Chapter 287
A few hours after the fight ended, absolute silence governed all corners of Astria . People were holding their breath and hoping for the best, there were no more earthquakes or bright lights coming from the Human Continent’s direction so some of them started celebrating earlier than the rest, thinking that the threat is gone for good .
It was only after the shrouded sky became clear and the sun rays illuminated their cities and homes did the inhabitants of Astria cheer in joy and relief .
The only place that didn’t celebrate was the MoonStar sect, Arthur’s whereabouts were unknown and the poisonous fog and the radiation covering the area where the Human Continent was, couldn’t be avoided or resisted . One of the undead dragons tried to enter it but unfortunately ended up turning into black ash within a few seconds .
After witnessing this, Anastassia didn’t send any scouts to try and scavenge that area, it has already been marked as a forbidden ground by everyone, entering it means death .
Even the bright sun that hangs on the sky couldn’t extinguish the poison or illuminate this area, it was cloaked by thick dark clouds and a fog that blocked anyone’s view, even a God would have difficulties surviving more than a day in there .
A day passed yet Arthur didn’t come back, which made Anastassia and Jackob worry, thinking that he may have perished .
The Alien Race that invaded the Eastern Continent remained in hiding, not showing themselves even after the catastrophe passed . The World Tree didn’t act against them and remained as peaceful and silent as ever, not showing any reaction to what happened .
On the dusk of the second day after the catastrophe, an enormous grey dome enveloped the Human Continent, or what little land remained of it . The dome didn’t let any of the fog get out and trapped every living being inside, some people tried to forcefully break in but ended up going home after reaching no favorable results .
The appearance of the dome was but the beginning, on the dusk of the third day, heavy rain poured in all corners of the world, bringing with it a gloomy feeling as it was way different from normal rain . What dropped from the sky weren’t merely droplets of water but grey ash, it didn’t cause plagues or diseases but it still made people feel uncomfortable and a bit fearful .
Fortunately, the grey ash fell for merely an hour before it stopped, nonetheless, it still surprised everyone as it’s the first time such a thing occurred .
As days peacefully passed, stories about the catastrophe started going around, reaching the ears of every Race, whether it was a kid or an elder, they surely heard it from their relatives or friends .
The story wasn’t particularly detailed, neither didn’t contain the whole truth but the people were, nevertheless, amazed and grateful for whoever managed to eliminate the beasts and save Astria .
Mercenaries would often talk about the fight and the man who killed the Divine, children stories were invented and tales were told about the catastrophe . Unlike the previous one, which was ten thousand years ago, there were almost no casualties since prior evacuation was done, and just like there were joyful people, there were those about losing their homes, fortunes, and lands .
The Western Continent is heaven compared to the central continent, with the bottomless abyss with purple fire eternally burning in it, or the poisonous fog, the invisible radiation that could kill a God within a day, the center of Astria is no more a place for the living, even Gods can’t trespass .
. . . . .
After five days passed, a poem very popular amongst the bards was written, the source was unknown but it became famous in all three continents . Whether it was Demons, elves, beastmen, or Humans, they all enjoyed the song and would hire bards to sing them in the banquets and weddings .
No one would know it yet but this poem will be forever engraved in history, it’ll be passed along for thousands of years, the generations of the future would not forget what happened, they cannot, not after what occurred that day, not with the obliteration of a whole continent .
Enchanted by the Incoming doom,
flowers that could no longer bloom
Skies cloaked by brume
Ash colored rain wetting the dome
Devoid of souls yet so lively, a place of life yet so deadly
With the rising sun, did they come
causing destruction, had they done
A blooming rose, was it needed
Finishing those who shall be beaten
A phoenix screech, was it heard
A tiger roar, was it feared
A dragon cry, was it endured
A tortoise shout, was it scared?
Mournful cries and blissful smiles, did they come
When the falling chains were undone
What did the man has become?
Did the divine foresee
That the end is near, or would it be?
Hearing the poem being sung by an elven bard in the central square of the MoonStar sect, Anastassia sighed helplessly as she turned around and headed for the tower . She couldn’t celebrate in joy like those young disciples or mercenaries, after all, there’s no meaning to it if the savior is gone as well .
While she tightly held Arthur’s ring, Anastassia whistled loudly, calling for the main bone dragon . She jumped on its back and commanded it to head East, she still hasn’t given up her search for him . Apart from Lissandra who’s always holed up in the tower and an acting elder that managed the sect’s affairs, all important and powerful characters were searching the area around the grey dome, trying to find Arthur .
Even the Demons offered their help after they came to know of what happened, Taliya and several experienced royal guards joined the expedition, using special potions to allow them to breathe underwater and started searching every inch of the ocean surrounding the whole dome .
. . . .
Deep into the flaming abyss, in a place where even the most dangerous aquatic beasts couldn’t delve into, a place where the pressure is literally bone-crushing, Arthur laid motionlessly on the sand, with a furrowed brows and blood around him .
The wounds caused by the White Tiger didn’t recover due to the Chaos Energy, moreover, the red tattoos that he created to seal his physical body, started showing signs of withdrawal .
On the sixth day, a gigantic whirlpool appeared on the surface of the ocean, however, since that surface is still situated deep into the abyss, in an area no one can reach, it was noticed by no mortals or Gods .
On that fateful day, with an excruciating pain assaulting his mind, Arthur was jolted awake from his deep slumber . He didn’t panic nor did he attempt any sudden movements, he circulated his Dark Mana and activated the Dark-Anguish technique, trying to appease the pain and slow the process of the chains’ withdrawal .
After a few hours, things calmed down a bit and he managed to buy some time for a small breather . As he inspected his surroundings, his eyes landed on Makaze, which was stuck on the ground, just like their first encounter .
Unfortunately, the dark blade no longer had its suffocating and ominous aura around it nor could he sense any signs of life from it, it’s as if it was back to being a normal, simple blade .
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