NOVEL NEXT Chapter 618-624
Chapter 618: Martyr (1)
Marvin’s heart felt a bit heavy.
He carefully inspected the Book of Nalu and found that there were no discrepancies in particular.
Common sense dictated that Raven couldn’t betray him. Even if she fell into some unexpected situation, under the influence of the Book of Nalu, there should be no way for her to turn against him.
But Marvin didn’t know if the Gods had any special methods to get information from Raven in spite of the Book of Nalu.
After all, even though this Artifact was very powerful and mysterious, it was still only an item.
Those people attacking the Universe Magic Pool were real Gods!
…
But he wouldn’t be surprised if the Black Dragon God was the one behind this attack.
He and Marvin held rather deep enmity toward each other. As a Black Dragon that managed to ascend to Godhood, the Black Dragon God had it pretty hard.
Because of his race and alignment, it was very difficult for him to gather Faith in Feinan. Even after the Great Calamity, when the Gods entered Feinan, the Black Dragon God didn’t have many opportunities.
If he were the only Dragon God still in this world, it would be fine.
Unfortunately, the former Chromatic Dragon God didn’t die. He was now masquerading as Evil Spirit Overlord Tidomas and ruling the 2nd Evil Spirit World.
As long as he was there, the Black Dragon God would never dare to step out and try to get a share of the Dragon Race’s territory.
He could only rope in his own Black Dragon Race.
But, tragically for them, there were almost no Black Dragons left in Feinan.
All the Black Dragons had been cleanly killed by Marvin except for one, Izaka, who had become Marvin’s mount!
Looking at it that way, it was no wonder that the Black Dragon God decided to attack.
As long as they knew who the enemy was, dealing with the problem would be a lot easier.
Marvin quickly considered the best course of action. For the moment, at least, it didn’t matter too much how the Black Dragon God had found out about his plan. The Gods always had various means, Raven might not have betrayed him at all. The Black Dragon God might have used some of his Divine Source for a specialized Divination that could track his movements. In any case, he could only speculate about that for the moment.
The Black Dragon God also had a certain amount of influence in the Underdark.
Currently, the most important matter was figuring out what kind of opponent the enemy had sent and what kind of preparations to make.
From the previous fight, it could be seen that the shadowy figure was unwilling to fight both of them. Even if it was a Clone, it seemed only prepared to trail them and escape if it was caught.
Marvin was a bit puzzled as he considered this.
The hatred between and the Black Dragon God was so huge, so how could he retreat from a fight?
The only explanation was that there was a bigger scheme at hand, or a trap waiting for him.
Marvin shared his thoughts with Jessica and the latter agreed with his inferences.
“As you said, it makes plenty of sense for the Black Dragon God to hate us to the bones.”
“But you might have forgotten something: Our synergy is quite formidable. Even a Divine Servant of the Black Dragon God wouldn’t be able to resist us.”
“The Universe Magic Pool has yet to completely shatter. For now, these Gods might at most be able to conduct some rituals and allow a few Angels to descend. But this technique requires the use of many infants, and besides the church of Dawn and Protection in the North, the other Gods shouldn’t have this kind of ability.”
“So the Black Dragon God would be able to send some Divine Servants of decent strength at most. But not ones that are too powerful. After all, if they were too powerful, it would lead to a backlash from the Plane Will.”
“That person wouldn’t be able to beat us in a fight, and thus there is nothing to be afraid of,” Jessica said, calmly concluding her analysis.
Marvin nodded. “My only apprehension was that he was quite skilled at hiding. I didn’t even notice him initially.”
“Also…”
He hesitated for a moment before muttering, “What if he caused a problem with the Crypt Monster?”
…
Marvin’s worry wasn’t baseless.
From the moment that the strange figure showed itself, he kept thinking about what the assailant’s goal was.
The combination of the Ruler of the NIght and the Fate Sorceress was enough to sweep through half of the Underdark.
They wouldn’t even have to consider an insignificant Divine Servant!
If the other side was more powerful, it most likely would have made a move already.
It might have only been a probe. Perhaps it didn’t feel confident enough in its ability to fight such an overbearing duo.
If it couldn’t win there with the element of surprise, then it likely wouldn’t be able to do so anywhere else.
Marvin surmised that there were only two opportunities for that enemy: the Crypt Monster’s territory and the Eternal Frozen Spring.
He didn’t consider the latter for the time being. Surely the Black Dragon God’s Divine Servant wouldn’t be foolish enough to enter the Eternal Frozen Spring. It was such a risky place, and doing so would make it likely to suffer a loss.
‘Then it’s the Crypt Monster?’
Marvin furrowed his brows as plans starting to arrange themselves in his mind.
The dark river continued flowing along extremely quickly.
And they were gradually getting closer to the coldness.
When a loud banging sound echoed, Marvin was roused from his thoughts.
“No way.” Jessica calmly jumped down from the boat.
She landed on the brittle layer of ice and saw that the dark river was still flowing below it.
But the further ahead they looked, the more deeply frozen it seemed to be.
“The Deep River froze?”
Marvin clenched his teeth.
This shouldn’t be able to happen to the Deep River’s waters.
How big of an incident had befallen the Eternal Frozen Spring? Could it be that the seal had already fully collapsed?
If the Final Ghost Mother was able to control the heart of the Eternal Frozen Spring, then even if he held the Demon Subduing Sword, the odds of success wouldn’t be too good!
Regardless, they still had to advance step by step.
They would first settle the problem in front of them.
Marvin thought for a moment before telling Jessica, “I’ll take the lead. The Black Dragon God’s main target should be me.”
Without waiting for a response, he went ahead and quickly sped across the frozen river.
Jessica frowned but didn’t refuse. Instead, she used her Fate Power and slowly melded her body into the darkness.
On this ice-cold river, two indistinct shadows were approaching one of the most dangerous places in this world.
…
“They’re coming.”
A man was sitting cross-legged under a huge icicle.
Darkness was his eye. Thus, he was everywhere.
He had countless clones, so losing just one didn’t matter.
It was only a scale.
The man slowly stood up, his gaze fixed into the darkness toward the east.
He could see faintly see Marvin speeding across the surface of the ice.
He would reach this place in an hour at most.
‘Another one? Hidden?’ He squinted, revealing a monstrous smile.
Then, his wide, black robe suddenly floated up, and his expression became very fanatical:
“There is no use in hiding!”
“Today, you’ll be buried in the darkness!”
The icicle behind him shattered quietly and slowly slid down, exposing a sharp, sinister claw.
</form>
Chapter 619: Martyr (2)
In the sky above, the distorted crystal walls were slowly tightening.
A dome was still resisting the attacks flying down at that beautiful land.
A lonely figure was still persevering.
“I can’t hold it…”
He had a bitter smile on his face.
Outside the Universe Magic Pool, there were a few dozen New Gods!
He was certain that if he fought them one at a time in duels, he would be able to get rid of most of them.
But now he was alone.
Eric died in battle, the South Guardian, who was also known as the Great Elven King, died in battle, and the nameless old North Guardian died in battle…
Only he was left in the end.
He was the Immortal Cloud Monk and had always had the appearance of a calm youth.
But right now, the hair at his temples was graying.
He had overused his power.
The Universe Magic Pool was also about to dry up.
This was the final struggle.
He glanced behind him at the scarred land, which was still just as beautiful in his eyes.
It was like a former lover. When too close, one couldn’t see her grace, but on the verge of leaving, one would suddenly feel stunned by her allure.
It was like seeing her for the first time again.
Longevity…
He turned his head while smiling, calmly facing over 20 indifferent and aloof Gods.
Then, his hair started visibly growing out from his head!
The strange shock of black hair grew and a powerful vitality burst out.
The last battle.
As if feeling his determination, the Universe Magic Pool began to send out power.
The last layer of the crystalline wall twisted and warped, and time started becoming chaotic. The defensive barriers of the Gods were seriously affected!
They all felt some respect.
But they didn’t retreat.
This was a war. War had nothing to do with right or wrong, only one’s interests.
They had no reason to retreat.
Countless lights burst onto the dome, and in the end, all the power fused together.
At that moment, the Universe shuddered.
The three Great Gods turned into meteors, rushing down with great force!
And that one man ultimately disappeared in the flow of time.
Mankind’s last Guardian had departed!
The remaining Gods cheered.
The Universe Magic Pool finally shattered.
…
Outside the shattered Universe Magic Pool, two Gods were not too far from each other, yet not too close, but they were still quite a distance from the other Gods.
“Should I be laughing at your stupidity, or should I be chiding you for your ignorance?” A woman’s cold voice rang out.
Their discussion was strictly between the two of them.
Standing next to her was an imposing man.
“I don’t like to play with forces I can’t control,” he calmly answered.
“Emilia, you are taking risks.”
The woman disdainfully retorted, “There is no profit without risk. You have always been this narrow-minded. You actually sent a Martyr to ambush Marvin and that Fate Sorceress.”
“I still don’t understand your God Realm, but getting such a Martyr isn’t easy right? If you nurture him carefully, he might become a well-known figure among Divine Servants. But you just sent him like that. Such a waste.”
The Black Dragon God coldly growled, “My people don’t need your concern, and I also don’t need your help to build my God Realm.”
“The Martyr was born for this. I want Marvin to pay a huge price. He slaughtered my people, I can’t forgive him.”
“He won’t kill Marvin,” sneered Emilia. “The Crypt Monster is also a troublesome creature. You should be like me, the enemy of my enemy can become a temporary friend.”
The Black Dragon God warned, “How many of our people did your friend eat?”
“You are simply playing with a power you cannot control. The Final Ghost Mother isn’t a being from this world. Of course she would accept your help, and then use it to sweep through the entire Underdark!”
“We are Gods, our arrival isn’t to cause destruction for its own sake, but for rebirth.”
Emilia snapped back, “The World Ending Twin Snakes once planned to destroy the world. I also cooperated with them, but so what?”
“Those who want to destroy the world would obviously have to face those who want to save it. Perhaps the Final Ghost Mother was able to successfully swallow a few planes, but this is Feinan!”
“As long as that one is there, no one can destroy this world.”
She suddenly went silent after saying this, a trace of fear flashing across her face.
It was the same for the Black Dragon God.
After a few moments, his eyes focused on the crystalline fragments drifting through the air.
“The Universe Magic Pool finally shattered.”
“Now, there is nothing that can cover our eyes.”
He glanced into the depths of the Underdark.
That pious Martyr was standing on the ice, calmly waiting for the arrival of his enemies.
The Gods were clearly overjoyed with their success.
But suddenly, a frightening roar reverberated in the Gods’ hearts!
This roar rang through the entire Universe.
Feinan, Hell, the Abyss, the God Realms, the Astral Sea, the Negative Energy Plane, and even the Underworld!
Everyone felt a shiver from the sound of that roar.
Because this was the sound of a real Destroyer!
All the Gods subconsciously looked toward the Void.
Under the Astral Plane, in the darkness that even Gods couldn’t look at, an enormous shadow was ponderously swimming over.
“Fuck! What’s that Astral Beast!”
“It wants to swallow Feinan!”
“Damnit, that beast was definitely attracted by the shockwaves from the destruction of the Universe Magic Pool!”
The Gods instantly fell into chaos!
…
On the frozen river.
Marvin’s footsteps suddenly ceased.
He raised his head in disbelief, looking toward the cave ceiling above him.
He could only feel someone’s back fading away.
All the lifeforms in Feinan could feel a fierce pain, as if something precious had been taken from them.
Marvin firmly clenched his fist, his complexion rather grim.
He had known that this day was coming. He had known that sooner or later, the Guardians would die one after the other, and that no one could stop the Gods.
The Universe Magic Pool had shattered, and the invasion of the Gods would finally unfold.
Jessica suddenly appeared, sadness visible on her face, but the desire to fight was also apparent in her eyes.
The past was already gone. People shouldn’t just grieve, because grief had no use. They needed to fight!
This was a war that would never stop.
“Are they coming in?” Jessica asked while clenching her fists.
Marvin shook his head.
“They still need some time.”
“Let’s go, there will be more troubles after we resolve the matter of the Eternal Frozen Spring…”
“Now, let’s tear this Divine Servant of the Black Dragon God into pieces and prepare a welcoming gift for the New Gods.”
The killing intent in his voice became increasingly murderous.
The Slaughter Domain activated.
Jessica nodded as she disappeared once again.
Marvin continued speeding down the river for quite a while before a black shadow appeared on a glacier not far in front of him.
He smiled at Marvin:
“I waited for you for a long time.”
Marvin slowly took out Sodom’s Blades, calmly answering, “Die.”
There was no need for any extra words.
This was war, and such nonsense was useless. Only one of them would leave alive.
He wasn’t in the mood to talk shit with this guy.
“Woosh!”
Post-Godly Dexterity.
Sodom’s Blades turned into shadows that cut through the powerful Divine Energy and severed that person’s head.
However, that head was still smiling as it rolled a few times on the ice:
“I waited for you for a long time.”
Chapter 620: Martyr (3)
His smile was a bit strange, and Marvin felt deep coldness behind him!
He immediately turned around, only to see an extremely terrifying claw, slowly melting from the glacier!
In the endless cold darkness, some windy sounds could be heard.
But Marvin knew that they didn’t come from the wind.
That was the Crypt Monster breathing!
‘Damnit!’
Marvin looked at that man, annoyed.
The Eternal Frozen Spring’s bursting was far out of his expectations, according to the current circumstances, the Crypt Monster should be slumbering in ice!
If not for that man, Marvin and Jessica would have easily went through the territory of the Crypt Monster.
He shouldn’t be able to wake up from the ice without external help.
But now, that claw had already melted from the glacier.
The glacier’s melting speed had sped up!
The Crypt Monster could awaken anytime.
“I don’t care who you are.”
“Since the Black Dragon God sent you to stop me, you should die.”
Marvin’s voice was very cold, the Cloud Monk’s fall made him very gloomy.
His mind was filled with killing intent.
His sentence didn’t even end before he burst out with power, going at an extreme speed!
The Sodom Blades answered to his murderous killing intent and cooperated with him like never before.
He only felt as if that pair of daggers had turned into a part of his body!
“Woosh!”
Under the shadows of the blade light, the other side simply couldn’t retaliate, he had been cut into pieces by Marvin.
The strange thing was that no blood flew from his body.
His head had already been cut into halves by Marvin, but under the effect of a mysterious power, it slowly healed.
His face was twisted, but still with a strange smile, “I’m not afraid of death.”
“Or maybe, I already died at birth.”
Marvin froze.
This guy seemed familiar.
A name suddenly flashed in his mind!
“Martyr?”
Marvin looked at the other side in disbelief.
The latter’s body pieces were gluing to each other under the effect of a powerful power.
Marvin even saw his Divine Source!
But the other side didn’t seem to care about its body, letting those parts messily piece themselves together.
That guy looked like a doll that could be assemble and disassembled at wish!
Ugly, but carrying a power that gave palpitation.
A solemn look appeared on Marvin’s face.
“You are knowledgeable.”
That man said with a smile still plastered on his face, “In this case, my death isn’t unfortunate, you are worth the price of my life.”
It was really a Martyr.
Marvin tightly held the Sodom Blades, there was no apparent change, but he quietly moved back a few steps.
“Don’t appear!”
Marvin warned Jessica.
After he obtained Fate Sorcerer’s abilities, he could use Fate Power to communicate with Jessica temporarily. He wasn’t very used to this, and it used a great amount of Fate Power, thus he didn’t use it during this trip until now.
But it was very crucial now.
“This is a Martyr… These kind of people are usually lunatic…”
Marvin quickly said, “I don’t know what he wants to do, if he wanted to wake the Crypt Monster, he would have already done it.”
“The situation is weird. I can handle it, keep your distances for now…”
Jessica didn’t even have time to answer before that Martyr already said while laughing, “Warning your companion? That beautiful lady?”
“Useless.”
“You must be very curious about what I planned, but it’s not as complicated as you think.”
“My only mission is to be buried in the darkness with you.”
“Fate Sorceress and Ruler of the Night are very troublesome… But you are still humans.”
“This is the Underdark, there is no other entrance, I’m curious, what can you do if this space collapse?”
After saying this, the Martyr had a psychotic laughter.
Marvin’s heart’s tightened before saying, “You can’t do that! Even the Crypt Monster can’t.”
‘How could the Underdark collapse so easily?’
‘Let alone here, the Deep River. This is the bottom of the plane. Because of the crystal walls, this space had always been very stable.’
Even if he collapsed an area, with the Fate Sorceress and Ruler of the Night’s abilities, he should still be able to leave.
But for some reason, he had a worrying feeling he couldn’t get rid of!
“Nonsense!”
Marvin clenched his teeth and slashed down!
The Sodom Blades burst out with powerful firepower, but the other side didn’t even defend himself, in fact, he just let Marvin cut him.
Marvin’s blades were as fast as lightning, in a few seconds, all the flesh had been cut out, the bones were sticking out, even the weird smile on the Martyr’s face was cut into pieces!
But he still didn’t die!
Divine Servants usually had very frightening rebirth abilities!
When Marvin attacked Dark Phoenix, he killed her a least thirty times. This Martyr wouldn’t be so ridiculous, but he might need to be killed over twenty times!
The number wasn’t an issue. Marvin had experience killing Gods, he knew how to handle this kind of enemy.
The issue lay in the other side not retaliating!
‘What is he thinking in the end?’
Marvin was getting more and more confused, but the only thing he knew was that he had to keep Jessica away.
Regardless what that Martyr had planned, they couldn’t both fall into the trap.
“Snap!”
A sharp noise echoed from the side as a block of ice collapsed, exposing a claw piercing through the river!
At the same time, the Sodom Blades pierced the Martyr’s Divine Source.
At that time, the Martyr let out a shout!
Golden light burst out.
His body instantly recombined. He expression looked fanatical under the light.
Marvin showed no quarter as he was about to keep destroying the Martyr’s restructuring body.
But at that time, he suddenly found out that a golden thread was linking him and the Martyr’s Divine Source.
The latter looked at Marvin with a pitiful expression, “Enjoy God’s judgement… You will feel the pain.”
“I’ll take the first step, don’t worry, you’ll soon follow me.”
Then, his Divine Source started igniting.
Terrifying Divine Fire came out of nowhere and burnt his body into ashes!
“Rumble!”
The burning Martyr was like a bomb, exploding there!
A fierce pain filled every corner of Marvin’s body, his consciousness and the space around started to blur.
The solid rock wall above his head began disintegrating, slowly falling down, and he could faintly hear the roar of a large creature.
The most terrifying was that Marvin saw the explosion’s flames follow the golden thread and spread towards his own body!
Translator’s Thoughts
Shiraishi Shiraishi
Second chapter might be late today. Sorry about that
Chapter 621: Self-Immolation Fire
As the roar rang out, the flames and the darkness intertwined, creating a dazzling performance.
The ancient creature was roused by those stimuli, the coldness from the Eternal Frozen Spring no longer able to suppress his awakening anymore. The frozen river was melting quickly due to the scorching flames.
A huge shadow was faintly visible in the darkness.
And what was more worrisome was that the Martyr’s explosion temporarily rendered the surrounding space unstable.
If Marvin wasn’t wrong, the Deep River, since it was at the very bottom of the plane, was the most stable part of Feinan.
But the Martyr’s explosion still caused extreme damage to the area anyways.
Crushed rocks, broken ice, cold wind, hot fire!
The space even started distorting.
The golden thread tightened even harder against Marvin’s body. He was bloody all over, but the powerful constitution granted to him by his Ruler of the Night class and his Devil Bloodline had helped him recover somewhat. However, Marvin clearly knew that if he let that Divine Fire land on his body, there would be only one end for him: Death!
That was not normal Divine Fire!
It was Self-Immolation Fire that came from a pious Martyr.
Those flames could even kill Low Gods upon direct contact, let alone a Ruler of the Night like Marvin!
As this occurred to him, he instantly gathered his wits!
“Don’t come!” he warned emphatically.
A barrier was protecting his surroundings and repelling the countless rocks that were falling all around him. Otherwise, he would have already been buried alive.
He naturally knew that this was thanks to Jessica!
In a flash, the Fate Sorceress approached as she could without too much risk, her expression unsightly.
The flames were slowly consuming the golden thread from the other end. Looking closely, it was even possible to make out the Martyr’s warm smile in the golden flames.
“He’s got you targeted!” Jessica worriedly shouted. “Cut it off, quickly!”
Marvin smiled bitterly and shook his head.
He simply had no way to cut this golden thread; he was certain of this. The Black Dragon God had dispatched the Martyr to get rid of Marvin via mutual destruction!
Forcibly trading his life to make Marvin completely disappear from this world!
All of this in spite of how precious a Martyr was.
‘That guy should be the Black Dragon God’s only Martyr, right?’
As the flames crept ever closer, Marvin’s mind was working faster.
His Wisdom ability was operating at full strength. His brain was like a high-end computer as plans flashed in his mind one after the other before being rejected!
In a mere three seconds, he had already rejected a hundred and sixty-seven plans!
‘Is it hopeless?’
Despite always being able to remain calm even in the toughest of situations, Marvin was now breathing rather heavily.
He wasn’t afraid of death!
But he still didn’t want to die now!
He had many people he needed to protect.
However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get away from that Divine Fire.
Jessica’s Fate Power could still support the area from collapsing, but given some time, Jessica might also get dragged in.
Thus, he decisively told her, “Leave!”
Jessica opened her eyes wide, “What are you talking about?!”
“I need you to save me,” Marvin quickly explained, “because there’s no way to extinguish the Martyr’s Self-Immolation Fire. We can only wait until it finishes burning!”
“When that happens, I need you to come and save me. Leave, go look for Ding!”
Time was pressing, so Marvin couldn’t even afford to go into details!
The Self-Immolation Fire was already getting close to his body.
“I won’t leave!” Jessica insisted.
“I’ll give it a try. In this world, there is nothing that my [Power] cannot settle.”
Marvin shook his head and suddenly sprang away from her!
Jessica was frozen in surprise as Marvin pierced through the thick ice of the frozen river like a bullet!
The Divine Fire also followed after Marvin, melting the ice in its wake instantly!
“Roar!”
Below the layer of ice, the ancient creature’s roar burst out, spreading through the entire Underdark!
Everyone halted, showing expressions of fear, confusion, or surprise.
Marvin’s silhouette disappeared into the icy river.
She saw a scarlet radiance glow in the darkness, and Marvin disappeared into the light!
“Lorie used up so much power to keep you alive, how could I let you die!?” Jessica stomped her foot in a fit of anger.
As a very willful young woman, Jessica always wanted to be in control of any situation. Normally, she would be the one ordering people around, but now Marvin was telling her what to do.
And she didn’t even get a say in the matter!
This made Jessica grind her teeth in anger.
The only comforting part was that although she could tell that Marvin was in a bad situation through the Fate Power resonance, it also let her know that he wasn’t dead.
‘Did he think of something?’
‘Wait until the Divine Fire is exhausted? Wouldn’t he have burnt to death by then?’
Jessica hesitated.
“Rumble!”
A large piece of the ceiling came down, sending huge waves roaring across the Deep River!
Her Fate Power was having trouble holding it back!
Jessica clenched her teeth before glancing at that frozen river and heeding Marvin’s words.
Her silhouette quickly drew back and left the collapsing area.
At the same time, her Fate Power started flickering. “I need Ding’s help! Marvin will die!”
…
Hope City.
The light of Order was still warming the area under the protection of the Three Sisters.
But beyond the light, the land was still flooded with monsters. They were tearing rabidly at the light of Order, trying to break through the defenses.
That thin girl standing beside the Source of Fire’s Order had a rather haggard complexion.
Suddenly, she paled even more.
She had heard her older sister’s call!
‘What have they encountered?’
‘Marvin… will die?’
As Kate took a deep breath to calm herself, the Fortune Fairy jiggling around at her side noticed her agitation. “What’s going on? Are you reaching your limits?”
Kate shook her head. “Big Sis and Marvin met some serious problem, they need you.”
Ding frowned. “What kind of trouble could a duo consisting of a Ruler of the Night and a Fate Sorceress meet? Surely a God couldn’t have descended yet. And you really need me. Without my help, how can you keep going?” She was clearly worried this time, and not just being sarcastic or difficult.
“I can still handle it for some time on my own,” Kate reassured softly. “Go look for Daisy. Big Sis would never call for help unless the situation was absolutely critical.”
The Fortune Fairy hesitated for a bit, but still agreed in the end.
Her shadow disappeared from the city wall.
The back of the girl standing by the Source of Fire seemed even more lonely now.
…
The wild beast’s roars were echoing through the darkness.
The Divine Fire was like a leech, clinging to Marvin’s aura and letting him get away.
He was out of options.
Things had reached the point where all he could do was to struggle desperately.
His body tore through many obstacles before finally reaching his destination.
A pair of eyes slowly opened, scarlet like huge bloody moons, closely inspecting the insignificant Human that had just approached.
Chapter 622: Life and Death Battle
The Crypt Monster!
With the thunderous rumbles caused by the flames and explosions, that slumbering monster finally awakened.
It had countless frightening pairs of eyes that could emit powerful and destructive rays.
Flames, acid, disintegration, ice… Rays of all attributes, so that it could adapt to any situation.
If this kind of monster appeared in a Human city, the city would definitely be destroyed.
Under normal circumstances, a large team of Legend Wizards would be needed to deal with such a frightening monster, and that was if they made proper preparations.
Although Marvin and Jessica were powerful, if they really fought the Crypt Monster head-on, it would have been quite difficult to prevail over such a foe.
If not for that Martyr’s appearance, Marvin would have spent some time to make ample preparations before fighting that slumbering monster.
But there wasn’t enough time now.
The Divine Fire was already burning.
He had been forced into a dead end. He could only desperately struggle.
‘Black Dragon God’s Martyr, those are flames from the 3rd Fate Tablet.’
‘As a descendant of an Ancient Evil God, the Crypt Monster has a natural hatred for flames like these… This is the only way.’
Marvin had thought up an idea after telling Jessica to leave.
He then hurriedly drew out some Divine Power from the advanced False Divine Vessel.
The Shadow Domain covered the entire space, completely shrouding the Crypt Monster, which was still half stuck in the ice.
Marvin instantly disappeared in the darkness.
…
“The Self-Immolation Fire already locked onto its target.”
“And now there’s the Crypt Monster on top of that.”
“This time, he will definitely die.”
In the sky, even though another battle was imminent, the Black Dragon God still checked on the situation below once more.
Only when he noticed that Marvin was facing a desperate situation did he focus back on the Astral Beast.
That Goddess called Emile was still standing at his side. She had drifted apart from most of the rest of the Gods over time. Most referred to her by her previous name: The Queen of Spiders.
The Black Dragon God and the Queen of Spiders were the Underdark’s main Gods. Most of the Underdark Races believed in one or the other, or perhaps even both. Before the Great Calamity, they had made great progress spreading their influence throughout the Underdark.
It was said that the two were originally competitive with each other, but they were now standing together harmoniously, while still maintaining the past facade when around other Gods.
But no one noticed their abnormal behavior at the moment.
After the Universe Magic Pool shattered, a frightening spatial distortion was created. The shattering of the pool caused the space around Feinan to weaken, and if any God approached that space before it stabilized, it might lead to the collapse of Feinan!
They wanted to set up a new order, not to destroy that world.
At the call of the Three Great Gods, they all urgently convened a Gods’ Assembly.
This time, the New Gods weren’t the only one in attendance. Most of the Ancient Gods were there too!
Because the gathering was not only about how Feinan would be handled now that the Universe Magic Pool had been destroyed. The first priority was the safety of the plane.
An Astral Beast had been roused by the shockwave from the collapse of the Universe Magic Pool, and it was now eyeing that fertile territory.
It viewed Feinan was a delicacy.
As the Prime Material Plane, Feinan’s importance was unquestionable. If Feinan was eaten by that Astral Beast, all the Secondary Planes would also face the risk of collapse.
They understood where their interests lay. That Astral Beast came from the Void, and it was most likely one of the hegemons of the Universe, able to move unhindered.
This was practically the most dangerous situations possible.
If they couldn’t find a way to hide the plane from that beast or drive it away, then the entire world might be swallowed by that Astral Beast.
Even Moon Goddess Faniya, who always refused to participate in these kinds of matters, was present. It could be seen how grave the circumstances were.
Among the Ancient Gods, only two didn’t appear.
The first was the recently resurrected Goddess of Truth.
There was no doubt about the resurrection of the Goddess of Truth because it had been sensed by all the powerhouses of the Universe, taking place in the Crimson Wasteland. But that Goddess’ level of strength was a mystery. Few of the current Gods had ever interacted with her, and in the eyes of the others, almost everything about her was an enigma. It didn’t seem to strange that she decided not to come.
But the Gods were actually puzzled about the other Ancient God that didn’t attend.
Although the Ancient Nature God had fallen into a deep slumber, the threat of an Astral Beast from the Void should definitely have woken up that God who had always taken it upon himself to protect Feinan.
Since he didn’t show up despite Feinan’s dire situation, they all had the same conjecture… The Ancient Nature God might have already fallen?
…
The subject of the Gods’ Assembly was very simple: How would they handle this approaching Astral Beast?
They discussed ideas very efficiently. Moon Goddess Faniya took out an Artifact that had been left behind by the Wizard God, and after checking its effects and comparing them to those of other Artifacts, the Gods unanimously agreed with Faniya’s proposal.
That Artifact should be able to kill the monster coming from the Void, but it would require all the Gods there to work together.
But before doing that, the Gods scattered and lay low in the area around Feinan, which is to say, in the outer area of the former Universe Magic Pool. They waited calmly for the optimal timing to act.
They didn’t want to put the enemy on alert. If they alarmed the Astral Beast before setting the plan in motion, there would be almost no hope.
Thus, despite many Gods having their own thoughts about the rest, they put all their problems aside to take down this all-encompassing threat.
Even Hell and the Abyss, which were always at odds with the Gods, knew not to act out. Although it would be too difficult for them to ever coordinate with the Gods, they promised not to take advantage of the situation to cause trouble.
…
“Truly boring… Do you think that monster has its own thoughts? Or is it only instinct?”
The Black Dragon God looked dully at the edge of the Void. The large monster was unhurriedly moving closer to Feinan.
It seemed very slow and rather clumsy, but that aura of danger wasn’t fake.
This definitely was an Astral Beast that could destroy an entire Universe.
The Queen of Spiders sneered, “It only moves on instinct, yet it can swallow a Universe. Even though it is very clumsy, aren’t we even more lamentable?”
The Black Dragon God remained silent.
The so-called Gods also had griefs that mortals didn’t know.
The more powerful one was, the smaller one felt.
Because the world really was too big. People didn’t know that this entire vast world was just a grain of sand in the eyes of the most powerful ones.
As the Black Dragon God kept his attention focused on the Astral Beast, his heart slowly tightened!
It felt as if someone had used a dagger to stab him.
‘How could it be…’
A fierce scene suddenly appeared in his eyes.
He stood there, stunned.
Chapter 623: Black Dragon Wing
A few minutes ago.
Just as the Divine Fire was about to reach Marvin’s body, his bold dive into the darkness finally yielded results.
He made his way to the Crypt Monster’s mouth and unhesitantly jumped in!
The Crypt Monster was still stirring from its slumber, so naturally, it wouldn’t do anything to stop Marvin from seeking death like that.
It kindly accepted the delicacy.
But the next moment, the entire Underdark felt a frightening tremor.
It was the Crypt Monster’s fury!
The Self-Immolation Fire followed that golden thread and burst on the Crypt Monster’s body!
And when Marvin entered the Crypt Monster’s mouth, he pulled out the Time Funnel!
That was one of the treasures he got from the Crimson Wasteland, and it had the ability to temporarily freeze time in different ways.
That Self-Immolation Fire could only burn the Crypt Monster’s body but was unable to gain on Marvin.
Because for now, time had no meaning to Marvin.
And while under the effects of the Artifact, Marvin swiftly rushed through the strange body of the Crypt Monster.
He disregarded everything he saw and activated Diamond Shape in order to resist the Crypt Monster’s corrosive acid.
Before the time ran out, he settled in a place in the Crypt Monster’s body that was more or less safe for now.
That was the area next to the Crypt Monster’s gallbladder.
Although he didn’t know the principle behind it, the Crypt Monster’s body was full of dangers. For example, that frighteningly corrosive acid was no safer to be around than the Self-Immolation Fire. Marvin’s decision to enter the monster’s body was rather risky.
But he had been able to get to a relatively safe area.
There seemed to be no acid in the region around the gallbladder, which made it probably one of the only safe locations in the Crypt Monster’s body.
If not for that Time Funnel, Marvin definitely wouldn’t have dared to take such a risk.
The Crypt Monster, that descendant of an Ancient Evil God, had terrifying defensive mechanisms and a very powerful digestive system.
Marvin’s recovery indeed benefited greatly from his Ruler of the Night class and his bloodline, but if he came into contact with the monster’s gastric acid, he probably wouldn’t last more than a few moments before turning to ashes!
The Time Funnel was the critical trump card that let Marvin pull this off safely.
Before the Self-Immolation Fire could catch up to Marvin again and incinerate him, it would have to burn through the Crypt Monster’s body.
This delay in time and its provocation of the monster would definitely create some unpredictable effects.
‘Haha! Even sending a Martyr to deal with me! They were always one of the foes most hated by the players, with their ability to escape almost any confinement and then sacrifice themselves to send out one last unstoppable attack. And even if the player managed to escape or survive the attack, they’d usually get almost nothing out of the fight, since Martyrs would always rather commit suicide than die… truly an appropriate choice.’
‘The only saving grace was that they were extremely rare to encounter. Sparing no cost to kill, indeed. But they misjudged me, thinking that I wouldn’t be able to retaliate!’
‘Want to make a move on me? You’ll have to pay the price!’
Killing intent flashed in Marvin’s eyes.
He naturally didn’t have a good impression of the Gods. Marvin was someone who always got his revenge. The Twin Snakes Cult tried to kill him, and now only a lonely Azure Matriarch remained in Feinan. Diggles wanted to kill him, and as a result, the Decaying Plateau fell. The Shadow Prince wanted to kill him, so the Shadow Realm collapsed!
Currently, apart from the Great Gods and some Ancient Gods, Marvin wasn’t afraid of any of them.
Even if it was the High Dream God that went after him again, Marvin had already made preparations for it.
Let alone now that the aggressor was only the Black Dragon God, who was only a Mid God!
If it was Tidomas, Marvin would back down for now, because he was still no match for him!
But the Black Dragon God didn’t have the qualifications for Marvin to need to back down.
Marvin admitted that the Martyr was really troublesome and that even he couldn’t resist the Self-Immolation Fire.
But everything had advantages and disadvantages.
The Martyr wanted to use the Self-Immolation Fire combined with the Crypt Monster to take care of Marvin, but he had missed something.
The Crypt Monster was an uncertain variable!
He still had doubts about whether Marvin would be able to resist or escape his Self-Immolation Fire, and thus chose such a location.
This uncertainty would soon cause the Black Dragon God to pay a huge price!
“Diiiing!”
A sharp sound pierced through the air.
That was the sound of the Time Funnel warning that the time stasis on Marvin’s body was about to disappear!
Marvin quickly took out the Book of Nalu!
Indeed, the Book of Nalu.
Although his idea was very risky, if it worked, the situation would turn out much better for him.
The Crypt Monster was still confused, but it was quickly becoming enraged at the Divine Fire for the rude awakening.
If that monster was set free in Feinan, then at least half of the continent would be torn apart shortly afterwards!
Marvin couldn’t allow this to happen.
He now had three pages of the Book of Nalu in his hands.
The power of the three pages of the Book of Nalu was already quite formidable, to the point that Marvin wouldn’t dare to use the full power of the treasure except in emergencies. Marvin’s knowledge of the mysteriousness and insidiousness of the God of Deception made him subconsciously try to stay as far as he could from that Artifact.
But now, the Book of Nalu was his only choice.
Of course, he wasn’t stupid enough to try and use the Book of Nalu to directly control the Crypt Monster’s mind.
He only needed to slightly influence it.
As time started again, Marvin analyzed the golden thread and the aura of the raging flames behind it, using his Wisdom power to derive some plane coordinates!
They were from the Martyr’s remains!
The Martyr almost certainly had been born in a Secondary Plane that was affiliated to the Black Dragon God, which would have ensured his extreme piety.
He probably had been sent directly from that plane to kill Marvin.
And his Divine Source still contained that plane’s mark!
Even though he had already obliterated his own Divine Source and turned it all into Self-Immolation Fire, that plane’s coordinates could still be found in those flames.
It was safe to say that discovering traces of the source plane and then calculating the coordinates from that information was something that only astute Legendary Wizards and other such people with brilliant minds could ever do. But thanks to the effects of the Wisdom power and the Wisdom Chapter, Marvin recognized it instinctively.
He could decipher those plane coordinates.
When he figured them out in full, a beautiful scene appeared before him.
It was a beautiful world, an ideal paradise!
There were Black Dragons soaring in the sky, and the sprawling land had many towering forests and towns ruled by Dragonborns.
The Black Dragon God’s church was keeping order in the dark.
That place had rich resources, beautiful mountains, and flowing rivers.
It was just like Arborea, a bountiful Secondary Plane, except this one was developed by the Black Dragon God!
And a big difference was that the Black Dragon God seemed to be a lot better than the Shadow Prince when it came to management.
At least, his people seemed very happy with their God. That explained how the Black Dragon God had managed to find a follower with the qualifications to become something as unique as a Martyr.
But this beautiful place was about to disappear.
Marvin didn’t hesitate. He couldn’t.
This was an entire world filled with pious followers, all of them followers of the Black Dragon God. Marvin couldn’t change their faith.
All of this was related to his problems, and it was extremely troublesome.
Thus, now that he had the opportunity, Marvin decided to curtail these troubles.
Since the Black Dragon God wanted to kill him, Marvin should return the favor and destroy his plane.
In a flash, he activated the Book of Nalu at full power, sending its aura out and bathing both the Crypt Monster and the Martyr’s remains in it. The world called [Black Dragon Wing] appeared in the Crypt Monster’s mind!
Along with its plane coordinates!
Chapter 624: Appeasement
The Crypt Monster felt some plane coordinates appearing in its mind. Although it didn’t know where those plane coordinates had come from, its instincts told it that the power that was trying to cause it harm had come from that plane!
It was enraged!
Self-Immolation Fire had effects comparable to the most frightening Divine Punishment. If not for the Crypt Monster’s great power and the protections that it gained from being a descendant of an Ancient Evil God, it might have already been burnt grievously.
Thus, prodded by the subtle but meticulous guidance of the Book of Nalu, the Crypt Monster struggled out of the frozen river while letting out thunderous roars!
The Self-Immolation Fire had burnt a huge hole in its skin.
The Crypt Monster’s powerful regenerative ability was contending against the destruction of the Self-Immolation Fire!
The wound was burning, recovering, burning, recovering, over and over again. The irritating feeling was driving the Crypt Monster into a frenzy.
It subconsciously brandished its claws.
And tore a slash in the fabric of space!
This would have been a far more difficult feat had the Universe Magic Pool still been intact.
But now, the Universe Magic Pool had already collapsed under the relentless attacks of the New Gods.
Without the Plane Barrier covering Feinan, the Crypt Monster was able to break out using its powerful innate gifts.
It bellowed as it tore the space apart. Then, its huge body slowly squeezed its way through that crack!
Some distance away in the darkness, still on the way to meet Ding, Jessica looked quite shaken!
She didn’t know where Marvin had gone, but the Fate Power Imprint let her know that Marvin was still alive!
‘The Crypt Monster suddenly disappeared from the Underdark, where did it disappear to?’
‘And where did Marvin go?’
‘No wonder he told me to look for Ding.’
‘Had he already figured out a plan when he said that? Was it his grasp of the Wisdom power from Lorie that revealed a path for him?’
Jessica sank into her thoughts. She stayed away from the collapsing areas and started cautiously looking for traces of Marvin while calmly waiting for Ding’s arrival.
Only she could find Marvin’s exact location upon getting close enough.
But Jessica had already formulated a guess.
Marvin had probably left along with the Crypt Monster.
…
Black Dragon Wing.
A majestic city rose up steeply from a vast plain.
On the countless towers, scaly people were guarding the city very carefully.
All the entry points and exits were stringently monitored.
This was a very rigid world.
The great God granted them happiness, so they had to repay him with Faith.
He taught them how to fill their stomachs and how to keep on living, but he also warned them that hierarchy could never be disregarded.
This city was the greatest embodiment of the spirit of the Black Dragon God Church.
The city consisted of concentric circles, and each circle represented a rank.
The further you went in toward the center, the higher the rank.
This was the capital of the Dragonborn Empire. Located in the very center was the Black Dragon God Temple, and the Imperial Palace was set up in the second circle.
Today was the day of the weekly compulsory prayer.
Everyone in the Imperial Capital, from the commoners to the ruler, had to participate in the prayer presided over by the Grand Pontiff.
They had to show their piety by praying earnestly. Only in that way would they attain happiness, obtain God’s blessing and forgiveness, obtain redemption after death!
In every corner of the city, people walked out of their houses to kneel on the ground.
No one could ignore the rules, and they obediently looked up at the most important tower.
That was the Grand Pontiff’s residence.
Each week, on this day, the Grand Pontiff would stand at the top of the tower, presiding over the capital’s prayer.
Even the imperial family could only kneel outside the Imperial Palace in the 2nd circle, carefully listening to his words and praying from the depths of their hearts. Otherwise, they would have to worry about being judged as heathens and getting marked for extermination! But as long as they were truly pious, all would be well.
…
The time arrived, and each believer lowered his or her head.
When the resplendent radiance shone proudly from atop the grandiose tower, they all genuflected and kissed the ground.
God’s spokesperson didn’t tolerate any blasphemy.
If they even glanced at his brilliance, their eyes would be burnt out of their sockets.
God’s dignity brooked no mistake.
Everyone bowed low and listened quietly to the prayer in rapt attention.
And even though they had heard those words countless times before, for some reason, every time they listened, they felt profoundly moved.
A kind of unadulterated and overwhelming happiness inundated them from deep within, making them treasure everything about their current lives.
Perhaps this was the power of absolute faith.
The prayers usually lasted fifteen minutes and not one second more, not one second less. The Pontiff was like a perfectly accurate clock that would always strike the tone at the exact moment.
But today was an unusual day.
Because after the prayer, the Grand Pontiff’s voice echoed into their ears. “Today, you followers of our great God will witness a judgement.”
“God has condemned a heathen to lie in the darkness forever. This is already his most forgiving punishment.”
“Our greatest believer travelled to a different plane and immolated his own body in order to show our sincerity to God!”
“All of you here are fortunate enough to have the chance to witness such a scene. Watch as that stupid and arrogant heathen burns in the great Martyr’s flames!”
“You are so fortunate, we are all so fortunate!”
“Open your eyes, let us see our hero, let us see that sinner!”
“Because in the imminent future, we shall launch an assault on that plane and purge it of all its filthy mortals, all of those foul and heinous sinners, make them burn in the flames of our righteous justice, all in the name of God! Believers! Steady your hearts, let your faith grow ever more heartfelt and sincere, let our almighty God feel our unshakeable faith that is far deeper than any ocean!”
As the Grand Pontiff concluded his rousing speech, the people couldn’t help but look up.
The Pontiff’s blinding radiance had dimmed, and an enormous, beautiful silk cloth was floating in the sky.
Intermittent scenes began to appear on it.
They saw a lone figure.
His body was covered with a black gown. It occasionally shifted, exposing the limbs… which were covered in silver scales!
This was the symbol of the great imperial family!
The Martyr had come from the imperial family!
All the people in the capital felt their excitement bubbling. Many of them knew who that was.
He was the man with the most power and potential in the entire imperial family; nay, in the entire realm! Many had predicted that he might be chosen by God to become a member of his God Realm.
But now, thanks to his sincere faith, he was given the unparallelled honor of being blessed with even more power from God and then travelling to another plane to carry out God’s irrefutable will. The immense amount of power infused into his body would cause it to burst apart within days due to not being able to contain it, but that mattered not, for his soul would be forever exalted 1 !
He journeyed alone through the darkness to judge an abhorrent sinner!
And they all knew that sinner’s name… Marvin!
“Kill him!”
“Destroy him!”
“Let him turn to ashes, let his soul suffer forever!”
The people began shouting energetically.
The Grand Pontiff looked around at the hordes of followers with great satisfaction. He could feel the Faith Power in the plane increasing.
Sometimes, showing judgement against sinners was more useful than just prayers.
He also looked up at the scene in the sky with a smile.
He watched as their hero successfully ignited the Self-Immolation Fire.
‘Definitely dead,’ the Grand Pontiff thought to himself.
He knew how frightening those flames were. Even Low Gods couldn’t resist them.
Suddenly, the scene on the silk cloth disappeared.
He frowned, subconsciously looking down at those below him.
But he didn’t expect that everyone would be looking right back at him, completely dumbstruck.