Chapter 00282: Remnants of a Soul
# Remnants of a Soul
Chapter 282
Novel: AFK Game: Portal to Another World
Chapter 282 Remnants of a Soul
The passage was exceptionally long, as if it would never end.
However, since its length was merely physical, with no supernatural forces like magic involved, it was still possible to reach the end.
The group walked for nearly an hour before the shape of an exit finally appeared ahead.
Since the path they had walked was the Path of Pilgrimage, its end should naturally be a place like a grand temple, and a temple would surely have a treasury.
Temples were known to be fabulously wealthy, but most were guarded by devout Priests and Paladins.
For adventurers, trying to plunder one was simply courting death.
Thus, exploring abandoned temples was a popular pursuit.
Seeing that they were about to reach the exit, the group quickened their pace, even walking forward with considerable excitement.
And then they discovered that things were not at all what they had imagined.
Outside the passage, the first thing that met their eyes was a row of immense thrones.
Their backrests alone were nearly ten meters high.
Seats of such a size seemed more suited for giants than for humanoids.
There were seven thrones in total, arranged in a semicircle facing the entrance of the Path of Pilgrimage.
They were all made of cold stone, with no trace of precious metals like gold or silver, nor any valuable gemstones.
Behind the thrones was a hill of rubble.
Traces of artificial carving remained on the stones.
It was less a pile of rocks and more a ruin, as if it had once been part of a grand and magnificent structure that had later been blown to bits.
At this sight, the smiles on the three adventurers' faces instantly froze.
If the temple had been destroyed, where were they supposed to find any treasure?
Audel was not here to get rich, but she too frowned slightly at the sight.
She had originally considered that the Ring of the Demon King might be sealed within the temple, but now the temple was a ruin.
Did she have to dig through it all by hand?
Besides, if the temple was destroyed, what was the deal with these seven huge thrones standing at the entrance?
Instantly, Audel thought of the Seven Apostles.
The number matched perfectly; this was unlikely to be a coincidence.
She took out the amulet she had just obtained, but there was no reaction from the surroundings.
Then, she took out the Psionic Crystal Detector.
This time, the Psionic Crystal Detector emitted a rapid series of beeps, the volume higher than ever before.
It must have detected a psionic crystal nearby, and from the signal's strength, it was likely a large one.
With a sense of disappointment, the four of them followed the detector's guidance for a few steps.
"The way back is gone!"
Hearing Nimia's voice, the group looked back.
The passage they had just emerged from had vanished like smoke, leaving no trace.
It was impossible to return the way they came.
They felt a bit of panic, but not much.
After all, Audel was with them and could use a Mass Teleportation spell to escape.
As for Audel, she did not even look back.
Instead, she waved her staff at the ground.
A whirlwind formed out of thin air, sweeping away the dust on the ground to reveal a large gemstone beneath, reflecting a brilliant blue light under the magical lamps.
It was immense, with a diameter that was likely seven or eight meters, and it was shaped like a slightly irregular circle.
No, not a circle, but a heptagon.
Audel noticed that each corner of this heptagonal psionic crystal pointed directly at one of the massive thrones arranged in the circle.
The Psionic Crystal Detector had led them easily through the labyrinth and to this massive psionic crystal, but what next?
Where was the Ring of the Demon King?
And where was the treasure?
Where was the sealed story?
Audel stood up and looked around, trying to find anything she might have missed.
Just then, out of the corner of her eye, Audel glimpsed something glowing directly above.
Looking up, she saw that besides the magical light she had created, there was a crescent-moon-like glow flickering on the ceiling, whose height was impossible to discern.
But unlike the moonlight that could illuminate the night sky, its light was more focused, sweeping across the temple ruins like a searchlight and moving toward the thrones.
By the time Audel noticed it, the light had already fallen upon the thrones.
The backrest of the illuminated throne immediately lit up with a massive rune, half the height of a person.
That unique light swept over the seven thrones one by one, and the rune that lit up on each throne was slightly different.
They were not magic-related runes, but more like the crests used by nobles.
The reason Audel felt this way was because the rune that lit up on the back of the throne directly opposite her looked very much like the crest of the Avarus royal family.
Only the minor details were slightly different; the main body was identical.
Could these be the original crests of the Seven Apostles?
All high-ranking demons could trace their origins back to the Seven Apostles.
While not all high-ranking demons were royalty, all royalty were definitely high-ranking demons.
Audel quickly took out her notebook and, with a few strokes of her pen, recorded all of these runes.
The original crests of the Seven Apostles were of great historical research value.
But the others were not as calm as Audel.
Seeing the thrones glow, they all retreated to the center of the ring formed by the thrones, standing back-to-back in a defensive posture.
It turned out their vigilance was entirely necessary.
Just as they stood together back-to-back, the glowing runes on the thrones began to brighten, like projector lenses weaving illusory lines upon the thrones.
Finally, the phantoms of seven demons of different genders, attires, and apparent ages appeared on the thrones.
They looked like ghosts, with an unreal, illusory quality, yet they also seemed tangibly present, exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression.
"Who dares disturb our slumber...!"
The phantom directly opposite Audel spoke.
Its voice was hoarse but incredibly loud, making their ears numb.
"Are they alive?"
"Dead. They should be ghosts."
"But the problem is, why are they so big!"
The three adventurers were somewhat panicked, but this was adventuring, and all sorts of crazy things could happen.
They were alarmed, but not to the point of losing their composure.
Audel did not answer immediately.
She observed them carefully for a moment before speaking loudly:
"What are you things?"
Honestly, this child had no tact...
Upon hearing this, the phantoms immediately stood up.
Audel and the others were now surrounded by seven giants.
The effect was akin to a four or five-year-old child standing in the middle of seven tall, burly adults.
The sense of pressure was immense.
"Insolent fool! Watch your words in our presence!"
The roar of the seven giants was like a fierce gale, so strong that the group could not open their eyes.
But Audel showed no sign of submission.
She amplified her voice with magic and shouted:
"I am Audel Avarus, a descendant of the Apostle of Greed!"
Upon hearing this, the seven giant phantoms burst into laughter, a sound so powerful it made the ground tremble slightly.
The phantom directly opposite Audel said:
"My descendant? Why do you not kneel?"
"Heh."
As if in retaliation, Audel let out a soft laugh.
She raised her staff, and a brilliant magical light shot toward the sky, tearing through the darkness that shrouded them like a sharp sword and revealing the vast rock wall high above.
The giants were stung by this light and all took half a step back, as if in fear.
"My ancestor is the Apostle of Greed, not you remnants of a soul!"