Chapter 62: When This Is All Over, We’ll… ()
“Isabelle has appeared,” Uncle Lin said, rushing to inform Lin Yan.
Although the kill order had Bai’s picture on it, most people, except for a few who knew the truth, had mistaken her for Isabelle.
Lin Yan, who had been polishing her greatsword, her hand trembled, and the cloth fell to the ground. “Where?”
“Near the Wild God Altar. She may have already infiltrated it,” he said, his voice tense.
Lin Yan’s expression hardened. She picked up the cloth. “With her methods, it’s not surprising she was able to gather enough offerings for a Calamity Class being… What’s the beastkin’s reaction?”
Uncle Lin hesitated. “We haven’t informed them yet. The Bewildering Forest has been notified… but the elves don’t seem particularly concerned.”
“…After all, it’s in the capital of their mortal enemies. They can’t exactly intervene,” Lin Yan said.
Although the Imperial Knights could send a squad to the Wild God Altar, the Bewildering Forest couldn’t. The elves and the beastkin were still, technically, at war.
“Yes, we’ve considered that, and have kept the information contained for now,” he nodded.
“The Empire’s high command must have anticipated this, right?” Lin Yan asked. Dispatching an elite squad to the Wild God Altar at this time… it couldn’t have been a coincidence.
“…It was a strong possibility. But they didn’t expect Isabelle to reappear so soon, and so close to the Wild God Altar,” he said, his voice filled with worry. “The Empire isn’t fully prepared. If the Abyssal Demon Realm were to launch a full-scale war now, the outcome wouldn’t be much different from before.”
Even the great ancient empire had fallen to the demon legions.
Isabelle’s sudden appearance, to the Empire’s high command, was a sign that the Abyss was about to break its seal. They didn’t know about the internal conflicts, the power struggles. All they knew was that Isabelle was a powerful demon commander.
“Worrying won’t help. We have to take it one step at a time,” Lin Yan said, sheathing her sword and walking towards the door. “Let’s go, Uncle Lin. I’m sure Queen Arachne is waiting. I’ll deliver this… valuable information to her myself.”
…
The Tide of Madness.
Similar to Heroes’ Rest, it was a small pocket dimension, attached to Solor.
But it was much larger, and its environment far more hostile.
Heroes’ Rest was a place of peace and tranquility, where time seemed to stand still.
But the Tide of Madness was a whirlwind of chaotic energy, a miasma of rage and despair.
The sky was a swirling vortex of black and red, and the ground was teeming with crazed beasts, their howls echoing through the desolate landscape.
Corrupted by Demonic Runes, these beasts had lost all semblance of their former selves, becoming true monsters.
On one hand, their bestial forms enhanced their ferocity, but on the other, they had lost their ability to wield their powers with any finesse.
A trade-off.
Karina had been to the Tide of Madness before, during a training exercise with her siblings.
But they had only explored the outer edges, where the strongest beasts were only low-level Destruction Class.
Now, to gather enough offerings for a Calamity Class being, she had to go deeper.
She needed the corpses of at least ten high-level Destruction Class beasts.
“The Tide of Madness… we can’t stay here for long. With our current strength, we can only last for about four hours. Any longer, and we risk losing control, becoming like them,” Karina said, her expression grim.
Stina nodded, drawing her dagger, her gaze wary.
“No matter what, after four hours, we activate the return circle,” Karina said, handing her a crystal etched with a magic circle. “You clear the surrounding beasts, then we head deeper.”
The crystal would resonate with the crimson circle outside, allowing them to teleport back.
…A detail Bai was unaware of.
“Alright,” Stina said, taking the crystal. “And you, sister?”
“I… have to make some preparations,” Karina said, pulling out a fragment of an eggshell, from the egg she and her sister had hatched from.
Every child of Queen Arachne, after hatching, would consume most of their eggshell for nourishment, leaving only a small fragment.
This fragment, through a special ritual, could be used to connect with their mother.
In a time of crisis, they could summon an avatar of the Queen, possessing a tenth of her power.
Even a tenth was at the peak of Calamity Class, enough to handle most threats.
Perhaps… it was the Queen’s final act of kindness to her children.
But it could only be used once.
And since Karina and Stina were twins, they only had one fragment, one chance.
“This is the only thing mother left us…” Stina said, looking at the fragment with curiosity.
Karina had always kept it safe; she had rarely seen it.
“Yes,” Karina nodded, then hesitated. “Stina… I’m sorry. I made this decision without consulting you. This fragment belongs to both of us…”
“I trust you, sister,” Stina said with a grin, revealing a sharp fang. “I’ve never been as smart as you. I’ve always followed your lead…”
“So, whatever a smart sister decides, a dumb sister will follow.”
“Stina…” Karina shook her head, a smile on her face. “You’re right. What am I saying? You’re my sister. I don’t have to say these things…”
She put the fragment away, her expression hardening as she looked into the depths of the Tide of Madness.
“Stina, after we finish this job, let’s leave the Wild God Altar.”
“Let’s go travel, to the human Empire, or even the Bewildering Forest… three thousand five hundred gold coins is enough for us to get far away from this place.”
Oh they are so doomed. Just had to raise that “one last job” flag