Chapter 436 287. Echoes of the Past
Facing the closed door, Darkus did not resort to calling or knocking on the door in a friendly way, asking the sons of Asuryan inside the building to open the door. Of course, he didn't resort to violent means, such as splitting the door open with a long-handled tomahawk.
"How is it?" Darkus looked at Drusala and Colonia standing beside him and asked with concern.
Drusala smiled and nodded in response to Darkus, while Colonia extended her right arm to signal to Darkus.
The magical Shield of Asuryan has a strange mechanism. Those who are a little corroded will feel a little uncomfortable after entering it. Fortunately, the sorceresses around Darkus are more conservative and not crazy. Deha is just an application of power to them. Genevieve, who relied on Deha to support herself, stood on the edge of the cliff and watched everything in the garden without any thought of entering the garden.
After the commandos were ready, spellcasters proficient in shadow magic used the energy burst from the star stone to build a bridge connecting the shadow and resentment. In a hurry, a melee broke out. The sons of Asuryan, who were guarding important positions in the building, did not expect that the enemy would suddenly appear in the building and behind them. They were cut down without warning.
Darkus, who entered the building, did not participate in the battle, but observed. Soon he noticed eight elven skeletons lying down. With rich experience, he knew that the skeletons had been dead for a long time, and it was very possible that they had been dead for a long time. It was the apprentice that Darolhan dealt with at the end of the Revenge War. There is an ancient green energy stone inside each skull. He can even see the cracks on the energy stone and the faint wind of materialized magic overflowing.
These energy stones are unique to elves. Elf spellcasters in the classical period can use pure magic crystals to make energy stones. They are usually used to store magic power, help cast spells, or bind spirits, just like beggar's versions of dimension stones and star stones.
Of course, these are not important. What is important is that Darkus' perception is correct. Although the so-called Asuryan Shield blocked his senses, he still vaguely felt the existence of the stone slabs. Now the eight stone slabs are in four directions. The four distribution states were placed on the ground, and eight elven skeletons were lying on the stone slab.
"There is evil here, we need to deal with it." Drusala, who followed, pointed to the purple gem at the top and said.
Darkus shifted his attention and looked up at the purple gem, which was also an energy stone. He thought about what he heard about the situation in Amanweil just now while standing on the edge of the cliff. There should be some kind of back-up plan in front of him. If the shield of Asuryan is closed, the raging wind of magic will shatter these unstable energy stones, and there will be no trace of them. The question of purple must be related to the wind of Shash, combined with the evil Drusala said, there is no need to think about it anymore, these elf skeletons will definitely stand up by then. It is not known whether this backhand was arranged by Darolhan or by that mysterious existence.
The stone slab was there, and had been there for thousands of years. Darkus did not look at it right away. His priority now was to find the Shield of Asuryan and control it.
"Over there!" Ren pointed in a direction, and he shouted after discovering the secret passage.
The passage leads to the area where the sons of Asuryan usually live. The kitchen and several bedrooms have been renovated, but one room is empty, with only dust on the floor and signs of the presence of rats. Ren's secret passage is no longer used at this time. Anyone who is not blind can see the dusty shoe prints, fresh footprints and the obvious secret door.
The secret door led to the hall in the center of the garden. Darkus observed through traces that the floor he was on seemed to have been idle for thousands of years. Although there were walking footprints on the ground, these footprints all led to the same place. Thick dust covered the desk and workbench, the instruments were covered with cobwebs, and the bookshelves were empty. The ancient elven instruments are now unusable, but may be restored and put into use again.
"These instruments are all used for alchemy, and they are actually produced by Nagor Magic Academy." Drew LS made a judgment after observing for a while, and then whispered in Darkus's ear.
The White Tower of Hoth in the Saffron Kingdom of Ulthuan was built after the Catastrophe. In the classical golden age, each kingdom of Ulthuan had its own magic academy. And Nagor was the magic center of the Kingdom of Nagaryth before the Earth Collapse. After the Earth Collapse, Nagor turned into the Black Ark. The subsequent story has been told before. The group of male spellcasters helped Malekith transform the magic that belonged to the tower. After Er Anlek's part of the Black Ark was teleported to the land on the Naggaroth Plains, it was dealt with by Malekith because of the prophecy of destruction.
Through these alchemical instruments, Dalolhan's identity before becoming a gray lord seems to be very clear. For a high-level spellcaster, it is not difficult to change his appearance. Otherwise, why was the earliest sorceress in Nagaroth Always favored by Assati.
The team did not linger, but continued to search for the passage. The second floor seemed to be related to botany. Darkus saw that all the plant specimens had turned into ashes, and there were several glass jars on the cabinet with viscous liquid inside. .
"Don't touch! These... we..." Asanok, who followed, shouted first, then he hesitated as his expression changed drastically, and soon he continued, "Trouble, if I judge If you're right, the jars with red liquid should be blight, yellow should be gray eye fever, green..." "
Brain rot, once the barrier is closed, the viruses in these jars are likely to be stimulated." He has rich scientific research Experienced Drew LS gave the answer directly and told what might happen next.
"Isa, they should really open their eyes and see what good things they have done!" Lindyalok, who also followed down, yelled. At this moment, he didn't even have the remaining empathy. He now felt The decision I made before was absolutely correct.
"Can we use the Bridge of Shadows to go up later?" Darkus looked at Drew LS and asked. He found that Darolhan or that existence was too damaged. This is just like the mechanism of the ancient tomb. As long as the coffin is When it is moved, the entire mechanism of the tomb will move. If an ordinary Captain Mojin came in, he wouldn't know how he would die. A series of punches would only allow him to take full body protection before coming in to escape.
"Separate here, we will go up through the Bridge of Shadows later." Darkus made a decision immediately after receiving Drusala's response.
The third level is a bit baffling. An elf skeleton is placed on the workbench, with his arms crossed in front of his chest. There is also a green energy stone in the skull. Then there was no more. Maybe only Sestra came to know who was lying down, but there was no more.
After cutting down the two sons of Asuryan who were blocking the door, Darkus's team arrived at the core of Amanvel. This place was completely different from the three floors above. The interior walls and floors were covered with dead vines. He felt disgusting because when he stepped on the vines, he had a strange feeling of stepping on flesh, and there was also a strange feeling that followed. Feeling of pulsating breath.
Apart from the vines, there is only one crystal coffin placed in the center of the entire space. On the top of the crystal coffin hangs a burning Asuryan brazier. The burning flames like spider silk are attached to the vines on the ceiling, which seems to be connected with the entire Amanwil. It is connected to the so-called Asuryan Shield, thus radiating towards the forest.
Eight beings who may be the core of the Sons of Asuryan are doing some kind of ritual around the crystal coffin. Darkus is like the protagonist of some novels and film and television dramas. He comes neither quickly nor slowly. The eight Asuryans Yan Zhizi lowered his arms and looked at the uninvited visitor with scrutiny and disgust.
The plot and dialogue stages were skipped directly. Lindyalok, who wanted to scold and question, was attracted by the shaking crystal coffin. The crystal coffin was constantly shaking and showed signs of breaking. The Druchi who followed quickly assembled the Reaper Ballista on the rugged ground. Before they arrived, they were told by Darkus what they might face.
A son of Asuryan was attracted by the shaking crystal coffin. He took a step back in horror and pointed at the crystal coffin with a trembling hand. The other seven sons of Asuryan were also attracted to look at the crystal coffin. At that moment, they saw a shocking scene. Dalorhan lying in the crystal coffin opened his eyes. The most important thing was that Dalorhan was pale. , outstanding.
Dallolhan sat up in shock and opened the sliding cover of the crystal coffin. His body that had been dead for thousands of years sat upright from the crystal palace. After waking up, he screamed, roared, and moaned like a thousand-year-old rice dumpling. He covered his face and wailed hysterically. All the elves present were shocked by this scene. Darkus felt that the scene in front of him at this moment was more impactful than the last time he fought in Krakalond. After all, they were just moving mummies at the beginning. At the same time, he also understood, Why do these spells that can bring people back to life seem evil and dark to Druchi?
There were no signs of decay on Darolhan. His shiny hair and arms exposed outside his clothes looked as if he had never died, but there was something strange about his face. Before he covered his face with his hands, Darkus could clearly see the bulging veins and blood vessels on his face, as well as the pale whites of his eyes without pupils.
"Forgive me, forgive me..." Darolhan stood up from the crystal coffin after struggling for a moment. His pale eyes looked around the space, and he said slowly, having not spoken for a thousand years, his voice was like a throat. It's like sawdust in it, and it sounds so sour to the teeth.
"I was deceived, forgive me, forgive me..."
An ancient past, a forgotten past.
Exiled from Ulthuan, the Gray Lords and their followers followed a completely opposite path. At the end of the Battle of Revenge, thanks to the various efforts of the Lauren Loren elves, the dwarf army retreated. Just as Enjidu suspected, some interactions with Dalolhan may have forced this stupid elf mage to blindly believe in other forest spirits. After the dwarves retreated, a sylvan spirit who had helped Dalolhan create the disease was inadvertently discovered to be problematic and connected to Nurgle.
Darolhan was extremely horrified by what he had done. He knew that his soul was cursed. He took quick action to destroy all of his research results, cover up all evidence of the horrific experiments, and then left with regret. Out of emotion, he slaughtered his followers efficiently.
Only the youngest apprentice who had not participated was left, that is, Tolandil's clan mother, Sestela of the Hongye family. The fact is that as Darolhan thought, Sestela did not participate. Ra was not corrupted, and became a respected spellcaster in the Aenir in Lauren Loren, and eventually fell during the Aenir's civil war.
In the end, Darolhan sealed Amanweir's residence and sealed himself into a crystal coffin. He used the stone slab accidentally obtained in Lauren Loren and the crystal coffin as a medium to activate a magic barrier. He hoped that This prevented further corruption, but on this, as on many others, he was wrong and ultimately failed.
The seal set by Dalolhan in Amanweil could not prevent him from falling into the arms of his loving father. He eventually became a vessel of corruption. Over these long centuries, the barrier changed from resisting corruption at the beginning to becoming a reaction to chaos. To invade and pollute the mortal world.
Large withered vines took root around the crystal coffin, and corruption slowly spread from the garden to the surrounding forest.
The dark past of Dalolhan has been buried in this way for centuries. Some old elves who have experienced the war of revenge still remember what happened in Cole Imamoor. The forest spirit that cast the plague on Dalolhan was curious.
However, the process of corruption is slow and extremely difficult to detect. It wasn't until Asuryan's followers accidentally discovered Amanvir in the forest that the vine bridge connecting to the outside world was built. Later, they learned about his deeds from the mouth of Dalolhan's only surviving apprentice. Just like there are three experiencers of an event, but after these three experiencers tell the event to one person, that person may think that the stories told by the three are not the same story.
In the impression and memory of Sestra, who was not involved or corrupted, Dalolhan was a powerful spellcaster who cared about his family. He knew everything about Lauren Loren and did his best to benefit the elves. Is there anything wrong with her memory? Yes, she was not the only one to think so. Most of the old elves who came from that era held the same view as her. Assanok, who has been in contact with Dalolhan, also has a neutral view of him, without any smell of an evil spellcaster.
Sestra, who didn't know what was really going on, eventually misled the Sons of Asuryan. They respected Amanweil as a sacred place, and respected Dalolhan as a virtuous being. They swore to protect it until death. The caster in the crystal coffin. Like most troubles, the demons lurking in the nearby forests are seen by them as the result of human invasion. After all, the fact is that Amanweir, wrapped in a barrier, is sacred and immaculate. It is only now that the plague has spread and high-level spellcasters can pass through. Second vision saw a clue.
Dalorhan, lying in a crystal coffin, could not move or speak, but the sons of Asuryan, these fanatical religious warriors, and the once proud Asuryan believers believed that Dalorhan could still respond to his loyal guardians through magic, and Giving orders to them, they were now misled by the voice they thought was Dalorhan. In fact, the voice they heard was not that of Dalorhan, but another magical being.
The withered vine attached to the crystal coffin seemed to be the representative and medium of that magical existence, because a terrible laughter began to echo in Darkus' soul, as if he was amused by the performance after a good play was performed.
"Forgive...ah..." As the terrifying laughter echoed, the disorderly words in Darolhan's mouth suddenly stopped and turned into painful wails, and his body was constantly twitching and twisting.
"Stop him quickly!" Darkus yelled, knowing that Darolhan was about to change.
However, Darolhan changed faster than Darkus thought, and Darolhan's body underwent incredible distortions and mutations. The original humanoid outline disappeared and was twisted into a disgusting lump of biomass. The muscles and skin seemed to be pulled by invisible forces, forming irregular folds and tumor-like bulges.
This twisted body has rows of outrageous canines growing on it. They are irregularly distributed on the surface of the body, like sharp blades, shining with a sharp cold light. The eyes also lost their original shape during this twisted mutation, becoming weird and ferocious, like evil spirits in the abyss. The mouth split into irregular cracks and opened extremely wide, revealing sharp teeth, forming a twisted and creepy face.
The indescribable skin becomes more pathological in this mutation, full of irregular bumps and spots of different colors. The venom seeped out from the mutated flesh, forming a layer of viscous liquid that gave people a strong sour and fishy odor.
The entire twisted body seemed to emerge from a nightmare. This mutated object was not only creepy in appearance, but also exuded a chaotic and twisted aura, as if it were a terrifying existence emerging from the abyss of hell.
The extreme distortion and terror made this scene a terrifying scene. Druch, who had followed Darkus to see the world, was better off, and those Enil who followed could barely hold back the indescribable things in front of them, because he was there. Before entering, they analyzed the situations they might encounter after entering, ranging from big demons to endless Nurgle demons, so that the elves were mentally prepared.
The most miserable ones are the eight sons of Asuryan. In the past, Dalolhan was a sacred existence in their eyes. They believed in the wisdom and power of Dalolhan to guide them in the direction of progress. However, when Dallol Hansheng twisted and mutated and turned into that terrifying and indescribable existence, the shadow of the collapse of faith shrouded their hearts like a dark cloud.
The sons of Asuryan looked at the twisted and terrifying monster, their eyes filled with disbelief. No matter how stupid or fanatical they were, they knew at this moment that they had been deceived. Their oaths, beliefs, and everything were false. Everything was overturned, and the palace of faith collapsed in an instant, like a destroyed ruin. There was a violent shock in their hearts, and their eyes were filled with madness and despair. The strong conflicts and contrasts made it impossible for them to accept the facts they saw.
Chaotic shouts and shouts resounded in the space. The hearts of the sons of Asuryan seemed to have experienced a devastating earthquake at this moment. Their faith collapsed, replaced by deep despair and disbelief. The terrible mental shock plunged them into the abyss, and confusion and madness engulfed their hearts. At this moment, Asuryan, their fanatical believer, did not appear to save them.
Some of the sons of Asuryan chose to retreat in fear, their eyes filled with uneasiness and fear. Unable to accept this fact, they panicked and tried to stay away from this nightmare, looking for an exit at a loss.
Others of the Sons of Asuryan froze where they were, shouting meaninglessly. Their thinking was in chaos and it was difficult to understand what was happening in front of them. Such changes have greatly impacted their hearts, making them unable to adapt to this horrific reality.
Some of the Sons of Asuryan picked up their weapons and attacked the Chaos Egg. Perhaps driven by anger and desperation, they attempted to use force to resist this horrific mutation, although they may have understood that such efforts may be in vain.
An even more tragic situation occurred for some of the sons of Asuryan. They could not bear the horrific facts before them and chose to wipe their own necks with weapons. This is an extreme reaction that cannot bear the psychological trauma and is a kind of giving up to despair. Their actions echo the chaos and madness of the entire scene, creating an unspeakable tragedy.
"Use magic, use long-range, don't go there!" Not to mention the sons of Asuryan, even the well-informed Darkos couldn't bear the terrifying thing in front of him, and when he reacted, he shouted again.
The son of Asuryan who launched an attack on the Egg of Chaos failed. The former Dalorhan was now the Egg of Chaos. Countless tentacles grew on the twisted and terrifying body, and they spread like evil tentacles. . The tentacles were twisted, showing irregular shapes, some were long and thin, and some were short and thick, making the entire twisted body even more creepy.
The tentacles are covered with suction cup-like structures, as if they are the product of extradimensional creatures. They swing in the air, releasing a strange wave. Some tentacles stretched into the air, while others sank into the ground, forming a chaotic and ferocious scene. What's more terrifying than this is that the terrifying laughter is still echoing in the soul of the elf, and the withered vines in the space are also swaying with the laughter and the swing of the tentacles, as if they have been injected with vitality.
Some of the ends of these tentacles are attached with sharp blades, and some are emitting green poisonous light. They writhed around the twisted flesh, like demonic arms, launching deadly attacks at the approaching sons of Asuryan.
The scene became chaotic in an instant. The sharp tentacles were like the claws of the god of death, quickly penetrating the body of the son of Asuyan, causing a spurt of blood. The powerful impact force caused Asuyan's son to die the moment it came into contact with the body. Su Yan's son's body was shattered and torn apart.
Immediately afterwards, the Chaos Egg used its tentacles to kill the sons of Asuryan who were still stagnant in place. These tentacles were like deadly whips, waving in the air, knocking down those sons of Asuryan who could not react.
The battlefield was filled with the breath of death, and the terrifying laughter continued to echo. The corpses and blood formed a miserable scene under the destruction of the eggs of chaos.
(End of chapter)