Chapter 553: Anomaly at Cologne Cathedral
Chapter 553: Anomaly at Cologne Cathedral
Suddenly, Rayne, who was perched on the broad back of the Black Dragon, felt a slight jolt. After a moment, he muttered to himself:
"The Energy Tide has intensified again."
"No wonder the ancient sages of the Elven Race predicted that, whether it be the Eldritch Deity or the Vile Demon, they would reappear."
Just now, Rayne clearly sensed an increase in the concentration of mystical energy particles around him. This time, like the last, the increase was not gradual but a sudden, albeit small, spike.
Of course, the total amount was still minimal, just a fraction, but it was noticeable.
Logically, this situation had just occurred not long ago, and it shouldn't be happening so frequently.
This couldn't help but make Rayne think of the small tremors that often precede a major earthquake.
"Could this mean that the fluctuations in the Energy Tide will increase even more in the near future?"
The intensification of the Energy Tide's fluctuations has both advantages and disadvantages. In the short term, the disadvantages outweigh the benefits.
Not only will it make it easier for human prodigies to break through, leading to a surge in the emergence of geniuses, but it also means that the Eldritch Deity's revival will accelerate even further.
And the Vile Demon can't be far behind, can it?
"Looks like I need to speed things up. After resolving the Steel Dragon issue, I need to return to the Imperial Capital immediately. After meeting with Menya, I'll head to the Federation." Rayne's expression grew serious as he pondered.
The shock of the Energy Tide's intensification was not limited to Rayne. Wizards with a Crystalization level of about three could also clearly feel it.
Imperial Capital Temeril.
In the deepest part of the Imperial Capital's Cologne Cathedral, a large crystal coffin contained a black, grotesque object. Upon closer inspection, it resembled the upper half of a human body.
However, where the ribs should have been, there were instead a series of mantis-like scythe arms.
This unidentified fragment continuously trembled, and the wisps of black-gray vapor rising from it moved like living things, constantly exploring the crystal coffin, as if trying to find a way out.
But every time they touched the crystal coffin, they recoiled as if electrocuted.
The special effect that prevented the vapor from escaping was provided by a massive ward array surrounding the coffin.
At that moment, the ward array emitted a dense, water-blue glow. At each point of the hexagram, an elderly man dressed in a senior archbishop's blue robe stood.
The psi energy fluctuations of each of the six men had clearly reached the level of a Dawn Wizard.
As one of the few remaining orthodox divine sects, the power of the Goddess of Monsoon and Sea Church was evident.
In front of each of them, a brilliant water-blue light sphere had formed, and from each sphere, a beam of light as thick as a bowl linked to the massive ward array.
It looked as if they were recharging the ward array.
After a few minutes, the entire recharging process came to a halt, and the six archbishops let out a collective sigh of relief:
"Finally, it's under control. The sudden surge in the Energy Tide was too abrupt."
"Yes, although ancient texts predicted this would happen, we didn't expect it to occur so frequently!"
"..."
An archbishop with thick eyebrows turned to the young priest beside him and asked:
"Fuller, are you sure there was no leakage at all? Even a small strand of Vile Demon essence escaping could cause significant chaos."
"Yes... I think there wasn't", the young priest replied, his face pale and his eyes filled with panic.
However, the thick-eyebrowed archbishop assumed that his protégé, Fuller, was merely shaken by the recent events.
After all, if he were young again, he wouldn't be much calmer than this young man.
But this time, he was wrong.
The real reason for the young priest Fuller Ophien's panic was that he had reported the incident too late.
As today's duty observer, he had clearly seen a strand of black Vile Demon essence forcefully break through the ward array and escape.
But as the youngest and most promising first-level priest, who was soon to be appointed as a bishop in a local region, Fuller, after much deliberation, decided not to reveal the true situation.
After all, it was just a small amount, and it shouldn't cause any problems, he told himself.
"Starting today, increase the frequency of the ward array's energy infusion from once every seven days to once every three days", the thick-eyebrowed archbishop instructed the other archbishops.
"Do we really need such a high frequency?"
"Yes, to prevent any accidents. If this Vile Demon's remains escape, we'll be in big trouble!"
"What about the future? I'm afraid just a few of us won't be enough."
"Yes, I'll report to His Holiness the Pope later."
"..."
The ancient arcane array in front of them was said to have been personally set up by the Goddess. The minimum requirement for energy infusion was for six senior archbishops (Dawn level) to perform the infusion simultaneously.
Each infusion would consume the majority of the six people's psi energy.
This meant that the Imperial Capital's Cologne Cathedral needed to have six Dawn Wizards on standby at all times.
Additionally, there were security personnel, which was why, even during the eldritch deity's descent in the Imperial Capital, the Church could hardly spare any high-tier combatants.
If one observed closely from above, they would notice a faint, black-gray gas drifting from the towering top of Cologne Cathedral.
The front of this black-gray gas seemed to have a mind of its own, probing left and right. Finally, as if it had discovered something, it defied the wind's direction and rapidly drifted toward the Crown Prince's manor, not far from the left side of the Imperial Palace.
Inside the study of the Crown Prince's manor, Everton looked haggard, his eyes bloodshot. He hadn't had a good rest in days.
At this moment, he was staring blankly at a bottle of blood-red potion emitting a faint magical glow.
"Your Highness, I fear the experiments at Renvilier cannot continue."
"The Elves have all been rescued by Rayne. This is the last bottle of the improved Super Evolution Elixir that Renvilier made using the remaining stock. However, due to the lack of additional doses, the potion hasn't been tested."
Buchanan reported, bowing.
He had been busy non-stop recently.
His dispirited Crown Prince, Everton, hadn't checked the losses in the mythical realm or arranged any follow-up matters, so it was Buchanan who had been pushing these tasks forward.
The relationship between the Elven Race and the empire had grown increasingly favorable due to Rayne's rise to power. Many high-ranking nobles were wary, and as a result, slave-hunting teams ventured into the Ferdinand Forest much less frequently.
Additionally, the Elves had strengthened their border patrols, making it at least ten times harder to capture an Elf now.
The problem was that Renvilier's potion experiments required the blood essence of at least a dozen Elves to proceed.
"Rayne! Elves!"
Hearing Buchanan's words, Prince Everton seemed to snap back to reality.
However, during their conversation, neither of them noticed a faint, seemingly living black-gray gas that had silently crept in from the hearth.
Soon, the front of the black-gray gas, which resembled a tentacle, first looked at Buchanan, then at Prince Everton, and finally slithered like a snake to Everton's feet.
Suddenly, Everton felt a chill at his right ankle. The next moment, he felt dizzy!
From Buchanan's perspective, Everton suddenly stiffened, his eyes rolled back, and his body trembled.
"Your Highness! Your Highness!"
Buchanan was naturally terrified and quickly moved to check on him.
A few seconds later, Everton seemed to return to normal. He raised his hand and waved it, saying, "Phew~ I'm fine, I must be too tired."
"You can leave now, I'll rest for a while."
Buchanan looked at Everton again, assessing his condition.
Perhaps deciding that Everton did indeed need more rest, Buchanan hesitated for a moment before nodding and saying, "As you command, Your Highness, rest well."
Watching Buchanan leave, Everton's eyes stiffened again. He stared blankly at the 'Super Evolution Elixir' in front of him, muttering, "Drink the potion... Cologne Cathedral... underground..."
In the sky above Caswys Province.
After flying for about an hour, Rayne arrived at the red dot marked on the map.
"This must be the place, the old Angmar Mine."
The Black Dragon, Morthes, slowly descended, and Rayne surveyed the surroundings.
The mine was located in a lush, hilly area. Not far away stood a wooden guard tower about twenty meters tall. It was said that hundreds of years ago, this had been a bustling mine, but strange occurrences began soon after it was opened, leading to an investigation by the Empire's elite.
The investigation revealed that a rare and powerful Steel Dragon had been slumbering here.
Considering the Steel Dragon's violent nature, the mine was immediately shut down, and the area was isolated with a guard post established.
"Your Highness Rayne! Captain Char Hammond greets you!" At that moment, a squad of fully armed Imperial soldiers, led by a middle-aged man in a colonel's uniform, hurried over to report.
Before Rayne's arrival, Char had received word that the Imperial Guardian, Rayne, might visit in the near future.
"Hmm, is it in there?"
"Yes, my lord", the colonel named Char respectfully replied.
Both Char and the elite Imperial soldiers behind him frequently cast furtive glances at Morthes, the mountain-like form of the Black Dragon.
It seemed they were thinking, "So this is the Empire's Dragon Knight? Truly awe-inspiring."
"Captain Char, have you noticed anything unusual while stationed here? Or any unusual activity recorded?" Rayne asked casually as he walked toward the cave entrance.
"Ah, Your Highness, I've been here for eleven years. About ten years ago, there was a tremor here, which I suspect was caused by the dragon below", Char said.
"Ground tremor? How did you determine it was caused by the dragon and not an earthquake?"
"We heard a powerful roar, and immediately felt a chill run down our spines, our legs turning weak, as if we had encountered a natural enemy. It was just like encountering Your Highness's dragon companion", Char said, pointing to the Black Dragon, Morthes.
"Hmm, Captain Char, you are very observant", Rayne said with a smile, nodding.
"It's not much, really. The previous captain taught me this", Char scratched his head, seemingly embarrassed by Rayne's praise.
By this time, the group had reached the cave entrance. Seeing that Rayne intended to proceed, Char quickly warned:
"Your Highness, be careful. There are some peculiar creatures inside."
"It's fine", Rayne waved his hand, indicating there was no need to worry.
As soon as he reached the cave entrance, Rayne sensed not only the movements of some creatures but also a faint, powerful aura emanating from deep within.
At his level of strength, very few things could escape his perception if he focused.
That aura must be the Steel Dragon's!
With the confirmation that the Steel Dragon was indeed below, Rayne prepared to act. He had already devised a strategy on the way here.
"Stand back."
"Yes, my lord!" The soldiers, led by Char, immediately complied and moved back fifty to sixty meters.
"That's not far enough. Move further back, to the lookout tower", Rayne pointed to a wooden tower at least five hundred meters away.
"Yes, my lord", Char seemed a bit puzzled but nodded in agreement.
After all, moving five hundred meters away seemed excessive.
Once Char and his men had retreated, Rayne placed his palm on the entrance wall of the mine. A ripple of Dark Silver metal energy spread from his hand.
Numerous metal particles in the vicinity began to converge on his palm.
This was an ability possessed by all Metal Wizards, allowing them to absorb surrounding metal. The strength of this ability depended on two factors: the affinity for metal elements and the psi energy level.
However, Rayne excelled in both aspects, making him one of the top Metal Wizards.
Thus, his palm acted like a massive magnet, attracting the surrounding metal particles and quickly forming a millstone-sized metal mass, which continued to grow.
The sheer power of this feat left Char and his men speechless.
Rayne smiled, as he felt the movement below.
Indeed, as Menya had said, Steel Dragons were fond of metal and highly sensitive to metal energy fluctuations.
"Buzz!"
The ground began to tremble, and a dozen lizard-like creatures with gray-black shells emerged from the mine. However, they seemed terrified by Rayne's presence and fled to the sides without attacking.
Then, cracks began to appear in the ground, as if a massive creature was about to emerge from beneath.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
