Chapter 448
Chapter 448
Chapter 448
WHOOSH!
Pure white flames wrapped around the outer beings' tentacles, burning them all.
KEEEEEK!
The outer beings hit by white flames couldn't regenerate and scattered into ashes.
Zeke realized that the Elemental Sword's elemental power was most effective against the outer beings.
'The Elemental Sword is their weakness.'
WHOOOOSH!
At that moment, the white flames flickering from Zeke's sword tried to surge more strongly, breaking free from control.
BOOM!BOOM!
Zeke gripped Roland tightly and focused his mind to slowly close the field of firepower.
'As expected, it's not easy to control.'
Having barely contained the white flames, Zeke escaped the battlefield through a gap where there were no outer beings' tentacles.
GRAAAAAAAH!
Horrific screams of the outer beings echoed from all directions.
WHOOOOSH!
Rising into the air with dragon wings, Zeke could only be shocked at what he saw below.
'What is that?'
The entire surface of the massive square pyramid-shaped building he had just escaped from was completely wrapped in the outer beings' tentacles.
It wasn't just the building.
The tentacles were continuing to multiply, wrapping around the entire city of Carcosa as if trying to devour it.
CRACK! CRACK!
Zeke realized that tentacles were bursting out from underground and growing larger.
That's when some tentacles with eyeballs among them spotted Zeke in the air.
KAAAAAAAK!
They let out screams as if communicating Zeke's location to other tentacles.
The writhing tentacles slowly raised themselves, baring their teeth toward Zeke.
Then they flew quickly toward Zeke who was floating in the air.
SWOOSH!
Controlling the flickering white flames on his sword, Zeke swung at the approaching tentacles.
WHOOSH!
A massive wave of white flames flew toward the tentacles.
KEEEEEK!
The leading tentacles that were flying forward turned to white ash and scattered after being hit by Zeke's storm of white flames.
KAAAAAAAK!
But the tentacles wouldn't retreat just from this.
When Zeke tried to fly north, more tentacles intertwined like a net to block his path.
Though he tried to cut through with his flame sword, there were simply too many for sword strikes alone to handle.
'Annoying ones.'
Then something caught Zeke's eye.
Thousands of tentacle bundles were bursting up through the ground.
Zeke focused on the tentacles' point of origin.
'Cutting branches won't end this. I need to attack their roots.'
KAAAAAAAK!
While fending off charging tentacles, Zeke pushed back along the path.
He raised Roland and once again summoned the Elemental Sword's field of firepower.
WHOOSH!
Massive white flames surged up to the sky.
This time, Zeke gritted his teeth to control these white flames with his will.
The initially chaotic white flames gradually began changing shape according to Zeke's will.
Soon, a giant spear of white flames formed above Zeke's head, radiating brilliant light.
With a shout, Zeke boldly launched this flame spear toward the ground where the tentacles were emerging.
"HAAAAAA!"
The white flame spear Zeke threw flew while emitting radiance.
KEEEEEK!
The tentacles rushing to block the spear scattered into ash from the heat wave before they could even get close.
The white flame spear flashed as it collided with the ground.
BOOM! BOOM!
Simultaneously, the white flames created a storm that spread in all directions, completely burning away the tentacles' stems.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
A massive heat wave exploded upward into the sky before spreading outward.
All tentacles within range of that heat wave turned to ash and scattered.
Zeke quickly flew north through the gap as the tentacles vanished in the white flames.
BOOM! BOOM!
Only scattered white ashes remained where Zeke had flown through the air.
* * *
WHOOSH!
Flying north while fending off pursuing tentacles, Zeke was shocked at what he saw in the sky.
'What is that?'
There was a massive hole in the sky.
A deep darkness existed within that black hole, its depths unfathomable.
From inside that dizzying deep hole came a long, heavy sound that didn't feel like any living creature's cry.
GOOOOOOO!
Zeke clenched his teeth at that indescribable sound flowing from inside the hole.
'What could be in there?'
Wary of the unknown something, Zeke descended from the air and landed in the city streets below.
He hid between buildings while looking up at the hole in the sky.
GOOOOOOO!
Zeke clenched his teeth at that indescribable sound flowing from inside the hole.
'What could possibly be in there?.'
Wary of the unknown presence, Zeke descended from the air and landed in the city streets below.
He hid between buildings while looking up at the hole in the sky.
GOOOOOOO!
That eerie sound echoed throughout Carcosa.
Zeke activated Shadow Armor to wrap his entire body in shadows before melting into the darkness.
Then, staying alert for the presence in the hole, he moved toward the northern temple the Elder Dragon had mentioned.
SWISH!
Tentacles could be seen moving throughout the streets.
'Are they looking for me?'
Fortunately, having melted into the shadows, the tentacles didn't seem to detect Zeke.
He moved stealthily northward, avoiding detection by the tentacles.
Upon reaching Carcosa's outskirts, Zeke noticed the scenery changing drastically.
'What? Why are there only ruins here…?'
While other parts of Carcosa looked inhabited until recently, the north was completely different.
Everything was crumbled and eroded, as if an ancient city had been abandoned for thousands of years.
All that remained were moss and weeds growing thickly over the ruins.
Zeke entered the ruins while cloaked in shadows.
It felt like entering the remnants of a fallen glorious civilization.
Zeke recalled what the Elder Dragon had said.
'Carcosa exists yet doesn't exist, residing in fragments of space-time.'
These ruins seemed to be a fragment of Carcosa preserving traces of its destruction, unlike the city streets.
Zeke traced the remaining foundations as he moved north.
There he found the only remaining building.
Though broken and worn like everything else, covered in weeds and moss, it was the only structure still maintaining the shape of a temple.
Zeke could make out the faint pattern carved into the temple.
"The Sun's Emblem."
The ancient sun emblem that appeared consistently in ancient ruins and old memories existed here too.
Zeke now knew exactly what this emblem meant.
'The Primordial Light.'
This was the Temple of Primordial Light.
Zeke opened the quest window.
―Main Quest Mission (Linked)―
[Take the holy relic containing primordial power to the forgotten primordial temple. (No time limit / Temple coordinates automatically activated upon acquiring all three holy relics.)]
[Find and restore the scattered seals of the Chronos Kingdom. (No time limit)]
[Activate the coordinates of Chronos Kingdom's treasury using the restored kingdom seal.]
[Main Quest Mission Reward: ???]
[Linked Quest Mission Reward: Title - Heir of the Chronos Kingdom]
The main quest was to bring the holy relics to this primordial temple.
He slowly entered the temple.
THUD!
Sound echoed as he stepped inside.
Zeke examined the dark temple interior with his dragon eyes.
He saw a long corridor extending inward.
'It's much bigger inside than it looks from outside.'
He remembered the Infinite Tower in Nirvana also appeared small from outside but had infinite space within.
The long corridor ended at a massive central hall.
Zeke examined the worn reliefs carved into the hall walls.
'What's this?'
Looking at the mostly traces-remaining reliefs, he spoke to the System.
"System, can you restore this content?"
The System replied to Zeke's question.
[After scanning the content and cross-analyzing with relief murals from other stored ruins, 85% restoration is possible.]
"Really? Then start restoration."
The System scanned the worn reliefs' original forms, analyzed the traces, and began filling in missing content by referencing reliefs from other ruins Zeke had stored.
Soon a System message appeared.
[Restoration complete.]
When Zeke looked at the relief murals again, the System's restored content overlaid them.
He carefully examined the restored relief murals' content.
The Sun's Emblem floated at the highest point, with numerous shooting stars carved beneath it spreading down toward the ground.
Zeke thought about where he'd seen this scene before.
'Ah, it's the scene I saw at the ruins with the ark.'
He remembered saving the relief murals carved on the walls when he entered the ruins in Death Valley searching for the holy relic.
At the time, he couldn't understand what the abstract, symbolic images meant.
But now Zeke nodded as he looked at the image.
'Does it symbolize the constellations separating from the Primordial Light?'
According to the Elder Dragon, the constellations were avatars of the Primordial Light, using its power to help mortal creatures.
However, over time, the constellations turned against their creator, the Primordial Light, and took its power.
This story was depicted throughout the relief murals.
Examining another section, Zeke found another familiar image.
A giant bird with spread wings held the sun within its body while breathing fire in all directions.
'This was the pattern carved on the ark.'
Looking at it quietly, Zeke thought the bird in the mural resembled Raven the phoenix.
'But a bird swallowing the sun. What could this mean?'
Unable to understand immediately, he moved on, scanning the restored relief murals.
Most depicted the Primordial Light's story as told by the Elder Dragon.
Then suddenly, something caught Zeke's attention.
'That is...?'
An incongruous image in one corner of the relief mural.
A monstrous being with sharp teeth, hideous and bizarre appearance, and tentacles spreading in all directions.
"The outer beings?"
The outer beings were emerging from a hole in the sky.
Zeke remembered the hole in Carcosa's sky.
'Could someone have opened a gate in Carcosa to summon the outer beings?'
Though he wanted to examine it more closely, unfortunately that section wasn't properly restored.
Just then.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
While examining the relief murals, Zeke felt the entire temple suddenly vibrate.
'Have the outer beings invaded again?'
As he turned to check the situation, a spiral staircase leading down appeared through a crack in the middle of the hall floor.
BOOM!
When the stairs fully appeared, a message popped up before Zeke's eyes.
[The Primordial Temple has detected the title 'Inheritor of Radiant Light'.]
Zeke realized the temple was guiding him.
'I suppose I have no choice but to go.'
He slowly descended the spiral staircase that had formed in the floor.
He stepped onto solid ground after the long staircase.
Zeke looked down the extended corridor with his dragon eyes.
He walked forward along the long, narrow corridor.
After walking for a while, a massive door appeared ahead.
Seeing no doorknob, Zeke placed his hand on it. As if detecting him, the door opened by itself.
RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
Zeke couldn't help but be surprised at what was inside.
'This isn't ruins.'
Like the central building he saw earlier, the interior was decorated with colorful tiles and bright lamps lit everywhere.
Unlike magic lamps, these lights emitted a soft glow that made one feel at ease.
'Is this the true Primordial Temple?'
Zeke entered deeper into the temple while looking around.
Past a doorway formed by two pillars, a massive Sun's Emblem was carved into one wall.
Below that wall, Zeke found an unexpected object.
'That is?'
A device with a floating yellow crystal.
It was a spirit reproduction device like those seen in Kaisir's Sanctuary and the Sword Saint's Ruins.
As Zeke approached, light flickered from the spirit reproduction device.
WHOOSH!
Intense light enveloped the entire temple.
Simultaneously, the form of a robed person appeared before Zeke.
A tall man over 2 meters with long flowing hair.
Seeing the staff he held, he appeared to be a magician.
As Zeke drew Roland and stood guard, the man raised his head, looked at Zeke, and spoke.
"I pay respect to your journey here, Zeke Draker."
When the spirit knew his name, Zeke became more wary and his eyes glowed.
The Mage stepped closer and said.
"My name is Atrahasis. Others call me the Great Sage."