Episode 448
Whoosh!
Pure white flames wrapped around the tentacles of the alien creatures, incinerating them completely.
Screeeech—
The creatures, engulfed in the white fire, couldn’t regenerate and crumbled into ash.
Watching this, Zeke realized that the elemental power of his Elemental Sword was particularly effective against these beings.
“The Elemental Sword is their weakness.”
Whoosh—
Just then, the white flames flickering on Zeke’s sword threatened to surge out of control.
Boom!
Zeke steadied himself, focusing intently to gradually close the field of fire.
“It’s not easy to control.”
Barely managing to contain the flames, Zeke seized the opportunity to escape the battlefield, now devoid of tentacles.
Rooooar—
Horrific cries of the alien creatures echoed from all directions.
Whoosh!
Zeke soared into the sky on dragon wings, looking down in shock.
“What is that?”
The massive pyramid-shaped structure he had just escaped from was completely entangled in the creatures’ tentacles.
And it wasn’t just the building. The entire city of Carcosa was being consumed, the tentacles multiplying relentlessly.
Crack—
Zeke realized that the tentacles were emerging from underground, growing in size.
At that moment, some of the tentacles, equipped with eyes, spotted Zeke hovering in the air.
Screeeech—
They shrieked, seemingly alerting the other tentacles to Zeke’s location.
The writhing tentacles bared their teeth, slowly rising toward him.
Then, they shot toward Zeke with alarming speed.
Swoosh!
Zeke swung his sword, controlling the white flames to strike the oncoming tentacles.
Whoosh!
A massive wave of white fire surged toward the tentacles.
Screeeech!
The leading tentacle was hit by the storm of white flames and disintegrated into ash.
Screeeech—
But the tentacles didn’t retreat so easily.
As Zeke attempted to fly north, more tentacles intertwined like a net, blocking his path.
He swung his flaming sword to clear a path, but their sheer numbers made it difficult to break through with simple attacks.
“Annoying creatures.”
Then, Zeke noticed something.
Thousands of tentacles were bursting from the ground, forming a massive cluster.
Zeke focused on the origin of the tentacles.
“Cutting the branches won’t end this. I need to attack the roots.”
Screeeech—
Fending off the attacking tentacles, Zeke pressed forward.
He raised his sword, summoning the elemental power once more.
Whoosh!
A colossal white flame shot up into the sky.
This time, Zeke gritted his teeth, determined to control the flames with his will.
Initially, the flames moved erratically, but gradually they began to respond to Zeke’s command.
Soon, a gigantic spear of white fire formed above Zeke’s head, shining brilliantly.
With a battle cry, Zeke hurled the spear toward the ground where the tentacles emerged.
“Haaaah!”
The spear of white fire blazed through the air.
Screeeech—
The tentacles rushing to intercept it disintegrated into ash before they could even get close.
The spear struck the ground with a blinding flash.
Boom!
Simultaneously, the white flames erupted into a storm, spreading in all directions and incinerating the tentacle roots.
Rumble—
The massive heat wave exploded upward, then dispersed in all directions.
Every tentacle within the fiery storm’s reach turned to ash.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Zeke swiftly flew north.
Boom!
In his wake, only swirling white ash remained.
Whoosh!
Fending off the pursuing tentacles, Zeke flew north, only to be taken aback by what he saw in the sky.
“What is that?”
A massive hole gaped in the sky.
Dark and deep, an unfathomable darkness lay within.
Just looking at it was enough to make one feel dizzy, and from within the hole came a long, heavy sound that didn’t seem like any creature’s cry.
Oooooo—
Zeke clenched his teeth at the indescribable sound emanating from the hole.
“What on earth is in there?”
Wary of the unknown, Zeke descended to the ground, landing in the city streets.
He hid among the buildings, glancing up at the hole in the sky.
Oooooo—
The eerie sound reverberated throughout Carcosa.
Zeke cloaked himself in shadow armor, blending into the darkness.
Then, keeping a cautious eye on the presence within the hole, he moved toward the northern temple the Elder Dragon had mentioned.
Ssshhh—
Tentacles moved throughout the city.
“Are they looking for me?”
Fortunately, hidden in the shadows, the tentacles seemed unable to detect Zeke.
He moved stealthily, avoiding detection as he headed north.
As Zeke passed through the city and reached the outskirts of Carcosa, he noticed a change in the landscape.
“What is this? Why is this area in ruins…?”
While other parts of Carcosa seemed untouched, as if people had lived there until recently, the north was a stark contrast.
It looked like a city that had been destroyed long ago and left to decay for millennia.
All that remained were ruins overgrown with moss and weeds.
Zeke, still cloaked in shadow, ventured into the ruins.
It felt like stepping into the remnants of a once-glorious civilization.
He recalled the Elder Dragon’s words.
“Carcosa exists but does not exist, residing within the fragments of time and space.”
This ruin seemed to be a fragment of Carcosa, preserving the traces of its destruction, unlike the city streets.
Zeke navigated the remnants, heading north.
There, he found the only remaining structure.
Though it was also crumbling and overgrown, it retained the shape of a temple.
Zeke could make out faint engravings on the temple.
“The Sun Emblem.”
The ancient sun emblem, a common motif in ancient ruins and his memories, was present here as well.
Zeke now understood its significance.
“The Primordial Light.”
This was the Temple of the Primordial Light.
Zeke opened his quest window.
―Main Quest Mission (Linked)―
[Bring the relic imbued with primordial power to the forgotten Temple of the Primordial Light. (No time limit / The temple’s coordinates activate automatically upon acquiring all three relics.)]
[Find and restore the scattered seals of the Chronos Kingdom. (No time limit)]
[Activate the coordinates of the Chronos Kingdom’s treasury with the restored seal.]
[Main Quest Mission Reward: ???]
[Linked Quest Mission Reward: Title - Heir of the Chronos Kingdom]
The main quest was to bring the relic to this temple.
He slowly entered the temple.
Thud!
His footsteps echoed as he stepped inside.
Zeke used his dragon sight to examine the dark interior.
A long corridor stretched ahead.
“It’s much larger inside than it looks.”
He remembered the Tower of Infinity in Nirvana, which also appeared small from the outside but was infinitely vast within.
The corridor ended, revealing a grand hall.
Zeke examined the worn reliefs on the walls.
“What is this?”
He studied the remnants of the reliefs and spoke to the system.
“System, can you restore this?”
The system responded to Zeke’s query.
[By scanning the content and cross-referencing with stored reliefs from other sites, 85% restoration is possible.]
“Really? Then start the restoration.”
The system scanned the worn reliefs, analyzing the traces and referencing other stored reliefs to fill in the missing parts.
Soon, a system message appeared.
[Restoration complete.]
Zeke looked at the reliefs again, now overlaid with the restored content.
He carefully examined the restored reliefs.
The sun emblem floated at the top, with countless meteors spreading out below, descending to the ground.
Zeke tried to recall where he’d seen this scene before.
“Ah, it was at the ruins where the Ark was.”
He remembered storing the reliefs from the ruins in Death Valley while searching for relics.
At the time, the abstract and symbolic images were incomprehensible.
But now, Zeke nodded as he understood the depiction.
“Does it symbolize the constellations emerging from the Primordial Light?”
According to the Elder Dragon, the constellations were avatars of the Primordial Light, using its power to aid mortal creations.
But over time, the constellations turned against their creator, seizing its power.
The walls were adorned with a series of bas-relief murals, each depicting scenes that symbolized the subject at hand.
As Zeke examined different sections, he stumbled upon a familiar image.
A colossal bird, wings spread wide, cradled the sun within its body, spewing fire in all directions.
“This was the emblem carved into the Ark,” he mused.
Gazing at the mural, Zeke suddenly realized that the bird bore a striking resemblance to Raven, the phoenix.
“But a bird that swallows the sun… What could that mean?”
Unable to decipher its meaning immediately, he moved on, scanning the restored bas-reliefs.
Most depicted the primordial light, a tale he had heard from the Elder Dragon.
Then, something peculiar caught Zeke’s eye.
“What is that…?”
In a corner of the mural, an alien image stood out.
A monstrous creature with sharp teeth, grotesque features, and tentacles stretching in every direction.
“An Outsider?”
The creature was emerging from a hole in the sky.
Zeke recalled the gaping hole above Carcosa.
“Could someone have opened a gate in Carcosa to summon the Outsiders?”
He wanted to examine it further, but unfortunately, the rest of the mural was too damaged to provide more clues.
Just then, a rumble shook the temple.
Zeke felt the vibrations coursing through the entire structure.
“Is it another Outsider attack?”
As he turned to assess the situation, a spiral staircase emerged from a crack in the center of the temple floor.
With a resounding thud, the staircase fully revealed itself, and a message appeared before Zeke’s eyes.
[The Temple of the Primordial has detected the title ‘Bearer of the Radiant Light.’]
Zeke realized the temple was guiding him.
“Looks like I have no choice but to follow.”
He descended the newly revealed spiral staircase.
After a long descent, he stepped onto solid ground.
Zeke gazed down a long corridor that stretched out before him.
He walked along the narrow passageway.
Eventually, he reached a massive door.
Finding no handle, Zeke placed his hand on the door. As if sensing his presence, it opened on its own.
The sight beyond the door left Zeke astonished.
“This isn’t a ruin.”
The interior was adorned with colorful tiles, similar to the central structure he had seen earlier, and bright lanterns illuminated the space.
Unlike magical lights, these gentle flames brought a sense of peace.
“Is this the true Temple of the Primordial?”
Zeke ventured further inside, taking in his surroundings.
Passing through a doorway flanked by two pillars, he found a large sun emblem etched into one wall.
Beneath it, he discovered something unexpected.
“What is that?”
A yellow crystal floated within a device.
It was a spirit regeneration device, like those he had seen at Kaishir’s Sanctuary and the Sword Saint’s ruins.
As Zeke approached, the device began to glow.
A powerful light enveloped the entire temple.
Simultaneously, a robed figure materialized before Zeke.
A tall man, over two meters, with long hair cascading down his back.
Holding a staff, he appeared to be a mage.
Zeke drew his sword, Roland, and stood on guard. The figure lifted his head and spoke.
“I commend you on your journey here, Zeke Draker.”
The spirit knew his name, making Zeke even more cautious.
The mage took a step closer and introduced himself.
“My name is Atrahasis. Others call me the Great Sage.”