Chapter 1192 Artificial Relic <TOC> Chapter 1194 Last Ray of Hope
Translator: SumTLMan
The flames blazed with fierce intensity, yet, when a gust of wind swept past, it became clear that besides the fire, there was no trace of any figure within the deep pit.
Let us rewind to the moment before.
The flame arrow illuminated Greaves’ terror, as he knew there was no chance of evasion. Within his heart, despair coexisted with a serene resignation towards death.
However, in the crucial moment, Greaves felt a surge of strength from behind. Startled, he heard the roaring wind by his ear, and then, in an instant of darkness, vanished from his original spot.
By the time he collected his bearings, he was already on the other side of the field.
Simultaneously, heavy panting could be heard from behind.
Turning his head, he caught sight of a spectral figure diving into Angel. The figure appeared to be a soul.
“Soul projection?” As Greaves pondered in confusion, a sharp pain suddenly radiated from his body.
Lowering his gaze, he only saw a splash of vivid red.
Indeed, by utilizing Angel’s soul projection, Greaves had managed to dodge an attack that could have claimed his life. However, this flame arrow, intensified by the Flameless Lord, had generated such fierce heat that a broad range of danger was formed. Even though Angel managed to evade the flame arrow with Greaves, the latter was still caught within the range of the flames.
A mere graze resulted in a sizable hole at the chest and abdomen of Greaves.
Fresh blood was gushing from the wound.
Despite having dodged the lethal attack, this single graze almost cost Greaves his life.
Angel, behind Greaves, also faced the impact, but all direct forces were intercepted by Greaves. Hence, Angel’s injuries were merely superficial, nothing serious.
Witnessing the wound that had almost claimed Greaves’ life, Angel’s eyes flickered with anxiety.
The fact that Greaves had previously saved Toby could not be denied. Although Greaves’ injuries were self-inflicted, Angel could not bear to watch Greaves perish just like this.
Hastily, Angel retrieved a bottle of luminescent potion from his bracelet, intending to drip it onto Greaves’ wound. However, before the luminescent potion could reach the wound, it transformed into a puff of vapor and disappeared.
Stunned, Angel used his mental tendrils for observation, only to discover a Flameless Fire adhering around Greaves’ wound. Although it was invisible to the naked eye, it was continuously present, gnawing and searing, even spreading outwards from the wound like a burrowing maggot.
The wound itself was already substantial and was now further eroded by the Flameless Fire.
Not much later, Greaves’ eyes began to lose their spirit.
Angel’s mental powers swept over the medical reserves within his bracelet, which were almost depleted and ill-equipped to tackle the predicament Greaves was in. After musing over it, he eventually selected a vial of dark-green potion from within the bracelet.
This dark-green potion seemed nondescript at first glance, but upon closer inspection, one could sense an intriguing depth about it.
This was a mid-rank potion, one of the few such in Angel’s possession.
It was named —Withering Vigil—.
This potion was discovered within the desolate space hidden on Silver Palm Island. It was found in a ship graveyard, among the relics left behind by a wizard named Haska.
The Withering Vigil was originally intended for prolonging life, and its potency was exceptional. Even if it were auctioned, it would certainly command a high price.
However, Angel wasn’t taking out the Withering Vigil for its life-extending properties but for another special function it possessed: significantly reducing life’s consumption.
The method Angel could conceive to rescue Greaves was to first use the Withering Vigil to delay Greaves’ life-death threshold and activate his vitality, and then to find a way to heal his injuries.
Picking up the Withering Vigil, Angel proceeded to pour it into Greaves’ mouth.
Greaves, already unconscious, began to feel his chaotic thoughts under the effect of the potion, slowly sorting themselves out, and his previously bewildered gaze regained clarity.
Vaguely, Greaves could see Angel pouring some potion into him, the source of the warm and comfortable feeling he was experiencing.
Greaves wanted to say thank you, but before he could speak, his pupils suddenly contracted.
“…Behind,” Greaves managed to croak out the word from his dry throat, exerting all his energy.
At that moment, Angel was spreading the effect of the Withering Vigil quickly with a second-level spell called ‘Potion Guidance Spell’. Hearing Greaves’ voice, Angel was taken aback.
Behind?
Angel turned back with a look of confusion.
A blistering shadow obstructed his view.
Reflected in Angel’s pupils was an enormous porcelain-white hand. This hand structurally resembled a Magic Hand, with a certain illusionary quality to it. The only difference was that this porcelain-white hand was engulfed in raging flames.
Angel had no time to evade and was seized by the hand.
A look of bewilderment flashed in Angel’s eyes; he was oblivious to what was happening. Then, in the next moment, he felt a severe sense of compression radiating from his chest and abdomen. The immense pressure gave Angel the illusion that all his organs had been crushed into fragments, mingling with his viscous blood.
This unbearable torture caused Angel’s eyes to whiten at the edges.
Agony relentlessly battered against Angel’s limits of endurance. At this moment, Angel was unable to muster a single thought, nor was he capable of movement. His body was forced to endure the crushing pressure and the searing pain of his skin being scorched.
In Angel’s perception, this suffering lasted an eternity.
However, in reality, it was but a fleeting instant.
All Angel heard was a disgusted “Eh”, then the porcelain-white hand suddenly released him, and he plummeted to the ground, akin to an uprooted onion, landing on the ochre-red earth.
Now, his body was twisted grotesquely, especially his limbs, which appeared as if they were shattered into multiple fragments. His skin, charred to a cinder, emitted thin wisps of smoke.
Angel collapsed, panting heavily. With each gasp, a large amount of blood and unidentifiable flesh were expelled from his mouth.
He could sense that his internal organs were not yet completely shattered, but it wasn’t far off. Not to mention, it felt as though every bone in his body had been snapped in two.
The pain was just as intense as when he was being crushed earlier.
……
Bearing the pain, Angel mustered every ounce of his strength to lift his head. He saw the porcelain-white hand above him suddenly transform into a beam of light and burrowed into the body of the Flameless Lord in the distance.
The Flameless Lord was looking at Angel with a gaze filled with disgust.
To be precise, she was eyeing a drab seabird lying near Angel.
The porcelain-white hand indeed was created by the Flameless Lord, but she wasn’t trying to kill this insignificant human. Instead, she noticed a small statue peeking out of the human’s pocket while he was rescuing the Young Fire Demon.
The Flameless Lord looked at the statue, recognizing it as somewhat familiar, and thus made her move.
Since she had already moved, the Flameless Lord didn’t hold back, planning to squash this human into pulp. However, as she was about to apply force, she suddenly sensed a detestable aura emanating from this human.
The Flameless Lord, swiftly catching on, released Angel.
At the same time, she found the source of the repugnant aura——it was the seabird.
“So, it was the doom curse of the Misfortune Pilgrims. No wonder I encountered various obstacles while chasing from the void,” the Flameless Lord’s eyes reflected her aversion.
The Flameless Lord now understood why her journey had been fraught with bad luck. These mishaps were not actually aimed at her; she was merely caught in the range of the doom curse.
Angel never expected that what saved him was not the mercy of the Flameless Lord, but rather the doom curse on Toby.
He gasped for breath, glancing at Toby who had been thrown to the ground, a flicker of relief in his eyes.
His relief came from the fact that he was able to cheat death thanks to the doom curse, and that Toby had not been affected by the porcelain-white hand.
Angel wasn’t dead, and the Flameless Lord paid him little mind, her gaze gradually shifting away from Toby.
Although the Flameless Lord sensed something peculiar about Toby, she considered those details irrelevant at the moment.
Her focus fell on another object that had fallen from Angel, which previously piqued her interest.
A delicate statue lay silent on the rust-colored ground.
“A natural-born relic?” The Flameless Lord muttered as she looked at the statue. Its intricate exterior instantly reminded him of a particular Demon God.
The Cruel Scholar.
“Owning a natural-born relic, so you are a Devotee of the Cruel Scholar?” Surprise flickered in the Flameless Lord’s eyes as she studied Angel. This relic was different from Popoca’s chain, which was an artificial artifact. However, this object was born alongside the Demon God and belonged to the category of natural relics.
Only the most trusted Devotees are graced with such a gift.
Angel gave no response; he didn’t have the strength to speak. The Flameless Lord didn’t seem bothered; she merely glanced at Angel with disinterest.
“Surprisingly, there’s no mark of the Cruel Scholar. Why would it leave you this natural relic?” The Flameless Lord whispered to herself, “Interesting, utterly fascinating.”
This sparked her interest in this human.
However, this human could wait. There would be ample time to investigate in the future. For now, the first issue to tackle was… Olucia.
The Flameless Lord’s gaze returned to Olucia.
When Angel saw the Flameless Lord’s attention shift away from him, he struggled, enduring endless pain, and with his waning mental strength, he pulled the Water of Salvation from his bracelet.
It was a life-saving measure prepared by Iron Armor Granny before his venture into the Abyss.
Angel remembered Iron Armor Granny saying that even lethal injuries could be healed with the Water of Salvation.
He didn’t know if Iron Armor Granny was speaking the truth or not, but given his present condition, with the majority of his organs crushed, if the Water of Salvation was of no help, he probably wouldn’t survive.
With hope and desperation, Angel consumed the Water of Salvation.
As a cool liquid coursed down his throat, Angel’s eyes flickered back to life, sensing a powerful life force swiftly mending his injuries.
His shattered organs and broken bones were visibly recovering at an observable speed.
Just as Angel waited for his body to heal, a weak voice suddenly echoed in his ear.
“The natural-born relic… is the only hope…”
Chapter 1192 Artificial Relic <TOC> Chapter 1194 Last Ray of Hope