Chapter 542: God-Forsaken Land
Another flash of lightning streaked across the sky, giving Angel's dark vision a wider field of view. He could see the surrounding buildings, some tall, some short, but all in a dilapidated state, as if they had been there for thousands of years.
The wooden door and window frames have disappeared over the long years, leaving only the stone walls and holes.
The street between the stone houses was covered with dead moss, interspersed with pools of black stains, the same color as the black bloodstains Angel had seen in the basement. It was not difficult to imagine how many creatures had walked on this street, and how they had all died for some reason, leaving no trace of their remains.
Boom boom——
Continuous thunder rumbled, the lightning faded, and the surroundings returned to complete darkness.
There was no red moon, no stars, bright or dim, only endless darkness...
Angel looked around. Although her dark vision could identify the surrounding objects in this dark area, it was difficult for her to see clearly in the distance. It was as if this darkness was not ordinary darkness, but an "abnormality" caused by some special force.
The darkness where even the moss had died, the occasional flashes of lightning and thunder, the anomaly of the "Secret Holy Symbol"... Angel's mind raced, and he quickly thought of a word buried deep in his heart:
"The Land Forsaken by God"!
Mr. "Sun" of the Tarot Club once mentioned that the "Silver City" where he lived was located in such a vast but extremely dangerous area.
It was a place abandoned by the Creator. There was no sun, no moon or stars, only endless darkness and intermittent lightning and thunder of different frequencies.
Most importantly, in this "God-forsaken Land," anyone tumbling into complete darkness vanishes in seconds, leaving no trace, not even a corpse. Even with candles or oil lamps, countless terrifying monsters lurk in the darkness, ready to devour anyone who's found themselves alone.
"The former is somewhat similar to the catacombs in Trier, but those who disappeared in the 'God-forsaken Land' are still remembered by their companions; and the monsters..."
Angel felt a chill in her heart. She tightly grasped the "Good Luck" revolver in one hand and was ready to draw the "Sword of Dawn" with the other hand. She quickly scanned the streets and the surrounding stone buildings, but did not find any trace of other creatures for the time being.
Fortunately, maybe they haven't noticed me who just appeared, or it's because of the "Secret Holy Emblem"... Angel took a look at the holy emblem on his wrist, and saw that the surface of the black emblem was still shiny and the touch was still cold, so he felt relieved.
"And all this is just my speculation. For thousands of years, no one has found the 'God-Forsaken Land' except the 'City of Silver'. Could it be that I can come here with just a strange sacrificial ritual and a few drops of my own blood?"
She muttered to herself, encouraged herself, and then continued to move forward, beginning to explore each building on the street.
Soon, she returned to her original position in disappointment.
This street belongs to a small village, and its layout is similar to that of the uninhabited village on Sona Island. Low-rise houses and functional buildings are scattered around, and outside is a wilderness that stretches as far as the eye can see.
All the buildings are made of rough stones. The adhesive between the stones has weathered and dissipated over the long years, so most of the buildings are shaky and seem like they will collapse with a push.
Inside the building, almost all wooden furniture has decayed, but some stone tables, chairs and stoves have been preserved, from which we can get a glimpse into the past history of the village.
Perhaps hundreds or thousands of years ago, they lived normally in the village. The surrounding wastelands might have been fertile farmlands. The basement was filled with pickled food. At the stone dining table, adults and children happily enjoyed the harvest of their labor, and then fell asleep in their warm beds to greet the next morning's sunrise.
But now, in the eternal darkness, only the stone that cannot be erased by time remains, and...
Angel's mind moved, and he looked towards a corner of the village.
If the layout of the "two sides" is similar, will it be...
She took faster and faster steps and started running towards an open space next to the village.
Soon, her steps slowed down, and finally, she stopped beside a large open pit.
In front of Angel was a large circular pit several meters deep. Perhaps it had been dug open by a passing monster, or perhaps it had been gradually exposed by the breeze over the years.
There were layers upon layers of headless skeletons and skulls with spines dragging along them.
Another flash of lightning streaked across the sky, making the dry bones in Angel's vision even clearer.
Contrary to her expectations, although these corpses were buried in the same place as the bodies on Sona Island, even without their heads, they were obviously more than 2 meters tall and could not belong to the local residents of the Rorsted Archipelago.
Even if they were immigrants from Feysac, they wouldn't have such an average height.
Thinking of Mr. Sun from the "Silver City" who was of extraordinary height, and the "giants" or "warriors" that were prevalent in their city-state, Angel became more and more certain that he was in the "God-forsaken Land".
After confirming this, the first thought in her mind was naturally confusion.
"According to Mr. 'Sun,' his city-state is home to a supernatural creature called the 'Black-Striped Shadow Giant Scorpion,' which is why he was able to exchange his merits for the giant scorpion's poisonous needles. However, I came to the God-Forsaken Land from the Raging Sea through a special sacrificial ritual. How could Katarina know this? The prophecy of 'Mysterious Queen' Bernadette also confirms her statement. Did they both deceive me together, or is there some kind of misunderstanding?"
While thinking, she recalled a time loop that "The Sun" had encountered when exploring the temple of the "True Creator". There, he and the chief of Silver City discovered a little boy named Jack, who claimed that he had entered the God-forsaken Land while searching for the "Sanctuary of the Lord".
At least this shows that the God-Forsaken Land is not completely inaccessible through conventional means...
After sorting out the clues in her memory, Angel was unable to draw any useful conclusions. She only knew that Catalina's information and Bernadette's prophecy might indeed point to this area of eternal darkness. However, during her exploration from inside to outside, she did not find any trace of the "Black-Striped Shadow Scorpion".
As for divination... In this strange, God-forsaken land where only faith in the "Creator" exists, she dare not take out the magic mirror to perform divination at will.
"It seems I can only go back to the other side of the ceremony and find another way..."
Looking at the corpses of these "giants" who had obviously died from the same mutation as in Bansy Harbor, Angel prayed silently in her heart, turned and left the open pit, and walked towards the basement where she came from.
Returning to the somewhat familiar street, she did not immediately go back into the building and return to the basement. Instead, she closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and chanted the honorific name of Mr. Fool.
In addition to the righteous gods who can respond to divination, she also knows this method that has been verified by Mr. "Sun": contact Mr. Fool!
"...The Yellow and Black King who controls good luck."
As soon as Angel finished speaking the last word of his honorific name, a thick gray fog appeared before his eyes. Within it, a figure with long, pale blond hair also lowered his head and spoke in a soft voice:
"Mr. Fool, please convey this message to Miss Queen immediately..."
Wait, isn't that my own voice?
Angel was stunned and almost interrupted his state of meditation and prayer.
She immediately realized that this was probably just like her last trip to Bansi-Trier, and that there had been some kind of time "reversal" after her return to Sorna Island.
At this moment, there are two Angel Grangers in this world, one of them is in the God-Forsaken Land, and the other has just returned to Sorna Island!
"...You'll soon be able to successfully complete the ritual and return to Isla Sorna, but before that, be careful of the monsters in the darkness, especially the 'Black-Striped Shadow Giant Scorpion'. It's nearly demigod-level and much stronger than the 'Gazers', which live in groups but are weaker individually!"
Another "Angel" continued the story.
"It has ranged disease control and can move freely in the shadows. Its only weakness is its fear of bright light. You can use Annie's mythical creature blood to create a combat environment that is favorable to you."
The more Angel listened, the more confused she became. She was already standing next to the basement on the way back to Sona Island. The surroundings were quiet and there was not a single monster. Where did the "Shadow Giant Scorpion" come from?
"So, where can I find it?"
She couldn't help but ask, but immediately realized that what was in front of her was just the prayer content transmitted through Mr. Fool, not a real person.
But Angel in the gray fog seemed to have anticipated this question. He chuckled and replied:
“They are right beside you now.”
The gray fog suddenly dissipated. In Angel's dark vision, on the streets and on the roofs of the surrounding buildings, shadows darker than the sky were constantly moving and quickly approaching her location.
Without any hesitation, she turned the cylinder of the "Good Luck" revolver, sent a "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption" into the firing position, aimed directly at the ground below, and pulled the trigger.
Bang--
Gunshots rang out, far more intense than usual. The "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption", which was amplified sixteen times by "good luck", blasted out a condensed ball of light. It spread rapidly, soon covering the entire street and all the surrounding stone buildings. Wisps of shining luminous powder enveloped the sky and the ground, revealing the lurking shadows.
They were monsters with evil looks, twisted bodies, and bloody mouths that seemed to contain countless sharp teeth. They had been wandering in the eternal darkness since they appeared on this land. Now, they were at a loss in the sudden appearance of the strong light and stopped moving for a moment.
The next second, balls of black flames containing the power of curse kissed their open mouths, and then poured out from the pores all over their bodies, burning them from flesh to spirit, leaving no trace.
But there was a target that was obviously more agile than the other shadows and dodged the attack of the black flame. It jumped down from the roof and did not flee from the "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption" in a hurry, but quickly rushed towards Angel's position.
The silhouette sprinting in the phantom phosphorescent powder soon took shape. It was a monster over two meters long, larger in front and smaller in the back, with its tail raised high. The phosphorescent powder outlined its pair of giant claws, the scales on its body, and four pairs of legs that moved alternately forward.
That's the black-striped shadow giant scorpion!
Seeing the giant scorpion rushing towards her like a chariot, Angel did not panic. She took out the vial containing Anne's blood, removed the spiritual wall with one hand, and switched the "Rose Necklace" on her chest to the soul of the "Judge". Although the three abilities attached to it did not have much effect on the shadow giant scorpion that was almost a demigod, it could create a foundation for her subsequent use of Anne's blood.
Lifting the glass bottle that began to radiate endless majesty due to the failure of the seal, Angel shouted in ancient Hermetic language:
"Here the darkness recedes, and the light grows stronger!"
As her "law" was issued, the power that had been seeping out of Anne's blood became stronger. It was like two giant hands, stretching out from Angel's position, forcibly pushing away the darkness that enveloped everything and excluding it from the range of the "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption".
This made the phantom phosphorus powder, which was already very dazzling due to the amplification, look like it was stained with the midday sun, shining brightly in the sky, on the ground, and on the body of the black-striped shadow giant scorpion, causing Angel's eyes, which had long been accustomed to the darkness, to feel a little stinging.
But compared to her slight discomfort, the giant scorpion that had lived in darkness for a long time suddenly stopped its forward steps like a lobster dropped into a frying pan, and rolled on the ground, trying to scatter the light powder attached to its body. Wisps of green smoke emerged from its body, accompanied by a sizzling sound of burning, and its true body in the shadows appeared in front of Angel.
Unlike the common venomous scorpions found on West Balam's Star Plateau, this body, magnified countless times, had a shiny black carapace, resembling steel armor, while the joints between its limbs were marked with white stripes, like bristles extending from its body.
Its pincers kept dancing, reaching towards Angel half threateningly and half fearfully, its tiny mouthparts kept opening and closing, and its four pairs of legs were afraid to move forward.
But Angel knew that this was just a trap set by this extraordinary creature.
She did not try to deal with the opponent at close range, but opened the hammer and fired another "Phantom Phosphorus Eruption". This time, it did not trigger the sixteen-fold damage effect. The halved power made the phantom phosphorus powder like a dim flame, covering only half of the giant scorpion's body. However, under the command of "Light Enhancement", the newly added fire still made the giant scorpion roll on the ground in pain.
But this was not enough... Angel squinted his eyes and looked at the giant scorpion through the dazzling light. He found that the strong light only burned its surface. Even though it was already emitting green smoke and even though it was temporarily unable to stand up, its internal organs had not suffered enough damage.
"Brightness" won't last long!
Wisps of black flames flew over the phantom phosphorescent powder that kept falling to the ground, adhered to the giant scorpion's shell, and joined the attack on it. Angel calmed down, activated his "disease" ability, and began to launch a deeper attack on the giant scorpion.
Her first choice was the deadly poison in the God War Ruins, which could kill the black monster in just a few seconds!
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