NOVPUBChapter 798 -798: The Death of The Chosen One
No. 6, Saint Delan Square, on the third floor boundary, with the black wind howling out, Miss Galina stood at the forefront, protecting Tifa and Luviya behind her. All three had the same spirit rune, the black whisper – [Death].
And behind the door, in that place called true death, there appeared an unexpected light.
It was a warm firelight, the crackling sound very reassuring. The three ladies in Tobesk also saw the scene behind the door.
They couldn’t see the shimmering starlit waters, but they could see the bonfire and a circle of people sitting around it. Both Luviya and Miss Galina were shocked:
“Why are there so many people? Is this place that easy to enter?”
The sound of the door opening also made the circle of people by the bonfire look over.
“Shard, why is your appearance completely clear, while everyone else is a blurry shadow?”
Miss Galina asked again, and Shard stood up with a smile:
“It doesn’t matter who these people are. However, I am really glad to see you, good evening.”
He waved with a smile, so the witch didn’t ask about the identities of the others but breathed a sigh of relief:
“Detective, you really know how to get me into trouble, coming to a place like this. Is everything over? I’m still waiting for your story.”
“Not yet, but it’s almost over.”
He signaled for everyone to get up and leave.
However, once Shard left here, the already weak “Kiss of the Tree” bonfire would immediately go out. He no longer had the power to reopen the Maze Lock, and the Church’s “Holy Tree Scar” would take on all the sealing duties.
“Good evening.”
Iluna also greeted her teacher, and Miss Galina only realized that Iluna was also here when she heard the voice.
Iluna looked outside the door and asked hesitantly:
“After we leave here, where will we end up? Saint Delan Square? What about the matters in Midshire Fort?”
“Don’t worry, although I don’t know how this door opened in Shard’s house, due to the nature of the Gate of Death, we will return to where we came from. Of course, choosing to return to Saint Delan Square is also possible.”
The priest said, having a full understanding of the door.
This reassured Iluna, and the witch urged from outside:
“Hurry up, if this door stays open any longer, I’m afraid Shard’s house will really turn into a ghostly place when he returns. Detective, are you really not considering moving?”
“I’m not considering moving for now… Iluna, go ahead, you still have to conduct a ceremony and then face the final battle at Midshire Fort.”
“What ceremony?”
The witch outside asked, and Luviya behind her widened her eyes slightly, also understanding:
“Iluna is the fourth candidate?”
“What? Can the same person inherit two identities?”
Miss Galina turned to look at her.
“Of course, one identity can only belong to one person, but Iluna can obtain part of the power. The Chosen One of Death is the second candidate, and this has already been decided… it’s not my decision, it’s the nun’s decision.”
Sister Delphine, who had not yet stood up by the bonfire, smiled and shook her head slightly, but Shard didn’t see her.
Iluna stood in front of Shard, and Shard solemnly handed her the “Night Watchman” in his hand, looking at her slightly apprehensive eyes:
“Take this and go defeat the undead aggregation formed in the interstice. When the Church performs the final step of ‘Holy Tree Scar,’ you will hold this sword and act as the last executor of the ceremony. Leaving this sword in the ritual core will maximize the effectiveness of the ceremony. Although it won’t seal the rift permanently, it will at least extend the seal for a hundred years.”
He patted Iluna on the shoulder, and the brown-haired girl asked:
“If you give me this sword, what will you…?”
“I’m exhausted today, I don’t want to fight the undead anymore, so you do it. Iluna Beath, you are the chosen one, aren’t you?”
Shard said with a smile, pretending to be relieved. Then he handed Iluna the bone whistle left after the nun burned Barton’s corpse:
“A token of power from the Ancient God of Death, take this. I’m quite curious about what this whistle does.”
Iluna nodded seriously and, standing on tiptoe, kissed Shard’s cheek with a blushing face:
“You don’t have to do everything, Shard. This time, I will take care of everything.”
She hurried towards the opened stone gate, as if afraid someone would see her blushing face. But she didn’t appear at the boundary of Saint Delan Square behind the door, instead heading towards the church in the interstice.
“Don’t forget, after this is over, you will come with me to the Order’s base.”
Sister Delphine stood up, saying this for the third time.
“Yes, sister, go ahead. The identity of the Chosen One of Death belongs to you.”
The nun nodded slightly towards Shard, picking up the oil lamp that no longer had a flame, and then touched her eyepatch:
“This is an ornament made of mithril from the Ancient Death God Church.”
She paused for a moment, calculating the time, and then walked towards the door, disappearing.
Priest Augustus stood up for the third time, walked to Shard’s side, holding the severed arm in his hand:
“Detective, you should refrain from involving yourself in such dangerous matters. While young men may have zeal, they must also prioritize safety. Look, if it weren’t for my help this time, you would have been in grave danger.”
The old man tucked his pipe into his coat:
“I’ll see you in Tobesk. I expect to return by the end of the month and will bring souvenirs for you all.”
Timing the departures of the two previous persons, he then patted Shard’s shoulder and headed to the door.
Shard finally looked at Joey Barton and Mrs. Marilyn Handel, who stood up supporting each other.
“You will come with me to Tobesk, and then leave from there.”
They both entered Death through the Nature Chapel in the Interstice, but now, they certainly couldn’t return that way.
“Thank you…”
Mr. Barton wanted to speak, but Shard interrupted him:
“No need to thank me, everything comes with a price.
Even with our help to resurrect this lady, the curse of death will haunt you for the rest of your lives. The numbness of the soul and the fragility of the flesh will gradually make you realize that perhaps living is not a blessing. Mortals will die eventually; you can only make the journey more meaningful. But I hope, when you return here again…”
Shard pointed to the ground:
“…you won’t regret today’s decision.”
Mr. Barton bowed deeply. At this moment, he no longer appeared as the small, deformed child, looking increasingly normal. Having lost the status of The Chosen One, it seems his soul was freed from all pre-mortem influences:
“No matter what, Watson… Mr. Hamilton, you are the most important friend of my life.”
“But you are no longer my friend.”
Shard said, seeing the campfire at his feet had extinguished:
“Remember to do more good deeds. It may be twenty years, thirty years, or even fifty years. Someday, I will come looking for you. If you are still alive, then you can tell me about everything you’ve done over these years.”
Mr. Barton’s soul held Miss Hendel’s hand:
“Besides meeting her, perhaps the luckiest thing in my life was meeting you.”
“No need for such polite words. Once you reach my home, recount tonight’s story to the ladies of my family. Then, stay away from all this, away from strife. Good luck to you, and I hope you don’t return to this swamp too soon.”
“Is that Joey Barton? Weren’t they enemies? Why has it turned into a tragic opera?”
The witch outside the door asked Luviya suspiciously, and the purple-eyed girl shook her head:
“But judging from Shard’s expression, isn’t he planning something big tonight?”
“Nothing major. I still need to go to Midshire Fort later to find two people in reality.”
Shard said, stepping out of the Gate of Death, followed by Ms. Handel and the undead she held. Both bore gray marks, the traces of the curse.
The stone door closed behind them, but the relic runaway caused by death’s invasion, and the turmoil throughout the borderland, were far from over.
If not handled properly, No. 6, Saint Delan Square might truly become uninhabitable.
(Dorothy is rushing to meet the deadline…)
Midshire Fort, the Interstice of Life and Death, a gale suddenly rose in the dense fog.
The nearly mad evil spirits in the Interstice, carrying terrifying Whisper Elements, launched their final attack on three passages. But as the strange wind appeared almost simultaneously from the mountain’s base and waist, the undead all stopped their actions.
Then, whether in the Interstice or reality, everyone saw two pure white light pillars descending from the sky, one before the other. Even the dense fog couldn’t hide their color, and even the Whisper Elements couldn’t mask the nearly tangible power of the miracle derived from the Ancient God.
The resurrected Iluna Beath walked out of the Nature Chapel in the Interstice, and Sister Delphine, the Fire Bearer, also stepped out of the mountainside passage.
The white light pillars enveloped them, as if transparent feathers were scattered onto the Earth. Under the gaze of the Circle Sorcerers of the Church, the witches, and all the people in Midshire Fort City who could see the sky, thirteen golden light spots appeared in the sky filled with white fog.
“The Chosen One Ceremony… But isn’t Beath already of Balance… Huh? Why is there another light pillar on the mountain? And it appeared later than ours? Huh? Why did Beath descend, isn’t it a ceremony?”
Mr. Lando, the Twelve-Ring Sorcerer of the Peace Church, asked in surprise.
“The Chosen One Ceremony… Sure enough, it’s Delphine. Although the Spiritual Practice Order doesn’t belong to the Council, now the Council finally… Huh? Why is there another light pillar at the mountain’s base? And it’s earlier than ours, huh? Why did the light disappear at the mountain’s base?”
Miss Aphrola asked Granny Cassandra, who was looking up, with some surprise.
The brilliant golden hue erupted on Sister Delphine, who stood at the mountainside of Sicarl Mountain in the Interstice. Her feet left the ground, and the nun spread her arms in the light beam, with a massive eleven-ringed Brass Ring of Fate behind her, blending with that golden Spiritual Light.
The pure white light pillar gradually transformed into a golden hue, and the thirteen light spots of the Ritual Circle fused with the Ring of Fate behind her. The high-speed spinning Brass Ring blurred, leaving only the solidified thirteen light spots. Then, in that almost chaotic brilliance, the thirteen light spots arranged in a circle converged inward to form a scythe-like pattern.
The golden shockwave spread around, the light spots hidden in the Ring of Fate, and the original Brass Life Ring metamorphosed into a dark golden scythe at this moment.
As if a power traversing from ancient times, originating from more ancient eras, swept through the entire Interstice with the mountainside as the center at this moment.
The Chosen One of Death officially completed the ceremony. Although the story wasn’t particularly perfect, it still marked the end of the third small section of the “Whispering Verses.”
Miss Aphrola, shaking her long hair in the wind, watched the descending Sister Delphine, a valiant witch with a smile on her face:
“What about the True God Church? The Truth Society is just a bunch of jesters. This victory seems to belong to the Council. Nun, after the upcoming battle, let’s discuss the deep cooperation between the Spiritual Practice Order and the Witch Council. Haven’t you always wanted to see the real Council?”
