Mystery: The Undead Don't Die from Linking the Fire

There is no day, no night, no light, and no dawn here.

There was only a dense, impenetrable blackness. The boundless ocean, the vast continent, the towering mountains, and the inky black sky were all shrouded in this dense blackness, and this place is usually called the Abyss.

In most people's minds, "abyss" is an abstract term, a synonym for danger, pain, depravity, and filth.

In mysticism, the "abyss" is widely recognized as the most filthy, depraved, and chaotic place.

Legend has it that the abyss is the most corrupt place, where even angels can fall and lose control, and those who guard the abyss will eventually be assimilated by it.

At the same time, the Abyss is also the dwelling place of demons.

In the early to middle period of the Second Age, demons often left the abyss and roamed the earth until the ancient sun god appeared and caused the fall of the ancient gods. Only then did they retreat back to the abyss and seal it off.

But now the abyss has become so desolate that even demons cannot survive there.

The only living thing here is that immortal serpent, coldly gazing at the world from within the dense 'blackness'.

However, the giant snake has now disappeared without a trace.

Yu Jin stood atop the mountain, gazing at the cunning, black abyss that seemed to have no end, and was slightly surprised:

"Did they escape?"

Since "falling from the sky" more than a hundred years ago, Laqad has remained in the abyss and has never left.

For Rakad, who has successfully devoured the 'Dark Side of the Universe' and become a true god of the 'Abyss' pathway, the Abyss is his divine realm. Here, his power can be amplified to the greatest extent, and he can also more safely digest the god he devoured.

Yes, Laqad is still processing it.

While the Dark Side of the Universe had indeed been devoured by Lakkad, it was still a genuine god. Even though the Immortal Serpent's essence was superior to the Dark Side of the Universe, digesting a true god, a god controlled by the Old Ones, would still require a great deal of time and effort, and could not be disturbed by external forces.

That's why Ember came directly to the Abyss to find and hunt the Undying Serpent.

However, Raccard seemed to have anticipated this. He abandoned his base without hesitation and disposed of the traces he left in the abyss in advance, preventing the Embers from locking onto any target and thus from tracking his current location.

Ember was not surprised by this.

Laqad may be a fool, but Adam is not.

The battle in the astral plane has exposed the relationship between Raccard and Adam.

When they met and what kind of deal they made are not important; what matters is that they have formed an alliance.

Furthermore, because both sides share a common enemy, this alliance will be extremely close.

As one of Adam's few allies, He would naturally pay special attention to Raccard, who had the most potential. Therefore, Adam would definitely warn Raccard in advance to prevent the Embers from seizing the opportunity to defeat him one by one.

Of course, even if the BOSS isn't home, it doesn't mean that Ember can't do anything to the Abyss.

after all,

"Since we're already here..."

Ember murmured softly, slowly extending his palm. The Dark Soul swirled in his hand. With a wave of his hand, the Dark Soul instantly transformed into countless starlight, merging into the dense 'black' aura.

That dense "black" possessed a level of pollution unimaginable to ordinary people, something even angels could not resist.

However, at the same time, this 'black' is also the best camouflage.

When the dark soul dissipated into countless black 'points of light,' the two merged completely into one, and no one could detect the slightest difference.

If Karad were to return to the Abyss, these "sparks" would bring a small Dark Soul shock to Karad!

-

Ashmi turned around and looked at the bound god who had fallen to the ground and was struggling to get up.

Although He is a unique angel king, He has been tormented by the Mother Tree of Desire for too long, and His current performance is even worse than that of a mortal. The extraordinary characteristics within Him have a strong tendency to separate, just like the 'divine abomination' that was once separated, yearning for 'birth'.

The bound god endured the agonizing torment of the Mother Tree of Desire while attempting to suppress the extraordinary characteristics within him and achieve a new balance. He needed to reach a point where he could freely use his extraordinary abilities before he would have a chance to escape.

however.

Before the bound god could even get up, he felt a pain in his chest.

A long sword pierced His body from the back, the tip penetrating His heart and pinning Him to the ground.

Ashmi calmly walked up to the bound god and drew the blade, which gleamed with a deep blue light.

The bound god struggled to raise his head, his voice trembling as he cried out in pain:

"You... spare me... I am the King of Angels... I can help you..."

"Foolish."

Ashmi's tone was extremely calm:

"Killing you is not the end of the world; I can simply raise a new angel king."

Under the dazzling flash of the blade, the body of the bound god was dismembered, and his head rolled down, his lips opening and closing as if he wanted to say something.

But His gaze quickly fell upon the scene behind Ashmi—

It was a towering, dark brown tree. For the past thousand years, He had been hanging from the top of that tree. The dark brown branches pierced His body, constantly draining His strength and causing Him great torment.

Now, all the branches and leaves that once fluttered in the air from that towering tree have been cut off, leaving only a bare trunk.

Even the tree trunk is now engulfed in flames, burning fiercely.

The bound god stared blankly at the towering tree ablaze, and suddenly felt that it was all worthwhile. Since there was no escape anyway, this was for the best; at least the Mother Tree of Desire would be buried with him.

-

Misty Sea, Lasha Island.

"Admiral of the Stars" Cattleya arrived before a mountain peak and recited a giant's incantation to the bare cliff face:

"Open Sesame!"

A path suddenly appeared on the cliff face, seemingly real yet unreal, its destination unknown.

As she walked, her vision suddenly opened up before her, revealing a sea as clear as a sapphire and a magnificent castle made entirely of emerald.

This is the Emerald City of Bernadette, the "mysterious queen".

In the semi-open room inside the castle with the best view, the tall queen stood behind the railing, gazing at the rolling waves.

For some reason, the excitement, joy, and elation hidden deep within Cattleya suddenly subsided, replaced by a sense of peace, comfort, and freedom. In the past, when sailing at sea, she would sometimes feel lonely and sad, like a leaf separated from a tree, left to be blown by the wind to different places. But now, she seemed to have landed on the ground, right beside that tree.

She opened her mouth, but for a moment didn't know what to say. In the end, she simply pushed up her heavy glasses and greeted them briefly:

Good afternoon, Your Majesty.

Bernadette turned around and nodded slightly, saying:

"I have summoned you back to Emerald City because I need your help with something."

Caldelia felt a strange surge of joy, but she suppressed it well and asked seriously:

"What is it?"

The Queen is the leader of the Elemental Dawn, which includes many extraordinary beings, even demigods, who worship her as a goddess. However, compared to these people, the Queen clearly trusts her more, which is what makes Cattleya happy.

Moreover, the Queen said "help," does this mean that she has grown to the point where she can provide assistance to the Queen?

Bernadette didn't answer Cattleya's question directly, but said softly:

"I had received a lead and hastily left Backlund."

"I remember that," Cattleya interjected.

Bernadette's straight, long eyebrows twitched slightly:

"Through this clue, I pieced together an incomplete nautical chart from the descendants of Edwards, William, Perley, and others. This chart records some of the places my father explored in the Misty Sea."

Using this nautical chart and my own prophetic abilities, I went to the Abyss, but there was no trace of him there. However, I can now roughly guess that his secret might be hidden in some sea far from safe routes.

After listening attentively, Gadriya asked softly:

"What do you need me to do?"

The mysterious queen, Bernadette, spoke slowly:

"Pray to the 'Fool,' tell Him these things truthfully, and ask for His help."

"what?"

Cattleya suddenly raised her head, staring at the 'mysterious queen' with some confusion.

If she remembered correctly, the Queen had a 'messenger' by her side, a small, blue doll. The Queen was already a Sequence 2 angel at the time, yet she still treated that doll with utmost respect. This could only mean one thing—the doll's true form was an existence on par with the Seven Gods and Mr. Fool—a true deity!

But if the Queen already has such a person by her side, why would she need the help of Mr. Fool?

"The Queen doesn't trust Him!" Cattleya's eyes narrowed slightly; she already knew the answer in her heart.

This is not surprising, as the Queen had clearly expressed her dissatisfaction with the "messenger" for using her back on the "Future". This indicates that the Queen and that person had a mutually exploitative relationship, rather than a subordinate relationship between the Triad Crowned One and the deity in the Orthodox Church.

That's why the Queen didn't find her directly, but instead subtly sent a message through the Elemental Dawn, inviting her to meet here. This Emerald City is one of the legacies left to the Queen by Emperor Roselle, perhaps possessing some means to shield her from the gaze of the gods…

Now, the Queen is searching for her father's whereabouts, so she must secretly explore without the knowledge of that being.

But if the Queen didn't trust Him, why did she explore the Abyss with Him before? Wasn't the Abyss also a target of the Queen's suspicion? Or was that journey to the Abyss actually led by Him?

It's quite possible that she genuinely showed no great interest in exploring the Abyss. For the Queen, that exploration might simply have been an order from that being.

Cattleya clutched her chest, feeling extremely distressed at the thought that Bernadette, whom she regarded as an idol and like a mother, was merely a pawn to be manipulated and discarded at any time by some god.

Cattleya took a deep breath and said quickly:

"I will now pray to Mr. Fool."

"No rush."

Bernadette's expression suddenly softened a little:

"Haven't you always wanted to share with me everything that's happened to you over the years?"

Cattleya paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Mmm."

"right."

She immediately went to the Queen's side, pulled up a chair and sat down, facing the azure sea beyond the emerald railings.

Bernadette sat down next to her and listened to her recount her experiences after leaving the Dawn, just as she always had.

Some of these things were mentioned by Cattleya in her letters, but she didn't describe them in detail due to space constraints. Others were being told to others for the first time.

-

The boundless gray mist floated silently, and a slight scraping sound came from the head of the bronze table.

Klein shifted his posture and raised his hands to rub his temples.

"So, this should be considered a temporary respite, right?"

"At least for now, both sides have achieved their goals."

"Adam has successfully obtained the authority of the 'Eternal Sun' and is about to become a dual-path true god."

"And the Goddess of Night has also acquired the authority of the 'God of War,' in addition to the authority of the 'God of Death' she already possessed, bringing her only one step away from the ancients. As for the Lord of Steam and the Hidden Sage, it is still unclear who Adam has chosen as his ally."

"From what we've seen so far, the Hidden Sage seems more like it."

"After all, the Lord of Steam is on the side of the Eternal Sun, while the Hidden Sage is clearly biased towards Adam."

"The Lord of the Abyss, also known as the Dark Side of the Universe, has been devoured by Raccard, the Bound God has been destroyed, and with the purification of Mr. Gate, the tentacles of the Outer Gods influencing the world have been temporarily severed."

"But this will inevitably lead to an even more brutal civil war among the gods who are temporarily free from external threats."

At this point in the analysis, Klein summarized:

"Friendly allies: Goddess of Night, Goddess of Knowledge and Wisdom, Mother Earth;

Enemies: Adam the Dreamer, the True Creator, and Mr. Mistake, Amon;

Neutral: 'Hidden Sage', 'Primordial Witch', 'God of Steam and Machinery'.

"The Lord of Storms was originally a staunch ally of the Goddess, but after this incident, His stance may waver. Although He is destined not to side with Adam, He may very well turn to neutrality."

"On the surface, the two sides should be roughly equal in strength, and only three True Gods have clearly taken sides."

"As for the neutral side, judging from the current situation, their position is almost entirely biased towards Adam, except for the Lord of Storms."

"The conflict between the God of Steam and Machinery and the Hidden Sage is already out in the open, and only one of them is destined to become a true god. I still tend to think that Adam will choose the God of Steam and Machinery, since the 'Hidden Sage's' ascension to godhood can simultaneously satisfy the needs of both the God of Steam and Machinery and Amon."

"The former can use this to become a dual-path true god and gain a glimpse into the ancient order, while the latter can also take this opportunity to become a god."

"As for the Primal Witch, she had already clearly sided with Adam during the 'George III' incident, so we cannot expect their help."

"It seems that we are still weaker on paper."

"Although we have embers, the other side also has first flames."

"However, if I could become a god, perhaps the situation could be reversed again!"

Klein took a deep breath; the key to fooling the world was in his hands.

The reshuffling of the war also made it easier to deceive.

At least for now, three of the four kingdoms of the Northern Continent will accept their written history.

Even if the Republic of Intis remains stubborn, it won't have much of an impact.

The time for Him to become a god is not far off!