Chapter 2597 Chimney <TOC> Chapter 2599 Serpent Emblem
Translator: SumTLMan
After emerging from the chimney, they were greeted by a scene of devastation, corpses scattered everywhere and a battlefield starkly divided.
On the left, the battlefield was a whirlwind of activity. Speedling, in collaboration with Daus, sent hordes of monsters flying with the power of wind, followed swiftly by a blur of red as Daus decapitated them with swift strokes.
On the right, the scene was enveloped in ominous darkness. Though not as “lively” as the left, the deadly stillness and silence were even more chilling. Even the monsters seemed fearful, hesitant to venture into this eerie side, showcasing the unnerving nature of the right battlefield.
From the current situation, it seemed both battlefields were handling the unexpected swarm of monsters well. However, it was unclear how many more were lurking unseen. If the battle dragged on for days, would they just continue to wait it out?
Thus, the best strategy was not a complete annihilation but to swiftly gain control over the monsters and seek an opportunity to escape.
After all, their mission was not to help the Traveling Merchants clear the underground labyrinth of monsters, but to reach a specific destination.
“Shall I do it, or will you, lord?” Angel asked, looking towards the Black Count.
The quickest to take control of the battlefield were the two of them. Hence, Angel’s question.
Black Count: “Your illusions are much easier than my methods.”
The Black Count meant that Angel should take the lead, although he put it diplomatically. Understanding the hint, Angel nodded: “Alright.”
Angel informed Daus through the mental connection to avoid accidentally cutting through the illusion nodes with his sword.
Then, Angel slowly advanced towards the right battlefield.
He was immediately enveloped by shadows.
In this quiet world of shadows, despite the blood and limbs scattered everywhere, Angel felt an inexplicable sense of calm, influenced by Eremy’s presence.
Angel’s main reason for entering Eremy’s shadow domain was to set up an illusion.
The reason wasn’t due to safety concerns but because the illusion Angel planned required Eremy’s cooperation.
He intended to create a “Light and Shadow Illusion Realm,” inspired by a series of classic spells from the “Light and Shadow” series, crafting a unique illusory environment.
Angel’s illusion nodes could function as both “light” and “shadow”. Once the Light and Shadow Illusion Realm was set up, it would trap the external monsters completely within the interplay of light and shadow, creating a complex maze.
However, Angel’s aim was not just to confine the surroundings; he wanted the “Light and Shadow Illusion Realm” to be mobile.
Thus, he needed Eremy’s cooperation.
He arranged illusion nodes around himself as “Light,” while Eremy became the “Shadow.” Thus, wherever they walked, they were in an interplay of light and shadow.
This was similar to a mobile invisibility illusion.
Furthermore, Angel could adjust the illusion nodes of Light and Shadow Illusion Realm whenever needed, as long as his magic power was sufficient, even establishing fixed illusions to control monsters.
Eremy was responsible for the “Shadow” during movement, while Angel could not only become the moving “Light” but also cast it anytime, serving as a cage to trap enemies.
This Light and Shadow Illusion Realm was a blend of control and manipulation.
As for its effectiveness, though Angel had not yet tried it on monsters, he was very confident in his ability to control the lesser creatures outside. After all, if his illusions couldn’t even handle low-level monsters, Sanders would probably scatter his ashes.
Angel’s only worry was whether he could maintain the “Light and Shadow” while moving.
That would depend on his and Eremy’s coordination.
If it failed, Angel wouldn’t feel embarrassed; the Light and Shadow Illusion was enough to control the current external monsters, and no one else knew what he was up to.
The Light and Shadow Illusion, while sounding original and linked to the “Light and Shadow” series spells, was not as grand as it seemed. By Sanders’ standards, it was perhaps only at the peak of an apprentice level. It was only by adding Nightmare Aura that it became passable outside.
Thus, setting up this illusion was actually faster than others imagined.
People only saw Angel enveloped by shadows, but in less than a minute, he emerged from them, surrounded by numerous illusion nodes of unknown properties.
Some of these nodes were integrated into Angel’s right eye, while others formed a special structure that enveloped the entire area and spread towards the corridor outside.
After a while, the sounds of combat in the area had disappeared.
This indicated that the illusion was beginning to take effect.
Speedling returned to its place next to Angel. Daus also sheathed his red sword, stepping onto the ground leisurely, his face more relaxed than before.
Angel often heard that bloodline wizards found joy in battle, a notion he had previously found overly biased, but his opinion remained unchanged, automatically excluding Daus from this prejudice.
Without a doubt, Daus found joy in combat, and the more he fought, the stronger he became.
Had it not been for Angel’s prior declaration to avoid monsters if possible, Daus would have happily battled here for three days and nights.
After Daus landed, behind him were piles of monster remains that resembled a small hill, which actually looked quite disgusting. However, Daus did not mind and even struck several poses in front of this “hill,” because Kael was opposite him, and his recording stone was always on…
After Daus returned, the shadows on the right side of the battlefield also gradually faded, but unlike Daus’ side, the right side was empty, with all remnants of limbs and blood absorbed into the shadow domain by Eremy.
The stark contrast between the pristine cleanliness and chaotic bloodshed further highlighted Eremy’s mysterious nature. Its presence was eerily subdued in battle and chillingly unsettling as it retreated.
“A controllable demon is indeed terrifyingly powerful,” Daus, previously quite smug, commented as he watched Eremy return to the shadows within Angel. His remark was brief, but his thoughts were deeply complex.
Daus had witnessed the battle conditions on Eremy’s side first hand because the exit was on Eremy’s side, so it faced more pressure than Daus. But Eremy was fearless; every monster that entered the shadow domain vanished without a trace.
It seemed as though there was an abyss there, a silent abyss that could devour everything.
Daus, a bloodline wizard, had seen others with the shadow element, but Eremy had not just the shadow element; its abilities were boundless, able to summon various elements at will, among other mysterious techniques. This strange, perfect, and powerful transcendent was something Daus had never encountered before.
Before understanding Eremy’s actual combat strength, Daus had wanted to challenge it, but now that he knew, he lost the desire to fight. He would rather challenge the Black Count’s nose than battle this diversely skilled and nearly physically invincible perfect creature.
“Sometimes, a lack of resources is also a source of power because only through combat can one seize the scarce resources,” the Black Count remarked calmly: “This is the Panic World, and it is one of the last places most wizards wish to visit.”
The demons and awakened demons of the Panic World were terrifyingly strong and had extensive combat experience. Every one of them who had grown up had done so through relentless killing, with mysterious methods and every battle fought to the death.
Moreover, despite its scarcity of resources not being inferior in rank to the Wizarding World, few wizards wished to venture into the Panic World. No one in their right mind would seek such hardship.
Is the Abyss not appealing? Are the Demon Gods not desirable? ——It is known that many peak legendary realm wizards of the Source World could kill a Demon God from the Abyss, but they chose not to, for a simple reason: Demon Gods are too valuable.
Consider the complex and vast field of inscription studies, the expansive study of runes, and the array of techniques and talents developed by wizards, most of which were derived from Demon Gods.
The Abyss is indeed terrifying, but it is also filled with knowledge coveted by wizards.
Thus, the predecessors had made great efforts to connect all the Wizarding Worlds with the Abyss, which, while potentially risky, also ushered in a brilliant era for wizards.
After finishing, the Black Count looked at Angel: “Cherish your Awakened Demon; I sense that its rapport with you is extremely close, even surpassing that of your elemental companions… Indeed, far surpassing.”
At that moment, Dangros, who had been drowsily clinging to Angel’s shoulder, suddenly snapped awake. Its fingers flipped itself upright as its palm-eye glared menacingly at the Black Count.
Dangros hadn’t forgotten what a significant figure the Black Count was, so it chose only to glare in silence. In its mind, it thought: All that arrogance from just a nose, yet I have a hand and wrist! Such lack of foresight. Once my arm fully grows, I’ll surely challenge the Noah family. Let’s see if you dare to speak then!
“You think your arm will grow? Oh, your mature form will gradually develop other human-like limbs? That’s quite curious,” the Black Count remarked, looking at Dangros, his tone casual.
After speaking, the Black Count continued to address Angel: “You’ve indeed encountered a couple of interesting companions. However, this elemental sprite still needs more training. To talk behind my back right in front of me, even fantasizing about challenging the Noah family, is truly a joke. This time, for your sake, I’ll overlook it. Next time, at the very least, I’ll break its middle and index fingers to see if it can still hop around then.”
The Black Count gave Dangros a cold look, then turned his stone slab and began to observe the surroundings.
Angel, glancing sideways at the somewhat shivering Dangros, commented: “Now you see how terrifying the Wizarding World can be. Even thinking ill of others in your mind can be overheard. So, stop causing trouble all the time. Remember the fire you caused in Saint Seim City? If it weren’t for the people from the Silver Heron Wizard Order who know me, you would have been reduced to ashes.”
After a lesson of both carrot and stick, Angel didn’t forget to offer some comfort.
Comforting Dangros a few words and seeing his mood finally return to normal, Angel felt relieved.
Fortunately, Dangros was a sprite with a short memory; otherwise, if it had developed a psychological shadow, it would have been difficult for Angel to explain to Sage Magu.
After consoling Dangros, Angel, like the others, began to survey the surroundings. Incidentally, he tested whether the movement of Light and Shadow Illusion Realm could be realized.
To avoid the embarrassment of being discovered, Angel moved towards a less crowded area.
This was a very spacious room, roughly the size of the three-story hall of the previous building. However, from the remnants of the setup, it resembled not so much a hall as a laboratory, given the many antique mechanical control panels and the clearly experimental apparatus fragments scattered about.
Angel’s initial focus was not on these laboratory instruments but on the magical creatures trapped within the Light and Shadow Illusion.
Previously, from the remnants of the magical creature, it had been discovered that this was a type of small, low-flying magical creature. Upon closer examination, it was found to be a kind of flying squirrel-like creature.
Somewhat similar to a flying squirrel, but much uglier, its gliding membrane lacked fur, being just a bare stretch of skin, and its tail, unlike the fluffy long tail of a flying squirrel, more resembled a flesh-colored earthworm-like rat tail.
Their faces were even more fierce, and each one differed, for instance, in noses, there were snub noses, hooked noses, blossom flesh noses; in teeth, there were fangs, lipless teeth, corner-flipping teeth, etc… Not to mention the ears, there were fan-shaped ears and bat ears.
This felt like a fish found in the deep sea, living in uninhabited and dark places, allowing them to grow indiscriminately, being ugly yet uniquely distinctive.
Though their faces differed, their bodies were similarly structured and they moved in groups, suggesting they could be classified as a type of magical creature.
Angel still truly didn’t know what to call this kind of creature.
Embarrassed to ask the Black Count directly, and with two apprentices present who lacked deep knowledge, there was no need for him to speak up as someone soon took the initiative to ask.
“Lord, this creature looks quite bizarre, resembling both a bat and a rat. I don’t seem to recall seeing anything about them in the book —Magical Creatures and Where to Find Them—. May I ask what kind of creature this is?”
The one asking was Vai, who could have just inquired mentally, but noticing that Kael beside him also appeared unfamiliar with the creature, opted to ask through the mental connection instead.
“A mutated Carrion Squirrel,” the Black Count confirmed with certainty, while everyone felt his evident disgust for these creatures through the mental connection.
Angel seemed to understand: “Is this a creature from the sewers?”
The Black Count nodded: “Exactly. Originally, these Carrion Squirrels couldn’t fly and were unlikely to obtain energy or compete with other creatures in the sewer. Mutation began from there. Under survival of the fittest, the original Carrion Squirrels were outcompeted, and those that mutated to develop a patagium started to thrive, eventually flying out of the sewers and into the labyrinth.”
“However, the mutation is only physical. Their social behaviors and attack methods remain largely the same as the regular Carrion Squirrels, only now they can also attack from the air. But they are still not strong.”
The Black Count didn’t describe them as “very weak,” but instead used “not strong” to articulate his point.
Although the meaning seems similar, both imply mediocrity, there’s a nuance in rank even among the mediocre. Clearly, these mutated Carrion Squirrels rank as the better among the mediocre.
This means that even among lower level creatures, they hold a position. Moreover, it’s likely they have also inherited the Carrion Squirrels’ reproductive capabilities, with countless mutated squirrels existing outside the illusion.
Without proper control methods, even a formal wizard could be driven to flee. If unsuccessful in escaping, falling is not out of the question.
Thus, despite how Daus and Eremy previously made chopping them down seem as easy as slicing vegetables, these creatures are not as weak as they had imagined. One can only say that there weren’t many creatures previously, and Eremy’s clearing the exit was quite thorough.
“If you’re saying there are mutated Carrion Squirrels here, does that mean this path also leads to the sewer?” After a moment of contemplation, Kael posed a critical question to the Black Count.