Read Novel Full Chapter 568 - 27: Decay
Chapter 568: Chapter 27: Decay
Decaying Tower Hall.
Altonia’s hunched figure never truly left. He stood silently, like a withered tree merged with the shadows, behind winding giant roots, his two deep, dark green glows focusing intently on an object floating before him.
It was a crystal ball about the size of a human head.
The crystal ball wasn’t pure and transparent; inside, it was filled with swirling, inky-dark gray-green fog. The fog wasn’t chaotic; instead, it was clearly divided into eight distinct screen regions!
Each screen region corresponded to a Mystical Wizard laboriously climbing the staircase!
Baggen was engulfed in the red Flame Secret Technique, like an enraged Magma Giant. Every step he took clashed against the Power of Decay, with flame and decay colliding, producing a fierce energy shriek, as energy constantly dissipated at the image’s edge, absorbed by the crystal ball.
Anderson was surrounded by a pure white glow, battling fiercely with decay’s corruption. His face was pale, evidently expending great energy, each purification attack seeming strenuous, with strands of neutralized light and decay mixed energy drifting towards the crystal ball.
Sophia’s figure flickered in and out on the staircase like a dancing shadow. She seemed more adept at evasion and transformation, but occasionally, when forced into view, a small ripple of darkness and decay erupted around her, captured by the crystal ball.
Jeraf’s steps were steady, exuding a barren aura as if sharing the Power of Decay’s origins. Yet, every time he waved to dismantle a trap, his fingertips peeled away purer Rule Fragments of Decay, representing his unique understanding, which drifted towards the crystal ball like fireflies.
Kalsa was shrouded in ice-blue mist, with the Frost Power struggling to freeze the invading decay. Each freeze and shatter was accompanied by vanishing points of icy crystal and decay energy, merging into the crystal ball.
Agit’s figure was the most indistinct, nearly merging with the environment. But when forced to resist, he unleashed an instant shadow impact with strong corrosive force, clashing with the staircase’s decay, also drawing out energy.
Kano resembled Anderson’s shadow, with pure white light intertwined with viscous darkness. Each move carried a dual attribute impact, with the chaotic energy after colliding with decay greedily absorbed by the crystal ball.
Lynch’s image was the most unique. His pace was unhurried but exceptionally stable. At his feet, decay traps often resolved in an instant by some incredible means, neutralizing them efficiently and precisely, with the dissipating energy fluctuations being very weak and pure.
Yet, it was this purity that made the crystal ball’s internal gray-green fog churn more violently, as if receiving higher quality fuel!
The crystal ball hovered above Altonia’s claw-like palm, rotating slowly. The varied energy forms escaping from the eight screens—
Whether the aftermath of a clash or annihilation, neutralized secret skill fragments, or detached rule understanding—were drawn by an invisible force, converging continuously into the boiling gray-green fog inside the crystal ball like rivers to the sea!
As energy was continuously injected, the fog inside the crystal ball grew denser and more turbulent. At its center, a deep dark red core, appearing capable of swallowing light, was slowly forming and expanding! A palpably sinister aura, as if the origin of all endings, emanated from inside the crystal ball, causing the coiled roots around to tremble slightly.
At this moment, the space rippled silently.
Two figures appeared noiselessly, as if peeled from the void, in the shadows not far behind Altonia.
One was dressed in a heavy gray cloak, with the Order Hexagram Badge faintly visible in the dim light on his chest—Karija from the Tower of Order. The other was a bizarre plant, with a huge bloodshot eyeball at its top slowly rotating—The Insightful Eye Grass.
"Tsk tsk tsk..."
The Insightful "Eye Grass" made a slick, sticky sound, its giant eye greedily fixating on the crystal ball: "What wonderful energy... such pure ’Decaying Sparks’! Especially that Time Seed, the rule fragments he peels when analyzing traps, are simply... an excellent ’Catalyst’! Even more perfect than we anticipated!"
The shadow underneath Karija’s hood lifted slightly, his gaze fixing on the crystal ball, his voice deep and steady, with a faint trace of satisfaction: "The plan is proceeding smoothly, Altonia. These Mystical Wizards, especially those top ones, their efforts to break traps and ascend the staircase, along with their understanding and collisions with the rules of decay... are becoming excellent nourishment for nurturing the ’Heart of Decay’."
He paused and added: "They believe they are comprehending ’Decay,’ little do they know, every struggle, every unraveling, every comprehension... is injecting ’Activity’ and ’Rule Imprint’ into this ’vessel.’"
Altonia didn’t turn back; his hoarse, dry voice sounded with an odd indifference: "Each to their own needs. They crave power, while I... need ’fuel’ and the ’fuse’ to complete the final steps. Are the ’materials’ promised by the Tower of Order prepared?"
"Naturally." Karija’s voice was emotionless, "The ’Star Core Fragment’ and the ’Tear of Void’ are in place. Once the ’Heart of Decay’ absorbs enough power to reach the ’Resonance Critical Point,’ the final ’Ignition’ ritual can proceed."
His gaze swept over the struggling figures in the crystal ball, like observing tools about to fulfill their purpose: "Let them continue to climb. The higher they climb, the more fiercely they struggle, the deeper their understanding of the rules... the more abundant the ’nourishment’ injected into the ’heart’ becomes. Especially that Saphiro..."
Karija’s gaze lingered on Lynch’s screen: "His efficiency in parsing decay rules and his control over energy... far exceed expectations. The ’spark’ he provides might considerably shorten the time needed for ’resonance’."
"Hmph." Altonia made an ambiguously derisive sound, "Before the final ’container,’ no matter how strong the secret skill, it will ultimately become the foundation." His claw faintly curled, slightly increasing the crystal ball’s rotation speed, making the internal gray-green fog swirl even more wildly and solidifying the dark red core a bit more.
The Insightful "Eye Grass’s" giant eye turned excitedly: "Soon... I can feel the pulse of the ’heart’ growing stronger! It’s awakening! When it’s fully activated and merges with the ’Star Core’ and the ’Tear of Void’... that perfect vessel containing the secrets of decay... will be born! The Tower’s ’Eternal Hourglass’ plan... has finally seen the dawn!"
The shadow beneath Karija’s hood seemed to shift its attention to the hall’s central floor. There, in a previously empty spot, a complex large array had silently emerged, woven with dark green roots and dark red energy lines.
The array’s core was a slowly rotating deep vortex shadow, its emanations faintly echoing with the dark red core in the crystal ball!
"Here, this is the final furnace." Karija’s voice carried cold anticipation:
"The stairs collect power, the ’Eye of Surveillance’ gathers and refines it. Once the ’Heart of Decay’ matures and the furnace below activates... whoever reaches the tower’s peak first, what awaits them won’t be inheritance..."
"But... as ’materials’ for the ’container’..." Altonia took over, his voice cold, like pronouncing a final judgment. The crystal ball suspended in his claw greedily absorbed the efforts and scattered energies of the eight struggling Mystical Wizards, accumulating the energy of destruction and rebirth for the impending climax.
In the shadows, the two from the Order Tower silently watched the crystal ball, like patient hunters. The massive silent array vortex in the hall center stood as the channel to ultimate destiny, quietly awaiting the arrival of "fuel." The core of the Decaying Tower was filled with the aura of cold calculation and ruthless sacrifice.