Chapter 595: The Power of the Circle Cicada |
Ashe never expected that fate could be so bizarre.
Legends standing at the pinnacle of sorcerers were desperately swimming for their lives in the Golden Flow Water.
The remnants of the Gray Fox from the previous era, upon waking, immediately turned on each other.
And enemies who, just half an hour ago, couldn’t stand breathing the same air or sharing the same sky, now had no choice but to cooperate to survive.
Only now, as an interloper, Ashe finally managed to piece together what had actually happened.
Without a doubt, Silver Lantern had no knowledge of the Cicada Lurk Plan. She only knew that Nightfall had left behind a divine fire system that could be activated. However, the divine fire system required citizen authentication, which is why she broke into the Transcendent Cult to seize the Resonance String Demi-God.
As for how she knew that the Resonance String Demi-God could grant her citizen status and that the divine fire system existed in Nightfall… the sources of information were too numerous to count. The Sorcerer’s Handbook in the virtual realm, the secrets of the sects she had destroyed, or perhaps she herself was a sorcerer from a sect related to the prophecy of fate.
In this world, even the dead cannot keep secrets.
Moreover, although Ashe didn’t like Silver Lantern, he had to admit that she possessed an extraordinary level of determination and drive. For someone like her, once she set her mind on a goal, the entire world would make way for her.
But Silver Lantern only wanted to become a divine fire seed. She didn’t anticipate that the divine fire was merely a sub-component of the Trial here. Because she became a divine fire seed with the ultimate time talent, she instinctively triggered a resonance with the virtual realm, forcing the Gate of Truth to open and allow the Golden Flow Water to pour in.
The other legendary sorcerers were in the same predicament. They had been sealed within statues, not only to halt their aging but also to forcibly close the Gate of Truth using the external environment… Ashe thought of a very direct analogy, but he restrained himself from pursuing it further.
This was also the reason why the legends had slept for over two hundred years without suffering from “Undirected Manic Intermittent Systemic Dysfunction Syndrome” or other side effects. Because, fundamentally, these side effects were the result of being corroded by the Golden Flow Water. But they had always maintained their ultimate time talent, allowing them to swim freely in the Golden Flow Water. How could they possibly be corroded by it?
Though both situations were accidents, Silver Lantern’s was a case of “what shouldn’t have happened, happened,” while for the legends, it was “what should have happened, didn’t.”
For these once-great legends clinging to life, the Circle Cicada’s Immortality Plan was their last hope. They had resigned themselves to failure if the plan didn’t work, but they never expected that the plan wouldn’t even reach its final step.
According to Ashe’s speculation, the Circle Cicada cult probably didn’t dare to deceive these legends. After all, legends weren’t lone wolves; they had friends, mentors, and disciples. If the Circle Cicada had tried anything shady, the sorcerers outside, who hadn’t had their spirits sealed, would have intervened.
But life is unpredictable. When the ‘cataclysm’ erupted in Senlo, all sorcerers-and even most adults-vanished. As a result, the Cicada Sound Project was indefinitely shelved, only to be reignited when Ashe and Silver Lantern stumbled into it, reviving this centuries-old Immortality plan that had been buried for over two hundred years.
Thinking about it, Ashe couldn’t help but feel a pang of regret-if he hadn’t entered, Silver Lantern would have been left to her own devices and likely perished here. They could have waited a few days aboveground, noticed the disappearance of the Blood Seed, and then happily sought a way home, leaving the Senlo wasteland behind to head to the Gospel, the Stars, or even the Blood Moon.
Back then, when faced with the Blood Hunter Gerard, I sat there like a nobody and got captured. But now, I’m a sanctuary sorcerer. If I ever meet him again, I’ll make sure he… can’t catch me.
Ashe wasn’t foolish enough to pick a fight with the Blood Saints. After all, Gerard wasn’t targeting him personally but rather the Cult Leader Heath. At most, Gerard was just doing his job. If Ashe ever returned to the Blood Moon, his priorities would be avenging Harvey, visiting friends like Freya, and continuing his quest to travel across Kingdoms.
But no, he just had to barge into this Trial. Sure, he had the good fortune of meeting the Observer, but now there was no escaping this mess!
The Golden Flow erupted, the Circle Cicada was resurrected, and instead of feasting on the Immortal Circle Cicada, the Trial Takers were about to become its snacks!
And before the Circle Cicada could even catch up, they had already started turning on each other. The speed of the Golden Flow was tied to the number of tributaries-the slower the flow, the further they could swim. And the number of tributaries was linked to the life and death of the sorcerers, so the more people who died, the further the survivors could escape!
These legendary sanctuary figures, who could bend laws and invert causality in the outside world, now engaged in an unprecedented Battle Royale in the Golden Flow.
“Yibaqian, Karsnas, I’ll meet you at Ruby Mountain!”
With a piercing curse, a nearly three-meter-tall legend was swept downstream by the Golden Flow. Perhaps he had some unique bloodline or had enhanced his body through Physical Miracles. In the outside world, his massive frame would have been a shield against both physical and magical attacks. But in the Golden Flow, his size made him the perfect target.
His arms and legs were broken, his joints twisted into horrifying angles, and his wrists were bleeding profusely-his tendons had been severed. Without such measures, it would have been impossible to completely incapacitate this legendary sorcerer.
Just as the Circle Cicada finished its last snack, nature generously provided it with a larger, more chewy feast, and its chirping grew even more lively in response.
As the legends had predicted, the creature didn’t move while eating, so it remained at the end of the Golden Flow.
Feeling the current slow, everyone stopped their fighting and hurried to swim upstream. However, after the underwater brawl, they instinctively kept their distance from one another. Ashe and Vesser stayed at the very back of the group, too wary to get close to the main crowd.
When Mess, at the front, once again hit the limit of his resistance, he turned back to look at the others.
“How pitiful,” he said. “I, Mess Misty White, am a triple-system legend, the director of the Institute of the Blood of the Eternal. I’ve traveled to four Kingdoms, explored Angelic ruins, and been hailed as the ‘Gears of Time.’ Before me, no time legend could compare. After me, Skadi, Yuni, you are merely followers in my footsteps.”
The people Mess pointed at didn’t argue, a testament to his towering status in the Gray Fox Divine Era, second only to the Demi-Gods of that age.
“Now, the era we knew is gone, and we, the remnants, will pay the price for clinging to life, becoming food for the Circle Cicada,” Mess continued. “We tear at each other like fish, shrimp, and crabs, fighting for a sliver of survival… But if we can’t take a bite of the Circle Cicada, how long will we last even if we escape the Golden Flow? A month? An hour?”
The legends’ expressions shifted. Unlike Ashe and Vesser, they had joined the Cicada Sound Project precisely because their time was running out. Once they left here or their time talent failed, they would rust and decay like ancient relics unearthed from tombs, fragile as bubbles ready to burst.
“Only death is an unavoidable fate,” Ashe heard Silver Lantern murmur beside him. “Only eternity is salvation.”
Ashe had almost forgotten he was still holding Silver Lantern’s hand. The two of them didn’t have the legendary lifespan, so they had to rely on each other to survive the temporal currents. Ashe was already frustrated and ashamed that he had to cooperate with Silver Lantern to stay alive, and now she dared to preach (though she was really just talking to herself). Unable to suppress his urge for petty revenge, he-
Squeezed her hand.
Vesser turned to look at him in surprise, and Ashe, realizing what he’d done, flushed with embarrassment-either let go and fight her outright, or hold her hand and fight side by side. What kind of childish revenge was this? This was the Golden Flow, not a kindergarten class.
Just as Ashe was about to reluctantly let go, he felt a sharp pain in his hand-Silver Lantern was gripping his hand tightly. The two of them engaged in a childish game, even more immature than kindergarten antics, squeezing each other’s hands in the water as a form of petty revenge.
“Mess,” Skadi opened one eye, revealing a clockwork eyeball. “If you have something to say, just say it.”
“Running away is useless,” Mess said. “The plan continues. We must devour the Circle Cicada.”
“How?” another person asked. “I didn’t replace my teeth with the sharp fangs of the Raging Slashing Dragon.”
“Didn’t you bring knives and forks?” Mess pulled out a dagger, its gray blade glinting in a way that felt oddly familiar to Ashe. “No matter how powerful it is, it can only resist the Golden Flow. It won’t withstand the corrosion of the Circle Cicada. But even if we can just scratch a wound and sip a drop of its essence, it would count as our victory.”
It was then that Ashe suddenly realized their clothes, weapons, and even Silver Lantern’s mask hadn’t been corroded or worn down by the Golden Flow. Otherwise, the massacre would have turned into a chaotic bath. However, the Golden Flow couldn’t only affect living beings. This meant that their clothing and weapons had been designed with the Golden Flow’s effects in mind from the very beginning.
Ashe glanced at his Honey Sword, which was naturally unscathed. It seemed the craftsmanship of Aurora’s Sorcerer Handbook was quite reliable.
“So, you’re saying we should all go back and wound the Circle Cicada, eating as much as we can?” Karsnas asked, deeply concerned. “But-“
“Do you think we have any other way out?” Mess shot back. “Step out of the Golden Flow, take a look at the Senlo of two hundred years later, and then let our souls fade into nothingness-does that sound appealing to you?”
“We’ve already lost our past,” Mess said, gripping the dagger between his teeth. “We can’t lose our future too!”
“While it’s still eating!” With a powerful leap, he surged forward with the current toward the Circle Cicada. “Gears of Time, Mess!”
Ashe and Vesser heard several sighs among the legends, followed by one resounding declaration after another:
“Named Blade Moonshadow, Disco.”
“Night and Flame, Bofang.”
“Phantom Bird Soaring, Cecil.”
“Silver Triumph, Kathleen.”
In an instant, nearly ten legendary sorcerers charged toward the Circle Cicada alongside Mess. The Circle Cicada was still devouring the giant legend, seemingly oblivious to their actions.
Clang!
When the legendary Disco swung his blade, a cascade of sword shadows appeared, as if he had instantly slashed into the Circle Cicada. Even from a distance, Ashe felt his hair stand on end, a chilling sensation running down his spine as if he himself had been struck!
The swordsmanship of the legendary realm!
Without the aid of spirits or miracles, merely by wielding his blade and harnessing his ultimate time talent, he managed to unleash a slash that distorted time, even causing a mental shockwave from a distance!
If he were to recklessly display his swordsmanship miracles outside, just the sight of his slashes could potentially kill a large number of onlookers!
“Coward.”
Silver Lantern’s taunts were always so timely. Ashe coldly glanced at her, suddenly grabbing her wrist-admiration, how do you manage to keep your palm from getting goosebumps?
You bastard, weren’t you also terrified by the legendary swordsmanship!
Although the other legends didn’t possess legendary swordsmanship, they more or less had sanctuary-level close combat abilities. One after another, they inflicted wounds on the Circle Cicada, causing it to bleed!
Could it really be effective!?
Just as Vesser was also itching to join in, Ashe suddenly grabbed her hand and desperately swam forward!
“Zhi-“
Before the legends could extend their tongues to lick, the Circle Cicada let out an unprecedented cry, and in an instant, all its injuries vanished!
“Le-“
With the second cry, the legends surrounding the Circle Cicada turned into a pile of clothed skeletons!
Even those who hadn’t yet jumped onto the Circle Cicada but were merely close to it also turned into skeletons!
Notably, the Golden Flow Water around the Circle Cicada suddenly thinned slightly but was quickly replenished.
The Trial Taker was almost speechless with shock at this scene. Suddenly, a middle-aged sorcerer appeared near Ashe and Silver Lantern-it was Mess.
Mess stared intently at the Circle Cicada, his eyes filled with both fear and fervor.
“The Circle Cicada… can actually cast spells?”