Chapter 152
Her status was originally equivalent to Eris'.
Building grids from bottom to top is very difficult, but simulating grids from top to bottom is quite easy.
And she doesn't need to maintain this state for long; a moment is enough.
Hebe rang the wooden bell.
[Third Mark - The Uncrowned King]
A chilling stillness arose from Hebe's body, which had already stopped beating, and she slowly exhaled this chill.
As a result, the ocean currents that stretched for countless kilometers came to a standstill.
The Bell of Ys originates from a fragment created by the Celestial Flint, symbolizing the emptiness after the sun splits apart, and the cessation between things.
Eris infected Sibyl, and in this Lostbelt, the Grand Symphony should have been the most suitable vessel for the Bell of Ys.
But the Grand Symphony had not yet ended, while Hebe had already stopped.
The symbol of the Bell of Ys has shifted, from Sybil to Hebe.
— [The Great Silence: The Wish of No Light]
The Wooden Trumpet of Heaven was rung.
The Bell of Ys has been rung!
Great Stillness has descended!
Old Yule suddenly sensed that something was wrong.
On the sea surface of Atlantis, the ever-blooming sea breeze suddenly disappeared.
All the islands that were above sea level were shaking.
Old Yule felt his vision was blurry and everything around him was changing.
He looked up and was horrified to find that the sun, moon, stars, and the deep night sky had all vanished, leaving only a vast expanse of sea stretching from the south to the far north, reflecting the Golden Tree in the heart of Atlantis that nearly obscured the Ys City.
Is the sea suspended in the sky?
Old Yule felt a sharp pain in his eyes, and his eyeballs made a popping sound as red and white petals sprouted from them.
Two anemone-like creatures twitched as they plucked their roots—nerves—from Old Yule's eye sockets, using their hooked leaves to pull his eyelids over his nose and lips, and then quickly ran down his shoulders.
The last image that remained in Old Yule's sight was of an angry Santiago, who pressed his head down and turned him to the other side.
Old Yule also noticed that Santiago's shoulder area had transformed into a coral-like structure.
The turquoise seawater swept over us.
The Grand Symphony has come to a halt.
The giant Golden Tree in the center of Atlantis began to tremble, and all the Golden Tree hanging on its branches withered away.
But the leaves didn't fall downwards; instead, they flew upwards.
The Golden Tree's light dimmed by seventy or eighty percent in an instant, leaving only its bare branches supporting the sky and sea.
Then all was silent. The musicians were horrified to find that they could not make any sound, and then realized that their hearts had stopped beating.
The sky was dark and gloomy. The sea level to the west of Atlantis dropped by more than half a meter, revealing the jagged, colorful reefs beneath. Meanwhile, the sea level in the other three directions began to rise, submerging all the islands.
Heracles Island in the North was like this, as was Domremy Island in Orleans; everything was submerged in the rising sea.
Those vast, continuous continents trembled and began to crumble and shatter.
The towering towers were uprooted, and along with the grand colonnaded halls, magnificent palaces, verdant manors, and noble music, they were all swallowed up by the towering waves.
The majestic Imperial Road collapsed, the magnificent temples crumbled, and Atlantis and its inhabitants, along with the entire landmass, plunged into an abyss of eternal darkness.
Just as Sibyl had predicted years ago.
The Golden Tree trembled and broke in half, two-thirds of it flying into the sky, while one-third of it sank along with its roots.
This world has come to an end.
The power of the Requiem surrounding Hebe was still intermittent. Her face was ashen, her mind was almost blank, and everything in front of her was as if covered by a layer of frost.
But she maintained the position of raising her hands above her head, shaking them again and again.
The metal dome had vanished, and snowflakes fell from above, landing on her head, shoulders, and nose... It was ashes mixed with Golden Tree, metal, and earth.
Atlantis has burned to ashes, and the ashes that are still falling now are like the ashes of something that has been completely buried.
If it weren't for the seven mounds that formed when Mozart died, Ys would have sunk into the sea by now... But the sea level is still rising, and the time when Ys would be submerged is rapidly approaching.
The ocean is rising, while the air that sustains life is rapidly flowing away from the void in the sky.
After losing the protection of the Golden Tree, the dark shadow in the sky caused the temperature of the sea surface to drop rapidly.
I really don't know where this water came from.
Hebe maintained her pose and gave a mocking smile to the golden bees surrounding her.
In their quest to seize the symbol of the Bell of Ys, Sybil and Hebe are racing against time to bring themselves closer to death—but they cannot allow themselves to truly die.
A light suddenly appeared in the dark shadows, and both Hebe and Sybil looked up at the same time.
That's not stars twinkling, that's stars falling.
All the stars in the world are created by the Celestial Flint: this includes those who literally "create stars" and those who ascend above the Crimson Dawn, suspending their symbols in the celestial Eternals.
Hebe and Eris fought to the death in the Lostbelt of Atlantis; the Private also fought to the death with the Remnant Wolf in the wasteland!
Among the beasts under the command of the Wolf, a large beast was killed by the soldiers.
Hebe grinned. Her achievements were spreading throughout Atlantis thanks to the Bell of Ys, but it wasn't enough... not enough.
There is no essential distinction between Great Stillness and Grand Symphony.
The golden bee stared intently at Hebe: What else do you want to do?!
"It's simple. I won't be at ease until I see you completely dead," Hebe replied.
Sibyl returned the glance with indifferent stare: What good is taking away the symbol of the Bell of Ys? In the end, only one person can attain true freedom.
In the end, won't the entirety of Atlantis still be destroyed?
Sybil let out a chilling flapping sound—she abandoned further engagement with Hebe.
The prophecy has now come true; she has achieved her goal.
Although Hebe stole the symbol of the Bell of Ys during the process... that doesn't matter.
Because everything about Atlantis has sunk into the deep waters, this history has come to an end, and it will have no future!
In other words... Eris won in the end!
In Sybil's eyes, Hebe's efforts could at best only save her from harm.
Of course, she agreed with Hebe's idea—if given the chance, she would also do everything in her power to kill the other party.
But what's the point of killing Ismara? As a quasi-ruler who holds the Secret History Principle, Eris can summon as many past incarnations as he wants.
Then Hebe must be the same.
Compared to Atlantis, where there are no more uncertainties at this point, the war in the wasteland is truly intense.
In Eris's sight, the blood-red Mars in the sky was gradually being edged with gold.
The most urgent task now is to gather the Swarm and go to aid the [Remnant Wolf], who are fighting to the death with the "Private"... The seat of August Archon cannot be lost. Eris thought indifferently.
The moment Sybil gave up the fight and began to flap her wings, she was instantly sucked away by the hole in the sky.
Her form twisted and shattered in the vacuum—Sybil died, and Eris voluntarily withdrew her consciousness from Atlantis.
[Current Lostbelt primary objective: Ring the Bell of Ys... Completed.]
[Current Lostbelt Final Objective: Defeat Eris... Eris has left this Lostbelt, and this objective can be considered complete. You can choose to conclude your Lostbelt journey here and leave. That would be a fitting ending.]
[Current Lostbelt Completion Rate: 100% (1%)]
Hebe chuckled silently.
What is this? Do you feel like you have no power to resist?
That's true. Even if the symbol of the Bell of Ys is taken from Sybil, what good is it if it's limited to the freedom of one person?
Compared to the Lostbelt is already settled, perhaps the war in the Wasteland is more of a concern for Eris... But then again, judging from Eris's mindset, aiding the Remnant Wolves probably comes at a price.
The Fisher King has been nearly drained by Eris, so who's next? The Wolf might be a good choice.
Hebe exhaled a deep chill as she slowly moved to the damaged throne.
With Eris gone, even if Hebe makes any unnecessary moves, the symbol of the Bell of Ys will not be transferred from her hands.
Hebe mechanically turned her head, and the desolate scene around her came into view. In this extreme cold, there was no sound left.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
But in the midst of the silence, a heart-pounding roar suddenly broke the silence.
The Bell of Ys.
After the Grand Symphony has ceased and the Great Stillness has arrived, the Bell of Ys is also proof of rebirth.
From the deepest seabed to the vast ocean surface, the deep golden currents begin to flow quietly.
In this desolate world, this intense gold is the only color that symbolizes life.
Hebe twitched the corner of her mouth, a gesture that tore a bloody gash across her face. If it weren't for the extreme cold around her, half of her face would have almost fallen off.
In the extreme cold and silence of the world, the girl sitting alone on the throne laughed silently.
Time is up.
Eris, since you are so confident, how can I just leave?!
[Great Silence - The Wish of No Light]!
She began to ignite her own achievements.
If twilight is not enough to solve this problem... what about Crimson Dawn, or even above Crimson Dawn?
The only ascension ceremony that Hebe has ever witnessed was that of Ozymandias, the Red King.
According to lineage, if Ozymandias had ascended normally, he should have automatically come under the command of Scar Father; however, he was unwilling to serve another Lord, so Ozymandias sought to ascend to the throne and become the ruler of the twelfth month.
The golden ocean current began to spread far and wide.
Hebe felt her consciousness rapidly declining.
She abandoned her broken body and returned to her true form—the golden ocean current.
This is the purest spiritual dew.
Not only the suffering Pure Water Spirit, but also those Pure Water Spirit hidden among the mountains, forests and waterways... They answered Hebe's call and plunged into the ocean currents.
As the sea level rose, this golden ocean current swallowed up all the remaining life.
Thousands of years ago, Remus and Sybil, who had not yet been infected by Eris, discovered that the essence of the Pure Water Spirit could carry human thoughts and consciousness.
At that time, Remus was extremely excited. He believed that humanity would be able to achieve an inner and outer ascension through the spiritual dew and change the inevitable fate.
However, too much time has passed, and Ys's original aspirations have faded over the long years of his youth.
In the end, Remus's vision still left a spark of life: for all humanity, whether the Mycenae of the North or the civilians and warriors of Ys.
They had once faced each other with swords drawn, but then became as close as family. Now, having shed the shackles imposed upon them, they all slept peacefully in the embrace of the Pure Water Spirit.
As Hebe's consciousness returned, this ocean current, formed from the primordial soup, began to evolve rapidly, grow, and form a vast and boundless body.
It had a slender body like a Basilosaurus, resembling both a giant serpent stretching across the deep sea and a sacred beast capable of roaming among the stars.
A single horn, resembling both a crown and a long sword, grew from the top of her head; it was as clear as the coldest ice, yet so perfectly natural.
This is not a sacred dragon like Miss A-Long, but a great beast purely formed from the convergence of countless lives.
As a newly born beast, she was naturally given the true name by the [Crippled Wolf].