NOVEL FROG Chapter 69: Curse these lands, O legion of Abyss
‘Haa..I guess running away isn’t against the rules,’ Zyrus made full use of his agility and scuttled around the remaining forest.
*Grrr*
“Catch me if you can bastards,”
*ROOOAR*
He very much regretted not thinking about this sooner. He wouldn’t be in this shitty situation If he took The proving grounds seriously.
‘I guess it’s the price I had to pay for my arrogance, But I’m glad this happened in a safe zone,’
No one can die on the trial grounds even if they wanted to. Players could attempt the trials again and again until they learn the essence of their class. Even a nobody can become an expert after being pummeled repeatedly.
Zyrus had figured out the resting time for his summons thanks to this turn of events. Be it in the sanctuary or on the earth, his summons would be teleported to his base for recovery. He didn’t know the resting time for amargs, but ophidian warriors needed 12h.
*GRRR*
“Yeah yeah, fuck you as well,” Zyrus replied to what seemed like an insult in lion’s language. It was the first time he was on the receiving end of a disdainful look.
Maybe because it was a test, but thankfully, the giant Oroszlan didn’t join the chase. Zyrus knew that with his stamina he could run for hours without being caught.
Though it hurt his pride, losers didn’t have the luxury to feel such emotions. He suppressed the anger and annoyance in his heart and tried to think of a solution.
The key to the whole resting mechanism was his base. What was considered a base?
For the first time, the ophidian warriors revived in the dungeon he was at. From the third time onwards, they were summoned to the mountain he had conquered. It was at this moment that he got access to the map and the classification of terrain.
Green areas were under his control and he could build various facilities there. It was logical that his summons would revive there as it was his base zone. Now that the glemorax army had taken over the mountain range, it should be considered a red or orange zone.
‘And the answer lies with the second summoning,’
Zyrus’s yellow eyes shined in realization. When the dungeons broke out and the earth’s climate changed once again, where did the Ophidian warriors go?
‘On a more fundamental level, where are they resting in those 12 hours?’
He was too busy to consider the order of things. He was always on the run or busy doing experiments. There were a lot of unanswered questions, but for the time being, he could narrow down the possible causes behind it.
Of all the things Zyrus had seen and experienced after regression, there was one variable that defied the laws of space and time.
*ROOAR*
Zyrus ignored the lion-headed summoner who was getting impatient and took out the cube. It had changed quite a bit after clearing the first ring.
He knew that there were nine seals on the cube. He had received the mission to retrieve the fang of Nidraxis when the first seal reacted.
And that same seal was broken when he cleared the first ring. But although it was broken, it didn’t completely disappear.
An inch-long metallic shard was floating beside the black cube. Zyrus looked at it as if it was a piece of shit stuck on his favorite shoes.
*BOOM*
“Can’t wait anymore huh,”
*ROOOAR*
Oroszlan stood up with a jump and ran towards Zyrus. Perhaps the giant was triggered by the cube’s energy or maybe the system was punishing him for using an external object. Regardless of which, Zyrus didn’t care.
The cube was his one and only key to finish the trial.
‘Summon my troops,’ Zyrus conveyed his will to the cube. After a long practice he was more or less accustomed to the cube’s behavior. Apart from the things it gave out on its own, Zyrus could ask for limited amount of stuff.
The more complex his demand, the less likelihood of success. Even when he did succeed, there would be a cooldown period of anywhere between an hour to a week.
‘I guess that’s a no,’ Zyrus thought as there was no energy fluctuation. Perhaps the request was too difficult with just one seal lifted.
‘Summon the ones in my warehouse,’
This time, the cube did respond with red pulses of energy. Zyrus heaved a sigh of relief as a ran without looking back.
He had guessed that his warehouse should be still intact due to its hidden location, not to mention it was a natural domain. He wasn't idle while he waited for the glemorax chief to arrive at the mountain. He experimented with the powers of abyss on the ophidian warriors and the amargs.
*ROOOAR*
Zyrus’s scales trembled under the giant’s roar. Oroszlan picked up his running speed, and lush trees were reduced to stumps under his elephant-like legs.
‘He’ll catch up in a minute, but that’s enough,’
Zyrus was able to feel a faint connection with his warehouse. It would take a dozen minutes if he left the entire process to the cube.
But he wasn’t a dimensional mage for nothing. He didn’t need a spell to summon creatures from his warehouse.
‘It’s been a while since I used an incantation,’ Zyrus stopped running and stood atop the tallest tree he could find.
Unlike spells that relied on mathematical calculations and laws of the world, incantations were based on sheer willpower. The former used mana to guide the world's laws in the casters' favor, while the latter used mana to change laws based on the casters will.
None was better than the other. Any arcanist who was worth his salt knew when to use which method.
“With the laws of Void, I Awaken thou from thy eternal slumber,”
The clear sky darkened as Zyrus channeled his black mana. The crown on his head absorbed the light and mana from the island, further empowering his magic.
“Curse these lands, O legion of Abyss,”
Zyrus recalled the memories in his bloodline and called out to the Sylvarix who were devoured by the abyss. It didn’t matter whether they existed or not. It didn’t matter how far they were from the sanctuary.
“March forth, In the name of thy king.”
He was the Void monarch and the last Sylvarix. And if he wanted them to answer his call, they will.
*RUMBLE*
*CRRRRAAACK*
Dark bolts of lightning struck down the forest behind him. A gigantic spatial crack appeared in the sky above Zyrus, looking like a drop of ink on a white paper.
Guided by the cube, The power of abyss corrupted and tore down the barriers between the warehouse and The Proving grounds.
[Your summons have transformed into fallen beings from Abyss!]
[Congratulations! You have earned the achievement: Call of the kin (A)]
[Maximum Limit +5% when summoning Abyssal creatures]
Zyrus activated his eyes of annihilation and glared at Oroszlan. Even the brave giant was forced to stop his charge under his crimson eyes.
*Shatter*
As if someone had thrown a stone at a mirror, the sky shattered into thousands of fragments.
*Grrrr*
Barbary lions growled in fear at the broken sky. They were summoned creatures themselves, and as such, they could perceive the beings that stood on the other side of that oval portal.
And so could Zyrus.
“Annihilate them.”
“As you command, My Liege.”
The ophidian warrior, or rather, The fallen knight answered his command.
“You have good taste,” Zyrus smiled at the Fallen knight who looked a lot like him. He was without a doubt a Sylvarix. Emerald scales, black armor, and a halberd on his back. Even their eyes shared the same yellow color.
*Clinck*Clinck*
Like a medieval army, the 200 ophidian warriors marched out from the portal. They were vastly different after fusing with the powers of abyss. Their smooth green scales were smeared with a taint of black patterns, not to mention their claws which had grown a foot longer with black aura.
[Your summons’ power has exceeded the limit of the trial]
[Recalibrating….]
[Trial’s difficulty will increase]
[Awakening the slumbering will of Oroszlan]
[Trial will resume in 00:01:00]
*AAARGH*
“Well, It would be difficult to Annihilate them now,”
“As expected of the proving grounds.” Zyrus agreed with the fallen knight’s realistic assessment as he observed his opponent.
Oroszlan roared in pain under the golden power that descended from the sky. Zyrus didn’t need his eye of annihilation to know that it was the power of the sanctuary.
‘Time, space and order. These are all the origins I’ve observed so far,’
He saw the former two during the blood fusion. As for the latter, he could only see it when the players got the blessing from the keeper of order. These powers were like the stars in the sky. He could see them with ease, but he was too far from reaching them.
‘Not that I need to reach them,’
Zyrus’s goal was to become a star himself.
“As I expected, the previous you were just a body without any sentience,” Zyrus responded to the telepathic voice in a calm tone. He wasn’t the least bit surprised about the real ‘Oroszlan.’
The difference between an opponent with and without will was as big as the gap between the heavens and earth. Zyrus knew without a doubt that the lion-headed giant could crush him with one hit. Thankfully, neither of them were allowed to use external powers in the trial.
“I’m curious, how did you end up in this place?”
“Fine by me.” Zyrus spread his arms and released his abyssal mana. The barbary lions were also strengthened along with Oroszlan. It was a 200 vs 500 battle where his mana and mastery over summoning arts were inferior to his enemy.
The motley group of barbary lions was now arranged into ten squads. They surrounded Zyrus from all sides and prowled towards the ophidian warriors.
“It is you who have underestimated the power of abyss,” Zyrus surrounded himself with the ophidian warriors. Not even a minute had passed since he started releasing his mana in the air.
‘My MP is far from enough, but this should do it,’
“Spread out and link with my mana in the air,” Zyrus commanded with cold eyes.
The fallen knight captain relayed his orders to the ophidian warriors. They had yet to finish their evolution into fallen knights, but they were able to connect with their master’s mana.
Zyrus didn’t reply to the curious Oroszlan. He focused on the seeds of abyss he had planted in his summons. What made the ‘Abyss’ attribute terrifying was its ability to corrupt all things.
He didn’t have enough mana to showcase its true might. But it was a different case when his summons were present.
A bucket of ink might not pollute a river, but what if there were hundreds of them?