He could feel the Time-Aphid was weakening. If he let this nun hack away for another round, he might really die...
"So, why?"
As someone with good comedic timing, Fran very naturally followed up with a question, playing along.
Neville, in turn, quite obligingly provided an answer.
At the moment, he had to buy as much time as possible to let the Time-Aphid finish feeding. For that, revealing some secrets was an insignificant price.
"Because the Ancient Banyan never held the divinity of Time... Even those colossal beings beyond the world could not, by their own power, lay claim to the principle of Time. Coveting that supreme concept, the deities of the Order of Dust era split Time among themselves, each ruling over a specific moment."
"Back then, they had another title and name. I think most of you know it."
"That is... the 'Hours.'"
As he spoke, Neville sneered, mockery overflowing.
"Heh, the temporal authority the Ancient Banyan obtained was always a deception... The 'Time' within its divinity and rank did not come from itself, but from these Time-Aphids it fed with its own flesh and blood..."
---
The secret Neville revealed indeed carried sufficient weight.
The entire Old Sanctuary fell into silence, only the sound of banyan branches slowly writhing on the ground audible.
Originally, Haida had no intention of listening to this guy's nonsense; eliminating the threat of this fanatic first was the Secrets-Hunter way. But just as the burial attendant was about to press forward with her sword again, a soft hand gently pressed on her shoulder.
She glanced back and saw Fran winking at her. The doctor's meaning was clear... stay calm, let him finish.
Terence, meanwhile, suppressed the rising surprise in his heart, his thoughts flashing as he quickly connected all the previously witnessed clues.
If the Temporal Banyan truly was feeding these aphids with its own body, the Old Sanctuary's destruction was likely not just a simple insect plague. Also, those dense chisel marks on the sacred statue mural... the number of these things must have been astonishing.
Albert had initially said the library ruin's "core layer" should absolutely not be opened under any circumstances. That meant the remaining massive quantity of Time-Aphids was currently sealed beneath the Old Sanctuary?
Just one was so troublesome. If they were all truly released... it would likely be a disaster on the same level as the Great Plague.
"Whew..."
The blood vessels on Neville's face throbbed violently.
Even with the Children of the Whiskered Tree's superhuman vitality, it was difficult to satisfy the Time-Aphid's insatiable appetite.
In just a few moments, his face had already turned as pale as paper.
"The principle and authority of Time are right before you. Aren't you tempted? As long as you achieve symbiosis with Them like I have, you can avoid being devoured and touch true 'Eternity.'"
Neville's voice overflowed with aberrant spiritual essence, so much so that every syllable he uttered carried a strong seductive quality. Simultaneously, seeing that the surrounding few didn't take further action to stop him, he believed they were beginning to waver.
"Think about it! Even the ancient Hours could only grasp part of that power. Rather than exhausting your lives serving those false things, consider what you could gain..."
"Nun! What has the God-Hunting God given you? Endless slaughter and pursuit, endless silence and loneliness. What will your end be? Dying on a hunt, or growing old with a body full of injuries?"
He then shifted his gaze to Terence on the other side.
"And you, Professor Terence... So-called 'legacy,' 'passing it to future generations,' are nothing but self-deception born of helplessness. The crown of truth is so distant and unattainable. Don't you wish to break free from the shackles of lifespan and lift it with your own hands?"
"Do you hope that after your death, your life's work merely leaves a few books, awaiting accumulation of dust and being forgotten?"
"Look at this library. The crystallized thoughts of how many generations of Children of the Whiskered Tree, their ultimate fate is nothing but complete ruin, no one cares..."
Listening to Neville's almost unrestrained ravings, Terence couldn't help but frown.
"Have you said enough?"
He raised his hand, and the second-category, upper-tier secret art [Blood-Wielding] was activated.
The surrounding blood, under his command, turned into thread-like strands, entangling Neville, ready to immediately drag him into the blood pool to be strangled.
"Oh, I almost forgot. You, a White Cup professor, are covered in Red Cup secret arts. Perhaps you aren't that concerned with lifespan..."
Though his neck was tightly bound by fine blood threads, even his skin already cut, Neville's demeanor now grew increasingly composed.
The Time-Aphid had regained vitality after feeding on flesh and blood. Even without consuming the sacred artifact "Shadow of the Future," it had the ability to forcibly open the core layer.
"Miss Flamel."
Haida softly called to Fran, asking if she should continue attacking Neville.
She had already observed that the Time-Aphid had weakened earlier under the spiritual essence absorption of the power sword. If they had continued fighting then, just a few more breaths would have rendered it unable to perform retrograde.
"Please wait a little longer, Haida."
Fran calmed the already grip-tightening Haida, her amber gaze calm and carrying a hint of thought-provoking depth.
The doctor seemed to be waiting for something...
Haida nodded slightly, then pressed down the restless power sword "Nirvana" in her hand.
Neville caught the demeanor of Fran and Haida during their exchange, and a faint smile also appeared on his pale face.
"It seems compared to the stubborn old man, Miss Flamel is more reasonable... You are so young and have already begun probing the mysteries of the physical form, achieving such substantial results. Don't you desire a longer life to research all this?"
Elsa stole a glance at Fran, feeling somewhat concerned.
She didn't know why Miss Flamel had disguised herself to enter the team, nor what her goal truly was. But longevity was an immense temptation for any cult disciple, even for a High Priest with a lifespan of centuries.
However, Fran merely smiled silently, impassively. Neither agreeing nor opposing.
Seeing her attitude, Neville wasn't angered. He merely let out a low scoff.
"I know your caution, so I will let you witness with your own eyes the 'miracle' from the Order of Dust era. Then you can choose whether to accept this blessing..."
As he spoke, the Time-Aphid crouched on his back spine quickly climbed, arriving between his chest.
Having feasted on flesh and blood, this mythical creature's originally fluorescent green body now took on a deep crimson shade. It looked chaotic and evil.
While Neville was accumulating spiritual essence, Fran had already quickly completed emergency treatment for Albert. Although he had been stabbed through the chest and abdomen by a ritual dagger, it was purely physical damage. After stitching the wound, she just needed to pop a green capsule into his mouth.
As a Child of the Whiskered Tree, Albert was imbued with the Old Sanctuary's spiritual essence. His vital signs stabilized after a few breaths, and he even emerged from shock, slowly opening his eyes and waking.
"Mr. Neville... why did you betray the Children of the Whiskered Tree?"
Due to laceration damage in his lungs, his voice was intermittent, carrying a hoarse sense of weakness.
"Betrayal?"
Faced with Albert's questioning, Neville merely disdainfully scoffed.
"What I am doing now is the true long-cherished wish of the Children of the Whiskered Tree! Do you know what our long-lived species traits mean?"
He raised a hand and tore open the shirt on his chest, revealing rough, light brown skin.
Upon close inspection, one could see patterns like those of an ancient tree. The tree's veins replaced blood vessels, and one could even see tender green buds.
"Do you know why Children of the Whiskered Tree over a hundred years old are wrapped in robes? And why they reside permanently within the sect, never leaving? Because those old things have already highly arborized, even taking root in the ground. The Ancient Banyan's blessing was never anything but a curse."
Neville's voice was almost gnashing his teeth, his spiritual essence intensely activating along with it.
"Children of the Whiskered Tree are no different from Time-Aphids, nor from those flowers around the 'Shadow of the Future'... all are just parasites on the Ancient Banyan's body..."
"Only I am the one who truly serves the Ancient Banyan! Today, I will truly offer this authority to Him!"
He raised a hand soaked in his own blood plasma and slammed it onto the ground.
The Time-Aphid began "retrograde" again, but the target wasn't Neville; it was the entire Old Sanctuary main tower.
The originally dilapidated ruins instantly became brand new, and corpses successively appeared on the ground covered with banyan root networks. As retrograde progressed further, these dead stood up again...
Their clothing was quite similar in style to Fran's scholar's overgarment, bearing obvious Gormouth style.
"So, people from Gormouth have been here before. Those who would specifically come to such an ancient ruin would probably be thieves from the Six-Eyed Crow..."
Terence's gaze sharpened; some previous anomalies were now explained.
The Dream-Slumber Flowers that should only exist in Abyssal Sea regions, and the considerable number of Abyssal Sea abominations... were clearly the early arrivals who had died here.
These resurrected dead seemed to lack intelligence, just dazedly and maniacally attempting to attack everything around them.
But such unconscious opponents couldn't last even a single round before Haida.
The power sword "Nirvana" swept horizontally, turning into a streak of black, fierce light, sending these deceased back to death... in the form of minced meat.
Neville didn't care about this; his eyes now held only pure desire.
His entire lower body had completely arborized, merging with the Ancient Banyan's network within the main tower. As his emotional fluctuations grew more intense, the roots coiling and entangling the main tower gradually tightened, seeming to want to crush the entire structure.
"The Ancient Banyan... the Ancient Banyan has accepted him..."
Albert's eyes were full of astonishment, so much so that his voice involuntarily trembled.
Not yet fully recovered from the daze of awakening from severe injury, the scene before him made his understanding begin to collapse.
Neville had clearly fallen into fanaticism, yet still succeeded in connecting himself to the Ancient Banyan's network.
"...Could it be that releasing those monsters is the Ancient Banyan's will?"
Boom!
The Old Sanctuary main tower finally shattered under the banyan's constriction, the entire foundation disintegrating and collapsing. Beneath this wedge-like tower was the "core layer" sealing the Time-Aphids.
Taking advantage of the cover of debris and smoke, Neville dragged his lower body, now transformed into roots, like a python burrowed into a fissure in the ritual array on the ground.
"No..."
Albert watched the figure disappearing into the core layer fissure, then let out a near-despairing low moan.
Physical weakness and faith collapse left him confused and bewildered, momentarily at a loss, unsure whether he should go stop his former colleague.
He began to doubt his own stand.
If releasing the Time-Aphids truly was the Ancient Banyan's will, then by stopping Neville... was he defying Its will? But if he truly stood by and did nothing, a disaster was almost inevitable.
"Feeling confused, Albert?"
Fran's voice sounded at just the right moment. She then strolled over to this still-chaotic Child of the Whiskered Tree.
"Miss Flamel, I apologize for dragging everyone into danger. That was absolutely not my intention... Also, thank you for saving me."
"...Right now, I am indeed somewhat unable to sort out my thoughts."
His speech was still somewhat clear, but the spiritual light in his eyes had already faded, dull and empty.
"Heh."
Fran merely showed a meaningful smile.
"If both feeding the Time-Aphids with flesh and blood and releasing them were actions of the Ancient Banyan, then think carefully: why did they lose control and become an insect plague? And why did the Children of the Whiskered Tree seal the entire Old Sanctuary?"
Her question forced Albert to pick up his fragmented thoughts again and begin pondering the relational network.
"You mean... we betrayed the Ancient Banyan?"
His voice carried a slight tremble, which even he didn't notice.
Fran maintained a patiently guiding demeanor, beginning to help Albert analyze the current situation. Her tone carried a strong sense of calm, like a psychologist conducting a consultation.
"Or perhaps the opposite: the Ancient Banyan betrayed the Children of the Whiskered Tree. It's just that history is too distant, long untraceable. But regardless, one point is indisputable... your ancestors and their god stood on opposite sides."
"So, what is your choice?"
Seemingly also influenced by her detached mood, Albert's gaze steadied somewhat, forcing himself to find a thread of clarity within the chaotic thoughts.
"No matter what, we must stop Neville first."
After Albert made his decision, Fran lightly interlaced the fingers of both hands, her amber eyes carrying a touch of approval.
"Just like the Children of the Whiskered Tree ancestors of the Order of Dust era, raise the banner of rebellion against the deity you served..."
+++
T/N: Hey readers~! New Translator here! Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank the original author for creating this wonderful story. Without them, I wouldn't have the chance to share this adventure with you. I hope my translation does justice to their work, and that together, we can enjoy this story.
With that said, I'm happy to let you know I'll be uploading daily chapters. And for those who wish to support my work and gain early access, I've set up a Patreon where advanced chapters will be available.
[email protected]/PeakTL