Chapter 1463 Serpent and Bird <TOC> Chapter 1465 Shattered Descent Artifact
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Translator: SumTLMan
In the profound darkness, a glimmer of luminescence flickered to life.
As the glow drew closer, Angel discovered that the source was actually a six-petaled flower. This flower drooped, its petals surrounded by an ethereal luminescence, like fireflies weaving around it.
Setting aside the question of why such a flower would appear in the void, there was also the puzzling matter of its movement. Moreover, judging by the proximity of the glow, it seemed to be getting closer?
As Angel peered deeper into the mystery with rising curiosity, he noticed a massive shadow beneath the flower.
It was a gigantic worm, at least several dozen meters long, with segmented skin. Propelled by pulsing jets of air from its rear, its segments contracted and expanded rhythmically, driving the worm forward in a rapid lunge.
A worm topped with a flower? This was a first for Angel.
And the haunting hum that had earlier filled the dark void was emitted by this worm… As Angel continued his curious investigation, even more glimmers of light started to illuminate the area.
Beneath each glow corresponded another worm, each luminescence different, painting the void with a vivid kaleidoscope of colors. If one were to overlook the grotesque worms beneath these blooms, the scene would be nothing short of fantastical.
“What is this?” Angel curiously inquired.
Frost responded, “They’re what you might call Worm Buses — a species of magical creature capable of navigating the void.”
Though these Worm Buses are creatures of the void, they have a penchant for plant matter, often pausing their journey to stop in various worlds. They’re called ‘buses’ because of this trait. When you’re lost in the void, bereft of landmarks or crossroads, following one of these Worm Buses will most certainly lead you to a world hospitable to life.
However, while the Worm Buses do enjoy eating plants, it doesn’t mean they are herbivores.
The flowers on their heads serve as a luminescent organ, like the deep-sea anglerfish, attracting blood-fed prey in the void. Hence, they are actually omnivorous creatures that would even consume humans.
So, Worm Buses are not gentle creatures.
Moreover, they are quite powerful and tend to move in groups. Weaker wizards usually have no choice but to flee when encountering them.
“Those dozen or so Worm Buses probably sensed the Fairytale World and are gearing up for a feast,” said Frost. “We’re close to the Fairytale World, and generally, they won’t consume blood-fed prey under these conditions. After all, they need to save room in their stomachs for their favorite plants.”
Angel naturally wouldn’t provoke them, but that doesn’t mean Toby would listen to him.
Frustrated by his inability to break through Angel’s defenses, Toby was seething. The appearance of the Worm Buses became a convenient target to divert his attention.
Without any thought, Toby flicked his long serpent tail, transforming it into a dark blood-light that shot directly towards the swarm of Worm Buses.
Angel’s pupils contracted and he couldn’t help but shout Toby’s name, but received no response.
“He’s already attacked you, which clearly shows he has lost his reason. No matter how much you call out to him, it will be futile,” Frost said.
Despite this, Angel was still uneasy about Toby.
He didn’t know what was going on with Toby, but could he handle facing so many Worm Buses?
While Angel was fretting, Toby had already launched an attack on a nearby Worm Bus.
Angel was originally concerned about Toby’s safety. However, Toby showed no sign of fear when confronting the Worm Bus. His serpentine tail wrapped around a Worm Bus immediately.
Surprisingly, the fight ended almost as soon as it began.
After coiling around a Worm Bus, Toby bit into the luminescent organ on its head. As the glow faded, so too did the life of the Worm Bus.
After slaying one Worm Bus, Toby casually tossed its corpse into the void and charged toward a second one.
“The luminescent organ on top of the Worm Bus is its weak point, but it shouldn’t have died that quickly,” Frost mused, a glint of thought flashing across his eyes. “It seems your little friend, transformed into a Serpent-Bird, also carries its deadly poison.”
“And this poison appears to be quite extraordinary.”
The Worm Bus has extremely thick skin, comparable to a formal wizard in terms of resilience. The only vulnerable area is its glowing organ on top of its head.
Whether by instinct or luck, Toby seemed to instantly identify the weak point of the Worm Bus. He injected the poison directly through the luminescent organ, achieving a one-shot-kill effect.
Despite analyzing the secret behind Toby’s victory over the Worm Bus, Angel was still somewhat astonished.
It may sound simple, but pulling it off is far from easy.
It requires exceptional speed, the strength to restrain the Worm Bus, and a potency in poison lethal enough to kill it. All three elements are indispensable.
Not every ordinary wizard can accomplish this feat. Yet Toby possesses all three qualities, particularly the boost in speed due to his control of the Gravity Lines, which is simply beyond imagination.
When Toby once transformed into a griffin, Angel thought he had reached his speed limit. Yet, astonishingly, Toby’s speed in his Serpent-Bird form was even faster. It was due to this incredible velocity that Toby could constrict the Worm Buses with his snake tail before they could react, delivering fatal blows.
One after another, the Worm Buses were slain by Toby.
As Angel marveled at Toby’s powerful lethality, he noticed something else: Toby seemed to kill solely for the sake of killing. He showed complete indifference to the Worm Buses he had killed, as if he was taking perverse pleasure in snuffing out life.
“What in the world is going on with Toby?” Angel furrowed his brow, looking at Frost.
Frost stared distantly into the void, where Toby was still ruthlessly killing the Worm Buses. His crimson vertical pupils were cold and devoid of warmth, a portrait of insanity.
“If his nature isn’t like this, then it must be the residual effects of suppressing the Tribulation of Resentment,” Frost said impassively.
“Is there a way to solve it?” Angel asked urgently.
Instead of answering, Frost countered, “Is his transformation somehow related to the Tribulation of the Five Flavors?”
Angel nodded, recounting how Toby had once transformed into the “Griffin of Rage.”
After listening, Frost nodded thoughtfully: “Having passed through the Tribulation of Rage, he transformed into a ‘Griffin of Rage.’ This Serpent-Bird before us should then be called the ‘Serpent-Bird of Resentment.'”
“When he was the Griffin of Rage, his cognition was unaffected because he had conquered the Tribulation of Anger. However, now he hasn’t overcome the Tribulation of Resentment, and his current form is closely related to it. When he is in this state, suppressed resentful thoughts break through, leading to his current madness.”
“To calm him down, there are only two methods.”
The detailed exchanges, swathed in a sense of urgency and mystery, hinted at profound magic systems and psychological intricacies, making the situation a labyrinth of potential danger and mysterious potential.
“The permanent solution is to release the suppressed Tribulation of Resentment within him, confront it, and defeat it. After that, he will transform into a Serpent-Bird, avoiding the current predicament,” said Frost.
“The second option is to simply wait for him to deplete his energy. Once he reverts from his Serpent-Bird form, he should return to normal.”
Frost had proposed two methods, but the first one was currently unfeasible, leaving them no choice but to wait for Toby to revert from his Serpent-Bird state.
“So, you’re saying that the downside of suppressing this Tribulation of Resentment is losing rationality when transformed into a Serpent-Bird? What about when he’s not in that form? Will he improve?” Angel asked.
Frost replied, “When not in Serpent-Bird form, he should regain rationality. However, the Tribulation of Resentment is only suppressed, not eliminated. Even if he regains rationality, his actions might still be influenced.”
Angel breathed a sigh of relief; regardless, as long as Toby could awaken, that would be enough.
While they were discussing this, on the other side, only a few of the so-called “Worm Buses” remained. Clearly frightened by Toby’s ferocity, they seized an opportunity when he was distracted and bored a black hole into the void, disappearing through it en masse to an unknown destination.
Meanwhile, Toby suddenly froze, a dark mist rising from his body. His massive form began to shrink as the dark mist enveloped him. In the end, the ten-meter-long Serpent-Bird had reduced to the size of a palm, and the dark mist integrated into Toby, disappearing entirely.
Toby closed his eyes in serene slumber.
Angel approached Toby and gently held him in the palm of his hand, preventing him from falling into the void.
Upon making contact with Angel’s skin, Toby seemed to sense something. He moved his head slightly, nuzzled against Angel’s palm, and then, with a turn, went back to sleep.
Witnessing this scene, Angel’s heart, which had been suspended in midair, finally settled down.
Although Toby was still in a deep slumber, the situation appeared markedly different than before. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, he should be able to regain his senses upon awakening.
However, Angel couldn’t help but feel that the journey was far from over when considering the deeply rooted resentment suppressed within Toby. Suppression is not a long-term solution, just as Frost had mentioned — the longer the suppression lasts, the more violent the eventual backlash will be.
The only course of action left is to find a timely solution for the suppressed extreme resentment within Toby.
Chapter 1463 Serpent and Bird <TOC> Chapter 1465 Shattered Descent Artifact