Chapter 1097 At the Edge of a Lava Pool <TOC> Chapter 1099 The Sight of Canaan’s Trail
Translator: SumTLMan
Sparrow Blossom? A sudden shock of confusion swept through Angel, and although the entity communicated in Demonic Language, an uncannily fleeting image of a petite figure flashed through his mind, her features indistinct. However, this mental glimpse was ephemeral, vanishing as he tried to focus and examine it further, leaving him unable to recall his prior train of thought.
Was this Sparrow Blossom a name, or was it an exclamation of some sort?
Angel momentarily suppressed the perplexing thoughts that had sprung forth, instead manipulating his reconnaissance puppet to surreptitiously investigate the adjacent mountain wall, his perspective slowly shifting towards the direction of the furnace.
He yearned to understand, to discern what precisely had unfolded.
From what he gathered, it seemed his prior conjectures were misguided. The situation here was not a conflict between humans and demons, but rather an internal strife amongst the demons themselves, where one demon had presumably murdered the others of his kind?
With his curiosity piqued, Angel cast his gaze upon the scene——
“Rebirth? You were devoured by that insatiable old wretch, yet you yearn for reincarnation? Impossible! Ha-ha-ha… obediently become the fuel for our tribe’s resurgence!”
The first sight that met Angel’s redirected gaze was that of a demon, his hand clamping his face as he threw his head back in raucous laughter.
This demon was enshrouded in flickering flames, and his hand seemed to shimmer with a serpentine or chain-like red luminescence.
Following the flash of red light, another demon behind the furnace immediately let out an agonizing scream. Angel’s perspective didn’t allow him to see the other demon’s predicament; he wasn’t certain what had happened. He attempted to adjust his position, seeking to circle around and get a clearer view of the situation from another angle.
In the process of shifting perspectives, Angel’s field of vision became increasingly broad, as if he was being granted the eagle’s view from the high skies.
He cast his gaze upon the demon by the furnace, who stood tall and laughed boisterously. Yet, a sense of familiarity pricked at him, like the faint echo of a melody played long ago.
“Where have I seen this silhouette before?” Angel’s brows furrowed in thought, and he rifled through the vault of his memories. The demons he’d encountered were not few in number, but one that was enshrouded in flame, its frame filled with such wicked might? That didn’t ring any bell.
Lost in his thoughts, Angel’s control over the surveillance puppet faltered.
His original plan was to covertly move the puppet along the periphery, hoping to find the most suitable perspective, like a fox prowling in the shadows. Yet in the midst of his contemplation, a lapse in focus led to the spherical edge of the puppet grazing the wall.
Instantly, a sound akin to a serpent’s hiss, born of metal scraping against stone, resonated in the silent space.
Though the sound was as faint as a whisper, it failed to elude the demon’s acute senses.
“Who’s there?!” The demon, wreathed in searing flames, spun around without a moment’s hesitation, fixing its menacing gaze upon the source of the sound.
Caught in the spotlight with no time for evasion, the surveillance puppet stood starkly visible under the demon’s scrutiny.
But at the same time, the demon was exposed to Angel’s view as well. A flicker of surprise sparkled in his eyes. The demon’s appearance was uncannily familiar, like the face of an old friend appearing in a dream.
An image of a young man in a white robe crossed Angel’s mind. Yet, the youth had a sunny demeanor that bore no resemblance to the demon before him, whose every expression and aura were steeped in a thick shadow of malevolence.
“Scouting puppet!” A hint of ruthlessness flickered in the demon’s eyes. “To think someone would probe all the way here?!”
The demon murmured in its ominous tone, waving its hand casually. Accompanied by the shriek of another demon, Angel noticed a flash of red light before his eyes——
With a click, the image transmission was interrupted, the picture vanishing from his sight.
The demon by the lava pool, gazing at the shattered metal fragments on the ground, didn’t look as arrogant as before.
“It seems someone else has discovered me,” the demon whispered in a low voice. But this time, it wasn’t speaking the language of demons but standard human language: “Who could it be? I’ve changed my form completely, they shouldn’t recognize me… Even if they do, dawn is soon approaching, no one can stop me now…”
Alongside the demon’s murmurs and strange clicking sounds, a red light flickered. A chain sickle was left on the ground, next to it, a slowly darkening bloodstain.
The other demon who had previously cursed at it had vanished without a trace.
Meanwhile, the demon looked at its own arm. Under the pale skin, it seemed as though a tiny mouse was scurrying about, creating a “small mountain” of raised skin. The small mountain roamed around, finally settling at his palm where it slowly melded and disappeared. As the small mountain faded, the demon’s palm enlarged dramatically, its once glowing white hand started to be shrouded in a shadow. Even its nails transformed into razor-sharp talons, reflecting a bone-chilling light.
“I need to quicken my pace… There are so many delectable corpses outside. I must enhance my power before the throne descends…” the demon muttered in a low voice, its figure fading into the darkness.
On the flip side, Angel, whose vision was forcibly severed, stood amidst the courtyard with a countenance both complex and peculiar.
The peculiar mix of emotions etched on his face was the fruit of the final visual relayed by the spying puppet before it was shattered, presenting him with countless unnoticed details.
The information hidden within these details spun a web of perplexity around his heart.
The demon employed a beam of crimson light as its weapon to demolish the spying puppet — more precisely, a scarlet chain radiating an intense glow of blood and adorned with persistently blazing flames.
The terminal end of this chain was bound to a demon, half-digested, reduced to a mere torso and a despair-filled skull.
Moreover, the demon was continuously being dissolved as the chain constricted. It was likely that nothing would be left at the end, save for a puddle of bloodstains.
Presumably, the earlier sight of swords scattered all around with their owner vanished without a trace that Angel had witnessed was the result of such a “digestive” process.
All of this, at face value, seemed like internal strife among demons, albeit somewhat horrifying in its execution. But what struck Angel as absurd was that the chain… was his own creation.
When he first embarked on his journey as an alchemy apprentice, his maiden creation tailored for someone was this very chain.
Although the chain had undergone earth-shattering transformations, now adorned with peculiar runes and persistently set ablaze, how could Angel, the chain’s creator, not recognize his own masterpiece?
In fact, back when La Sutherland was still in a tranquil state, Angel had sensed the vibrations of the chain and noticed a shadowy red glow. But he had dismissed it then as an illusion, little suspecting the reality.
After all, the chain was crafted for Popoca, and was even subjected to Popoca’s blood soul sacrifice. Given Popoca’s abilities, it’s almost impossible that it would be found in La Sutherland.
Thus, Angel hadn’t given it much thought until now.
But seeing the chain now, and thinking back to the demon’s familiar visage, Angel is almost certain the chain is his creation, and it is highly likely that the demon is Popoca!
Even though the demon looks fierce, there’s a vague hint of Popoca in its features. It could be that Popoca intentionally disguised himself as such.
Upon reflecting on Popoca, Angel remembers seeing him not too long ago at the Watchtower Fortress. At the time, Popoca was with a short, plump apprentice named Dash and a braided-haired child. Initially, it was them who had informed Angel about Toby’s whereabouts.
Afterward, Angel hadn’t seen Popoca again. But then, Angel remembers an incident during the personnel transfer at Watchtower Fortress when they passed through the Gloaming Mountains. There was a minor mishap. Back then, Angel had just emerged from exploring Toby’s dream and woke up to see someone crying from a distant flying vehicle, even causing the Frost Moon Guards to rush over.
The ones who were crying out in distress were Dash and the braided-haired child.
According to Sanders, someone had gone missing in a battle against a demon.
Angel didn’t give it much thought then, but now that he reminisces, Dash and the braided-haired child were friends with Popoca. If both of them were distressed, the one who went missing… could it not have been Popoca?
The Gloaming Mountains aren’t far from Lake Nemin, and Lake Nemin is the main entrance into La Sutherland.
Therefore, the possibility of Popoca showing up in La Sutherland isn’t out of the question.
Nevertheless, a sense of intrigue and puzzlement swirled within Angel. If the demon truly was Popoca in disguise, what reason did he, a mere mortal, have for coming to La Sutherland?
And then, there was the matter of that chain.
Angel remembered distinctly that when Popoca had approached him in the Savage Grottoes to fashion the chain, the requirements were exceptionally basic, bordering on crude.
Yet, it was this simple, unadorned chain that Popoca had chosen to dedicate at the Altar of Blood Souls.
The Sacrifice of Blood Souls was a plot devised by the Supreme Demon God of the Abyss, the ‘Profound Lord’. Through this ceremony, a wizard could fuse their essence with a weapon. From then on, the weapon could be commanded at will and could not be seized by others. Furthermore, it would yield unique effects and significantly boost one’s combat prowess.
However, the Sacrifice of Blood Souls had its drawbacks. The number of times one could use it in a lifetime was finite, and, once used, it would bind the user to the Profound Lord. This was tantamount to placing one’s name before the Profound Lord. Typically, the Profound Lord, who propagated the gospel of true names far and wide, would not take notice of those who performed the Sacrifice of Blood Souls. Yet, should his attention be drawn, the consequences would be anything but pleasant.
This was precisely why Angel was taken aback at the time. Why would Popoca choose to perform the Sacrifice of Blood Souls for a chain that was so rudimentary and unadorned in its effects?
Upon observing now, although the chain indeed bears the craftsmanship of Angel from the past, it has undergone dramatic transformations. Though the specifics of the situation are hard to ascertain through mere images, the menacing aura is palpable from the spectacle of the chain devouring its demonic brethren and the uncannily radiant blaze.
Popoca underwent an astonishing metamorphosis, as did the chain. What trickery lies concealed within this?
What is Popoca’s actual objective?
Plagued by uncertainties, Angel orchestrates a new scouting puppet, intending to further inspect the volcanic pit’s domain. Given the opportunity, he wishes to engage in direct conversation with Popoca.
But when the scouting puppet returns to the lava pool, it is utterly deserted.
Compared to before, the only change is the presence of a shackled chain beside the great melting furnace, accompanied by a puddle of still fresh, dark bloodstains…
Chapter 1097 At the Edge of a Lava Pool <TOC> Chapter 1099 The Sight of Canaan’s Trail