Chapter 191 Amon in the Destiny Hermit
Aaron paused, seeing Astolfo who had clearly misunderstood something. He put the letter away, shook his head with a smile.
Aaron could clearly sense that Astolfo was no stranger to the God War Ruins. After a moment of thought, he re-described the scene he had seen in the dream world, including the black ocean that appeared at the end.
In a sense, both parties were already united by common interests, so Aaron didn't mind revealing some secrets.
Astolfo listened quietly but fell silent. Aaron didn't rush him, sat down, and unfolded Audrey's letter to read.
"My Dearest Aaron,"
"Father told me yesterday that the Kingdom's Air Pollution Investigation Committee you previously proposed has been approved by Parliament, and the King has signed the official law. Perhaps it will be formally established before long."
"My father has reserved a position for my elder brother, Hibbert Hall, in this soon-to-be-established committee. I hope you don't mind."
"Additionally, the 'Corn Laws' that were pushed for repeal last year have been in effect for nearly 5 months now. Even here in East Chester County, I can feel the changes."
"Everything you once told me is happening, but it seems no one cares."
"Whether in East Chester or Backlund, almost all newspapers are vying to report on the war in the Southern Continent, while ignoring the people struggling at the very bottom."
"I asked Father, but got no answer. Mrs. Maria, the psychology teacher I hired in East Chester County, told me that there are many things in the world that one must seek the answers to with their own eyes."
"Backlund's social season is approaching, and I will return soon. Perhaps I can find the answer there."
.....
"I didn't send you too many gifts. Newspaper information is always inaccurate. I feel a deep sense of powerlessness regarding the war in the Southern Continent. I don't know what I should do, or what I can do."
"I saw a symbol of luck in a book and carved it onto a charm I made myself. It's enclosed with this letter. I hope you always stay safe and sound."
.....
After reading the letter, Aaron took out an elegant and exquisite charm from the envelope. He examined it for a moment, a smile on his face, then carefully placed it back in the envelope with the letter and put it away.
He looked up and met Astolfo's gaze. Its voice sounded again, but it was somewhat ethereal:
"The terrifying ocean you saw in the dream world is the core area of the God War Ruins."
"It is filled with the Creator's mad will and various conflicting residual divine powers. It is extremely chaotic, with broken order, mutated rules, and countless dangers."
"But that ocean in the core area of the God War Ruins, due to the conflict of various divine powers, has also been divided into safe zones. As long as you don't explore blindly, there won't be too many problems."
"On the edge of the core area, there is a region that originated from the 'God of Spirit Creatures,' Tolzner. He was a subordinate god to the Ancient God King of Aberrants, Kvashituun, in the Second Epoch, and also of the 'Prisoner' pathway."
"In the Third Epoch, He joined an organization called the Rose of Redemption and participated in the assassination attempt on the Creator of that era."
"But He was not a true God, and His body was torn apart by that Creator. A part of His body, carrying a high-level Beyonder characteristic, remained permanently in the God War Ruins, suppressed by the Creator's power."
"Tolzner not only suffered severe injuries but also lost the opportunity to advance to Sequence 0, well, the last opportunity."
Seemingly sensing Aaron's strange gaze, Astolfo lightly coughed, composed its previous expression, and added with a smile:
"If you want to go, I do have a way to send you there, but it's also dangerous. Several epochs have passed, and anything could have happened."
"But I can confirm that it is sufficiently stable, and the presence of those residual divine powers also indirectly protected that Beyonder characteristic."
Aaron's expression remained unchanged, but his thoughts were racing. He turned to look at the black monastery on the island, was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.
With a relatively safe way to reach the core area, the next step was how to truly enter that black ocean and see the real "Ghost Empire."
All giving requires corresponding compensation. To truly reach that black ocean, the Goddess of the Night is unavoidable, and this requires a sacrifice.
Without hesitation, and without avoiding Astolfo who was standing nearby, Aaron skillfully prayed to himself, sacrificing both the Divination Pendant and the Mask of Death.
He handed these two mystical items together to Astolfo, who was silently staring at the altar. Seeing its slightly puzzled look, he lightly coughed and explained:
"When I was exploring the dream world just now, I encountered a staircase full of deathly intent on the lower level of the hall. It originated from the dream of an Undead from the Spirit Teach."
"Undead?" Astolfo withdrew its gaze and asked at the appropriate moment.
Aaron nodded, pointed at the Mask of Death, and explained with a smile:
"Yes, he came here looking for the legacy of the former Death God for their so-called Artificial Death God plan, but he lost control in the ravings and remained forever in an underwater ruin."
"And the essence of this mask is a Sequence 4 'Undead' Beyonder characteristic, and it even contains residual power from a 'Death Consul.'"
"Your connection to the Spirit World can maximize the Divination Pendant's ability. With the Mask of Death as a medium for divination, you should be able to pinpoint the location of that underwater ruin."
"Whatever that Death God's legacy is, it will be a sufficiently generous sacrifice."
Although it wasn't entirely clear what Aaron meant by 'sacrifice,' Astolfo still took the Divination Pendant and the Mask of Death. On its body, which was gradually shedding its puppet form, lines lit up, extending towards the two items.
Pale light instantly surged, accompanied by dense deathly intent spreading outwards, only to be smoothed away by a certain power in an instant.
A moment later, Astolfo abruptly opened its eyes, looking in a certain direction. Intense deathly intent flashed in its eyes, and it said with a solemn voice:
"It should be there. I heard the sound of a horn. Such dense deathly intent is far more than an Undead could possess."
Seeing its messenger's reaction, Aaron was also slightly surprised. Although he wasn't sure of Astolfo's current strength, comparing it to the several demigods he had met gave him a rough estimate.
Even if it hadn't recovered to the Saint level, it was definitely a top-tier demigod. For it to show such an expression, it seemed that the Undead from back then had indeed met a deserved end.
Following Astolfo's gaze towards the distant sea, Aaron saw nothing but a expanse of gold and felt no other abnormalities. He mused and spoke:
"Is this direction towards the sea area with the legacy of the 'God of Spirit Creatures,' Tolzner, that you mentioned?"
The pale deathly intent in its eyes had receded. Astolfo slowly shook its head and explained:
"That also belongs to the edge of the core area, and it's not too far from where we're going. With this ghost ship, I can take you there quickly and avoid some dangerous areas."
Nodding in satisfaction, Aaron no longer lingered. After a simple tidying up, the ghost ship docked beside the island instantly became ethereal and transparent, disappearing from its original location.
-----------------
May 5th, 1347, 9 PM. The quietly flowing Tussock River, nestled between wide river valleys on both sides, had a dozen people standing silently at different locations.
Mobert, wearing North Continent noble attire and a mask, was among them. He silently looked at the badge in his hand, which was only the size of an eyeball.
The front of the badge was inscribed with the symbols corresponding to "Fate" and "Concealment," and the back had tiny ancient Hermes inscriptions: "Hold this item, and you can join." It was the "Hermits of Fate" gathering badge from the Jacob demigod.
Mobert left the Southern Continent almost at the same time as Aaron over a month ago. The difference was that his destination was the mouth of the Tussock River within Loen territory.
Mobert, who had already learned a lot of information from Aaron, looked at the symbols on the surface of the badge in his hand and couldn't help but curl his lips into a self-mocking smile, muttering to himself:
"Hermits of Fate... just a bunch of pathetic wretches."
Suddenly, he looked up at his surroundings. Thin mist had risen on both banks of the wide river valley at some point. Mobert silently watched the change occur, pouring his spirituality into the badge in his hand, while simultaneously chanting the honorific name of the "Lord of Order" in his heart.
As he infused his spirituality, a layer of hazy clear light bloomed on the surface of the badge. They quickly condensed into inconspicuous beams of light, shooting upwards into the air.
Before long, similar beams returned, scattering into thin light that enveloped him, and his figure gradually blurred, disappearing from the spot.
Aaron sat inside the ghost ship, watching the slightly blurry golden sea and the numerous islands flashing by. A somewhat unfamiliar prayer sounded in his ears.
His consciousness connected with the sub-consciousness in the Origin, quietly observing this scene through the prayer light spot. The day and night in the God War Ruins were not synchronized with the outside world, and the alternating times were irregular. Since leaving the island where the black monastery was located, night had not yet fallen.
Gathering his thoughts, the prayer light spot in Aaron's vision seemed to be covered by a hazy mist. After a moment, the picture became clear again.
In a hall with elegant and retro decor, quite in the style of Fourth Epoch nobility, a massive round table was placed. Aaron's glance revealed there were actually 49 chairs.
Many chairs were empty, either because the occupants hadn't attended this gathering or had already perished. Using the true vision provided by the Origin, Aaron carefully observed the members participating in the gathering.
"Hmm, their strength is decent. Even the weakest are mid-Sequence. The one in the very center has the densest spiritual body color, which is beyond what a demigod can possess."
"Sequence 3 'Instructor of Deceit'? Could he be the initiator of this gathering?"
"But this Sequence doesn't seem to have such means. He must be using a powerful Sealed Artifact. It's only held every six months, possibly due to the limitations of the Sealed Artifact itself."
"However, his state seems somewhat off. Apart from scattered colors, everything else is unobservable. It's a bit like a remotely controlled dummy."
"Tsk, truly cautious..."
Amidst his thoughts, Aaron's gaze towards the prayer image suddenly froze.
In the corner of his vision, on the edge of the hall, sat a man wearing a hood. His spiritual body color was only at the mid-Sequence level, but he was being entwined by a transparent, illusory figure!
It had hands and feet, but like a python, it twisted and wrapped around the hooded man's spiritual body, its head reaching the top of his spiritual body!
In the hazy image, It vaguely wore a black classical robe and a matching pointed soft hat, with a crystal-like monocle on Its face.
Its mouth was curved in a smile, quietly watching the 'Instructor of Deceit' sitting in the very center, but made no movement. It was unclear if It had noticed the problem or had other plans.
And the hooded man being parasitized was completely unaware of all this!
Subconsciously reaching out his hand but finding nothing, Aaron came back to his senses and exchanged a somewhat awkward glance with Astolfo, who was floating in mid-air in front of him, controlling the ghost ship.
The sub-consciousness within the Origin quickly retrieved the Staff of the Sun from the pile of miscellaneous items. Feeling the heat transmitted, Aaron couldn't help but relax.
"An Amon mixed into an organization fighting Amon, that's quite the dark humor..."
Looking at Mobert, who remained silent within the prayer light spot, Aaron looked at the mask on his face and couldn't help but feel fortunate.
This mask was specially made for him by Harland Rooney. Its essence was a Sequence 6 'Faceless' Beyonder characteristic. Besides basic changes to appearance and physique, it could temporarily conceal one's Sequence, only revealing the 'Faceless' aura.
Although it was only effective below the demigod level and had significant negative side effects, it was extremely useful for Mobert.
Slightly worried that this guy might speak up and attract the attention of that Amon clone, Aaron directly transmitted the strange scene he had just seen in the prayer light spot to Mobert.
In another corner of the hall, Mobert cautiously observed his surroundings. After silently listening to the transactions of several members, he was about to propose buying the two auxiliary materials needed to advance to Sequence 4 'Parasite.'
Intense dark golden mist suddenly surged before his eyes. While he was stunned, he saw the terrifying 'Blasphemer' described in his family's records in the scene that suddenly appeared in his mind.
His body involuntarily trembled slightly, and cold sweat instantly appeared on his forehead. The words that were about to come out of his mouth were immediately blocked in his throat.
However, with the mask's concealment and shielding, the Amon clone, whose full attention was on the 'Instructor of Deceit,' did not notice the anomaly of the 'Faceless' in the corner.
He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead without leaving a trace, and devoutly expressed his gratitude to the "Lord of Order" in his heart, then put the matter of buying auxiliary materials out of his mind.
Due to various reasons, all kinds of Beyonder materials from the Marauder pathway were extremely scarce in the outside world. This was why Mobert had planned to propose a transaction at the Hermits of Fate gathering.
People at lower Sequence levels might not notice, but the Amon clone would definitely notice that they were auxiliary materials for advancing to 'Parasite.' He would absolutely not continue with such suicidal behavior.
But he also didn't dare to say nothing. He occasionally spoke up to participate in some low-level transactions, while also restraining his gaze and not looking at the hooded man who was being parasitized.
195Chapter 192: The Statue of Death in the Ruins
The Fate Hermits gathering, held only once every six months, was attended by members who had prepared for a long time after receiving their badges. Even though the number of participants wasn't large, quite a few good items appeared.
After purchasing another very practical magical item, Mobet stopped trading, partly to lower his presence, but more importantly, because he had run out of money.
Adhering to a noble demeanor, even though he was from the Apprentice pathway, he had never stolen money. The pounds he possessed were all 'gifts' from those unlucky pirates.
As this was his first time attending a Fate Hermits gathering, Mobet was unsure of the meeting's procedures and felt a bit nervous, so he could only wait quietly for the meeting to end.
In the center of the round table, a figure in a hood suddenly took out a wooden box and placed it on the table. She seemed to have observed for a long time and directly addressed the 'Deceitful Instructor' in the very center, speaking in a cold tone:
"I've brought the sealed item formed from that 'Parasite' Beyonder characteristic. I hope you will fulfill your promise from last time."
Within the eyes under the hood, a slowly rotating cluster of starlight swirled, showing no fear even towards a potential Saint opposite her, filled with confidence.
Everyone in the hall turned their gaze towards her. The hooded man in the corner also turned his head, looking at the woman through the shadow of his hood, or more accurately, looking at the wooden box on the table.
The somewhat illusory figure of the 'Deceitful Instructor' chuckled softly, slowly raising his right hand. In the center of his palm, a ring instantly appeared, etched with a pupil-less eye on its surface, emitting a rich spiritual light.
The ring in his hand instantly swapped places with the wooden box on the table. After inspecting the item, he chuckled and said:
"As expected of an ancient secret organization, your foundation is indeed profound."
"I am a man of my word, you don't need to be so wary. Using a secret art of this level must consume a lot."
"This transaction is a good start. You can tell the pillar of the Moss Cult behind you that I know of a hidden treasure from the Fourth Epoch."
"There might even be things in it that she is very interested in. Hmm, this is a friendly invitation, perhaps we can explore it together."
Putting away the ring, the woman, suspected to be from the Moss Cult, nodded noncommittally and replied in a flat tone:
"I will relay the message..."
Mobet looked at the woman with some surprise. As a Viscount of the Sauron family, although he had been trapped in the Book World for nearly a thousand years, he still knew the Moss Cult well.
In its early days, the Moss Cult was a very respected organization, with good relations with the major Churches.
Its members used asceticism to resist losing control, resolve the residual effects of potions, strictly maintained secrecy, adhered to morals and precepts, and pursued knowledge.
Mobet had also heard of one of their quirks: any member who joined the Moss Cult, after becoming a 'Seer', had to observe a five-year vow of silence and learn to be quiet to cultivate and improve focus.
The 'Seer' motto, "Do what you want, but do no harm," was also proposed by this organization.
However, this was the original Moss Cult. Mobet clearly remembered that before he disappeared, the old man had told him that the 'Hidden Sage' worshipped by the Moss Cult had come alive, becoming a personalized evil god, and the organization had also degenerated into an evil one.
Aaron also saw this scene through the prayer images he could perceive from the remnants of the original consciousness within the Beyonder characteristic.
From the perspective of his True Sight, he could clearly see that the eyes of the Moss Cult woman's spiritual body were completely filled with starlight, which seemed to be a unique and powerful secret art.
He knew much more about the Moss Cult than Mobet did. This organization possessed the complete 'Seer' pathway and was one of the earliest secret organizations besides the Churches of Evernight, Earth Mother, and God of Combat.
Its founders included several humans, including Stiano, who had viewed the second Blasphemy Slate.
Aaron always felt that the 'Hidden Sage' coming alive was too sudden. Even the current God of Steam and Machinery, in the Fourth Epoch, would have risked losing control to achieve Sequence 0 even if He hadn't fully digested the potion. There must be a deep connection between the two.
And the fact that Stiano, who also controlled the 'Seer' pathway and was above other Beyonders in the Fourth Epoch, disappeared without a trace, speaks volumes.
After all, even if the Uniqueness was polluted by a Beyonder characteristic, it wouldn't suddenly come alive. It is more likely that the original leader of the Moss Cult was already an Angel King who had accommodated two Sequence 1 Beyonder characteristics of the 'Hermit' pathway.
He deliberately manipulated the Moss Cult to worship the 'Hidden Sage', using anchors to stabilize the Hermit Uniqueness. In the mid-Fourth Epoch, pressured by the war among the gods, He chose to accommodate the Hermit Uniqueness.
The process of accommodating the Hermit Uniqueness might have gone wrong, or He might have contacted the Knowledge Wilderness sealed in the Western Continent through some hidden, unknown rift, just like Banxi before.
As a result, He was directly corrupted by the power seeping out from the Knowledge Wilderness. Although He successfully accommodated the Uniqueness, He became completely insane and lost His humanity, turning into the current Hidden Sage.
Putting away his chaotic thoughts, the Fate Hermits gathering was nearing its end. Aaron suddenly remembered that the Moss Cult seemed interested in taking the Book of Calamities from the 'Sea God' Kalvetua.
However, the Rorsted Archipelago was heavily guarded now. The Church of Storms and the Mid-Sonia Navy were constantly hunting the 'Blood Moon King', making it not the best opportunity.
Although he wondered about the purpose of Amon's avatar, judging Amon, who held the title of 'God of Mischief', by common sense was far from enough.
Rubbing his forehead with a slight headache, Aaron watched Mobet disappear from the peculiar hall in the prayer light spot. After silently noting it down, he didn't think about it anymore.
He casually summoned the Black Emperor card and the Sun-Piercing Scepter from the pile of sundries, connecting to the surrounding dark gold mist. An angelic figure with 12 pairs of dark gold wings on its back emerged and rushed into the prayer light spot that hadn't dissipated yet.
Appearing on a plain, Mobet looked at the terrain completely different from the Tassock River and couldn't help but feel relieved. He had prepared himself to return to the Tassock River, but he didn't expect his departure to be a random teleportation method.
Mobet surveyed his surroundings, trying to discern direction, planning to take a detour to Backlund. After resting for a while, he would head to his final destination for this trip—Tingen City, a task that Aaron had assigned through the prayer light spot before he left.
Suddenly, a dense dark gold mist appeared again before him, accompanied by a soul-trembling aura. An angelic figure with 12 pairs of wings on its back emerged, and the flame wings covered in dark gold patterns instantly enveloped him.
Mobet instantly felt a moment of trance, only feeling a scorching power flowing through his body. He abruptly retched.
A Time Worm, still wriggling, was wrapped by the angelic figure under his gaze and disappeared into the dense dark gold mist.
In a certain dense forest, a hooded man had an almost imperceptible smile on his lips, wiping a monocle with a silk handkerchief.
Suddenly, he turned his head to the west, his smile becoming more pronounced. He put the crystal monocle on his right eye and curled his lips:
"Interesting..."
He casually removed a big trouble for his believer, sealed the Time Worm, and threw it back into the pile of sundries. This was the best material for making high-level charms of the Apprentice pathway.
Once he dealt with Palles and obtained the corresponding divine symbols and magical markings from Him, he could try making some special charms.
Opening his slightly narrowed eyes, a desolate horn sound faintly echoed in his ears. Aaron looked at the sea outside the ghost ship. The golden sea seemed to have dimmed considerably, and the ghost ship's speed had slowed down and was constantly changing direction.
In front of Astolfo, the divining pendulum and the Death Mask quietly floated. Sensing that Aaron had 'awakened', a calm voice sounded:
"We should have reached that sea area. Divination can only pinpoint this area at most. To find the ruins more specifically, we must leave the ghost ship and enter the seabed."
Aaron looked at the sea surface burning with golden flames and slowly nodded. He spiritually connected to the dark gold mist, which seemed to be located in some mysterious space. At the same time, he took out a charm of the ocean domain from his 懷 , crushed it, and slowly extended his hand into the sea.
The moment his hand touched the sea surface, a painful roar instantly swept towards Aaron's spiritual body. The magnificent palace trembled, and an invisible ripple transmitted towards Aaron, shielding him from the roar.
The golden flames in his eyes slowly extinguished, and Aaron's paused body fully stepped into the ocean. Astolfo, floating in mid-air, watched quietly, then, carrying the divining pendulum and the Death Mask, also submerged into the seabed, leaving only a ghost ship circling on the surface.
As if passing through some barrier, aided by the underwater mobility provided by the ocean charm, Aaron sank into the deep seabed, surrounded by the gradually darkening seawater. His vision became dim, as if eternal night was approaching.
Amidst the gradually intensifying horn sound, Astolfo's figure appeared beside Aaron. His arm, gradually losing its puppet-like texture, grabbed the descending Aaron, guiding him deeper into the seabed following the Death Mask's sensation.
In the darkness of the deep sea, an ancient, death-filled underwater ruin stood on a black rock wall. The magnificent temple was like a gateway to the underworld.
Aaron looked at the temple shrouded in a layer of shadow, feeling the death aura gushing out. A desolate horn sound came from the huge 裂隙 of the temple, like the whispers of hell. Countless ghouls, vengeful spirits, and other undead creatures roamed the entire ruins.
Their terrifying numbers would make even a demigod hesitate, not to mention enduring the erosion of the death aura.
Putting on the Death Mask handed to him by Astolfo, the dense death aura no longer eroded his body, but it allowed him to hear the desolate horn sound more clearly.
If not for the protection of the Beyonder characteristic, he, who had not obtained divinity, would probably have become one of the many ghouls.
Following the horn sound, Aaron, wearing the Death Mask, couldn't help but look at the huge fissure covering the temple. The inside of the temple was covered with twisted, grotesque patterns and runes. Aaron felt that it seemed to be an ancient summoning ritual.
Aaron's gaze shifted and then suddenly froze. In the center of the temple, a colossal statue shrouded in darkness stood proudly.
It was a massive feathered serpent covered in large, dark greenish-black scales, with pure white feathers growing from the gaps between the scales.
Each feather and scale bore strange symbols of different shapes. Pale flames burned in its eye sockets, and a pair of exaggeratedly thick wings unfolded behind it.
In the center of the feathered serpent's forehead was a bronze door covered in mysterious patterns that were difficult to describe. Through the opened gap, one could see endless darkness, as if countless indescribable eyes were densely staring outwards from within.
Symbols identical to those inside the temple immediately appeared on the Death Mask. Varna's seal also triggered in response. In the confrontation between the two forces, Aaron's consciousness blurred for a moment, and a scene surfaced in his mind.
An arm seemingly formed purely from light struck a colossal serpent covered in yellowish-oily feathered wings into the sea. Its scales shattered, and dark green blood stained the ocean.
Accompanied by a roar steeped in death aura, the feathered serpent's head was shattered by the light, and a black glow, carrying fangs, plunged into the deep sea.
The scene shattered. Astolfo's hand gently touched the Death Mask. Relying on his special connection with the spirit world, he finally calmed the Death Mask.
Exhaling lightly, Aaron retracted his gaze, his expression somewhat solemn. The legacy of the Death God did exist, and it should be within that statue.
From Sequence 5 onwards, the 'Corpse Collector' pathway can use the body as a prison to create a unique 'Underworld'. The Underworld within each Gatekeeper is symbolized by a pair of double doors, with the core of the Underworld in the center of the forehead, representing the position of the Death God.
Aaron didn't know what was contained within the 'Underworld' on the statue's forehead. Opening that door might cause unknown anomalies, but Aaron didn't plan to deal with it himself. Since it was a sacrifice, the one being sacrificed would naturally handle the subsequent problems.
Following Astolfo's steps, Aaron entered the underwater ruins. Countless ghouls and vengeful spirits, sensing the aura of a high-level spirit world creature, actively avoided them, not daring to approach.
Resisting the increasingly dense death aura, one person and one spirit world creature slowly reached the entrance of the temple. Looking at the various symbols inscribed on the broken door, Astolfo raised his right hand, and the door instantly opened.
Just then, a strange energy surged outwards from the opened door. Aaron suddenly felt himself connected to the palace, the seabed, and even the ocean itself.
He gradually heard the syllables of the desolate horn sound. It echoed within the palace, spreading throughout the entire underwater ruins, like the ancient sound of the universe.
"The essence of death;"
"Lord of the departed;"
"The final resting place of all living beings;"
Chants that seemed to span time grew louder within the desolate horn sound. A pitch-black river, seemingly capable of hooking away souls, surged from the top of the feathered serpent statue in the center of the temple, sweeping towards Aaron and Astolfo at the entrance.
Souls floated and sank in the pitch-black river, and skeletal hands drifted in the river. The magnificent and desolate prayer came precisely from those souls screaming in pain.
Chapter 193 God's Descent
"Its main body has already perished; this is merely a remnant left behind thousands of years ago. I'd like to see how much power it can wield."
Enduring the illusory, layered prayers and watching the black river surge before him, Aaron was just about to have the sub-consciousness within the Origin deliver an Arrow of Sunlight to the statue before him when he saw Astolfo at his side step in front.
Its body, which had gradually shed its puppet form, suddenly swelled. Its eyes turned blood red, and the faint light emanating from the strange patterns on its surface spread onto Aaron.
Aaron instantly felt the world fall silent. The desolate horn sounds and the layered prayers vanished simultaneously. It seemed that not only his body but also his spirit body had temporarily lost its hearing.
He only saw Astolfo, whose body had expanded several times, mouth split open to its ears, seemingly letting out a silent shriek.
The river of pitch-black deathly aura rippled, and the river that was about to rush towards the entrance instantly surged back.
The pale, bloody arms that had been scrambling out of the river retracted back into the river at a faster speed than before after sensing Astolfo's aura.
The arms that hadn't managed to retreat from the river, as well as the greenish-black vines with baby faces and the slimy tentacles with bulging eyes, instantly transformed into bizarrely shaped animals the moment they touched the ripples stirred by the shriek. They lost their original characteristics and abilities, the only similarity being that they all had blood-red eyes.
This... Is this the strength a Sequence 4 can possess?
Aaron looked at this scene, somewhat speechless, and secretly speculated that it should be that after becoming a demigod, based on the residual peculiarities of the Spirit World, it could recover some of its strength for a short period.
The Death Mask on his face shimmered slightly, and Aaron, deep in thought, looked into the distance.
The surging river and the retreating ripples formed a vortex in the center of the temple. A rotten body with white feathers on its back emerged from it. The flesh on its rotten face was still squirming, as if trying to regrow.
Its empty eye sockets suddenly became deep and dark, as if connected to a world of dead silence and profound darkness. Dense black mist permeated the air, flowing slowly over its body like smog.
It grabbed out of thin air with its right hand, and all those white feathers flew out, covering its body and blocking the influence of the unseen shriek.
But Aaron, standing behind Astolfo, his pupils constricted slightly. Wearing the Death Mask, he instantly guessed that this was likely the Undying from the Spirit Religion who had been lost in the God War Ruins.
But with its appearance, pale corpses staggered out of the Underworld River one by one, instantly transforming into various creatures with blood-red eyes and dissolving into the pitch-black river.
Sensing this change, the rotten body covered in white feathers let out an angry roar. The colors around it suddenly became vivid, and space gradually distorted.
Astolfo, still with its mouth open, slowly raised its right hand. The Spirit World that the Spirit Religion Undying was about to open instantly returned to calm. The colors were no longer dazzling, as if nothing had happened.
After becoming a demigod, an Undying could control the Spirit World to a certain extent and use it to nourish the small Underworld within their body. But for Astolfo, who was born in the Spirit World and whose essence was that of a high-level Spirit World creature, this level of control was simply not worth mentioning.
The Undying, whose means were completely suppressed, quickly looked at the Death God statue with its empty eyes. It stopped counterattacking and instead rushed towards the bronze door at the top of the statue, seemingly wanting to use itself as a sacrifice to completely awaken what was behind the door.
Before it could take a step, a Spear of Darkness-Breaking, entirely condensed from brilliant light, instantly pierced its body. The white feathers burned, emitting black smoke.
From the dense black mist, the Undying, whose body was covered in white feathers, stepped out of the Underworld River again. Having been corrupted and lost control, its Undying ability merged with this Underworld River, which was both a restraint and a rebirth.
Aaron clearly noticed this. No longer wasting the Spear of Darkness-Breaking recorded in the "Ring of Concealment," the majestic ancient Hermes language echoed:
"Imprison!"
At the same time, the Night Mark on his wrist emitted a faint light. Unlike the dead silence of the Underworld River's blackness, peaceful and silent black ripples spread out and combined with the Imprisonment Edict.
After being amplified by this, layer upon layer of black walls and extremely viscous dark liquid enveloped the newly reborn Undying. With its Spirit World abilities restricted by Astolfo, it was momentarily confined to its spot.
Without needing a reminder from Aaron, Astolfo, who had temporarily recovered its Sequence 3 "Silent Disciple" ability through some unknown means, suddenly had its surroundings become brightly colored.
As its figure vanished into illusion, the colors beside the bronze door at the top of the Death God statue, from which the black Underworld River continuously surged, began to become vivid. Astolfo's increasingly massive body appeared beside the bronze door.
Strange patterns on its body spread towards that bronze door. This small Underworld, which had formed at some unknown time, was slowly closing, and the black Underworld River was slowly flowing back.
Compared to Astolfo, who was locked in a stalemate with the bronze door and unable to attend to anything else, Aaron was quite relaxed.
The title "Lord of Slumber and Silence," which could fully point towards the Underworld and the Death God's domain, allowed the power surging from the Night Mark to greatly alleviate the impact of the desolate horn sounds and prayers on Aaron.
The "Imprisonment" Edict, amplified by this power, successfully restrained the Undying, preventing it from being carried away by the retreating Underworld River.
Having detached from the Underworld River and with its Spirit World related abilities restricted, this "Undying" couldn't display its true strength at all. It was constantly shattered by Aaron, who held the "Judgment Sword" and the "Ring of Concealment," in a very frustrated manner.
Finally, the fragmented white feathers no longer gathered into a human form but transformed into a giant cocoon stained with light yellow grease, constantly contracting and expanding, accompanied by the gathering of dense deathly aura.
Looking at the giant cocoon before him, a bizarre fusion of life and deathly aura, Aaron breathed a sigh of relief. His right hand, holding the "Judgment Sword," was trembling slightly.
Even though several key abilities were restricted or weakened, its demigod-level body showed no signs of weakening. The three "Harvest" abilities of the "Judgment Sword" had all been used up, and it was only with the assistance of the Night Mark's abilities that the Undying was completely severely injured and fell into deep slumber.
There was no time to catch his breath. Feeling the increasingly terrifying horn sound coming from above, Aaron raised his head to look at the top of the Death God statue. His pupils contracted sharply.
Only a crack remained of the originally half-open bronze door. No matter how many symbolic characters emerged from Astolfo, that crack remained completely still.
The black Underworld River surrounded the statue and Astolfo. Black mist began to surge from the crack and slowly spread outwards, revealing the terrifying entity behind the door.
It was a feathered serpent extremely similar to the statue but so massive it seemed to occupy the entire world!
It also had huge greenish-black scales. The difference was that feathers stained with light yellow grease grew from the crack. From each feather, illusory black thin tubes extended, connecting with the surging black mist.
This massive feathered serpent was very illusory; only the fangs on its head were extremely real. The rest of its body was more like a manifestation after symbolic characters merged with the black mist.
The moment he saw this feathered serpent, even though Aaron quickly lowered his head, the desolate horn sound in his mind erupted like a volcanic eruption, and white feathers also grew on his body.
Without the slightest hesitation, Aaron immediately used the last "Domain of Darkness-Breaking" recorded in the "Ring of Concealment." Pure and fervent radiance enveloped him, and at the same time, he connected with the Origin to resist the corruption from directly facing the Mythical Creature form.
Recalling the dream transmitted through the Death Mask and comparing it to the scene he just saw, Aaron could clearly feel that something was gradually awakening.
He sighed in his heart, forcibly expelled the invading corruption, and then ended the "Domain of Darkness-Breaking." Aaron took out the "Crimson Eye," felt his spirituality continuously generate and recover under the crimson moonlight, and watched his spirituality surge madly into the "Ring of Concealment" in his hand.
Aaron kept whispering in his mind, his right hand instinctively reaching forward, constantly trying. Finally, in the History Void, he touched a certain image.
The black mist continuously spread. The giant cocoon on the ground, a bizarre fusion of life and deathly aura, began to tremble violently. The entire underwater ruins began to shake, and the surroundings became transparent, reflecting a world filled with countless skeletons and specters.
That semi-illusory terrifying feathered serpent coiled on the highest point of the entire world, slowly opening its eyes burning with pale flames.
Astolfo's massive body instantly stiffened. As a high-level boundary creature with an extremely high essence, white feathers stained with light yellow grease also began to grow on its body surface.