Gulp! Gulp!
"You have a point... but I don't think I've caused so much havoc to alert all those bastards..."
Drunkum seemed convinced by his words, but Deepy came out of the water and ardently refuted: "Atlas... that's not exactly true. In the days you were gone... he killed more than a hundred evil spirits in human form and even a couple of stronger monsters. He caused so much havoc that at one point, I towed him away from the battles forcibly..."
"... I know I shouldn't tell you this, but probably... It must be all the work of that curse you have talked about. It's wearing down his mind... making him do all these foolish actions."
Hearing the creature's confession, Atlas felt his blood chill. Even though he did not know who the Undead Overlords were, it was evident from her tone that they were no mere henchmen.
"How... How did he make such a mess in a couple of days?"
The young man's babbling attracted the attention of the old man, who, seeing Deepy's nose sticking out of the water, immediately knew what was happening.
"Kid... don't worry... I have everything under control."
"Everything under control??" Atlas looked up at him angrily: "How can you be so stupid? Your mind is clearly under the control of the curse!"
Gulp! Gulp!
"What an exaggeration... my mind has no problem."
"That's the corruption speaking for you... it's obvious! Reason for a second, and you will understand your mistakes."
Drunkum continued to quietly gobble his favorite wine with his half-open eyes as he listened to the young man.
"...You have been affected by that being for who knows how many years... how can you be so sure that you have the power necessary to face him? It is evident that while you were lazily snoring in that filthy marina or killing some weak sea beast... the one who had cursed you has greatly increased his power!"
The young man's words made sense, and Drunkum finally realized it.
Bang!
The wine bottle fell onto the wooden planks of the small boat, and Drunkum opened his eyes as if awakened from a deep sleep.
"What have I done..."
The old man's pupils glowed for an instant but then faded again: "Perhaps it is too late... perhaps we should wait here and let these docile waves rock us to the end of our journey..."
He seemed to recover for a moment, but then he had transformed into a completely different person again.
The strange situation shocked both Atlas and Deepy...
"Atlas... what is going on? Why is he acting so strangely?"
The young man did not immediately respond; instead, he approached Drunkum because he had noticed something strange around his head.
"... It's that black mist... the curse is acting as an inhibitor, perhaps fomented by that brief moment of lucidity."
Seeing his companion in that state, Deepy tried to comfort him, but suddenly, she dived without warning.
"Deepy... Deepy..."
Confused by its disappearance, the young man set his gaze on the water's surface, but before he could scan the seabed, a figure leaped out, hastily waving his fins.
"It's no good... It's no good... Sea creatures are running away... as if frightened by something."
Atlas did not have time to react to its words that…
ROAR!!!
A thunderous roar shook the air...
ROAR!!!
Swirls of air descended from the sky and pierced the ocean, generating frightening hurricanes...
ROAR!!!
Suddenly, a black portal above them, right in the middle of the sky.
Atlas watched in horror as the space churned and twisted until a black-scaled dragon with seven bloody horns on top of his dreadful head rushed out of the distorted space.
Dark clouds followed his advent. They spread far and wide, devouring the sky like a ravenous predator.
Soon, even the Obsurium Eyes could handle that vicious view, and in the end, the Ocean of Fallen Legends turned entirely dark...
|||
"Dark clouds have appeared toward the East... who or what dares to declare such malignant power so brazenly."
While in Obscurium, the Ocean of the Fallen Legends, a storm was dangerously brewing. In multiple places on the continent, old monsters were alerted by it.
In particular, some old people were gazing attentively toward the East from their magnificent palace located in the middle of the continent.
"Ancestor... perhaps, the Blazing Lazarus Divine Sect Ancestor knows what is happening there. We must act faster than anticipated if this symbolizes the darkness's awakening."
No one responded to the youngest one for a long time until the one with fewer gray hairs spoke: "Ancestor... younger brother is right. We should call up for a meeting. It has been hundreds of years since we last met with the other old fellows."
As those words echoed in the room, two more people agreed with them and nodded vehemently.
The room turned silent again because the oldest between them was still looking toward the East as if their words could not even reach his ears.
It was a bit impolite of him, yet no one dared to speak a word.
It took him more than half an hour to join the discussion: "It has been hundreds of years since we lost contact with your younger brother... Now that Obscurium is showing signs of changing, maybe we can use it as an excuse for a significant expedition... Alone, we are harmless against them, but with the other Divine Sects, our chance of finding him will be higher."
Those words brought great shock to all of them, but the youngest one was the first to speak: "Ancestor... so, our younger brother is still alive even after so many years? If it's true, why didn't we act before... why did you tell us that he was dead?"
Those words were the same thoughts in all of them.
Even the quieter ones were showing signs of agitation.
The Ancestor could understand their current feelings, yet he responded with the same calm tone as before: "You think that I abandoned him, right?"
All of them lowered their heads without saying a single word, yet their attitude was a clear answer for him.
"Well... the truth is not so far from that... I chose this not because I don't care about him but because it was necessary... necessary for our survival!"
Since no one interrupted him, the Ancestor kept talking freely: "At those times, the world was still in turmoil. Wars against the Darkness brought us to every corner of this continent because we were indispensable to the world. Our light... gave hope to every creature, yet the enemy was too strong, and I was too weak during that period, so only the Chosen from the Progenitor, Sulestia, was strong enough to stop their advance."
Terrible memories resurface along those words in everyone's minds.
Indeed, those were terrible times for everyone.
"Somehow, we stopped the war, yet we still lost our pillar of light. At least, this is what I let you think..."
Hearing that story also brought up sad memories, and one of them couldn't endure anymore: "Ancestor... we remember the past well... just tell us... why did you renounce him..."
Feeling those confused gazes staring at him, the Ancestor sighed in resignation: "Few of us were left after the war... I couldn't let more people die... I hoped that Sulestia would give your younger brother his blessing... and I didn't do it wrong because somehow, he survived for all these years there."
His words were indeed the truth.
That brutal war reduced their numbers by a lot and almost reduced them to useless cultivators.
If they had known the truth, all of them would have risked their lives, bringing to a sole conclusion—ruin to their sect.
"So, this was the reason... But I can no longer live peacefully knowing our younger brother is still alive, lost somewhere in that damned hell."
"Indeed... Ancestor, we must act immediately and rescue him from the devilish clutches of the darkness."
"We must call for our allies and act before the enemy's plan begins..."
The Ancestor stood up from his seat and approached the balcony with the hands behind his back: "So... the time has come... the time when every living being will have to face the terrible jaws of death again... Let's commence the preparation for the Obliviscus Gathering!"