Chapter 1001 Dongola <TOC> Chapter 1003 The Descent of Doom
Translator: SumTLMan
Canter’s words only elucidated Dongola’s actions but did not divulge the scene he witnessed after activating his Nocturne bloodline: Dongola, face twisted in a malicious grimace, was frenetically rushing towards Watchtower Fortress, spouting vile curses as she went.
Although Canter, after forcibly merging with the “Nocturne”, could only barely discern the visuals and was unable to hear any sound, he managed to interpret what Dongola was saying through her lip movements.
She was hurling insults at the demons trailing her while also scheming on how to use the fortress inhabitants as her scapegoats.
As for the apprentices in the fortress, Dongola displayed a brutal sneer, “Death is inevitable for you lot. After all, you’re all worthless beings. You should feel honored that your deaths could serve my purpose!”
From this string of utterances, it was evident that Dongola was intentionally leading the disaster towards others.
However, she was oblivious to the fact that she was in no position to do so. With the doom aura clinging to her, she was the primary target of the demons. If she led them to the fortress, it would only serve as her sacrificial lamb while the demons would still persist in their pursuit!
“She’s definitely doing this on purpose!” Sineva seethed, gritting her teeth, “We cannot let her get anywhere near the fortress!”
“But you have no legitimate grounds to stop her.” Canter whispered.
The crucial issue was that Dongola was unaware of her doomed fate. If they were to reveal this to her, given her temperament, she certainly wouldn’t quietly steer clear. She would inevitably drag others down with her, making them her sacrificial lambs.
“Regardless, we must first persuade her to stay away from the fortress!” Sineva turned to the crowd, implicitly seeking their affirmation.
Both Sanders and Canter nodded in agreement. To them, even if they could not defeat such a demon, they could at least elude it.
Samantha, with her expressive eyes, gently parted her lips, which resembled shattered glass, “But, how do we persuade her? Should we help her defeat the demon? Even if Dongola manages to escape this time, does that mean her misfortune ends there?”
Once tainted by the aura left by the Harbinger of Doom, it is extraordinarily challenging to dispel, at least none present had a means to do so. They could only hope for time to gradually erode it.
Sineva understood this as well, but right now, the most critical task was to prevent Dongola from nearing the fortress.
Sineva cast her gaze towards the distant tumultuous sound that began to fill the air, leaving Samantha’s inquiry unanswered: “Even if it’s a ploy, we must, for now, lead Dongola away from the fortress.”
In the next heartbeat, Sineva was already flying in the direction of Downfallen Forest. The others exchanged glances before hastening to follow, including Samantha.
In the blink of an eye, only Angel remained atop the tower.
Angel observed the far-off afterglow of the fiery blaze, sighing softly within his heart.
His sojourn in the Abyss was brief, yet even within those fleeting days, he had borne witness to the Abyss’ inscrutable vicissitudes, facing dangers as unpredictable as the waves of the monsoon season — constantly rising before the last had subsided.
That’s to say nothing of the lurking perils hidden within its shadows. The mere demons currently prowling Downfallen Forest were formidable enough to raze the fortress to the ground.
One could only imagine the terror instilled by a true Demon God. If the shadow of the Demon God truly enveloped the Southern Region, the resultant scene would be unimaginably horrifying.
…
Dongola’s face was clouded with gloom.
To avoid Mangonis’ formidable attack earlier, she had used one of her trump cards — the Effigy of Substitution.
Through substitution, she had teleported herself instantaneously from within the range of the attack to a location a hundred miles away.
She had thought that after using this trump card, she could escape the pursuit easily. However, to her surprise, the location to which she had been substituted turned out to be an Explosive Forest!
The so-called Explosive Forest was named for the peculiar trees growing in abundance here. These trees, upon contact with any anomalous energy, would trigger a massive explosion.
Even wizards visiting this area had to tread lightly. The explosion of a single tree could be manageable, but the probability of a chain reaction among a cluster of these trees was high!
The cumulative power of these explosions might not harm a wizard, but they’d be left covered in ash and dust, an ignominious state to be sure.
To Dongola, the Explosive Forest wasn’t truly fearsome; even the explosions wouldn’t cause her harm.
However, although the blasts were harmless to her, the noise of the explosions could undoubtedly attract the attention of Mangonis!
When Dongola arrived at the Explosive Forest, the spatial disturbances emitted by the Substitution Effigy immediately triggered the vigilance of a fiery red tree nearby.
With a thunderous “boom”, the tree ignited in a ferocious explosion.
A single detonation fell short, a pattern akin to lighting firecrackers painted itself amongst the closely packed trees, a symphony of sequential explosions erupting in a deafening chatter.
Dongola was struck dumb, without even a moment’s reprieve to react, the boom of the explosion was already resonating in the air.
Simultaneously, Mangonis, drawn by the cacophony of the blast a hundred miles yonder, once again fixed his gaze upon Dongola.
The spine-chilling sensation of being locked in his sights spurred a curse from Dongola: “Damn it, why of all places did it have to swap me into the Explosive Forest!”
Rather than overthinking it, Dongola simply chalked it up to an extraordinary run of bad luck.
All she could do now was muster her dwindling courage and initiate yet another sprint.
This time, her target was clear: Watchtower Fortress!
If she could just make it to the fortress, she wouldn’t have to face Mangonis alone! As for the fact that Mangonis could cause massive casualties among the apprentices, even destroy the fortress itself, these were concerns Dongola was blissfully indifferent to.
With a ghastly countenance, Dongola sprinted towards Watchtower Fortress.
She had to be grateful for the hundred-mile head start the ‘substitute’ had afforded her, preventing an immediate overtaking by Mangonis. However, the demon’s speed was beyond her wildest imagination, and no amount of effort she exerted could help her outpace a demon naturally bestowed with bony wings.
“So massive, yet so nimble! It’s simply unjust!” Dongola muttered resentfully, “And besides, I only yelled once, why must you chase me without end!”
Finally, after a few minutes, the gap between Dongola and Mangonis was less than ten miles.
Without any hint of hesitation, Mangonis passed through her range and blinked, instantly materializing behind Dongola. Simultaneously, a volley of fire arrows cascaded from the cloak on Mangonis’s back, homing in on Dongola.
At the same moment, Mangonis’s fist swung fiercely towards Dongola.
Although she sensed his approach, her reaction speed was lacking by a hairsbreadth.
She managed to dodge Mangonis’s fist, but seeing the fire arrows so close at hand, she couldn’t help but grit her teeth and silently resolved: I must bear it!
However, at this very moment, a peculiar gravitational force suddenly materialized at her side. Initially, she assumed it to be a hidden deathly trap laid by Mangonis within the fire arrows. However, upon closer inspection, she discovered that the gravitational force didn’t seem to harbor any lethal intent.
Seemingly struck by a sudden epiphany, Dongola stopped resisting the gravity pull. With a swift “swoosh”, she was catapulted miles away, managing to dodge the barrage of fiery arrows aimed her way.
As Dongola regained her bearings, she found herself in the presence of four figures standing behind her.
She had expected Samantha, Sanders, and Canter. However, much to her surprise, it was Sineva who had yanked her over using gravity.
Since when did Sineva come to Watchtower Fortress?
While Dongola was still mired in confusion, a mental link, led by Sineva, connected with her.
The instant the mental link established a connection, Dongola could hear Sineva’s voice, filled with bewilderment, echoing in her mind, “What’s going on with this demon? Its power rivals that of a Demon Lord. We can’t let her proceed any further!”
Canter’s psychic waves also carried a sense of bewilderment, “Is this a fusion of a Lava Giant Demon and Bone Wing Demon?”
Samantha sneered, “Provoking such a powerful demon and leading it straight to Watchtower Fortress, that’s so like you, Dongola.”
Dongola retorted with a cold huff, “If it were you, would you take the high road?”
“At the very least, I wouldn’t pick a fight with such a creature.”
Just as Dongola was about to argue, Sineva suddenly intervened, “The situation is urgent, let’s stop bickering. Dongola, how did you provoke it? And more importantly, who is it?”
“Who knows how I provoked it? The moment I returned from the Translayer passage, it started bellowing about wanting to kill me and burrowed its way up from the ground. If it weren’t for a minor hiccup during the translayer teleportation, I wouldn’t be in such a disheveled state!”
Despite her words, everyone had already made their guesses. However, they dared not voice them at this critical moment.
“There must be a reason for it chasing after you,” Samantha scoffed, “Did you perhaps steal something?”
Dongola evaded the question, because there indeed was a reason, a rather trivial one. She had simply shouted and disturbed this slumbering beast. But this kind of reason was not suitable for open discussion.
“I came across some information about this demon. It’s highly likely that it was once the Demon Lord — Mangonis, but for some unknown reasons, it fell from its throne,” Dongola explained.
Once the Demon Lord is dethroned, it is a clear indication of its power failing to match the par of a Demon Lord. This observation dovetails with Canter’s prior inferences — approximately at the pinnacle of second level true knowledge.
In other words, it’s at a plateau comparable to Sanders’ present sphere of ability.
However, parity in spheres does not necessarily equate to an identical capacity for combat. For instance, the colossal mushroom cloud of annihilation that spanned several miles, turning everything to ash leaving behind a churning pool of molten lava, is beyond Sanders’ ability to conjure.
Moreover, this display of formidable power appeared to be no more than a casual act for Mangonis, as its reservoir of energy still brimmed abundantly.
Consider further that Mangonis is a former lord, its combat skills, experience, and insights outstrip human imagination by a country mile.
And a crucial factor to note, their current stand is not in the Southern Region but the land of the Abyss, where the violently swirling energies naturally serve the superlative life forms of the Abyss.
In such circumstances, scoring a win against Mangonis is nearly an impossibility.
“Defeating it won’t be a stroll in the park, however, putting a leash on it should be achievable,” Sanders’ mental fluctuations transmitted this message into the minds of all present through his mental abilities.
Sineva’s expression darkened, “In any case, we absolutely cannot lure it to Watchtower Fortress!”
“Much as I hate to bear the burden for Dongola, this issue extends beyond a lone individual now,” Samantha chimed in, “Here’s a thought, we could all strive to restrain and repel Mangonis. If it voluntarily retreats, all well and good. If it persists in hunting us down, we have no choice but to lead it away.”
“Even if it stubbornly clings to its pursuit, our weakening of its power will increase the chances of escape after luring it around Watchtower Fortress, regardless of who it chases.”