Episode 615
“Whoa!”
Nabu gasped for air as he regained consciousness.
He shot up, bewildered, and scanned his surroundings.
“Where… where am I?”
Just moments ago, he had been heading toward the underwater city in the depths of R’lyeh. But then, a massive whirlpool had swept him away, and now he found himself in a completely different landscape.
Looking up, Nabu saw a clear blue sky stretching above him.
“What the…? When did we surface?”
As he stood and took in his surroundings, he noticed unfamiliar architectural styles lining the streets. The most striking feature was a floating tower hovering in the center of the city, radiating a brilliant light. A circular canal encircled the city, with the tower at its heart.
Pondering the city’s layout, Nabu suddenly remembered something.
“Wait a minute! This shape… could it be…?”
He quickly summoned a book and flipped through its pages, confirming his suspicions with a clap of his hands.
“My goodness! Is this the legendary city of Atlantis?”
Centuries ago, a sage had written about an ancient civilization with advanced magical systems and technology, which had been submerged by the wrath of the constellations.
Nabu double-checked the records, his mouth agape.
“Hold on, if this is Atlantis… how did we end up here from R’lyeh?”
Just then, Nigel emerged from between the buildings.
Nabu rushed over to him.
“Nigel! Look at this. I think we’re in…”
“Atlantis, you mean.”
Nabu was taken aback by Nigel’s words.
“What? How did you know?”
Without a word, Nigel handed him a piece of broken white metal. Examining it closely, Nabu’s eyes widened in shock.
“Is this… orichalcum?”
Nigel nodded.
“Yes, it’s scattered all over the city. According to legend, Atlantis mastered orichalcum to achieve its advanced civilization.”
Nabu nodded in agreement.
“That makes sense. But how did we end up in a place that supposedly perished long ago?”
Suddenly, Nabu’s face turned pale.
“Wait, does this mean we’re… dead?”
Nigel smacked Nabu on the head.
“You fool. And you call yourself a sage?”
Nigel clicked his tongue and pointed to the floating tower.
“Look at that. Doesn’t it remind you of something?”
Rubbing his head, Nabu looked up.
“Ugh, you hit like an old hag. Remind me of what…?”
As he squinted at the tower, realization dawned on him, and his eyes widened.
“Wait a second… isn’t that the tower from R’lyeh?”
Astonishingly, the tower they had traversed in the deep sea was now floating in the air.
Nigel nodded.
“Yes, it seems we’re in R’lyeh. More precisely, in the past, during Atlantis’s time.”
Nabu scratched his head in disbelief.
“Wow, this is insane… Is this even possible? Unless… if the entire city is under a unique barrier, and only here is the dimension fragmented, freezing time…”
As a sage, Nabu considered various theories to explain the phenomenon.
Finally, he reached a conclusion.
“Ah! So this is where the Book of the Dead is sealed. The city’s dimension is isolated to prevent any intrusion.”
Nigel nodded in agreement.
“I think so too. But the fact that we’re here means…”
Nigel paused before continuing.
“The demon king sealed within the Book of the Dead must have drawn us here.”
Nabu’s expression hardened at the mention of the demon king.
“The demon king…”
Nigel turned her gaze to the city’s center.
“I haven’t explored the entire city, but the center usually holds something important.”
She pointed to the center.
“Right below the floating tower. The Book of the Dead is likely sealed there. Baron Draker must be heading there too.”
Nabu stood up, taking a deep breath.
“Let’s hurry and stop him before he gets his hands on the Book of the Dead.”
He summoned a magic carpet, and together, he and Nigel soared toward the city’s center.
Moments after they left, a ripple spread across the spot they had vacated.
A black shape morphed into a crustacean-like insect, opening its mouth to send a signal into the air.
The signal quickly spread throughout the city, and the insect unfurled its wings, emitting a long, eerie cry as it ascended.
Thousands of black insects swarmed into a building within Atlantis.
The interior was filled with a dark aura.
Baron sat in a chair, gloves off, letting the dark energy drip onto the floor as he stared at something.
Before him hung a black cocoon, shrouded in dark energy.
As Baron continued to infuse the cocoon with dark energy, the insects gathered at his feet, burrowing into the black swamp that had formed there.
One insect, however, approached Baron directly.
It twitched its antennae, conveying a message to him.
Baron turned his head, interpreting the signal.
“The High Tables have made it here.”
Having been summoned by the Book of the Dead to Atlantis, Baron was aware that pursuers were still on his trail, and he frowned.
He rose from his seat, gazing at the cocoon he had created.
Inside, something stirred, causing the surface to bulge.
Baron stepped back, donning his gloves once more, and observed the cocoon’s movements.
Soon, tendrils began to extend from the bulging surface, anchoring the cocoon firmly in place.
Then, the center of the cocoon split open, revealing a massive, gaping maw lined with sharp teeth, pulsating as if alive.
From the maw, something began to emerge.
With a sticky fluid, the maw opened wide, and a figure clad in black armor stepped out.
Tendrils formed a staircase, and the armored figure descended slowly.
More figures in black armor followed, emerging one by one.
Baron addressed the dozen or so dark knights.
“Forgotten heroes who lost their world, the gods have granted you a new opportunity.”
The knights’ eyes glowed red at his words.
“The enemies seek to thwart the divine plan. As the gods’ knights, stop them.”
The dark knights nodded in unison, bowing before Baron.
He watched them with a cold, piercing gaze.
“Is this the place?”
Nabu and Nigel, riding the magic carpet, entered the city’s center.
The area beneath the floating tower felt distinctly different from the rest of the city.
A powerful magical field enveloped the surroundings, palpable to the senses.
Nigel spoke to Nabu.
“Judging by the structure of this magical field, it seems the leader set it up.”
The leader had layered multiple security measures to conceal the Book of the Dead, which held the demon king’s soul.
Nabu nodded, taking a deep breath.
“So, we have to break through that.”
Nigel stood, drawing her sword.
“Charge in. I’ll use my full strength to cut through the magical field, and you slip in through the gap.”
Nabu swallowed hard, steering the carpet downward.
As they approached, the layers of the magical field became visible to the naked eye, shifting as the carpet neared.
Nabu shouted in disbelief.
“Whoa! Hold on, this is insane! This can’t be real!”
The magical field swelled, unleashing a storm of magical energy toward them.
A whirlwind of power surged, attacking the carpet carrying Nigel and Nabu.
Nabu quickly cast a protective barrier, barely holding off the storm, and yelled at Nigel.
“Hey, what are you waiting for?”
Beside him, Nigel focused, her sword raised.
Though she had been healed by Zeke after breaking a seal, her internal injuries hadn’t fully recovered.
Carefully, she steadied her breath, channeling her full strength into the sword.
In an instant, she snapped her eyes open and swung her sword toward the magical whirlwind.
Swoosh—
With a single, powerful strike, she sliced through not only the whirlwind but also the intricate layers of the magical barrier.
Crackle—
The problem was that the barrier, woven like a dense net, quickly reformed itself, knitting back together almost instantly.
Nabu gritted his teeth and shouted, “Damn it! Old lady! Hit it harder! I’ll break through!”
Nigel nodded, preparing to gather her strength once more.
But just then—
Buzz—
A swarm of thousands of insects descended upon them. These weren’t ordinary bugs; they were monstrous, with sharp fangs, claws, and venomous stingers on their tails.
Nabu recoiled in horror. “What the hell are those things?”
Nigel redirected her sword, slashing at the oncoming swarm.
Swoosh—
Her strike, fueled by all her might, sent the insects plummeting to the ground. As soon as they touched the magical net, they disintegrated into ash.
Yet, despite this, the dark mass of insects continued to surge toward them relentlessly.
Nabu, steering the carpet with one hand, pulled out a book with the other and shouted, “Arrows of Light!”
With a brief incantation, dozens of arrows made of light materialized behind him and shot toward the insects.
Zap! Zap! Zap!
The arrows scattered the insects, sending them crashing into the magical net. But there were simply too many of them for this to be effective.
Then Nigel spoke up. “Nabu, take the carpet and charge straight at the barrier.”
Nabu balked at the suggestion. “What? Are you trying to get us killed?”
“If we keep fighting these bugs, we’ll wear ourselves out. We need to take a gamble.”
After a moment of hesitation, Nabu nodded. He took a deep breath and steered the carpet directly toward the magical net.
As they approached, the whirlwind from before erupted once more.
Whoosh!
The insects chasing them were caught in the storm and swept away in an instant. Nigel’s desperate plan had worked.
The issue was that the multi-layered magical net was still a threat to them as well.
Nabu shouted at Nigel, “Old lady!”
Nigel swung her sword at the net with all her strength.
Whoosh!
Her strike tore through the layers of the magical net in one fell swoop.
Nabu cheered, ready to dive through the opening, when—
Crackle!
To their shock, another barrier lay within.
Nabu cursed, “You crazy bastard!”
Nigel’s sword strike hadn’t reached the inner, more formidable shield.
Just as their carpet was about to crash into the barrier—
Whirrr—
The shield split open horizontally, revealing a path to the central city of Atlantis.
Nabu, startled, turned to look behind him, a sudden thought crossing his mind.
“Zeke!”
There stood Zeke, sword raised, right behind Nigel.
He shouted to Nabu, “Now, Master!”
At Zeke’s urging, Nabu pushed the carpet to its maximum speed and charged through the opening.