Chapter 1096 Baphomet <TOC> Chapter 1098 An Unexpected Reunion
Translator: SumTLMan
The state of affairs on solid ground was a stark contrast to the fierce conflict that had just raged atop the floating iceberg.
With the flames extinguished, everything beyond became a scorched battlefield, shrouded in thick, roiling smoke.
Within the haze, a luminescent point twinkled into existence. If one looked closer, it appeared to be a metallic orb, almost like an eye equipped with small wings.
This orb bobbed gently within the smoke, and with each blink of its metaphorical eye, glimmers of brilliance flickered.
At this moment, Angel, ensconced within the Domain of Wind, closed his eyes, utilizing the position of the orb to gauge his surroundings.
The orb served as a scouting puppet, acting as an extension of a wizard’s sight. Everywhere it roved, the environment could be clearly captured. In truth, its effectiveness was no different from the second level spell — Wizard’s Eye.
However, while the Wizard’s Eye could explore a wide range, even after Angel’s modifications, the scouting puppet’s scouting range could not exceed five kilometers.
That being said, the scouting puppet possessed an advantage. If the Wizard’s Eye were to be dispelled, the wizard himself would also sustain injury. However, even if the scouting puppet were to be shattered, the puppeteer would at most experience a brief mental prick, with negligible harm to themselves.
Previously, due to the interference from the Domain of Wind and the outside flames being too intense, even when Angel dispatched the scouting puppet, it was impossible to relay real-time images back. But now, with the fires extinguished and Fafnir granting permissions, the range of actions he could execute expanded significantly.
He initially aimed to elevate his scouting puppet, aspiring to inspect the situation closer to the floating iceberg. Yet, before even traversing a hundred meters, it was seized by a Bone Wing Demon that appeared out of nowhere. After a moment of confusion, it mumbled in an unrecognizable tongue and crushed the scouting puppet into fragments.
Later on, Angel released two more puppets to scout. Each one that soared skywards was invariably consigned to oblivion. Ultimately, Angel abandoned the idea of reaching the floating iceberg, letting the scouting puppet meander freely around La Sutherland.
Under the concealment of the thick smoke, the puppet roamed through the city. It was a lot safer than soaring in the high skies. With virtually no hindrance, it ventured as far as its range allowed. Yet, Angel could only survey the immediate vicinity of the southern outskirts.
In truth, when La Sutherland was still in a tranquil state, Angel did not dare venture out. Unexpectedly, it was only after the city plunged into the flames of war that he had the good fortune to appreciate this demon city that perpetually stood strong in the void.
While observing La Sutherland, ravaged by war, Angel simultaneously scoured for traces of humans. If possible, he hoped to locate Sineva, who had departed earlier.
However, to his surprise, in La Sutherland at present, not to mention humans, even the demons seemed to have disappeared. The entire city felt as though it had been purged.
Silence prevailed, suffused with an eerie atmosphere.
“How peculiar. Every time I fly towards the sky, demons appear. Yet now, I’ve been flying so long at ground level and not a single demon is in sight. Where could they have hidden?” Angel manipulated his puppet, his face etched with bewilderment as he directed it towards the heart of the city.
After some time, apart from the charred earth, occasional appearances of fire meteors’ craters, and omnipresent billowing smoke, Angel found no other signs of life.
Just as he planned to test the waters in a different direction, his gaze fell upon a patch of the heavens not too far off, where a cluster of clouds had inexplicably surfaced out of nowhere.
This unexpected low-hanging formation, covered a smoke-heavy region like an enigmatic veil.
From afar, Angel observed the area enveloped in misty clouds, where nothing was discernible, it seemed like a natural prison confined by the fog and the cloud cover.
Getting a tad closer, he could hear the pitter-patter of rain. Simultaneously, sporadic sounds of explosions and combat echoed through the smoky veil.
It appeared that there was some sort of skirmish going on within.
Unfortunately, his modified scouting puppet was prone to distortions in both sound and image in the presence of energy barriers. Although he could discern some noise from within, the chaotic energy within the enclosure rendered him incapable of ascertaining the specifics.
Given the fact that a fight was taking place, it was inconceivable at this point in time that it was an internal dispute amongst demons; it was undoubtedly a battle between the human faction and the demons.
With such proximity to the southern outskirts, Angel couldn’t help but wonder if Sineva had escaped and bumped into other demons.
Angel wanted to investigate further, however, just as he was about to step inside, something caught his eye. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a flicker of red light in the ruins of a building nearby.
Angel had no fear of exposing himself, after all, he had more scouting puppets even if this one was shattered. After mulling it over for a moment, he discreetly edged towards the source of the red light.
As for the region beneath the rubble, Angel planned to send another nearby scouting puppet to investigate.
The scouting puppet flickered out of sight amidst the thick smoke, tracing the path of the previous crimson radiance, only to become ensnared in a labyrinth of architectural ruins. Yet once within these confines, Angel could find no trace of that former red illumination. All that lay before him were expansive ruins and a smoky alleyway obscured by the ruins. Aside from these, there was nothing else.
It was as if the previous red light had merely been a trick of his mind.
After wandering aimlessly among the ruins, he spotted only the corpse of a demon, likely struck down by a meteor shower, and nothing more.
After a moment of contemplation, Angel directed his gaze toward the smoke-enshrouded alleyway.
Given the ruins offered no other path, the only viable way forward was this alleyway. Perhaps it held some undiscovered secrets.
With this thought, the scouting puppet ventured into the alleyway.
The alleyway was not lengthy, and Angel soon found himself at its end.
The endpoint offered no trace of the elusive “red light”, but Angel spotted a door that had been swung open.
This door was fixed directly into the ground, opening onto a pitch-black staircase leading into the unknown depths below.
It was a deep and extensive corridor. Initially, Angel discerned a downward slope, but as the scouting puppet ventured further in, the corridor began to gradually ascend.
Throughout the corridor, Angel was able to discern footprints imprinted on the stairway. These footprints were untouched by dust, indicating that a lifeform had recently passed through. Angel surmised that perhaps this was the entity behind the fleeting “red light” he had glimpsed earlier.
Angel carried on with his exploration, the terrain now gradually sloping upward. In a short while, he spotted the exit——
The moment his scouting puppet emerged from the exit, the visual feedback to Angel was momentarily distorted…Upon meticulous examination, Angel identified the culprit: a dramatic surge in temperature had resulted in some degree of image degradation.
The source of this intense heat was none other than a vast lava pool situated behind the exit.
Presently, the scouting puppet was At the Edge of a Lava Pool, glowing with a fierce, pulsating red light. The ferocious heat had contorted the surrounding air into an almost tangible veil.
This lava pool was clearly not the consequence of a wildfire, but rather a feature that pre-dated the upheaval in La Sutherland.
Through the eyes of the scouting puppet, Angel had a clear view: the lava pool consisted of segregated sections, with each one surrounding a massive furnace.
Surrounding each furnace were heaps of various metals and the necessary tools for forging.
“Could this be the smithy of La Sutherland?” Angel murmured in speculation. The layout here was unmistakably designed for forging weapons and armor.
Due to the extreme temperature, the visual feedback was in constant distortion, prompting Angel to command the puppet to ascend higher. However, as the puppet soared halfway into the sky, Angel made a bewildering discovery — strewn across the entire range of the lava pool were variously shaped weapons, as bizarre as they were numerous.
Hulking axes, spiked clubs, long spears… and even massive cleavers.
Weapons of wild appearances were haphazardly strewn about the area, the crude elegance of warfare embodied in their forms.
As an alchemist, Angel could easily discern the superb quality of these implements of destruction, each one at least reaching the standards of novice craftsmanship. Even more impressive, a handful of these weapons rivaled the complexity of intermediate alchemy items.
Most significantly, Angel could tell these were not newly forged tools of war. Instead, they bore the markings of countless battles, of tireless honing and meticulous care from their masters.
Yet, these cherished instruments of violence were now carelessly discarded, their wielders mysteriously absent.
“Hm?” Angel’s brows furrowed, his keen gaze detecting something unusual.
Directing his puppet to descend, Angel focused his attention on an immense butcher’s cleaver, or more precisely, on the ground near the cleaver. There was a dark, murky stain.
While unable to smell or physically feel it, an instinct told Angel this might be a pool of dried blood.
Soon after, he noticed similar ominous stains near the other weapons. If his suspicions were correct, these could be the blood traces of the vanished weapon bearers. But where had their owners gone? Could they have been slain? If so, why were there no remains, just these blood stains?
The carcasses of demons, though not exceptionally valuable, still held a certain worth. Human wizards would typically gather the remains after battling demons, perhaps selling them later for some profit.
But if humans were indeed responsible, why would they leave these weapons scattered here?
Though wizards may hold these weapons in contempt, the materials used to craft these instruments of war are undeniably of exceptional rarity, derived from abyssal metals of the profound depths.
Consequently, it raises the question, could these creations not be the handiwork of humans? However, if not fashioned by human hands, what could possibly account for the circumstances at hand?
“Could it be, some monstrous creature has devoured them?” Angel muttered under his breath in hushed tones, perplexed.
Just as Angel found himself entangled in a web of confusion, a sudden cacophony emerged from behind the nearby grand smeltery. Accompanying this resonating din was a devilish discourse, its tone brimming with flippant mockery:
“Indeed, my intuition did not mislead me. There’s a fish that managed to slip through the net… It’s no wonder that avaricious old beast forbade me from feasting on the other demonic carcasses. It was all because of you!”
In the wake of this voice, Angel caught wind of yet another demonic dialogue. This time, the tones were fraught with fear and urgency:
“Stay back! Ah — spare me, I beg you, spare me——” The initial pleas for mercy gradually warped into agonized shrieks, amplified by the continuous crunching noise. “Sparrow Blossom, why must you do this? Kaido saved you, yet you slaughtered him! Moreover, you annihilated our entire clan… Even in death, I won’t forgive you. The Purgatory Flame Slave will be reborn in the fires, and I will murder you, I swear it, I will end your life!”
Chapter 1096 Baphomet <TOC> Chapter 1098 An Unexpected Reunion