Chương 992: 1022 - Abyss II

The question of how to open the great stone doors loomed large in Leon's mind. They were truly immense, heavy, and looked sturdy enough that blasting through would be a time-consuming process. However, as he and Xaphan crossed the antechamber, his boots sticking slightly to the bloody floors, avoiding the bones as best they could, the door groaned and creaked and began to swing inward. Leon halted in place as dust fell from the stone frame around the immense doors, stained black by the omnipresent darkness.

The doors moved ponderously slowly, giving him enough time to make his final preparations for whatever might lie beyond the threshold. Beside him, Xaphan did the same, summoning a horde of small fire bats to circle him, ready to fly out at a moment's notice. Taking inspiration, Leon concentrated for a moment and summoned an eagle of silver-blue lightning to fly around him.

He was almost ashamed of himself that he'd neglected the skill, especially as the darkness around him, chokingly thick, abated slightly by this expression of power. Though she remained silent, the Thunderbird watched over him; he could feel her pride in his summoning of an autonomous bird using the power he'd inherited from her.

The doors continued to slowly swing open, and just as Leon finished his last inspections on the ancient runes keeping the darkness at bay, they finally opened enough for him to get a good look beyond. And his heart sank in primal fear; his instincts screamed at him to turn around and return to the surface, to get back to Mari and Tir and devote the couple remaining hours they had to getting off the damn plane. What lay beyond the doors was an abyss so deep and dark that all light from outside was swallowed within.

An intense aura like almost nothing Leon had ever sensed before washed over him, giving him a dreadful sense of vertigo; it was all he could do to remain upright, and for a moment, it felt like recovery was going to be impossible. However, as his fingers tightened around Iron Pride, the Iron Needle within zapped him with a tiny bolt of lightning, and he was able to steady himself.

Xaphan, however, was in a much worse state, as the fires that covered his body dimmed and sputtered to the point of leaving bits of his black obsidian skin visible. The demon swayed in place, his almost white-hot eyes narrowed in pain. When Leon's bolt coursed through him, however, he righted himself, his fire burning with furious intensity. The two partners shared a look, no words needed.

Deep breaths were taken, fear was swallowed, and they started walking for the doors, the gap between them widening with every passing second. Nara and Serena's screaming, so pervasive in these abyssal passages, suddenly cut out as Leon and Xaphan reached the void-like threshold. Hardly any noise escaped from it so close to passing beyond, leaving Leon feeling like he'd reached the boundary between the lands of the living and the dead. What lay beyond, he couldn't say.

But if he failed, then the universe could become like this. The Primal Devil could rampage and conquer as it pleased, leaving all it beheld consumed by this terrible darkness. He thought of his family, his friends, and his Kingdom. He let these warm thoughts fill him with strength just as his magic filled his body, and he took one more step, passing the threshold into the darkness.

Immediately, he felt like he'd submerged himself in the deepest, coldest sea in existence; it felt like all the heat in his body was stolen, and with the lightning coursing through him, he typically ran hot. The darkness pushed against his defenses with new power, and his ancient runes held on by the barest thread. The barrier they projected bent and shrank, until the darkness brushed against his body, only just prevented from sinking below his skin.

It felt like countless insects were crawling all over him, seeking any entrance they could find into his body. Instinctively, Leon shut his eyes tightly, pressed his lips together so hard that he tasted blood, and clenched all other orifices that were capable of clenching. It took a few moments for silver-blue lightning to alleviate his discomfort, but it didn't leave him entirely. He was, however, able to open his eyes and once more behold the abyss.

Before him was a vast world of darkness, a sea of thick black fog that seemingly obscured everything. Xaphan's fire might've shed some light, but the demon was clearly as affected by this darkness as Leon was, all of his fire bats having been consumed, and most of the fire of his body having died out, leaving only his eyes and heart burning. Leon's summoned eagle, however, remained in play, landing on his shoulder and letting its mere presence further gird him against this strength-sapping darkness.

Feeling this, Leon concentrated hard and summoned another silver-blue eagle, letting it rest upon Xaphan's shoulder. The demon remained silent, but Leon could feel his gratitude through their contracted connection. More importantly, fires once more ignited all along the demon's body, though not nearly as potently as normal. Leon summoned his courage and took another step. Instantly, something changed, causing him to assume an aggressive stance as silver-blue lightning crackled all over his body.

Though it wasn't much, the darkness receded from him in response. At the same time, the darkness in his and Xaphan's path thinned, revealing a corridor of stone vanishing into the distant darkness.

"Come to us," Khaji'Yun's voice echoed through the darkness.

"You are welcome here…" Leon remained stoic behind his helmet, but internally, he swore up a storm the likes of which would've impressed even his most powerful Ancestors. And he started walking forward. With every step, he breathed, he let his lightning flood through him, and he calmed somewhat. His hand tightened on Iron Pride, and he conjured two more silver-blue eagles, though he could feel that this was his limit.

These two eagles circled him and Xaphan, keeping them as safe as they could be against this overwhelming darkness at the cost of no small amount of Leon's magic power. The stone corridor stretched on for seemingly infinity, but in a surprisingly short amount of time, Leon and Xaphan found themselves at a short flight of stairs, at the bottom of which, apparently submerged in the darkness, was a huge, circular, stone altar.

The altar was covered in reliefs and carvings that Leon had no context to understand, but the Thunderbird whispered into his mind, [The war that ended the Primal Age…] Indeed, with that context, Leon could see human figures casting down the quadrupedal Primal Gods and the cloud-like Primal Devils. The latter were more prominent, which Leon understood given Qo Weylekh's duty. However, as he took in everything else, the reliefs seemed inconsequential in comparison.

At the top of the altar was a familiar-looking kind of purple crystal, though this one was much, much smaller than what Leon had encountered thus far with his team. Those had been large enough to contain a hundred people, whereas this one was only large enough to contain only a single person. That person contained was a man dressed in complex robes that appeared possibly gilded, though the crystal itself interfered with his ability to discern details.

The man had a fairly classically handsome face, though his looks were ruined by the scream of pain and determination frozen on his face. He was reaching for something with one hand, and given their location, Leon could imagine only one thing that he might've been reaching for. The Universe Fragment that Ambrose had asked him to find. However, though such was Leon's assumption, there was no sign of the Universe Fragment itself. This story is posted elsewhere by the author.

Help them out by reading the authentic version. Standing in front of the purple crystal was Khaji'Yun himself. His back was turned to the crystal, a smile was on his face, and his hands were folded in front of him. The altar was upon what was essentially a shallow ziggurat, with a long series of stairways leading up to it from the bottom of the pit. Upon these stairs were countless unmoving figures, held up like puppets on strings, their feet barely brushing against the stairs beneath.

Of these figures, a few that 'stood' close to the altar immediately stood out to Leon. Ard'Nara. Serena. Even Mbana was there, along with the other seven mages sent by the Grave Wardens. Of their number, only Iluva was missing, as his body was still in Leon's soul realm. Most of the figures were statue-still, but a few, including both Nara and Serena, shifted slightly in a manner that indicated shallow breathing.

'They're still alive,' Leon realized.

"You have come," Khaji'Yun called out, unabashed glee dripping from every syllable.

"The return of the true gods is nigh! They shall come again and fill the universe with their love and glory! All shall be redeemed in their power!" The cultist restrained himself slightly, his smile faltering minutely.

"I am sorry that Tir'Anu is not here to see this. I would have liked his presence here." Leon shared another look with Xaphan, an understanding passing silently between them. Leon began descending the stairs in front of him while Xaphan stayed at the top, ready to leap in if anything went wrong. As Leon continued his descent, Khaji'Yun continued his ramblings.

"This hardly even feels real, Leon Raime. I have prepared for this moment for so long that I almost can't believe it's upon us! When I first conducted the ritual in Naxor Amis, I did so fully believing that the peoples of Arkhnavi would come together to cast me down. But instead, it only exposed the weakness of their social order! They dithered and did nothing as I spread the word of the true gods around the Mandian Lands!

"I realized the weakness of my faith and did all I could to correct it! To place myself in the arms of the true gods completely! But I'll admit a second moment of weakness: when Qo Weylekh himself moved against us! But by the power of the true gods, he was thwarted! The power he'd stolen from the true gods has been returned to them, and for his sins, the man himself languishes here at the heart of Arkhnavi! Where once he imprisoned the true gods, now shall he be the key that releases them!"

Leon did his best to pay attention to Khaji'Yun since he seemed to be revealing quite a bit, but when he reached the bottom of the stairs, he reached the unmoving figures. He spared Khaji'Yun some of his attention, but he reserved quite a bit for the environment as he crossed the short flat area around the ziggurat, then began to ascend the wide stairs toward the altar.

"When your predecessors arrived, Leon Raime, I had learned from my mistakes. My faith remained unshaken, and lo! The true gods have delivered them to salvation, despite the sinful, power-hungry reasons for their invasion! They sought to take for themselves that which belonged to the gods! That which Qo Weylekh had wrongfully held for so long! But there is reason to celebrate, Leon Raime, for in their hubris, they have been saved!" Leon passed the figures silently, his unease growing with every step.

He could feel the intensity of the power at play here, even though all seemed still. He could feel more and more power flowing through the ziggurat as he ascended it, growing closer to the crystal that held Qo Weylekh, closer to the center of the enchantment that was threatening to unleash the Primal Devils. An incalculable amount of power was flowing through here, fed by great rivers of magic power flowing from all of the other purple crystals acting as channelers scattered about the plane.

A tremendous amount of the magic of Arkhnavi was being concentrated here, only to vanish into Qo Weylekh's crystal—undoubtedly to the Primal Devil at the heart of this plot.

"You, too, shall be saved, Leon Raime!" Khaji'Yun continued.

"And you, Xaphan! When you submit to the true gods, even your position as Lord of Flame can be returned! All shall be as it should be in the universe! All shall bask in the glory of the true gods!" The mad cultist opened his arms and Leon prepared for some kind of attack, but instead, Khaji'Yun slowly rose into the air, his mania growing with every inch he ascended.

"It's at hand!" he called out, his voice colored by exuberance and triumph.

"The gods, they're here! They're—" His voice cut out as he froze in the air, the smile of manic ecstasy frozen on his face. Leon felt a spike in power coming from the altar, and he acted. In that moment, as he felt the power in Qo Weylekh's crystal surge, he threw caution to the wind. After all, what was his life compared to the apocalypse promised by the Primal Devils? What were his personal troubles next to the universe itself?

In a flash of lightning, he arrived at the top of the ziggurat just as the Thunderbird screeched, [It's beginning! This is your only chance to stop it!] Leon darted beneath the frozen form of Khaji'Yun and brought Iron Pride to bear, raining blows down upon Qo Weylekh's crystal. His three silver-blue eagles did likewise, raking it with their bright claws, while Xaphan made Leon look overly cautious by simply launching himself across the gap between the stairs and the altar.

Demonfire was added to the Thunderbird's lightning as they exerted all of the power of a ninth-tier flame demon and a tenth-tier lightning mage against the crystal. And the crystal took every blow, every blast, every explosion like it was nothing more than a gentle summer breeze. Iron Pride, its blade made of Adamant, a Universe Fragment embedded in its tang, didn't even scratch the crystal.

The silver-blue eagles, their power born from Leon and the power he'd inherited from the Thunderbird, didn't so much as singe the crystal's surface. Xaphan's demonfire, burning with spectacular heat, didn't leave a single burn mark on the crystal. Blow after blow Leon rained down upon the crystal, but all to no avail. The power within only grew, until it eventually exploded out of the crystal. Leon and Xaphan were thrown back.

Leon's eagles were swallowed by darkness and vanished, leaving only the one on Xaphan's shoulder. Xaphan himself was thrown right off the ziggurat into the gap down below, while Leon just barely remained standing at the ziggurat's edge. [Leon!] the Thunderbird shouted as he righted himself and began forcing his way forward, though each step was a struggle as more and more darkness poured from the crystal. [Run!] Leon hardly heard his Ancestor as the black abyss was filled with the sounds of screaming; all of the figures around the ziggurat belted out the most primal, skin-crawling screams that Leon had ever heard. He did his best to ignore it as he attempted to reach the crystal again, but the Thunderbird screamed in his head, [Run, Leon! Run! You can't stop this! You're not strong enough!] Leon began to himself scream, though his was more frustration and fear than pain.

His power, the power he'd inherited from the Thunderbird, and which was the bane of darkness, could do nothing against this eldritch power exploding out of the crystal. It was only a few dozen feet away, but he could barely take a step without being thrown back, while his lightning was swallowed by the darkness it was supposed to counter. He trusted his Ancestor with his life, but he felt like he still had one option left, and he used it without hesitation.

The lightning that surged through his body vanished, replaced only the briefest of moments later by black fire. The cold that suffused this deep abyss was banished in an instant, and when Leon swung his sword, a wave of black fire erupted from the blade of Iron Pride… … and was turned back by the crystal barely halfway between it and Leon. Another strike led to the same result, as did a third. Leon roared as he was again pushed back to the edge of the ziggurat. He couldn't stop this.

He was only a tenth-tier mage—powerful, but next to something like a Primal Devil, not much higher than a mortal. He hadn't even yet achieved Apotheosis, and without origin power, there was nothing more he could do. Leon turned away from the crystal, his heart spiking as desperation took hold. If he couldn't stop this, then there was only one option left open to him, longshot though it was. He needed the Grave Wardens. He launched himself down the stairs of the ziggurat, only one thing causing him to hesitate.

Nara and Serena were still alive. Fortunately, they were 'standing' right next to each other, and Leon, lightning once again surging through his body and lending him its speed, was able to grab them both and hurl himself off the edge of the ziggurat. He felt extremely awkward carrying the two, but he pulled Iron Pride back into his soul realm to free up his right hand.

Tenth-tier magic might not be able to scratch Qo Weylekh's crystal, but it was more than enough to carry two people, even if Nara still wore his heavy armor. He met Xaphan at the top of the stairs opposite the ziggurat, the demon having retreated up them once he realized Leon was also retreating.

While it might've been easier for Leon to pull Xaphan back into his soul realm, that would've required stopping for a moment, and the waves of darkness pouring from the crystal were growing fiercer and fiercer, pushing further and further out from the ziggurat. They needed to move. So, together, they fled down the stone path that cut through the abyss. It was slowly growing narrower in time with every wave of darkness, and ahead, Leon could just barely make out the stone doors. They were closing.

Leon screamed once more in determination as he forced his body to move at the limits of his speed, Xaphan only just barely managing to keep up, and they only just barely made it before the doors slammed shut behind them. But though the doors had shut, the darkness in the tunnels was growing deeper—the power unleashed by Qo Weylekh's crystal was not contained only to its chamber. The Primal Devil's prison door was swinging open, and its power was not going to be stopped by stone.

Neither Leon nor Xaphan halted for even a moment; they fled back through the passages as quickly as they were able. They had to get back to the arks. That was their only chance. The Primal Devil was coming, and both knew they would not survive its arrival.