who ranks the second among the seven sea generals?" Lucien thought to himself.
While watching the magic circle of blood sacrifice to be activated, Harex spoke, "After we open the Blue Gate, we will be rewarded by the ocean. I will regain my strongest status, and you will obtain a legendary material that is as good as the Blue Key."
"Can you really open the Blue Gate in advance by sacrificing tens of thousands of lives?" Dark Jellyfish Tyers vibrated in the air and made a sound.
"Of course, but we still need to join our hands to activate the remaining circles. Otherwise, the power of the blood sacrifice wouldn't be enough." Harex stepped into the magic circle on the left side of the Blue Gate, and Tyers entered the right one.
Lucien was more or less puzzled by that, so he kept on observing.
The weird symbols and patterns glittered at the same time. Their deep blue resonated with the blue gate.
Very soon, a mysterious, complicated magic circle took shape, like a palace of water that covered the altar. From the magic circles on the eight sides, the blood that was mixed with the feelings of desperation, pain, and hate surged toward Tyers!
"You!"
Tyers sensed that something was not right. He unfolded his body in shock and anger, temporarily resisting the surging negative feelings and blood with dark bubbles.
Harex raised his trident and said indifferently, "Don't blame me. You've seen how strong Aglaea was. If I don't find out a way to improve myself, I'll be left behind by her, and that will be the end of the sea clans."
"Hehe. Why don't you sacrifice yourself to fortify me then?" The Dark Jellyfish squeezed out tremendous black liquids.
COMMENT
"It's the old stuff again…" Lucien thought to himself from far away, but he immediately got excited. This was the first time that he had witnessed such a scene in person. They were the rarely-seen "experiment materials"!
Therefore, the magic notebook in his spirit library was opened. He then began recording symbols, patterns, the process of activation, and every other detail.
Chapter 759: Ocean Emperor
The seemingly plain but actually highly corrosive black liquids were gradually enshrouded by redness. No matter how the Dark Jellyfish performed his naturally-endowed talents and abilities, it was impossible for him to break out of the magic circles that could transform anyone into the status of primeval devils because of the corrosion of the eight magic circles of blood sacrifice.
At this moment, Harex, who was holding the gold trident, uttered the intricate, unpredictable words in a language that was different from the languages that Lucien knew. The water seemed to be surging out of the void around.
Centered at the Blue Key, which appeared like a gem, the gold trident emitted a brilliant blue light. At every pointy end, an illusionary swirl that was so blue that it was almost black protruded and spun, raising a flow of brightness that was like seawater.
Like the saltwater intrusion, the light flowed back to the magic circle, nullifying the natural-born talents of Dark Jellyfish Tyers. The black liquids that corroded the magic circle stopped wriggling.
"Water's Tolerance!" How could Tyers not recognize Harex's famous quasi-magic ability? He was both shocked and infuriated, but it was impossible for him to escape from the range of the effect because of the many magic circles. He could only try to resist it.
"Water's Tolerance…" Lucien wrote down the ability of the emperor of the sea clans that the Congress of Magic always wanted to duplicate but never succeeded. It could neutralize, nullify, and melt most supernatural powers, and it could tell friends from foes. It was a supernatural power that was as good as "Advanced Time Stop", "Luxury Cracking", "Paradise of Stars", and other special legendary spells.
Only by becoming the emperor of the sea clans and controlling the trident, "Emperor's Grasp", could they perform the complete version of "Water's Tolerance" by activating the power of the Blue Key on it. The core of the Emperor's Grasp was crafted with the legendary material, "Blue Key".
The watery light cleansed everything, rendering Tyers' resistance useless. His blue liquids had turned red. Unable to escape, he found it impossible to suppress the desperation, pain, and anger in his heart.
His status had subtle reverberations with the negative feelings around that were almost concrete. Therefore, he was no longer as transparent and fluid as a bag that was full of water. Instead, deep black and red were added to the thickness, devastating anyone who saw it.
Lucien carefully recorded every tiny change and all the functions of all the weird runes. Although he had experienced a similar status transformation before, he had been through it as a recipient. He knew what happened to him very well, but he lacked the overall knowledge and did not know the changes in the outside world. He did not know the specific function of magic circles either. Therefore, Harex's transformation of the Dark Jellyfish gave Lucien a chance to complete his files. It was a rare "real experiment".
At this moment, seeing that the Dark Jellyfish already lost the ability to resist, Harex suddenly turned around and uttered a word that sounded like waves slapping the shoreline. His crimson and cold eyes immediately filled Lucien's horizon.
"Crap. I've been caught!" The projection of the Host Star of Destiny inside Lucien's soul immediately sensed something.
The blue brightness on the gold trident in Harex's hands immediately turned dark. The swirls on every pointy end were even more intense, and the same swirls were appearing in the void around Lucien. They revolved so fast that they seemed to be absorbing everything.
Hualala.
The seawater outside of the hollow, which was affected by the swirls, surged in and filled the swirls, making them concrete all of a sudden. Lucien's body and soul were torn.
"Death Swirl…" The elven queen and Harex had fought many times. As her ally, the Congress of Magic certainly had abundant files about the Master of the Boundless Ocean. Therefore, Lord of Mysteries recognized that it was one of Harex's five most powerful abilities. It might not be as weird and unique as "Water's Tolerance", but it was much more explosive and ferocious.
Torn by the illusionary and solid swirls, Lucien, who had removed the special status of "Underground Master", sensed the horror of the top legends again. Also, Harex was apparently not as heavily wounded as what Doris and the sea elves thought. His control over the environment was much stronger than what Lucien had expected!
A delicate silver pocket watch appeared in Lucien's right hand, and the second hand on it was ticking. It was filled with the feeling of the eternal flow of time.
Crack.
Lucien pressed his right hand, and the deep blueness around him faded into devastating grayness. The rapidly-revolving swirls came to an abrupt halt. Frozen around Lucien densely, they were like special embossments.
After being improved with the Time Plate, Lucien's Moon Timer had reached level three of legendary. Also, since it was a unique legendary item that was closely connected to his own cognitive world, the effect of the Moon Timer was close to the peak of legendary!
In the frozen time and space, Lucien stepped back and blinked away from the Death Swirl. In the meantime, he extended his left hand and let out a spell that sounded like a raging wind.
"Storm Barrier!"
This time, there was no tornado, no storm, no heat, and no freezing coldness, but only a vacuum, where electric arcs were bouncing.
The bolts of lightning struck the pillars in the palace, collapsing them all of a sudden and surrounding Harex who was affected by Time Stop on the altar.
However, it was not Lucien's purpose to trap Harex with the Storm Barrier. He was only trying to create a vacuum. The intense air of destruction suddenly spread out of his extended left hand.
Right when Lucien was about to launch his spell, the Blue Key from Harex's trident suddenly glowed in the grayness. The vague blueness got Harex out of the space-time restraint immediately.
Under the watch of his cold and indifferent eyes, the Death Swirl revolved again, and the seawater melted into the Storm Barrier.
The electric arcs struck his body along the seawater, but they could not shake his blue scales at all.
Under such circumstances, it was naturally impossible for Lucien to launch Positron Cannon. He could only swallow the recoil and disrupt the cast, or it would explode right in front of him, which would be dangerous even though he had "Space Staff"!
Lucien had used "Advanced Time Stop" in order to get rid of "Death Swirl". It did not occur to him that Harex would be affected despite the Blue Key. Now that Harex was indeed affected by the effect of Time Stop, how could Lucien let go of such a rare opportunity!
However, out of his expectation, it was only Harex's trap. He intentionally got caught in "Advanced Time Stop" and activated the Blue Key that he prepared in advance at the critical moment, thus disrupting the performance of Lucien's spell!
Although he couldn't have known the specialness of Lucien's "Positron Cannon", his boldness, decisiveness, and sordidness still taught Lucien a lesson about the horror of top legends.
Suddenly, Harex's right hand exerted strength as he threw out the gold trident at Lucien as if it were a javelin. At the same time, a deep dark ocean of death appeared behind his back.
BOOM!
The ocean of death behind Harex burst out a terrifying tsunami. Wherever the gold trident enshrouded in blueness reached, real or illusionary tsunamis were on a rampage too. The ground at the bottom of the ocean protruded, and magma was erupting, blocking Lucien's escape.
Also, the swirls were disappearing and the water was separating where the gold trident pointed. It was the most depressing calmness before the storm.
It was exactly one of Harex's strongest abilities, "Emperor's Fury"!
The gold trident was as fast as Natasha's "Sword of Truth". Lucien, who had just recovered from the recoil of his magic, had no time to dodge it or jump away from the siege. He could only perform the defensive legendary spell that he was best at.
"Space Staff!"
As the light gathered and the staff took shape, different spaces seemed to be appearing around Lucien.
After the gold trident hit the layers of space, the blackish swirls appeared on its three pointy ends again and surrounded the Blue Key. As a result, the spaces and the defenses were melted one after another. There seemed to be nothing that could stop it from pressing forward!
However, it did give Lucien an opportunity to use legendary items. Light spots in countless different colors popped up on the Robe of Grand Arcanists, establishing a translucent shield of colors.
Crack!
Countless holes appeared in Elemental Protection under Emperor's Fury. However, at this moment, thanks to the offset, the blockage of "magma" around was not as impenetrable as just now. Therefore, Lucien activated "Magic Order" in advance and disappeared where he was, blinking away.
Hualala.
As Harex uttered, the place where Lucien just disappeared from was filled by countless new tiny swirls!
Since Lucien had performed so many spells just now, Harex naturally had enough time to cast a "Death Swirl" again. If Lucien hadn't run as fast, even if he wouldn't be killed on the spot, he wouldn't have felt too good about it either!
It was the first time that Lucien fought a top legend for real, unlike the past when he relied on castle defense or when the enemy arrived only as projections. Therefore, he had truly sensed the gap between himself and those at the peak of the legendary level. He was perhaps as good as Harex in terms of the power of attack and Time Effect, but there was still a major gap when all things were considered.
The gold trident had returned to Harex's hand at some point. He said solemnly, "You're very strong. At the very least, I regard you as an opponent of the same level as me. However, in any case, I am a top legend, and you are not. If we were in any other place, I would be able to defeat you, but I could never kill you. I couldn't even stop you from escaping. However, of all the places, you have come to the Blue Gate."
He spoke so casually as if everything was under his control.
Chapter 760: Greed Is the Sin
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
On the golden trident, the color of the Blue Key was much gentler, as if another ocean was contained inside. The vague sound of flowing water gave the feeling that it would run eternally.
The Blue Gate behind the altar had slightly lost the transcendental, intangible sacredness too. The vague light flowed and reverberated with the key.
Immediately, the hollow created by the Blue Gate was covered in the hazy, illusionary blueness.
Lucien's spiritual power, which was spread out, was bounced back the moment it touched the blueness. As a result, his connection with the outside world was cut out.
Lucien's heart became heavy, and he was more solemn than ever. Harex had truly controlled the timing perfectly. He had only just triggered "Magic Order" in advance and hadn't escaped from the range of the Blue Gate yet with other spells when he was trapped by the weird barrier. If the enemy were one second late, he would've reached Natasha's side through Precise Transfer.
Solemn as he might have been, Lucien was not in the least desperate or frustrated. After all, although there was still a major gap between his strength and the peak of legendary, it shouldn't be a problem for him to resist the enemy for a while. As long as he could diminish the barrier while resisting it, together with Natasha's attack from the outside, it wouldn't be difficult for him to get out of the trouble. After all, he didn't come alone. Also, he would have finished the barrier with one attack of "Positron Cannon" if it weren't a space-time one!
However, since he could slightly make use of the power of the Blue Gate, this 'barrier' is not to be underestimated, Lucien thought to himself. He took out a crystal ball and activated his prophecy, looking for the weakness on the barrier. In the meantime, he let out a complicated spell. "Abrupt Magic Reverse!"
Now that he had to deal with the barrier, he had to consider his own defense first.
A weird mirror full of weird patterns appeared before Lucien, like a channel that connected a different world.
Harex did not attack immediately. Instead, he frowned and looked at Tyers who was in the status transformation circle. His body had already been contaminated by the utter darkness and was wriggling nonstop, like an amalgamation of negative emotions that were corrupting the environment nonstop.
Black lines that were barely visible extended into the vacuum from the amalgamation and connected all the negative feelings around. It was impossible to tell who was the main body and who was the projection. They were like the ubiquitous "cloud of probabilities", whose information could only be determined after the eventual collapse. The only difference was that the object transformed from the Dark Jellyfish was interacting with the surroundings and showing no sign of collapse.
Of course, it did not have the unique feeling of spreading collapse inside the Pathway of Immortality or the sense of supremacy and transcendence that came with it. There was still a major gap from the level of demigods.
"The transformation has been completed so quickly?" Harex was slightly surprised. However, he did not have any experience and could only make conclusions with his keen instincts.
"If I don't control Tyers, it will be a major problem after he gets used to such a status…" Harex decided to focus his attention on the status transformation circle. It was not because he was scared of Tyers who had been transformed into the status of primeval devils. He was instead worried that the guy would escape or kill himself with such a weird form of existence, in which case his flawless plan of status transformation would be in vain.
He stared at Lucien, who had just performed Abrupt Magic Reverse, with his crimson and cold eyes, before he waved the gold trident. Hazy blueness appeared before him, completely blocking him from Lucien.
"This is your opportunity. If you can open the Blue Restraint and escape before I succeed, it will mean that today is your lucky day and you won't be killed by me, but if you are still here after my status transformation is completed, don't blame me for being too cruel." Harex's sentence was long, but because of the weird quakes in his voice, Lucien understood what he meant immediately.
Lucien was not exasperated or influenced by Harex's provocation at all. His attention was not fully focused on breaking the blockage between them and stopping the status transformation. He also cast his spell.
"Luxury Cracking!"
As long as he could get out of the range of the Blue Gate, even though Harex successfully transformed his status, he could still retreat with Natasha easily. Also, even if Harex's transformation worked out, there would still be a long way to go before he became a demigod. He would only be on par with Mr. President at best. It was not a life-blighting crisis. So, why should he try to stop the guy and waste his precious time in this place?
Crack, crack, crack.
The hazy blueness let out crisp explosions under "Luxury Cracking", and the ripples shook violently. However, the Blue Gate was absolutely still. As a result, the barrier was not broken at all even though it was weakened.
"It will take at least five times of 'Luxury Cracking' to break it with violence. The time may be enough for Harex to complete the status transformation of the Dark Jellyfish…" Lucien concluded based on the feedback of the attack. Therefore, he was ready to launch the Luxury Crack that was attached with Hand of Uncertainties!
Although his spiritual power would be severely exhausted in such a way, his current capabilities could already support him to perform a dozen times. He did not need to worry about too many things now that he was in a hurry.
Right then, Harex suddenly burst out a roar, and the seawater around was surging fast.
Lucien's cast was slowed down, and he noticed unexpected changes on the altar.
Harex had been standing in the other magic circle to complete the status transformation through "Dark Jellyfish" Tyers. In such a way, he could both achieve his purpose and restrain the negative feelings inside the puppet without affecting himself. However, at this moment, the runes and lines that connected the two magic circles were covered in pain, desperation, and greed.
The ever-wriggling amalgamation, on the other hand, had passed through the restraint of magic circles at some point and jumped on Harex's body!
Such a change was utterly unexpected. Not only was Harex shocked and infuriated, but Lucien, who was quite familiar with the status transformation circle, also felt that it was uncanny. Although he did not know the unique symbols and patterns of the sea clans, it was not hard for him to tell that the amalgamation of primeval devils could have easily escaped from the magic circle.
What went wrong?
Though surprised, Harex was not panicked. The golden trident in his hands glittered again, and tides surged out and about to block the amalgamation of primeval devils that was almost kissing his body.
"Haha. Harex, it's useless. Your reaction is not bad, albeit a bit late, because you are fundamentally wrong. I always tell everybody that greed will lower the IQ of an expert, but nobody believes me. Hehe. Such idiots appear every day." The black, wriggling amalgamation of primeval devils suddenly mocked.
The familiar voice and mockery stunned Lucien.
"The Lord of Hell?"
"Maltimus!" Harex was no stranger to the voice either. He roared in both shock and fury, and his previous calmness had a hint of panic now.
Even though he was a top legend who dominated the ocean, he would still be panicked and scared when he learned that he had fallen into a trap of a demigod who had existed for who knew how many years!
Maltimus revealed his identity without any disguise exactly for the momentary panic. He seized the flaw on Harex's mind as the black, wriggling shadow crawled into his body, thus finishing the preliminary integration!
"Hahaha. Ever since the end of the Age of Myths, I've been looking for a shell in which I could arrive at the main material world stably. It's a pity that nothing except the top legends can bear my strength, not even the body of a dragon. So, I never found an opportunity. Thankfully, Viken secretly released the ways to transform into primeval devils, and thankfully, you people who are blinded by greed have been trying relentlessly. I can barely miss the opportunities even if I want to. Who knows the primeval devils better than I do?" Maltimus continued to mock Harex with his words and laughter, hoping to finish the possession as soon as possible.
"No!" Harex held back the fluctuations of his emotions and activated the Blue Key on his golden trident without any hesitation, which then emanated an unimaginable brilliance.
The Blue Gate shivered slightly as the hazy blueness was compressed and concentrated on the Blue Key. Then, infinite blueness surged out of the Blue Key, like an overwhelming and dangerous tide.
The tide galloped like horses with the brilliance that was as thick as oil, brushing the amalgamation of primeval devils that had partly melted into Harex's body, dismembering the creeping blackness layer by layer.
At the dangerous moment, Harex did not attempt to control his strength but simply allowed the surging seawater to overflow. As a result, Lucien, who had just gotten rid of the Blue Restraint, was immobilized by the thick light again.
"Idiot, why are you stopping me?" Lucien cursed angrily. When faced with the Lord of Hell, shouldn't all the creatures of the main material world who are sane take the same side? I'm about to stop him from occupying your body!
However, Lucien knew very well that Harex had little time to distinguish friends from foes at such a moment and would only rule out all the possible dangers. It was not unusual for sorcerers to work with devils!
"Luxury Cracking!"
The Luxury Cracking enhanced with Hand of Uncertainties that he prepared before was launched, and the thick seawater around Lucien was immediately gone. However, because of the influence of the Blue Gate, there was still a tiny bit left up ahead.
Lucien was about to continue with Grandeur Obliteration on the Robe of Grand Arcanists when a silver sword suddenly flashed in his pupils. The tiny bit of blueness immediately fell apart and collapsed.
Natasha had arrived in time after the Blue Restraint was gone!
Chapter 761: Medium of Cast (2 in 1)
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The thickness flowing around the Blue Key was like the tide in an ocean that brushed the amalgamation of primeval devils nonstop, melting the disgusting, twisted blackness. The negative feelings around that were almost concrete were gradually resolved.
Harex's indiscriminate outburst at the critical moment seemed truly effective. The amalgamation of primeval devils where the Lord of Hell's will was hiding was suddenly slowed down and could not really melt into his body. However, their parts that had already been melted were only shivering in the Blue Torrent, showing no sign of dismemberment at all.
Everything seemed to be indicating Maltimus' plan perfectly. He was waiting for the stop of Harex's outburst to completely melt with him before he went on a rampage again!
"It's useless, Harex. If you had realized it sooner, there was a chance that you could've avoided it. However, the negative feelings in your mind have been integrated with me right now. You will either die or become the shell that accommodates my arrival," the Lord of Hell continued with his symbolic tone of mockery. It was not because he was talkative, arrogant, or stupid, but because in a mental battle, the more badly the enemy was grasped by negative feelings, the more easily he could control him. Therefore, necessary verbal abuse was an effective method.
At this moment, Lucien and Natasha were still separated from him by the thick, blue ocean that was running outward. They couldn't break the obstacle at all for the time being. If the Blue Torrent could be resolved so easily, then Maltimus, as a demigod, would've penetrated through it and ended Harex's struggle.
Lucien and Natasha did not look at each other or talk in the telepathic bond, but they made a similar move almost at the same time. One of them uttered weird and incomprehensible voices, casting the Luxury Cracking that was attached with Hand of Uncertainties toward the thick ocean. The other held the Sword of Truth tightly and turned into a streak of light that never retreated, slashing at the Blue Torrent before Lucien!
Their mutual thought was to top the Lord of Hell from stealing the Ocean Emperor's body before the melting process was completed so that he would not be able to arrive at the main material world at any moment, or there would be infinite trouble. But of course, if there was nothing they could do to reverse it, they would turn around and flee immediately. They couldn't risk exposing themselves in the eyes of a hostile demigod.
Crack, crack, crack.
The blueness that was not real seawater exploded and died out layer after layer. Then, illusionary and terrifying gaps that seemed to be slashing everything appeared on them!
The gaps that shouldn't have existed in this world spread out into countless branches, reducing the thick ocean that was on the verge of collapse under Luxury Cracking into broken pieces.
Crack.
The Blue Ocean was separated into a few larger lakes first. Then, the lakes broke again into tiny ponds.
However, the thick light from the Blue Key was flowing incessantly. Hardly had Lucien and Natasha destroyed the blockage before them when the overwhelming torrent came at them and blocked them again.
Harex tried his best but still couldn't get the amalgamation of primeval devils away from him. In his desperation, he suddenly had the idea of dying together with the enemy. If you want to steal my body, you won't be able to reach the main material world in the next decades!
By then, his self-detonation would be powerful enough to turn the ocean within several hundred kilometers into the remains of death. The Lord of Hell's will of arrival would be shattered, and he would suffer heavy wounds. Lucien and Natasha would be buried with him!
He had dominated the Boundless Ocean for a thousand years and controlled the supreme power of the sea clans. He was too proud to allow himself to lose his self-awareness and become a container for the Lord of Hell to arrive!
Sometimes, death was not the worst option!
The moment it occurred to him that he would rather die with the enemy, Harex felt the deepest coldness surging inside his soul, and he was somehow stiffened for no good reason. At this moment, the amalgamation of primeval devils made of countless tiny black bugs was reflected in his crimson pupils. The Lord of Hell had somehow got rid of the blast of the Blue Torrent and was wriggling toward his body and his soul!
The amorphous object wriggled into what appeared to be a human face. In a mocking smile, it said, "It is a 'desperate' thought to detonate yourself. So, I have sensed your heart's invitation, which has reduced the barrier of 'communication' between us."
Fear popped up in Harex's indifferent eyes for the first time, and his feeling further integrated with the dark shadow.
The Lord of Hell's understanding of the primeval devils and his abilities to manipulate them were truly remarkable. No wonder he used to laugh at Pope Viken!
Solemnly, Lucien cast Luxury Cracking that was attached with Hand of Uncertainties nonstop, destroying the thick ocean before him with the cooperation of Natasha's Sword of Truth. However, the blue torrent showed no sign of drying at all. As a result, the two of them only pressed forward for several kilometers.
It was in fact only a river dozens of meters wide between Lucien and Harex, but it seemed to be a whole insurmountable Boundless Ocean.
"Hehe. You are actually a victim of your own wariness. Lucien obviously meant to banish me, but right now…" Maltimus chuckled, and the wriggling darkness seemed to somehow spread toward Lucien and Natasha. "It's impossible for you to outrun me. If your 'Luxury Cracking' were as good as Hathaway's, and if your 'Sword of Truth' were one of the thirteen level-four legendary items, there might be a slim chance. It's a pity that they are not. Run now. If you don't, I won't show you any more courtesy."
Desperation. Deep desperation. Maltimus' words made Harex, who had already been partly possessed by the primeval devils, foresee his ending. How did he make consecutive mistakes at a critical moment? Was his sanity really blinded by his greed?
The deep, gloomy darkness stuck to Harex's face, filling his crimson pupils with infinite gloom and desperation.
"Let's get out of here." Seeing that Harex was gradually devoured by Maltimus, Lucien hurried to tell Natasha in the telepathic bond. If they did not go now, they would never be able to go!
Although they were reluctant to admit their defeat, it was still necessary to weigh the advantages and disadvantages. The Lord of Hell who arrived as "Harex" would obviously be able to utilize the power of the Blue Gate to block the area. After he was deprived of his strongest suit, escaping, he would be crushed by a demigod and probably killed. Even though he did not arrive in person, Maltimus would still be as strong as a beginning-level demigod when he was active inside the body of Harex.
Without any hesitation, Natasha sheathed her longsword and flew out of the hollow. At this moment, Harex and the amalgamation of primeval devils had already been highly integrated. It wouldn't take long before the status transformation and the possession were completed.
Lucien blinked outward following Natasha. He began to consider a trip to the Night Highland. In order to take care of the Lord of Hell who had arrived, the four top legends of the Congress were apparently capable of defending but not enough to attack. Also, they needed to be wary of the ambush of Pope Viken and other experts. Therefore, Lucien had to visit Rhine and ask for the help of "Silver Moon" Alterna.
At this moment, an unpredictable and distant "song" suddenly echoed, and the thick ocean centered at the Blue Key produced green, vigorous seeds.
"The elven tongue? 'Life Stimulation'?" Lucien immediately stopped. His spiritual power that was spread out with the ninth-circle spells were instantly cast, allowing him to see a gorgeous lady at the edge of the hollow who was wearing a dress made from tree leaves. She seemed to have been floating for a long time. Her blond hair was tied, and she was the amazing integration of innocence and maturity, making it hard to describe her beauty. "Elven queen, Aglaea? She's here, too?"
Behind Aglaea was the shadow of a tall tree, which seemed both real and illusion. Vigorous air was spreading from the greenness, and at the center of the tree, a transparent heart made of light spots was beating powerfully.
Her mouth had been closed, but her beautiful and enticing song was still echoing. In the meantime, the green illusionary seeds inside the blue ocean absorbed the water around them in thirst like regular plants, before they rooted, sprouted, and branched. After only one moment, the illusionary seeds grew into tall trees that were entangled into a shadow that was very similar to the elven tree.
Under the crazy absorption, the Blue Key, which already approached its limits, could not sustain any longer. Therefore, the thick ocean soon turned dry, revealing Harex on the altar and the shadow that had overlapped him.
Maltimus seemed to have foreseen the change. He accelerated the integration with Harex the moment the song echoed. The body of the murloc became blurred, and the dark shadow was turning concrete.
Having no time to consider why Aglaea came at such perfect timing, Lucien made the decision quickly. He raised his hands, and with a voice as freezing as the blowing wind, he said, "Snow Goddess' Forgiveness!"
There was no time to create a vacuum. Maltimus was about to succeed!
Therefore, Lucien did not choose "Positron Cannon", or his "Eternal Blaze", which was slightly weaker than Mr. President's version.
A translucent, glittering pillar of light shot out casually. It seemed to be restrained by countless tiny electric currents and lasers that could barely be seen. Wherever it passed, it brought tranquility from inside to outside.
Natasha stopped before Lucien with the Sword of Truth in her hand instead of attacking Maltimus with him, because the frigidity was indiscriminate and she could attack the enemy when the melting started. Also, she needed to be wary of the elven queen who had popped up out of nowhere.
That was the calmness that a knight who considered protection her doctrine had to learn.
The black shadow, which had almost entirely consumed Harex, suddenly spewed out illusionary, stinky fluids. They seemed to be an olfactory representation of negative feelings!
Those thick fluids opened an illusionary film on the altar, trying to block "Snow Goddess' Forgiveness".
At this moment, a delicate and beautiful longbow appeared in Aglaea's hands. She drew the bow very skillfully and aimed at Maltimus.
The Nature's Heart behind her suddenly glowed, creating a peaceful and harmonious nature.
That "nature" was gathered into an illusionary long arrow with a strength that contained the whole cycle of nature. Then, after Aglaea's hands that did not seem to belong to a hunter at all released it, the greenish long arrow was shot out and disappeared into the void.
The air before the altar trembled hard, and a prolonged hum began. Then, the void was shattered, and the greenish arrow that represented fertilization, growth, maturity, decay, and burial pierced out. It was shot out late but arrived early, hitting the thick black film before Snow Goddess' Forgiveness did.
The shallow greenness blossomed, as if a forest were growing out. Any unnatural things were broken without a sound. They vanished, or rather, they entered into the "cycle of nature".
It was exactly one of the thirteen level-four legendary items—Nature's Punishment!
Although there were many top legends in history, it did not mean that the legendary items they used were necessarily level-four legendary. The dragons and demons who counted on their talents clearly couldn't create such advanced items. Even the sorcerers could not upgrade their unique legendary items without appropriate legendary materials. For example, up until so far, Fernando's and Hathaway's legendary items hadn't been upgraded yet. Subtracting the items that had disappeared or were destroyed for various reasons, there were only thirteen top legendary items that people were familiar with.
It meant that Douglas, who boasted two level-four legendary items, was the minority of the minorities. The underdogs such as the Prince of Demons, the master of the first floor of hell, the Lord of Storm, and the Lord of Elements were all coveting the items. The master of the first floor of hell, whose "Book of Warlocks" was stolen by him, hated him in particular. But of course, as long as there was any chance, Fernando and Hathaway both had great hope to increase the number of level-four legendary items to fifteen.
Under Nature's Punishment, the external defense of the Lord of Hell was dissolved, and the transparent, colorless pillar of light from Snow Goddess' Forgiveness hit him precisely.
The whole world fell quiet. Not any noise could be heard anymore. The wind was frozen, the water was frozen, and so was the light.
Harex stood at the center of the frozen world, and his body was still holding the gold trident high. Confusion and desperation were frozen on his face.
As a top legend, even though he could've taken "Snow Goddess' Forgiveness" from Lucien the hard way without being hurt, that would only happen when his defense was intact. However, his defense had been broken by Maltimus, Aglaea, Lucien, and Natasha. Even his original soul had been heavily wounded and was on the verge of collapse. He could not control his body to resist the attack. Therefore, he had been directly frozen by "Snow Goddess' Forgiveness".
The amalgamation of primeval devils where the Lord of Hell was residing, on the other hand, hadn't reached level four of legendary yet, and it was not famous for its defense. Therefore, it was also frozen in the extremely low temperature, like a cluster of black glue.
Water splashed out, and the unnatural coldness quickly thawed. Harex's body and the black glue melted and vaporized with it.
Pa.
Emperor's Grasp, one of the thirteen top legendary items, fell next to the Blue Gate. It was a weapon that could attack a longsword with its strong defense in the first place. Therefore, it was only slightly damaged.
The gold trident emanated enticing light under the ripples. Even Lucien felt that his heart was beating faster. However, that was not the focus of his attention. He vibrated the air and asked his question, "Is that all?"
They were a top legend and an arriving demigod after all. Also, it was not a "flawed arrival" like the last time but almost a perfect integration that could accommodate most of the strength.
"… The melting was not completed. Maltimus could only carry out limited strength, and Harex had been in a weak state after the consecutive strikes." Aglaea hesitated and proposed her opinion from the other direction.
Lucien nodded his head. That was rather reasonable. The moment the idea popped up, another idea occurred to him. "Aglaea must've come a long time ago. She did not attack because she was waiting for the best opportunity. If she had attacked sooner, Harex, her nemesis, would've gotten away from the danger and would only be wounded. If she attacked late, she would have to face a demigod who understood the mysteries of the primeval devils very well. There would've been nothing she could do except to defend herself and look for a chance to escape.
"Therefore, she needed to wait for an opportunity to destroy both Harex and the amalgamation of primeval devils. She had to wait even though something went wrong."
Although he knew very well that it was Aglaea's most rational choice based on her interests, Lucien still burst into fury when he thought that it had significantly increased the odds of the Lord of Hell's arrival at the main material world. "Also, she found the Blue Gate. I'm afraid that she planned this a long time ago and knew Harex would come here. In order to get the Blue Gate, she let those sea elves become the offerings in the blood sacrifice.
"Emperor's Grasp must not be given to those ambitious schemers who don't have boundaries."
The fury was so intense that Lucien could barely control himself. Suddenly, he was alarmed. He couldn't control himself?
Without any hesitation, Lucien pressed his chest and cast a legendary spell to himself.
"Mental Fulmination!"
BOOM!
The noise that sounded from the deepest part of his heart echoed, like the bell knock in a church or the sound when the grass deep below the ground was finding its way to the surface.
Lucien's whole soul was shaken, and his mind was in such a storm that he could barely control his body. At this moment, together with the soul-stirring fulmination, a black shadow appeared on Lucien's body.
Then, having experienced the extreme circumstances such as spread and collapse, Lucien managed to get his soul back under control. Then, the Arcana Light was on. In the pure and warm brilliant, the flickering shadow quickly dissolved.
Lucien's mind was immediately cleared. His unreasonable fury just now was completely soothed. Aglaea could have come to save her people by following the enemy and happened to run into them. She might not be as vicious as he thought.
He had been possessed by the primeval devils despite his Mental Barrier. The Lord of Hell's control over negative feelings and the status of primeval devils were truly terrifying. If he hadn't been through status transformation before and had a deep understanding of primeval devils, he probably couldn't have escaped just now!
It was true that the Lord of Hell plus the primeval devils were not so easy to destroy!
Right when Lucien cast Mental Fulmination, where the damage had been lowered to himself, Natasha also changed her face color and slashed herself with the Sword of Truth without any hesitation!
When the silver sword hit her body, her body twisted and turned into the same sword. Then, the sword was separated, and a shadow inside was burnt into ashes in miserable screams.
In the next second, the sword that Natasha's body turned into melted with the light of the Sword of Truth, avoiding the tearing of the illusionary gaps.
After she resumed the shape of a human, her face was much paler. Among the three of them, she was the weakest, and she did not bring out the Shield of Truth. She had only managed to get rid of the shadow by his familiarity with the Sword of Truth and her own blood power.
Seeing that, Lucien secretly sighed. He was too careless and emotional just now. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been as easy for the primeval devils to possess the legendary experts such as himself and Natasha.
Emperor's Grasp was clearly a medium that the Lord of Hell intentionally left to cast his spell!
Aglaea was much easier than Lucien and Natasha. Her body turned blurry into an illusionary shadow of nature. It seemed that she was in every place where nature was adored. In the hazy greenness, a black spot was very obvious.
Green brightness rose on Aglaea's body, quickly melting the dark shadow. She said solemnly, "Let's go. We were a bit late. He has already completed the integration!"
"Haha. If you hadn't been waiting for an opportunity, would I have the time to melt him at all?" The laughter of mockery seemed to be coming from all directions.
Magma started to erupt from the ground, and the intense stench of sulfur spread out.
Aglaea had come to rescue her people who had been captured. On her way here, she luckily encountered a bunch of Kuo-toans who were escorting the captives. She learned the situation of the Blue Gate and came here as soon as possible.
When she arrived, it was exactly the time when Harex burst out of the Blue Torrent. After balancing the pros and cons, she decided to wait based on her experience. It was a shame that her choice of timing had a tiny error since Maltimus sensed her arrival in advance.
Despite her regrets, Aglaea, who had been in the status of primeval devils herself, managed to suppress her feelings. She raised her right hand, untouched, allowing new trees to grow inside the magma and slowing down its flow.
Lucien and Natasha, blinking and flying backward, approached the edge of the hollow at the same time.
Chapter 762: Cunningness
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
The altar had been frozen and melted in "Snow Goddess' Forgiveness", and a thin layer of bricks before the Blue Gate was all that was left. The gold trident, Emperor's Grasp, lay there quietly. The blueness of the key and the gold on the trident resonated with each other.
Suddenly, the gold trident flew up, as if somebody was holding it. Then, a hand that was full of black scales appeared on the body of the trident, covered in a fire that was releasing the stench of sulfur.
The knuckles of the hand, which seemed to be wearing a glove of flames each, had a pale bone spur. On every spur, evil and complicated patterns had been engraved. In the meantime, the long, pale fingernails were like swords of death and destruction, giving the feeling that they could destroy everything to whoever saw it.
As the hand appeared, a fuzzy shadow gradually appeared in the air behind. It was dozens of meters tall, and the black wings behind it completely enshrouded where the palace was at. The gloom of death emerged.
It had two horns on its head, which looked like those of a goat. Emitting the most evil, horrifying, and formidable air, it made the hollow around both real and illusionary. Countless volcanoes were rising, magma was bursting out, dark smoke was popping up, and tsunamis that could've destroyed countries were raised inside the blue ocean one wave after another.
In the meantime, the ever-burning world, the gigantic chasm whose bottom could not be seen, the silent plain that was covered in snow, the stinky rotten swamp, and the other planes of hell became clear. It seemed that all nine floors of hell had arrived here.
Evil, cold, and distant songs came from the top of the dark river that meandered across the nine floors of hell, making Aglaea, Lucien, and Natasha feeling so empty that their lives seemed to have approached the end. They couldn't wait to join the army of death.
The nine floors of hell, a graveyard of the dead that was entirely different from the World of Souls and an evil land controlled by the devils!
Except for the believers of devils, no creature would like to fall into hell after death, because they would either end up as the food for the devils or disperse into nothingness, leaving the evilness in their heart to integrate with the "origin" of the hell to give birth to new devils.
Since the War of Dawn, it had been the first time that the Lord of Hell arrived almost completely without being suppressed by the main material world!
However, his head was still obscure, and the only thing clear was his crimson eyes, which seemed to contain eternal mockery. His legs weren't real either, and they were, in fact, two strong legs of a murloc, with deep blue films among the toes. It seemed that although most of his strength had arrived, he would not be able to arrive completely in person if he intended to reach steadily. Otherwise, the body of Harex couldn't support him too many times. Therefore, although the Lord of Hell was as strong as a demigod right now, he was not in his strongest state.
Raising his gold trident, he let out the most evil and desecrating voice. Immediately, the Blue Key on Emperor's Grasp shivered and became much gentler. Vague splashes of water could be heard. Influenced by that, the Blue Gate lost the feeling of supremacy and released the hazy blueness, covering the enormous hollow.
Right at this moment, Lucien and Natasha suddenly let out a distant and obscure voice. "Regather!"
The two of them did not choose to "Regather" just now because they feared that the Lord of Hell was still around and that he would suppress them or disrupt them with the supernatural powers when they performed "Regather". Therefore, Lucien and Natasha chose to blink and fly backward, which was safer, while they observed and waited for the opportunity to escape.
When Maltimus showed up on the altar and raised the gold trident, both of them realized the danger and the opportunity. They activated "Regather" that was cast to themselves beforehand without any hesitation, attempting to reunite at home!
Two clusters of light glowed, and both of them disappeared. It was not until this moment that the hazy blueness began to spread out.
Neither of them paid any attention to Aglaea. Compared to the two of them who were only in level three and level one of legendary, she was not entirely helpless when faced with a demigod. Also, she had been standing at the edge of the hollow and could back off at any moment.
In front of a demigod who did not have an ultimate weapon like "God's Arrival", as long as a top legend was not stupid enough to fight the enemy the hard way, there would still be a good chance for them to resist a few minutes and look for an opportunity to escape. Also, after the status transformation, Aglaea was much stronger than before. She was almost as good as Douglas right now.
After activating "Regather", Lucien felt that he was trapped in a weird world that was both dark and bright. He lost all the senses on the outside world and felt that his body was piercing through a strange curtain in a strange way. After only one moment, fuzzy shadows of a magic tower seemed to have appeared before him. Some were horizontal, some were vertical, and some were twisted. They occupied his whole horizon.
Having used Regather many times, Lucien knew that it was the destiny of his journey. It was his Babel.
He was about to enter the magic tower when a gigantic hand that seemed to be wearing a fiery glove extended out of the background that was both dark and bright. The intense smell of sulfur surged into his nose, and the pale fingernails seemed to be cutting his body and his soul!
"He can do that?" In shock, Lucien felt that the magic power around had been completely shattered under the torment of the Lord of Hell's giant hand, and he was kicked out of the status of Regather!
Regather could be disrupted in such a way? No wonder the Lord of Hell did not prevent them from escaping through the legendary spells such as "Regather", but focused on activating the Blue Gate with Emperor's Grasp!
It was the first time that Lucien faced a real demigod. He was astounded by their level and their incredibleness that was way above legends.
The time and space around them changed, and blue water trembled below their feet. Hardly had Lucien and Natasha appeared when the fiery hand that was full of black scales extended out of nowhere and snatched the two of them. The terrifying air twisted the environment and gave the feeling that hell had arrived!
The pale fingers that represented death and destruction suddenly lengthened, and they cut Lucien's body like sharp swords.
The fingernails seemed plain, but Lucien had no doubt that as long as he was hit, both his body and his soul would return to the eternal silence. That was exactly the domination of demigods against those who were below the peak of legendary!
Right then, a mirror of complicated patterns appeared next to Lucien and blocked the pale fingernails precisely.
Crack.
The mirror, which seemed to contain a different world, broke without any struggle, but the pale fingernails were blown back a little bit!
The Abrupt Magic Reverse that Lucien cast earlier had never been consumed. So, it couldn't be more helpful at this moment. As the best reflection defense, even though it could only slightly stop the enemy, it was still powerful enough to send back the fingernails of the Lord of Hell.
Seizing the opportunity, Lucien solemnly said in the telepathic bond, "Shield of Truth!"
In the meantime, Lucien snapped his right hand and chanted, "Storm Barrier!"
The sky immediately turned dark, and the tides were surging. However, there was absolutely no sound in the thunderstorm. A lifeless vacuum covered the area and trapped the devilish hand as well as Lucien and Natasha.
Natasha had a tiny and neat black shield in her left hand. Her face was calm, and her eyes were focused. She did not consider anything beyond the battle, like what would happen if they failed or if the Shield of Truth was destroyed.
Ice appeared on the fiery hand, but it melted quickly before the hand snatched the Shield of Truth all of a sudden!
Illusionary ripples spread out on the black shield, blocking Lucien and Natasha in a different time and space.
Crack, crack, crack.
The surface of the shield that had beautiful patterns had deep dents one after another. The illusionary ripples were broken too.
That was exactly the might of demigods!
Lucien, who had passed the cooldown period during the short time, raised his right hand and declared solemnly, "Positron Cannon!"
The voice seemed to be from the foundation of matter and the quake of particles. It was strange but magnificent.
Cooperating with Lucien, Natasha recalled the Shield of Truth that was on the verge of destruction and flew backward the moment he cast the spell, running away from the center of the explosion. Then, she clutched Lucien's "Robe of Grand Arcanists" and pulled him backward.
Lucien did not really have a choice when he performed Positron Cannon from such a distance. It would be fine as long as he could resist the most intense wave of energy storm. After all, his appendix was still at home…
As Lucien flew backward with Natasha, darkness appeared outside of his right hand. As if a magnetic field was twisting the scene, countless nameless objects surged out of the void and gathered into fire-like electric currents, before they entangled into red pillars of light.
BAM!
In a soundless explosion, the pillar of light where fiery electricity was flowing was launched and hit the devilish hand, which had broken the defense of the Shield of Truth!
The scales on the gigantic hand were opened. Dark and cold, it seemed to be able to resist any attack.
When the Positron Cannon hit the dark scales, the world suddenly changed its color, turning from darkness to daylight.
Boom!
Unimaginable explosions echoed. Even the waves and the space beyond the vacuum shivered. The scales, which should've blocked the attack, reacted with the fiery pillar of light. So, the obliteration began, and their structure was destroyed.
The energy that was released was even more complete than a nuclear fusion that unleashed a hurricane that could destroy everything. The Storm Barrier was immediately destroyed.
The innate effects on Lucien's Robe of Grand Arcanists were activated one after another. "Magic Trigger", "Spell Sequencer", and other passive spells were all triggered.
Crack, crack, crack.
Lucien and Natasha blinked away in a series of cracks. Their faces were equally pale, and blood was flowing out of both of their mouths. Their clothes had been severely damaged too.
Having no time to remark on anything, Lucien dragged Natasha and jumped into his Atomic Universe. That was exactly the advantage of legendary sorcerers, who always had a shelter as long as they were not in places like near the Blue Gate or in the Realm of Gates.
After he reached Babel, Lucien simply activated the defense of the whole demiplane. It was entirely blocked.
It was not until this moment that they finally took a breath in relief. They were finally out of danger now. Demigods were indeed the best fighters.
COMMENT
"If we hadn't backed off in advance, and the legendary armor and the Robe of Grand Arcanists failed to block it…" Natasha was not entirely scared but remarked in fascination. She seemed to be quite curious about the level of demigods.
Lucien coughed and wiped the blood on his lips. "Let's inform Mr. President, Master, and Granny Hathaway. It is an important matter that the Lord of Hell has arrived. If the elven queen is not out of danger yet, we can go and save her. As a matter of fact, I feel that our escape was easier than I expected. I thought that we would have to use all our life-saving methods. However, as it turned out…"
Natasha nodded her head and said while being deep in thought, "I think that the Lord of Hell did not try his best. Maybe he was too busy dealing with the elven queen?"
Chapter 763: Eternal Interests
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Before the Blue Gate, Maltimus grabbed the gold trident in his right hand and extended his left hand into the void.
Illusionary ripples surrounded the blackened arm where a sulfuric fire was burning. The closer it was to the palm, the more it was like a lake where intense ripples were surging out.
The front end of the palm was completely blurred, as if the core of the ripples was connected to a different world.
Gentle light spread out of the gold trident in Maltimus' right hand, resulting in the shiver of the Blue Gate. Hazy blueness sprayed out and attempted to cover the whole hollow.
Aglaea took one step back. The shadow of the elven tree behind her suddenly became concrete, and weird limbs grew out of the fuzzy root of the tree one after another. They entangled with each other into a monster and penetrated into the hazy blue light.
As a result, the ripples of light were soothed, like an ocean where the tornado had come to an end.
In the space around Aglaea that seemed to have been brushed by flood, the "mud" that was tightly clutched by the root was not blown away.
Therefore, she exited the range of the Blue Gate at ease without being locked at all.
However, after half melting with the elven tree, her face was rather pale. It was obvious that she had paid a high price.
The moment she exited the range of the Blue Gate, Aglaea raised her bow and aimed it at the Lord of Hell.
Fleeing in panic would give the enemy an opportunity to attack from the back. Therefore, she planned to use an attack to defend herself so that Maltimus would have to focus on self-protection for now. That way, she would be able to escape safely.
Spots of green light glowed on Aglaea's fingertips, and Nature's Heart glowed behind her. In the meantime, Maltimus also aimed the gold trident at her. It seemed that he was ready to use one of the five strongest abilities of this body.
Right then, Maltimus' left hand that extended into the void suddenly glittered, as if a tiny sun had just broken out in his hands.
BOOM!
The illusionary ripples were broken, and his left hand was obliterated. However, the all-consuming storm of energy did not stop at all but continued surging at Maltimus.
Maltimus' body suddenly blurred. He seemed to have entered a different time and space, and he seemed to be spreading throughout the world, living in the heart of every intelligent creature that had negative feelings.
The unpredictable and intangible feelings emerged. The essence of demigods was quite similar to the Blue Gate, the elven tree, and God's Glory, but it lacked something of critical importance compared with the Furnace of Souls.
The energy storm drowned Maltimus, but the most evil "voice" continued to echo inside.
"Sinful Rebirth!"
Seeing that it was impossible to hit Maltimus who was in a storm of energy, Aglaea dropped her bow. Then, her body blurred and disappeared.
Could there be a better moment of escape than right now?
The remnant shadow of the elven tree slowly faded in the dark ocean. The energy storm finally died down, and the illusionary body became concrete. His right hand was still holding the gold trident, and his left hand was still intact.
"What spell was that?" Maltimus, who did not seem to have been hurt, stared at the void before him.
A level-three legendary sorcerer had hurt him, who had almost arrived in person without the help of anybody else, forcing him to recover with extraordinary powers. That was something that never happened even in the Age of Myths! If the attack were a bit more powerful, it wouldn't have been so easy for him to recover.
The Lord of Hell stood quietly before the Blue Gate just like that, neither chasing after the elven queen nor trying to break into Lucien's Atomic Universe.
His body changed and resumed the appearance of Harex, with sapphire scales around the body and a blue crown above the head.
However, the crimson eyes were much redder, and the indifferent gaze in them became a mockery.
He seemed to be staring at the deep black water up above, with the same mocking smile on the corners of his lips.
On the ocean, the sunset raised the most beautiful gold waves.
In the middle of a cluster of reefs, "Mermaid Princess" Doris patted the water with her gold tail softly.
She suddenly sensed the most extreme and evil air erupting from the bottom of the ocean. Then, she saw that the regular fish in the ocean was blackened, their eyes bloodshot.
Such an unexpected change did not surprise her. She merely spoke to herself, "Why did they not stop him from arriving at the main material world? Nobody would benefit from this."
Then, her face was twisted for a moment, and her voice became old and coarse as she said, "The Silver Moon is glad to see him arrive at the main material world steadily to share the pressure of dealing with me. As a matter of fact, Maltimus would never forget his real opponent. However, they don't know at all how much I have earned recently. When I succeed, they will only be clowns in the circus."
The voice was exactly from Benedict III, or "King of Calamities" Viken!
Doris' beautiful voice came out again. "Was the Silver Moon around?"
"Probably. My Host Star of Destiny sensed something. After all, Lucien Evans has known the location of the Blue Gate, and he has plenty of chances to explore it in the future. Maltimus cannot stay here forever. I'll never be reassured until I figure out the oddities of this world." The old and coarse voice came out of her mouth. She seemed to have accommodated Viken's projection willingly.
As a brutal but definitely distinguished sorcerer, pursuing the truth of the world still flowed in Viken's veins. He believed that individuals could not be separated from the world, particularly for demigods.
It could be seen from the fact that demigods had to count on hell, abyss, the Silver Moon, or Mountain Paradise in order not to be killed. Therefore, it could be quite risky if one were to improve himself without figuring out the mysteries of the world. He certainly would not do such a thing unless he absolutely had no other choices.
The weirdest thing about this world that all the legendary experts felt was that planets could not be discovered and the Boundless Ocean had no end. Therefore, even though Lucien and the Congress of Magic were his nemeses, he was still glad to see them explore and study the problems.
Doris' gentle voice came over. "The Silver Moon might be waiting for you to attack…"
She looked at the surging waves far away with blurry eyes, her voice as unpredictable as dream talk.
In the ocean in another direction, a handsome man wearing a red shirt and a black high-collar coat was walking on the ocean, but there was forever a thin layer of blankness between his glittering shoes and the blue water.
His head slightly lowered as he stared at his reflection in the ocean and the setting sun.
The last light of the sun floated along with the wave, covering his reflection in a gold cape.
Behind his reflection, in the middle of the sunset, a silver moon that was not in the sky emitted a cold brilliance. It seemed to be there as it had always been.
...
In the Allyn magic tower in the City in the Sky…
"Aglaea has returned to the Elven Court. The Lord of Hell did not pursue him." In Hathaway's library, Douglas, who had dropped his research and arrived, reported the result of his communication with the elven queen.
It had already been five years since Hellen started to supervise Allyn. It was Hathaway's turn to watch over the City in the Sky now.
"I'm glad to hear that." Although Aglaea had her own ambitions and was not entirely on the Congress' side, it was definitely better to have one more top legendary ally now that the Lord of Hell had arrived.
Hathaway controlled the magic circle unhurriedly and said, "All the legendary sorcerers have been informed of the Lord of Hell's possible ambush."
Except for the few top legends, even the grand arcanists had to treat the matter prudently. If they were attacked by the Lord of Hell without any preparation, it was possible that they would be killed immediately. Therefore, after Hathaway and Natasha submitted the intelligence to Hathaway, her first decision was to inform the legendary sorcerers who were not out and to contact the legendary sorcerers who were out on missions in an emergency.
Although the emergency devices could not contact the sorcerers in alternate dimensions, they would know that another hostile demigod had reached the main material world the moment they returned.
"I thought that the stable situation would go on. I did not expect such a great change." Oliver, who had just returned, shook his head in a bitter smile.
Vicente, looking at the half-opened defense outside, said coldly, "It's not necessarily a bad thing. Maltimus almost considers his interests to be most important, and his greatest enemies are Viken and the South Church. It's possible that there will be opportunities for cooperation."
Fernando was devoted to the studies of neutrons and fission, so he had half closed the Thunder Hell. He hadn't received the message yet.
"However, devils have no boundaries. With enough returns, he will sell us and work with Viken without any hesitation. So, the best choice is to banish him out of the main material world," Lucien said firmly.
"With us alone? There's only a one percent chance if all the legendary sorcerers join their hands. But what about the other enemies?" The voice of Erica, Master of Transformation, came from the projection of her demiplanes. She was watching over the branch in Calais in case of the Lord of Hell's attack.
COMMENT
Lucien nodded his head. "The mission certainly cannot be done by ourselves. I'm planning to go to the Night Highland and visit the Silver-Eyed Count to ask for the help of the God of Silver Moon."
Everybody in the Highest Council knew his friendship with Rhine and Alterna. So, nobody felt anything wrong about the proposal. However, Douglas shook his head and sighed. "The possibility is not very high. For the Silver Moon, it's a wonderful thing that Maltimus has reached the main material world."
Lucien had been rather anxious after the Lord of Hell's unexpected arrival and never considered the overall situation. After hearing what the president said, he was briefly stunned and realized that it was true.
"Although the odds are not high, I would like to give it a shot." Never to give up and never to give in was Lucien's motto.
Douglas nodded. "Let Fernando do it. You've been terribly wounded, and the Robe of Grand Arcanists and the Shield of Truth have to be fixed immediately while they can still be fixed. It's inappropriate for you to go out right now."
"Alright. I'll write a letter and ask my teacher to bring it over." Lucien remembered his teacher's connection with the King of Nightmare as well as the King of Nightmare's relationship with the Dark Congress. So, he did not insist.
After he returned to the Atomic Universe, Lucien heaved a sigh. It was true that there were no eternal allies.
Calming himself down, Lucien did not immediately fix the two legendary items. Instead, he brought out a pen and a paper to sort out the data of his exploration.
COMMENT
"Are they still helpful when we didn't explore the Blue Gate?" Natasha, who was treating her wounds, looked at Lucien curiously.
Lucien smiled. "For other people, they may be useless, but I had a speculation before. Therefore, those data are just for confirmation. It's not entirely impossible for me to find out the secrets behind it."
"Are there mathematical models where one presses forward all the time only to reach the original point in the end?" Knowing that Lucien had been stressing that mathematics should be the foundation of analysis and research, Natasha asked casually.
Lucien nodded solemnly. "There is. However, the problem is why it behaves like that."
Chapter 764: Prepare the Confirmation
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
In the Month of Passion (June), Allyn was brimming with the fragrance from the new, unusual flowers.
"Stanis and I didn't find the Silver-Eyed Count in the Observer's Castle or the Night Highland. It's said that he is still out. The other princes cannot reach out to the Silver Moon. Therefore, the plan to deal with Maltimus has to be put on hold."
In the conference room of the Highest Council, the Lord of Storm reported his visit to the Dark Mountain Range unhappily.
As for the grand arcanist who was reckless, it was quite annoying to be disrupted from the critical moments in the middle of the research. Also, after he went to the Dark Mountain Range for the big picture only to find that the trip was futile, he was certainly not too happy about it.
Douglas nodded and said peacefully, "Perhaps, his outing itself suggests a certain subtle attitude. It is at least better than a direct no. In the meantime, Harex, whose body has been occupied by the Lord of Hell, has devoted most of his attention to dealing with the forces at the south end of the ocean. They are supported by the South Church. It means that his primary enemy is still Viken."
Although their purpose was not achieved, now that Douglas and the other grand arcanists were calm and not panicked, the members of the Highest Council did not feel too alarmed. Lucien, however, secretly sighed. What mattered most was still their strength, not their allies. Those who were not too strong themselves and who dreamed about dragging a bunch of allies to work with them would only find them ending up on somebody else's dinner table.
"According to the intelligence, Melmax, the Holy Avenger, has already gone to the south of the Boundless Ocean, in case the forces that belong to the Church are completely destroyed. However, a demigod is still too strong for him to resist. I estimate that most of the territory will have to be abandoned. Only the divine power defense at the core can resist it," Oliver, who was in charge of the Affair Committee, said.
A pile of papers on the field theory was placed before Brook. They were just retrieved from the Arcana Review Board and belonged to the creative ones. Therefore, he had exchanged them to see if he could learn anything from it. However, the meeting of the Highest Council had begun just after he exchanged it, giving him little time to read it. "After the issues in the south of the Boundless Ocean are settled, Maltimus' other intentions will be revealed. We cannot be careless. With the help of the Elven Court, while it is impossible for us to drive him back into hell for now, it is still fairly easy to hold the positions at the edge of the ocean."
"Then, one top legend is needed at the islands for the defense to reinforce the elven queen." Faced with such an important issue, Hellen joined the discussion too.
Douglas looked around at the members of the Highest Council at the meeting. Seeing that Lucien, Erica, Brook, and Ataman all agreed with Hellen, he said solemnly, "It's better to be safe than sorry. Brook and I will go to the islands for defense. After the period when we are most likely to be ambushed passed, one top legend will stay there."
"I'm fine with that. My experiments can be conducted anywhere," Brook replied without any hesitation.
Douglas turned to Fernando. "You shouldn't go out for the time being. Stay and watch over Allyn together with Hathaway in case of the South Church's ambush."
With the defense of Allyn and the top legends, he was not concerned about the North Church at all.
"I have no time to go out anyway," Fernando complained, remembering the uncontrollable fission reactor and the many experiments concerning neutrons.
"You should try not to wander the main material world, in case Maltimus gets his eyes on you. He has melted the weirdness of primeval devils and is hard to resist." Douglas reminded them in the end.
Lucien did not say much during the whole meeting, as if he were considering other issues. The other members of the Highest Council did not find it strange. After all, he hadn't healed from his wounds. There was little he could do to deal with the Lord of Hell. It was only reasonable that he was upset.
...
After he returned to the Atomic Universe, Lucien went straight to the top floor to continue the arrangement of his magic circle.
"A super-remote space jump circle?" Without anybody knowing it, it was already night. Natasha, who had finished her state affairs, returned to Babel. She observed for a while and found things that were similar to Lucien's arrangement in her memories. She had lived with Lucien for many years, and her family had educated her well. So, although it was still impossible for her to understand and grasp the complicated magic patterns, she was much better at identifying circles and spells than before.
Lucien's spiritual power was on the verge of exhaustion. So, he stopped the preparation and swallowed a dosage of "Light of Life". In the meantime, he nodded and said, "Yes."
"Are you going to look for planets again? Have you figured out the secrets deep inside the Boundless Ocean? What exactly are they about, and what are their causes?" When Natasha remembered the key points of Lucien's recent studies, her silver purple eyes were full of surprise and curiosity.
Lucien walked over with a smile. "I obtained something from the data and confirmed certain ideas I had in the past, allowing me to have a basic speculation about what is inside the Boundless Ocean. Now, I have applied my confirmed ideas to the problem that planets and stars cannot be found. I have adjusted the coordinates of my jump. Hopefully, my ideas will be confirmed again."
"If they are confirmed again, does it mean that planets and stars will be found soon?" Natasha looked at Lucien with a smile. Her voice was full of excitement as she spoke.
Since her childhood, she had been hearing about the mysteries that planets and stars could not be found from her mother, her seniors, and her husband. She had the genuine nice feelings about that just as any common arcanists did, hoping that the puzzle could be resolved someday.
A kitten seemed to be scratching her heart inside her body. She wanted Lucien to tell her what ideas he had confirmed and what his speculations were. However, Lucien was quite ambiguous right now. It was obvious that he did not intend to reveal it right now. So, always respecting other people, she could only hold back her curiosity.
"I hope that I can find them." Lucien seemed to be having a lot of mixed feelings. "As a matter of fact, with the facts that the ground is illuminated by the sunlight and that the space is full of radiations and asteroids, I have never suspected the existence of planets…"
It was not just the simple discovery of planets and the perfect confirmation of Douglas' celestial bodies' motion system, thereby unveiling the macroscopic world in front of everyone. It also meant that a great puzzle about the truth of the world would be unraveled, so the arcanists could further approach the truth through the answer to the puzzle.
"Are you going to look for the sun?" Natasha asked again. Since it was meant for confirmation, the sun was clearly more important and would take less time.
Looking at the dark and boundless Atomic Universe outside of the window, Lucien said, "Yes. That can be confirmed with the minimal time cost. If it doesn't work out, I'll be able to change my methodology or switch to other guesses."
Natasha walked to Lucien. Looking at the universe outside where colorful spots of light were glittering, she said regretfully, "If we can find planets, maybe you will earn the greatest feedback. You'll probably reach the peak of legendary before I become a level-two legendary knight."
It was relatively easy for a level-one legendary to make an advancement. Therefore, Natasha believed that it would only take her another year for her to become a level-two legendary knight. However, it was much more difficult for her to reach level three and the peak than it was for legendary sorcerers, which could be seen by the fact that the whole world had five level-three legendary knights and one peak legendary knight. (After "Heart of Time" perished, another one had advanced recently.)
"Let's say that I can find it and solve the puzzle that planets can never be found, it will be in the favor of legendary knights too. You must've sensed that by polishing your blood power and harnessing your supernatural powers, it will be barely possible to make further advancements. That's because every class is inevitably connected to the truth of the world. You have to make yourself part of the 'truth' and reflect the 'patterns' in which the world operates. How can you know where to go next if you do not know the truth of the world, and how can you change and sublimate your life?"
Lucien's answer was out of Natasha's expectation. He had a deep understanding of the growth of legendary knights. Also, he seemed to be viewing the problem from a higher level.
Natasha felt warm in her heart. Then, she chuckled as usual. "Then, I'll wait for Your Excellency to pave a brilliant way for all the legendary knights. Well, will it work out?"
"You will know the answer by then. However, it may take a long time before I tell you the real answer." Lucien looked out of the window with a smile; his voice was mysterious.
...
At the beginning of July, in the third generic school of Rentato…
"The first place of our monthly exam has surprised both me and all the teachers. It is evident from the previous monthly exams and his questions in the class that his foundation is not very good. However, we've all seen his hard work recently. His name is…" Brian, who taught Basics of Arcana, looked at the students down below with a smile.
Those students were all rather nervous because the rank this time would decide whether or not they could go to the cosmic observatory and see the space in person!
Ali couldn't help but clench his hands tightly. Recently, he had forgotten all about sleeping and eating and was completely devoted to his studies, because he knew that his foundation was weak and that he had to make up for it with his hard work.
"… His name is Ali!"
BOOM!
Brian's voice burst out in Ali's head like a clap of thunder. His head became fuzzy, and he could not hear what his teacher said next.
"… Because there is a queue up ahead, the time of the visit has been scheduled at the end of August or the beginning of April…"
Have I really made it?
That was the only ecstatic idea in Ali's head.