Chapter 126: The Opening of the Final Battle
"The black mist here has a corrosive effect," Serie said after a moment of examination. "If you stay in it for too long, you'll become lost in it, and eventually... you'll become one with it."
"No wonder so many have entered this place, but none have ever returned. They must have all been consumed by it." The only thing Rhodes didn't understand was... whose divine power was this? The Godfall Land... it meant a god had fallen here. But whose power had such an effect?
"Is it possible," Norne suggested, "that the god who fell here was the Goddess of Procreation?"
Rhodes stopped and considered this. It was possible. Her divine power had a corrosive effect. Even after she had been killed by the Goddess of Life, that power had lingered, had tainted her, and had, over a long, long time, managed to consume her mind and reincarnate in her body. He was getting closer to the truth. And the way to prove it was simple: find the imprisoned goddess. Then, all would be revealed.
The darkness was a timeless void, a chilling mist that seeped into everything, that battered against Athos's barrier. The only things that reminded them that they were still moving forward were the light of the holy sword and the sound of their own heavy breathing.
After a long time, the swirling black mist began to thin, and a strange light appeared before them. It was a vast and eerie space. There was no visible source of light, and the ceiling was still a thick black mist. But the space was bright, as if the very air itself was luminous. This was the heart of the Godfall Land, a void that had been torn open by some immense power.
They stepped forward, and the solid ground gave way to a shimmering, ethereal surface. Rhodes could see at once that the Goddess of Procreation had been at work here, transforming this space into a place that could, for a brief moment, contain her true form.
And that was exactly what he had wanted to see. Even if she hadn't been planning it, he would have helped her along. In a way, fate had brought them to a shared purpose. She wanted to descend in her true form and crush these annoying little insects with her divine power. And he wanted to pull her down from the world beyond, to weaken her, and to make her face death once more.
The space was not empty. There were fragments of ancient buildings scattered about, fragments that looked a lot like the temple of the Goddess of Procreation they had seen before. They were like the bones of a giant, a desolate and divine graveyard.
At the center of the space, a massive cage, woven from the last vestiges of the Goddess of Life's own power, was suspended in the air. The cage imprisoned the projected form of the Goddess of Procreation, and with it, the will of her true body, trapping her here, unable to return to the world beyond. She had never imagined that the Goddess of Life would have had such a final, desperate trick up her sleeve. The bars of the cage were made of the purest form of divine energy; even she could not break them instantly, but could only slowly wear them down.
And inside the cage, a familiar figure was imprisoned.
It was the Goddess of Procreation, inhabiting the body of the Goddess of Life, a vision of holy and maternal beauty. But it was not her true form. And so, her form would occasionally twist and warp into a cold, stern figure, radiating an intense pressure. That was her true form. But now it was wreathed in the dark aura of the demons. Her pact with them had come at a price.
The moment Rhodes, Org in hand, stepped into the space, the imprisoned figure's head snapped up.
And two different voices, two different wills, echoed in the depths of their souls.
"You have come, chosen one."
"So, you are finally here, god-slayer."
The first voice was a plea, a soft and gentle sound, as if she had been expecting him.
"The Goddess of Life?" Rhodes murmured.
And the second was a venomous curse.
It was clear that they had both been waiting for him.
But in the end, the first voice was consumed by the second, and a cold, sharp will fixed itself on Rhodes.
"God-slayer."
The words were a heavy weight, a weight that shattered the silence.
They all gripped their weapons, and prepared for the coming storm.
The light of Org flared, and with it, he managed to repel the wave of malice that washed over them.
The Goddess of Procreation glared at him, a storm of emotions in her projected gaze.
"If you don't mind, could you explain the truth to me?" Rhodes asked, his voice calm, catching them all off guard. But Serie saw it, the small magic circle he was secretly casting behind his back. The others saw it too, but said nothing, and let him buy them some time.
She knew what he was doing. But her own descent would also take time. And so, with a shared purpose, they began.
"What do you wish to know?"
And in that moment, the two adversaries began to talk, a calm before the storm.
"What is your relationship with the Goddess of Life?"
"We are of the same origin. We once shared the authority over life. Until that bitch betrayed me and tried to claim it all for herself!"
He ignored her venomous words and continued, "And this place... this is where you fought?"
"Yes! That woman thought she had killed me. She didn't know that as long as my will remains, I will never truly die."
Her words sent a chill down his spine. So I have to be careful of a final, dying curse.
"If you have any other questions, ask them now. This will be your last chance to speak."
She was so confident, as if she had already seen the future. He just smiled, and the magic circle behind his back pulsed, sending a prearranged signal to the far-off Elven Kingdom.
(End of Chapter)
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