Chapter 35 – Rebirth Through Eternal Ruin
“Huh???” Just as everyone was scratching their heads and brainstorming on what to do with this barrier to open it, their efforts turned out to be unnecessary, for the gate swung open at the slightest push.
This fortress, which had been silent and impenetrable for centuries, simply budged with a nudge, revealing an unhindered view of the landscape ahead, leaving everyone with a look of bewilderment on their faces.
Was this really the barrier connecting to another Demon Race’s territory? How could they have walked in so easily??
Each person’s eyes mirrored the confusion in their own. Compared to the previous barriers that required Princess Filisia to forcibly break through with “Holy Oblivion,” this current one was a breeze – suspiciously so.
Tillysha flicked her delicate hand across her bowstring, an arrow shot forth and smoothly flew through the gateway, embedding itself in the soil just beyond the threshold.
On the other side of the door, a wide road stretched out flat and even. Yet ahead lay a chaotic jumble of broken walls. Going by the previous pattern, such a shift in the environment corresponded to entering a different “Realm.” Thus, the area beyond the door was highly likely within another Demon Race’s jurisdiction.
However, this barrier for isolation seemed peculiar indeed, failing completely in its isolation purpose.
After a glance of understanding with Aistride, Tillysha took the first step forward through the open gateway. Then, in the line of sight of all, Tillysha’s figure seemed to dissolve into water before disappearing entirely.
“Portal of space??” Aistride froze for a moment. In an instant after Tillysha vanished, she too charged forward through the gateway, disappearing alongside Tillysha.
With two people now inside the space portal, the Brilliant Sun and Moon had no room for hesitation. After a brief pause, Yimi also stepped through.
Witnessing more than half the team entering the other side, Wenfu and Princess Filisia dared not hesitate any longer, especially Wenfu—who feared nothing more than being left behind. Seeing Princess Filisia move, she quickly clung to her heels and followed.
A moment of silence was followed by a distortion of space. When Tillysha opened her eyes again, she found herself in a changed spatial environment.
Looking around, she noted how just moments before she was standing in an open plain, behind her towering mountains, and now found herself within a fortress.
Black city walls, a dark, sunless sky, with faint wisps of green lamp-lights eerily illuminating the area. Occasionally, a crow’s caw could be heard. All it needed was a proper BGM to be as good as a proper ghost town.
Indeed, that barrier wasn’t as simple as it seemed.
While other powers could pass through it without hindrance, people could not, suggesting perhaps living beings were screened from passing through.
After glancing at the dark and overcast sky, Tillysha sought out her companions. Looking all around, she realized there was no sign of any of them. Not a single figure in sight.
Well, not entirely. There was something visible, though not exactly human.
With the elves’ excellent vision, Tillysha could see in the dark corners the silhouettes swaying in the lone wind—lifeless, trembling figures bending unnaturally. They looked as if all their bones had been extracted, allowing their bodies to twist far beyond normal limits.
These things gave Tillysha a strong sense of déjà vu, like creatures from end-of-the-world blockbusters—infected with viruses, zombie-like, frenetic, and mad.
As Tillysha approached them, the creatures noticed her. Their now-useless eyes, their pupils fused with the whites, slowly turned toward her. Stringy hair like withered dry grass obscured pallid scalps. They flailed their limbs and their bodies twisted grotesquely like rubbery bundles.
They let out ear-splitting howls, seeming to recognize Tillysha’s difference from themselves, showcasing extreme hostility. They broke into a run, their mouths emitting indistinct sounds, much like broken phonographs.
Tillysha pulled her bowstring, and arrows shot through their mouths, effortlessly destroying the heads and necks. The attack penetrated through to three others behind them.
Good news: These monsters were physically frail, even weaker than orcs. Bad news: Her actions had alerted yet more lurking monsters in the shadows.
In just the span of a few breaths, howls echoed from all directions, surrounding Tillysha.
The zombies had ashy, pale skin and wore a variety of different clothing, suggesting they were once ordinary humans who lived in this city. Their bloated bodies appeared stuffed full of green venom.
Gazing at the liquid splattered from the monsters Tillysha had shot, she wrinkled her nose.
She wanted none of the vile stuff on her.
Engaging in melee was absolutely out of the question. Lifting her longbow, Tillysha fired skyward, unleashing “Flower Rain Bloom.”
Blossoms of abundant vitality erupted, illuminating the sky. They fell like meteors, engulfing the horde of zombies.
Soon enough, the ground was littered with pools of unrecognizable substances, akin to scattered puddles of liquid and various crawling fragments, remnants of what could once be called limbs.
One had to marvel at these monsters’ vitality. Despite losing their heads and bodies, their limbs could survive independently, wriggling along the ground.
One could only wonder how Aistride and the others were faring.
However, it seemed they wouldn’t be in too much trouble, as these zombies’ combat capabilities weren’t formidable.
Tillysha furrowed her brow and covered her nose and mouth.
At the point of d*ath, these creatures exploded, releasing thick green toxic smoke.
Realizing something was wrong after inhaling some of this smoke, Tillysha activated the Divine Analysis Technique and opened her status panel.
“Daemon Mortification Poison”
Tillysha noticed that a new state had appeared on her status bar.
“Daemon Mortification Timer: 29:58”
This intense sense of déjà vu instantly made Tillysha understand the situation.
These creatures were indeed just like zombies in apocalyptic blockbusters, individually not too strong, but armed with a highly infectious virus.
She hadn’t even been scratched, yet she contracted the virus.
If that were the case, Aistride and the others must have fallen victim as well!
Tillysha simultaneously expelled the zombies with Divine Authority while gulping down a vial of alchemical antidote. But when she checked her status bar, she realized that the debuff hadn’t been removed.
This virus couldn’t be cured with ordinary alchemical antidotes.
Tillysha showed no sign of panic. Even if she would turn into a grotesque creature, she had half an hour.
Hundreds of years of experience told her that no matter how precarious a situation seemed, there was always a way out. Therefore, you must never give up until the last moment.
Post-poisoning, Tillysha noticed the zombies weren’t as attracted to her anymore, likely because she, too, was now infected and thus less of a target for their aggression.
She needed to find the others fast.
But without being in a forest, even Tillysha couldn’t sense her teammates’ positions.
Quickly, she devised a plan. She lined her bow-eye towards the massive rusted bronze bell in the center of the town and fired an arrow at it.
“Clang Clang!” The deep bell tones resounded, audible practically across the entire town.
After the bell sounded, the zombies in the town went berserk. They ran wild towards the city gate, clawing at it with sharp fingers, creating a nerve-racking sound.
Stacking themselves atop each other, the zombies formed a ‘flesh’ wall, completely blocking the city gate.
Countless zombies with green saliva dripping from their mouths stood upon one another’s shoulders, reaching for the gate, creating a highly spectacle akin to the descriptions in apocalyptic dramas.
Their actions, though, weren’t for unity; they were simply driven by some unexplained desire to leave the city.
In the midst of the zombie flow, Tillysha spotted a familiar silver flash.
“Aistride!” Tillysha called to the Silver-haired Elf, who brandished her curved sword, hacking through the zombies.
On hearing Tillysha’s voice, Aistride paused for a moment and then looked towards Tillysha with apparent surprise.
Upon seeing Aistride turn, Tillysha noticed how disheveled she looked.
Covered in zombie bodily fluids, her black stockings were completely soaked.
Tillysha activated the Divine Analysis Technique and confirmed Aistride carried the corpse poison as well.
“Tillysha, are you alright??”
“I’m fine, how about everyone else? Have you seen them?”
“No, I’ve been under attack by these odd creatures since I came in,” Aistride shook her head.
“But I thought I heard signs of Divine Authority earlier. It sounded a lot like Princess Filisia’s. I was about to go check.”
“Time waits for no one,” Tillysha grabbed Aistride’s hand and rushed forward.
“Is that… Princess Filisia’s crystal??” Along the way, Tillysha spotted traces of Princess Filisia’s crystal glinting with an orange hue, causing her expression to stiffen.
If Princess Filisia and the others encountered trouble, it likely meant Wenfu did too.
Worried about the others, Tillysha especially feared for Wenfu’s safety. With others able to fight back, they wouldn’t just get bitten by zombies. However, Wenfu might have already become a meal for these undead!
Hastening, Tillysha and Aistride followed the sounds until they reached Princess Filisia, who was locked in a standoff with the zombies in the city center.
“Princess Filisia!”
“Um? Tillysha, Aistride? ………” Seeing her companions, Princess Filisia appeared much less tense. She wasn’t at her best in damp environments, especially when alone.
Tillysha raised her bow, and Aistride drew her sword, helping Princess Filisia clean up the surrounding zombies trying to approach them.
“Princess Filisia, have you seen Wenfu or Yimi??”
“No, I teleported here alone,” Princess Filisia looked serious as she understood the gravity of the situation. Losing two heavy hitters – a divine champion and a mascot – was the worst case.
At least the zombies’ attention was drawn away by the bell.
As the three were anxiously searching for the others, a flicker of gold struck Tillysha’s mind, instinctually directing her towards the southeast.
It was the fellow-race consciousness signal of the Gold Elves….
Yimi, sending a signal!
“This way!” Tillysha rushed southeast, and the two quickly followed her without suspicion.
Among the shadows of a dark alley, they quickly wiped out a few lingering zombies to enter.
“Plop!”
The noise caught the three’s immediate attention as they turned to see a pair of cat ears poking out from a box.
“Is that you, Wenfu?”
“Meow?!” Wenfu jumped, but upon recognizing Tillysha’s voice, though hesitating, peered out with a nervous head.
“Wow, Sister Tillysha, you’ve finally arrived meow!” Confirming it was Tillysha, Wenfu leapt out of the box, hugging Tillysha tightly, voice full of grievances.
“Are you alright? Where’s Yimi?”
“Yimi… she…” Mentioning Yimi, Wenfu’s face filled with deep guilt, her eyes glistening with tears.
“Yimi was… she was bitten by a zombie protecting me…”
“Bit?! Where is she now??!” Hearing Yimi was bitten, Tillysha grew anxious.
“Oww, oww!” Wenfu quickly led the way, her earlier panic disappearing after seeing Tillysha, typical of her childish mindset. To her, with the adults here, everything would be fine.
Wenfu led them into a house where Yimi lay pale and unconscious on a bed. Tillysha quickly advanced, unleashing the Divine Analysis Technique.
Everyone present was infected with the corpse poison, just at different levels. For instance, Tillysha merely inhaled the toxic smoke after the zombies exploded, giving her a longer transformation countdown.
Aistride and Princess Filisia were splashed, reducing their time further.
Yimi, however, was bitten directly.
Inspecting Yimi’s body, her pulse was exceedingly weak—quite rare and dangerous for a Servant of the Goddess of Life.
“Three minutes.”
“What three minutes?”
“Within three minutes, Yimi will undergo irreversible daemonization…” Tillysha’s voice carried much gravity, even tightening her fists involuntarily.
“No worries, I anticipated such a situation. We have plenty of alchemical healing potions, let me retrieve them…”
“Useless. The alchemical potions won’t cure her,” Tillysha shook her head.
In her sight, Yimi’s vitality hadn’t diminished but had, bizarrely, increased beyond her original limit.
Giving her healing potions now would only worsen her condition.
Both curatives and healing potions are ineffective. What’s to be done??
If no solution is found, within the next half-hour, not just Yimi but all of them will daemonize too.
Tillysha remembered the humans in Furnace City who fell into despair and became demonized into the Demon Race.
As for the Demon Race of Ruglien, they were once humans, now grotesquely changed, zombie-like…
If a solution isn’t quickly found, they would become part of Ruglien’s demonized population.
With Yimi unconscious and the situation critical, Aistride, who had been silent, finally spoke up.
“I remember, while battling those zombies, we passed a clocktower. The tower had some odd runes carved into it and in Elvish, it said ‘To undo the bell must one who rings it, eternal ruin is rebirth.'”
“Clocktower? Is it the same one we passed earlier??”
