Enlightenment · Eight (Continued)

However, this Crystal Magic can instantly infect healthy individuals with a curse that is not much different from, or even worse than, Originium Infection.

She analyzed the technique further. She discovered that this magic possessed extraordinary tracking and penetrating power—indeed, how could armor withstand an attack on the soul level? Shields, armor, and even sturdy city walls were as weak and powerless as paper under the onslaught of this crystalline breath. And after she spent a week learning to use the tracking crystal blocks, even the most agile mountain apes could not escape her gaze.

The Fire Keeper was right; this magic is indeed the highest magical secret of Lothric.

Even if there is only one person, when the user of this Crystal Magic lets go of all restraints and uses their spells recklessly, then even an entire fortified city with strong defenses will face annihilation under this irresistible force, which, even if resisted, would lead to uncontrolled expansion.

—Like a runaway Originium life form... an extremely rare sublimation form among Catastrophe Disease. Even in Terra, the birth of such an individual would be accompanied by the destruction of several Mobile City. And Crystal Magic ... I don't know what it will look like in Terra according to Persephone's deduced rules of world transcription. But if its effects don't mutate...

—Have I become a controllable, sublimated being? A mythical creature?

Kal'tsit wanted to laugh, but couldn't. She realized that her ability to interfere with Crystal Magic was similar to the spontaneous spread of Originium crystal in certain areas—she knew the Originium alive, that it possessed some kind of strange, pervasive consciousness. And if the two were corroborated...

—Deep within the land of Terra, dwells an unprecedented super Originium life form... an ancient god, a slumbering source of Originium crystal. And the life and death, even the life forms of all those infected, are in its grasp.

In her experiment, Kal'tsit slightly adjusted the surgical technique. The crystals, which should have destroyed the internal structure of the organism, stopped transforming before undergoing irreversible deformation—the crystals and the mouse achieved a symbiotic relationship, allowing the experimental animal, which should have only had a few seconds left to live, to continue surviving. And as soon as she activated a command, the crystals, which had stopped growing, would burst forth and destroy the remaining parts of the organism, like a toothpick piercing butter.

—As expected, there's a reason why Originium Infection is so difficult to cure...just as I suspected before.

It can be contained, but it is difficult to eradicate. And if this curse is to be wiped from the body, it can only be done with the help of the power of the same level.

She recalled the cases of severe Catastrophe Disease being cured. And in every single one of those cures, Surtr's power was involved.

Only power can fight power, and only curse can fight curse. Just as one's own Crystal Magic is powerful, it will inevitably be broken by the Lothric royal family's techniques, which are of the same origin but even more refined.

—Surtr, Persephone. You are indeed the key.

"Ah, that's right. On Terra, Catastrophe Disease is ultimately a minor matter. It causes immense suffering, but Originium is also a pillar of civilization, providing indispensable support to the world's industrial system. Whether Originium Infection is eradicated or not, whether the infected exist or not, is actually irrelevant to the entire Laevateinn. What truly needs to be fought against, what needs to be resisted, are those ancient forces entrenched at the edge of the land."

—North of Sami, south of Sargon ...those ancient gods, ancient evil demons, even...

—Even Terra itself.

She interrupted her thoughts.

Thinking so much is actually not very useful. Because if you can't win, you can't win. In Terra, even the most cutting-edge technology is a curse.

It's impossible for humans to leave Originium unused and instead research how to burn coal or charcoal.

No matter how hard I try, Terra's tech tree development will inevitably rely on the convenient and readily available traces left by those ancient, slumbering artifacts.

This means that modern engineering technology can never escape the control of those ancient things. Because given the slightest sign, they might awaken from their long hibernation. Just as a sleeping lion can tolerate birds perching and playing on its mane, but if the birds were to become hyenas, their claws and teeth would be used against the flesh and blood of the dogs.

She raised her hand, and the traces of crystallization vanished with her will—she knew she held a key. However, this key was merely one insignificant among the thousands of keys Surtr possessed. She vaguely knew the nature of the battles Surtr had participated in during the years he had been away from Rhodes Island. And since Terra was still the Terra of the past, it meant that even with thousands of keys, it would still be insufficient to face Terra's predicament.

—Let's talk about Terra when we get back to Terra.

She realized. She knew her growth in this world had reached a certain limit—the study of crystals sometimes made her feel mentally disoriented. Sometimes it gave her phantoms of spreading crystal clusters. She often lost her sense of time when gazing at the crystals, and she knew this was proof that the crystals had cursed her.

But the crystals couldn't truly harm her. Sometimes she would have nightmares, dreaming that she had turned into a crystal pillar, but when she woke up, her crystallized limbs were intact, only experiencing a burning pain. This meant that her research could only reach this stage.

—But what I should be focusing on right now is the turmoil in Lothric.

Coming to his senses, Gwyndolin's actions were now urgent—the streets had been deserted and desolate for days. Knights belonging to both factions no longer walked on the same road, and when they saw each other, their eyes held only indifference.

A surprise attack was out of the question; this was less a power struggle and more a war about to erupt within the city. On the eve of this war, Kal'tsit received some clandestine commissions.

One of them comes from Gwyndolin.

"War is inevitable, Kal'tsit, my friend. Leave the capital. I implore you to help me track down the undead across the borders. I suspect they are connected to Irithyll."

Aside from Gwyndolin, another commission came from Lorian, one of the Twin Princes.

"—You are an upright knight, Lord Kal'tsit. Your blood should not be shed on the streets of the royal city. I've heard you've recently become interested in the phenomenon of Crystallized Death. And there have been reports of 'lizard-like crystalline creatures' appearing in the outskirts of the royal city. Perhaps you would be interested in exploring them?"

It's quite interesting. Despite not having much interaction with that prince, Kal'tsit has a peculiar feeling of being seen through. Her study of Crystal Magic might not be a secret anymore. But the original holders of this knowledge don't seem to intend to pursue it further.

—Because the existence of that scroll was originally a secret known only to the Fire Keeper and her brothers and sisters.

—Perhaps they regarded me as the Grand Princess's envoy and representative in the royal city?

A vague guess formed in her mind. And this guess might be the truth. Kal'tsit knew she had no choice, and when she stopped, she had already arrived at the outskirts of the royal city, following the map provided by the Princess and princes.

She found herself in what seemed like a strange place—surrounded by sheer cliffs, ruins, and scattered Sarcophagus and tombs. A persistent mist hung in the air, and remnants of the living could be seen in every corner.

They were undead, but completely dead. They were wrapped in tattered black robes and looked more like some kind of clergyman than villagers or warriors.

—This might be a religious area... but it's abandoned.

Kal'tsit surveyed her surroundings, her senses nearly ten times sharper than when she first arrived, carefully searching every inch of her surroundings.

She quickly discovered the 'Crystal Lizard' mentioned in the intelligence report—the creature resembled a young dragon. Its entire body was enveloped in crystals similar in nature to Crystal Magic, but devoid of vitality. Its limbs were strong, and its scales were tough. However, it was a lifeless being.

The weapon that wounded it was a knife, a kind of sword-like knife— Kal'tsit knew that there was a country called the Higashi in Lordran. And the warriors of that country used a single-edged katana.

The person who took action is not far from here.

Breathe softly, stay alert, and follow the blurred stone path deeper into the tomb-strewn ruins.

She crossed a cliff.

She saw a tall, burly warrior wielding a halberd guarding the center of a plaza—the warrior's body seemed to be parasitized by some dark substance, yet also showed signs of being removed. His body appeared to have long since met its end.

No, not death. It was becoming a zombie. But this zombie ignored her.

Kal'tsit didn't understand why, but that didn't stop her from continuing deeper inside. At the edge of her vision, she saw a magnificent yet equally ancient temple. The temple was dark inside, but her feline luminous vision allowed her to see clearly even in the worst visibility conditions.

She saw five thrones—four smaller, but the central one exceptionally large. And throughout the entire temple, the lingering scent of fire remained.

—The Firelink Shrine.

She suddenly thought of this name.

As she compared the name with the concept in her mind, she heard light but swift footsteps.

'Clang--!!'

An invisible blade struck the crystal shield that had appeared out of thin air, and a verdant dragon-serpent suddenly materialized, swinging its bladed legs towards the attacker in the darkness—the latter dodged, raising its hand to construct a massive black blade that cleaved down. Several crystal soul fragments then detached from the space around Kal'tsit and shot directly towards the shadowy figure in the darkness!

Crystallization operates by tracking the soul.

The black shadow moved erratically, turning a dozen times in the dim temple before misleading most of the crystalline soul fragments, allowing them to escape. An invisible sword slashed down, the resulting blade of energy tearing through the last crystalline fragment, only to stop at the dragon-serpent's crystalline carapace. The next moment, the dim temple floor turned crimson!

Spells, firestorm.

Hundreds, even thousands, of pillars of fire rose abruptly at Kal'tsit's will, attacking and scorching everything around them, from stone and earth to living creatures. The shadows receded, revealing slender human figures.

A faint yet urgent chant arose, accompanied by a sudden expansion of solid incantations and the complete annihilation of countless pillars of fire. The crystalline shield on the dragon-serpent dimmed and lost its vitality, and the assassin's sword followed in quick succession!