Chapter 155 Chaos
With the departure of the two Archmages and Director Jeffrey, only Li Wen, Moriah, Princess Victoria, her attendant Knight Lance, Bailu, and the Leader of the Wolf Pack remained on the scene.
Excluding the black existence born from the Sage Ovum Sheath, whose strength and inclinations were unknown, only the Leader of the Wolf Pack remained as an enemy.
Perhaps sensing this, the Wolf Leader let out a low snort, transformed into a rat, and scurried into the dark sewer.
Li Wen did not dwell on the Wolf Leader’s movements or intentions. Instead, enduring the discomfort of psychic pollution, he observed the black existence, pondering how to extract clues about the Original Text of Lineage from it.
It had remained silent since waking, speaking only when addressed and displaying little action, standing rooted like a statue, seemingly in thought or waiting. However, upon closer inspection, the black liquid on the ground could be seen to be continuously spreading without pause.
After reaching a certain extent, roughly when the liquid covered the entire area previously occupied by the ruined warehouse, its expansion finally stopped. But this was not the end. From the deep black ground covered by the viscous, dark liquid, rock-like columnar structures grew, about ten of them, tall, thick, and entirely gray, dark, and dull, exuding the simple texture of rock.
Each stone pillar bore different patterns, which were graphics older than magical script, and predated the ancient totems of the barbaric era.
Was it building a temple here? Li Wen mused thoughtfully.
Just then, Victoria also spoke.
“What are you doing?”
Although unimaginable changes and battles were occurring above Leicester, Talanis Air Continent was ultimately protected by the Seven Sages, so there was unlikely to be any major issue. The aftermath and some preventative measures were matters for Director Jeffrey to worry about. Victoria was, in essence, a princess without real power, so she was clearly more concerned with the ancient existence before her than with the events unfolding at the moment.
It was unknown what confidence she had that the other party would answer her question.
“A temple,” it replied. “The Silver Elves and the Noahites once built a hall for me, but that hall has now sunk into the ruins of Babylon. Now, I need a new dwelling.”
The ruins of Babylon referred to an eastern region of the continent centered around the Inland Sea.
The only issue was that the appearance of the Inland Sea should have been much later than the birth of this existence. From its awakening in the furnace to its long slumber, the Inland Sea was still considered the earthly divine kingdom of a heretical sect.
However, given that it was a creation born from the hands of a great Sage, its power of foresight was not surprising.
“You awakened before the coming of the apocalypse. Were you prepared and had measures in place to face the destruction? Along with the gods and those who have already returned or will surely return?”
Victoria pondered, combining this with the information previously revealed by the existence. She speculated that since the prophecy of world destruction had existed for a long time, the heroes, gods, and great beings of ancient times should have already figured out how to cope with and solve the problem.
Perhaps the temple that was about to be born was the existence’s response, possessing some potential to resist destruction.
“Prepared?”
For the first time, it displayed a state of confusion, as if unable to understand why Victoria asked that.
“There is no preparation; Doomsday Twilight cannot be resisted, at least by me. Before the coming of the apocalypse, I will travel to the other world of nothingness, aboard an airship or the wheels of a sun chariot, a place that twilight cannot reach. The instinct of life compels me to make this decision. This was destined from before my birth, from the moment that person cast metal into the stone egg.”
Victoria’s expression changed several times. She never expected this ancient existence to intend to desert. It seemed absurd and difficult to comprehend. Or perhaps the Doomsday Twilight it spoke of was such an unstoppable calamity that even Saints and gods had to evade it.
However, Victoria had no real sense of this Doomsday that existed only in words. It was believed that others felt the same. Even the beings who uttered these words had witnessed their own birth from that ovum sheath, powerful and extraordinary.
The black existence did not intend to communicate further with the ants. Those who had not witnessed fate could not understand the terror and irresistibility of its power. No matter how much it spoke, it would be meaningless.
The viscous liquid spread upwards, slowly forming an eggshell-like shape centered around it. It was not going into hibernation again, but the reconstruction of the temple required time, and it was still weak, its power only gradually returning with the years. If any contemporary Saints or crowned kings targeted it, escaping would be extremely difficult.
The black eggshell sealed it within, blocking any communication with the outside world. The Mortal Realm was merely a detour in its long journey after reawakening. In the near future, perhaps as early as tomorrow, its temple would rise with the surging tides, entering the netherworld of nothingness.
Victoria sighed. It seemed unlikely to extract more information about Doomsday Twilight from this existence. She glanced at the remaining individuals, focusing on Li Wen, then smiled faintly. Regarding the apocalypse, the Royal Family of Arthur had a long history and inherited the rich legacy of ancient empires, so she thought it possible to find relevant scraps in those old books.
Since the Sage Ovum Sheath that she was supposed to take back had now “grown legs and run away,” it was clearly impossible for it to return to the royal city with her. In that case, instead of wasting time here, it would be better to return and have people search the literature.
With this thought, she smiled faintly:
“The Truth Society has openly attacked the Kingdom’s Association. As a member of the royal family, I should naturally contribute my meager efforts, even if I cannot help the mages of the Ring-White Bird Association, I should at least make a statement. With that, I will take my leave now, Mr. Moriah, and this unknown lady in the cloak.”
Saying this, she did not wait for their reactions and walked slowly away, holding her umbrella. It was only then that Knight Lance, still within the range of the black liquid, moved and followed the princess with heavy footsteps.
As their figures receded, Moriah withdrew his gaze. With Knight Lance present, unless it was a Transcendent on Bati’s level, they should not encounter much danger.
“The Sorcery Anomalies Hand should have information about the situation in the sky. Miss Mephistopheles, are you ready to return now?”
The Sage Ovum Sheath, which everyone had vied for, had turned into an ancient mythical being. This farce should naturally come to an end. However, this incident revealed even greater secrets and chaos. Doomsday Twilight could be put aside for now, as the more pressing matter was the Truth Society.
