Chapter 806: Act 155 – Revival II
“Who is that young girl?”
A sudden question emerged from the crowd, causing everyone to pause and stop their chatter, turning their gazes towards Babaen. “It seems to be the country bumpkin earl’s maid,” Babaen replied absentmindedly, his mind preoccupied with how to get Earl Toniger to bring her over, wondering if he would agree to it. He believed that the Earl should not mind having an extra friend, especially one from within the Empire; he was quite confident about it.
Upon receiving this answer, the nobles felt a bit disappointed. A countryside earl’s maid was hardly significant—while they could make a jest at another time, they were not in the mood for it now. The conversation quickly shifted back to the potential retaliatory strikes from the Cecil family, and they began to sigh heavily. However, man is inherently unwilling to just give in to despair; soon someone said, “This matter was never our responsibility. If it weren’t for that country bumpkin earl bringing us to this cursed place, this incident wouldn’t have happened.”
This statement was immediately echoed by others, completely forgetting that they could have chosen not to follow. Veronika couldn’t rein in their officer corps, and Brendel was more than happy not to drag along this bunch of burdens. But the person who made the earlier suggestion was now lying dead on the ground, turned into a cold corpse, and they dared not shift the blame to the heir of the Cecil family, so they simply chose to ignore that point.
However, everyone understood that such complaints were pointless. The Cecil family might misdirect their anger towards Earl Toniger, but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t cause trouble for them. Such a colossal entity wouldn’t care about the feelings of small fry like them.
Amidst the sounds of despair, a tentative voice suddenly asked, “Perhaps Til and Jonn are right?”
This proposal was like a devil’s temptation, causing the valley beneath the glacier to fall silent instantly.
Everyone froze, their eyes darting around, no one daring to speak. Their faces were mixed with fear, disbelief, a little hope, and confusion, for Til and Jonn were the two heirs of the now lifeless Cecil family—well, at least one of them. As for whether what they said was right, everyone present knew deep down.
After a long silence, someone finally spoke up, “… This, this might be a way, but if it fails, we’ll face the wrath of both sides.”
“What’s the difference between facing one or two sides? Can a person die twice?” someone led the way, and others began to grow bolder.
“But what about evidence?” another cautiously inquired.
“Evidence? What evidence do we need? We are the officer observation corps; we are the evidence,” the person who spoke afterward glared at everyone and replied ominously, “You all saw with your own eyes; that Gray Saint, he is clearly our enemy, yet he saved her life. Why is that? His principality is still within the Empire’s territory; would he willingly do that? There must be some conspiracy behind it.”
In truth, everyone present felt that it was merely Mephistopheles’ gentlemanly demeanor. The Gray Saint despised the Empire and didn’t need to resort to tricks in such a place. With his character, he would straightforwardly defeat his enemies. Yet no one rebutted, and a careful voice asked, “Are you suggesting that Veronika is conspiring with him to restore his principality?”
“But what benefit would that be for her? It doesn’t make sense; Her Majesty is not foolish,” someone shook their head.
“You all forgot one thing,” another person urged, “Mephistopheles is that country bumpkin earl’s teacher, and Veronika is very close to the lord earl. They must have some private dealings.”
“But how can we know the ins and outs of those dealings? Her Majesty can’t just take our word for it; she is a legitimate Legion Commander. Without concrete evidence, the Empire can’t do anything to her.”
“It is precisely because she is the Legion Commander that Her Majesty would be even more suspicious. As for the details of the dealings, we indeed don’t have them yet, but we will soon.”
That person looked towards where Xi had disappeared, a cold smile showing their white teeth.
……
A diamond-shaped platform loomed in the darkness, like an isolated island above a pitch-black lake, countless pipelines extending from all directions, connecting to the base beneath this platform.
Brendel felt as if he was under a spell, stuck there. He clearly remembered that the Frost-Biting Tooth had burst from the cliff, and when he looked back, he saw an enormous gaping maw like a bottomless abyss. But now, this peculiar platform seemed to have appeared out of thin air, just less than three hundred feet below him and the Frost-Biting Giant Worm King. However, where was this place? No player had ever discovered such a location in the game, and how the hell did this cursed platform materialize?
Could it be that he was simply mistaken due to his earlier tension? No, it could not be. Brendel suddenly thought of something and scrambled up the giant worm’s back. After running for about ten meters, he felt as if he had passed through a thin barrier like a water curtain.
This is it!
He glanced back and saw that the unfathomable abyss was still behind him. Taking a deep breath, he slowly returned behind the water curtain. At the moment he passed through, the scenery before him rippled like a wave, and when his vision cleared again, the platform indeed appeared before him once more.
It was undeniable—this was an illusion! Hidden beneath the cliff was a massive illusion! An uncontrollable shiver ran through Brendel’s body. He could discern with just a thought that the scene hidden under this illusion would certainly not be anything ordinary. This must be what Kehua referred to as the Eternal Slumber of the Deity, which was indeed the true location of the hidden BOSS, Sulash, in the game.
But he quickly calmed down. The question now was whether to return the way he came or go down to take a look. Logically, the Young Female Dragon should have seized the star-shaped stone, and Anlek’s scheme had been thoroughly thwarted. Now he should not complicate matters, and it would be best to leave this place swiftly, find Freya, Xi, Charles, and the others, and wait for Veronika outside to regroup. This way, he would have eliminated Erluin’s potential threat and gained favor with the Crusian people, which could be considered a big win.
However, Brendel glanced down at the ‘abyss’ below, and another voice inside him tempted him to go down and take a look. Martha was up there—this was a rare opportunity. Countless players had spent countless time looking for secrets that were now right in front of him. He only needed to take a few steps back, and the legendary BOSS would appear before him.
Brendel took a deep breath, his last glance at the platform. But this was no longer the game; here he only had one chance. A wrong choice could lead to regret beyond remedy. Moreover, at this moment, he was no longer alone. In this temple, there were still Charles, Medisa, and Freya waiting for him, and outside the temple, his fate had long been connected with everyone in Cold Fir Territory.
He understood only one thing: he could not let those who depended on him down.
Though his heart was racing, Brendel ultimately calmed down. With a twinge of regret, he turned back and began to climb up the Frost-Biting Giant Worm’s back again.
At that very moment, a slightly disdainful voice echoed in his heart.
“How cowardly.”
Brendel was momentarily taken aback. This was definitely not the voice of Saint Ausoor. He instinctively looked back for the source of the voice and was met with an unexpected scene. At that moment, ripples began to spread through the darkness.
It resembled an isolated wave, starting from a single point, expanding outwards, rapidly passing beside him.
In a space where time seemed to have nearly stopped.
Brendel suddenly looked up; in that instant, he sensed the same powerful aura that had previously emanated from Kehua, but now it was more majestic and unmatched—this was a power transcending the laws of existence—a divine power. Where the ripples passed, strands of law line unraveled, and Brendel watched in astonishment as the pointer on the dial hanging on his chest began to slow down; time around him seemed to restart flowing.
The elapsed pointer had automatically malfunctioned!
The wailing of the Frost-Biting Tooth continued to echo above the abyss as he still fell. Brendel was alarmed; he had realized that he might have caught the attention of the Awakening Deity. Only existence-based power could easily subdue the might of an inferior artifact.
Barely having time to think, with a massive roar, the Frost-Biting Giant Worm King carried him from hundreds of feet high, crashing heavily onto the solid ground of the square. The impact brought on by the creature’s several hundred tons of weight ripped open its back with a rending sound, like fabric tearing, blood gushing forth, revealing its mangled flesh beneath. Then it sprang up high, crashing down again, making a sound akin to a deflating ball landing, collapsing lifelessly on the ground like a bag of rotten meat.
Countless streams of blood gushed forth from its numerous gaping wounds, merging into torrents around it, bringing the once-mighty beast to the end of its life.
Brendel was not in a better state.
At the moment the Frost-Biting Tooth hit the ground, he intended to use elemental power to propel himself upward, but unfortunately, after the law lines had been washed away by that wave of existential power, they were in disarray, completely unable to activate. The result was that he fell heavily to the ground along with the Frost-Biting Giant Worm King, and the force of impact immediately flung him away. Fortunately, his weight was not as terrifying as that of the Frost-Biting Tooth, and with the latter acting as a buffer, he was merely thrown violently toward the ground. Brendel adjusted his position in the last moment of falling, rolled a few times, feeling dazed, but aside from some bruises, that was all.
Of course, this was also due to his own strength; an ordinary person would have likely been turned into a meat paste. For an entity with elemental enlightenment, falling from several hundred feet was trivial. Had he been prepared, he could have jumped down directly without needing to mitigate the fall and still would have sustained no injuries.
However, this time was fundamentally unexpected. As Brendel stood up unsteadily from the ground, he felt his head pounding as if it had been hit by a hammer; he tried several times to regain his balance and could only think confusion, remembering only that whoever had pulled him back to this square must be an enemy, so he immediately raised the Sword of the Earth, taking a defensive stance.
“Who is it?!” he shouted.
“It’s me.”
A woman’s voice replied from the square.
“Kehua!” Brendel immediately recognized the voice.
“You call my sister Kehua, and you also call me Kehua. It seems you lack sincerity,” the woman’s voice replied.
Brendel was momentarily taken aback, quickly realizing that the counterpart was likely Kehua’s dark side who had fled earlier. Since she appeared here, this was almost certainly the Eternal Slumber of the Deity. He calmed down and surveyed his surroundings, but apart from the barren square, he saw no sign of the so-called Awakening Deity. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he replied in line with her words, “What should I call you then, esteemed lady?”
Brendel was still somewhat dizzy, aimlessly stalling for time to recover to his best condition. The timer of the elapsed pointer had run out, and while he covertly checked his state, he found that the system had automatically deducted some of his experience. Fortunately, it seemed to view the death of the Frost-Biting Tooth as him defeating the BOSS, securing him significant experience, ultimately leaving him with more than before.
The woman’s voice let out a soft hum, as if in derision. She had undoubtedly seen through Brendel’s intentions but was too indifferent to care, simply mocking him with, “You were so bold before; why have you suddenly become timid, human sir?”
The tone of ‘human sir’ was just like Kehua’s, truly fitting for two entities of one body. However, Brendel was puzzled by how she seemed to be targeting him specifically. He questioned, “I do not understand what you mean.”
“Earlier in the Spiral Hall, you called out my name and nearly put all my efforts to waste. That was you, wasn’t it?”
Kehua’s voice had a chilling quality.
Brendel’s mind buzzed as he thought, this is bad; she noticed after all. Kehua’s dark side was known for her vendetta, no wonder she would stop him; she seemed prepared to settle the score. Cold sweat ran down his back, but he didn’t bother to say much. Since she was the hidden BOSS here, and he had now reached this square, a fight was inevitable. He tightened his grip on the Sword of the Earth, ready for her move.
But at that moment, a jet of pitch-black flame suddenly appeared above the square with a whoosh. Brendel looked up to see the flames parting, revealing a girl of similar stature to Kehua stepping out, her entire form, including her dress, engulfed in burning black flames, floating in mid-air and looking down at him.
“I’m quite curious as to why you can recognize my human form,” she said.
“Don’t use your clumsy excuses to dismiss me. Even the Buds have never seen my true appearance,” Brendel was about to speak, but the girl seemed to see through his thoughts, preemptively blocking his retreat. Yet she muttered to herself with a hint of curiosity, “How strange, I can’t see through your origins. Who exactly are you?”
Brendel was startled. “You can see my thoughts?”
“I am, after all, a deity.”
The girl’s voice resonated through the darkness.
“You’re a god?” Brendel reacted quickly, “No, wait, this isn’t your power—this is Milos!”
“Very clever,” the girl smiled, but Brendel felt no trace of Kehua’s innocence or simplicity, only sensed a chilling smile: “You were asking how to address me, right? I am Sulash, the only deity on the continent of Vaunte after the year of falling stars. But I am no longer the Awakening Deity—I am the Awakened Deity!”
Dream on, Brendel thought. If you’re really a god, how could players still play? After all, this is a level 50-60 dungeon. Although it’s a hidden BOSS, as long as it’s a BOSS, there’s a chance to defeat it.
Suddenly, Brendel realized that this so-called Sulash, Kehua’s ‘sister’ who seemed to be somewhat dazed, was likely playing the same game—stalling for time. It was easy to imagine that Milos’ true form had yet to awaken fully, a process that wouldn’t be brief. Brendel recalled the massive remains they encountered on the glacier, getting a glimpse of what the giant god’s true form might look like.
“Brendel.” At that moment, a voice from within his mind came from Saint Ausoor, “Someone is approaching from above.”
“How do you know, Sage Lord?” Brendel paused, surprised. Since when did this elven senior sister have radar functions? He had never heard of this before.
“Fool, I can feel Anquelie and the others.”
“Aruta and Peiya?” Brendel looked up at the vast, towering cliff above, “Those two siblings can’t fly!”
“They can’t, but someone can. Someone is bringing them here quickly, likely your teacher.”
“Mephistopheles?” Brendel’s heart skipped. If there were two people, then the other one was probably Veronika. Although he did not know how they had discovered their path, if these two could join the fight, it would greatly increase their chances against this impostor deity, Sulash. Realizing this, he decided not to immediately expose her lies and continued to play along, “In that case, esteemed Sulash, what is your purpose in bringing me here? Although I almost inadvertently ruined your plans, as a deity, it seems you shouldn’t hold a mortal like me accountable, should you?”
“Naturally, I have no intention of holding it against you.” The girl’s voice let out a cold laugh, “On the contrary, as my first guest, I will let you witness a spectacular show.”
“A show?”
“Let me show you how a deity is reborn. From this moment on, the history of Vaunte will also be forever changed. You should feel honored to partake in it, mortal.”
Brendel did not feel honored at all; instead, he highlighted the inconsistency in her words, “But you just said you are the Awakened Deity, Miss Kehua. That seems a bit contradictory, doesn’t it?”
“Pffft—” Brendel heard Saint Ausoor’s suppressed laughter in his mental world.
Kehua seemed slightly embarrassed, her face reddening as she gritted her teeth, “Shut up; just watch.”
Brendel shrugged, having confirmed his previous guess, which was enough. As long as Kehua was still not a true deity, there was a way to defeat her. Meanwhile, Saint Ausoor continued to laugh, saying, “You’re lacking in gentlemanly spirit, Brendel; how can you correct a young lady’s slip of the tongue like that?” The two whispered to each other but were careful to observe the girl’s every move. At that moment, just as she finished speaking, an extremely sinister humming sound began echoing from the darkness. Brendel turned to look, only to see the densely packed pipelines in the darkness begin to illuminate, as if something was flowing within them, gradually approaching the platform.
In the next moment, the entire platform started to tremble.
No, Brendel frowned; it was not just the platform shaking, nor was it coming from the abyss below, but the entire cliff, the whole valley was quaking. His expression gradually darkened; this was the resonance of the mountains. He could practically feel that tremor originating from the center of the Dead Frost Forest’s glacier. At that moment, the ice was awakening, producing a sound that belonged to them.
After millennia, that voice reemerged on the face of the earth.
And something was beginning to change.
