Chapter 1279: Section 1280 Abyss of Corruption
The familiar shape of the crown made Angel startle.
He was naturally no stranger to this crown. Elisa had even had him make a replica of it before. The dimensions, every detail, even every jewel and every single pattern, Angel remembered all of it clearly!
This crown was indeed the Crimson Authority!
The reason Eulica was wanted by King Gumman, as well as why she fled to the Forbidden Magic Island, and why Suise pursued her. Everything stemmed from this very Crimson Authority.
The Crimson Authority was a Mysterious Object, a treasure that had been passed down through the Gumman Kingdom for many years!
Up until now, Angel still did not understand the purpose of this Mysterious Object. When he saw this crown appear in Eulica’s palm, a strong sense of alarm surged within him.
...
The power of Mysterious Objects never made any sense.
Eulica’s lips curved into a sinister smile, and the crown in her palm began to emit a brilliant red light.
Instinctively, Angel wanted to take several steps back, but before he could even move, a beam of red light burst forth from the crown in Eulica’s hand, rushing toward his face.
Angel saw nothing but a bright blood-red light, and faintly heard Suise’s loud shout, “Eulica, stop!”
Angel’s mind was in a fog, he couldn’t remember what he did; his vision went white, and he plummeted from the sky.
…
He was in a daze, and the world was engulfed in darkness.
Slaughter, blade glints, battlefields, gunsmoke. All sorts of bloody and terrifying images, along with bursts of sharp, mocking laughter, flooded into his brain.
Angel felt as if he was struggling helplessly in the mire, but it was no use, Negative Energy had already begun to invade his soul.
He could almost see it, the dark maw not far away, and the Abyss of Corruption that it represented.
“Is that my destination?” Angel looked up in confusion; from within the Abyss, a faint music seemed to tempt him forward. If he stepped into that deep maw, the Negative Energy that troubled him would dissipate with it.
No, not dissipate, but completely Assimilate.
Angel took steps toward the dark maw, his steps were very mechanical, as though someone was pushing him there.
Just outside the maw, Angel looked inside.
He saw that within the Abyss of Corruption, scenes unfolded: everyone from Pat Manor, including Jon, Lyon, and all his relatives and friends… were all dead, the killer being a man in a black robe.
The man had his back to Angel, and Angel felt that his silhouette was somewhat familiar.
All of a sudden, the man turned around.
Angel’s pupils shrank; he saw that this man looked exactly like himself!
But his hair was black, and his eye sockets were pitch-dark, his complexion pale, with a dangerous smile curling at the corner of his mouth!
“Who are you?” Angel didn’t know how he was able to speak, but he indeed asked.
“I am you,” the eerie voice came back.
“No, you’re not me. I wouldn’t do this!” Angel looked at the images in the Abyss, the relatives lying in pools of blood, how could he possibly kill them?
“Isn’t that what you want deep down? They are your burden. Once you kill them, you’ll be free of worries,” the wicked laughter subsided, followed by a soft mutter, “You’ll be free.”
Angel had a moment of confusion: freed?
“Yes, free. Come over, and once you cross this boundary, you’ll be reborn.”
Angel looked toward the Abyss of Corruption in front of him, stretching out his hand, as if trying to reach into it… but at that moment, his right eye began to sting sharply, and he clutched at his eye in pain.
As green Patterns emerged before him, Angel seemed to remember something, the muddled thoughts swept away, and everything before him Transmuted.
That person in the Abyss of Corruption was not him at all, but a blurry Phantom Shadow, formless, twisted and swaying, even its crimson eyes and gaping maw, like serrated teeth, constantly changing!
“Damn it, I was so close!” It roared, “Nobody can stop me!”
As it spoke, the Phantom Shadow suddenly burst out of the Abyss of Corruption and opened its body widely, forming a massive net, enveloping Angel completely, trying to drag him into the Abyss.
Angel felt himself sinking deeper into the darkness, bombarded more by the tangled Negative Energy. Had it not been for the green Patterns roaming around, he might have completely succumbed.
As the Phantom Shadow engulfed him, the green Patterns in his right eye began to show clear rejection and Ward.
Under the dissipation from the green Patterns, the Phantom Shadow before him started to fade away, but the process was too slow to eliminate it in a short period of time.
Though it was screaming in agony, it was not slow, inching Angel closer and closer to the Abyss of Corruption.
Just as Angel’s lower half was about to fall into the Abyss, a sinister laugh rang out.
The laugh was terrifying, so much so that even Angel felt a chill run down his spine.
At first, the laughter came from behind, but soon it was surrounding him from all directions. Angel looked up, paying attention to his surroundings… Could it be that he had already been dragged into the Abyss, and this laughter belonged to a creature from the Abyss?
In the pitch-black darkness devoid of any light, suddenly a pale face appeared.
Angel was startled.
Upon closer inspection, he realized it wasn’t a normal human face at all, but rather the face of a puppet. And at that moment, the sight of the puppet was even more terrifying than a human face.
Why was there a puppet here?
While Angel was still puzzled by this question, the puppet suddenly began to emanate endless waves of resentment, forming seas of grudge that surged toward Angel… more precisely, toward the shadow that had ensnared him.