Original God's Dark Priest

Chapter 940 The Ritual of the Brave 4

The location isn't far, but it's separated by a river that isn't very wide.

This is no problem for Carmos because she can fly, but it's a big problem for Crester because it can't swim.

"Do you have any ideas?" Carmos asked.

Krist thought about it carefully and shook his head: "This river is too wide and too deep. I can't swim. I can't cross it."

“I can take you there.” Carmos understood that Krest couldn’t get there by himself and offered to help.

But Crest refused, saying, "If it were a normal journey, I would ask for your help, but this is a trial, and I cannot do so."

“It’s just taking a shortcut, it’s harmless,” Carmos said.

But Krist stared at her intently: "Carmos, you are good, but this is not your trial."

"..." Carmos remained silent.

Krist continued, "I can feel a throbbing deep within my soul, driving me forward, relentlessly and courageously. I cannot accept help from anyone other than Ying; it would be of no benefit to me and would lead to failure in the trial."

After saying that, it began to observe its surroundings: mountains, water, trees, and solidified phlogiston.

“Phlogop…” Krest’s eyes suddenly lit up. “That’s right, if there’s no road, then we’ll create one.”

It burrowed underground and moved beneath the solid phlogiston column, where it began to attack it with force.

The small ridge dragon wasn't particularly strong, but it relentlessly attacked. Before long, the pillar was broken and collapsed onto the opposite bank.

The fallen phlogiston column was the path created by Krest.

"Little guy, you've got some principles." Carmos shook his head as he watched its efforts.

Helping Krist was a last resort; if possible, she also hoped that he could complete the trial on his own.

What Krest was talking about was not her trial. She also knew that the Blessing of the Flame Lord on her head was different from Krest's. To be precise, she herself was different from the other young dragons.

She is an adult with a complete set of values ​​and the ability to distinguish right from wrong, as well as decades of experience in the world. Even without such a trial, she would not be devoured by the Flame Lord's Blessing. This curse is merely a blessing that enhances her own strength, and there are no other side effects.

Krest is the young dragon who needs to be tested, grow through trials, gradually understand the meaning of travel and life, build bonds with his companions, and gain things he cherishes. Only in this way can he gain the ability and qualification to wield power.

Watching Krest work so hard, Carmos gradually lost his focus.

Krest moved quickly. In just a few seconds, he had used the vibrating crystal to induce resonance and knocked down another solid phlogiston column, and then the next one.

Unbeknownst to them, the collapsed pillars formed a path leading to the location.

Krest walked steadily, step by step, until it reached its rightful place. Having done so, it jumped for joy: "Carmos, come quick! We're done here!"

“Here I am.” Karmos spread his wings and flew across the river, arriving directly beside Krest.

On the other side, Ying and Sapphire tried to activate the mechanism again, and this time it was not stuck and was successfully activated.

The gate in the distance opened, and the two successfully reached the deepest point, standing at the point where humans could stand.

After Krest and Karmos activated the mechanism with Ying and Saffir, the stone platform beneath their feet began to rise slowly. The two dragons successfully ascended the platform and entered the deepest part, standing at their designated points.

The moment the two sides took their positions, the wall on Ying's side suddenly collapsed, revealing the murals hidden behind it.

Paimon exclaimed in surprise, "Hey! There's another mural here, what's depicted on it...?"

The mural depicts a black dragon breathing flames downwards, with a tree in the center below and some people standing beneath it.

The treetop seemed to have unfurled a barrier, blocking the flames spewed by the black dragon. On the human side, there were three small figures on the left and a clearly tall human figure on the right.

Outside the barrier, there are some broken figures.

At the same time, the walls on Carmos's and Crest's sides also collapsed, revealing a completely different mural.

The mural depicts a black dragon lying on the ground, with a human figure above it.

“Chosen one of the dragons… step forward, reach out your hand…” The strange voice appeared in my mind once again, “Reach out your hand… and see clearly… the sin that has obliterated everything.”

Ying and Safiel exchanged a glance, then together extended their right hands toward the mural.

The moment they touched the mural, many fragments of memories flooded into their minds.

It was an enormous, jet-black dragon whose outstretched wings blotted out the sky, as if it could tear the heavens apart and turn the stars into dust.

On the black dragon's body, hideous and twisted bone spikes pierced through the surface, and blackish-purple liquid-like light flowed from the bone spikes. Anyone with discerning eyes could see at a glance that this was all abyssal energy.

It spewed jet-black flames from its mouth, burning everything in sight. The ancient silver trees gradually withered under its rage, barely managing to protect a small corner of the land.

The figure that fought against it was shattered in the seemingly endless rage. Although the figure fought with all its might and finally defeated the evil dragon, the consequences of this battle were irreversible.

The once vibrant world was suddenly ravaged and almost completely destroyed. Countless innocent people cried out and begged for mercy, but to no avail.

Everyone will die; there are almost no people who can escape this crisis.

“This is…” Saffir frowned slightly, “the Nibelungen and the War of the Dead?”

Looking at the jet-black dragon, Sapphire thought of Nidhogg. Both were black dragons that corrupted the World Tree and brought destruction to the world; the abyssal power of Nibelungen was probably equivalent to Nidhogg's poison.

After all, they are all things that can pollute the World Tree.

And that shattered figure must be the will of Heaven.

Looking at Tianli, Saffir felt a strange sensation. It wasn't that she had any prejudice against Tianli, but she just felt that the figure gave her a very strange feeling.

Saffir didn't know how to describe the feeling. It was cold, with a kind of inhuman, obsessive coldness, close to divinity, yet even more indifferent than divinity.

This is definitely not a feeling that a human, or even a humanoid being with normal emotions, would exhibit. Sapphire was once a god; she knew what divinity was. And that guy who seemed to be the embodiment of heavenly justice was not a god, nor should he be a god.

Memories continued to surface, but the main subject of these memories was not the laws of nature, but Nibelungen, and more importantly, what this great war had brought about.

She saw destruction, endless destruction.

Shadows loom, evil lurks deep, and filth emerges.

The Abyss began its massive invasion, corrupting more and more areas of Teyvat, and the disaster has not ceased since it returned from Nibelungen.

Only the gradually withering, silvery-white ancient trees managed to protect a corner of the world amidst the increasingly dire situation, but even that was merely a precarious existence.

"Having been driven out of Teyvat, Nibelungen, knowing they were no match for the Abyss, chose to draw upon its power. There was nothing inherently wrong with his thinking; resistance always requires all-out effort. It was just that his approach was flawed."

He shouldn't have sought help from the power of the abyss; that would have been inviting trouble. Saffir shook her head slightly. She hated the principles of Heaven, so she could sympathize with their enemies, but she couldn't agree with this approach.

You will understand someday.

Suddenly, a voice that sounded like a sigh or a soft laugh rang in her ears, and Saffir frowned slightly.

She could understand, and had long understood, because she had done similar things. But even in her extreme past, she never thought of bringing in an external enemy for the sake of destruction. Even in the most difficult times, she never bowed to the abyss.

To the survivors of the Divine Realm, she, the tyrant, was the culprit who destroyed everything. But even the most extreme rebels would say that Philigs was a powerful force against the Abyss, and she had done nothing wrong in this matter.

She understood Nibelungen's feelings, but she scoffed at him.

So this "event will understand" definitely doesn't refer to her, then who could it be? Ying?

Impossible. Ying wouldn't agree either. So, this is actually a form of manipulation? Manipulating Krest, manipulating Karmos.

The outpouring of memories slowed down, and what had been a fleeting glimpse gradually revealed more details. She saw the destruction of the city, the collapse of buildings, and gray boulders being squeezed into dust in mid-air.

Nibelungen's pupils were finally pierced, and his defeated man fell to the earth with him. It was a lose-lose situation, and as they fell, the whole world echoed with a mournful song.

This is the end of a king's reign. She had heard similar lamentations countless times. Every time a world was conquered, that world would compose a final song for the king with the chorus of mourning. It was so sad, yet so... intoxicating.

She felt a long-lost thrill of conquest, but only for a moment before she regained her senses. This was never what she wanted; it was something she had to do before. Now, she would not do it. So, this elegy composed of screams and desperate wails was enough to hear once.

The final scene shows the man, engulfed in flames, rising anew from the heart of the dead dragon.

"The outcome is decided." Saffir sighed and opened his eyes.

Paimon was frantic by this point, repeatedly calling out, "Hey! Ying! Saffir! Are you alright?"

“It’s alright,” Saffir replied. Paimon patted his chest, looking shaken. “You guys were completely still at the beginning, it scared me to death.”

Ying also came to her senses: "Hmm... I saw a sight that's hard to describe."

"Huh? Really? I didn't see anything. I clearly saw the same painting. Are your perceptions better than mine?" Paimon tilted his head, looking puzzled.

Saffir looked at Paimon, thought for a moment, and then said, "Perhaps, this is something only the Chosen Ones of the Dragons can see?"

"Huh? You mean Krest doesn't like me?! Damn it, I'm so angry!" Paimon felt rejected.

Saffir smirked: "Perhaps, subconsciously, it chose Luminous as its companion. After all, it could only choose one, and Paimon would be a better friend."

"Although I can tell you're trying to comfort me, I'm not comforted at all," Paimon said, still annoyed.

Just then, the group heard the cry of the baby dragon.

Paimon's initial resentment vanished instantly, and he said nervously, "It's Krest and Carmos's voices! Could they be in danger? Let's go check on them!"

Without waiting for Ying and Saffir to react, she hurriedly flew towards the direction from which the sound came.

"She says she's angry, but she's actually been completely appeased," Ying murmured to herself, watching her friend's retreating figure.

Saffir patted her on the shoulder: "Let's go, it should be soon."

The two went together and soon saw Paimon.

At that moment, Paimon was comforting the two little dragons across a cliff: "It's okay, it's okay, we're right here! Looks like we'll be able to meet soon!"

There are no more mechanisms here; it's just a matter of finding the right spots for the dragon and the human to stand.

When both sides stand in the designated position, the stone platform they are on is activated, and then the stone platform slowly rises, taking them to a cave entrance. The path to meet is on the other side of the cave entrance.

Krest was very excited to be separated from his companions for so long for the first time. He rushed out the moment the road opened, and almost fell off the edge of the platform because he was rushing so fast.

Luckily, Carmos reacted quickly and pulled him back, otherwise the little guy would have been thrown around in a daze.

Unlike Krest's eagerness, Carmos remained calm. She followed Krest with light steps, slowly approaching Saffir.

"Well done." Saffir reached out and ruffled Carmos's hair.

This time, Carmos did not resist; he simply narrowed his eyes slightly, enjoying his master's caress.

The two sides met, and the next second, the mural representing a dragon on the wall beside them suddenly lit up and then fired a thick beam of light that struck the liquid phlogiston lake below.

Subsequently, one after another, light-matter platforms began to extend downwards. At the very bottom, a vortex appeared in the liquid phlogiston lake, and the light-matter platforms extended all the way into the interior of the vortex.

Looking at the strange sight before him, even Paimon knew what it meant: "A path through the lava has appeared... It seems this trial is about to come to an end."

She said with a hint of smugness, "Those guys from the Dragon Relics Research Association and that fat guy from the Echo Child made it sound so dangerous, but it seems like it's not so bad after all!"

Saffir glanced at Paimon but said nothing. It seemed this little guy's habit of giving people nasty nicknames so readily was beyond correction.

Ying chuckled and said, "Then let Paimon lead the way!"

“Wow, it looks like there’s no bottom down there… We’re good partners, so of course we have to go together. Or… or maybe Saffir…” She was about to say something more when Saffir glanced at her sideways.

Paimon covered his mouth: "Let's go together."

Krist also hesitated for a moment: "Ugh..."

You could tell it was a little uneasy.

At this moment, Paimon began to encourage him again: "Crest, look, we're almost there!"

“Don’t be afraid. I’m here.” Saffir patted Krest’s head, then patted Karmos’s head. “Let’s keep going.”

“That’s right! With Saffir here, everything will be fine! She’s invincible!” Paimon said confidently.

Saffir was exasperated. Did this kid even know that invincibility was a debuff? The last invincible one had already turned into a star.

But she chose to remain silent, thinking it would give the little guy courage.

Oh well, so be it. As long as I stay calm and don't overextend, I'm not that easy to die.