Return of the Fallen Volume 12 Chapter 137
Nearby, laying on the ground nearby were the other Supreme Gods. Not just them but the last few remaining regular Gods were all lying down inside the Black pyramid. Before it was first destroyed, it had been bigger than a mountain. Now though, its size had clearly shrunk by a few times over. Its size had changed and that fake Origin energy surrounded the interior in an almost suffocating way.
Gardius was doing everything in his power to try and break free but his struggle was met with absolute resistance. His shouts and his flexing and gathering of power did nothing but rouse the others awake.
Brella, Jinkin, Carta, Dredinkar, Stasha, and Cainen had all awoken and were disturbed to find they as well had their freedom restricted to such a degree. Before they could ask a single question, Gardius roared once more.
“YOU THINK THIS WILL HOLD ME FOREVER!”
His Artifact ring began to glow and the energy around him started to change. He smiled confidently as he felt he was moments away from escaping this strange situation but before he could fully use his ring to free himself, once more, Kazuki heard a familiar voice. His mind was still feeling fuzzy and unfocused from the memories he just witnessed so he was slightly out of it and could not be certain.
“Hold you forever, no, I have no intention of keeping you for too long. For now though, I need you to stay put.”
The dark artificial Origin energy glowed with an amethyst hue. With this glow, the ring upon Gardius’s finger shot forth and appeared next to the treasure Artifact. The familiar voice Kazuki heard had come directly from the hollowed jewel. The same treasure Artifact that drew millions upon millions of Gods, along with a handful of Supreme Gods to it. This purplish black Artifact that millions sought, and fought for. Killed and died for.
That very same Artifact was now speaking in front of everyone, for all to hear. Usually, an Artifact would exchange not a single word even with the person it chose as its master. On rare occasions, an Artifact would have the ability to communicate with a being and even then it was rare beyond rare for said Artifact to use that communication ability.
Kazuki was different due to his connection with Arc and Codex. The three had many conversations together but this was the complete opposite of the norm.
This is why everyone now wore a stunned expression. Artifacts that rarely communicate with anyone, and nearly all saw them as mere tools to be used, this treasure was speaking in front of everyone.
Even Gardius who was not one to lose his words, had become speechless.
This was Gardius though and the tongue lock quickly passed.
“An Artifact speaking as if you are self-aware, what illusion holds us I wonder?”
The Artifact went quiet for but a moment before a wave of dark energy came slamming down atop Gardius’s chest.
The impact was heavy and the ground beneath Gardius cracked and fractured with a loud booming noise.
Gardius’s eyes went wide as he felt every ounce of pain from this attack. The force he took just now made no sense. It was heavy but it should not have been strong enough to cause pain yet this dark energy seemed to break through his very defenses and tenderize his flesh.
The Artifact spoke calmly after this attack.
“Tell me Garidus, was my attack just now an illusion, or has reality put you in your place.”
Gardius had rage in his eyes and he gnashed his teeth as he looked for a way to free himself and take control of the situation. Even now he was looking for a way to rule the universe.
While he was plotting, Brella on the other side could see something was off and she couldn’t help but ask.
“Why have you not killed us? You have us completely in your grasp. Though it pains me to believe this is my end, at the same time if it were truly our end, then we should no longer be alive yet here we are. You’ve kept us alive for some purpose, right? Will you at least tell us why?”
Brella had learned from Gardius’s short exchange with the Artifact. Gardius had come off as aggressive but even with that aggression, the Artifact who has Gardius and the rest of them all on the chopping block, did not kill him. She also noticed how the Artifact said it isn’t interested in holding them for too long. This led her to a split. Some unpleasant thoughts and also some positive ones. She just hoped the unpleasant purposes would not come to fruition.
The Artifact turned toward Brella.
“Why should I tell any of you anything? Every last one of you has come here with the intention of taking ownership of me and controlling not only me but the universe itself. Well, all of you except one of you.”
When the Artifact said this, even though it had no eyes, it was clear to Kazuki it was looking at him when it said this.
Gardius as well noticed this. He knew Kauzki did not actually want the Artifact for himself or rather he was pretty sure but in the end to have it basically confirmed left him feeling as if something was wrong. Something clicked in his mind and through his teeth he spoke.
“Is that what this is? You and the Artifact, have you been working together this whole time? This explains it. Your strange abilities, you not wanting to take the treasure for yourself but to give it away to someone. This has all been leading to this, this entire ti
*BANG!*
The dark fake Oriing energy struck Gardius once more, this time a few bones cracked in his chest and he coughed up fresh blood. He groaned in misery. He could not remember the last time he had encountered a power that could hurt him so. To his knowledge, there were only a few in this entire Higher Realmt that could pull off the same feat.
The Artifact again held an air of calm.
“I did not say you could speak but for you to spill such drivel. Another greedy power hungry tyrant. Soon it won’t matter though, soon, you, like all, shall return to the beginning.”
No one here liked the sound of that. All of their senses were screaming in alarm and many began to panic. They struggled underneath the dark energy as it held them all in place. Shouts and roars of anger and fear erupted within every corner of the Black pyramid.
The Artifact’s tried to tell them all to be quiet but none would listen. Finally, its calm demeanor slipped as it roared out with dark power.
“SILENCE!!!!!!!”
The fake Origin energy came crashing down upon all those who would dare cause an outcry and silenced them all at once.
The suppressive effect was truly insane. Even though it did not use a lot of force, its power forced its captives into silence as their eyes rolled up into the back of their heads and they were lost in a deep sleep.
Now, the only ones who were still awake were those that had not made an uproar. All of the Supreme Gods, along with Carta, Dredinkar, and of course Kazuki…+
Even Gardius who had been crushed brutally into the ground was allowed to remain awake.
With this silence spread across this room. The Artifacts calm mask returned.
“Much better.”
The Artifact then flew toward Kazuki and stopped directly in front of him. With a thought, the Artifact lifted Kazuki up and allowed him to stand but still kept him restrained with its dark power.
“You are different. While all of these things wished to use me and rule. You on the other hand wished for me to fuse with…You call it Arc. Of course you already know that is not its real name but names don’t matter right now. What matters is you did not want to claim me and use me but wanted me to fuse with Arc. That is incredibly honorable. Most would want such a power for themselves would they not?”
“True but Arc is my friend. You belong to Arc and I don’t steal from friends.”
This seemed to erk the Artifact to some level.
Kazuki did not know what this thing wanted but he was having a hard time focusing. The voice this Artifact used…The memories he had just witnessed were still fresh in his head and this voice was exactly the same.
At the same time, Kazuki did not know what this thing wanted. He had an off feeling since a while ago and the fact that he still had not heard a word from Arc or the other Artifacts. His bad feeling turned out to be right.
(This Artifact has no intention of returning to Arc. I need to escape this place as fast as possible.)
Kazuki needed time, he could not move whatsoever nor could he use any of his magic. The suppressive nature of this dark energy was something he had grown accustomed to earlier when he was traveling through the black pyramid. Now though it was different. If before the energy was equivalent to a boulder on top of him, now it was more like a dense star.
Kazuki’s instincts were sharp, he knew that the dark energy pressing on him was greater than everyone else’s.
(This thing already knows I can resist the fake Origin energy to some degree so it purposely amplified the energy on me by an astronomical level. It does not wish to have any unexpected variables.)
Kazuki wanted to make this Artifact talk for as long as possible while he looked for a way out but to his surprise, the Artifact spoke unprompted.
“Your friend you say. Now that is…quite interesting.”
Comment (0)