Chapter 1069: Section 1070: The Dark Void
The skies over the Twilight Mountains glowed as enormous icebergs continued their slow drift.
After the wizards entered the Twilight Mountains, the expressions on each of their faces gradually became more solemn, knowing that they were not far from Lassudral and combat could erupt at any moment.
Sanders was now at the very front of the iceberg, where nearly all the high-end combat power was gathered, including Monty.
“Sanders,” Kanter, who had originally been standing on the other side, had now stealthily made his way over, “I was on the leeward side, and it’s so windy it’s made my nose turn red. Your side is much better.”
Kanter’s nose was bright red, and his already somewhat flat bridge looked even more conspicuous, resembling the tipsy old man from the fairy tales.
“You could activate your protection,” Sanders suggested.
“Activating protection consumes too much energy,” Kanter lamented with a mournful expression. “Aside from the most basic mental barrier, I’ve withdrawn all my physical defenses. I never should have chosen that side. It would be so embarrassing if I caught a cold.”
Truthfully, maintaining physical defenses didn’t consume that much energy; Kanter had brought it all on himself.
Sanders didn’t bother to comment on Kanter’s absurdities, but simply responded with a smile.
After seeking refuge by Sanders’ side, Kanter rested for a moment before asking in a low voice, “By the way, I’ve been meaning to ask you, where is Rhein? Why didn’t he come with us?”
“Lord Rhein has his own decisions to make, and I have no right to question them,” Sanders replied. However, he was actually quite unclear about the real situation himself.
Belus, the dual-lineage wizard with the Prophecy and Soul Talents that Rhein had encountered on Sky Island.
Rhein had been away from the Barbarian Cave for several days, and now that the situation there was tense, the absence of his leadership might lead to chaos. Therefore, Rhein sought out Belus for a Prophecy.
What conclusions were drawn, Sanders did not know, as Rhein had hastily left the Abyss.
“If Lord Rhein were here, this operation might be safer,” Kanter remarked with a sigh. “After all, what we are about to face is Lassudral, the Demon City that never falls in the Void.”
In Lassudral, there would surely be many great demons stationed, and it would be anything but easy to take away the offspring of the Demon God from a demon city guarded by such powerful demons.
As Kanter thought about the potential scenarios they might encounter, he couldn’t help feeling a sense of dread.
The journey passed in silence. As the iceberg floated into the midsection of the Twilight Mountains, Sinafa’s voice suddenly entered everyone’s ears, “Get ready, once we pass the midsection’s snowy mountains, we’ll delve into the Void!”
For demons, their entry into Lassudral was through the small islands of Lake Niming.
But as they were on a hunt for the Demon God’s offspring, they could not blatantly approach Lake Niming; instead, they chose to enter the Void from a remote border and then locate Lassudral through a space-time beacon.
Soon, they passed the midsection snow mountain.
Wizards including Sinafa and Samantha, the Frost Moon Wizards, channeled their power together, creating a vortex in the space directly in front of them. Behind the vortex lay pitch darkness – the inner Void of the Abyssal world, where, with proper beacons, one could even connect to the deeper layers.
Although the Void was filled with darkness, it did not mean there were no creatures within.
Many magical creatures liked to dwell in the Void, such as the ‘Void Demon’ Simos. Some demons also often wandered in the inner Void and even… in the deepest Void of the Abyss, many Demon Gods slept. Their power was so immense that careless actions could disrupt the Laws, and only the Void could contain their forms.
When the iceberg entered the Void, it meant there was no turning back in their quest.
From then on, there was only victory or defeat.
After entering the Void, Kanter’s initially anxious mood gradually calmed. For others, the Void represented darkness, isolation, and the unknown.
But for Kanter, who possessed the Bloodline of Night, his power had actually been diminished a lot by the absence of day and night in the third layer of the Abyss. However, in the pitch-dark Void, his powers were greatly enhanced. With his strength restored, some of the troubled thoughts in Kanter’s mind naturally dissipated.
“Eh?” As Kanter’s heart settled, he naturally started to pay attention to Sanders beside him and noticed that Sanders’s expression had suddenly changed drastically, his brows furrowed tightly.
It took a while before Sanders came out of his confused state.
“What’s wrong?” asked Kanter curiously, as he seldom saw such a look on Sanders’ face, being an old friend for many years.
Sanders was silent for a moment, as if organizing his thoughts, and after a while, he said, “I don’t know why, but upon entering the Void, I felt a strange sensation. Yet when I try to capture it, it disappears.”
Kanter frowned, “Could it be some kind of premonition?”
Sanders shook his head, intending to continue exploring the strange feeling, but at that moment, Monty at the forefront had begun locating the position of Lassudral.
Monty’s method of locating still involved using the eye he had left on Morheim.
Quickly, Monty sensed the position of Lassudral, and at the same time, he received new information through Morheim’s left eye while setting the coordinates.
“New information?” As this message spread, all the wizards turned to look at Monty.
Sanders also put away any unrelated thoughts. After all, the clarion call for battle was about to sound, and the more they knew about the adversary, the better off they would be.
“The winds of Lassudral are still controlled by that mysterious shop mentioned in the rumors,” Monty organized the newly obtained information and spoke slowly, “That shop, known as ‘Illusion,’ offers a peculiar experience.”
“And this experience,” Monty continued, “is related to the Abyssal Awakening that recently shocked the demon world of Lassudral.”
As Monty spoke, the expressions of those present turned sour.
A mysterious shop that can induce an Abyssal Awakening of demons?! Doesn’t this mean that more Demon Lords could be born in the future?
Demons and humans are natural enemies, and if more lords are born, wouldn’t it be even more difficult for them to establish a foothold in the Abyss in the future?
“What exactly is this shop’s experience about? Do we have a chance, during our trip to Lassudral, to eradicate it as well?” Sinafa also expressed her concern.
“Eradicating it is difficult. According to the information received, even the great demons dare not make a rash move against that shop. Our best course of action in Lassudral is to raid our targets with the utmost speed. It’s best not to provoke such an enigmatic power.”
Monty’s goal was the offspring of the Demon God; provoking a strong enemy at this time was unwise.
After a pause, Monty added, “As for what experience the shop offers, it is said to be that of feeling the rhythm of the water and the ocean’s cadence. But the specifics are unknown.”
The rhythm of water, the ocean’s cadence? The Wizards were baffled, not understanding what that was.
Only Sanders suddenly furrowed his brow.
“The ocean’s cadence?” Sanders murmured, a figure unwittingly appearing in his mind.
Monty’s narration ended as the ice floe silently progressed through the dark Void.
“What are you thinking about?” Kanter asked. More than an hour had passed since Monty finished speaking, but Sanders remained with a furrowed brow in silence, “Are you still pondering that strange sensation from before?”
Sanders shook his head, “No, I’m thinking about that ocean’s cadence.”
“Ocean cadence?” It took Kanter a while to recall that this seemed to be what Monty mentioned as the experience offered by that shop. “Is there anything strange about it?”
“Do you remember Angel’s first high-order creation?” Sanders asked instead of answering.
“I remember, wasn’t it said to be crafted in the Devil’s Sea? It shocked the entire Southern Alchemy Realm.” Kanter looked at Sanders with suspicion, “Does this have anything to do with the ocean’s cadence?”
Sanders shook his head, “I don’t know if there’s a connection, but Angel’s high-order creation is named ‘Ocean Cadence.'”
Kanter expressed in astonishment, “Could it just be a coincidence?”
Sanders fell silent; even he did not know why Angel suddenly came to mind. Usually, the same name wouldn’t mean much, it’s just a way of speaking.
It’s just that Belus’s Prophecy told Sanders that Angel was in the third layer of the Abyss, which made him more cautious.
“It should be a coincidence,” Sanders affirmed, but the doubts in his heart were not entirely dispelled.
He now regretted not experiencing Angel’s ‘Ocean Cadence’ when he had the chance; perhaps now he might have further insight.
Mainly because, when Angel first mentioned ‘Ocean Cadence,’ he seemed unwilling to discuss it in detail, brushing over the topic. Even when Sanders broached the subject, Angel evaded and obfuscated.
Having never seen nor experienced the ‘Ocean Cadence,’ thus Sanders could not confirm whether the shop Monty mentioned had anything to do with Angel.
…
In the depths of the Void, a place endless space-time away from Lassudral.
This was an eternal darkness, where nothing could be seen, nor any sound heard, as if it were the legendary land of obliteration.
Suddenly, a gateway of light was opened.
A slender figure, fluttering the massive wings on his back, flew into the chaotic void.
“Lord of the Flameless, your faithful servant calls for your awakening,” echoed a melodious whisper.
In the pitch-black world, a huge eye slowly opened, emitting a faint, greenish luminescence resembling ghostly flames that slowly burned in the darkness.
No one could have imagined that in what appeared to be a completely barren darkness, there existed such an immense being; judging by the size of the eye, its actual form was likely unimaginable.
“Galal, I know what you wish to say,” conveyed a ripple-like message, seemingly able to spread to the farthest corners of infinity.
The figure kneeling on the ground lowered its head toward the grand presence in the darkness, “I await your directive.”
“Aoluxiya’s target is Asgard; in the end, it will still reach that place, to find its own path.”