Chapter 132: Holy Sword - Evelia
"Hmm...?"
Opening my sleepy eyes, I vigorously patted my muddled Brain to clear it up, then laboriously stretched, swaying as I sat up and looked around the Surroundings with hazy eyes.
Was it a dream again?
Then, the next moment, my Brain, which was turning like a rattling, broken fan starting up, began to realize that something seemed a bit off.
Generally speaking, people who dream aren't conscious that they are in a dream. Why could even my rusty Brain immediately detect that I was in a dream? Had I gotten used to it?
Really, I'm a normal Man. Wet dreams are fine, but I always dream of strange and bizarre things. Could this be the so-called trick of Destiny?
I stayed stunned for several minutes before the old fan In One's Head finally reached a normal speed. I shook my Head and stood up with a bitter smile. Forget it, it's just a dream anyway. Just treat it as a first Experience.
But, where is this place?
After waking up, I paused, looked around the Surroundings, and then used the "broken electric fan" In One's Head to rapidly analyze the images captured by my eyes.
Insufficient power, insufficient memory, unable to continue analyzing. But after only a few seconds, just as I barely got a little Clue, my Brain immediately issued an alarm.
This is an Abandoned Space, a "forsaken" Land.
This was my only Feeling.
The hazy Sky, as if you could touch it just by reaching out; the black Soil without a trace of Life Aura, scattered like stars and covered with pale white "Stones" and "sticks (chopsticks?)"; and the brown Rock Layers protruding from the Ground in strange postures, towering like ferocious Monsters, even the biting cold Wind that scraped like blades. Everything was gray.
This was a monochrome, colorless Act, a place so oppressive it was almost suffocating.
I composed myself, trying hard to let my Body adapt, then cautiously took a step, landing on a "Stone".
"..."
I withdrew my right foot in surprise.
The Feeling transmitted from the sole of my foot was actually soft and mushy?!!
I cautiously examined this "Stone" for a long time, until I found no threat. Only then did I approach it.
"Wow..."
I was so scared I almost sat on the Ground with my Buttocks. The shape of the end of the "Stone" actually resembled a human Head wearing a full-face Helmet. On it was carved a lifelike face. That detailed facial expression suddenly added a trace of eerie Aura to this gray Space.
Still shaken, I took a deep breath of the murky Air. I calmed down and took a careful look. Only then did I realize, how could this be a Stone? It was clearly a Human Corpse of flesh and blood!!
This eerie Corpse seemed to still retain the posture from the moment before death. Its Body was covered by full Armor and a closed Helmet, with only a small half of its face exposed. The Armor he wore was fine and compact, the carvings extremely exquisite, and the smooth, beautiful lines made it clear at a glance that it was no ordinary item. It's just that who knows how many years have passed. This Equipment, which was originally very likely Gold, Unique, or even Divine Artifacts, had all rusted up. Connected with those Corpses, they were all like a part of the Ground. No wonder I didn't recognize them at first.
With this realization, the entire Act seemed to become completely different. Those "Stones" scattered across the entire Land like Pebbles on a Beach were actually all Corpses?! Those lying on the Ground, squatting on the Ground, standing, tightly connected by stick-like things, or overlapping... every single one was a Corpse!!?
However, this wasn't the most surprising thing...
These Human Corpses, no, they weren't Humans. They weren't Humans.
Most of them had Wings on their Backs. Even those without Wings were clearly different from the Appearance of Humans. This is hard to explain clearly, just like East Asians and Caucasians, Chinese and Westerners, it's easy to distinguish them.
In Sanctuary, they should have another name—Angel! Demon!
This is the Graveyard of Angels and Demons, and those things scattered in the distance like Tombstones in a Graveyard should be countless Weapons. Because most are Swords, from afar they look like wooden sticks or chopsticks. (The main Weapon of Angels is the Greatsword, they seem to have a considerable preference for Swords, and Demons, who are fallen Angels, are no exception).
I carefully avoided the Corpses and Weapons underfoot, slowly advancing, examining everything before my eyes with a Mood of shock and almost reverent pilgrimage. Of course, what I was revering was not these Angels and Demons, but the Battle that once took place here.
Those Wingless Angels and Demons were one thing; they were just the recognized cannon fodder of the War of Gods and Demons, and it wasn't strange for them to appear on the Battlefield. But Two-Winged, even Four-Winged, oh God!! I could occasionally even see Six-Winged ones.
In Sanctuary's Level classification system—Wingless Angels and Demons all have the Strength/Power of Monster Leaders in the Third World. And next, Quasi-Two-Winged are equivalent to Elites, Two-Winged are equivalent to Mini-Bosses, Quasi-Four-Winged are equivalent to Demon Kings, and Four-Winged are already at the Demon God Level of Mephisto, Diablo, and Baal. As for Quasi-Six-Winged and Six-Winged, no one dared to even think about them.
Understanding such a Fact, my inner shock and reverence seemed natural.
"Hiss..."
When I was engrossed, my elbow accidentally hit something. I turned my Head to look, and it was a Longsword held in the hand of a Four-Winged Angel. The Four-Winged Angel's over four-meter-tall, robust and imposing Figure stood like a small mountain In Front of me, who was less than 1.8 meters tall. The four gray Wings behind it, over three meters long, were fully spread like a Phoenix spreading its Wings. Looking up, it gave off a cold and imposing Authority like an undefeated war god. But at this moment, on the Back where the Wings were spread, several Greatswords were stuck, even completely piercing through to the chest. Even so, it still held the Greatsword with both hands, firmly stuck in the Ground, half-squatting to support its Body. It never fell down. That unyielding posture exuded a blood-boiling Tragic Heroism and poignant beauty.
And what I touched was precisely his Sword. The Weapon used by a Four-Winged Angel, how could it possibly be an ordinary item? But with such a light touch from me, with a "bang," it turned into dust and was carried away by the biting Wind, dissipating between heaven and earth. Fortunately, the Four-Winged Angel's Body had long since merged with the Earth, so even without support, he still maintained that majestic appearance.
How many years of erosion must it have gone through to turn such a Divine Weapon into dust? The Sarcasm is that only the Angel's Body, which is said to be immortal, has retained an appearance that shouldn't exist through the years, allowing this Battlefield to continue existing.
End War!
A flash of realization instantly crossed In One's Head. Yes, besides that End War, I really can't think of what other kind of War could be so full of Tragic Heroism! So desolate! This is the final Battlefield of Gods and Demons, a place abandoned by God!!
No one knows the exact Time of this War, because it happened before Humans, no, before the entire Sanctuary appeared. Hundreds of thousands of years? Millions of years? Or perhaps hundreds of millions of years? Probably only God knows.
I silently surveyed this boundless Battlefield, Graveyard. Looking at the countless Corpses with various postures, forms, and Expressions, my heart was filled with unspeakable Vicissitudes. What could it be that could make Angels, whose mission is to spread Light and Hope, reveal faces of Despair? What could it be that could make Demons, who take Fun/Enjoyment in spreading Sin and Death, reveal expressions of Fear?
Although I have no good Feelings/Emotions towards either Angels or Demons, this feeling of Vicissitudes is the unique Tragic Heroism and tragic sorrow for the End War. It is a lament for the countless Strongest Experts who perished. It has nothing to do with hatred. In this Life, I may never be able to forget the scene before my eyes. Yes, nothing can compare to the insights this Land has given me. Compared to this, the Monster Attack, which was originally an extremely spectacular War in my heart, seemed so childish and ridiculous.
I touched my face; it was wet. Unconsciously, I was already in tears. That was the crying of the howling Wind, it was the Sorrow transmitted from the Earth.
But, I still walked forward step by step, feeling those Corpses of various forms little by little with my heart. They were the living dictionary of the End War. Every Corpse could make me feel a different kind of Tragic Heroism.
As if pulled by something, I walked straight towards one direction. Then I found that along the way, Wingless Angels and Demons became fewer and fewer, finally disappearing completely. Two-Winged, Four-Winged, and even Six-Winged gradually became the Protagonists here.
I don't know how long passed, but I suddenly discovered the Existence of a large mountain in the distant distance. Something on the mountain seemed to flash. I strode over—perhaps there, I could find the answer to this dream.
When I completely reached the foot of the large mountain, the Shock in my heart was hard to describe. How could this be a large mountain? This is the Mountain of Corpses of Angels and Demons! What surprised me even more was that inside this large mountain, I couldn't find a single Two-Winged or Four-Winged Corpse. It was entirely piled up from countless Six-Winged ones. Countless light gray and black Wings were intertwined—this is clearly the Tomb of all the Strongest Experts in this Act!
But, I did not stop my Footsteps. As if possessed, I stepped step by step on the Bodies of these Strongest Experts who could make me die thousands of times with just a breath, slowly walking to the peak of this "mountain".
That was a Sword,
a Longsword stuck high on the peak, overlooking the entire Battlefield.
The only color between heaven and earth was emanating from its Body.
When I first saw it, the scenes of the Battlefield that had just been drawn In One's Head were all pushed out. Everything added together was not as much of a Shock as it was.
The white Fine Steel-like hilt was slightly narrower in the middle, with a slightly wavy texture. The tail end was diamond-shaped and a bit thicker. The overall lines were simple and soft, without any Pattern or Gem decoration, but it looked quite solid, giving a Feeling of being very comfortable to hold.
The guard part was perhaps the only relatively ornate place on the entire Sword. The guards on both sides were shaped like closed, pure white Wings. The lines were simple yet thoughtful, looking like they had come alive and was about to spread at any moment. In the center of the Wings, there was one, or perhaps the entire Gem was inlaid inside, revealing red polygonal Diamonds on both sides. Something seemed to be flickering inside; if you didn't look carefully, you might think it was just your eyes playing tricks on you.
Below the Gem was the resolute blade. Looking at the part exposed from the "mountaintop," the entire blade was about four fingers wide, slightly thicker in the middle, while the sides were flashing with sharp, cold Glow. It was one size smaller than the heavy swords used by Knights, its size looking like a Broadsword used by women. The entire blade went straight down. The straight lines gave a simple yet comfortable Feeling. To describe it in one sentence, it was simple yet not simplistic.
However, this small Broadsword, whose appearance was completely incomparable to the ornate Swords of Unique or Divine Artifact Level, yet emitted the only Glow between heaven and earth, more dazzling than any Unique, more eye-catching than any Divine Artifact.
"You've finally come..."
A faint, neutral Voice echoed across the silent End of Days Battlefield, as if carrying endless Authority and Vicissitudes.
"I am the Holy Sword - Evelia. It's a pleasure to meet you, Redeemer, my Master."
From that Sword, another Voice continued to come, putting me in a dilemma, because I didn't know whether I should show Shock on my face or a bewildered Expression. If I tried to show both at once, the difficulty was a bit too high.
However, fortunately, I've experienced too many strange events recently. From Transmigration to Belial, every single one seemed quite supernatural to me. Now I've gotten used to it.
Very quickly, I suppressed all sorts of chaotic thoughts and asked the most practical question.
"Where is this place? How did I appear here? Also, Holy Sword, that... which is you, what is your origin?"
Sorry, although it seemed to mention its Name just now, upholding the finest habit of a descendant of the dragon, regarding those relatively complex Western Names, they usually go in one ear and out the other.
"As you can see, this is the End of Days Battlefield..."
That strange thing that called itself the Holy Sword had a pretty good temper. It wasn't annoyed by my forgetfulness, but continued speaking slowly and calmly with that low, neutral Voice.
"As for why you appeared here, I am very sorry. Without your permission, I took the liberty of pulling you in. But please rest assured, this is the first Time, and perhaps the last Time..."
"As for me..."