strokinit Chapter 182 The Horrifying Truth!
Chapter 182 The Horrifying Truth!
Chapter 182 The Horrifying Truth!
Lilith's words were like a cold, piercing lightning bolt, instantly shattering the last veil of confusion in Hick's heart!
On the other end of the communication stone, Lilith, in her characteristic flippant tone, revealed a truth that was enough to shock the entire Aikar!
"The Tower of Eternity!!!"
These three words struck Hick's heart like a heavy warhammer.
Even with his unfathomable composure and usual calmness, the surrounding shadows couldn't help but fluctuate violently for a moment, clearly reflecting the turbulent waves in his heart!
"The Tower of Eternity?!"
For the first time, Hick's voice lost its absolute calmness and took on an unbelievable sharpness.
Are you sure?!
"It's absolutely true, my dear Hick!"
Lilith's voice was a mixture of excitement and amusement at discovering a shocking secret.
"The energy flow I captured, though disguised and distorted to the point of being almost unrecognizable, ultimately points to that seemingly respectable white tower without a doubt!"
The method was extremely ancient and extremely—hidden, almost perfectly integrated with the Eternal Tower's own defense system.
If it weren't for specifically tracking this special energy of "firewood," it would have been impossible to discover it!
She paused, her tone becoming even more meaningful.
"Moreover, it seems this isn't a recent stunt. This level of depth and covertness—it's probably been going on for years."
Do you think that old man Anselm even knows that there's such a greedy appetite hidden beneath the tower he's in charge of?
Or is it that he himself is someone who knows the truth, or even—the one who orchestrated all of this?
Hick fell silent. His mind raced faster than ever before, piecing together all the fragmented clues:
The Tower of Eternity, driven by a thirst for revenge, is pushing the war forward with near-madness.
Calvin's unexpectedly rapid demise;
And now it has been discovered that the Tower of Eternity itself is also secretly and greedily drawing "fuel" from the ground!
A terrible and ironic conjecture quickly took shape in his mind.
"Heh—hehe—"
Hick suddenly let out a low, cold, mocking laugh.
"I understand now—so that's how it is! What a magnificent Tower of Eternity! What a magnificent Anselm! What a magnificent—"
—The so-called "light"!
His laughter abruptly stopped, and his tone became as sharp and cold as a poisoned ice blade.
"Sirius—that poor girl, she thought she was burning her life for revenge, but she didn't know that she and her respected mentor were just—fuel!"
It's a carefully prepared, high-quality supply of firewood by certain individuals within the Eternal Tower for some ulterior motive!
"This war—"
Hick's voice was filled with a chilling satisfaction at having discovered the truth.
"It's not a battle between light and darkness at all!"
These are two hungry wolves, both desperately driving their flock of sheep toward the slaughterhouse, then competing to see who can cut the sheep faster.
They got even more meat!
"Lilith!"
He immediately gave a stern order.
"Plans changed! Your new task is:"
At all costs, find out every detail of this hidden ritual inside the Tower of Eternity!
Who is the mastermind? What is their ultimate goal? Where exactly is the core magic array located?
"As for Silyan—"
Hick's gaze shifted to the golden dot on the sorcery map that was resolutely charging toward the Sori node. A complex emotion flashed in his eyes—not pity, but more like the feeling of seeing a kindred spirit. Once upon a time, he too was a pawn!
"It's time to reunite her with her loved ones."
Even Hick was incredulous as he digested the amazing discovery brought by Lilith.
"This is getting more and more interesting."
He muttered to himself one last time, a chilling and cruel smile curving his lips.
He originally thought he was the sole director of this apocalyptic drama, but suddenly discovered that another, even more deeply hidden director had appeared on the stage, and the two seemed to have a strikingly similar goal: to frantically collect the energy of death!
The truth behind this war that swept across the entire city of Aykar is far darker and more ironic than anyone could have imagined.
No wonder the war broke out so quickly and the death toll rose so horribly!
Hick originally thought that everything was going according to his plan, but he never expected that this was also a situation that the Tower of Eternity was happy to see!
The Eternal Tower, the leader of the White Wizards, and the Silent Forest, the dominant force of the Black Wizards, are both yearning for and pushing for a full-scale war that will sweep across the entire city of Aikar!
This is the core reason why the war has spiraled out of control to its current state!
Sillian, this pawn burning with the flames of revenge, seems to be simultaneously caught in two vast and ruthless games, yet remains completely unaware of the true intentions of either player.
Lilith let out a light laugh on the other end of the communication stone.
"As you wish, Hick~ Uncovering the dirty secrets hidden beneath the halo of holiness of those white-robed gentlemen is my favorite game~"
Communication was cut off.
Hick stood alone before the dark altar, the shadows around him dancing wildly like his thoughts.
"The Tower of Eternity—Excellent, truly excellent!"
His voice was deep and dangerous; the initial shock had transformed into an extremely calm, hunter-like focus.
"Anselm, or some other person in the Tower—you've kept yourselves very well hidden."
Under the guise of light and justice, they engage in deeds more despicable than the deepest shadows.
He paced slowly, the shadowy energy swirling around his fingertips leaping and coiling as if alive.
"Two hungry wolves fighting over food—interesting. But the same piece of meat can't satisfy two incredibly greedy mouths."
His eyes gleamed with a shrewd and ruthless calculating light.
"Since you also want firewood," then let's have a good competition to see whose hands are faster and whose teeth are—sharper!
Meanwhile, Silian and his squad had arrived in front of the massive node guarded by Sori.
Silian hovered in mid-air, the golden holy flames burning around her forcefully repelling the thick poisonous miasma and corrosive shadows that permeated the surroundings, leaving a dazzling but obviously unstable trail of light behind her.
Nia stood slightly behind her, the magnificent staff in her hand radiating a pure and unwavering light, like a lighthouse in the darkness.
The other team members were scattered around nervously and vigilantly, their solemn gazes sweeping over the completely transformed area before them, an area filled with deathly silence and danger.
The environment here is far superior to that of the previous nodes.
The node of Sori is built on a vast, dry, and cracked ancient lakebed.
At the center of the lakebed stands not an altar of corpses, but a bizarre spire whose shape is constantly changing, composed of countless twisted metals, pitch-black crystals, and ever-writhing shadows.
Dark purple energy runes flowed across the surface of the spire, continuously emitting a low hum that caused mental confusion and restlessness.
The entire area was shrouded in a thick, seemingly living dark curtain, which not only completely blocked outside observation but also had a strong suppressive effect on the power of light.
On the ground, there was no longer a traditional army of the undead; instead, there were countless dark creatures that flowed like liquid shadows and had no fixed shape.
Sometimes they coalesce into deadly claws, sometimes they transform into all-consuming shadow vortexes, silently guarding the central spire.
"Something's very wrong—"
The perception wizard in the group frowned deeply; he could clearly sense that the environment here had an extremely strong suppressive and corrosive effect on holy light energy.
"Sorry has completely integrated his expertise in shadowy realms and nodes. This place has almost become his absolute home ground."
Sillian's eyes, burning with golden flames, swept coldly across the ever-changing shadowy realm.
She could sense the extreme danger it contained, and—a nauseating feeling of being spied on, as if countless eyes hidden in the shadows were staring intently at her, analyzing her every move, searching for her weaknesses.
"No matter what tricks he tries, this node must be destroyed."
Her voice trembled slightly from the surging, roaring power within her, but the resoluteness within it remained undiminished.
She could sense that the dark energy generated here was being continuously drawn away and directed toward some distant and abhorrent direction.
At the same time, it seems that a small portion of energy, in a more covert way, flowed to another place that she subconsciously didn't want to think about.
As if sensing the intruder's unwavering killing intent, the dark purple runes on the surface of Sori's Shadow Spire suddenly lit up, their flow accelerating dramatically, emitting an even more piercing buzzing sound, like the frantic whispers of millions.
The all-encompassing living darkness churned violently, and the pressure suddenly increased, making it difficult for the team members behind Sirian to breathe!
"It seems he's 'welcoming' us."
Nia sneered, and the glow at the tip of her staff became even more concentrated, like a miniature sun, striving to dispel the oppressive chill and suffocating feeling.
"There's no time for slow, tentative testing."
Siri did not answer.
She simply raised her hand slowly, and even more surging golden holy flames erupted from her body, condensing behind her into a pair of slightly illusory wings of light, burning with boundless vengeful fury.
The wings of light fluttered gently, scattering countless scorching sparks that instantly burned the shadowy tentacles that tried to entangle them into nothingness.
Her eyes were almost overflowing with golden flames as she fixed her gaze on the deepest part of the ever-changing spire.
She could clearly feel a cold, cunning consciousness, filled with pure malice, watching her—Sorry!
"For Mentor Calvin!"
Sillian's voice was no longer a crisp war cry, but a wailing filled with endless sorrow and determination, like the final cry of a phoenix burning itself as it rushes towards its doom.
"For the Tower of Eternity!"
She transformed into a golden meteor, and without hesitation, with the most violent force, crashed into that writhing, churning darkness!
"Follow her! Clear all obstacles for her!"
Nia gave a stern command, waving her staff. Beams of pure white purification light shot down like swords of judgment, evaporating large swaths of the shadow creatures that were trying to coalesce into a cohesive form.
The other team members immediately went all out, and various protective spells and dispelling magic arrays lit up one after another, struggling to create a small, fragile area of light in this region that was absolutely dominated by shadow.
Sillian took the lead, and wherever the holy flame passed, the shadows retreated and melted away.
The shapeless dark creatures let out silent screams and pounced madly, but melted away like ice and snow the moment they touched the holy golden flames.
She moved with lightning speed, her target was crystal clear, aimed directly at the heart of the Shadow Spire!
However, the defenses that Hick prepared for this place were by no means limited to this.
Just as Silian was about to break through the outer shadows and approach the spire, the shadows to her side suddenly twisted, and a giant claw covered in dark dragon scales and possessing terrifying power tore through the darkness without warning, slamming down on Silian's side with destructive force!
Bang-!
A dull thud! The golden light protecting Silian's body flickered violently, barely blocking the fatal blow, but the enormous impact still sent her flying like a kite with a broken string!
"Sirius! Today, this is where you will die!"
Rabble stepped out of the shadows, staring at the blasted-away Sirian, his eyes filled with boiling killing intent and the thrill of revenge!
At the same time, Sori also unleashed the core power within his body without reservation!
The immense magical power, mental strength, and even soul power that were gradually poured into his core were now surging out like a flood, elevating Sori's entire state to an unbelievable and terrifying level!
Further away, the Dragon Beast Experiment 16, which had once obtained a precious dragon heart and undergone targeted enhancement and modification by Hick, roared in a low voice!
They appeared following behind an elegant, enormous white fox.
On the white fox sat the white-haired, red-eyed girl—Ginny.
"Lady Ginny, I'll have to trouble you again this time."
Sean, who had been formed from countless white spores and taken human form, bowed slightly to the girl and spoke respectfully.