Chapter 565: The Artifact

Chapter 565: The Artifact

Without a moment’s hesitation, Rayne walked toward the ruined palace.

Suddenly, a black plant resembling a pitcher plant sprang to life, its sharp, black leaves snapping open and lunging at Rayne’s calf.

But in the next instant, a metal spike shot up from the ground, piercing its open maw and swiftly shredding it into pieces.

This minor disturbance did not affect Rayne’s steady pace; he continued walking unhurriedly.

However, Rayne’s gaze shifted slightly as he noticed the black plant dissolving into wisps of faint black smoke, which slowly drifted toward the palace.

“The Soulless Abomination has a certain attraction to Soulless Miasma,” Rayne mused silently.

“Just like other avatars formed by the power of the Soulless Abomination, they have a natural affinity for each other.” With these thoughts in mind, Rayne continued his journey inward.

Along the way, various plants corrupted by the Soulless Abomination attacked him, but at his current level, these things posed no threat and could not even slow him down.

When he reached the palace gate, the Soulless Miasma ahead had visibly formed a pale black Prismatic Veil, hovering above the palace.

Rayne was certain that if anyone below the Epic tier were to come here, the dense Soulless Miasma would quickly cause them to mutate.

Looking through the damaged gate, he saw a colorful Prismatic Veil inside, containing Sorsen Grlen, who lay sprawled on the ground.

Above the Prismatic Veil, a peculiar weapon, which Rayne believed to be the Chrono Key, was slowly rotating and releasing a luminous, wispy energy.

The last emperor, despite the black Soulless Miasma still enveloping his body, had his eyes closed, looking peaceful, a stark contrast to his previous fierce demeanor.

However, Rayne carefully scanned the surroundings but found no sign of Eimora Grlen, the goblin princess. He wondered if her spirit had dissipated or was hidden somewhere.

But it was likely that she had indeed dissipated.

After observing for a while, Rayne focused his attention on the Chrono Key above Sorsen Grlen’s head.

This time, the Chrono Key was not a mere illusion but a tangible object, with a vertical blade-like lower end and a hollow ring at the top.

At the bottom of the ring, only a few grains of fine, glittering sand remained.

Rayne could sense that these tiny crystal grains possessed some kind of mystical power.

It seemed that these crystal grains were what kept Sorsen Grlen, or rather the Soulless Abomination, restrained.

“The number of luminous grains seems to have decreased since Eimora first appeared,” Rayne recalled, pondering.

After a moment, he closed his eyes and used his vast psi energy to sense again.

“Indeed, there are thirty-two luminous grains left.”

“If one grain represents a day, it would be a little over a month.”

“But if the Chrono Key in front of me is already real, why did the goblin princess Eimora leave a message for me to find the true Chrono Key?”

Rayne furrowed his brow, pondered for a while, and then shook his head.

For a moment, he couldn’t figure it out.

After some time, Rayne seemed to have made a decision. His gaze grew more determined as he reached out and slowly extended his hand.

He had pondered for a long time, and a feeling deep within him told him that the key to everything lay in the Chrono Key before him.

Although this object was crucial in restraining the Soulless Abomination, it was also the key to unraveling the mystery.

Rayne decided to touch it lightly.

At his level, certain thoughts or intuitions could no longer be described as mere whims.

In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that at the Fullmoon Warlock level, many thoughts were akin to prophetic visions, guided by some unseen force.

As Rayne’s fingers gently touched the ‘Chrono Key,’ his eyes suddenly widened!

A surge of information flooded his mind, and images like slides appeared in his thoughts.

After a long while, Rayne opened his eyes, his gaze filled with awe. He murmured, “So that’s how it is.”

It turned out that this was not the legendary artifact, the ‘Chrono Key,’ but a secondary key with only a small fraction of the true Chrono Key’s power.

However, it still had the ability to revert a life form or object to a previous state.

“Can it manipulate the laws of time on a small scale?” Rayne marveled as he examined the secondary Chrono Key.

Anything involving the laws of time naturally deserved the title of an artifact, even if it was just a secondary key.

It was easy to imagine the immense power of the true Chrono Key!

However, even the secondary key came with a significant cost.

And it was a hefty one!

Besides requiring the wielder to have powerful psi energy, at least that of a Fullmoon Warlock, each grain of Chrono Grit used would cost the user a day of their life.

Additionally, the strength of the target also influenced the effect.

The more powerful the enemy, the more Chrono Grit would be required to achieve the same effect.

"Even with such a powerful artifact, it still can't defeat the Soulless Abomination?"

Rayne thought of another issue.

"True, the Soulless Abomination has existed in this world for who knows how many years. Even if we go back to a certain point in time, we can only imprison it, not destroy it."

"Even if there were beings powerful enough to match the Soulless Abomination's existence one-to-one, it would be impossible to reverse time by ten thousand years."

Soon, Rayne found the answer in some of the images left by the secondary key in his mind.

Additionally, he discovered something else.

"Originally, the Chrono Key was controlled by Sorsen. The deeply infected and fused body of the Soulless Abomination made it impossible for Princess Eimora, with her current strength, to reverse time."

"Only by restricting it as much as possible."

Seeing this, Rayne couldn't help but nod.

This resolved one of his doubts.

Why Princess Eimora, who possessed the secondary key of the Chrono Key, couldn't save her father, Sorsen.

After pondering for a while longer, Rayne placed his hand directly on the secondary key. In the next moment, the luminous sand inside transformed into wisps of bright mist, further solidifying the prismatic glow that enveloped Sorsen.

Then, Rayne removed the secondary key.

Since the power of the Chrono Grit was still reinforcing Sorsen, removing the key at this point wouldn't allow the Soulless Abomination to escape.

"Like this, I can follow the guidance of the secondary key and have a chance to find the true Chrono Key."

At this moment, Rayne suddenly thought of something and, in a flash, appeared in a side chamber.

The items inside, having endured tens of thousands of years and the destruction of the arcane array by the Soulless Abomination's power, had long turned to ash, whether books or parchment scrolls.

However, Rayne didn't stop. He walked straight to the depths of the side chamber, pausing only at a room's entrance.

From the rough decoration and environment, it was clear that this was once a study.

More precisely, it was once Princess Eimora's study.

Now, the tables and chairs made of precious wood had rotted away, but some gold and silver ornaments, covered in thick dust, had survived.

"This must be the place."

Rayne entered, approaching the collapsed desk and bookshelf, but found nothing.

"The last layer, even the Memory Crystal couldn't preserve it?" Rayne sighed, looking at the two white powder stains.

If the Memory Crystal hadn't been damaged, it could have unraveled many mysteries from the ancient goblin era.

Suddenly, he felt a tremor in the ground, and a low, mechanical sound came from above. The entire Skyborne Citadel seemed to undergo some change.

"Huh? It's working?"

Rayne's eyebrows raised, surprised.

He had thought that even if Haleum worked as fast as possible, it would take at least a few weeks to repair and restart the Skyborne Citadel.

But it seemed...

Rayne's figure flashed, and he disappeared from the spot.

When he reappeared, he was already in the main control chamber of Sublevel-4.

Since becoming a Fullmoon Warlock, his use of Shadow Weaving had become more fluid, and the psi consumption, which used to be significant, was now much less of a burden.

Seeing Rayne appear out of thin air, Haleum was not surprised.

The massive disturbance caused by the Skyborne Citadel's restart would naturally draw Rayne's attention.

"Lord Iron Throne, the anti-gravity device itself is undamaged. I just activated it, but the main power core of the primary propulsion system is missing", Haleum wiped the sweat from his forehead and said quickly.

"Hmm?"

"The primary propulsion system of the Skyborne Citadel originally relied on the Demon's Heart to drive it, using the powerful radioactive energy of the Demon's Heart to power such a massive structure."

"After tens of thousands of years, the energy of the Demon's Heart has dissipated and turned to dust", Haleum frowned, saying.

"Is there no replacement?"

Ogg couldn't help but ask.

"No, the Demon's Heart is said to have been obtained from a high demon that invaded this world tens of thousands of years ago. It no longer exists today", Haleum shook his head.

Radioactive energy?

Rayne couldn't help but ponder, seemingly thinking of something.

"So, the Skyborne Citadel can float but can't move?"

"Using auxiliary power, it can move slowly, but not quickly, and some of the more powerful functions..." Haleum explained.

At this moment, Sword Saint Tirio suddenly rushed into Sublevel-4, his face grave.

"Lord Iron Throne, emergency! The Dragoon Empire's Imperial Capital Temrill is undergoing a major upheaval. The ancient Soulless Abomination sealed by the Goddess Church has broken free. Most of the Imperial Capital has already fallen."

"Hmm?" Rayne's pupils dilated, and a powerful psi energy ripple spread out.

"When did this happen?"

"The Federation received the news half an hour ago." Sword Saint Tirio immediately replied.

Rayne paused for a moment, then vanished from the spot.

Meanwhile.

Imperial Capital Temrill.

The entire city was shrouded in smoke and ash, with the sky darkened by a thick layer of black soot. This included both the soulless miasma and the smoke from burning buildings.

Cries, the clash of swords, and roars of fury filled the air!

The battle around Kolon Cathedral was the core and the most critical, but the soulless miasma had already spread across most of the Imperial Capital. Even the intricate ward arrays at the Imperial Palace could not stop the miasma's infiltration, and much of the palace had fallen.

An adult Crimson Dragon, previously in slumber, was now engulfed in the miasma, with black tendrils seeping through the gaps in its scales, its nostrils, and even its mouth.

"Roar!! Help me, Straz!" The Crimson Dragon showed signs of immense pain.

Suddenly, its large dragon eyes turned black, and it turned to attack the Imperial Wardens.

Once fully infected, the dragon's combat prowess increased by at least one level. Even two Imperial Wardens working together struggled to defeat an opponent who feared neither injury nor death.

But the problem was that the semi-dimensional realm beneath the Imperial Palace had already been breached. The Vile Demons had infiltrated the sleeping Five-Colored Dragons, infecting them one by one in their dreams.

One after another, the dragons roared and struggled, being infected by the miasma and becoming the Vile Demons' allies, attacking the Dragon Knights in the sky.

The situation was rapidly deteriorating!

"Quick, retreat! Princess Menia, we can't hold out much longer."

"The Vile Demons' power has grown stronger with each living being they infect. We can no longer resist them."

Looking down at the fleeing and screaming citizens of the empire, and seeing the dragons being infected one by one, Red Queen Menia's heart felt like it was bleeding.

Far away in the sky, beyond the fifth ring of the Imperial Capital.

Claire rode a Bloodfeather Hippogryph, holding Rayne's mother Ema and father Old Rien in each hand. Below, a large Greyhound Warhound carried a little girl, weaving through the panicked crowd.

In the air, Claire's gaze was fixed on Mint below, but her mind was filled with worry for Lagrelle.

She and Lagrelle had split up earlier, with Claire responsible for Rayne's family and Lagrelle tasked with rescuing Jennifer.

However, it seemed something had gone wrong with Lagrelle's mission, causing her great concern.

On a street in the second ring of the Imperial Capital.

A barbarian girl in tight leather armor, carrying a large shield, was binding a plump woman radiating green light to her back and fighting her way forward.

Due to Rayne's rise in status, the beautiful woman Jennifer had become well-known in the business circles of the Imperial Capital. When the incident occurred, she was invited to a noble's mansion to discuss a partnership.

When Lagrelle found Jennifer, the Vile Demons' power had already erupted, and the area was filled with infected civilians, soldiers, and even several High Knights.

"Clang!"

Blocking a knight's slash surrounded by black miasma, Lagrelle used her shield to strike him, sending him flying, and continued to push forward.

"Put me down, Lagrelle. Carrying me will likely get us both killed."

"Put me down, and you might have a chance to escape!" the beautiful woman Jennifer weakly said.

As an ordinary human, her resistance to the miasma was virtually nonexistent.

If not for the protective Arcane Relic Amulet 'Nature's Balm' given to her by Rayne, the trace amounts of miasma in the air would have been enough to infect her by now.

Even so, she felt she couldn't hold on much longer.

Jennifer could sense dark and evil forces seeping through the green protective light, invading her body.

"Don't give up, Jennifer. I believe we can escape", the barbarian girl Lagrelle said, dodging an attack and quickly responding.

Most of her attention was focused on the Vile Demon's tentacle-like constructs that suddenly appeared on the ground, resembling octopus tentacles.

If not for these unpredictable tentacles, she would have already escaped with Jennifer.

These Vile Demon tentacles could easily penetrate buildings and infect knights, making her extremely cautious.

Suddenly, four or five black Vile Demon tentacles, as thick as buckets, appeared, blocking the street ahead!

"Oh no!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end