Chapter 282: Borrowing the Realm-Crossing Gate
Sila dashed through the air as if he were a gust of wind. His qinggong made no sound and left no trace, even when each step covered ten meters. His current speed was only one level below Zero"s. Considering the time he spent playing the game, no one would have a word for his rate of growth.
Montra"s room was further than Sila had previously thought. It took him more than a minute to reach his destination. He glided over a wall, jumping higher than fifteen meters and reaching the guild"s veranda on the second floor. He came across a metal door, which he calmly cleaved in two with a sword materialized over his index finger. He swiftly entered the room, circulating his qi internally to reinforce his body in case there were any surprises waiting inside.
Montra"s room was plain, like the offices belonging to diligent workers that were commonly seen in films. There was a chair behind a large desk, and along the wall to the back was a row of stacked bookshelves. Other than those, there was a sofa and a small table, along with a full body mirror in a corner of the room.
No one was in the room.
"Mamon, Clute, Julia," Sila called out the three from the Mechanical Evil G.o.d"s Protection. Mamon was originally attached to the armor, so his presence was to be expected. As for Julia and Clute, Sila had to unregister the Crystal Divine Sword and the Crystal Demonic Sword in order to store them.
"Othala (Homeland)."
As discussed, Clute"s first action was to activate his Rune Magic. He engraved a letter on the floor, one inch deep. For a certain period of time, no one would be able to easily break into this room unless the letter was damaged.
"This is Montra"s room. What I"m seeking must be in this room," Sila explained as he swept his gaze out of a window to inspect the surroundings. Aside from the commotion in the city and around the front gate, everywhere else seemed peaceful. Maybe too serene, in fact.
Julia opened her system window and performed a simple inspection. "I"m detecting traces of spatial expansion. Based on the size, I guess it"s located beneath us."
The rest of the information was a player"s personal secret, so Julia couldn"t access it. After thinking about what she said, Sila got down on the floor and knocked it while feeling doubtful.
"This room is on the second floor. How can it be below us?"
Mamon tapped his feet on the floor, showing an annoyed expression. "Don"t bother taking physical details into account. That underground room is a special dimension. I wouldn"t find it weird even if this room connects to a mountain or the sea. It"s just an entrance."
"Mamon? Do you mean the expansion may not be a bas.e.m.e.nt room?"
"What I meant was that the nature of that expansion didn"t matter. It can be a bas.e.m.e.nt room or whatever. What we really need to find is the entrance."
Mamon toured around the room, leisurely knocking on walls as he went. Finally, he stopped in front of a bookshelf. He revealed his devilish grin as he tapped a hidden mechanism inside. A clicking sound rang out as the surface of the sole mirror in the room trembled. Its edge illuminated, showing ancient characters. This phenomenon obviously captured everyone"s attention.
Seeing that Clute showed interested in the characters, Sila asked, "What do you think, Clute? Are those runes?"
Clute shook his head. "No, they"re not runes. Rather, they"re ancient magical letters used in old rituals. It"s the language used among G.o.ds. The writer of these characters must be extremely knowledgeable. This mirror, acting as the entrance, is being protected by the power of G.o.ds. Unless you are the writer, you have to possess a power belonging to a G.o.d in order to unlock the pa.s.sage."
"What rubbish are you spouting? I"ve never heard of anything like that before," Mamon jeered as he touched the mirror"s surface. In that instant, his body was electrocuted. He briefly let out a painful cry before pulling his hand back.
"See? I told you," Clute sighed.
Sila did the same. A golden light showed a faint glow from his chest. He couldn"t sense any resistance from the mirror as his hand submerged into it. The mirror"s surface became white, ready for visitors to enter.
"Lucifer"s Evil G.o.d"s Essence..." Sila muttered as he looked at the golden light emitting from his chest.
Clute speculated, "I have heard that Lucifer was once an angel. It"s possible that his power is categorized as one belonging to a G.o.d."
"In that case, we"re lucky. We"ve pa.s.sed this particular protection. Let"s proceed." Sila led everyone into the mirror, their guards up.
Behind the mirror was a staircase leading to a bas.e.m.e.nt. The surroundings were pitch black with only one light source from the glowing Realm-Crossing Gate located below.
Noticing the gate, Mamon rushed to its control panel. He finally found the h.e.l.l Jade he had been seeking for so long, though it was covered in cracks and the surface was rough instead of smooth.
Most of his personal great plan was dependent on this certain gem. He carefully held it in his hand while gritting his teeth. "My h.e.l.l Jade... It"s full of cracks. How did this happen?"
Actually, the h.e.l.l Jade was not the only object that wasn"t in a perfect state. Even the Realm-Crossing Gate was in an awful state. It looked like it could break at any moment.
"Even though it"s our intention to destroy it, it would be bad if it broke before we got to use it," Sila said with concern in his voice.
The Realm-Crossing Gate, which could teleport the user anywhere in the three worlds, was too dangerous to be left in Montra"s possession. If the Heavenly Dragon Guild could appear anywhere during the war event, the Wicked Union would have no chance of victory.
Clute glanced at Mamon, "Is it your important treasure, Mamon?"
Mamon was too stressed to mind Clute calling him by the name he hated. He lightly and gently stroked the h.e.l.l Gate while being afraid that he would cause more cracks to appear.
Observing a tense atmosphere with Sila staring at the gate and Mamon rubbing the gem, Clute acc.u.mulated his magic power and engraved a letter similar to "B" on the floor. He even intentionally wrote the letter bigger than usual, then surrounded it with a magic formula one meter in diameter.
"Berkano (Birch G.o.ddess)."
After the invocation, vines that were full of vitality emerged from the letter and wrapped around the Realm-Crossing Gate, including its control panel. Everyone turned to Clute, seeking an explanation.
"It"s the rune representing fertility. As long as I pour my magic power into the rune, the objects it supports won"t break." Clute stood motionless in the middle of the magic formula.
Sila smiled happily. At least his arrival today wasn"t in vain. "Mamon, help me open the gate."
Mamon was deep in thought. Sila needed to tug him a second time before he realized he was being talked to. "What did you just say?"
"Help me open the gate."
Mamon fiddled with the control panel before saying, "We don"t have enough energy. Power equal to one Gem of Catastrophe is required to use this device."
Sila didn"t waste time as he immediately tossed the Moon Amethyst to Mamon, who said nothing in response and quickly slotted the gem into the control panel. He injected his psychic power, which had the ability to enhance items, and opened a dimensional portal even though he had only one gem, unlike when Montra did it.
"Where do you want to go?" asked Mamon.
In fact, Sila didn"t know Joshua"s precise location. After considering what to do for a bit, he asked, "Can you make it to lead to the last place Montra visited?"
Mamon answered the question with action. The portal turned white. Sila ducked his head through it and found that the scenery behind the portal was a meadow with gra.s.s swaying from a gentle breeze. Sila could confidently say that this was the right place. It was because he had already seen it twice before.
"This is the place. I"m going to meet the Sealed One. Who wants to come with me?" Sila asked as he waited in front of the portal.
"Nah. You may go without me. I don"t want to see that kind of person. In any case, I need to maintain this gate. In order to save energy, I will close the portal once you"ve gone in. How long will you be there?" asked Mamon.
"Ten minutes, I guess."
Mamon had to look after the gate while Clute had to maintain the magic formula. As a result, only Julia followed Sila inside.
Once the two of them went past the portal, Mamon shut the gate"s function down.
"Kiek—" Mamon opened his mouth as he was about to let out laughter, yet he stopped as he realized that he wasn"t the only one in the room. He quickly inputted more commands using the control panel, opening the portal a second time.
Mamon declared loudly, "Hey, I changed my mind. I think I"ll tag along. Can you guard this place alone?"
Clute was maintaining his focus, so he replied back without taking a look. "Sure. No problem."
Mamon showed a delightful grin as he pa.s.sed through the silver portal, entering the land emitting heat and darkness.
As for Burapha, he had been trading blows against Lost Ghost for ten minutes or so already. Lost Ghost"s body was devoid of injuries while Burapha"s had several cuts. Lost Ghost"s Psychic Earth Attrition was supposed to be more lethal, but Burapha could weaken it considerably through his lance and his psychic power that held an elemental advantage. Burapha would have already been a dead man long ago if the one fighting him was any other Dragon Warlord.
As the battle went on, Lost Ghost eventually became curious. Burapha"s clothing was only a costume that naturally came with no options. It was a wonder why Burapha could fend him off so long despite that.
"Even though you"re not wearing armor, you"ve still managed to hang onto your life against my Psychic Earth Attrition for so long. You can boast about this in the afterlife," remarked Lost Ghost.
Burapha immediately bickered, "Rather, the one who can boast about getting to die by the Eastern Sea Evil G.o.d"s hands is you. The reason I"m not using protective armor is because I want the fight to be equal, or it wouldn"t be fun."
It was a lie, obviously. Burapha"s lance contained defensive power equal to high-grade armor. On the other hand, the reason why Lost Ghost didn"t wear any was because of the nature of his psychic power that could constrain an opponent"s movement. The effect became stronger when it came into direct contact with enemies. Lost Ghost not wearing armor wasn"t for showing off his muscles. It was for attacking and defending at the same time. Any physical attack against him would be weakened upon coming into contact with his body while his body itself could inflict damage on his enemy.
Lost Ghost had a big build, but his hands moved swiftly. His black javelins flew from his palms like they were hidden weapons. Meanwhile, Burapha was tranquil. He slowly rotated the lance using his family"s lance art and the Six Moon-Grabbing-Claws techniques that Sila had imparted to him. His eyes locked onto Lost Ghost, reading his movements and searching for his weaknesses. He also emitted psychic power based off advice he had received from Asura.
Burapha"s psychic power was gentle and difficult to detect. He unleashed it in the form of small ripples with him being the center. With them, he would be aware of any changes happening in the bodies of people in a twenty meter radius around him. He could accurately locate the remnants of his psychic power left in Lost Ghost"s body.
"You only talk big. All you do is defend. You"ve dealt zero damage to me so far." Lost Ghost no longer minded Burapha"s arrogant remark. He materialized a long axe, giving off an atmosphere that he was an executioner ready to do his job. That pitch-black axe looked strong enough to cleave anything below grade weapons with very little effort.
Burapha had been stalling for time, but he decided that it had been long enough. Given how much time had pa.s.sed, if Yardpirun had yet to be rescued, it would mean that the plan had failed. No matter how he looked at the situation, the time had come for him to escape.
"You"re right. I guess I"ll quit playing." Burapha pointed his lance forward. It was Eastern Sea Sailing Lance Art"s offensive battle stance. The art was a mixed-style art invented by Kirishima Kai. The pract.i.tioner could wield the lance like a staff when focused on defense or hold it properly when wanting to be offensive.
Burapha needed to take a risk for attacking. If he commanded the psychic power he had applied to Lost Ghost to explode from afar, it wouldn"t deal significant damage. The reason his first attack was effective was only due to the surprise factor. During the battle Lost Ghost had always clad his body with psychic power reinforcement, so Burapha"s psychic power would be less effective.
Lost Ghost activated Psychic Impact to push himself toward Burapha. The axe in his hand enlarged and trembled from the power strengthening it. He even activated another Psychic Impact on the side of his axe, making it fly at Burapha from an unpredictable angle. Witnessing the process, Burapha inwardly admired the way Lost Ghost utilized psychic power.
Because it was the same method he was planning to use himself.
Lost Ghost used Psychic Impact to shift the course of his attack, making it hard for his opponent to cope with it. Instead, Burapha applied Psychic Impact at the end of his lance, accelerating his stabbing speed. His right palm was chafed from friction. The tip of his lance powerfully struck Lost Ghost"s rib, spinning and tearing his muscles.
Crashing sounds rang out from two different sources at the same time. Apparently, the attack from both parties were successful.
Blood splashed to the sky as Burapha"s left arm was severed. He stored his lance in his system window and concentrated his mind on the wound to stop the bleeding.
"Great!!" the Heavenly Dragon Guild members clamored as they thought that the victory belonged to the Black Star Warlord. However, their expressions soon changed.
Blood poured out from Lost Ghost"s ears, eyes, nostrils, and mouth. He looked at Burapha with trembling eyes, confused as what was happening to him. He eventually dropped to his knees and collapsed. Three seconds later, he disappeared.
No one said a word. The result was beyond their expectations. Their venerable warlord lost in a single hit despite him seemingly having the upper hand the entire fight?
It wasn"t until Burapha grabbed his severed left arm with his right hand that they came to their senses.
"Kill him to take revenge for Sir Warlord!!!"
Every one of them took their weapons out almost at the exact same time. Their enemy came to their front door by himself and was in a battered state. There was no way they would let Burapha leave this place alive. A promise about a one-on-one duel wasn"t meant to be kept if the other side was an enemy.
It was then that a light-blue silhouette descended from the sky, standing in front of Burapha. The man"s ponytail flicked through the wind as if he was a free spirit deciding to show himself to play around.
"Follow me. Step where I step," Bluebird whispered to Burapha.
Many people seemed to fall from the sky this day. Some people even looked up, wondering if more would descend. As they were about to open their mouths, Bluebird immediately gestured them to stop.
"Let me speak first!! Listen carefully. What I"m going to say is of utmost importance."
The Heavenly Dragon Guild members stopped their feet. Still, they readied their weapons, pointing at the two. "...What is it?"
Bluebird nodded strongly before speaking with resolute voice, "Dwelling in this place are pitiful souls awaited to be punished. One splits the earth. One splits the sea. One splits the sky. O, this lowly one asks to borrow thy royal hammer, the Lighting King Voltix who abides within the Bolt Cathedral. My strength is all but humble. Please bestow your servant an honor to lift up thy prestigious hammer, so that he may reduce his enemies to nothingness..."
People were confused. What was Bluebird saying? What kind of important matters needed to be spoken in the form of a poem? What was the meaning behind his profound words? Many tried to think and comprehend a hidden message. It was a few seconds later that someone wised up and startled. They rushed at Bluebird as they shouted.
"His words hold no meaning!! He is casting a high-tier spell! Kill him quickly!!"
Bluebird cast a high-tier spell right in front of a group of enemies without a tanker. It was undoubtedly a risky move. If he was attacked even once and lost a tiny bit of his concentration, the spell would be forcefully canceled. That was why he relied on tricks, bringing confusion to his enemies.
—Zap! Zap!
Many people collided against several particles around Bluebird. It was the result of Lightning Insects Summoning, a spell that Bluebird had set up beforehand. Even though the summoned insects dealt negligible damage, they were useful for delaying enemies. This spell was one of Bluebird"s favorites.
"...waves through the earth, bring calamity. Waves through the sea, evaporate it. Waves through the sky, summon a thunderstorm reverberating through the heavens. Three Hammers of the Thunder Sovereign!"
Bluebird had finished casting the spell. The Roman numeral for the number three appeared on his palm. He swiped his hand downward. "The first act, destroy the earth."
A flash of lightning instantly lit up from his palm, shooting into the sky, then descending as a thunderstorm covering a large radius. Its power was so terrifying that it wiped out the guild"s front gate and most of the walls in a flash. The number of the Heavenly Dragon Guild members was reduced to half in a second.
"It"s a big spell!! Everyone, scatter!" The surviving players shouted in a commotion. They began to stay away from their comrades in order to avoid getting hit by the same spell.
"The second act, destroy the sea." Bluebird drew his hand in the same manner. However, the result was different this time. The lighting split in mid-air before raining down, inflicting damage to everyone in sight. The power wasn"t as strong as the previous strike but the bolts of lightning poured down continuously, blinding people.
Judging that the time was ripe, Bluebird tapped Burapha"s shoulder and lead him to a nearby alley.
Witnessing their escape, the Heavenly Dragon Guild members thought that Bluebird had run out of tricks. They quickly chased the two.
After running for a dozen meters, Bluebird abruptly stopped and turned around, drawing his hand for the third time. "The last act, destroy the sky."
People were horrified by Bluebird"s past actions, though they had learned their lessons. They poured their powers into generating shields and barriers above their heads, preparing for an incoming impact.
There was a rumble. The surface of the floating islands shook as the lightning magic power acc.u.mulated in the ground due to the previous two attacks shot back to the sky. The attack came from the direction they didn"t antic.i.p.ate. Their lower bodies were practically defenseless. Dozens of players died in an instant.
Bluebird and Burapha ran into the alley and disappeared behind a corner. The remaining players, who were still able to move, quickly chased after them. However, as they followed the two"s traces, their movements were hindered by electric charges left behind by Bluebird. For the record, Bluebird had laid traps shortly before he came to rescue Burapha. Furthermore, he had long come up with an escape route after he had looked over the blueprints for the guild.
As the people were anxious about Bluebird"s traps and had to proceed with caution, their chase became slow and they eventually lost track of the two intruders. They had no choice but to unwillingly let the two get away without being able to do anything.