Chapter 93 Nightmare
In the dark underground sewer.
A group of fallen ones in black robes gathered around, where a considerable space had been cleared. At the center was a ten-meter-wide altar, surrounded by flickering flames, below which lay a massive magic circle. Nearby, strange phantasms could be vaguely seen, their outlines seeming to be not entirely corporeal, rather in a semi-ethereal form. A priest in a dark red robe knelt beneath the altar, surrounded by heavily armored dark warriors, their cold gazes surveying the area.
“Your Excellency the High Priest.”
The dark red figure beneath the altar spoke respectfully, his voice low. “We still have not detected the presence of the first god. The descendants of the Dragon Slayer have already drawn that cursed weapon, and we have suffered heavy losses; this place is far more powerful than Amber City. Members of the Druid Order have also appeared. Recently, they have been highly hostile towards us, believing we have disrupted the balance.”
“What should we do next?”
The dim flames transformed into indistinct shapes, the High Priest’s voice cold as d*ath, filled with fury. “Who is it? Who repeatedly interferes with my Lord’s arrangements? Have you useless fools not found the whereabouts of the first god yet? I have already given you the prophetic location in advance. Why has the ceremony not been held until now?”
The priest in the dark red robe looked fearful, cold sweat appearing on his forehead, and explained, “White Horse City is very strong, with many powerful presences. Members of the Northern Witch are also here. We waited until the White Horse Guard set out to deal with the Ogre Tribe, and only after that awful Lord of Storms left did we find the opportunity to hold the ceremony. We lost all the Fear Knights in Amber City, and our manpower is not very abundant now.”
“Your Excellency the High Priest, I’ve done my best!”
“Useless!” The phantom let out an angry roar, raising a hand and pointing forward, causing the head of the dark red-robed priest to explode like a watermelon. He glanced at the believers below and casually pointed, “From today onward, you are the new Fear Priest. My Lord will grant you divine power to enhance your strength. Immediately prepare the others; we must spread the holy ceremony throughout the southern region. The power of fear will awaken all the gods, and you must quickly find out the whereabouts of the first god.”
The fallen one in black robes stood up in fear, cautiously saying, “Your Excellency the High Priest. If the ceremony fully commences, then all the gods will gradually awaken, and my Lord’s power will disperse among them. At that time, finding the whereabouts of the first god will become even more difficult. Moreover, if the other gods awaken early, the power of the first god will be significantly weakened, which is not conducive to our plans to resurrect our master.”
The High Priest coldly glanced at him, saying icily, “I know.”
“But you useless fools have already missed the opportunity; the prophecy has long since deviated. Now we can only let all the gods awaken, enhancing the strength of slaughter and fear. Although my Lord’s divine power will be dispersed, the power of fear still exists in this world. As long as all the other gods d*e, all divine power will automatically gather on the first god!”
“Your task is to ensure that the first god survives until the end of the ceremony. He is both the strongest and the weakest. Only then can my Lord’s will be revived through him!”
…
White Horse City.
The figure of the Lord of Storms leaped through the streets. Suddenly, she stopped, leaping onto a rooftop, watching a warrior clad entirely in bl**d-red armor, and said solemnly, “Why did you draw the Dragon Slayer sword?”
The warrior in bl**d-red armor halted, glancing at her coldly. “The gods have lost contact. The imminent chaos is foreseeable; White Horse City needs the power of this sword.”
The expression of the Lord of Storms was tense as she replied, “Don’t you know of the curse on it?”
“I know.” The armored warrior tightened his grip on the sword, speaking slowly. “The sword’s master will d*e at the hands of a giant dragon; it has slain twelve giant dragons. The five previous masters ultimately also fell to a giant dragon.”
“But I am the guardian of White Horse City!”
“You are merely an outsider; this city should be protected by me! It is my innate mission!”
Crackling lightning flashed.
The Lord of Storms’s expression soured, anger evident on her face. Taking a deep breath, she turned to leave, coldly saying, “Foolish man! The curse on this sword is worse than you can imagine!”
“You will regret it one day.”
…
On the calm wilderness.
Lun and Gloria exchanged silent glances, the distant flames having extinguished; it appeared that White Horse City had not been attacked by the meteor shower. Suddenly, Vivian in the carriage began to tremble all over, her adorable face showing a hint of terror. Her small white hands grasped at nothing frantically, and her expression grew increasingly fearful as she curled up in a corner of the carriage, mumbling, “Go away! …You monsters! …All of you, go away! …If you don’t go away, my brother will k*ll you all! …Why are you still not leaving?! …If you don’t go away, I’m going to call my brother! …”
Lun’s expression changed instantaneously.
He rushed into the carriage, grasping Vivian’s small hand, anxiously asking, “Vivian! What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare?!”
Gloria’s expression also changed slightly as she nervously followed him inside, accidentally bumping into Lun, and held Vivian’s small hand gently, shaking her, “Wake up! Vivian, wake up quickly! Did you have a nightmare?”
The little girl slowly opened her eyes; she first glanced around timidly, and upon seeing Lun, she threw herself at him, desperately trying to burrow into his arms, her small hand clutching his clothing tightly. Once she understood what the two were saying, she seemed to still feel lingering fear, nodding gently and saying softly, “Yes. Vivian saw many monsters, and then big fires, and a lot of bl**d.”
Monsters?
Lun and Gloria exchanged a glance while soothing the frightened little girl, asking, “What kind of monsters?”
Vivian recalled carefully, her little face turning slightly pale as she whispered, “Those huge monsters that were on fire, they looked very ugly, with two horns on their heads, large wings on their backs, and tails like a bull. They surrounded me, saying something, and they were fierce towards me!”
“I… I wasn’t afraid of them! …I told them if they came closer, I would call my brother! …And then they disappeared.”
Demons?!
Lun’s face turned pale, glancing at Gloria beside him, and then gently nodded, carefully soothing the little girl. Once her mood calmed down a bit, Gloria discreetly signaled from outside the carriage. Lun laid a blanket over Vivian, watching her still gripping his clothing with a small hand, softly saying, “Brother is outside, talking with Sister Gloria. He will come in to keep you company soon.”
“Is that okay?”
Vivian nodded obediently and released her little hand, sitting at the side of the carriage.
Lun stiffly walked out, and Gloria seemed to set up a magical barrier, then looked at him and said, “You don’t know about this matter either?”
“That’s right.” Lun nodded gravely.
Gloria glanced at the carriage, then slowly said, “Vivian may really be a deity, and she might also be a scion of the Abyss Demon God.”
Lun didn’t answer, but his hand tightened around the curved blade, all his muscles tensing as if he would attack at any moment.
“You! …Why are you so suspicious?!” Gloria said in anger, raising her eyebrows and pointing at Lun, exclaiming, “Do you really think I would be detrimental to you just because she’s a deity? I’ve done so much during this time, but you still won’t see me as a friend?”
Lun relaxed slightly, but his hand remained on the hilt of his weapon as he softly said, “I’m sorry. I got nervous.”
“You know my previous experiences with Vivian; it’s hard for me to fully trust others.”
Gloria’s expression softened somewhat as she sighed, saying, “You must have had a hard time before.”
Lun did not answer but opened his mouth to say, “My memories of Vivian’s biological father are very vague. If she is truly a deity, then the situation becomes very serious.”
“Yes.” Gloria looked inside the carriage, revealing a hint of compassion in her expression as she slowly said, “The Abyss Demon God typically begets offspring for a specific purpose. The most likely scenario is that a certain Abyss Demon God foresaw their fall and left a deity in the mortal realm, ultimately intending to resurrect themselves by using the deity’s body after their own demise.”
“Once, two demon gods did this; one was the God of Slaughter, and the other was the God of Tyranny.”
“The God of Slaughter failed, and the deity left behind destroyed them. Ultimately, the divine position of slaughter fell into the hands of other gods. However, the God of Tyranny succeeded; they resurrected in the body of their offspring, and by the time the poor deity realized what happened, they were already stripped of their divinity and died, allowing the God of Tyranny to arise anew from their broken body.”
Gloria sighed, softly saying, “If Vivian truly is a deity, then her future path will undoubtedly be very difficult!”
Lun’s palm turned pale from gripping the weapon too tightly. He looked at Gloria with an undeniable tone, saying firmly, “I will k*ll her! Thoroughly destroy her! If she cannot be found in the mortal realm, I will go to the Abyss and eliminate her! No one can harm Vivian, not even a god!”
Gloria’s gaze softened considerably, speaking gently, “This is not just a clash of strength; it also requires will and conviction!”
“I think you need an ally.”
A pale arm reached out; this was the second time Lun grasped this hand, but the meaning was entirely different.
