Chapter 504 – 121. Pandora
“Bang!”
Tang Zeming Asuka’s raised hand came crashing down heavily on Margaret’s head. After a muffled, thick sound, the woman beneath her trembled slightly before falling still.
A pool of thick, red blood spread out from beneath Margaret, reflecting the dim light above and the young girl with disheveled hair hiding her face.
She gritted her teeth and lowered her head, slowly lifting her bloodied and wounded hands from the head of the corpse beneath her, painfully covering her face, and finally breaking down in tears.
“Wuwuwu.”
She had killed Margaret with her own hands, yet did not feel even an ounce of relief or joy; instead, she was overwhelmed with immense pain and torment.
The one who excelled at deceiving herself knew better than anyone that lies wouldn’t hurt, but the truth was the hardest to accept.
Thus, at this moment, she, who had awakened from her long-standing self-deception, barely realized that she still had nothing, and in fact had lost even more.
The mixed blood mingled with her tears, and behind her, Fisher looked at the sobbing Tang Zeming Asuka with a complicated expression, slowly stepping forward and resting a hand on her frail shoulder.
“Tang Zeming.”
“Fisher-sensei.”
Her voice was particularly hoarse, barely recognizable even to the holy artifact that Fisher translated.
“Try wiping your face.”
He raised the Fluid Sword, cutting a piece of his white robe, and handed it to Tang Zeming Asuka to wipe her bloodstained face.
Just now, after her hysterical questioning, she was covered all over with blood.
“Um, thank you, Fisher-sensei.”
She paused slightly, then without lifting her head, took the robe fragment Fisher handed her, burying her face in it and scrubbing hard at the remnants of dirt on her face, as if trying to erase her skin.
“Are you feeling better?”
Fisher asked.
“No.”
Fisher opened his mouth, about to say something, but the still-sobbing Tang Zeming Asuka suddenly stood up, trembling, and jumped into his arms, startling him.
“…”
Tang Zeming Asuka shook with sobs, her tears still flowing down her face, yet she clung tightly to Fisher, speaking in a muffled, tearful voice,
“I know Fisher-sensei likes Hela, but I don’t care. I just want to hold you now, it makes me feel a bit better. If Fisher-sensei minds, there’s nothing I can do.”
The silly girl suddenly seemed a bit forceful.
“Yes, yes.”
After being a teacher for so long, Fisher had finally become somewhat skilled; he decided not to preach his grand ideas at this moment.
Perhaps at this time, holding her tightly was all that mattered.
So, Fisher embraced Tang Zeming Asuka without hesitation, letting her cry in his arms.
He hadn’t anticipated that Tang Zeming Asuka would be so furious that she would physically smash in Margaret’s head.
Perhaps this anger stemmed not only from Margaret but from the part hidden deep within her heart, only unfortunately, that resentment was all redirected at the Trans.
He patted Tang Zeming Asuka’s back, and after a few seconds, he suddenly furrowed his brows, as if recalling something as he looked up to the sky, where Neceria, wings spread, was still covering her eyes.
That guy really had a low sense of presence; even after having performed such an astonishing act, Fisher took a few seconds to remember her.
Moreover, wasn’t this guy unaffected by that damned Death’s thread?
Even Death’s authority hadn’t noticed her?
Ridiculous…
“Neceria, are you okay?”
Seeing her covering her eyes, Fisher asked, concerned.
She shook her head upon hearing him, then raised her tear-streaked, rosy eyes, which suddenly sparkled with fine golden streams of light, as if through those lights, she could see secret scenes undetectable to others.
Immediately, her expression turned tense as she shouted to Fisher,
“Fisher, no, we have to leave quickly; this matter isn’t over yet…”
Before she could finish her sentence, Fisher suddenly felt two terrifying powers erupt.
One came from the sky.
At that moment, above the already pierced stone tower, there was a series of strange waves in the sky, and as those waves occurred, the world’s dimensions were being incomprehensibly overlapped by some indescribable great power, revealing a true demigod form, larger than a planet.
Just a branch made Fisher feel several times larger than an enormous island or land where thousands of races lived, the trunk emitting a constant fate wave, and a massive eye resembling a golden orb was fixed on the tiny Ideal Nation below.
All beings within the country were suppressed by the terrifying power of the Nineteen Rank, and the surrounding rules were being clashed at this moment by some inexpressible substitute, forming a grand phenomenon akin to authority.
That was the domain of demigods, “Law.”
“World Tree!?”
At the same time, another even more disturbing power erupted from beneath Fisher and the others.
Fisher looked down in surprise and discovered that the entire Ideal Nation’s ground began to tremble. The thick aura of death had not calmed down due to the deaths of Margaret and Matilda; rather, it intensified.
At the same time, a chaotic aura, a thousand times worse than before, suddenly burst forth, as if that violent earthquake was triggered by that aura.
The authority of death… had not settled down, in fact, it had become more violent?
Could it be that Margaret’s influence wasn’t over yet?
Tang Zeming Asuka poked her head up from Fisher’s embrace, and he furrowed his brow as he looked at the corpse of Margaret, whose head Tang Zeming Asuka had smashed. He suddenly realized that the loom on the corpse, along with the tears of the World Tree that Neceria had just dropped, were being pulled down by an incredibly strong force, seeping through the cracks in the stone tower, all the way to the depths of the water pool.
“This is bad!”
Fisher quickly pushed Tang Zeming Asuka aside and activated all his strength to chase after those two items, but the next moment, it felt as if the entire Ideal Nation were about to be devoured by chaos.
Under the energy of the highly active authority of death, pillars of magma laced with the power of death suddenly erupted from below the ground.
“Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Following that, waves of black impurities surged from beneath the ground like a tide; that incomparably pure, infinite chaos would drive any ordinary person mad at just a glance, and even mythical beings could not escape its pollution; the power of rank was so helpless and pale before it…
What on earth could cause such a dramatic change?
Watching those two items fall into the ground as the shattered stone tower crumbled, Fisher could no longer chase them. He could only hurriedly turn back and hold the unavoidable Tang Zeming Asuka, shouting to Neceria still in the sky,
“Neceria, run!!”
The next second, the chaos that could even override the authority of death exploded from beneath the ground of the Ideal Nation, spreading like cancer that announces the death of this world…
Only then did Fisher become puzzled.
Outside the stone tower, there should have been other mythical beings, elves, angels, and Hela Mikhail. But with Margaret and Matilda taken care of, there seemed to be no unusual activity in the lower ranks…
So, there was only one possibility.
The upheaval occurring now was related to the mythical beings below.
……
……
Time gradually reversed. Fisher, Tang Zeming Asuka, and Margaret were fighting on the stone tower while Matilda began to activate the authority of death, preparing to teleport the two of them to the ultimate moment. All mythical beings below felt that intense wave of death’s authority.
So, both the nearby Remiel and Pandora below temporarily halted their attacks, considering the relationship between the chaotic monster above and the authority of death.
After pausing for a moment, the blind Pandora turned to Peach Duke beside her, whose expression was grim, and said,
“The internal struggle of the Trans in that stone tower is quite intense, it seems they are progressing faster than us. The authority of death over there isn’t fully prepared, so she anxiously activated it ahead of time… I just don’t know what mechanism of death she tampered with using chaos. If this continues, the awakening of the Heya goddess is imminent; we need to speed up.”
“That’s because we help them deal with the damned chaos outside. If this thing confronts them face to face, those little fish would have long since died without a burial ground…”
Peach Duke ground her teeth, wanting to speak but hesitating, suddenly thinking of the Trans named “Fisher.” If the terrifying chaotic power in his body was involved, it would indeed be problematic.
But to be frank, those two Trans seemed weak on the surface, yet they were incredibly unconventional.
That Margaret could contest for the control of the loom of fate with her mother, and that Fisher housed true god-level chaos yet could escape Tree Continent unscathed after detonation—it far exceeded Peach Duke’s imagination. Among this group of deranged Trans, this one called “Fisher” was particularly unusual.
Of course, this also made her expression more unpleasant.
However, the other two Trans were comparatively much weaker; the man was useless, and that little human girl was merely carrying a side effect, giving Peach Duke a tad of comfort.
Comfort aside, Peach Duke would not give any Trans any chances. No matter what, after this incident, she would completely net all these scourges.
After calming down, Peach Duke surveyed the stone tower before her, then analyzed to Pandora,
“That stone tower was built behind this human. She adopted a structure that directly linked with the slumbering Heya goddess beneath the earth. The power of the loom is immense, so it pierced through the barriers set by Lord Ramastia. If we directly attempt to reactivate the barriers set by Lord Ramastia in the underground structure below the tower, then both she and that damned chaotic creature will become meaningless floating weeds…”
“In the end, what we really need to take seriously is the authority of the Heya goddess and the loom, and her progress has been delayed by us. As long as we wait for Mother to arrive, or either of the two to reach her first, that turtle in the jar cannot escape anyway.”
Pandora smiled and nodded, then replied,
“Indeed. But it seems there’s another dense chaotic aura appearing above.”
Although she had no eyes, her perception was extremely sharp. Upon hearing this, Peach Duke cast her gaze upward, and sure enough, she also felt a chaotic aura bursting forth, radiating a crimson hue.
And this intensity… was even more concentrated than that shed by the Trans named Margaret.
Which Trans did this chaotic aura originate from?
That human idiot girl?
But upon sensing that crimson power colliding with Margaret’s aura, Peach Duke couldn’t help but let out a sneer,
“Heh, your plan to use the tiger to eat the wolf might actually work. If we coordinate from both inside and outside, as long as we separate that Margaret from the loom and the authority of death, even if a few more show up at their current chaotic state, they won’t be enough to handle three of our level…”
“Zizizizi!”
Suddenly, Peach Duke felt a chill down her spine. With her immense strength, she sensed danger almost instantaneously, but her injuries hindered her response.
She turned just in time to see a terrifying energy lightning dragon surging towards her.
The energy that changed the color of heaven and earth pierced into Peach Duke’s body, causing her to cry out in pain as she was thrust into the cracked ground.
The change happened too quickly; the speed and power of the Nineteen Rank were overwhelmingly difficult to respond to, leaving even the nearby elves unable to anticipate the sudden betrayal from the two angels.
“You guys…”
Peach Duke knew this mission was fraught with danger, having brought only sixteen and seventeen-ranked elves to preserve the strength of Tree Continent, and the disparity between ranks in the mythical realm was immense, especially when confronted with two Nineteen Rank beings.
As the elves began to react, Pandora’s finger lifted slightly, and a writhing green glow flickered from her.
Seeing that light, the nearby elves began to petrify, along with the nearby space and world, which began to solidify into meaningless stone.
Behind, Gouwen and Mikhail, who were still watching the scene, immediately changed their expressions and lowered their heads to reduce their sense of presence.
But perhaps Pandora had already noticed them; she just couldn’t be bothered.
“Angels! Do you know what you’re doing?”
Peach Duke’s robes were scorched by Remiel’s lightning, and the pain from her previous injuries resurfaced, causing more peach blossom branches to grow from her body. Regardless, she glared angrily at the two suddenly hostile archangels in front of her and questioned them.
Pandora didn’t look at her; she just nodded and said,
“Of course I know, Peach Duke… But since the two chaotic forces above have begun their battle and that Margaret shows signs of collapse, then half the crisis is already resolved. Given that, the relationship between angels and elves was never good, so it doesn’t hurt for us to do this, right?”
“But the authority of death has not stabilized yet, and the loom hasn’t been returned to Mother. The Trans are still not dealt with, and even if you want the tears of the World Tree, at least…”
Before Peach Duke could finish speaking, the blind Pandora waved her hand.
As her illusory wings slowly unfolded, she suddenly countered,
“Peach Duke, who said I only want the tears of the World Tree?”
Peach Duke’s expression froze momentarily, her thoughts illuminated by Pandora’s words and becoming clear.
For it was only at this moment that she suddenly realized, the two archangels before her, like Chuan, had also betrayed their creator!
Unlike Chuan, who was a foolish saint, these two powerful and long-waiting angels were genuinely looking to reap the benefits.
While the two Trans above were preoccupied with infighting, the authority of death and loom were about to slip from Margaret’s grasp, and once those unconquered elements fell into the hands of these two Nineteen Rank existences, then that concept would be entirely different.
But Peach Duke could no longer stop them.
Mother, I can only rely on you now, I have done my best.
After a moment of silence, the two sides moved simultaneously without warning.
Remiel’s lightning dragon howled and formed a vast lightning cage, while Pandora raised her hand, and Peach Duke’s body began to resist and transform into lifeless stone.
Just as the destructive force of the Nineteen Rank was about to incinerate this place, all time and space began to pause.
Only the falling peach blossoms still moved.
Peach Duke’s body blossomed with peaches, as if they had fallen from the sky and splashed into a calm lake, creating ripples.
Then, amidst the deathly silence, something unexpected happened, surprising both Remiel and Pandora.
The group of petrified elves and the Peach Duke struck by lightning suddenly began to retreat frantically, moving through time and space as if time itself had begun to flow backward for them, causing Remiel and Pandora’s attacks to uncontrollably recede.
The threads of death around them started to withdraw amid the graceful peach blossoms, Peach Duke’s face grew paler, yet the blossoms on her body multiplied as if being nourished by blood.
“This is bad; stop her!”
“Buzz buzz buzz!”
Pandora’s halo flickered, and Remiel gritted his teeth, once again resisting the force of this backward fate.
“Boom!”
With a flash of lightning, as vision turned white, the only four petrified elves fell helplessly to the ground, while the remaining five, including Peach Duke, vanished into thin air.
Pandora smirked and glanced at the peach blossom branches growing from her, silently sighing,
“Truly, Peach Duke of the Three Sons; even after being wounded, we two together still couldn’t hold her back?”
Remiel had just been about to speak, but lost his words as a ball of blossoming peach blossoms escaped from his mouth, rendering him speechless.
Yet Pandora didn’t pause; she forcefully tore off the branches of peach blossoms growing from her body and then flung the branches, now tainted with angelic golden blood, onto the ground.
She sensed the aura above and, confirming it, the next second, a terrifying crimson spear pierced through the flesh creature Matilda that enveloped the stone tower.
“Ah ah ah ah!”
Listening to the piercing cries akin to a baby’s wail, she felt the struggling breaths of Margaret above…
Thus, Pandora’s smile grew as she lightened her steps towards the stone tower.
Without looking back, she called to the Hela, still standing in place behind her,
“Hela, follow us.”
Hela smiled and followed the advancing Remiel and Pandora, only to find that they weren’t headed toward the top of the stone tower but had seemingly already known they arrived at an obscure door at the base.
As that secret door opened, the dark passage leading to the underground of the stone tower revealed itself before them.
“Lady Pandora, where are we going?”
“What’s wrong, worried about that human?”
Hela cheerily withheld the answer, and Pandora likewise refrained from asking further.
As they entered, the vast cavern where Margaret had once brought Tang Zeming Asuka came into the sight of the angels Pandora.
There, several sheets of paper covered in writhing chaotic scripts lay scattered, infused with divine power. That was why the chaotic knowledge had been preserved above.
Just seeing it made Remiel uneasy, but since Pandora had no eyes, she didn’t seem to feel the same. Instead, a whisper of unknown meaning began to echo in her ears.
Sensing the preserved knowledge’s paper, Pandora sneered,
“Ah, the so-called secrets of true gods are here… It’s just a pity that the chaos in that Trans’s mind hasn’t been fully recorded. Thus, once she dies, this sealed knowledge will also depart.”
Hela seemed like a fitting sidekick to interject, eagerly raising her hand,
“Um, so after she dies, does this knowledge transfer to another Trans?”
“Indeed. The true essence of the threat posed by these Trans lies in the chaos within their minds; they are merely the facade and vessel. Once Margaret dies, as long as this knowledge hasn’t been completely preserved, another Trans will inevitably come to carry this knowledge into these worlds. Peach Duke doesn’t understand; rather than this way, it would be better to wait for these Trans to record all the knowledge fully and then kill them. Then, the chaotic knowledge and the Trans would have been disentangled, making it easier for us to control and handle them…”
“Lady Pandora is truly wise. However, I do have some doubts. Even if Peach Duke has been driven back, how should we respond to the impending World Tree? What is your true purpose?”
In the face of Hela’s flattery, Pandora ignored it. She just took a deep breath, sensing Margaret’s aura growing fainter.
She knew, it was time.
She had already secured victory.
She raised her finger, watching as the chaotic knowledge was beginning to stir and sought to escape from her face, which was covered in silk, and suddenly asked Hela behind her,
“Don’t worry about that, Hela. On the contrary, I have a small question for you…”
“Just now, that human named Fisher entrusted an item to you for safekeeping, the one he trusts the most…”
“And if I’m not mistaken, that chaotic object free from restrictions could break the Heavenly Lock that governs the Holy Grail’s rules, right?”
Hela was momentarily taken aback, before she could even react, she felt the Nineteen Rank Remiel had already stood not far behind her, blocking the entrance to this cavern.
Meanwhile, Pandora slowly turned her head to face Hela, her empty eye sockets radiating with curses from witnessing the secrets of true gods, where the flesh and blood were ensnared and intertwined, glaring directly at Hela.
It was as if it aimed to see through the desires of all.
