Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic-Chapter 525 - Crystal Forest

"Yes, it's those nuns, and the council and the nuns from the Spiritual Practice Order have a very good relationship... What's with that expression?"

Tifa looked suspiciously at Shard.

"I've always thought that the Witch Council didn't get along well with any group of sorcerers."

Shard voiced his true thoughts, given the witches were generally capricious.

Tifa frowned at him;

"His Excellency the Speaker has a wide circle of friends. How have they ended up here? It's strange, but these are friends. Shard, let's catch up to them. But you don't need to go forward; I'll approach them and ask about the situation here."

Past this area lay Millwood Forest, the heart of the Dark Realm. Gathering some intelligence now would be beneficial for the actions to come.

Although Tifa had to stay close to Shard to safely move around the core of the Dark Realm, since the nuns could also emit light, it was fine for Tifa to temporarily distance herself from Shard.

The two hurried after them. Stopping a safe distance away, Tifa alone crossed several meters of darkness toward the nuns who were on the move.

Dressed in white garments and black skirts, their strides were nearly identical. If encountered at night, Shard felt they resembled a group of ghostly women.

Tifa's appearance aroused the nuns' wariness, although they all wore bandages over their eyes, which didn't seem to hinder their perception.

Tifa gestured, then took a pendant from around her neck, thus gaining the nuns' trust. They spoke softly for less than three minutes before the nuns moved on, but not towards the forest ahead.

Tifa then turned around and came back to Shard's side, and from her expression, it seemed she had received good news:

"The nuns saw Miss Galina half an hour ago and even showed her the way!"

"So, where is Miss Galina now?"

"Ahead in the forest, but the forest has now been covered with black crystals. At least half an hour ago when they met, the young lady was still in good condition."

Tifa pointed ahead, and Shard looked in that direction, clearly seeing giant black columns piercing the sky and Earth.

"Is there any news on Daknis?"

"Another battle occurred nearby about forty minutes ago. The nuns said that a sinner possessed by a demon used a particularly filthy form and repelled the first squad of Dawn Church sorcerers that caught up, injuring a High Ring Sorcerer before also heading towards the center of the realm."

"Are there other people nearby?"

"Before we arrived, three solitary High Ring Sorcerers appeared, but they have all been repelled by the church's forces. In addition, the Church of Creation's Iron Right Hand should also have proceeded towards the core of the realm, twenty minutes after Daknis and ten minutes after the young lady. Weeper Helmons was indeed being pursued by the Sunlight Greatsword just now. If it weren't for other matters, the two Thirteen-Ring Sorcerers from the church would have joined forces to prevent his escape."

Tifa spoke as she and Shard continued forward. They were somewhat late, having missed the great battle that had taken place here, and it appeared everything was coming to a close. They only managed to arrive in time for the conclusion.

"Then, what are those nuns here for? How come it sounds like they've always been nearby?"

"I don't know."

Tifa shook her head in disappointment:

"They are also here for the second Chosen One, but it seems not to kill him. But don't worry, the leader of this mission, Nun Tiffany, is only slightly stronger than me, a Seven-Ring Sorcerer, and they have no intention of proceeding further."

The nuns had only stopped in this direction and had also only seen people continuing forward, so the sorcerers in the core of the realm probably included more than those few they mentioned.

Shard and Tifa continued moving forward; the dense darkness intensified in this location, almost allowing one to feel a substantial feeling of pressure.

The blessing given to Shard by Priest Augustus was being heavily eroded, and Tifa's condition was also deteriorating. But as long as they didn't engage in combat, they could still hold on.

The black crystalline particles on the ground became increasingly dense and larger. After bidding farewell to the nuns, they soon saw an old man in a grey robe lying on the crystal-covered ground.

Upon approaching, they found he was still alive but had fainted. After Shard turned him over, Tifa recognized him as Mr. Modro, an Eleven-Ring Sorcerer from the Peace Church. Although he appeared unscathed, his breathing was very weak.

By this evening, Shard had treated him with "Cyndia's Silvermoon Blessing" and "Satiety Food," and Tifa had also produced a small vial of green magic potion. After drinking the magic potion, although Mr. Modro's eyelids fluttered as though he wished to open his eyes but could not.

Shard then leaned in closer to listen and heard the old man murmuring a word:

"Vampire."

"Vampire? The Blood Spirit School indeed has ties with the vampire clan, it appears that there's at least one High Ring Hybrid up ahead."

Tifa said anxiously, for it was common knowledge that exotic ring magicians of the same level were stronger than human magicians.

"We need to hurry. It seems we really are late. I hope the fight hasn't ended yet,"

Shard said.

Continuing forward, they encountered a few magicians from the True God Church. Among them, two had already passed away, and one could have the "False Immortality" status applied, which allowed him to recover from severe injuries after treatment.

Most of the injured bore traces of corrosion by "Human Pus." Shard provided urgent care to the survivors, but due to the severe suppression of the moonlight at his fingertips, he was unable to successfully dispel the Human Pus.

He could only do what was within his power, but once this episode ended, the Church should be able to find a way to treat these injured.

Moving forward, they encountered magicians from outside the Church. Also in a comatose state, no identification was found on them upon inspecting their belongings. Tifa suspected these were additional helpers summoned by the Weeper on his way to Tobesk. As he had planned to assist Daknis with the ritual from the start, it made no sense for him to be alone.

Thus, they were uncertain how many enemies lay ahead.

The oppressive darkness made each breath somewhat difficult, and the silver light of the body and the golden light from behind barely supported the weak visibility. At 7:23 PM, Tifa finally saw the black pillar piercing heaven and earth in the darkness. Five minutes later, they passed through a small town covered with giant black crystals and entered the strange and twisted Millwood Forest.

Now, it was more fitting to call it the Crystal Forest.

On the periphery of the Crystal Forest, Shard finally saw two Sun Church High Ring Sorcerers teaming up to combat a tall demon.

The demon looked nearly identical to the one that had fought Shard in the cornfield, but it appeared even stronger and was capable of fighting by splitting its own body organs.

The dismembered body floated in the air, drawing strength from the dense darkness, looking exceedingly terrifying.

The better-informed Tifa told Shard that this was the "Seeker," a demon guarding the Dark Realm and a mutant born among the Servants of the Hidden. If it appeared in the outside world, at least two Inner Ring Sorcerers would be needed to handle it, yet in the Dark Realm, even two High Ring Sorcerers might not defeat it.

By moving past the fighting pair and officially entering into the Crystal Forest beneath the giant tree trunks, although the surroundings remained silent, the chaotic elements indicated that there were more magicians in this forest than they had imagined.

All along the way, signs of battle were everywhere, as whichever side wished to advance had to defeat the demons guarding the area.

By now, the earth under their feet had completely turned black within this part of the Crystal Forest, and the surrounding black shadows increasingly multiplied. Their progress became difficult, burdened as Tifa was by the "Box of Darkness" with its accumulating black scars, and the four metal amulets nearly completely split.

Fortunately, Priest Augustus's blessing helped Shard see further, allowing them to avoid most of the battles. The demons living here had a stronger perceptive ability than Shard, so whenever a few demons discovered them, Shard and Tifa were forced to open the "Box of Darkness" to hide.

Although this increased the risk of the relic spinning out of control, the demons in the Crystal Forest were beyond their ability to handle. After all, this place was the core of an Angel-Level Relic, even if they could safely reach it, the monsters guarding it would not be a challenge that an Inner Ring Sorcerer and a Low Ring Sorcerer could solve.

Yet even then, they eventually did not make it through the Crystal Forest to the central area unscathed.

It was not because demons blocked them, nor because they encountered unexpected sorcerers. When they far away saw a glimmer of spiritual light through the gaps in the crystal trees at the center of the forest, the ground beneath suddenly shook, and it seemed as though the entire world was emitting a desolate scream.

The sound came from all directions, like giants roaring in the darkness, like fierce beasts from before the Era howling, but most of all, like terrifying evil spirits wailing in the deep night.

"Be careful, something's wrong. Could the final decisive battle have already begun up front?"

Shard and Tifa supported each other, witnessing the dense, thick darkness in the surrounding space flow like streams toward the center of the Crystal Forest. The flow of darkness not only failed to restore normalcy to the surroundings but also made the chaotic Whisper Elements even stronger.

In an instant, the silver moonlight on Shard was compressed to the extreme, and the four metal amulets around Tifa's waist all shattered. With a crackling sound, the crystals on the trees and ground surface began to spread in all directions.

The spreading crystals clung to all surrounding objects, and naturally, it quickly enveloped the two of them.

However, thanks to the light on Shard's body, the dark crystals did not reach him. But Tifa's situation was quite dire. By the time Shard noticed, Tifa's legs had already been completely shrouded by the black crystals, and they were almost spreading to her chest from her waist.

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