【 THE THREE MYTHICAL BEINGS 】

—

The ground shook as gray mist spread outward, flowing rapidly across the land.

The dark world grew even dimmer, layers of shadow settling in as visibility became increasingly limited. Even the radiant glow of the holy defensive barrier was unable to disperse the gray haze.

Amid a series of thunderous roars, the surroundings quaked, as though something terrifying were climbing along the mountainside.

Above, the dark clouds churned violently, lightning flashing as thunder rolled without pause.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning plunged from the sky, briefly illuminating the gray mist.

Within that fleeting light, an enormous black silhouette seemed to appear above the ruined city.

In the next instant, the final trace of light brought by the lightning was completely swallowed.

The Frost Elves slowly lifted their heads, and the excitement that had been etched on their faces as they drew closer to their destination suddenly stiffened and vanished.

Within their field of vision, a pair of stars began to glow with a deep crimson light.

—No.

Rather than stars, it looked more like a pair of enormous eyes, rivaling the size of stars themselves.

The slit-like pupils gleamed with cold indifference, as a malevolent aura, tinged with the ravages of time and madness, slowly arose and spread outward.

Under the gaze of those terrifying eyes, every Frost Elf fell utterly silent. Their faces drained of color, turning ashen, which even the grotesque tumors of their flesh could not hide.

Cypher, who was maintaining the holy barrier, felt it even more intensely.

An overwhelming, despair-inducing force pressed down on him from all directions, as if the air itself had thickened into a suffocating weight. The pressure was so intense that it felt like his blood froze in an instant, chilling his veins and numbing his senses.

The gray mist continued to swirl, as a massive, black, indistinct shadow slowly began to solidify.

When it finally came into view, a triangular head emerged, draped in black scales, with jagged barbs protruding along its massive back. Its monstrous mouth, armored with spiny ridges, flickered a dark red forked tongue that slashed through the haze like lightning, while each breath from its deep nostrils expelled faint wisps of gray mist.

Before them loomed a colossal serpent of unimaginable size, its sheer scale dwarfing the ruined city, which appeared as insignificant as scattered building blocks.

With each of its movements, the entire cliff trembled subtly.

Its immense, slender body could not be fully seen, appearing and disappearing within the gray mist.

It gazed down at them with cold indifference, its crimson eyes filled with amusement, as though it were observing an interesting toy.

A profound sense of dread surged through the hearts of every Frost Elf. Their weapons felt unbearably heavy, their breathing became strained, and their bodies shook uncontrollably.

This was the natural oppression exerted by the aura of a higher-ranking life form upon those of lesser rank, a presence so overwhelming that it rendered them as insignificant as ants.

“T-That is…”

Gando stared at the enormous creature in the sky, his eyes clouded with shock.

Estelle’s small face went deathly pale as she gripped Cypher’s clothing tightly, her frail body trembling without cease.

For a moment, the entire world seemed to fall into a profound silence.

As a player who had taken part in several large-scale war campaigns, Cypher’s mind was already racing.

An evil god!

That snake was definitely an evil god.

Damn it!

Why had an evil god chosen to block their path at the very end?

High in the sky, Lady Aurora, her body radiating sacred light, wore a grave expression.

“Apophis…”

Her usual gentle voice was no longer present, replaced by a tone carrying a severity deeper than ever before, filled with vigilance and a faint yet unmistakable, restrained fury.

At the sound of her voice, the black giant serpent slowly withdrew its gaze from the migration group below and turned it toward the female elven figure hovering in midair.

A flicker of interest passed through its star-like vertical pupils, as though it had stumbled upon something amusing.

Then, a deep and ancient voice slowly echoed through the sky, heavy with mockery.

“Oh, look who it is…?”

“It’s the pitiful little mouse who fled in disgrace. How utterly adorable…”

“I thought it was merely another fool daring to disturb my slumber.”

“But I never expected it to be you.”

“So, Aurora…”

“Two thousand years have passed. Have you finally succumbed to despair and decided to seek death?”

Cypher’s pupils contracted slightly.

Two… two thousand years?

At that moment, he felt that he already knew who this giant serpent called Apophis was.

Along the way, he had spoken often with Gando, and as the high priest of their Church, this elder was well versed in the history of the Azurefrost Clan within the Abyss.

Two thousand years ago, it was precisely a mythical-rank abyssal giant serpent that—accompanied by a supermassive black tide—destroyed their first city, leading to the annihilation of the Rocksand Clan and claimed the life of their guardian, demigod Uria.

So this snake… was likely the same mythical being from two thousand years ago.

And it appeared that it had never departed at all, instead making this city its lair.

The colossal serpent spoke with open mockery.

However, Aurora did not respond to it.

The elven demigod’s expression was grave as she glanced at Cypher on the ground and spoke softly.

“Cypher, take everyone and leave at once.”

At the same time, she lifted her hand in a gentle motion, and the Frost Elves immediately felt the overwhelming pressure upon them ease by nearly half.

However, despite the relief, Cypher’s heart sank.

He looked up at the beautiful elven demigod and saw her face, perfectly calm and exquisitely serene.

Yet the calmer she appeared, the more it pained him.

It was evident that Aurora had already made her decision.

She was prepared to risk her life once again.

Looking at the elven demigod in the sky, Cypher felt a deep reluctance, but there was nothing he could do.

Their strength was far too weak…

Remaining here would not aid Aurora in the slightest and would only slow her down.

It was far better to lead everyone out of the city as quickly as possible, ascend to the top of the cliff, and seek the aid of the Goddess.

If they could summon the Goddess’s power, then perhaps everything could finally be brought to an end.

With that thought, Cypher drew in a deep breath, slowly nodded to himself, and pushed the power of the holy barrier to its absolute limit.

“We’re leaving!”

He shouted to the group, his voice carrying urgency and resolve.

As he spoke, Cypher continued to control the barrier, guiding the frost elves forward as they ran toward the city gates.

Within the darkness, the golden “ribbon” struggled onward once more.

The giant serpent cast a surprised glance at the elves on the ground, a trace of mockery flashing through its eyes.

Then it spewed out a stream of black miasma that surged downward toward the ground.

The miasma spread continuously, carrying a profound aura of evil and corruption, which quickly blot out the sky.

Buildings on either side were immediately corroded into ashes in the blink of an eye.

Yet before it could engulf the migration group, Aurora’s figure appeared above them. She extended both hands, lifting them gently, and formed a brilliant, star-speckled divine shield that shimmered with protective power.

The miasma descended, but was blocked by the divine shield, unable to advance even a single step, and eventually dissipated.

“Apophis, your opponent is me.”

Standing before the abyssal giant serpent, Aurora spoke in a calm, steady voice.

The serpent looked at the graceful figure in the air, its eyes flashing with contempt.

“You?”

“Yes,”

Aurora replied softly.

“Just me.”

“To deal with an abyssal evil god like you, who cannot even form their own celestial domain… I alone am enough.”

At her words, a dazzling light erupted from Aurora’s body, and star-like flames began to slowly ignite around her.

Her aura surged rapidly, rising higher and higher, radiating pressure that drew perilously close to mythical-rank, though it had not yet fully reached it.

Gradually, a suit of silver battle armor materialized around her, covering her completely, while a slender silver elven sword appeared in her hand, glinting with divine light.

With unwavering determination, she leapt forward, charging straight at the ferocious giant serpent.

“Hmph… burning through your divine power, are you? It seems you truly wish to die…”

The abyssal serpent’s voice carried a note of surprise, followed by a light, mocking laugh, as it lunged to bite at the charging elven demigod.

Thus began the clash between two formidable beings: one a demigod, the other an abyssal evil god.

Terrifying power erupted above the city, unleashing apocalyptic waves of energy that rippled outward with unstoppable force.

High in the sky, dark clouds churned and twisted like a storm-tossed sea, forming a massive vortex that seemed to devour everything around it.

On the ground, as the waves of energy spread, violent winds tore through the streets, buildings crumbled under the pressure, and a scene of utter devastation unfolded, leaving the ruined city trembling beneath their power.

Under the raging tempest, Cypher struggled to maintain the holy barrier, holding it firm over the migration group as they pressed forward through the chaos.

The barrier shuddered violently, flickering with faint, wavering light, as if it might collapse under the immense pressure at any moment.

Silver light danced around the giant serpent’s massive body, each dazzling flash of Aurora’s sword striking relentlessly, hammering at its scales.

The serpent let out a pained grunt, then lashed out in fury, flinging the silver light away.

However, the figure wrapped in silver radiance did not give up. It quickly charged forward again, continuing to entangle itself with the black giant serpent.

Within the expanding gray mist, the forms of both combatants grew increasingly indistinct, their movements reduced to fleeting flashes of light, while immense, ocean-like waves of aura continued to erupt, shaking the very air around them.

In the darkness, the silver radiance seemed so small, hurled aside repeatedly, falling like a meteor to the ground and smashing out enormous craters one after another.

The city on the ground had long since been reduced to ruins.

Yet each time, that silvery light would stubbornly break free once more, rising straight upward to confront the dark shadow within the gray mist and continue the battle without pause.

Again, and again.

Meanwhile, the migration group pressed forward, moving slowly but steadily, step by step.

With the arrival of the giant serpent, the number of demons swarming around the city multiplied without end, yet this relentless surge did not halt their advance.

Despite being battered by the repeated shockwaves generated by the clash of those two mythical beings, Cypher, who’s sustaining the holy barrier, had already turned deathly pale. His body trembled violently, yet he forced himself to endure, keeping the barrier intact despite the immense strain.

As the battle grew ever more intense, casualties among the group began to mount.

The Frost Elves closest to Cypher fell with increasing frequency. Yet whenever one fell, another would immediately rush forward to fill the gap.

Every pair of eyes in the group was firmer than ever before, fixed unwaveringly on the cliff hidden within the dark clouds up ahead.

Only a single thought remained in their hearts:

Break through.

Break through to the top of that cliff!

Reach it—and call forth the power of the Goddess!

No one knew who began first, but an elven hymn started to be sung amongst the group.

Gradually, more and more Frost Elves joined in.

The old and solemn song echoed continuously across the vicinity.

“May the stars shine bright upon the night sky,

Their endless light guides our journey’s path,

The road is lonely, yet we walk as one.

Oʼ dear homeland, already within reach,

Though darkness befalls upon us,

Let us hold fast to the faith we keep.

Though darkness comes,

The belief in our hearts shall never fade.

May the call of that evil shadow,

Fall here and now.

May the long, arduous path we tread,

Set the heavens alight with countless stars.”

The city gates ahead drew closer and closer.

Yet with each step forward, the number of fallen Frost Elves also steadily increased.

The pervasive gray mist gnawed at their strength. Even with the holy barrier, it could not dispel the deepening exhaustion that weighed on everyone at this point.

At last, the vanguard of the group broke through the layers of encirclement, carving a path through the endless tide of demons.

When Cypher saw the road leading to the top of the cliff, his spirits soared.

Finally, their destination is within arm’s reach!

“Everyone, keep going! We’re almost there!”

He shouted loudly.

Behind him, the Frost Elves revealed expressions of excitement.

Even their singing gradually became lighter and more uplifting.

However, at that very moment, bloodthirsty roars erupted suddenly from both sides of the narrow path leading to the top.

Countless demons, far more formidable than those they had faced beforehand, surged forth from either side.

With predatory grins, they completely blocked the group’s path.

To make the matters worse, each one of them possessed strength no less than that of a upper silver-rank monster.

The singing stopped abruptly.

The exhilaration on the elves’ faces froze in place.

High above, the black giant serpent once again smashed the dimming silvery figure to the ground. Its massive head turning slowly, casting a mocking glance toward the group below.

“Aurora.”

“Do you know?”

“What I enjoy most is watching ants plunge from the height of their hope straight into despair.”

As it spoke, the serpent withdrew its gaze from the group, and looked coldly on Aurora lying on the ground.

“And you as well.”

“Perish here… and now.”

“Do not worry. Soon, I will send your people to accompany you.”

The beautiful elven demigod struggled to rise, her body battered and bruised from the relentless onslaught.

Her battle armor lay shattered, pale golden blood flowing unceasingly from countless wounds, and the layers of corruption that clung to her flesh had spread upward, reaching to her neck.

She clenched her teeth and looked toward the monstrous snake in the sky, her eyes filled with blazing fury.

“No… it is not over yet.”

Her voice was firm, carrying an unprecedented resolve.

Suddenly, she extended her right hand and pressed it against her chest, pressing onto the black flesh tumors that had been creeping relentlessly over her body.

Silver radiance erupted from her body once more, but this time it quickly transformed into profound darkness.

Abyssal corruption surged through her, spreading rapidly across her body as black scales began to sprout and encase her from head to toe.

At the same time, her aura shifted from illusory to tangible and continued to rise.

Seeing the sudden transformation, the black serpent’s gaze grew solemn.

“Demonization…”

Aurora rose into the sky once again.

But now, half of her body had already undergone demonic transformation.

Her eyes alternated between clarity and madness, while her aura surged once more, breaking past the demigod-rank and temporarily reaching true mythical status.

“Apophis…”

“I told you…”

“This is not over yet.”

As she spoke, Aurora swung her slender sword now wreathed in black miasma, its tip pointing directly at the giant serpent.

“Let us perish together.”

She spoke with a calm, unwavering voice.

However, right after she had spoken those words, both mythical beings suddenly froze at the same time.

Below the cliff, a new and oppressive aura surged upward, violently frenzied, more evil and darker than even the black giant serpent’s presence.

This… was yet another abyssal mythical being.

The giant serpent Apophis paused slightly, then broke into a ferocious grin.

“Aurora…”

“Your luck truly is not very good.”

“I said to you long ago that stirring such a commotion here in the Abyss would inevitably draw the attention of other evil gods.”

“Look… here they come.”

Sensing the rapidly approaching evil presence, a trace of gloom flashed through Aurora’s eyes.

She raised her head, gazing at the roiling dark clouds in the sky, and gently closed her eyes.

“Goddess…”

“I have disappointed you once again…”

Her voice trembled with a hint of despair and sorrow, even as the evil aura behind her drew closer and closer.

Seeing her defeated expression, Apophis’s laughter rang out louder and more cruel than ever, filling the air with a sick amusement.

—That is, until a sudden, sharp streak of dark, sinister arrow shot from behind them, striking Apophis directly. The serpent recoiled, eyes widening in astonishment at the unexpected attack.

Aurora froze slightly.

Slowly, she turned her head and saw a figure appear behind her, one both unfamiliar and strangely familiar.

Its appearance was difficult to describe in words.

Most of its body had already rotted away. It was draped in tattered robes, with a barbed, demonic tail growing from its rear.

Yet upon that grotesque, terrifying, decayed head, more than half of which was covered in scales, a pair of pointed ears could still faintly be discerned.

“Uria…?”

Aurora’s voice carried an unmistakable note of disbelief.

〘 〙

〘 NEXT 〙

— —

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep