Chapter 261: The Fragile Goddess Alliance |
Although Ambrose hadn't witnessed the battle firsthand, he wasn't worried about the members of the Elegiac Society at all.
They were undead who stood at the very pinnacle of the world, each one a master of their craft.
Facing a group of drow posed no risk of failure whatsoever. The only question was how long they felt like playing with them.
Ambrose had his own task to complete. Right now, he only hoped that the drow priestess, Trisna, wouldn't be distracted by the situation outside.
Clearly, Trisna was even colder and more ruthless than he had imagined.
She merely glanced down from the tower, confirmed that the drow were certain to lose, and then activated every magical defense of the tower before throwing herself fully into the sacrifice.
The ritual might not be completed perfectly, but surely the goddesses would forgive her.
Slave after slave was flayed and dismembered. The blood pool was already more than half full. With time running short, this was the best she could manage.
Trisna leapt into the pool of blood and began chanting the sacrificial prayer.
Clearly, they had tacitly approved of Trisna's "improvised" ritual and were still prepared to grant her their blessings.
The Spider Queen spoke first. "Faithful one, I grant you the Kiss of Venom. Poison shall be as honey to you, nourishing body and soul; to your enemies, it shall be a blade that rends their flesh!"
A vast divine power descended, enveloping Trisna. Ambrose saw her lips turn violet as toxic fumes began to seep from her body.
The blood around her bubbled violently upon contact with the poison, as if boiling. Even the obsidian floor corroded into foul sludge under the fumes, proof of its terrifying potency.
Trisna frowned deeply. The divine power brought not only strength, but an overwhelming pressure she could barely endure.
Before the Spider Queen withdrew her power, the second goddess spoke.
"I grant you the Thorned Sting. Your hair and nails shall become indestructible spikes, bringing agony to your enemies and mending your wounds."
This was clearly a blessing from Levitra, Mistress of Pain.
Trisna's long hair began to writhe and transform. Strands grew and sharpened into deadly spikes, carving deep grooves into the ground at a touch.
This time, Trisna bit her lip hard enough to draw blood. The strain of the dual blessings was a source of extreme pain—but that pain itself became her strength, healing the wound even as she tore it open again.
Then came the blessing of the Dragon Queen.
"I grant you draconic blood. Let it form an unyielding dragon's armor to protect your body. You shall fear no flame, and your enemies shall turn to ash."
As Tiamat's voice echoed, Trisna's body transformed again. Her pale skin flushed red, as though molten lava flowed through her veins instead of blood.
The heat burned her silken garments to ash, revealing her nude body.
Crimson scales rapidly spread across her skin, covering face, torso, and limbs, leaving only her hair and eyes exposed.
This time, she could no longer hold back a scream of agony.
Three simultaneous divine blessings granted her immense power at an unbearable cost.
Ambrose could sense clearly that Trisna's soul was on the verge of collapse. No mortal could endure such overwhelming spiritual might.
It was now Shara's turn to grant Trisna a blessing.
But the Dark Goddess did not act. Instead, she stared toward a hidden corner—Ambrose's hiding spot.
Ambrose sighed. He understood this was the task he had to fulfill.
He activated Mist Step and appeared directly behind Trisna.
He thrust the black dagger in his hand forward with all his strength, aiming to pierce her heart.
His speed and motion were no longer those of a mage, but of a legendary ranger. His dagger could have pierced steel.
But could it pierce Trisna's dragon scales?
Dragon scales, comparable to mithril in strength, went far beyond mere steel. Dragons were slain not by piercing blows, but by blunt force that crushed the flesh beneath.
Even if the attack failed, Ambrose's task would still be complete. It wasn't his fault if the weapon fell short.
But the moment the dagger struck, a small section of scales on Trisna's back suddenly vanished.
That single gap allowed the blade to pass cleanly through her skin and pierce her heart.
The tip of the dagger burst out from her chest. Shock filled the drow priestess's eyes.
Who had ambushed her? Why had there been no warning?
Ambrose didn't linger to admire the result. He didn't even retrieve the dagger. Instead, he immediately attempted to teleport away.
But he was just a fraction too slow.
The Spider Queen let out a shrill scream. Ambrose felt his body freeze midair as his bones began to crumble into dust.
This was a god's strike, one meant to annihilate both body and soul.
Divine power could even prevent a lich from regenerating through its phylactery. The Spider Queen, gone mad with fury, was determined to erase him completely.
But in the next instant, light flashed as Ambrose's body was restored.
A boon from Poet had completely negated a fatal blow.
The Spider Queen was stunned. Her full-force attack had failed. Before she could strike again, Ambrose's skeletal body collapsed into a heap.
A lich didn't need to be killed to return to its phylactery. Ambrose could choose to do so voluntarily.
Thanks to Poet's blessing, he had seized a narrow chance at survival despite the divine wrath he had provoked.
Moments later, his soul reappeared in the temple where he had summoned the undead army.
Before setting out, he had hidden his phylactery here. Upon revival, he immediately equipped his mechanical mithril body.
Though his soul felt weakened, his combat power was now even greater than before.
Bones were meaningless. Mithril was king!
With his new body secured, Ambrose flew out of the ruined temple and found Black Rose, who was directing the battle from the sky.
"Finished?" Black Rose asked.
Ambrose nodded. "Following Shara's plan, I stabbed the drow priestess, but I'm not sure of the outcome. Still, it seems Shara and Tiamat were working together. At the critical moment, Tiamat helped me."
It had been Tiamat who had removed a patch of dragon scales from Trisna's body.
In other words, Shara and Tiamat must have joined forces against Loss and Levitra.
"What was the dagger for? What happens if Trisna dies?" Ambrose wondered aloud.
But he didn't dare return to the tower.
The Spider Queen could destroy him with a single strike. While he still had spare lives, he had no intention of testing her patience.
After hearing his account, Black Rose smiled. "The Spider Queen has likely violated Aion's laws by personally attacking you. She'll be severely punished. Shara probably had you act just to provoke that reaction. The dagger may not matter, but forcing her into a fit of rage gave Shara her opening."
Ambrose took out a crystal and grinned. "If you want to know what happens next, just watch."
"A memory crystal? You left one there?" Black Rose asked in surprise.
"With the goddesses busy tearing each other apart, they won't notice." He activated the crystal.
Black Rose's guess was exactly right. After the Spider Queen screamed at Ambrose, Tiamat and Shara watched her with faint smiles.
The moment Ambrose disappeared, a bolt of lightning crashed down onto the Spider Queen's projection.
A shriek beyond mortal hearing erupted as the projection solidified into a physical body and slammed to the ground.
"Ha! Success!"
Shara laughed viciously and lunged forward.
This had been the plan all along. Aion's punishment had struck the Spider Queen from her divine realm into the mortal world, severely wounding her.
This graceful drow form was her true body. If Shara were to devour her, she would seize her divine authority.
But just as Shara made her move, a bloody whip lashed out, wrapping around the Spider Queen.
Levitra, the Mistress of Pain, had made her move. She hadn't expected Shara to ally with Tiamat, but she had her own contingency. Her original plan had been to strike after the ritual, using a transformed drow to assassinate Trisna and absorb the others' powers.
Now, with the Spider Queen exposed, she was forced to act immediately.
But before she could pull her prize away, Tiamat arrived. Her beautiful face split into five monstrous dragon heads. Three lunged at Levitra. Two went for the Spider Queen.
Forced to defend herself, the Mistress of Pain released her grip, binding the attacking heads with her whip.
Yet Tiamat still failed to claim the Spider Queen. Shara had struck.
Moments ago they had been allies, but no longer.
Darkness engulfed the battlefield, stripping all the goddesses of their senses.
By the time the shadows cleared, the Spider Queen was in Shara's grasp.
Her body was torn open. Shara's hand had plunged into her chest, gripping her heart.
The Spider Queen, once a drow, was now as vulnerable as any mortal thanks to Aion's punishment. If her heart was removed, she would die.
Just as Shara was about to succeed, the sound of shattering crystal echoed.
A strange melody filled the air.
It wasn't exactly harsh, but it was unbearable, like the sense of vertigo that resulted from spinning endlessly before getting shoved off a cliff.
All four goddesses were struck by a severe bout of dizziness, nausea, and disorientation.
Within Ambrose's recording crystal had been a special tune given to him by Poet, music that disrupted divine will.
Before striking, Ambrose had tied the crystal to a beam and fashioned a tiny skeletal rat to cut the rope on command.
At the critical moment, he gave the order for the rat to snip the twine and have the crystal fall to the ground.
Through the crystal, Ambrose had been able to observe the scene in the tall spire and work out the best time to strike.
As the crystal fell and the music spread, the three goddesses' projections rapidly dissipated.
The Spider Queen lay on the ground, chest torn open, her heart still beating weakly.
Ambrose turned to Black Rose. "Now," he said calmly, "it's time to collect our spoils."
