Chapter 699: 117. The Sorrow of the Soul (8k)_5
Chapter 699: 117. The Sorrow of the Soul (8k)_5
The blood-flesh giant before him merely looked down at his hand, as feathers multiplied in number. It wasn’t long before a layer of black feathers, resembling a straw cape, covered the blood-flesh giant controlled by Erwin. Erwin merely glanced at his hand and then lifted his head to peer at the phantom hovering mid-air, murmuring,
“Is that how it is…”
“Cough, cough.”
Fisher was clutching a High Ring Magic, ready to face two opponents if necessary, but Erwin didn’t seem interested in continuing the fight. He glanced at the Ice and Seal on his opponent and then extended a finger wrapped in feathers, saying,
“Rushing to deal with me, so you hurriedly read through all that forbidden knowledge, yet you haven’t gone mad, which truly surprises me… I’ll give you a little hint, then. Your frail body and will both need some time to adapt to the changes that knowledge brings. You’ve been hearing hallucinations all along, haven’t you?”
“Searching for truth is like climbing a precipice; a slight misstep can plunge one into the abyss of madness. Each of us treads carefully as though on thin ice, yet you, it seems, suck up knowledge as if life doesn’t matter… Is it the pressure I put on you that’s too great, or do you have some urgent goal you need to achieve?”
“Heh, that will do for today, Fisher. We shall meet again. Oh, and the military should be arriving any moment now, with all the commotion today, the Society will surely take notice. Think carefully about how you’ll slip away to Snow Mountain.”
Fisher blinked in surprise, wondering what madness had suddenly come over Erwin as he spoke of reading the Completion Manual. He turned his head to look at the curse about to pounce on him, floating in mid-air; in the distance, pale pillars of light rose above the sea, heading swiftly toward the city center.
“Beep, beep, beep!”
That seemed to be Twelve Ring Light Magic, “Land of Purity.” For a small country like Mia, only the military could wield such Magic…
Blinding light fell like a meteor to Earth, spreading in every direction as if taking physical form the instant it touched down. Under such light, the wild winds died down, the snowstorm ceased, and the panic-stricken people all stopped to shield their eyes from the dazzle. Even Fisher couldn’t look directly at the light and covered his face with his hand.
Mia was as if on the Sun itself, causing all, including the curse entity, to eerily halt in their tracks. However, the curse entity, only able to move at night, weakened greatly during the day, emitted an uncanny scream under the spell of the Twelve Ring magic before running off to who knows where.
Erwin didn’t speak again, nor did he take advantage of Fisher’s shielding his eyes to sneak an attack or steal his Seal. It was as if he quietly left the scene; in an instant, the entire street became so quiet, as if he were the only person there.
It was a while later, when the people of Mia, with somewhat embarrassed looks and carrying their worn-out firelocks and some Magic, arrived at the scene. All they saw was a devastated inn in ruins.
…
…
On the outskirts of Mia City, a figure sat before a campfire, cloaked in a heavy coat, a bird-masked headgear adorning his visage. As the Life Minister of the Creation Society, his power was considerable. Since the previous chairman’s departure, he had possessed the Manual the longest… That’s why, despite causing such an uproar in Nali, only that Artificial Intelligence was sent to intercept him.
Yet today, that Nali person he hadn’t seen in just six months had genuinely startled him.
A leap in Life Rank, a strong soul, a crystal-clear will combined with his high-level magical artistry, all this made Erwin feel rather challenged. However, the day had not been without its findings, especially concerning the situation within the Wutong Tree.
Erwin fell silent for several seconds, then suddenly recalled how when Fisher had struck him, a small part had been absorbed by Fisher, showing a strong tendency to merge – a very dangerous sign. The loss and pain of a soul were extremely hard to heal. Otherwise, Erwin wouldn’t have lain in the ruins for so long after being punched by Fisher, which had injured his soul, the vulnerability of the Life Minister…
Erwin’s Magic Circuit began to glow bit by bit, revealing its shape for the first time – a shape twisted by his distorted form of life, similar to Fisher’s. Erwin had long ceased to be called human.
However, it was evident that at Erwin’s lower abdomen, the Magic Circuit was especially dim, as if suffering from a power shortage. If one observed closely, they would notice that even now, that area shimmered with crystal-like light.
This was a soul wound inflicted on Erwin by the Cardinal, still unhealed to this day. The Cardinal had acquired soul energy technology from the former Soul Lord Philone and used it to create the Cardinal Weapon, which was incredibly destructive to souls. Had it not been for Erwin’s experience, he might have been obliterated by the Cardinal’s blast back then.
Looking at his slowly healing soul wound, Erwin’s arm gradually transformed into twisted tentacles, reaching toward the other side, where dozens of demi-human corpses lay, seemingly tribe members from nearby. As the tentacles entered the still-warm bodies, his entire body trembled, and the healing of the soul wound visibly accelerated.
The bodies started to shrivel, and Erwin stood up once more, vanishing from the spot in an instant.