Chapter 781 v4c152
Beneath The Ice
The Light Orb shone brightly and lit up the surroundings. The miserably bright white light outlined the ice surface’s uneven zigzag lines that formed an upside-down bowl-shaped ice cavity, narrow and quiet. About Brendel’s question, Korfa just looked at him and smiled slightly. There was only calmness in her eyes, she wasn’t going to argue or refute. On the other hand, Arreck didn’t say a word at all as he leaned against the ice wall with his wounded forehead. His wrinkled face was full of blood and looked extremely wretched.
This had put Brendel in a difficult situation. Did Korfa really want him to kill her right now? If the other party was a fucking monster, he wouldn’t feel stressed out, but who he was facing now was a young lady that seemed harmless and innocent. Although her existence might lead to a very bad future, displacing many people and killing families, that was after all only a possibility. If the girl was eager to argue, he might still think that she could be malicious. But Korfa was very smart, she did not say a word and was as if she wasn’t hiding anything. Brendel couldn’t do anything.
Brendel held the sword in his hand, but he finally sighed and put down the black and heavy blade. He couldn’t kill because of a trumped-up possibility after all.
He was still too soft-hearted.
Brendel shook his head. If Amandina saw this, she would’ve admonished him again in private that a man of great importance shouldn’t be hesitant. However, he didn’t know that Amandina was always loyal to him because he was different from other noblemen who were hesitant but unfaithful. She wasn’t cold-blooded after all, but was afraid that Brendel would be ruined by those cold-blooded nobles.
A disdainful grunt came from behind.
Brendel turned around and saw Arreck’s dishevelled face like a beggar’s, but his expression was full of contempt, as if Brendel’s kindness to him meant nothing. Brendel was suddenly furious. I can’t do anything to Korfa, but do you think I can’t do anything to you? Arreck’s hands were stained with the blood of the Aouines, and his actions in Ampere Seale completely pushed him to the opposite side of civilization. In Aouine under the rule of the Holy Cathedral of Fire, colluding with Devils was a serious crime, not to mention leading the Devil Army onto the earth and stealing the Holy Cathedral of Fire’s Portal. Moreover, he also destroyed the port of Ampere Seale that had hundreds of thousands of people. Even if Arreck died a thousand times, his debt wouldn’t be paid for all the things he did.
Brendel looked into the eyes of this Duke who was once powerful in Aouine.
Arreck also looked up at him at the same time, his eyes under his long eyebrows. He only said one word that immediately made Brendel freeze, “The Darkness Dragon?”
Brendel inhaled, almost couldn’t resist nailing this guy directly to the ice with his sword, “What did you say?”
“As far as I know, there is only one person who can see through the mists of history,” Arreck replied slowly, “and that is the Darkness Dragon, foreseen by the Witches.”
“I have not won a fight against anyone who walks ahead of the past.” He closed his eyelids as if resigning to his fate.
This guy seemed to have decided that Brendel was the Darkness Dragon. Brendel was speechless, thinking if those Witches from Bunosong had a sense of confidentiality. Why are their prophecies known to everyone? Aren’t they afraid of the Holy Cathedral of Fire finding out the successor of the Darkness Dragon and killing him first?
But he immediately found that thinking so seemed wrong. In the Dark Prophecy, it was said that the Darkness Dragon who reappeared in Vaunte was all-seeing and all-knowing so he was able to see through the mists of history. Since he was so powerful, he wouldn’t be killed by the Holy Cathedral of Fire; and if the Darkness Dragon died, it would only prove that he was not the real Darkness Dragon, which was a paradox. Brendel now finally appreciated the strength of these guys who wrote prophecies. Anything could make sense after all, it just depends on how one interpreted it.
Just like Arreck at this moment, Brendel suddenly understood his thoughts. The Duke was proud and unwilling to admit defeat to a mortal, so he simply identified Brendel as the Darkness Dragon. Furthermore, this was the only way to explain Brendel’s previous conversation with Kofar.
Of course, this stubborn conjecture would be a joke for the average person and it could be laughed off. But for Brendel, it’s a bit of a different meaning. First of all, he himself had the heritage of the Darkness Dragon. Though this thing was hidden very deeply, it wouldn’t be completely impossible to find out if the Holy Cathedral of Fire investigated it. Secondly, it seemed that only with the rumors of the Dark Prophecy could he explain his ability to provide judgment of the future, even though he knew that the reason for this was not because of omniscience, but because he had come from the future.
But the question was, who would believe it?
Another thing that puzzled Brendel was Arrek succumbing to his fate. From what he knew, the Duke was definitely a guy who wouldn’t let go until the end, this defeated loser did not seem like the Arreck he knew at all. As far as he knew, Duke Arreck had a rich life of experience, he had not had a smooth time since birth; he encountered numerous setbacks, large and small, and even in his youth he lost the woman he loved most because of the struggle to inherit the title. Brendel once suspected that it was for this reason that drove him to madness and paranoia, making him a cultist instead of pursuing the Duke title.
And in any case, compared to those experiences, this defeat wouldn’t seem to be a huge setback in Arreck’s life. Who is Duke Arreck putting up a show for? The only two people here were Brendel and Korfa. Korfa was definitely not able to save him, so was he putting up a show for Brendel as a plan to retreat?
Did the Duke really think Brendel was too soft-hearted to take his life?
Brendel frowned as he knew it wasn’t that simple. He couldn’t help but take a closer look at Arreck, and his gaze soon stopped on Arreck’s hand. His hands didn’t look like they belonged to a Grand Duke, they looked as if worn out, just like his knights. But this wasn’t the main thing, the main point here was the shining ring on his index finger. A ring that was like a snake attached from head to tail.
Ringed Serpent Ring.
So this was the trick. Brendel was relieved that he didn’t forget about this. This ring had caused him big trouble when he first came to this world, so he wouldn’t forget what this ring is for. If he ever ‘accidentally’ killed Arreck at this place right now, the superiors of All For One would know that he was the Darkness Dragon immediately. The Darkness Dragon was the Four Wise Men’s enemy, but the saying ‘an enemy’s enemy is a friend’ couldn’t be applied in every situation. The Darkness Dragon and the Twilight believers were on bad terms, so All For One would be happy to see him fight with the Holy Cathedral of Fire.
At the thought of this, Brendel couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat. So this guy was planning this all along. Arreck must’ve put this ring in the most obvious place ever as a warning.
“What?” Arreck saw Brendel’s expression change before he asked, “Has the Darkness Dragon gone so easy to the point that he doesn’t dare to kill?”
“That’s not true, it just took a fancy to your ring. How about this, you remove the ring and give it to me, I will let you have your way, and reluctantly arrange for you to meet with your master, the Twilight Dragon.” Brendel replied impatiently.
Arreck laughed, as if he had finally recovered from that earlier embarrassment. “There is no need to go to such trouble, this is just an ordinary ring, there is no problem of magic dissipation. You can just kill me with one sword and come and get it yourself.”
Old fox! Brendel cursed in his heart. This was a typical case of bargaining.
“Little slick! Arreck also cursed, and he couldn’t help but be glad that the eldest daughter of Hati was here, so that he had ground to bargain with Brendel. Otherwise, in his current state, Brendel would’ve dealt with him already. But Brendel’s keen response also left him surprised. Arreck thought he’d have to threaten Brendel verbally, he didn’t expect the other party to come to senses after just a glance at his ring, which required not only brains but also a great understanding of the internal structure of everything.
Where did this monster come from? Arreck couldn’t help it but doubt.
Naturally, Brendel couldn’t kill Arreck now. The good thing was that Brendel had Arreck in his hands right now so he might not easily reveal the secret. Otherwise, his only card would be gone. Brendel knew clearly that this Duke wouldn’t give in to death so easily. If he hadn’t spotted the Ringed Serpent Ring just now, Arreck might’ve had to threaten him in his face or remind him at least. His goal was to stay alive, and not to reveal the secret.
Now both of them could be said to have mastered each other’s weaknesses and thoughts. At one moment they were mutually scornful, but now they have reached some sort of ‘balance’. Although not said out loud, both of them knew that very well.
Brendel simply ignored the old guy Arreck as there were still empty spaces in the dungeons of the Coldwood Castle. Once he gets his territory, he would naturally find a way to make the ring ineffective. As for what was going on in Arreck’s head, he couldn’t care less anyway, as Arreck claiming that he was the Darkness Dragon would be his greatest advantage. In fact, Brendel had many more secrets buried deep down. Since Arreck wanted to take the dark route, Brendel might as well go along with him.
Both of them had their own dark plans. Brendel turned back and looked at Korfa, he saw her lying on the ground watching the scene with interest. Brendel asked, “What do you want me to do with you, Miss Korfa, Her Highness the Princess of the Twilight?”
“No need to call me that,” Korfa replied smartly with a faint smile, “since you didn’t kill this gentleman, you won’t kill me until he’s dead, right?”
Brendel sighed. He had been seen through again. Didn’t people say that people with big breasts are less smart? Why wasn’t it the case when it came to Korfa? Was it because the physiology of the Twilight Wolves and humans were different? He couldn’t help but look at the girl who was lying quietly on the ice, only wearing a thin robe but didn’t look like she felt cold. Her chest was moving up and down following the pace of her breathing. If one could ignore her identity as the eldest daughter of Hati, she could be considered a goddess. At least her figure was considered flawless like a goddess’ that even real goddesses would definitely be jealous of her.
Not even her loose black robe could hide the delicate curves of her body.
Brando stared and suddenly he recalled what he felt just now. He felt his body heat up and quickly pinched his nose to stop thinking about it so he wouldn’t embarrass himself.
Korfa smiled slightly with an innocent look, as if it didn’t bother her at all.
Since he couldn’t resolve anything, Brando thought he might as well figure out the place they were at. He only remembered the scene of him falling down from the Spiral Hall, and nobody knew what was below the abyss. But there seemed to be some people who had gone down the abyss before and found glaciers that overlapped each other everywhere. These types of glaciers could be found everywhere in the Deadly Tundra, so nobody wouldn’t have the time to explore all of them.
These crevices in the glacier had been here since ancient times. They could be large ones that were miles across in width and some could be as small as the cavity they were in right now.
“Can I borrow your magic?” Brando asked Korfa.
Korfa nodded and the Light Orb was delivered right away in his face.
Brando felt his way along the ice wall for a while. The narrow ice cavity stretched for dozens of meters and consisted of a dark blue ice surface, which sometimes refracted and reflected light, making the entire cavern appear strange. But Brando didn’t find an exit even after a walk around, the entire ice cavity was completely sealed, and there wasn’t even an opening on the top. He checked again and again and finally gave up, feeling disappointed as he returned to where he came from. He wondered, if this was an entirely enclosed space, how did they fall in here? Or were they buried in the landslide caused by the collapse of the Spiral Hall?
If it was the second possibility, that would be a big problem. He clearly remembered that it was half a mountain wall, who knew how thick that thing would be when it collapsed?
And it’s hard to say how much oxygen was still inside this ice cavity.
Korfa watched him return and asked in a soft voice, “Mr. Human, are you looking for a way out?”
Brando looked up suddenly at the eldest daughter of Hati and asked, “Do you know what this place is?”
Korfa nodded, “This should be below the Spiral Hall, the God’s Eternal Resting Place.”
“God’s Eternal Resting Place?” Brando thought about this term and suddenly reacted, “This is the dormant place of Surash?”
“Surash?”
“I mean the Awakening God.” Brando replied.
Korfa nodded again.
“So here it is,” Brando dawned, and he looked to Korfa, “You seem to know it well.”
“I’ve always been well aware, Mr. Human.” Korfa replied, “Actually, the god who would wake up is Milos, and although we fell into eternal sleep after that battle, it’s just a figure of speech, just like I can wake up, so can Lord Milos.”
“That’s not right,” Brando was a bit puzzled, “Shouldn’t Milos be on our side? Then what is the point of you going to all the trouble of bringing it back to life?”
“Ignorance.” Arreck interrupted.
Brando glanced back at him, understanding that there must be some other meaning, but he did not expect the Duke to tell him voluntarily, so he simply looked back at Kou Hua. Korfa smiled wryly, “The birth of gods on the earth once again after the age of mortals is indeed not good news for you. And the crux of the matter is that what controls Milos now is the other side of me.”
Brando frowned. These were all he knew, but he always felt that Anrek Was still hiding something. “There is a problem here. If I remember correctly, although Milos is only the god of the Frost Giants, he is at a level that is not less inferior than your mother. Moreover this can be said to be his home turf, your other soul shouldn’t be able to take the wheel, even if Milos had just woken up. Not to mention, Miss Korfa, that is only half of your soul.”
“According to normal circumstances, that is indeed the case,” Korfa replied, “but Lord Milos’ consciousness is not within his body.”
“What!” Brendel was taken aback at this, “You mean the God of Frost Giants merely had his body awakened?”
Korfa nodded her head for a moment.
This was a big problem. Wasn’t this saying that Surash and the dark side of Korfa were very similar? It’s basically a Twilight descendant full of resentment controlling a god’s lifeless body. This wasn’t funny. It wouldn’t be too bad if Milos’ body only had his own power, but if it also had the functions and domain of a god, then it’d be a hell of a disaster. But Brando thought that since it was the BOSS of the Holy Cathedral of the Sleep, then its strength wouldn’t be too overwhelming. Of course, this could only be a dream as history had changed and they weren’t in a game right now, who knew what would happen?
“I remember you called your other half-sister?” Brando asked, “Your sister doesn’t seem to have a good personality.”
Korfa looked at him awkwardly, “Mr.Human…”
Of course Brando understood where the awkwardness was coming from because up until here, only he knew these one-body-two-soul ‘sisters’.
The kind Korfa had been a peacemaker from the start. On the forum, it was stated that she wanted to become a garden keeper. Of course, no one knew where this weird saying came from, but it was somehow reliable information. And for Korfa’s ‘sister’, she was definitely a war monster. The dark side of Korfa was the main reason for the BOSS’ existence. Her goal coincides with arreck, which was to resurrect the Twilight Dragon.
But the dark side of Korfa would occasionally be in a good mood, perhaps appearing less crazy. For example, the way she acted in the hall at first. But such things were too nebulous and Brando didn’t dare gamble with such things. He looked at the sealed space, thinking that his first task was naturally to find a way out, and the only thing he could think of was digging. He could only pray that the ice overhead wasn’t too thick, or hope for good luck digging into an ice crevice. Unfortunately, because he didn’t know how much more oxygen was left in the cavity, he had to get to work immediately.
But this obviously couldn’t be done by just him alone.
He looked back at Anrek and Korfa to ask, “Both of you, you don’t plan on dying here together right?”