Chapter 967 Stepping into the Abyss <TOC> Chapter 969 Emberstone Titan
Translator: SumTLMan
Before meeting with Florentina, Angel has another task to attend to.
He extends his mental energy into his bracelet and finds Toby, appearing quite bored, squatting in front of the Softworm’s nest and peering into it.
When he ascended to Domain Island, he had put Toby in the bracelet to avoid any mishaps during the transition. Now that they had arrived at the Abyss, it seemed like a good time to let Toby out.
With that in mind, Angel releases Toby from the bracelet.
Upon returning to the outside world, Toby seems startled, suddenly bolting into the sky. After making a grand arc in the air, he descends with a joyous chirping sound and lands back in Angel’s palm.
“It seems like this little guy enjoys the Abyss?” Madeline glances over, only to see Toby flapping his wings non-stop in Angel’s hand, his eyes radiating pure joy.
Angel also notices Toby’s peculiar excitement and asks in confusion, “Do you really like it here?”
Toby gives an enthusiastic nod, flapping his wings and chirping incessantly.
“Do you find the atmosphere here comforting?” Angel mutters to himself, unable to comprehend what Toby might find comforting about this place. Since arriving in the Abyss, he’s been overwhelmed by a sense of oppression. Unexpectedly, Toby appears to be on the completely opposite spectrum.
Toby seems to get even more excited the more he talks, unable to resist taking another flight into the sky.
Watching Toby, Angel wonders if he isn’t just joking around. Why would Toby act this way? The question lingers in Angel’s mind.
“Could it be that your little friend originates from the Abyss?” Madeline hypothesizes.
“No, that’s not it.” Angel instinctively refutes the idea, but immediately afterward, a seed of doubt sprouts in his mind. After all, Gloria once mentioned that Toby was accidentally created from the organs of a legendary beast, though other ‘ingredients’ were added, the primary components were still the organs of the legendary beast.
As to where that legendary beast came from, Gloria never told him.
Considering the current state of the Southern Region’s Wizarding World, it’s highly unlikely for such a legendary beast to exist. Could it be that the legendary beast came from the Abyss?
Angel keeps this speculation to himself, nestling it in his heart.
Regardless of where that legendary beast hailed from, it’s already dead beyond any doubt. While in a sense, Toby can be seen as its successor, he’s also a separate and free individual. There’s no need to dwell on the matters of his “predecessor”.
As Toby returned to perch on Angel’s shoulder, they found themselves at the rendezvous point where everyone was assembling.
Sineva, deeply furrowed brows, was engaged in a conversation with Florentina.
The last glimpse of Florentina at the Staring Abyss was somewhat hazy. But now, the striking clarity of her visage was unmistakable.
Clad in a modest garment of woolen cloth the colour of dusty chestnuts, a garment reminiscent of ancient nun attire, her inner elegance was undeniable. Her countenance was appealing, a cascade of dark hair flowing smoothly down her back. However, her eyes were obscured by a swath of white silk wrapped around her brow—a blemish on an otherwise flawless visage.
As Angel took in Florentina’s appearance, the whispers of those around him carried to his ears.
It seemed that several individuals had vanished during the inter-dimensional transition.
This was the source of Sineva’s probing inquiries to Florentina.
“You crossed planes before the energy tides rose, and under the safeguard of the guidance membrane, so they should be unharmed. But, the coordinates might have been compromised, perhaps they have landed in another area,” Florentina suggested.
Lost in the depths of the Abyss, traveling alone, the probability of survival, even at the shallowest layer of the Abyss, was extremely low.
Sineva’s countenance turned grim, casualties so soon after entering the Abyss was a hard blow. Even if it was only a few apprentices, beginning the journey with a loss was not a promising omen.
“Pray for the lost apprentices. Let’s hope they can find a stronghold city,” Sineva shook her head, regained composure, and said, “We’ll head to Emberstone Titan first. Your tasks will be assigned once we get there.”
After Sineva finished speaking, she gestured to Florentina to lead the way.
With an elegant bow, Florentina turned her head and slowly started walking forward.
A puzzled thought crossed Angel’s mind. At this pace, wouldn’t it take a significant amount of time to reach Emberstone Titan?
However, his skepticism was immediately proven wrong. Florentina’s unhurried gait was deliberate. She was searching for a stable area in space. After a short while, she erected a space gate in a specific spot.
Behind the gate was a faint layer of mysterious mist.
Florentina walked through first, with everyone following suit. Once they crossed this interdimensional passage, they found themselves amidst a bleak and withered landscape.
Beneath their feet lay a land blighted and barren, while a dense fog shrouded the surroundings. In the mist, they could vaguely discern looming shapes of a colossal scale. The profound darkness of the abyss had already drastically reduced visibility, now compounded further by the pervasive fog and these gargantuan silhouettes, turning the place they stood into a semblance of pitch-black night.
Just as Angel was puzzled, an incandescent fireball suddenly burst through the fog, hurtling unerringly towards them.
Angel could sense that although the fireball was not large, it bristled with volatile energy that could not be confronted directly! Fortunately, it wasn’t swift. Everyone quickly evaded, and the fireball struck the ground.
A thunderous explosion, accompanied by an upheaval of soil, enveloped them.
In the ensuing chaos, Angel heard a bizarre, sibilant chant just beside his ear. But before the eerie hymn could end, he heard Madeline snort coldly behind him: “Since you’ve completely withered, why bother crawling out of your grave?”
Simultaneously, a dark-green thorn sprouted from the palm of Madeline’s hand, piercing into the fog, and pulled back forcefully.
A skeletal figure was drawn into their midst.
This was a skeleton adorned in tattered robes and a pointed hat, holding a wooden staff topped with a fiery red orb.
The orb exuded the same volatile energy as the previous fireball.
“To think it’s just a skeleton? Its appearance… doesn’t it somewhat resemble a human skeleton?” Angel mused quietly.
“It’s a Fire Lich, a type of monster transformed from the native residents here after being corroded by the Abyss,” Madeline stated simply. The thorns binding the skeleton suddenly contracted, grinding the Fire Lich into fragments.
Madeline picked up the wooden staff, discarding it and holding the fiery red orb in her hand.
“Too chaotic in energy,” Madeline glanced disdainfully, casually tossing it to Angel: “Useless to me. You can play with it.”
Madeline’s casual toss drew only a glance from the other wizards before they averted their eyes. However, the other apprentices around looked enviously at Angel. That fiery red orb, if sold, could fetch several hundred magic crystals. This would be a considerable fortune for them. Now, however, it was casually given away by Madeline, causing their envy to turn into resentment.
Upon receiving the orb, Angel scrutinized it with the Eye of Nalda. He identified it as a fire-elemental gemstone, a versatile substance applicable in both the crafting of alchemical concoctions and a one-time explosive. Simply by triggering the energy contained within and tossing it, one could inflict a broad-scope blast damage.
“This is a fragment of the Fire Lich’s Stone, ineffective on its own. However, it’s said that multiple pieces can be combined to form a complete Fire Lich’s Stone. The exact method of fusion, I presume, is known only to the Fire Lich,” Madeline shrugged. The might of a Fire Lich rivals a true knowledge wizard, and while its extermination is conceivable, extracting the knowledge of the stone’s amalgamation process is implausible.
As a result, to a wizard, these shards of the Fire Lich’s Stone are virtually redundant.
The encounter with the Fire Lich was a minor episode, albeit one that subtly substantiated Florentina’s earlier assertions.
The Emberstone Titan was indeed teetering on the brink.
“As you’ve witnessed, the appearance of the Fire Lich here signifies an abundance of monstrous entities above us. Even the Scythe Wielding Blood Demon may be lurking… Therefore, I implore you all to exercise utmost caution,” spoke Maher, the captain of Frost Moon’s guard, finishing his address before turning to his fellow guards, “We will ascend first to pave the way and expel the wizard-level creatures.”
Ascend? Angel blinked in confusion. The route was up above?
While Angel was puzzling over this, Maher and his guards had already soared into the sky, disappearing into the far end of the mist.
“We should ascend as well,” declared Sineva, beginning to elevate herself.
All those capable of flight initiated their ascent, while the flightless apprentices ventured into the mist.
A gentle breeze stirred, thinning the mist ahead. It was only then that Angel discovered that the massive silhouette he had glimpsed through the mist was, in fact, an array of towering crags!
Looking out, the behemoth rocks were countless, and raising one’s gaze revealed no sight of their summits.
It was akin to a multitude of mountain peaks towering mightily!
“This is the Crag Forest of the Withered Land,” Madeline commented with a grin, “Breathtaking, isn’t it? When you reach the top of the Crag Forest and witness the Emberstone Titan, I believe you’ll be even more awestruck.”
“Let’s go, allow me to introduce you to the marvels of wizard architecture!” Madeline proposed.
Following Madeline, Angel began to ascend. It was then that Angel realized, the previously ground-bound apprentices heading into the mist were actually preparing to scale the monolithic rock.
Nearly all apprentices knew the Gecko spell, sprinting on the colossal rock, not in the slightest inferior to those flying, and even swifter at times!
“Clearly, those who dare venture into the Abyss have come prepared,” Angel remarked, feeling a touch competitive towards the rock climbers. Golden runes beneath his feet flickered, his speed boosted by several successive leap steps.
The monolithic rock was towering. After about half a minute of flight, Angel looked up to still find a curtain of mist shrouding the peak.
On the way, Angel encountered a handful of lone monsters.
These creatures were manageable for the apprentices, their strength not particularly formidable. Clearly, they were deliberately left behind by the previous guard team as a practice target for the apprentices.
Initially, Angel was considering testing his abilities against these abyssal monsters.
However, as soon as these creatures emerged, the eyes of the apprentices gleamed with predatory hunger. Before Angel could make a move, these monsters were swarmed and battered by dozens of apprentices.
Even among peers, the monsters were much more formidable than the apprentices, but they couldn’t withstand the sheer numbers.
Unable to compete for a piece of the action, Angel decided to pass.
Chapter 967 Stepping into the Abyss <TOC> Chapter 969 Emberstone Titan