章節 3: 03: Shivani
Out of all the fourteen worlds, Grim Hook World was the smallest, yet the most perilous one. Dubbed as the portal to hell and home for the most notorious, monstrous, and terrifying creatures and demons that ever lived.
Despite its vast size, there were only two species that ruled the land. The first was the fallen Seraphims. Once upon a time, they held the highest position on the Angel Hierarchy. After the betrayal, they all became mindless beasts. Over time, their appearances drastically changed. The females underwent some skin shedding. This resulted in the destruction of the mighty wings. Sharp and poisonous thorns grew all over their bodies, replacing their once flawless and smooth complexion.
Even their faces became hideous. Not even a trace of their beauty remains. Their mouths were torn open as their fangs grew longer like a predator.
The males, on the other hand, kept their wings, but with a heavy price. It became shorter and less powerful. Their flesh decayed, leaving them with nothing but bones. Rather than scaly skin, theirs was the colour of red. This was due to the blood that continued to run through their veins. Unlike the females, they grew multiple tongues that extended for as long as they liked. It was because of this that their titles changed. It became Heralds of Transfiguration.
The Raveners, also known as the Titans, were the second group. They were the products of the union of Seraphs and their ruler, Arduk. Each one of them was an army of its own. Their colossal size, immense strength, and abilities guaranteed their position throughout the world.
The rest consisted of lesser species; however, with their immense numbers and forces, they were considered one of the strongest legions within the fourteen worlds.
Now though, Grim Hook World had become a mere shell of its former glory. Not one creature survived the terrible judgement that had fallen upon their mighty and ferocious race. It had become nothing, but a necropolis for trillions of dead demons and creatures. They all piled up like a great mountain, stretching out into the dark horizon.
A few days after the mass annihilation, the shattered frame of reality began to piece itself back together. It started when a revolting stench of death and decay arose from the carcasses of these beasts. From every corner, countless trillions of severed limbs and body parts floated upon the dark ocean of blood. They littered their own home like shattered toys. Their souls shrieked as they were dragged back to hell. The place where they belonged.
A massive waterfall lies at the far end. The primary water source of Grim Hook World now resembled a famine-stricken swamp, gorged with innumerable corpses. Its powerful current continued to drag the dead to their depth, turning the water black and brown.
A few hours later, millions of Vuglines filled the air. These tiny beasts felt victorious as they fed upon the sea of fresh bodies, ignoring the fact that it once belonged to their masters.
When they finished, all that remained was sand and dust. Not even the bones were spared from their hunger.
Soon after their rampage, an enormous vortex suddenly appeared. A boundless light immediately emerged and illuminated the entire area. A loud explosion set off waves of debris of endless height, accompanied by booming sounds. At this time, a behemoth slowly descended. It is almost the size of a small island. Unaccustomed eyes might perceive the spaceship as merely made of iridescent materials, but that was not the case. In reality, a mixture of rare metals formed its structure. A remaining artifact from another world.
The moment the spaceship entered this world, it gave off a terrifying sound that impacted everything. Its shape shifted, taking in a geometric angle. It allowed the dried blood to become visible on every corner.
Suddenly, a buzzing sound resounded as a small sun slowly rose over the horizon. Once it reached high enough, it suddenly popped, revealing a royal throne with a middle-aged man sitting on it. He was in high spirits, as if he presided over everything.
Even though he didn't fully utilize his qi, his mere presence conveyed he was not to be taken lightly. The black cape he wore concealed his entire body, revealing only a pair of sandals.
Suddenly, gusts of wind and dust particles blew toward the man. It made his long, dark hair sway freely. Covering his eyes for a moment, he did not mean to touch a large scar that crossed his face, but he ignored it.
The man did not want to waste his precious time on such an insignificant thing. He had a whole world to see. Closing his eyes in concentration, his brows met at the center. He then spread his senses as far away as possible. When he got ahold of a clear image, a sudden chill ran down his spine.
The place was eerily silent. It unnerved him, as this world once buzzed with powerful and demonic creatures. Even he would not want to set foot upon this cursed world, but now it has turned into nothing but ashes and dust.
In all his years as a cultivator, he had never seen such carnage. Not even a single body was left, but he was sure the flesh-eating beasts were responsible. The waters were also unrecognisable under the thick layers of shit, gore, limps, and blood that covered them whole. There was not a single trace of the previous owners in sight.
Even so, the man was gratified with the outcome. As he flew forward with great speed, the entire area was immediately filled with his evil laughter.
oooOooo
It took him a few minutes to get to the center of this world. There, he saw the fabled Ziggurat. A massive structure that was built exclusively for Arduk, the first Prince of Inferno. The rare treasures that were engraved on every corner symbolised this planet. There were also stories about a golden shrine located at the top.
The moment the man lifted his head, he was immediately met with a jaw-dropping scenario. The Ziggurat's height was unbelievable! It almost reached the heavens.
Facing it, the man sported a smirk. Each step was slightly bigger than the one below. It was also glazed in thick, black blood.
"As I expected." He ignored everything and began to ascend. He didn't bother to fly because he was eager for this experience.
"Who would have thought that one day, I, Gervasius Suvorov, would set foot upon this demonic formation?" With every step, his adrenaline rushed to the highest level. He even heard the loud racing of his heart. He was like a champion ascending to his goals.
As he reached the top, Gervasius slowly looked around. The place was wide. Torches stuck on the dusty ground lit up the place. At the center was a long, golden couch. There, he saw what he was looking for.
In the middle sat a young girl. He barely recognised her due to the thick blood that covered her whole body. Even her long, golden hair turned brown. Her clothes were also tattered and had multiple holes on them. She had her eyes closed as she sat there, unmoving. Slowly, the man approached. Upon reaching her, he was instantly taken aback when a severed head suddenly crushed down his arms. To his surprise, he immediately threw the object.
"Ah! Disgusting! How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?"
Gervasius took his cape off in an attempt to clean his hands. He succeeded, but the smell remained.
Gritting his teeth, he made his way toward the head. As soon as he set eyes on it, he grinned. The thing was none other than the severed head of the powerful prince, Arduk. It was literally a skull; however, he would never forget those long, dark horns.
Grabbing it with his bare hands, he laughed as loud as he could.
"Finally! With this, my collection is completed!"
Without any words, he stretched out his arms. A second later, a complicated symbol slowly appeared. It glowed a faint brown before a mini-vortex materialized. It sucked the head whole before Gervasius closed his palm. He nodded to himself and then turned to look at the girl, who was still on the couch.
Despite the absence of even the slightest movement, he was certain that she was awake.
"Happy birthday, Shivani."
Gazing at her evoked a sudden memory of a distant past. If he remembered correctly, then this was exactly the day when he found her, a hundred years ago. During those times, he was only a pathetic mortal soldier. On his final battle, he was stabbed in the back by those he trusted the most. Before he died, a portal suddenly sucked him in. Later, he discovered that he had entered Heavenly Eclipse World. It was a realm where cultivators and all supernatural entities coexisted. As days passed, he learnt about the existence of a mystical treasure that could boost one's cultivation. During his journey towards his objective, he found a baby. She was wrapped in a golden blanket and had a name scripted on it. Shivani.
From then on, he groomed the child to be his loyal follower. However, eighteen years later, she suddenly stopped aging. Nonetheless, her supreme power, peerless talents, and intelligence remained unaffected. She was the reason his name was feared throughout Heavenly Eclipse World.
'You never failed to amuse me, my little Shivani.' Gervasius was brought back to reality when a huge tremor suddenly hit him in full magnitude. He scrambled to his feet as a sudden lost of balance occurred. Large cracks appeared from the ground, following his fall.
He levitated a few meters above and looked at her. He was not surprised when she remained seated. "It is time! Let's go."
It took another few seconds before she opened her eyes. They were the bluest thing he had ever seen.
Without any words, she finally moved. Gervasius sighed a breath of relief because of this. He just wanted to get out of there fast.
Without wasting any time, he quickly brought out a small controller and pressed the red button. Not a minute later, his spaceship appeared in front of them.
"After you, Princess."
Opening the door, he stretched his arms to welcome her. As soon as they entered, it automatically ascended.
Looking through the window, Gervasius saw a massive crack that almost split the world in half. Even the great Ziggurat was not spared by its might. This was followed by a terrible rumble from deep within the world's foundation. It was as though the sky struck the land with mighty impact.
Looking at the structure, Gervasius could not help but compare it to a colossal monochromatic canvas. A memento of a fallen race. A world of demons—creatures from Inferno.
He was so engrossed in his thoughts that he failed to notice a deranged Seraphim, the sole survivor, slowly surveying the battlefield. It combed the mangled land with two eyes. As it consumed the remnants of its vanished race's blood, three words abruptly etched themselves into its consciousness. Hunt. Multiply. Revenge!
oooOooo
Gervasius and Shivani were already a distance away when they heard a deafening boom. Their spaceship even shook violently from the force of the explosion.
Grabbing the wheels tightly, the elder man yelled as loudly as he could, "Hold on tight!"
Instead of doing what she was told, Shivani made her way towards the large window. From there, she saw a brilliant work of art. It created bright lights with some colors. Fiery sparks burst through the darkness, expanding throughout every corner of the endless abyss. It was a magnificent ink of radiance on a canvas of nothingness. Without Prince Arduk support, Grim Hook World finally perished from the fourteen worlds.
"What are you doing? I told you to sit!"
Gervasius could not help himself but hollered when he saw Shivani standing like a statue. Walking towards her, he grabbed her by the shoulder and tried to get her attention but failed. It was like he was trying to push a huge boulder with bare hands. His face immediately turned into a scowl. He didn't like it when she ignored him, yet he felt powerless in her presence. Sometimes he wondered what she really was. From his years of observation, she was not an ordinary being.
"Are you even listening to me?" He gritted his teeth and tried to calm himself. It would do him no good if he pushed her to the limit. When that happened, he would be as good as dead.
A moment passed by, but she still has not moved an inch. She had not even bothered to look at him.
"I give up! Do as you like."
Sighing in defeat, the man turned to leave. He wanted to direct his attention towards the front. It would only be a matter of minutes before this realm perish, and he didn't want to be caught in between.
There was a complete silence as they flew forward. It didn't take long for him to spot the massive portal. "This is it!"
Knowing what was about to happen, he immediately steeled his nerves.
Total darkness soon consumed them. As soon as the first sound of thunder reached his ears, he stumbled on the furthest corner of the room. With each step, his stomach tightened as nausea instantly clawed into his throat. He kept on swallowing in an attempt to force down the bile, but it was already too late. His body trembled as a warm liquid spilt from his mouth. His face was already white, but the dripping vomit continued. It even sizzled as it splashed all over the floor. He managed to cover his nose when a pungent smell invaded it.
It took him a few more minutes before going back to his seat. He hated this feeling; however, he could not do anything about it. He would rather die than have someone see his weakness. Slowly turning his gaze towards the window, he saw the child still in a standing position.
'Why was it that she was not affected even a bit? Just what the hell was she?' He should have become accustomed to her by now, yet he still couldn't help it. She had been with him for a century, yet he only heard her spoke a few times. Even so, their communication was limited to the bare minimum.
Gervasius let out what felt like a hundred sighs that day. He managed to organise thoughts before focussing on getting them out of that terrible space.
oooOooo
'I swear! That stupid vortex would be the death of me!'
When they arrived at Heavenly Eclipse World, ten cultivators welcomed them immediately.
"Welcome back, Sect Master, Princess Shivani!"
Gervasius dismissed them with a wave of his hands, careful enough to hide his uneasiness.
Looking at them, he knew he made the right decision. Standing in front were some of Shivani's creations. They acted like normal, living beings. Even their intelligence was something he would be proud of. Had it not been for the fact they were constructed from remnants of rare metals and treasures, he would never have suspected their true nature.
"Sect Master, we've got some serious problems." One cultivator reported as he stepped forward.
Gervasius raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. "Speak."
"Some time ago, we received a disturbance on one of our training grounds. Something penetrated the barrier. We tried to navigate its location, but it suddenly vanished without a trace."
As soon as the words escaped his lips, Gervasius clenched his fist. He felt his veins pulse in his forehead. He wanted to punch someone, but he controlled himself. "Which location?"
"The Eastern Hallow Vales, Sect Master."
"How dare they! No one infiltrates my territory and gets out alive!"
His jaws rooted. The final mento had been added, and he finally exploded in anger. With no control, his primaeval instinct took over. His aura immediately skyrocketed. The invincible force behind him was sufficient to destroy the ten cultivators. With a loud sound, they all snapped into hundreds of pieces.
Turning his attention towards Shivani, he finally gave his orders. "What are you waiting for? Go!"
每周推薦票狀態
-- 推薦票
榜單 
-- 推薦票