Translator: SumTLMan
As two flowers bloom, each holds its own.
Time whisks us back to not so long ago.
Upon a floating iceberg, two wizards from the Gravity Forest met their mysterious demise. This unforeseen event stirred unrest amongst their companions, as none wished to confront such a perplexing disaster.
While the majority attributed the deaths to demonic schemes, only Nereus, standing over the bodies, seemed to perceive something different.
With a somber gaze, Nereus approached the forefront of the iceberg, intending to ask Mengke, wondering whether the deaths were tied to Sanders. But before he could voice his question, Mengke spoke up, “Nereus, your timing couldn’t be more perfect.”
Mengke pointed towards the distant Void Obelisk.
A shroud of pitch-black clouds enveloped the tip of the tower in layer after layer. These ominous clouds teemed with an unthinkable number of demons.
“Do you see it?” The eyes beneath Mengke’s mask narrowed, “She has arrived.”
Following Mengke’s gaze, Nereus realized he was not pointing at the horde of demons, but at the center of the rainclouds. A fiery comet, embodying an unparalleled momentum, burst through the thick black shroud like an Empress arriving at her court, landing atop the Void Obelisk.
Despite the obscuring swarm of demons, Nereus couldn’t see the heart of the fiery spectacle clearly. However, he understood who Mengke was referring to.
The sole reason for Mengke’s journey to La Sutherland——Olucia!
“Mengke, are you planning to take action now?” asked Nereus.
“We’ve been waiting while she hid in the Hunting Museum, now that she has finally emerged, it’s the perfect opportunity!” The speaking Sineva’s frost-tipped hair fluttered while boundless battle intent ignited in her fiery eyes.
Lucci, adorned with twelve round clocks, floated mid-air with eyes closed, seemingly listening to something. After a moment, he finally spoke, “Only two breaths can be heard near Olucia, one weak and one strong, which matches the characteristics of the Young Fire Demon and Servant of Fire. Curator Night of the Museum is not detected, so we can act without worrying about offending the future Demon Lord.”
Although Samantha and Essex remained silent, they began preparing for the imminent battle.
Mengke turned to Nereus, his deep eyes, which seemed to have witnessed the world’s vicissitudes, were filled with indescribable emotions. Nereus understood, Mengke was waiting for his decision.
“I don’t mind. I brought the Nameless Scroll here, so naturally, I’ve prepared for everything,” Nereus noncommittally nodded. After a pause, he added with a hint of deeper implications, “However, aside from Lord Mengke, the strongest wizard here, the revered War God of the Southern Region is not present… Shouldn’t we wait for him?”
“We don’t need to wait for him,” replied Samantha, not Mengke, “Sanders’ main purpose lies in his Gravity Garden, his involvement in the battle is merely an additional clause. Besides, the battle contribution from the Savage Grottoes isn’t with Sanders, I’m more than enough for it.”
A chill flashed across Nereus’s narrowed eyes.
At this point, Mengke turned to Nereus with a grin, “You should prepare… As for Sanders, I’ve already stated my stance. As long as he doesn’t interfere with my plan, I won’t involve myself nor hinder him. You should understand what I mean.”
Although his words were filled with mirth, Nereus felt a chilling tingle beginning at his scalp.
“Off you go.”
Nereus left, replaced by Rivetta, who came forward, holding a tome. Upon seeing Nereus’s visage, she was taken aback to find an unnerving malice that sharply contrasted his usually radiant and godlike appearance which was akin to a sun god.
Rivetta, witnessing this transformation in Nereus, couldn’t help but shiver.
“Rivetta, what’s wrong?” an acquainted witch queried, approaching with curiosity.
“Nothing really, I am just finding it harder and harder to decipher the current state of affairs,” Rivetta sighed, taking the witch’s hand as they moved off to the side.
Elsewhere, Sineva was still trying to figure out what was happening: “What’s going on with Nereus?”
Samantha gave a derisive snort, her eyes, filled with disdain, watching as Nereus disappeared into the crowd, “He can’t fight on his own, but he wants to drag us into the fray. Overestimating his abilities, much?”
Sineva seemed to understand, though before she could inquire further, Mengke turned towards Samantha, “It’s your turn to deal with these ‘rainclouds’.”
Samantha nodded, “I understand. But these demons do not appear to want to protect Olucia, they are likely just drawn to the Void Obelisk. I will primarily focus on intimidation. If they refuse to back down, demise is the only path left!”
Samantha’s words bore an undertone of bloodlust.
To any other wizards, Samantha’s claims would sound utterly fanciful. After all, she was only a second level true knowledge witch. Where was her confidence coming from when facing this legion of demons that spanned the horizon, confident enough to claim she could wipe them out?
Seeing that Samantha was about to take action, Sineva refrained from asking further about Nereus, instead turning to Lucci, the only prophecy wizard present, “Lucci, could you check if there will be any unexpected variables?”
“As soon as La Sutherland entered the countdown to the end, it became very difficult to discern the timeline here. However, the battles between Fafnir and Komodo have not stopped. If we act now, it might affect them, and they may become the biggest variable,” Lucci said.
“Don’t worry, I’ll do my best to avoid them,” Samantha took to the sky, her eyes alight with brilliance.
Her actions drew everyone’s attention.
Her glass-like long skirt swayed in the violent wind, giving her the appearance of a jellyfish lazily floating above the ‘rainclouds’ near the Void Obelisk.
Samantha’s arrival put the surrounding demons on high alert. However, they weren’t overly concerned. In their minds, the demons here numbered in the thousands, if not tens of thousands. Under such circumstances, a single witch venturing here was likely seeking her own demise.
Without uttering a single word to the demons, Samantha started her offensive.
However, she didn’t physically attack herself. She extended her arms, and from a multifaceted, sapphire gem on her belt emanated a glow as blue as water. This shimmering light solidified into pale blue waves, forming a circular ‘formation’ in front of her.
At first, no one understood what this ‘formation’ was until…a semi-transparent gorilla with a tough, muscular body emerged from the ‘formation’, trampling recklessly among the demons. It immediately pushed back a corner of the ‘rainclouds’ by several meters! Only then did they witness the might of this ‘formation’!
And yet, this was only the beginning!
Samantha stood in front of the ‘formation’, ceaselessly emitting an array of semi-transparent mysterious creatures: a forest deer adorned with multiple horns, a radiant white fox sprouting wings, an elusive spectral cat flickering in and out of the void, a celestial snake with its body shimmering in the patterns of stars…
“These are… Spirit Illusions!” a wizard gasped, recognizing the unique lifeforms conjured by Samantha.
Spirit Illusions represent life forms that balance between the physical and soul planes. They are incredibly rare and often incredibly powerful. But here Samantha was, releasing these Spirit Illusions like a never-ceasing machine gun, with her formation acting as the barrel, spraying out these wonderful creatures as if they were worth nothing.
“What’s going on with these Spirit Illusions? Why are there so many?”
“There’s only one place that can produce so many Spirit Illusions — the Soul Garden!”
Someone quickly recalled that Samantha had indeed visited the Savage Grottoes before, perhaps that’s when she took away these accumulated Spirit Illusions! But even if the Savage Grottoes were willing to part with so many, could Samantha really control them?
The wizards turned their gaze to Maher, hoping to find answers from him.
“This is a reflection of the Spirit Illusions, a control core granted by the master of the Soul Garden. It can only be used once.” Maher pointed to the gemstone that Samantha was about to take.
Suddenly, it all made sense. For most of them, this was the first time they had heard that Spirit Illusions could be reflected! Rivetta even pulled out her recording tome and swiftly noted down this information.
The Soul Garden is one of the top gardens in the Wizarding World, and the Savage Grottoes rarely open their spots to outsiders, so little information trickles out. Rivetta had even heard a rumor that Baroque of Sky Mechanical City stayed in the Savage Grottoes for many years, seemingly for the Soul Garden, but he had never managed to secure a spot.
Such a piece of rare news was something Rivetta naturally wouldn’t miss.
As the crowd was engrossed in their discussions, the battlefield told a different story. These semi-transparent Spirit Illusions, being completely immune to physical attacks, forced the demons to retreat in no time.
Even if some people found energy that could harm the spirits, the ensuing chaos might lead to friendly fire.
Under such circumstances, wherever the Spirit Illusions went, both sides evaded.
Samantha effortlessly opened a path right through the middle of the “raincloud”, and continued to advance, Creating a Path of Spirit Illusions in an incredibly short time.
Straight into the heart of the Void Obelisk!
As Samantha paved the way, the floating iceberg was slowly approaching the Void Obelisk.
Mengke stood at the highest point, his robe flapping in the strong wind. Against the backdrop of the fire-lit horizon, Mengke’s voice resonated across the floating iceberg:
“The final act begins now!”
Upon saying this, Mengke lifted his elaborate scepter and swung it forcefully, pointing straight at the top of the Void Obelisk!
Everyone turned to look where he pointed.
Witness, as the ‘rainclouds’ in the sky part to carve a path. At this very moment, the onlookers get a genuine and distinct view of the circumstances at the pinnacle of the tower.
The Void Obelisk — the apex above!
At the forefront stands a Servant of Fire, his entire being cloaked in a crimson robe. Under the watchful gaze of the crowd, he slowly unsheathes a sword ablaze with fire!
Behind this Servant of Fire, a fireball, reminiscent of a tightly wound bundle, hovers in mid-air. It appears somewhat timid, tilting its form to avoid glancing at the floating iceberg.
Further behind this fireball, at the very peak of the tower, stands Olucia. Mysterious in her porcelain-white mask, she stands still. Behind Olucia lies an oddly fascinating painting.
As the human camps’ gaze sweeps over, Olucia extends her hand with an air of serene elegance, partially removing her mask.
Her eyes, glowing with an ethereal, ghostly green flame, are slowly raised. Their gaze, seeming to cross the boundless distance.
Lastly, they meet squarely with Mengke, who stands at the strategic height on the floating iceberg!