Wizard: Stronger through Marriage

Chapter 862: Chapter 386: Cognitive Contamination_2

"Quick! Grab me!" David reacted swiftly. He reached out to grab Lucia, then leapt with all his might towards the other side of the Abyss.

As they soared through the air, they both turned to see the bottom of the Abyss piled high with tens of thousands of silver masks—each one bearing the face that Lucia was both familiar with and feared.

"This is... my face!"

She cried out in terror, the blurry yet twisted but hauntingly familiar scene filling her heart with an indescribable unease, "Is this my past? Did all the followers sacrifice for me?"

"Don’t be afraid, we will uncover all of this." David looked straight ahead, gripping her small hand tightly, passing his warmth to her.

They finally landed on the other side, but the sense of crisis in their hearts only intensified.

All of this seemed to foretell a larger conspiracy gradually unfolding, and they needed to quickly find the answers to prevent an even greater catastrophe from descending.

After catching their breath, the two of them turned again to gaze at the Bronze Star Disc floating in mid-air, from which dazzling golden radiance emanated.

And the phantom of the First Pope was still there, performing his ritual with a fervent and mournful posture.

This time, they could not retreat nor avoid it; this was not only about unraveling historical mysteries but also a crucial mission to save the fate of the future!

"We must stop all of this," Lucia said with determination, "If this ritual continues, the consequences will be unimaginable."

She gazed at the cryptic runes on the thick stone wall ahead, as even stronger messages flowed from them—perhaps these runes were the key to breaking the current situation!

Thus, the two decided to delve deeper into this new space filled with unknowns and dangers.

They cautiously circled around the Bronze Star Disc and once again engaged with the series of flickering runes, hoping to find a way to crack the code.

However, during this process, they faintly felt a force slowly gathering and approaching them, unease and threat silently breeding...

At that moment, those hidden feelings of unease in the shadows became a tangible oppressive attack, putting their spirits through great torment.

"They want to devour us!" David gritted his teeth and shouted, "Focus, don’t let them affect our will!"

With his shout, their souls seemed to resonate, forming an invisible new belief to resist the invasion of the Dark Power.

"Cognitive pollution," Lucia urgently cried, tearing off a piece of her skirt to blindfold herself.

"Don’t look at those masks! They will affect our minds, plunging us into endless fear and despair!"

David nodded, though deeply puzzled, he knew there was no time to lose in the current situation.

Lucia’s Moonlight Dagger left a bright mark on the rock wall, scorching a path to escape.

They quickly passed through the passage, almost falling into the boiling Spring of Light.

A warm and strange aura surrounded them. As they immersed themselves in the spring water, a deep and distant murmur, like the root of the world, echoed by David’s ears.

That sound contained ancient wisdom and a long history, making him feel both familiar and unfamiliar.

"What did we hear in here?" David pondered.

He tried to capture those vague streams of information with his consciousness, but could only sense a mist.

As they gradually surfaced, their vision became clear.

They discovered that several gorgeous and strange crystal coffins floated in the depth of the spring water.

In the flickering light and shadow, he witnessed a woman with the same features as Lucia yet appearing more pale and frail, lying silently in the coffin.

The face was so familiar, yet seemed fragile like at the brink of breaking, akin to a delicate petal, stirring heartache.

"Is that... me?" Lucia said in disbelief, trembling all over, lost for words. "Who... is she?"

Inscribed on the coffin lid were the Ancient Divine Texts: "Container No. 0784, Consciousness Connection Completion Rate 99.7%."

These words struck her heart like a sledgehammer, recalling a long-buried history that the Church had obscured over time.

The complex relationship among life, consciousness, and power—all the wiped-out information.

"Is this the entity created by the First Pope’s experimentation?"

David murmured, feeling an unprecedented unease creeping up, "This is not merely about individuals, but possibly a part of the entire Church’s experimental plan."

He turned to Lucia and said, "We must uncover the truth! It could concern you and the whole world."

Just at that moment, a brainwave hit him as he directed his gaze toward the Ancient Divine Texts on the crystal coffin.

"Perhaps, we could use the Silver Moon Sword to pierce the coffin and thus release or reboot the sealed information within!"

However, as he grasped the Silver Moon Sword, preparing to pierce through the crystal covering, a strong unease surged within him.

He recalled the shocking scene of the tens of thousands of silver masks piled at the bottom of the Abyss earlier.

If those masks symbolize previous followers who became nonexistent memorials, then any wrong decision could lead to irreversible outcomes.

"But would doing so release an uncontrollable force?"

Lucia asked worriedly, understanding the importance and potential risk of this decision, despite her yearning to uncover the truth.

Amidst the pair’s hesitation, the mysterious and low, distant voices resonated again, surging like tides, enveloping them.

They seemed to guide, warn, or suppress some power, requiring them to make a choice!

Finally, amidst hesitation, David decisively pointed ahead: "To understand all of this, I must take this risk."

As he completed the action, the Silver Moon Sword flashed coldly, his will infused into it.

The blade sliced through the crystal, causing an intense backlash that shattered it, and a burst of colorful light shot skyward.

And at that very moment, the entire Holy Mountain emitted a piercing screech, as if the centuries-old seal was finally breaking.

Even though ethereal phantoms intersected with visible dangers around, the only thing left to do at that moment was to face it!

As the glassy layer gently sliding down the woman’s face shattered like an avalanche, the sleeper slowly opened her eyes, transforming the scene into a reality across the other side.

She looked at them in astonishment, as countless information streams from different angles flooded into my mind, images passionately intersecting like tides crashing upon the mind, binding the three of them tightly.

And this force seemed to come from the deep cosmos yet also from the primal, most genuine cries for hope and unresolved longing from the deepest part of every follower’s soul!

The phantom of the First Pope spread from all around, continually disrupting the scene, while at that time, all locked souls seemed to gradually awaken.

Out of the darkness suddenly lit up six pairs of crimson compound eyes, like stars in the Abyss, watching David and Lucia, emitting a chillingly oppressive presence.

The First Pope’s voice echoed from all directions, like an ancient Spell reverberating in the air: "You should not touch the womb of time."

David felt icy tendrils piercing into the back of his neck, a sensation as if some creature was extracting his soul.

He involuntarily trembled, and the Silver Moon Mark erupted with intense light, pulling him back to reality from that fear.

Yet, this force did not dispel the storm of terror swirling in the depths of his heart.

As the light flickered, he saw the soul-shaking truth—

The Holy Mountain was not the peak they had imagined, but a pale Giant Beast lurking in the rift of time and space.

Those seemingly magnificent, luminous mountains were actually its countless ganglia, each connecting an indescribable and complex power entangling this world with another.

The prayers the Church poured into the Holy Mountain for millennia had become eternal chains binding this Giant Beast.