Chapter 1121 The Achilles' Heel of Nythotep <TOC> Chapter 1123 The Umbrella
Translator: SumTLMan
Contrary to their expectations, the outcome was shockingly different.
Aside from the slight quiver of the marginal, wispy clouds due to the gusty winds, the massive rainclouds were almost utterly undisturbed, standing resolute amidst the tempestuous gale.
Rivetta, manipulating the wind element, was acutely aware of the situation at hand.
The wind elements were free to cavort and caper outside the rainclouds, yet the moment they infiltrated the rainclouds, her dominion over them dissipated instantly, as if there existed a membrane impeding her control over the wind elements.
Hence, no matter how powerful the gust, it could only sway the outmost layer of thin clouds. Upon penetrating deeper, the interior refused to surrender to the wind’s tantrum.
Despite the fact that the rainclouds floated aimlessly with no tether to the ground, they were utterly powerless against it, a truth that made their blood run cold.
The countenances of all the wizards darkened, revealing an unspoken worry.
“Drip, drop.” Came the peculiar sound from the rainclouds, echoing as if mocking their temerity.
Rivetta’s expression continuously morphed; her primary objective for being on the frontlines was indeed to unearth some significant scoops. However, she was acutely aware that digging for news was one thing, managing to carry the information back alive was another matter altogether.
The saying goes, ‘all for one and one for all.’ To maximize the possibility of survival, one must devise a way to eradicate these Great Demons.
Rivetta’s abilities were meager, her capacity to contribute was limited. Yet, when it came to gathering information, she had a unique methodology up her sleeve.
With this in mind, Rivetta temporarily relinquished her manipulation of wind-based magic, clandestinely setting up a Summoning Ritual instead.
This summoning ritual was evidently a frequent tool in Rivetta’s arsenal, quickly deployed with the majority of spell materials ready to hand. As an ephemeral flash of azure-black light vanished, a nearly transparent wind sprite materialized before Rivetta in the nebulous veil.
The wind sprite had a human-like form but was not a humanoid life form in the real sense. She was an elemental being. Her outline flickered intermittently, resembling a specter on the brink of disintegration with her spiritual light.
“Become my eyes, help me probe into the situation within those rainclouds,” Rivetta promptly commanded.
The wind sprite glanced back at the immovable rainclouds amidst the gales, her expression vaguely reflecting confusion, “Strange… peculiar…”
The newly birthed wind sprite was of low intelligence, her expressive capabilities no better than those of a toddler. Rivetta rarely heard the wind sprite speak. Today’s rare verbalization caught her by surprise.
“These rainclouds… it seems peculiar?” Rivetta strived to compact the essence of her statement.
The wind sprite gave a slight nod.
Just as Rivetta was about to inquire about the oddities of the rainclouds, the sprite bore a puzzled countenance, making it clear that its level of understanding was hard-pressed to grasp Rivetta’s intent.
“Nevermind, a closer examination should shed some light,” Rivetta sighed lightly, the blue-black glow resurfacing on her hand. The summoning ritual was yet to be completed with one final verse: I shall dwell within your dominant consciousness, observing the myriad twists and turns of chaos.
With the utterance of the secret verse, the wind sprite transmuted into nothingness, then dissolved into the surrounding gale, gliding in their direction, and disappearing into the heart of the rainclouds.
As the sprite entered the rainclouds, Rivetta immediately sensed a loss of control over her.
Under typical summoning spells, such an event would likely be synonymous with the death of the summoned entity, implying the failure of the spell or even a backlash. However, what Rivetta employed was not an ordinary summoning spell, but a summoning ritual.
Rivetta glanced at the back of her hand, noticing an eccentric rune akin to a magic formation. At the centre of this rune, the casting material referred to as the “offering” within the ritual rites, had yet to be entirely consumed, indicating that the summoning ritual was still ongoing.
However, the consumption rate of this offering was rapid — at least six times faster than usual.
If she waited a bit longer, it would be depleted.
Rivetta hastily recited the ritual verses, linking herself with the senses of the sprite through the ritual.
A bizarre sensation abruptly enveloped Rivetta.
Just as if her consciousness, spirit, and senses were all ensnared in a layer of aqueous sheath, the wind sprite struggled fervently to break free from these fetters, yet, no matter the effort, escape proved elusive.
Rivetta persistently communicated mentally to the wind sprite: “Cease your struggle, become my eyes, and perceive our surroundings.”
Nevertheless, the wind sprite was far from an ordinary wind elemental; from the moment she sprang into existence as an elemental lifeform, she comprehended the concept of “life and death.”
Rivetta wasn’t employing a summoning spell, hence she could not enforce a command upon the wind sprite. Presently, the sprite’s anxiety about self-preservation clearly surpassed Rivetta’s mental suggestions, leading to the current standoff.
“Become my eyes; once you let me see my surroundings, I will conclude the summoning ritual and restore you to your original world,” Rivetta had to resort to coaxing, having failed in her mental persuasion.
The wind sprite, albeit not highly intelligent, understood that once the ritual ended, it would immediately depart this plane.
After pondering for a moment, the wind sprite accepted Rivetta’s offer. It ceased its struggle, surrendering to the relentless pressure of the watery sheath constricting its space, and lent its eyes to Rivetta.
In an instant, Rivetta beheld the images within the rainclouds.
Upon the ethereal canvas of its perception, Rivetta beheld the colossal entity known as Nythotep, as magnificent as it was terrifying. She saw the two blood cocoons, levitating ominously behind Nythotep’s massive silhouette, and in its monstrous company were Iadase and Komodo. Rivetta yearned to observe further, yet a resonant voice abruptly pierced the silence, echoing in her ears like the melody of the rain — a hushed “drip, drop.”
Lifting her gaze, the world condensed into a chilling sight: a gaping maw filled with vicious fangs. Then, with a snap that resonated like a shattering crystal, darkness swallowed her vision.
With the swiftness of a dream’s end, Rivetta was ejected from the wind sprite’s consciousness. Reeling from the disorientation, she soon noticed a burning sensation on the back of her hand. Upon inspection, she found the summoning ritual had disastrously failed, leaving behind a peculiar bluish-black mark as a souvenir of its demise.
The failed ritual signified the wind sprite’s demise. That bluish-black mark, however, was a backlash of the failed ceremony, a curse mark. According to the sacrificial writings during the ritual preparation, the magnitude of the curse could be ascertained.
The meaning of this curse was clear: she was now unable to wield elemental powers for a brief period— a curse of both negligible and considerable consequence.
With no time to address the curse, Rivetta, her face a mask of grim determination, retreated to the surface of the floating iceberg. Upon landing, she promptly made her way to the forefront of the iceberg: “Lord Mengke, I have seen the situation within the rainclouds.”
Rivetta refrained from mentioning her usage of the summoning ritual. Although the study of rituals was not as taboo as the study of marks and didn’t incur the relentless persecution of the Extreme Sect, it wasn’t mainstream within the Southern Region. Rivetta’s understanding of ritualistic studies was her concealed advantage, a secret she preferred not to broadcast widely.
She simply stated, “I’ve seen the situation within the rainclouds through a special method.”
Rivetta sketched a simple depiction of the scene she had observed, with a particular focus on the condition of the two blood cocoons: “The blood cocoons are situated behind Nythotep. Komodo and Iadase are by the sides of the cocoons, seemingly hastening their rupture. The hue of the cocoons is growing fainter by the moment, indicating that the time of their breach is swiftly approaching. Once the rupture occurs, it will bring about unfavorable circumstances for us.”
Upon hearing this, Mengke nodded in acknowledgment. However, before he could respond, a sudden scream pierced through from the distance.
Turning to investigate the cause, they saw a wild gust of wind assaulting from within the rainclouds, its ferocity surpassing even the windstorm they had jointly whipped up earlier. It had scattered the assembled wizards, dispersing them haphazardly.
Fortunately, these wizards were all aligned with the wind branch. Although the sudden gust was wild, it did not pose a substantial threat to them.
However, this counter-attack revealed some intriguing clues to the discerning eye.
Nythotep is a demon of the sea, clearly unaccustomed to wielding powers of the wind. Of the two within, Iadase and Komodo, one specializes in physical power and the other is a Fire Demon. Even if they could manipulate the wind, they would not be capable of generating this level of true knowledge level wind power.
Then whence comes this wind power? The only plausible explanation is that it originates from the hands of the wizards themselves.
Previously, upon the wind power entering the rainclouds, they had lost control over it. It might not be complete loss of control, perhaps it was seized by Nythotep, even reflecting it back outward.
Mengke gazed into the billowing curtain of rainclouds, his eyes flickering with contemplation. After a moment of silence, he turned to Rivetta, his tone imbued with curiosity, “What do you suppose, lies veiled within that torrential formation?”
Rivetta’s thoughts drifted back to the faint, tantalizing sensation of bondage relayed by the wind sprite.
A binding that seemed pervasive, that left no room for any form of freedom — even though the wind sprite itself was devoid of a physical body, merely an nascent entity born of the wind. The stranglehold was so complete that it rendered her immobile.
Restraint, compression, suffocation, as if confined in a diminishing space… What could this sensation be?
As Rivetta dwelt on the sensation, an idea sparked within the labyrinth of her mind, “Repulsion! Yes, that’s it! Repulsion!”
“The formation of rainclouds seems to repel any foreign power. It’s akin to a natural domain that only permits the existence of Nythotep’s power,” Rivetta’s thoughts began to align, leading her to a potential answer, “It’s a domain! It resembles the power of a domain. Could it be that the raincloud is a type of water domain?”
A domain, in essence, is a field of magic. When one’s power escalates to the third level of true knowledge, a wizard begins to encounter the concept of magic domain. By the time they’re on the brink of becoming a legend, they would have garnered a rudimentary understanding of how to construct a domain. While the domain isn’t fully constructed, they are already capable of harnessing its power in its basic form.
“If Nythotep is capable of utilizing a domain, then she must at least be a Demon Lord,” Mengke expressed his dissent, shaking his head, “There might be traces of a domain, but if it was truly a domain, then Canter and Samantha wouldn’t have lasted that long.”
“What if it isn’t a domain, then? Why is Nythotep virtually invincible within?” Rivetta voiced her confusion.
Mengke refrained from answering, instead casting his gaze towards Sanders, who was enveloped in silence. “What is your assessment of the situation?”
Sanders reflected, “Based on what we’ve seen so far, Nythotep’s power has vastly transcended the limitations of a Great Demon. Judging from the strength it has displayed so far, it could effortlessly crush us, yet it has not done so.”
“Are you suggesting that Nythotep’s power is constrained, limited only to the confines of those rainclouds? However, those clouds are nothing more than an impenetrable fortress. We can neither breach it nor counteract it,” Riveta surmised.
Sanders elaborated, “The power of a Great Demon is bounded, yet Nythotep has broken these boundaries extensively. Such a situation could only mean one of two things: either she possesses extraordinary talent with an exceptionally high ceiling or… this power does not originate from Nythotep herself.”
Mengke nodded in comprehension, “You’re implying…”
“Those rainclouds may not be a manifestation of her own strength,” Sanders concluded.
Chapter 1121 The Achilles' Heel of Nythotep <TOC> Chapter 1123 The Umbrella