The Transcendent Godslayer-Chapter 97: Rifts: Stirring Wheels

Yula walked groggily into her and Aeneas’ living quarters within the forge and shut the door behind her. freewēbnoveℓ.com

Although they did have lives outside the forge, the only people allowed to leave and return unrestricted... well, not entirely unrestricted, the both still spent a majority of their days, in the underground "settlement".

The moment she stepped in, her entire demeanor shifted from a groggy, weak girl to an ice-cold lady, her gaze carrying a sharpness that not even Kallen... nor Aeneas who was "always" with her, had ever seen.

Gone was the traumatized girl who had been banging her head against the wall, replaced by what one could only describe as a professional, calculated woman.

It wasn’t as though she hadn’t been affected by the constant breath of death lingering over their necks, but she had exaggerated her response to an... exaggerated degree.

She was a Second Ascension ascendent, and had been through far worse than the children, who were still wet behind the ears. She only needed to be convincing in her performance—something she was an expert at.

She walked to a shelf on the side of the room, stacked with different bottles filled with potions, pills, and other medicinal resources. From it, she picked up one of the bottles and poured out its contents.

Five grey pills, shaped like round prayer beads, spilled into her hand. After scanning them for a second, she picked out the one she was looking for and poured the rest back into the bottle.

There seemed to be no difference between the selected pill and the others, but as she sat on the bed and rubbed it, channeling her dynamis into it, the illusion shattered.

A holographic orb was conjured by the bead, and she waited for a few seconds in silence.

"Who’s this?" an apathetic voice came from the orb.

"...Where you walk, you shall conquer," she replied after a brief hesitation, her brows raised, that wasn’t an opening she was expecting.

No voice responded and she became even more confused. Thinking about something, a flash of light sparked in her eyes.

"Little fruit, I’ll have you when you ripen," she said calmly.

"Oh? Yula?" The voice finally came in... with a surprised tone this time.

"Yes, my Lord," she replied, brows still furrowed, trying to think of what could possibly make him so cautious.

"You’re alive?" he questioned.

She was silent for a few seconds before replying.

"You sound surprised."

"I am. You’re supposed to be dead," the voice responded.

Yula fell into a longer silence, her mind connecting dots until something clicked.

Her eyes now carried a fierce fire as she spoke.

"...It seems things are different in our parts."

"Mhm," the voice acknowledged. "How so?"

"Slave One took the little project to the surface earlier this morning... in a rather adjusted state, as I reported earlier..."

"Yes, you did. Get to the point." The voice cut in, now sounding eager.

She continued at her own pace, a glimmer of mirth dancing in her eyes.

"While they were up there, we down below were assaulted with... sensations." She paused.

"From one wave of pressure to another... twice, we felt the scent of death. From what you’ve implied, I presume these events weren’t isolated to here alone, and the cause... might be closer than we think."

The voice was silent for a moment.

"The majority of the devastation on the surface," it finally said, then stopped and rephrased.

"Andreía is a bit of a ruin right now, and the cause was indeed within close proximity to the forge. But it was the result of Saints fighting."

Yula blinked in surprise. "Saints?" she asked.

"Yes. Saints," the voice reaffirmed.

Yula was left confused. Saints fight? What for and why over their underground? What did it have to what Menelaus took Kallen to do you there?

"Who else is still alive?" The voice questioned.

"...Basically everyone," she replied after a pause. "And Menelaus came back with him—strapped naked and unconscious to a table. Only that on his body are strange runic markings none of us have ever seen before." She added quickly.

"Strange runic markings that weren’t present before... What does...? I see..." the voice intoned, falling into thoughtful silence for a few seconds.

She waited as well, her mind now hard at work.

"I’ll be there," he finally said, and the orb vanished.

Yula snorted at the abrupt end to the call, then returned the bead to the bottle, her mind still churning with thoughts.

—

On the other side, Zephyrus sat quietly, rolling a smooth orb between his fingers, a calculating glint in his eyes.

The building he was in, looked wrecked compared to it’s former appearance, just before the Saints had unleashed carnage. When compared to the world outside though, it could be considered a haven.

As one of the heads of a noble family, they’d have protection arrays and runes to defend against attacks. Luckily, they were only to protect themselves from shockwaves from the Saints’ attacks, or they would have been cooked.

"It seems the little guy is even more than you know, my friend... You might have lost a treasure. A very valuable treasure," he murmured to no one in particular, his gaze lost in the distance.

He stood up from his sitting position after a while, a serious look on his face.

Stepping outside the massive, luxurious villa, he entered the compound where a swirling black portal hovered ominously in place.

Stationed at its front were many orc guards, all keeping vigilant watch with cold, disciplined eyes.

He walked up to the figure of authority among them, who turned at the sound of approaching footsteps.

When the chief guard saw who it was, he immediately bowed.

"Where you walk, you shall conquer!"

Hearing this, the other guards turned as well, now standing with their backs to the rift, no regard for their own safety at all.

"Where you walk, you shall conquer!" they bellowed in unison, knees hitting the ground and heads lowered.

"Rise," Zephyrus said plainly.

They obeyed immediately.

"Are they back?" he asked the chief guard, who nodded solemnly.

"Yes, my Lord. The highest threat is at the Third Ascension."

"You plan on entering?" a voice suddenly cut in.

The guards paid the same respect to the newcomer, who didn’t acknowledge them, his gaze locked solely on Zephyrus.

"Mhm... You want to join me?" Zephyrus asked.

The man, who looked just like Zephyrus but with a leaner build and even larger tusks jutting from the corners of his mouth, thought for a moment.

"Sure."

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