NOVGO.NET Chapter 1784: The Fourth Great Spirit’s Name
Chapter 1784: The Fourth Great Spirit’s Name
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As everyone plummeted through the labyrinth to reach its deepest part as quickly as possible, Silvia glanced at Khepri, who clung tightly to her arm to avoid being separated during the fall.
“Silvia, did we have to just jump? Can’t we fly down there like normal people?” Khepri asked, peering downward. “This place is at least… It’s like five hundred meters deep! How deep did these damned ants dig?”
“Heh, nah, this is more efficient! The deeper we get, the more we can sense the strong forces down there. I think there’s not just a single boss but many,” Silvia explained. “Good thing our group is big too!”
“But even so… Ugh, we’ve grown plenty strong lately, so I guess it shouldn’t be too hard to handle, right?” Khepri asked. “Though, those energies are only getting stronger. What the hell is she doing? Why is this happening?”
As Silvia heard her friend sigh, she realized Khepri must be talking about the culprit behind everything, the one commanding the ants all along.
Fornax.
“Do you remember anything about her, Khepri?” Silvia asked. “Is it really okay to fight her? Maybe we can talk it out?”
“With Fornax?” Khepri wondered. “I don’t have many memories of her. She was always the most silent, the one who talked the least.”
“Really?” Silvia was surprised to learn such in-depth, personal information about such a being. “Do you want to… Are you willing to take her down?”
“I don’t know,” Khepri sighed. “But just like with Euro, that’s no longer the Fornax I knew. Without her memories, and after thousands of years of growing distorted, she has fused with the ant queen she parasitized and become something else. She’s even developing a powerful divinity. She’s probably stronger than Tethys, I bet. And how many innocent people has her swarm killed over thousands of years for sustenance?”
Silvia sighed, looking down. “Is there really nothing we can do? Maybe if we find her ornaments…”
“That would only make her stronger. Finding the ornaments won’t just change them forever or suddenly make them good people,” Khepri explained. “Even if I try to inject my memories into her, that might only confuse her more and make her mad at me. In that moment, she could kill us.”
“But the ornaments! If we could find them, then like you, we could help her—” Silvia tried to speak, but Khepri quickly interrupted.
“Silvia, remember how I didn’t gain all my memories, and I’m still pretty confused about my past even with all my ornaments? It would be the same with her. In fact, it’s even more impossible to find such pieces, as I can’t detect those from others. Giving her insight into where they might be will only worsen the situation. You have to think about all these variables, Silvia. Life isn’t so easy. Sometimes, just asking for forgiveness or trying to talk things out won’t solve anything,” Khepri said, speaking with maturity.
Despite her usual attitude, Khepri was indeed someone her age, someone who had lived for tens of thousands of years, and Silvia realized that now.
“I’m sorry. I thought I could give you good ideas to cheer you up. I honestly didn’t want to kill her if she was your friend,” Silvia said.
“You don’t have to. There’s everyone else here. I’m sure Aquarina’s parents could take care of her,” Khepri said. “We’ll need to handle the generals protecting her, though.”
“Hmm…” Silvia nodded, holding Justicio’s hand as he continued panicking during their fall. “Are you really okay with this? Please tell me the truth, what you really want, Khepri.”
“I…” Khepri muttered, falling silent for a moment. “I just want everyone to survive here, and the Oasis people… Fornax was a companion, but I’ve made up my mind. She’s grown corrupted and turned into a monster, perhaps unwillingly. The one we’re going to face now is a different being altogether. It’s not like me or Tethys, where we kept our personalities and part of our identities. She’s become twisted into something completely alien.”
“I see,” Silvia nodded. “I understand, Khepri. Let’s fight with everything we’ve got. At the very least, if we can’t revert her, let’s help her pass away in peace, no longer as a monster.”
“Yeah. Fornax wouldn’t have liked to be what she is now. The monster she’s transformed into isn’t Fornax anymore either,” Khepri said, gritting her mandibles. “We’re going to free her from that monster. Let’s think like that.”
“Hm!” Silvia nodded.
“We’re approaching the ground, get ready!” Nepheline’s roar echoed from below.
CRAAASH!
As Nepheline and Shade landed on the ground, a loud rumble reverberated. Countless cracks spread around them, forming a small crater.
And then…
RUMBLE!
Aquarina reached the ground, shattering the floor even more. She looked down, slightly worried.
“The floor isn’t going to break into pieces, right?” she asked.
“A-Aquarina, can you please let me down?” Agua muttered, fidgeting her arms, her face close to Aquarina’s. “It’s embarrassing.”
“Ah! Right, sorry…” Aquarina felt embarrassed too, her face reddening as she let go of Agua. She couldn’t help but find Agua very adorable sometimes, though for her, Sylphy was even cuter.
“No, it’s alright. Thank you for bringing me down!” Agua smiled. “Ah, Quetzal just found the second ornament and is moving quickly to the third. I hope we don’t take too long.”
“Yeah, we might need his help,” Aquarina nodded, watching Silvia and Justicio land on the ground too. “Alright! You guys ready?”
“Yeah!” Silvia and Justicio said in unison, walking toward Aquarina, her parents, and Agua.
The group was finally assembled once more, all six of them. Nepheline and Shade faced a giant, blazing gate that led to the deepest part of the labyrinth.
“So the flames here weren’t turned off, huh?” Nepheline asked.
“I suppose whatever awaits us on the other side is much stronger. Get ready,” Shade said.
As Aquarina and her friends nodded, Nepheline punched the door open, shattering it into pieces.
BOOOM!
What awaited them on the other side were five immensely powerful beings.
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