Chapter 784: Priestess (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 784: Priestess (2)
Countless figures of Kelliark Zipple filled the Teia Plains.
However, they only bore his appearance. They were nothing more than hollow monsters, fashioned from lingering chaos.
Jin reached that conclusion quickly. If all of them were the real Kelliark, the Zipple Clan would have conquered the world many times over by now.
“What on earth is going on here?”
“Hee, it’s just full of guys I can kill without a second thought.”
The scene was reminiscent of the day Jin had returned from Laprarosa and first set foot in the Mitra Great Desert. The party easily cut down the swarming monsters while assessing the situation.
“Valeria, any luck with the record magic?”
“The chaos energy is too dense, causing significant interference. We're also too far from the tower where the incident originated. I think we need to get closer.”
“We’ll have to fight our way in, then. Don’t worry too much about stealth, Lord Oul. I have a feeling Veradin… left this place this way precisely because he knew I would come.”
It wasn't just an intuitive hunch.
Currently, the world’s great powers were struggling to deal with the remaining chaos-contaminated areas. Amidst all that, the Zipple Clan could not afford to leave the Tower of Stories—their very heart—in such a state.
“Are you suggesting Veradin abandoned this region with the intention of saying, ‘I’ll let you see what you want, so you can solve the problem for me’?”
“Precisely. The chaos energy might be dense, but it's nothing the Zipple Clan couldn't handle with their resources. Even these monsters mimicking Kelliark have low combat power.”
Not all of them were as weak as the first one they had killed.
Occasionally, some of them would cast high-level spells—all of them weakened versions of the magic used by the real Kelliark Zipple.
Even considering that, there was no reason for the Zipples to leave the vicinity of the Tower of Stories so neglected. Oul and the rest of the party nodded in agreement.
“In other words, even the Zipple Clan might not know the exact cause of this disaster.”
“Yes, Siris. If we go examine the records, we should find some clues about that as well.”
Gwaaaa…
Slash!
Every time the party swung their blades, the monsters scattered into particles of light.
Upon closer observation, however, the particles didn't simply evaporate. Instead, they flowed back toward the chaos energy that burned like a wildfire across the plains.
Then, from within the black flames, they were reborn in Kelliark’s form and lunged at the party once more. They weren't a threat, but it meant this land could not be reclaimed without a fundamental purification.
The party advanced toward the tower without hesitation.
Their justification for trespassing into enemy territory had become even clearer. As things stood, it wouldn't be unreasonable to claim the Zipple Clan had failed in an attempt to birth another Evil God right here in the Teia Plains.
Jin carefully observed the battlefield as they moved.
Thirty li. No, with this much chaos energy, the contamination extends at least fifty li out from the Tower of Stories.
It was a testament to how fierce the battle here had been. The plains were covered in dragon claw marks and the remnants of various grand spells.
The most striking features were puddles of inexplicably clean water and towering, pillar-like rocks that soared into the sky.
This meant that beings who wielded the highest Authorities over water and earth had participated in the battle.
The names that immediately came to mind were the dragons of Itelmion and Rikta—Tuyan and Pinia. Coincidentally, the first sentence to materialize in Valeria’s record windows confirmed that those two had indeed joined the fray.
“Since Tuyan and Pinia participated, it means Veradin stepped out personally. Yet, he appeared perfectly fine at the Federation Assembly recently, even though Kadun was absent.”
The various experiments and Demon God Stones the Zipple Clan had employed had drastically increased Veradin’s combat ability, but in Jin’s eyes, he was still far from being a match for him.
However, as they neared the tower, the traces of battle became more distinct, revealing a scale of destruction that would have left even Jin injured.
There were even pockets of space where spells from the battle remained active.
By the time they were halfway to the tower, the party encountered a massive flame orb burning starkly in the middle of the plains.
Though its shape had degraded, the flame orb was unmistakably the magic left as a legacy by Demon Emperor Riol Zipple.
“Destruction Flame Orb of the Dark Heaven, Demon Emperor Type 2…”
Near the flame orb were traces of spells that must have clashed with it. Remnants of all sorts of Zipple secret magics, including the Eyes of Azure Fire, were visible.
The fact that the magic still maintained its form meant its caster was still alive.
The record magic identified the owner of the flame orb as Kelliark Zipple.
Ten days ago, Kelliark Zipple cast this magic to oppose his son, Veradin Zipple. The Destruction Flame Orb of the Dark Heaven, Demon Emperor Type 2, has not disappeared even after the battle ended, maintained by his lingering resentment and thoughts.
The party’s eyes were fixed on the record window.
After reading the explanation, they looked again and saw the Kelliark-shaped monsters reaching out and infusing mana into the flame orb, as if adding firewood to keep a flame from dying.
“A spell cast to oppose Veradin… The puzzle is almost complete. The center of this battle was Kelliark, the Fire Dragon Kadun, and Veradin.”
“The idea that these things are manifestations of Kelliark’s lingering resentment is strange as well. Does this mean Veradin betrayed Kelliark first?” Jin and Valeria mused.
“If Kelliark went on a rampage, he might have already been consumed by the resentment, hatred, or madness brought on by chaos.”
The important question was what had happened to Kelliark, who was clearly still alive.
“The reason Veradin left this flame orb alone seems clear. He's using this to monitor whether Kelliark is alive or dead. Therefore, it’s highly likely Kelliark fled during the battle. It’s certain that he went on a rampage, but…”
Jin paused, considering the conditions for a rampage. He knew of two.
First, when chaos is stimulated by an even greater chaos. The rampages of people like Yona and Amela in the past were prime examples.
Second, a rampage instigated by the schemes of someone who manipulates the power of chaos.
Rosa's transformation into the Evil God, facilitated by the Prophet, fell into this category. If it was the latter, it meant Kelliark was also receiving help from a being like the Prophet.
Either way, if handled poorly, it was a problem that could pose a grave danger to the world. The party passed the flame orb and continued toward the Tower of Stories. Kelliark’s lingering thoughts rushed at them incessantly. No matter how many they cut down, there was no end.
Finally, the Tower of Stories came into view.
Among the Zipple magic towers, it was the most overwhelmingly tall and massive. Even though its upper section was completely destroyed, the tower had lost none of its imposing presence.
The distance between the party and the tower was now barely one li.
At this range, the troops stationed at the tower should have already been raining magic down on them, even with Oul's stealth abilities at their peak.
However, the tower remained silent, as if empty. It looked abandoned, save for the swarms of Kelliark's lingering thoughts nearby.
And the thoughts gathered near the tower no longer attacked the party.
They didn't even look as the party approached; instead, they were all prostrating themselves toward the tower. More accurately, they were prostrating toward a single person kneeling in front of it.
“A person?”
The appearance of the Kelliark-shaped monsters had been strange enough, but this sight was utterly bizarre. The monsters looked as if they were worshipping a god.
It was a woman.
She was kneeling at the entrance of the tower, seemingly unaware that the party had approached.
“That woman… is she praying?”
“Hee, what now? Should I kill her?”
“No, sister. We need to identify her.”
The party carefully observed the energy radiating from the woman. A golden energy, similar to the Authority of the Veil, faintly enveloped her. It was clearly the energy of the Sun God.
They passed the prostrate thoughts of Kelliark and approached her. She showed no reaction even when the party was right behind her, but just as Yona was about to reach out, she spoke.
“Guests, please wait a moment. Until my prayer is finished.”
The party couldn't help but flinch.
The woman had somehow detected Yona, of all people, as she snuck up to poke her in the back.
In her current state, not even a 10-star martial artist could do more than vaguely perceive Yona's presence. Yet, they couldn't sense a shred of martial energy from the woman.
Jin decided to follow her request. Since she was an unknown, he needed to observe her carefully.
Instead, Valeria opened her record windows. Apparently, casting record magic right beside her didn't count as a disturbance, as the woman made no move to stop her.
…A battle broke out as Veradin Zipple and the Fire Dragon Kadun turned against each other.
>
In the battle, the Fire Dragon Kadun died once…, …, the rampaging Kelliark Zipple… tried to destroy the Tower of Stories.
Because they were so close to the magic tower, the records of that day were appearing more easily than before.
…Kelliark Zipple coveted the power of the Evil God, but…
The party members’ eyes widened as they watched the record window. Based on what had appeared so far, there was strong evidence that Kelliark had intended to transform into the Evil God.
The record cut off for a moment.
Beads of sweat formed on Valeria’s forehead as she began to concentrate again. A single sentence that should have appeared was failing to manifest, giving her trouble.
…Veradin Zipple… framed… the Fire Dragon Kadun… The Fire Dragon Kadun was no match for Veradin…
While interesting records appeared in fragmented sentences, the woman stopped her prayer.
At that exact moment, Valeria gasped in surprise, looking back and forth between the record window and the woman.
As soon as this person finished her prayer, the records suddenly started appearing this easily?
The others hadn't noticed, but Valeria perceived it clearly: the woman’s prayer had directly influenced the records.
The woman turned around, stood up, and introduced herself.
“I apologize. I must have seemed rude for not acknowledging you while finishing my prayer. I am Sanna, the Priestess of the Sun.”