Azrie

Arc | Chapter. 131: Salvation (Patreon)

Published:

2023-12-09 09:18:42

Imported:

2023-12

Tags:

Arc Arc Book 3

Content

Chapter. 131: Salvation

My time in the safe-zone wasn’t spent all relaxing or asking random questions; it was spent learning how to survive. Whether it was from gathering information or just thinking about my experiences and the knowledge I had learned and finally I had reached a plan.

The first thing that happened when I exited was… silence. Outside of the grand building there was just an ashen plain of nothingness. The lights nearby illuminating the nearby surroundings and the rest was a dark gray darkness with white winds. I watched the surroundings for a few moments before setting off on my journey towards finding relics.

And hopefully I’d find them at my destination:

The Ruins of the Gods.

A place of a different ancient civilization, one that had ⁠— according to the Hero of Arlas, Uwell⁠ ⁠— attuned themselves to a greater power. As for how they fell to the corruption? He didn’t know either. Based on what I understood however, S Tier and SS Tier levels of strength weren’t a rare thing in that world.

And that was also why I had high hopes of finding something that would allow me to properly fight the corruption there.

I journeyed for what felt like an hour before I heard the first screech of something⁠— in a single moment from within a distant building a single corrupted being rushed out at lightning speeds.

[̸̗͊G̸̬̑u̸̧̔a̴̛̫r̷̺̔d̶̘̏i̶̢͒á̵̟n̸̈́ͅ ̷̹̒Ẇ̷̪a̴̫̐ț̵͊c̸̜̒h̴̠͆ë̸͓́r̷̜͝.̵͈̐ ̸̞̀T̵̫̀ì̶̥ē̵͜r̷̬̆:̸͉͂ ̴̜͆S̷̗̓S̵̯̍]̵̮̐.

Guardian Watcher, SS Tier? I stared at the cat-like thing, not particularly caring about the roars from other beings in the distance. Instead, a single thought passed by my mind:

It was probably just as strong as the Lab Rat, which was perfect for me.

With a smile I made an ice spear and the thing let out a distorted screech that buzzed in my ears. This time, having a plan of action I immediately raised my hand and used one of my strongest attack skills.

[Judgment of the Ice God].

In a single moment, the ground exploded⁠. A harrowing screech of pain echoed and I immediately used [Quick Step], casting [Skullpiercer], [Ancient Blow], and [Deadly Impalement]. My spear blurred and with a flash of light it broke through the ground, an explosion of rock and dirt shaking the land.

After an initial shill cry all that was left was a short silence that was cut by roars in the distance. The Guardian Watcher was dead.

[ You have vanquished the: G̸̬̑u̸̧̔a̴̛̫r̷̺̔d̶̘̏i̶̢͒á̵̟n̸̈́ͅ ̷̹̒Ẇ̷̪a̴̫̐ț̵͊c̸̜̒h̴̠͆ë̸͓́r̷̜͝.̵̶͈̜̐̔ from the world. T̸̫̋i̸̩̓ĕ̷͈r̶̡̛:̸̯͝ ̵̠̇S̸̨̾S̶̜͑ ]̴͈͝

[ You have purged part of the Ư̸̖̦̥͑̌͋̀͘n̷̳̼̙̐̎͌͐̈́̈͜ḵ̶̢̥̬̘̪̯͐͊ͅṇ̶̢̲̌͆͝o̷͇̓̅͐͌̐̄̽̈́w̵͚̤̮̖̋̀͛̂n̸̨͈̜̦̼̙͙̿̏ ]

I stood in its wake, looking down at its distorted and broken corpse before my hands shifted, being encased in claws of ice as I knelt, and without a second thought I began to tear its corpse apart.

My clawed hands dug into its chest, ripping the corruption apart as the ice began to be eaten away, but without a second thought I continued, stretching its skin and its corrupted parts as thinly as I possibly could. I discarded unnecessary stuff, such as its inner flesh that had yet to be corrupted, and what could be used I stitched together with ice threads. Making what was essentially a deformed corruption mantle, but when I raised it I frowned.

“It’s nowhere near big enough…”

Then, the roars arrived and I turned only to see a pack of Guardian Watchers.

…

I blinked, in the distance I could hear screeches of different monsters heading in my direction. The Forgotten Places had this thing that any fight would draw more and more attention, but to be honest I didn’t really care. Instead, I immediately used my SS Tier skill.

The world turned blue and a moment later hundreds of spears pierced through the Guardian Watchers.

Before, I had been hesitant to use any strong skills, but now… it was different.

I immediately flicked and [Frost Lightning] fell on the group, hitting them all at once. Then, using [Wrath of the Ice Queen] once more, the group was all pierced and finally I finished coldly.

“Die for my goals.”

And [Judgment of the Ice God] was used. An earth shattering explosion occurred, and notifications began to come once more.

…

[ You have purged part of the Ư̸̖̦̥͑̌͋̀͘n̷̳̼̙̐̎͌͐̈́̈͜ḵ̶̢̥̬̘̪̯͐͊ͅṇ̶̢̲̌͆͝o̷͇̓̅͐͌̐̄̽̈́w̵͚̤̮̖̋̀͛̂n̸̨͈̜̦̼̙͙̿̏ ]

Without hesitation, I kicked⁠— all of the corpses were launched my way and covering part of my body in ice I grabbed them all along with the already “processed” one and left through the use of [God Step].

Deciding to continue doing what I intended to do elsewhere.

In a blink I found myself in the corner of a building and then, I made a wall of ice, encrusting some of the corpses into it as the ice immediately began to corrupt.

Then, one by one and through rotating them I began to make multiple pieces of cloth, breaking their bodies apart as I made a crude full body cloak. Once it was done, I took a very deep breath.

If I wanted to go unseen, I didn’t have any other choice.

I could hear roars coming for me in the distance given the ice walls no longer had anything in them. All of the monsters were coming in my direction now.

A sigh left me as I encased my body in the ice armor of the Hero of Frost, and then, I draped the corrupted cloak over myself. A moment later, I was draped in corruption, from head to toe and then, a dozen of familiar beings entered the room.

[̴C̶h̷i̸m̷e̴r̵a̴ ̴o̷f̵ ̴t̷h̶e̸ ̵E̴r̵_̷o̶_̶.̵ ̴T̴i̴e̶r̸:̵ ̴_̶_̶]̷

…

There was a silence as they looked towards my direction, weird distorted sounds came my way and then⁠— they turned around and left. I looked down only to see my whole body flaking, I could feel the ice continuously being corroded as a deep breath left me.

My heart was rushing and it didn’t start to calm down until they turned around.

It had worked. The plan of coating myself in corruption had worked.

I walked out of the building turning towards the ruins in the distance, they resembled a group of broken down pyramids with rhombuses for the tips. They were none other than the Ruins of the Gods, one of the most dangerous areas according to the map provided by the Hero of Arlas.

And now⁠ I was free to roam them to scavenge for artifacts.

◇ ◇ ◇

The first thing I noticed was my inability to use [Quick Step] or [God Step] with the cloak on, though I didn’t pay it much mind as all I did was explore the first small pyramid, I saw a few monsters called the Guardians of Error; I supposed they were the equivalent of the Chimeras, but aside from giving me a passing glance they completely ignored me; mindlessly wandering around instead.

And so, I had the chance to admire the different things I saw, from broken down ornamental pots to nigh unrecognizable carvings on the walls⁠— the whole pyramid was barren, at least the first one⁠— the second and much bigger one was the same and the third one and biggest one was⁠— also the fucking same.

I shook my head, it was as if the place had already long been ransacked clean. I was now leaving the third pyramid, and all that remained was a small black pyramid at the back of the ruins. This one was completely covered in corruption, and the likelihood of it having anything inside was low. Had the Hero of Arlas given me wrongful advice so I would die?

I frowned now more annoyed.

I guess I’ll just explore the last pyramid.

A sigh left me and I stepped onto the barren land, walking through it without a care in the world. Unlike the other pyramids this one was quite far, but as I approached it I noticed something interesting⁠— it had lights. Small parts of the pyramid were illuminated. Did it mean that the technology of the old civilization was still working?

If I remembered correctly, the hideout made by the Hero of Arlas was in that situation. Which also meant⁠— the likelihood of finding artifacts was much higher. I smiled and the ground quaked, calling my attention. I turned only to see a Twisted Thing in the distance, looking in my direction.

I shook my head and continued my walk before I heard it roar. Once more, I turned and⁠— it was sprinting at full speed towards me, the land shaking from its power. My eyes widened and I immediately began to run.

Attacks of corruption immediately came my way, as the thing rushed at supersonic speeds. Dozens of flashes of black surrounded me and one⁠— struck me. I yelped feeling a cut go through the cloak and my arm, and then as I saw the Twisted Thing was less than a hundred meters away I made my decision.

My eyes widened and I removed the cloak, immediately using [Quick Step] as the thing jumped. In a single moment I appeared near the entrance of the pyramid and the Twisted Thing hit the ground, a shockwave traveled through the air as I was sent flying right into the innards of the place.

I hit the corrupted wall, my armor shattered and I coughed up blood as the door in front of me closed with a banging sound. Green lights turned on illuminating my surroundings dimly.

“That’s too fucking strong, no?” I groaned.

Pain spread through my arm as it began to get eaten away by the corruption. The first thing I did after getting up was remove my jacket before making an ice knife and carving away the corrupted flesh in my arm.

I grunted as I walked through the empty halls of the pyramid. The walls were full of corruption, the doorways were fully open as I saw various rooms in the place. Though once more, it seemed to be mostly empty, and as I was losing hope I saw stairs that led to a basement.

I finished removing the corruption and immediately went down the stairs, unknowing of what I could even find. This time, I was more nervous than ever given the concentration of corruption around the place. But I carried forth walking down to what seemed to be a closed door, next to it there was a single button. One that was⁠— slightly less corrupted.

A breath left me, the door was untouched by the mass of darkness, instead remaining a bright red with yellow symbols stamped all over it. They seemed to be almost⁠, unsettling. What could even be here?

I paused, poking the button with a stick of ice, and then with a small alarm the door opened.

I found myself looking at what seemed to be a large room, white light coming from the ceiling. The ground was nothing but dirt, but the walls were corrupted. I stepped inside, and the door behind me closed, startling me as I took a breath.

That is bad…

And a voice spoke. One I couldn’t understand. It made a long winded introduction that somehow made my nerves rise further, and after a moment and excitement from the voice I heard a door open. One to my left.

I turned only to see a being of pure corruption walk right out.

⁠[̵̧̞̎͋̎⁠̵̢̟̲̗̟͇͊⁠̸̨̨͎̦̂̄͜͠—̴̧̥̬̺̈́́͑̆͜͠⁠̵̧̥̰̩̳̱̊—̶̛̤̮̪̰̗̞͌̓⁠̸̠̦̞́͂ͅ—̶̡̤͇̺̞̾̊̐̀̕.̶͓̫̖̑̿͜ͅ ̴̢͚̩͐͋̇̓͝T̸̙͉̺͖̯͌̓̒̒i̶͉͙͍͚̔̄́e̴̱̍͋́̈͗r̶̠͙̺̤̤̋͜:̸̟̥̅̈́̾͠ ̷̳͑̀̏͂̈́⁠̴̝̲̄͘—̵͕̖͎͎͒̀͑́]̷̧̞̤͔̀̂͛͝

My heart dropped.

“You can’t be serious.”

I made an ice spear, and before I could blink a tentacle whipped, I screamed as it hit my sides, sending me clashing against the wall⁠ and⁠— I broke through it. The corrupted wall couldn’t resist the shock as it was torn right through. The bones in my body practically shattered as I whimpered on the ground.

Was this how I died?

The pain was immeasurable, but even then I tried to run using my arms crawling through the space as I heard the looming footsteps of the monster I had just stumbled upon.

Deep down I felt like crying out of frustration; I didn’t regret my choices but the fact that it was impossible to leave this place made me want to scream. However, even then I still tried to escape.

I wanted to live.

I wanted to live oh so fucking desperately.

And then, as I turned the corner I saw it.

It was a spear, wreathed in corruption and the System notification told me everything I needed to know. I was staring right at it.

⁠̸̬͝[̵̮̓⁠̷̣͘⁠̸̇ͅS̸̻̚o̸̹͛'̶̜͆l̷͖͆a̷̹̿ș̸̈́'̸̹̀ ̶̗͝Ś̶͓p̷̤̈́e̷͍͗à̴̺r̷̰̊.̴̢̊ ̴̟͆T̴̷̸̸̶̷̸̷̴̷̷̨͚͕̝̮̝̮̯͇̭̣̩͈̲͕̿̎̓͋͂̓̈̍̄͗̔̈͝i̷̶̸̵̸̴̴̸̸̶̴̵̵̢̨͔̭̹̪͍͈͚̱̠͉̜̦̹̘̜̻̪̩̾̓͌͂̿͑̃͛̈̐̓͜͠͠ḙ̴̸̴̶̵̸̵̸̷̶̴̵̵̸̴̷̵̴̶̥̻͎̖͕͉͕̟͇̯͈͍̯͖̹͍̬͖̜͔̎̃̀̋͊̇̄̈́̀̈͆̾́͐͌̓̉̉̑̿͆̉̓͆͌̽̃͠ͅͅͅŗ̴̶̵̴̶̷̷̸̵̶̵̷̶̶̵̸̷̵̸̸̢̛̻̮̩͇͕̻̱̺̘̠̘͔͉̹̟̻̫̤̬͇̙̞̟̯͗́͂̾͑̈́̎̇̀̓̾͌̌̈̈́̒̂̍́̊͛̆̿͘̚͝͝ͅ:̴̸̸̷̸̶̶̸͈̥̭͉͙͕̭̹͔̝̓̒̃̽̑̏͊̐̒ ̸̶̴̸̴̵̶̷̸̵̸̸̡̛̼̦͓̳̝̦̟̰̲͎̗̼͓̑͗͛̉̂̃͊̎́̈̓̃̕͘͝͝⁠̴̶̸̸̷̷̷̶̵̸̴̶̴̴̵̧̧̼̜͈̘̘̠̹͙̩̱̥͙̜̙̗͖̰̰̣͚̰͑̑͐̿͌̉̾̽͒̒̌̇̚̚̕̚ͅ—̵̸̴̷̸̷̷̷̸̶̷̷̵̵̶̶̷̢̢̡̺̰͇͎͕͖̙̥̱͉̲͖̦͍͙͌̀̎͂̀̍͆̓̈́̏͐́̑́̑́̿̓̈́͆͆̕͜͝͝͝͝ͅ]̸̸̶̴̵̷̴̵̷̶̸̸̸̶̮̭̗̦̖̯͍̥̱̠͕̦̩͉̝̥̰͉̣̏̽͐̎̇̇̂͗͊͆̈́͐̀̑̃͊̈́͜

I was staring at my salvation.