Sword of Dawnbreaker

Chapter 1266: Chapter 1265: Remains of the Myth

According to known intelligence, in the special environment of the War God’s Divine Realm, various items using magic will experience a phenomenon where they cannot obtain energy supplements from the surrounding environment, but the magic reserves inside the items remain unaffected. The Explorer Golems can still rely on the storage crystals they carry within their bodies to operate in the divine realm, and likewise, Kamel can bring a giant storage crystal array to prevent suffering "depletion" after entering the divine realm.

He glanced down at the silver-white metal box connected beside him. On the top of the box, there was a transparent crystal "skylight," through which neatly arranged light blue crystals embedded on rune-filled grids could be seen. There are several more layers of such storage crystal panels inside the box — they are enough to sustain Kamel in this peculiar environment for a long time, provided he does not cast large spells.

Although he himself has magic reserves far exceeding those of average mages, and could survive here using only his own power for quite a while, as Windsor Maple once said, doing so inevitably depletes one’s "life foundation", which is too dangerous. Therefore, unless in emergencies, Kamel does not intend to withstand the depleted environment here with his magic body directly.

That mirror-like portal quietly hovered above the Divine Kingdom Plaza, and the White Knights began setting up a temporary forward base centered around the portal, putting necessary equipment in place, with the repair station, medical station, and supply point consecutively set up. Meanwhile, two White Knights approached the portal and began installing a special device.

The main body of that device was a metal cylinder with numerous rune interfaces, standing only half a meter tall with a simple structure. Extending from its base was a "drag chain" structure made of sections of alloy plates. The surfaces of those plates were inscribed with precise conductive runes, embedded with Mithril, Adamantite, and other magi-metal lines, joined securely with precise hinges — it seemed quite valuable.

After fixing the metal cylinder onto the ground, one White Knight carefully sent the alloy "drag chain" to the front of the portal, probing its front end through the "mirror" surface.

A moment later, the rune drag chain trembled slightly, as if someone on the other side connected and secured it. Then Kamel saw a faint glow emerging on the surface of the metal cylinder fixed beside the portal, with individual runes in dim condition quickly lighting up after flashing a few times.

"The theory is correct, the magic power has been transferred," one of the two White Knights responsible for installing the equipment stood up, their muffled voice echoing from beneath the heavy helmet, "Master Kamel, the Magic Supply Station has been activated."

Kamel nodded in satisfaction, with a tremulous voice resonating within him: "Very good... Now, at least when near the portal, we can replenish the depleted magic power at any time."

"What do we do next?" Another White Knight looked at Kamel, floating in mid-air, followed by a large box, "Should we follow the plan to head to the plaza’s exit?"

"Let’s wait a moment," Kamel said gravely, "Our advanced consultant will be here to provide technical support."

No sooner had he spoken, before the White Knights could inquire further, everyone present suddenly felt an unusually powerful, majestic, and pressurizing aura descend upon the plaza. The White Knights looked in shock in the direction from which the aura originated, only to see the metal cylinder newly placed, which wasn’t connected to any magic load equipment, emit a conspicuous red glow at full power alongside a low humming. The rune drag chain, designed to handle considerable load, emitted an overload temperature and energy sparks seemingly out of thin air, and the next second, they saw a whirlwind cloud enveloped in electricity appear out of nowhere above the metal cylinder!

The vortex lasted for a moment, then gradually stabilized, and an extremely tall figure emerged from the cloud, a figure as colossal as a clock tower. Against the backdrop of the divine nation’s hazy, chaotic sky, she exuded a nearly irresistible aura. She had a woman’s silhouette, yet her face was completely veiled in mist-like presence, wearing a black dress akin to court attire. Countless runes resembling stars sparkled deep in her "skirt" — all these features matched what mages described as the "Source of All Magic," the master of all mysteries.

She walked out from the vortex, and under the astonished gaze of the White Knights, this "gigantic lady" suddenly began to shrink, in mere seconds transforming from a clock tower-sized height into a noblewoman standing "only" around three meters tall. Her face became clear, with the mist originally shrouding below turned into a semi-transparent black veil, and the ethereal dust-like skirt transformed into a dense texture — apart from the three-meter stature, she now appeared almost completely "mortal."

"The method the Old Deer taught really works..." The lady took a step forward onto solid ground, glanced down at her current form with a satisfied tone, "It’s my first time compressing myself this small outside a nerve network... Too bad it’s just an avatar."

Upon the lady’s arrival, Kamel felt the magic power flow within him change instantly, although it soon stabilized, it was enough to attest to the lady’s extraordinary power and "potential," yet he was already accustomed to this: they had met before, and after the establishment of the theocracy Authority Council, they had, in a sense, become "colleagues." Once a deity, the "Source of All Magic" was now merely an advanced consultant within the unit.

He floated towards the lady now standing, even in her "reduced" size, three meters tall, with a solemn demeanor: "Lady, is your situation stable over there?"

"The state is good — everything is as predicted in advance, this avatar is sufficient for this operation," Goddess of Magic lowered her gaze to Kamel, then lifted her head, her eyes sweeping across the distant dead city and the towering silhouette of palace towers, her tone carrying a hint of admiration, "The War God’s Divine Realm... I never thought I would one day truly step into another god’s domain."

She glanced back; the metal cylinder set by the portal was gradually dimming its surface red glow. Heat rose around the rune drag chain, and even this brief avatar arrival tested the ultimate limit of the most expensively materialized magic mechanism — but it held against the impact, just as she calculated before.

The Goddess of Magic descends into the War God’s Divine Realm (×).

Goddess of Magic sneaks into the War God’s unoccupied old house through the network (√).

"This place truly feels uncomfortable," the Goddess of Magic withdrew her gaze, roughly sensing the surrounding environment’s situation. Even though the War God had fallen, the corresponding divine seat disappeared, and she had detached from the "chain," the hostless divine realm still wouldn’t actively resist her as an "invading Otherworldly God." Nonetheless, the distinct magic depletion environment here still displeased her, "Totally repelling magic... what a brute’s dwelling indeed."

"Does the environment here affect you much?" Kamel couldn’t help but look at the deity’s avatar that arrived here, noticing as she spoke, he could vaguely see numerous rune-like locks surrounding her. Those indistinct shadows shrouded the "Source of All Magic," as if layer upon layer of seals, preventing any potential spiritual contamination from leaking.

Hearing Kamel’s words, Goddess of Magic evidently was unconcerned: "You needn’t worry about me — though the environment here is poor, at this depletion rate it would take at least ten years to exhaust the power of this avatar..."

Kamel raised his head upon hearing, observing the "deity" before him, seeing a faint mist rising behind her. Amongst the deep purple mist, fragments of arcane flames flickered, prompting him to speak up: "But you’ve been smoking since just now."

"..." The Goddess of Magic silently looked up for a moment, then lowered her head again, her tone finally less confident than at the beginning, "Alright, perhaps two years... It’s not important, Explorers, we must take action now. This space is quite vast and its edges are constantly collapsing. We must make good use of this place before it completely falls apart."

In Kamel’s eyes, two flames suddenly rose. He took a light breath (merely out of habit), and waved towards the distance: "Knight Solid, you stay here with your team and continue to set up the base, preparing for the subsequent technical experts coming through the portal. Knight Quinn, you take your team with me. Let’s head to the door where the Explorer Golem last made a discovery!"

Having said that, he immediately dimmed the brightness on himself, and the two flames at his eyes shrank as well—the Enchanting Gem had limited capacity, and he had to conserve it to extend his operating time here...

...

Amidst the dark and chaotic defied Court, the holy white Giant Stag stood silently among a pile of fully-operational ancient magical devices. Its eyes, as if cast from crystal, gazed quietly at a platform before it.

On that platform, there was a huge chair carved out of boulders collected nearby. A woman, dressed in a black court gown, with a lower body as ethereal as mist and towering like a bell tower, was sitting quietly. Around the chair, dozens of ancient magical devices emitted a buzzing sound, each topped with a man-made crystal glowing with soft blue-white light. The special field emanating from the crystals enveloped the entire court, and at the focus of this field, the woman on the chair was further surrounded by layers upon layers of magic symbol halos. They formed seals, but also layers of protective barriers.

Suddenly, the Goddess of Magic sitting on the chair opened her eyes. Reflected in her eyes were scenes from another space, and her voice was low and calm: "We have already left the Plaza... and entered within the city walls."

"How is the situation over there?" Amon, observing the Goddess of Magic who was projecting her power through the lines, asked with some concern, "Is there any danger?"

"We saw many giant stone statues guarding doors and hollow armors... However, the statues are just statues, and the armors haven’t moved in ages. There are no guards in the entire city that are still active," the Goddess of Magic said softly. Suddenly, one of her eyes emitted a bright light, forming a clear and vivid holographic image in front of Amon, showing the scene encountered by the divine kingdom’s scouting team, "The War God is truly and completely fallen... dead beyond dead."

Amon slightly lowered his head, speaking in a deep voice: "But the kingdom he left behind will drift in The Deep Sea for many, many years, perhaps even until this season of civilization ends..."

"Regarding that... I find it intriguing," the Goddess of Magic said softly, "This kingdom will likely not float through The Deep Sea for hundreds of thousands, or even millions of years as other kingdoms do... I can feel it dissipating, faster than we imagined, faster than Lady Enya described. Perhaps it will fully disappear in decades, or even just some ten odd years."

"... Disappearing so quickly?!" Amon’s eyes widened instantly, "How can this be?"

"I guess it’s due to it starting to unravel after mortals broke free from their chains," the Goddess of Magic speculated, "The act of mortals breaking free caused a massive ripple in the tide of ideas that even reaches The Deep Sea; in a calm environment, the ’residual echoes’ of gods might slowly unravel over decades, but such ripples accelerate its collapse."

"... The influence from that battle has such effects," Amon said slowly, "Then it seems there’s not much time left for mortals to study..."

"No, it’s enough," the Goddess of Magic softly replied, the illusion of the magic symbol loop circulated beside her like a stream, her voice becoming gentle as well, "For these diligent mortals today, it’s already enough..."

...

Kamel led the scouting team across the city wall at the edge of the Plaza, venturing deeper step by step into the "City of Gods" built upon the thoughts of many mortal believers and continuing their exploration.

The "Magic Goddess," who had descended in incarnate form to provide aid, walked alongside the team. Whenever the explorers made discoveries, she would occasionally stop to help analyze, offering references from ancient knowledge.

The presence of a three-meter-tall lady brought an unusual feeling to the team—most of the White Knights were tall, and especially when donning the specially-made powered armor, their robust two-meter stature was almost standard for these armed priests. Even Kamel, who floated in the air, boasted considerable "height," but all of this was insignificant next to the "towering" lady standing three meters tall.

Even the tallest White Knight walking next to the current Goddess of Magic seemed like a "child."

Yet such an odd feeling was only contemplated in the minds of the team members, with no one speaking it aloud. This team was well-trained; everyone was here to get the job done.

"The area we’re passing through should be the ’Pathway of Cheering’ described in the War God Doctrine," Kamel recalled the data he had learned previously, observing the surroundings as he spoke, "It’s said to be the residential area of the War God’s servitors, connecting to the ’Plaza of Glory,’ and the Eternal Arena prepared for courageous warriors. It also leads to palaces where warriors may rest. When those warriors favored by the War God heroically fell in battle, they would pass through the Plaza of Glory, enter this neighborhood, receive cheering from the servitors of the gods, and step by step shed their mortal flesh, truly becoming eternal spirits in the kingdom..."

A White Knight raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the buildings with iron-grey roofs and doors, and the deserted wide avenue. After a long silence, a heavy voice came from his thick helmet: "No cheering."

The avatar of the "towering" lady lowered her head: "Indeed, no cheering... that glorious myth full of splendor has been personally ended by mortals."