Chapter 2468 The Drowning Puppy <TOC> Chapter 2470 The Final Sacrifice
Translator: SumTLMan
In the distance.
Although the last piece of the Mysterious Fruit’s shell fell, strangely, the blood-red mist that shrouded the Mysterious Fruit showed no signs of dispersing.
This seemed to indicate that it was not yet completely out of control!
“Why is this? Isn’t the falling of the shell the prelude to disorder?” The Enforcer was somewhat puzzled. Judging from the various effects when the shell had fallen before, complete disorder should occur at the moment the shell completely falls. But the current situation seems a bit different from their guess.
Had they overlooked something?
Is there another step before complete disorder?
While the Enforcer was doubting himself, a shocking change occurred in the distance that astonished everyone.
Number 03, who had been ignored by them until now, suddenly emitted a terribly piercing scream!
It was like the wail of a tortured banshee from the Bottomless Abyss, carrying visibly spreading shockwaves in all directions.
When the shockwaves reached their surroundings, Angel’s brow twitched slightly, and the lively green runes around him filtered all the destructive energy in the shockwaves. What entered their ears was only that hysterical scream.
In this scream, Angel heard very complex emotional messages.
Wailing, pain, anger, defiance… and deep regret.
From these emotions, it could be inferred that Number 03 might have always retained a sliver of reason, only, it was previously suppressed by the power of the Mysterious Fruit. This suppression allowed Number 03’s emotions to accumulate continuously until this moment when they finally erupted.
However, releasing these emotions did not mean that Number 03 was saved.
She herself knew that she was doomed to die.
At this moment, the wailing was perhaps only meant to vent her frustration, using this method to express her unwillingness.
Their guess was not wrong; after the wail, Number 03’s bark-like skin began to crack and fall off.
The skin was just the beginning, followed by fat, muscle, organs, bones… Everything inside and outside Number 03’s body, like a statue built of sand, scattered upon the wind’s touch, turning into particles of light.
And these particles of light, forming a line, merged into the blood-red mist above.
Strangely, the blood-red mist that had long shrouded the Mysterious Fruit and refused to disperse, with the infusion of these light particles, finally began to fade.
In the aftermath of the mist, a metallic lattice structure was beginning to emerge, both visible and invisible.
“I understand now… The ultimate condition for this Mysterious Fruit to spiral into total disorder isn’t the devouring of sea beasts and wizards, but to sacrifice and consume the host in a blood ritual,” the Enforcer realized why Number 03 had seemed unharmed all along. Contrary to expectations, the Mysterious Fruit had been nurturing an ’emotion’ within its host. It turns out, the fruit had long planned for Number 03 to be its ultimate sacrificial offering for its complete transformation and descent into disorder.
Previously, the Enforcer had a poor impression of Number 03, attributing the current state of disorder to her actions. Now, although still disapproving, he couldn’t deny that Number 03’s becoming the final sacrifice bought them some time.
They might just manage to leave before the disorderly object reaches its ultimate state of disorder.
Thinking this, the Enforcer turned back to gaze at the spatial rift.
At that moment, the spatial rift had widened to the height of half a person. However, it was still fraught with a massive amount of spatial cutting energy, making a stable connection between the two ends impossible.
Nevertheless, the widening of the spatial rift allowed them to see who was coming through from the other side more clearly.
It was a youth with his head bowed.
His face was not visible, but one could see his hair was a blazing fire, and his skin, a deep ancient bronze. Under the illumination of the fiery hair, his skin glowed with an orange sheen.
“A Pyro?” the Enforcer murmured.
Pyros, a majestic humanoid race from the Noble Plane, are characterized by their dark skin and blazing fiery hair, a symbol of their affinity with fire. If a Pyro were to possess abilities, they would almost certainly relate to fire control. In the Noble Plane, they are considered a powerful race, always harboring hostility towards human wizards, viewing them as invaders.
Should there be any protests or riots against human wizards in any state within the Noble Plane, it’s almost always the Pyros fanning the flames behind the scenes.
Wizards are no fools; they are well aware of the turmoil within the Noble Plane, yet they never target Pyros. Do giants need to concern themselves with the squabbles of ants?
Moreover, many human wizards are even more anarchic than the Pyros. They prefer chaos over unity and are willing to become targets if it means being the source of disorder.
Angel also noticed the newcomer but was already informed of his identity as the Lord of the City of Phantasm, Gruz De Weld. However, he hadn’t expected the lord to be a Pyro, or was this merely an avatar sought out by one of his emissaries?
As Angel speculated, the Pyro across suddenly lifted his head.
His slightly long fiery hair obscured his eyes, but his prominent nose and the slight curl of his lips into a smile were visible.
The Enforcer, seeing that slightly eerie smile, felt an odd sense of familiarity and a trace of unease.
At that moment, the spatial rift was torn open once again, allowing a gush of wind to pour into the void.
The strong winds also scattered the fiery hair of the Pyro.
Upon the arrival of that moment, the Enforcer finally beheld the true visage of the Pyro. It must be said, from a human aesthetic standpoint, he was exceedingly handsome, possessing perfect facial features with eyes as bright orange as fire.
However, the Enforcer’s attention was first drawn not to the Pyro’s appearance but to the badge-like pattern on his forehead.
Featuring a regular circular border, the inside was adorned with beautiful lines that sketched an unknown crown beast pattern.
“This is…” the Enforcer’s pupils suddenly constricted: “Gruz De Weld’s Phantasm Inscription!”
Hearing the Enforcer’s exclamation, Magnificus De Pawel, somewhat proudly, said: “Shiuro, you’re not entirely ignorant.”
The Enforcer’s expression soured.
Angel, seeing this, felt it might be time to say something… even though he knew who the newcomer was, he should still play his part appropriately to avoid breaking character.
“Lord, what is a Phantasm Inscription?” Angel chose a suitable question to enter the conversation. This was something he genuinely did not know.
The Enforcer was about to speak when Magnificus De Pawel interjected: “The Phantasm Inscription is a creation of the Great Lord of the City. All diamond-class citizens of the City of Phantasm are granted their unique Phantasm Inscription, endowed with incredible powers.”
Angel feigned surprise aptly: “Eh?! Does that mean, the noble assistance summoned by the esteemed lord is a supreme diamond-class citizen of the City of Phantasm?”
Magnificus De Pawel revealed a mysteriously profound smile but did not speak.
Meanwhile, the Enforcer said: “In the City of Phantasm, each Phantasm Inscription corresponds to a citizen, and the inscription on this Pyro’s forehead corresponds to… the Lord of the City of Phantasm, Gruz De Weld himself.”
After the Enforcer finished speaking, he paid no mind to Angel’s suddenly exaggerated expression of astonishment and instead looked towards Magnificus De Pawel: “Has the Lord of the City himself truly come?”
Magnificus De Pawel, smugly, replied: “Shiuro~ didn’t you see?”
“The Bald Eagle High Priest of the Chaos Sect, to my knowledge, returned to the Source World thirty years ago. With him in the Source World to distract, the lord’s true body shouldn’t be far from the City of Phantasm… So, is this his split consciousness avatar?”
“Bald Eagle High Priest” Heinite Rogusla is a sixth level wizard at the peak of the legendary realm, known to have a feud with Gruz De Weld, harboring deep-seated hatred. He had, on several occasions, taken advantage of Gruz De Weld’s absence from the City of Phantasm to launch stealth attacks, leading to the deaths of many citizens.
Thus, generally speaking, as long as this High Priest remains in the Source World, Gruz De Weld would not leave the City of Phantasm.
“Even if it’s a split consciousness avatar, is it not worthy of the Enforcer’s notice, Shiuro?”
The Enforcer remained silent for a moment: “That’s not what I meant.”
He simply hadn’t anticipated that Gruz De Weld would personally arrive… This could complicate matters significantly.
Even if it’s just a split consciousness, the opponent possesses legendary mid-realm strength or even higher. The arrival of such a powerful wizard in the Southern Region is troublesome, as the Southern Region is only one of the Four Foundational Worlds of the Wizarding World. If Gruz De Weld does anything excessive, it would be a disaster.
Should he unleash his full power, he might rival a Demon God Calamity.
Faced with such an entity, even as an Enforcer, it would be difficult to intervene.
Magnificus De Pawel seemed to read the Enforcer’s mind, its plump lips curling into a smile as it said, “Are you worried about the safety of the Southern Region, Shiuro? Do you think our Lord of the City is foolish?”
Despite the Southern Region having drifted from the Source World for some time, it’s undeniable that the Four Directions of the Wizarding World are the cornerstone of the Source World. Gruz De Weld, foolish as he may be, wouldn’t dare wreak havoc here.
Should he cause any trouble, upon returning to the Source World, he would face not just a single Bald Eagle High Priest but an entire deluge of wizards.
“Rest assured, our Lord of the City won’t do anything unnecessary, and might even lead you to escape from here. Just be thankful, Shiuro~”
“I hope that’s the case.” The Enforcer concluded, glancing briefly at the young Pyro on the other side of the spatial rift before quickly averting his gaze.
Observing the Enforcer’s deliberately indifferent demeanor despite his evident apprehension, Magnificus De Pawel’s mischievous nature surged. “Of course, our Lord of the City doesn’t have the time for other trivial matters. He’s here in the Southern Region only for two things.”
“The first, to take me away.”
With a half-mocking tone, the Enforcer said, “To be favored by His Excellency the Lord of the City, truly worthy of the Magnificus prefix.”
Magnificus De Pawel was unfazed by the Enforcer’s mockery, continuing with a grin, “The second, want to take a guess, Shiuro?”
The Enforcer glanced at a Mysterious Fruit in the distance, remaining silent, but the implication was clear.
Gruz De Weld’s arrival was surely for the disorderly object. However, whether he could take this object was another matter, thought the Enforcer cynically.
But Magnificus De Pawel simply extended a tentacle and swayed it, saying, “Wrong. While the disorderly object is indeed valuable, considering the current situation, securing it would require extensive time to analyze the mechanism and find a breakthrough. Our Lord of the City doesn’t have that much time. His second purpose in coming here is actually…”
He paused, waiting until both the Enforcer and Angel looked at him curiously, then lifted five tentacles, pointing them all at one place——
Angel!
“The Lord has taken an interest in him. He will become the Lord’s captive!”
Everyone was astonished.
Especially Angel, who was completely perplexed. He had always maintained a diligent attitude since returning to the center of the Mist Zone, careful not to stir any unnecessary trouble or get involved in danger.
Unexpectedly, such a cautious individual was still targeted?
Moreover, without any prior warning, he was just a spectator a second ago!
The Enforcer’s expression changed abruptly; he hadn’t anticipated that the Lord of the City of Phantasm was interested in Angel…
The Enforcer coldly said, “Did you notice something unusual about Angel earlier and pretended not to know?”
Magnificus De Pawel: “With such strength reaching towards the mysterious realm, the light cannot be hidden.”
Indeed, that was the case.
Magnificus De Pawel had long noticed the anomaly in Angel.
Such “potential alchemists with mysterious capabilities” like Angel are actually numerous in the Source World, but someone like Angel, so disciplined and powerful, nearing the mysterious realm, is truly unique, at least in the current Source World.
Any organization discovering a “wild” potential like Angel would naturally think of recruiting him.
And the recruitment by wizard organizations is not as gentle as one might imagine.
Violence, barbarity, abduction… are the norms.
Everything makes sense now, but what the Enforcer didn’t expect was that even a split consciousness avatar of Gruz De Weld descended personally to take Angel away… If it was just Magnificus De Pawel, perhaps he could delay. Of course, even if he could delay momentarily, it wouldn’t last forever. Once Magnificus De Pawel returned to the City of Phantasm, he would surely inform Gruz De Weld, and Angel would still be captured eventually, unless he could join another organization capable of opposing the City of Phantasm, such as the Orderly Guild, before that.
If things could develop according to this script, the Enforcer would be willing to pay a price for Angel, bringing him to the Orderly Guild of the Source World. After all, he is indeed a rare talent.
But the script is not unfolding that way.
Gruz De Weld himself has descended, even if just a split consciousness avatar, it’s irresistible.
Even the Enforcer can’t stop it.
As for warning outsiders not to “interfere” with the affairs of the Southern Region, it indeed is his duty, but Gruz De Weld is too strong. His warning is equivalent to saying nothing and might even cause resentment. In such a case, the oath also has its leniency.
So, the Enforcer can’t stop Gruz De Weld for Angel.
That is to say, in the eyes of the Enforcer, in the eyes of Magnificus De Pawel… Angel’s destiny is already sealed.
The Enforcer looked at Angel, who was still clueless, sighed softly, and patted his shoulder: “At least, you won’t die.”
With a special skill, Angel definitely won’t be killed by Gruz De Weld. But whether he can live well is another question.
One can only hope that Gruz De Weld, considering Angel’s alchemical potential, would show leniency towards his “human” identity.
Chapter 2468 The Drowning Puppy <TOC> Chapter 2470 The Final Sacrifice