APTnovel Chapter 1753 - 1183: An Aberration Appears (Part 2)
Chapter 1753 - 1183: An Aberration Appears (Part 2)
...
By this time, many of the temple’s clergy had already finished their day’s activities and gone back to their quarters to rest.
Though the temple’s status in the Hidden Land was transcendent, and it held an astonishing number of powerful figures—taking out just a fraction of them would surpass the peak combat strength of a kingdom in the outside world, and toppling a kingdom would be an easy task—
Even a place so filled with experts was not particularly strict in its defenses.
There was no helping it. The Hidden Land had been at peace for far, far too long. People had long since lost their vigilance toward the outside world. Coupled with the belief that the temple’s status was so exalted that no one would dare offend it, there were very few people standing guard or patrolling at night, and not even the more powerful Magic defense systems were activated.
It was precisely because of this that, when the coming assault returned to visit humanity here again after ten thousand years, very few people were able to react in time.
"Rumble——"
A darkness deeper than the night itself poured into the temple, dragging the entire temple in an instant into a world of utter downfall.
The once solemn, sacred, and austere temple, after being swallowed by the darkness, saw every corridor, every corner, erupt with countless strands of shadow in that same instant.
Evil...
Depravity...
Filth...
A maddening aura began to fill the entire temple, causing many people to lose themselves directly in their sleep, suffering corrosion and corruption.
Thus, they opened their eyes, their pupils turning pitch black in the darkness, even the whites of their eyes turning black, their features twisting into something hideous.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
Not long after, the temple’s resident staff fell into madness one after another, letting out beastlike howls as they began to roam the temple.
Of course, there were also those who sensed that something was wrong in time and escaped disaster.
"Th-this, what is this...?!"
"What a wicked power!"
"What’s going on? Why is there this feeling of fear?"
"This is bad! Fall back!"
"Don’t touch that darkness!"
Some people woke up suddenly with a nameless heart-palpitating dread, and upon seeing the scene before their eyes, were shocked and hurriedly backed away, avoiding the oncoming darkness. Others sensed danger and reacted at the first possible moment, loudly warning those around them, rousing everyone nearby.
These people were usually powerhouses whose strength far surpassed the ordinary temple personnel; even the weakest among them were existences comparable to a Lv.7 Sword Saint, and there were also the Priests, the temple’s strongest in both power and status.
They were all given a fright by the abnormalities before them, but did not lose their composure. Instead, they quickly organized people to put up resistance, effectively reducing the damage.
Naturally, Liz and the others were among them.
"What is that?"
In a corridor, Liz, clutching the Moslo holy sword, saw the darkness rolling in from the other end of the corridor and couldn’t help showing a horrified expression.
"This darkness..."
Even Lilith’s expression changed, her face turning grave.
As a demon from Hell, even she had never seen a darkness so evil and filthy.
As a result, her survival instinct erupted in full, making her instinctively want to get far away from here.
In contrast, when Yuloli saw that darkness appear, a trace of disbelief first flashed in her eyes, then her gaze abruptly turned icy.
"Boom——"
Whether or not it had sensed the presence of Liz’s group of three, that darkness suddenly went berserk, as if it had discovered a bitter enemy etched into its bones, and surged toward them in a frenzy.
"Not good!"
Lilith’s face changed drastically. She grabbed Liz and Yuloli in one motion and tried to turn and run.
But she was a step too late.
The roaring wave of darkness swept in at a horrifying speed, like a true tsunami, instantly submerging the entire corridor and leaving the three of them with nowhere to run.
The darkness swallowed them just like that, drilling toward their bodies, seemingly intent on corrupting them. The ferocity of its advance felt as if it truly possessed life, harboring a heartfelt hatred for Liz and the others, its impatience plain for all to see.
Unfortunately for it...
"Clang!"
The Moslo holy sword in Liz’s arms trembled violently, as though it had been provoked, and suddenly erupted with an incomparably dazzling golden radiance.
The golden light enveloped the three girls and also drove back the oncoming darkness, making the surging, vicious darkness melt away by half before it could even react, like snow piled high under scorching heat.
In an instant, the darkness seemed to feel pain as well, rumbling as it rapidly retreated to the edge of the golden light, no longer daring to approach Liz’s trio.
Only then did the three of them snap back to their senses.
"It... is afraid of Moslo?"
Even someone as slow on the uptake as Liz could feel it in this moment.
"Great chance!" Lilith didn’t think too much, and hurriedly said, "While we can, let’s hurry and find Master!"
The words had barely fallen when a voice entered the ears of the three.
"I’m already here!"
With those words, Reiger teleported to stand before Liz and the others, his back coming into the three girls’ view.
"Master!"
Lilith was both overjoyed and relieved.
"Master!" Liz was the same, and quickly asked, "What are all these things? What’s going on?"
Reiger didn’t answer that question. Instead, he cast a cold glance at the dense darkness hovering just outside the light radiating from the Sword of Moslo, as if unwilling to leave, then spoke.
"That’s something that was never supposed to appear here. But now that it has, trouble has arrived with it."
Reiger turned around and looked at the three girls.
"Come on, we’re going to find the High Priest."
"If nothing unexpected has happened, she should really need our help right now."
"Or rather, she really needs your help, Liz."
Reiger’s words left the little princess startled.
"M-me?"
Liz seemed a bit at a loss.
Then, a second suddenly appearing voice rang out as well.
"That’s right, we very much need your help right now, Your Highness."
The figure of the High Priest appeared silently before everyone.
Everyone immediately looked at the High Priest in surprise.
Even Reiger’s gaze toward the High Priest carried a hint of deeper meaning.
Just now, he hadn’t sensed the High Priest’s arrival at all.
The other party, like him, had teleported here in an instant.
"This woman, besides prophecy-type Magic, actually uses space-transfer type Magic just like me?"
Reiger realized this at once.
However, the High Priest didn’t seem to be in the mood to exchange jokes with Reiger anymore.
Her expression was incomparably grave, with a hint of worry between her brows, like someone who had always slept soundly suddenly beset by a nightmare not seen in many years, to the point that even her face looked somewhat unpleasant.
"Please come with me first."
The High Priest did not explain much and reached her hand out toward them.
Everyone immediately turned to look at Reiger in unison.
"Let’s go."
Reiger didn’t waste words either. He took the High Priest’s hand with one hand and, with the other, casually grabbed the little princess beside him.
Seeing this, the little princess hurriedly pulled Yuloli along, while Lilith quickly put her hand on Reiger.
"Buzz!"
The High Priest immediately began chanting a spell, making the surrounding space tremble.
"Boom—"
The distant darkness seemed to sense that Reiger and the others intended to leave. It let out a roar-like sound, and, no longer caring about the golden light, surged toward them recklessly.
"Swish!"
Before the darkness could flood over to them, the High Priest uttered the final verse of her chant, and the great space-transfer Magic activated on the spot, making the group vanish from where they stood.
The surging tide of darkness struck nothing but empty air, filling it with fury and resentment as it heaved madly in place, the ripples it raised like wave after wave of voiceless roars, shaking the entire temple.
"Roar!"
"Roar!"
Within the darkness, figures with pitch-black eyes began appearing one after another, roaring in response.
The temple’s peace was thus completely and utterly shattered.