Chapter 249 Chapter247-Deity Trail Grounds
"A space rift?" Upon hearing Ethan's words, Quel was cloaked in confusion.
While both Quel and Kadiven lacked extensive knowledge concerning spatial matters, there were certain universally accepted truths they were familiar with.
It was commonly believed that within a space rift, another space rift could not exist; if one did, it indicated that the primary rift was on the brink of collapsing.
Yet, the Dragon Garden showed no signs of such impending collapse.
Seeing the puzzlement in their eyes, Ethan elucidated, "Normally, a space rift cannot contain another within it. However, in exceptionally rare circumstances, like within the Dragon Garden with its incredibly stable spatial structure, it's possible for rifts leading elsewhere to emerge."
"Oberlis likely discerned this, and that mark was deliberately left behind by him."
Ethan's words illuminated the understanding of Quel and Kadiven.
Oberlis believed that Ethan would be willing and able to find this place and then discover the traces he had left behind.
"So how do we enter?" Quel posed another query.
Motioning for them to step back, Ethan's energy surged, channeling it into the mark Oberlis had left.
Soon after, a vortex-like space gate materialized before them, exuding a formidable aura.
"We can enter now," Ethan intoned with a serious demeanor, adding, "Once inside, proceed with caution."
The emanating aura from the gate imbued Ethan with an unsettling sensation.
Despite his formidable power, which meant there were scant forces in this world that could harm him, this insidious and malevolent aura felt as if it had the potential to lead one astray.
Quel nodded in acknowledgment, signaling he grasped the gravity of the situation.
Kadiven, as ever, remained silent, as if nothing warranted his vocal response.
As for Atta, their guide, the very instant the space gate materialized, it promptly leapt from Ethan's shoulder to a nearby tree, then sped away. It seemed profoundly wary of the aura seeping out from the gate.
Subsequently, the trio entered the space gate.
To Ethan's surprise, the area behind the space gate wasn't some terrifying ruin; it was merely an ancient and quaint village.
"Are you certain this is the place?" Quel voiced his skepticism.
Ethan nodded, his expression growing even graver, affirming, "Yes, I'm sure. The aura emanated from within this village."
At that moment, an elderly figure emerged from the village.
He bore the semblance of a skeletal frame, utterly devoid of flesh and merely draped in skin.
His sunken eye sockets resembled voids, while a necklace of small skulls adorned his neck. Sinister black patterns spiraled around his bare upper torso.
"Foreigners, have you come to partake in the trial as well?" The elder inquired with a grin.
His smile was equally haunting, eyes gleaming with an almost insatiable greed, as if he had stumbled upon three willingly presented, plump goats.
He clearly regarded them as prey.
Such a gaze ignited Quel's displeasure.
He retorted brusquely, "Trial? What trial? We are here searching for someone! If you wish no harm upon you, better spill whatever you know!"
Quel's impudence only seemed to enhance the elderly man's grin.
Continuing to smile, revealing his yellowed, decayed teeth, he responded in a sinister tone, "Seeking someone? You have surely chosen the wrong place. This is the trail grounds, a magnificent marvel left behind by a deity. Moreover, the choice to partake isn't yours to make. Once you enter, you are deemed participants in this trial of the god."
"Trial of the god?!" Quel's face contorted with intense unease.
Even Kadiven's throat gave an involuntary twitch, though he refrained from uttering any words.
Had it been before, both Quel and Kadiven might have welcomed the trial of the god with enthusiasm.
However, ever since Ethan relayed the details about the trial of the god at the Devil Guild gathering, it had cast a shadow of doubt in their hearts.
Nothing in this world comes without a price.
While the trial of the god might serve as a shortcut to deity, at what cost does it come?
Life, freedom, soul...
It's an enigma none could truly decipher.
"I recall Rose mentioning the trial of the god before. Could this be the one she spoke of?" Ethan ventured a guess.
Quel nodded, "Likely so. Even before you joined the Devil's Guild, Guild Leader Rose occasionally broached the subject of the trial of the god. By those accounts, this seems like a legacy trial passed down through ages, apparently selecting apt individuals from each generation. Guild Leader Rose was one of the chosen."
"Young ones, have you finished your chatter?" The elder interjected impatiently.
With eyes barely visible, he stared intently at Ethan and the other two, his tone chilling and hair-raising.
"Since you are here now, you might as well stay."
"The trial has commenced. I wish you a good luck, at the very least, not to end up as mere skeletons, doomed to decay eternally in this sun-forsaken place."
"By the way, the ones you seek might just be inside."
"Try to quiet your minds and listen closely. Perhaps you will catch the harrowing screams of others. It's quite the euphony in this world..."
"Ha ha... He he..."
With his eerie laughter echoing, the elder gradually faded, dissipating into a cloud of black mist.
"We're in trouble." Ethan sighed heavily, casting his gaze upon the village ahead.
Quel took a deep breath, drawing out two long blades and holding them firmly in his hands.
Even the always silent Kadiven spoke up at this moment, uttering two words: "Dangerous."
Emerging from the village before the trio were rows upon rows of figures.
Their faces drained of all color, many missing significant portions of their heads, yet still they moved.
These ghastly apparitions slowly converged upon Ethan and his companions, each letting out a gaping roar as if they saw the trio as prey.
"Engage now!" Ethan acted without hesitation.
A fierce Power of Thunder surged from Ethan, materializing as streaks of electricity that lashed out in all directions.
The eerie figures hit by this force were instantly charred and fell to the ground.
But, they did not stay down.
Like the elder from before, the charred remains transformed into plumes of black smoke, which then reconstituted into the same haunting silhouettes.
"Damn it, they are unkillable." Quel grumbled in frustration.
He had lost count of how many of these strange shadows he had felled, but they seemed endless, quickly encircling and tightening their grasp around the trio.
"The Undying!" Ethan remained composed amidst the chaos.
He unleashed the Holy Light Domain, covering only a small area just enough to encompass where Quel and Kadiven stood.
This act drained nearly nothing from Ethan, and the shadowy figures were instantly vanquished upon contact with the domain, dissolving into black mist.
This bought Ethan precious time to think.
In his reflection, he finally recalled the designation of these eerie figures – war machines crafted by malevolent Alchemists, the immortal beings known as The Undying.
"Their bodies have been altered by Alchemy," he shared. "Mere physical or magical assaults can't obliterate them. It has to be a uniquely potent force or... we need to find the puppet master."
"There's someone controlling them?" Quel questioned, eyes flashing dangerously, and he spat angrily, "That damned old man, I swear I will sever his head."
"Not him," Ethan replied, shaking his head for emphasis. "That elder isn't the puppeteer. I believe the true mastermind is within the village."
"We need to venture into the village? But we can't move forward with these things still coming at us," Quel pointed out.
"Stay close to me," Ethan commanded, subsequently expanding the radius of the Holy Light Domain.
Given Ethan's current prowess, the domain could theoretically envelop the entire village.
However, it seemed that some peculiar force within the village limited its expansion, restricting the domain to a mere five meters around him.
Still, that was enough.
As the Holy Light Domain extended, the eerie figures encompassed within it swiftly dissipated into black smoke, revealing an expansive clearing before Ethan and his companions.
"Hurry through," Ethan urged, maintaining the domain.
Quickly, relying on this method, the trio reached the village's entrance.
Without hesitation, they stepped inside.
"It's so strange, those things seem reluctant to follow us in," Quel observed.
After the trio entered the village, those eerie figures crowded together behind Ethan and his companions, yet they never dared to set foot inside the village.
"Perhaps there are some kinds of rule here," Ethan speculated, then began surveying the entirety of the village.
The village wasn't extensive. At a glance, there seemed to be about a dozen houses.
Intriguingly, each house's door bore a metal plaque.
And each metal plaque indicated the unique number of each house.
All of these details aroused Ethan's suspicions.
At that moment, the previously vanished elder reappeared before the trio, his voice tinged with surprise, "I didn't expect the three of you to enter the village so quickly. Now, the true trial begins!"
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