It's gone?
A complete darkness?
Faced with the sudden change, Derrick's first reaction was not fear, but to clasp his hands together and bring them to his mouth.
A series of bright rays of light emanated from his body, dispelling the deep darkness around him and illuminating every corner of the basement.
In Derrick's environment, Evernight is the most terrifying thing. Once they leave City of Silver, they must always be bathed in light, and even if they lose it briefly, the interval cannot exceed five seconds.
When Derrick first joined the exploration team, he was inexperienced and almost made a mistake that cost him his life. Fortunately, the "Chief" was standing not far away.
The light rippled slowly and steadily as Derrick raised his right hand, which was gripping the " Hurricane Axe," and cautiously surveyed his surroundings.
He discovered that, apart from his teammates Heim and Joshua, who should have followed him into the basement, were nowhere to be found, and the large black stains on the stone slabs and walls had turned blood red at some point, as if they had just been splashed on.
This made Derrick, who had thoroughly studied the exploration materials and calmed down, think of a possibility: the problem wasn't with Joshua and Heim, but with himself!
"I simply approached the altar and silently uttered those three names... Normally, even Angel must have a complete and accurate name in order to receive 'prayer' from others through recitation or copying, and it's said there are also limitations on the scope of such requests... I wonder if the Angel King must also be like this..."
"Uh, one of these three names is the key to unlocking the hidden power of the altar. Did my silent recitation in the Jotun, which can move nature, cause this problem? No, that's not right. It has to be spoken aloud to be effective. Even though these are the true names of the Angel King, there have never been any problems before..." Derrick turned around, puzzled and somewhat uneasy, and returned to the altar, back to the stone table.
He was astonished to see that the text and symbols on the stone table were much clearer and more complete than before, as if the ceremony officiant had just finished carving them.
There are three kinds of script: one is the Jotun, one is the Dragonese, and the other is one that Derrick does not recognize. However, he suspects that it is the Ancient Hermes spoken by Mr. " The Hanged Man " and Ms. " Justice [m.]", because he has learned some words during the exchanges at the Tarot Club, and it is quite similar to the script on the stone table.
The Jotun and the Dragonese express the same thing; they both repeat those three names and their corresponding titles:
Ouroboros, the " Angel of Fate ";
" Red Angel ", Medici;
" Dark Angel ", Sasrir.
Following the title and name was a phrase that Derrick was very familiar with:
" Rose Redemption "!
Is Sasrir truly an Angel King called the " Dark Angel," and the founder of the " Red Angel Rose" along with the Angel of Fate " and the "Red Rose Redemption "? I wonder what Mr. " The Fool " knows about this... He must know a lot... The Ancient Hermes should have the same meaning... In the Afternoon Town, where people have converted to the faith of the " Lord Who Created Everything," some residents are secretly worshipping the three Angel King beside the Lord... Thinking of this, Derrick suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, as if he had touched the edge of the truth about why the Creator abandoned this land.
He looked up again and saw that the bloodstains on the walls and the floor were still there, and Heim and Joshua were nowhere to be seen.
The repeated chanting had no effect; perhaps it had never worked in the first place... Derrick took a breath, picked up the " Hurricane Axe," and cautiously headed towards the basement entrance, hoping to find the root of the problem and confirm where the issue lay.
One step, two steps, three steps, he moved back to the upper hall like a giant candle.
The area was shrouded in deep shadows, gray and quiet, with rotten chairs and remaining stone tables sitting silently, unchanged from before.
Derrick still couldn't find Joshua and Heim, so he walked to the window with a high level of tension, hoping to run into other members of the exploration team.
Tap, tap... With light footsteps, he approached the large hole that should have been in the window frame, leaned forward, and looked outside.
Countless gray buildings are laid out compactly, some high and some low, ascending in a stepped fashion.
The lightning in the sky was infrequent, and flickering, dim yellow candlelight shone from many windows, lingering for a long time.
This... Derrick couldn't help but swallow, feeling as if the Afternoon Town had never undergone any major changes and the residents were still living peacefully.
Heim, carrying a lantern made of animal skin, passed through the basement entrance without bending over, and said to Joshua beside him with amusement:
"This house definitely belongs to humans, but that family must have ' Giant ' blood. They're probably about my height. Tsk, the last time we went to that ruined city, we had to bow our heads even to enter the gate!"
The " Giant " bloodline does not necessarily mean that one has Giant blood, but rather represents the physical characteristics that are produced and passed on to offspring through the consumption of Potion obtained through this method, with height being one of the main manifestations.
Joshua looked up at Heim and scoffed.
That's you, I don't need it.
"But you should be promoted soon, and then you won't be much shorter than me," Heim said with a smile, glancing at Derrick was approaching the altar out of the corner of his eye to prevent any accidents.
Joshua thought for a moment and said:
"Actually, I find it strange. The chief is Sequence 4 ' Demon Hunter,' so he should be three or four meters tall like a normal Giant. Why does he look so normal, only half a head taller than me?"
Heim subconsciously looked around and said:
"It's said that the leader has Giant form."
" Giant form? Will his clothes all tear apart after he transforms into Giant?" Joshua asked with a smile.
"Unless his clothes and trousers are magical items." Heim and Joshua exchanged a knowing smile.
They were about to share the joke with Derrick when they turned around and found that the boy was gone!
Derrick, who should have been in front of the altar, is nowhere to be seen!
Heim and Joshua's expressions immediately turned serious. One raised his broad, straight sword, while the other extended his left Red Gloves, gloved with crimson.
They cautiously approached the altar and carefully examined it, but found no suspicious traces.
Just as Joshua was about to try to decipher the remaining writing on the stone table, Heim patted him on the shoulder and said:
"Don't look. I thought back, Derrick was looking at the words on it before he disappeared."
"Let's go find the 'Chief'."
"Hmm." Joshua nodded.
He didn't panic and leave hastily. After looking around again, he rubbed his thumb and middle finger together and lit the remaining candle on the altar.
This will protect Derrick and keep him from falling into true darkness!
The City of Silver exploration team had a similar experience in the ruins of those city-states. One member seemed to have suddenly disappeared, but in reality, he was simply hidden by some force and remained in the same spot. However, his teammates nearby urgently sought help and hurriedly left the area with lanterns. As a result, the poor fellow was swallowed up by true darkness and could never be found again. If it weren't for another member later falling into the same predicament and being fortunately rescued on the spot, no one would ever know the exact "cause of death" of the former.
The candles were lit, their dim light casting a warm glow around them. Heim and Joshua then left and went into the alley, releasing the Spirituality signals that everyone carried.
They didn't have to wait long before Colin Iliad jumped from the roof of another house and landed safely.
"What happened?" the " Demon Hunter " asked in a deep voice.
The silver straight sword in his hand was coated with a layer of light gray ointment.
Heim immediately recounted what had just happened, concluding with:
We were unable to discover the reason for Derrick's disappearance.
" Derrick..." Colin nodded thoughtfully, then walked past the two men and entered the corresponding house first.
Outside, candlelight flickered, casting a warm, dim glow, but Derrick felt as if he had fallen into an ice cave, a chill creeping into his heart.
He tightened his grip on the " Hurricane Axe " in his right hand, withdrew his gaze from the town, turned and went into the basement, standing once again before the altar.
He was now almost certain that the problem lay with him!
However, he had no urge to explore this strange Afternoon Town, and didn't even dare to open the door.
Derrick wasn't too nervous or panicked, because he didn't think he was facing a serious problem.
As long as it's not a direct threat, it's not considered serious... Derrick took a silent breath, lowered his head slightly, and whispered reverently:
" The Fool That Doesn't Belong to This Era ";
" The Mysterious Ruler Above the Gray Fog "
" The King of Yellow and Black, who holds the key to good fortune..."
Klein, who was admiring the scenery of the Ruins of the Gods' Battle from the window, had no choice but to enter the washroom again, set up the interfering items, and walk four steps backward to reach the top of the Gray Fog.
He sat down in the high-backed chair at the head of the long bronze table, stretched out his right hand, and, with Spirituality, touched the deep red star that symbolized the little " The Sun ".
Suddenly, the sound of prayer became exceptionally clear, and the corresponding image appeared before Klein's eyes.
He first saw the still somewhat blurry little " The Sun," and then realized that something was wrong with his surroundings!
The " The Sun " was surrounded by an indescribable darkness, within which countless eyes of different shapes silently watched him.
These eyes, dense and indistinct, deep and reserved, were like uninvited onlookers, while the little " The Sun " remained completely unaware.
Afternoon Town? Klein knows very well what " The Sun " has been up to lately.
He thought for a moment and intuitively felt that the darkness was very eerie and not real enough, so he gave up the option of responding to the little " The Sun " with the " Sea God Scepter " and instead pulled the other party into the Gray Fog.
Klein unleashed his Spirituality, but felt as if the crimson star had sunk into a swamp, making his attempt to pull the person out extremely difficult.
Which Angel King has he offended this time? Klein's thoughts raced, causing ripples to spread through the Gray Fog below and this mysterious space.
After advancing to Sequence 5, without relying on the " Black Emperor " card or the corresponding ritual, he was able to slightly manipulate the power above the Gray Fog!
Without a sound, Klein easily pulled the person up, and " The Sun " Derrick appeared in his high-backed chair.
At the same time, Klein vaguely saw the strange darkness flowing around the little " The Sun " shatter.
The " Demon Hunter " entered the basement on high alert, followed closely by Heim and Joshua.
In the dim candlelight, they saw Derrick Berg's figure sketch out quickly, like a painting.
P. S.: There will be an update in the early morning, please vote with monthly tickets!