Chapter 69: The Drowned Gods.
Elishia’s hair stood up.
"That shouldn’t be.."
"Discard what you know about the world, little one.. You merely know about the tip of the iceberg."
The winds fluttered the Prophet of Perfection’s dark hair.
"From the looks of it, the Historian has hidden knowledge from you a lot. And I don’t mean any forbidden knowledge that I’ve warned you about, but basic knowledge that is the bare minimum. You don’t even know about the Rule of Divinity!"
Elishia’s mind was clouded with doubt, however, she shook it off almost immediately.
’I can’t tell if she’s lying..’
"He hasn’t even told you anything about his past yet, correct? I’d bet that he hasn’t told you his true self.."
She laughed, finding the situation ironic.
Meanwhile, Elishia remained deep in thought.
"Everything the Historian has done was to help us! You can’t paint him as some sort of evil mastermind.."
The Prophet of Perfection drew closer to Elishia, whispering:
"Oh, but I can.. Did you know..?"
"..?"
"The Historian is similar to me.. He, too, is a Dreadspawn.."
Elishia’s eyes widened.
She stood up, taking a step back in quick succession.
"No! You’re lying!"
"Hahaha!"
The Prophet of Perfection rubbed her eyes.
"Like me, he has been cursed, perhaps by the most vile creature of all.."
She turned around, holding her hands together at her back.
"But it isn’t the right time for you to learn about THEM.."
She turned her head towards Elishia..
"Let’s change the topic.."
Just then, before the Prophet of Perfection could say anything, the winds around her shifted.
The shores were filled with an immediate sense of Dread.
Elishia, bearing the protection of the Prophet of Perfection, felt her heart grow heavier.
"This! The same feeling as before.." Elishia realized.
The Prophet of Perfection’s body shuddered.
"No.. It can’t be.."
"What happened?"
"Your friend.. That little boy, I can’t sense his presence any more.."
The Prophet of Perfection held her fingers to her head.
"He’s entered the prison of the Drowned God.."
"Drowned God?"
Thinking back, Elishia remembered hearing something like that from the Prophet of Perfection’s words. However, due to her just coming out of a Dreadful daze, she couldn’t quite process what she had heard.
"I should’ve perceived this, that boy exceeded my expectations."
The Prophet of Perfection’s mouth turned into a crazed grin.
Elishia ran toward the woman.
"Can’t you bring him back?! You forced him underwater, don’t you have a sort of failsafe.."
"I do.. But it’s all useless now, that thing far outranks me, I fear.."
"Well, you’re supposed to embody Perfection, what’s happening right now is imperfect!"
Yet the Prophet of Perfection remained astute, gazing at the far distance of the black sea.
"You don’t understand, a Drowned God is a being that exceeds the Seven Gods of the world. They have been asleep in the depths of the world, awaiting for the moment that the world stirs."
’And Cetas is in the prison of such a being?!’ Elishia inwardly thought, ’How could he even endure?’
Although Elishia only thought to herself, the Prophet of Perfection heard her quite clearly.
"He could endure because of the protection of the Historian.. Without it, he would’ve been reduced to mere paste."
She continued, her tone increasingly more enticed.
"Worst of all, the Drowned God imprisoned in the Core Sea is the most lethal.."
Elishia listened closely.
"He is faced with The Malice itself, bearer of the primordial Wrath."
"Then, what would happen if a Drowned God were to escape its prison?" Elishia asked
The Prophet of Perfection paused for a second.
Then, she answered:
"The world will drown and Leviathans will swarm the world."
She began to laugh.
Elishia couldn’t quite comprehend the actions of the Prophet of Perfection. Her eyebrows furrowed, followed by a frown in her face.
"This is no laughing matter! Can’t you see that many lives are at stake?!"
The Prophet of Perfection’s smile turned ear to ear.
"I don’t care about any of those? I just told you, didn’t I?"
The Prophet of Perfection’s hair grew maggots, turning into countless moths flying from underneath. Soon, Elishia’s surroundings propagated with numerous insects fluttering in the winds.
Then, realization hit her.
’She’s a Dreadspawn, after all..’
Elishia was forced with the sight of multiplying moths, covering the already lightless sky of the dark shores.
Soon, the Prophet of Perfection’s flawless body turned into an empty husk—a breeding ground for the insects coming out of her.
Elishia saw the grotesque scene where myriads of moths gnawed away at the Prophet of Perfection’s flesh.
If she didn’t have the Historian’s perfection, then Elishia would’ve already succumbed to madness, turning into a Dreadspawn herself.
Alas, the moths propagated, heading towards the dark waters of the Core Sea. One by one, they dove with superb speed, covering the surface of the waters upon stretching distances.
Elishia didn’t already like insects, but the mere sight of millions, maybe billions of such made her feel more than fear.
In her heart, Dread crept its way to her entire being.
It consumed her essence, trembling her Zeal.
In just mere hours, she already experienced Dread that is unlike any Dreadspawn she had seen before..
This feeling.. Although she couldn’t quite explain it, Elishia already knew what the rank of the Prophet of Perfection is..
"She’s at the level of an Empyrean!
Elishia went silent.
"No.."
Her eyes grew in terror and awe at the same time.
She was witnessing the pinnacle of Zeal itself.
"She’s on par with a Consecrated One—A Profane Deity!"
*
{In the world of Zeal, it is not only Zealots that are ranked. After centuries of dealing with Dreadspawns, humanity has dedicated a way to classify them.
Rather than being grouped in Stratas, the Dreadspawns are ranked according to their Zeal Level.
The rankings are as follows.
Spark to Shadow.
Seeker to Blinded.
Bringer to Anchored.
Spire to Devastation.
Sage to Condemned.
Paragon to Fallen.
Empyrean to Abominable.
Consecrated One to Profane Deity.
These are natural in the world of Zeal, especially to those that tend to deal with Dreadspawns.
To create more equal footing and requirements for backup, the Zealots need to classify the Dreadspawns based upon their Zeal Level.
It is said that when encountering a Shadow, use everything in your surroundings to kill it. A shadow is as weak as a raging animal.
Use your gun.
When encountering a Blinded, call upon the members of the Laity, three of them should be enough to deal with such.
When met with an Anchored, a group of the Laity should be enough to deal with it.
Unless it possesses a niche Zeal that can wipe out entire squadrons.
If that were to happen then call a Deacon.
After such, when dealing with a Devastation, first go hide and run. Then, call upon a group of Deacons led by a Priest to deal with it.
If it were not enough, then have at least 3 Priests in the vicinity.
Next, when encountering a Condemned, do whatever it takes to leave. An entire hunting group consisting of Deacons, Priests, and Bishops are meant to defeat a single one.
Do not engage without a high-ranked Bishop around, doing so will result in instant death.
If you ever encounter a Fallen, accept the fact that your life will be lost. The Dread that is inflicted by a Fallen will be so immense that if you linger in the vicinity for a few minutes, then you will succumb to madness.
At least a squadron of Bishops can deal with such a Dreadspawn.
In the following rank, only few have been reported to have survived an encounter:
[The first hunt attempt against the Great Leviathan Abyss—an Abominable rank Dreadspawn—only Archdiocese Glammora, and Bishop Kier have been reported to have survived and escaped
Archdiocese Emryck, Archdiocese Diamond, Bishop Aiyah, Bishop Eagle, Bishop Louise, and Bishop Tyr, all fell in battle.
The hunt resulted in a failure. The Great Leviathan Abyss still roams the Abyssal Depths.
Please be warned.]
[In the second hunt attempt against the Great Leviathan Abyss, the squadron consisting of Archdiocese Emilia, Archdiocese Glammora, Archdiocese Jerald, Archdiocese Lapu, and Archdiocese Marcus ended in failure.
Surviving members: None
Therefore, it is concluded that the Great Leviathan Abyss should be left alone, lest it roams near Helios and causes destruction..
If ever a hunt attempt were to be repeated..
Call a Cardinal.]
For the next rank, no known Dreadspawns have emerged from the Depths.
However, a Consecrated One-rank Dreadspawn would be hailed as a Profane Deity. Judging by the sheer deaths caused by an Abominable-ranked Dreadspawn, a Profane Deity would immediately cause the ruin of a city.
If you ever encounter a Profane Deity..
Please kneel and pray to whichever god you serve..}
[Recorded in "Observations on Dreadspawn Study by Dimitri Alvaran (VII), pp. 351.]
*
Elishia recalled the contents of the book she had read years before. When she studied to become an Intelligence Courier, she had been forced to consume a great deal of knowledge.
However, she didn’t know that it would only serve to be fruitful in this situation.
’A Profane Deity..’
Billions of bugs flooded the shore, covering the entire darkened sky with its multiple-legged splendor.
Elishia’s legs were frozen in place, her mind even more so.
What could a mere Low-Level Acumen do in this situation!?
She kneeled down and prayed, creating the notion of a Heliosian prayer with her hands.
"Dear Helios.."
Elishia muttered under her breath, the sounds of her voice immediately washed out by the moth’s fluttering wings.
She dared not look at them anymore, their sheer numbers too great for her feeble mind to comprehend.
Tears of blood came out of her eyes, absorbed by the black sand beneath.
She stayed in place for minutes, her body crawling with myriad moths.
Alas, amidst her prayer, her mind suddenly jolted.
The words of the Prophet of Perfection resounded.
"That thing far outranks me."
She halted her prayer and brought her palm to her mouth.
’Outranking a Profane Deity..?’
’A Drowned God..’
’There are ranks far above what we know..’
’Far exceeding that of the Seven Gods in the world..’
’If it causes a Profane Deity this much panic..’
’Then, Cetas!’
She raised her head, gazing at the sea of moths.
Just then, millions of moths in the air suddenly fell. They turned lifeless in a mere moment.
The Dread inside Elishia’s heart intensified.
As if two clashing wills striking one another, she felt herself sandwiched between it.
But the other feeling of Dread was greater than the other.
’I have to get away from here.’
She raised her legs and headed towards the endless staircase, running across the numerous moths in the way.
She couldn’t care anymore!
’A sheer battle of Dread among high-ranking Dreadspawns, I’d be pulverized in an instant..’
She gritted her teeth.
’But Cetas..’
She stopped in her tracks, again stuck upon a conundrum.
Then, in a split second, the looming tower of spiral staircase cracked.
Then, it shattered.
Debris fell off to the shore, sinking deep within its darkest sands.
Elishia ran to the other direction, but upon glancing on it, the lightless waters of the shores seemed to grow higher.
She hesitated for a moment.
But that moment of hesitation spelled her doom.
The debris from the tower fell upon her, not directly causing physical contact as an unknown force repelled the bricks that fell.
However, it was useless..
Within seconds, she was buried in debris, stuck in the deepest layers of the black sands. Additionally, she felt a seeping cold embrace her skin.
’Damn it! My leg is stuck’
Now stranded among two elements, Elishia struggled to move. However, it was useless!
The water rose quicker, encasing her body almost halfway. At the same time, the debris from above became heavier, anchoring her in the sand even more.
She gritted her teeth.
Although she had a millimeter of space between her and the debris, its sheer weight still proved to be quite a hurdle.
Nevertheless, seconds passed by quickly and the black water rose to her face.
’Argh!’
Sooner or later, the bricks and her body were covered in its cold embrace.
And a second later, Elishia felt a numbing cold encasing her body.
Upon being covered in darkness, she felt her hand suddenly disappear in nothingness.
