Seoul Station’s Necromancer Chapter 176:
Chapter 176 – Aria’s Temple (2)
The large Symbol grew on top of the Saurus mountain .
Latasha, who was the Lord of the remaining Elves, lay beneath the World Tree . Latasha was better known by the name Silver Arrow .
She watched as sunlight reached her from between the foliage, and it was heavenly .
She was lying still as she felt the tree’s breathing . She reminisced about the time when the forests sang to her ancestors .
She never had the privilege to live in such peace, yet maybe it was an instinct that was passed down through her bloodline .
“What are you doing here?”
She had been silently communing with the silent past, but Do-jaemin’s visit broke her out of her thoughts .
“Ah, Count Jaemin . ”
He was a human of earth that had turned into a Vampire Lord .
He was in a weird and dangerous position of being the brother of the Immortal’s woman .
“Were you taking a nap?”
“No . I was feeling the World Tree breathe . ”
“Hmm . I thought it was merely the Colony’s Symbol… . ”
“It is a special existence to me . ”
“… . ”
Jaemin silently looked at the grown tree . Latasha was the first to laugh . She saw that Jaemin had also put on a serious expression on his face when he heard her words .
“Hoo hoo . So why were you looking for me?”
“Ah . Tauric is gathering all the heroes . ”
“Understood . ”
Latasha accompanied Do-jaemin, and they walked towards the castle built near the World Tree . The castle built by the Immortal was too large for only the ten heroes to occupy . It felt empty .
“Silver Arrow . ”
“What is it?”
Latasha queried when she saw the heroes gathered in one place .
Each of the heroes were put in charge of a team, and they were supposed to expand out from the Saurus mountain as base to clear the monsters nearby . It was also the reason why this type of gathering hadn’t happened in several days .
“A massive amount of monsters are gathering south at the Nero plateau . ”
“…that’s the worst news we’ve heard in recent days . ”
“Actually, it get worse . ”
Tauric spread a map on the table . It was a map that specifically showed the details between the Saurus mountains and the Nero plateau . It was a distance that could be traveled in around two weeks . A human kingdom had once occupied that region, but it was currently ruled by a Dimensional lord named Unon .
“It isn’t just Unon’s army . Shirao, Patu, Leia and Gong Gong are all gathering there . ”
Latasha’s eyes widened at Tauric’s words . It looked as if her eyes were about to fall out .
“My **** . Are you saying the Dimensional lords are working together?”
“Unfortunately, that is what is happening . ”
“… . ”
Dimensional lords never cooperated with each other . They weren’t like blood enemies that fought constantly, but they did fight over territories . This was a reason why the Coalition was able to exist on this planet .
The Dimensional lords fought wars with each other, and the people of planet was merely their quarry .
If they cooperated with each other, it would have taken them 1 year to decimate the entirety of Alphen .
“So what is behind this unforeseen move?”
The Coalition was on its last leg, and they were gathering their remaining troops .
Were they that big of a threat?
They should have been beneath the notice of the Dimensional lords .
The gathering of the Coalition hadn’t even aroused the attention of the Dimensional lord Go-shooshoo, Juliel and their armies . In the past, the Coalition had gathered their forces quite often in the past without such a severe response .
“I’m not sure . If I had to guess, it might be caused by his return… . . ”
“Immortal…”
There was only one existence that was excessively burdensome to the Dimensional lords .
The Dimensional lords started working with each other when the Immortal suddenly showed up . The cause behind their actions was obvious .
Even a single Dimensional lord was an overwhelming opponent, yet they would have to face 5 Dimensional lords . The Coalition’s forces were like a candle facing the wind .
Moreover, the existence that could block the wind was with Melody right now as they headed towards Aria’s Temple . They were in deep enemy territory beyond the Nero plateau .
“If the Immortal isn’t here, it will be too hard to protect this fortress . We have to find a new hideout . ”
When king of Honshoo Kontz spoke up, the Archmage Graham agreed with him .
“That’s right . In the first place, the Saurus mountain was the worst place we could have chosen to defend an enemy’s attack . There’s the risk that our enemies might isolate us . We have to move our base first . ”
“No way . How could you throw away a Colony so easily?”
Sunggoo yelled out .
The Colony wasn’t merely a place where they could purchase Items using Bloodstones . For the people, who came over from earth, it was the location of the gate . The gate would allow them to go back to their home world .
“The Fire Spirit King is correct . Also, I won’t leave behind the World Tree . ”
“I’m the the Fire Spirit King… . ”
Sunggoo mumbled at Latasha’s words . Graham tried to convince her with great care .
“Oh, Elf Lord . I believe it is a stretch to call it the World Tree . ”
“No . It is the World Tree . ”
Latasha ignored Sunggoo’s words, and her answer was full of conviction as she spoke to Graham .
“Mmmm . ”
The current Elf Lord said it was the World Tree, so how could a human magician say otherwise? However, it wasn’t a wise decision to stay here . They would be slaughtered .
“What can we do? Unon is a high rank great general . He occupies the 36th throne . ”
“…he built this city, so he’ll protect it . ”
It hurt her pride to rely on the Immortal, but she spoke those words quietly . Jaemin, who had been quietly listening from the side, stepped forward .
“I can contact him . ”
“Oh oh!”
Do-jaemin had been appointed to be the tactician of Alandal . He could trade thoughts with the Dimensional lord Kahng-woojin .
“He’ll be able to come here immediately using the Return Portal if we are in a dire situation . ”
“That is good news . ”
The gloomy atmosphere immediately improved . The Immortal was only one person, but his existence was enough to wipe away the worry of losing the battle .
Everyone firmly believed the Immortal wouldn’t have problem with these foes .
“Please inform him of our plight . ”
At Graham’s insistence, Do-jaemin quickly tried to contact Woojin .
[Woojin hyung . ]
[…]
Everyone looked at him with eyes full of hope . Jaemin kept calling for Woojin, but there was no response .
Jaemin nervously licked his lips when the anticipation turned into doubt .
‘Will it not work if he is in a different Dimension?’
He was appointed to be the tactician, but he wasn’t fully aware of the power and the communication capability possessed by a Dimensional lord . Jaemin scratched his head as he spoke .
“I think he is clearing a Dungeon . ”
“Hmm . You can’t contact him if he is in a Dungeon?”
“I guess so . ”
As if they didn’t believe him, the atmosphere was turning a bit weird when they heard his answer . Tauric stepped forward to clear up the air .
Since the Immortal and the Holy Maiden wasn’t here, the First Monk of Skia became the psychological pillar for the people .
“I know we’ve had some complaints initially about setting up here, but in the end, we agreed to it . ”
“… . ”
“We settled here, because it was the ideal place for a counteroffensive campaign . We cannot run away at the first sign of the enemies gathering . ”
“You are right . ”
The great Orc Chieftain Kruegar had been quiet, since Latasha had spoken, and now he raised a closed fist .
“Koo-roo . I don’t want to die while running away . We shouldn’t be fighting for our survival . We have to fight for victory . ”
They had always pushed and delayed their plans into the future . How many comrades were left behind as they ran away? Maybe the time they had been waiting for was at hand .
“Alandal and the Coalition are allies . If we can’t defend a Colony from being taken over before he returns, there is no point to this alliance .
Dwarf King Raul stepped forward .
“Let us fight! If we build a fortress as we accelerate our pace in gathering our forces, there is no reason why we won’t be able to defend this place . ”
When everyone’s opinions came into alignment, Tauric let out a declaration .
“Let’s get ready to defend the Colony . ”
“Ooh-oh-oh!”
There would be no retreat any more . Since they had gained a sword they could use to counter attack, they couldn’t let go of it even if it was heavy .
They just have to wait until a sharp and dangerous sword named the Immortal came back to them .
***
The earth was so poor and sticky that it made one wonder if it was really dirt underneath their feet . It gave off an unpleasant feeling .
The large trees were rotten, and an unknown fungus covered the branches .
There was a musky foul smell . The air was poisonous, and there were no living creatures inside the forest .
Woojin grumbled .
“Why did noonim build a temple here?”
Melody was protected by a blessing she asked from her goddess . She answered Woojin’s complaint .
“The goddess did not shy away from penance . She chose to be in this harsh environment… . ”
Woojin cut off Melody’s words .
“Stop making **** up . ”
“…I’m not making it up . It was passed down…”
“Ah . Whatever . There’s a saying that says idle words can become law . ”
“… . ”
She was full of counter-arguments she wanted to say, but Melody tried hard to hold back her words . If it wasn’t for Woojin, she wouldn’t have be able to traverse through the enemy territories . She wouldn’t have been able to reach this place .
It would have taken her two months to walk here . They had taken down every Dungeon and Colony on their way here, yet it took them only a month .
If they had just rode on the Phantom Steed through the whole journey, it would have halved the time further .
“I never heard about such a bizarre place . ”
Woojin shook his head from side to side as he looked at his surrounding .
Reeds, which was as thick as a person’s thigh, had grown high into the air before they died . There were only stumps left, and there seemed to be fossilized remains covering the floor . It was creepy .
He could see a corpse of a Wyvern-sized dragonfly, skeleton of an eight-limbed bear, and dead trees . They were all very large .
If a town was changed into giants and mutants, it would look like this place .
“Sniff . I don’t think this is petroleum . What is this?”
The black and sticky liquid covered the floor, and it somehow felt out of place .
“We are almost there . It should be over there . ”
She was being guided by her goddess as she walked the maze-like forest road . In the end, they arrived at their destination .
They went past the unpleasant forest and the ground boiling with the black liquid . Afterwards, a large crater greeted them .
It was as if a meteor had fallen to make this deep crater .
In the middle of the crater, one could see a small building covered in black moss .
At a glance, it looked like a pointy rock, but the sight was strangely incongruous with its surrounding .
“What the **** is that?”
“It is goddess Aria’s temple . ”
“You know I’m not asking about that . ”
Woojin went to the edge of the crater, and he slowly descended .
Pshhhh .
The ground crumbled every time Woojin brought a foot down . The ground was unstable as jagged stones kept catching on his feet .
“Are these bones?”
He had thought they were jagged stones, but they were bones .
He didn’t know if they were from animals or people . Several thousand…tens of thousand unidentifiable bones made up the ground .
“… . ”
Woojin silently walked forward . Melody was following behind him, and her face had also turned serious .
“Have you been here before?”
“This is my first time . ”
She would have needed to come here to become the official Holy Maiden, but this was Melody’s first visit . She was here to receive her Holy Item . It would signify that Melody was the closest servant of Aria .
“This is…”
Goddess of Prophecy Aria .
Melody had called it a temple, so he had thought… .
Woojin and Melody went to the heart of the deep and large crater . They stood in front of a black building that looked like a pillar curved like a horn .
“Doesn’t it look unbalanced?”
“…”
She didn’t even have the words to answer Woojin’s question . She also hadn’t heard anything about Aria’s Temple . She felt a tug from the goddess’ revelation, and she only knew how to get to this place through instinct .
Zz-zz-jook .
The black moss started to rip away . A rectangular outline could be seen as the door shifted .
Too-shoo-shoong!
The moss fell to the floor as the door opened .
Woojin was silent as he saw what was across the entrance .
“… . ”
“Oh goddess . ”
When the door opened, a large amount of the goddess’ energy flowed out into Melody . Melody fell to her knees as she prostrated on the floor .
At her reaction, Woojin’s sense of incongruity, which had bothered him, reached its
“It’s a spaceship . ”
There was no other explanation .
If he wanted to know the reason behind all of this, he’ll have to face this head on .
Woojin took his first step across the door .