Chapter 38: Ragnarök
When Paladin reached that place, only cold moon shining on the empty spot was left.
But the dark element that was so strong that it almost dripped down did not dissipate. The gloomy and sticky feeling pressed heavily on everyone’s chests, clogging their throats like cotton, making people instinctively scared.
The leading knight slowly stepped forward, and the silver reflective armour on his body made heavy metal clashes with his steps. He bent down and picked up the hand cut off in half from the grass with his iron gloves.
The hand was pale and stiff, the nails were dark, the cut section was smooth and flat, and even the severed muscles and bones were visible. The dark purple blood has partially solidified, and under the moonlight it looked pitch-black and thick like asphalt.
At the first glance, it was clear that it wasn’t from a human being.
The knight wrapped it up carefully and stood up.
His face was sombre and his expression ugly, as he said: “Withdraw.”
This severed hand was placed in a dark wooden box sent to the Temple of Light in the center of the empire without stopping all day and night, and was finally presented to the head priest.
The head priest seemed to be a hundred years old.
He looked at the stiff fingers, and his voice was slow and heavy: “The thing I worried about the most has happened.”
All the people around him held their breath, waiting for next words.
“The demons finally found a way to break through the seal.”
The head priest raised his wrinkled hand, and with short but powerful chanting, runes of the spell appeared in mid-air, and a scene began transmitting in front of everyone.
“During this time, we caught three necromancers.”
A miserable howl came from the transmission, resounding through the empty hall, mixed with vague whispers and words of confessions.
“They have already confessed the plan of the demons .”
The priest’s voice sounded aged and majestic:
“Look for a human named Ge Xiu with all their strength – regardless of all costs, life or death.”
·
When Ge Xiu opened his eyes, he didn’t know where he was.
The space there was so vast that it was impossible to tell whether it was a cave or a palace for a while. The surrounding area was full of dark, hard, smooth rocks, which were cut into flat walls, with countless intricate lines and patterns carved on them. There were countless naturally formed fluorescent gems above his head, which illuminated the place and made it as bright as in daylight.
Ge Xiu jumped off the high stone bed, paced slowly to the wall, and carefully examined the mural above.
The mural was very long, and the most distant ones had become eroded and blurred from time. They seem to had been passed on from generation to generation. The text looked extremely old, the twisted lines combining to form a language that had long been extinct and forgotten with time. Ge Xiu couldn’t read it, he could only recognize the drawings carved on the side, that depicted a group of giant wolves with wings on their backs. Those primitive carvings extended up to the darkness at the top of the wall, they seemed to portray the destiny of each wolf, and each created branch told their story, and then it broke off somewhere in the distance.
Ge Xiu was fascinated by it, and walked forward slowly along the wall, gently stroking the uneven lines on the cold stone wall with his fingers.
He stopped abruptly.
He hadn’t realized when the blanks on the wall took more and more space, and the complicated carvings that almost completely covered the entire stone wall gradually disappeared. At the end, only a single lonely branch line remained.
Below, there were shallow, messy runes intertwining together into unrecognizable lines. It seems that these murals were not carved, but emerged from depths of the stone walls instead, and the latest carving haven’t had time to fully show in front of the reader.
At this moment, a low male voice came from behind:
“This is the wall of inheritance.”
Ge Xiu turned his head to look.
A tall man slowly walked out of the darkness, and his clear footsteps hit the ground, echoing in the empty space.
His face came into light.
Light and shadow alternated on his handsome facial features, the brilliant glow flowed in his the scarlet eyes, his pupils shrunk into narrow slits, like those of a cold-blooded animal. The ferocious and brutal wild primitiveness mixed with restraint and calmness made people subconsciously terrified.
He walked towards Ge Xiu step by step.
Ge Xiu stood still and looked behind thoughtfully.
Elinor stopped only half a step away from Ge Xiu, he lowered his head and stared at the young man who was half his head shorter than himself, his scarlet eyes reflected the shrunk image of his face. Then he leaned slightly forward, raised his hand and stroked the cold and hard stone wall.
The distance between the two has shortened in an instant, he almost embraced the slender young man in his arms, the man’s cold and bloody breath wrapped him tightly like a net, and their limbs seemed intimately closed to each other.
“Since the creation of the world, this stone wall has been standing here, illustrating the destiny of our people.”
His low voice reverberated in the cold air, as if telling an ancient and age-long mysterious legend.
Ge Xiu followed the movement of his fingers and looked.
The last illustration could be clearly recognized as a wounded wolf falling into the abyss.
Elinor’s bloody eyes sank, “There is only one Fenrir left.”
Ge Xiu was slightly startled.
He raised his eyes to look at the densely packet ancient writing on the wall, and asked: “What do these words mean?”
“——Past, present, future.”
Elinor straightened up and looked up at wall recording the past and fate of his race: “Any prophecy that appears on the stone wall will be fulfilled.”
Ge Xiu tilted his head, pointed at the fuzzy and blurred lines at the end of the mural, and asked thoughtfully: “In that case, do you know what is written in this place?”
“It was difficult before.”
Elinor narrowed his eyes slightly: “But since yesterday, it had slowly became clear.”
He pointed to a scimitar-like symbol and said softly: “In Fenrir language, it symbolizes death.”
Ge Xiu asked suddenly, “Do you have a knife?”
Elinor lowered his eyes to look at him: “Huh?”
Ge Xiu raised his eyebrows: “I’ll see if I can help you change it. “
Elinor laughed lowly, his strong chest pressed against the thin shoulders of the young man, passing the slight vibrations over: “Thank you, but this would be useless.”
Ge Xiu raised his eyes to look at him and curled his lips angrily, “I still prefer it when you have fur.”
There was still a smile in Elinor’s scarlet eyes. Then, before Ge Xiu could react, the strong body behind him suddenly grew and became softer and bigger, in the next second, a huge shadow enveloped Ge Xiu. The giant Fenrir bowed his head, and reflection of Ge Xiu’s face was reflected in his vertical pupils, even though it was a giant wolf’s face, it inexplicably made people feel that he gave a tolerating and pampering feeling.
Ge Xiu’s eyes lit up: “So big!”
He opened his arms and jumped on the giant wolf. He plunged his face deeply into the soft and thick fur and rubbed hard, with his arms full of wolf fur he sighed vaguely: “So comfortable!”
“…”
Elinor turned his eyes away, his ears quivering unnaturally.
Ge Xiu didn’t seem to notice that his lifeless look, and the whole person was still immersed in the excitement from fluff.
Elinor was afraid that he would fall, so he lay down on the ground.
Ge Xiu became even more arrogant. He plopped down on the giant wolf’s broad back and happily buried himself in it. The feeling of being surrounded by soft fur was so good. Ge Xiu touched left and right, rubbing here and there almost rolled around on the other’s body.
Elinor looked at him indulgently, and even chose a more suitable posture to let him mess around some more.
——Until he stretched out his sinful hand to his ear.
He jerked, the pair of fluffy pointed ears subconsciously leaned back, almost touching the back of his head, but they still couldn’t escape, they were caught by Ge Xiu and kneaded in his palms.
Ge Xiu only felt that the soft warm membrane with delicate fluff was getting hotter and hotter, and it was almost burning, while the fluffy spine that he used as a fur cushion was getting stiffer and stiffer.
Elinor clenched his fangs and didn’t know how to speak for a while.
The ear tips were a sensitive point of the Fenrir clan, and rubbing the other’s ear meant…
courtship.
Finally, Ge Xiu seemed to have finally done enough. He let go, slid down Elinor’s back, and then leaned on him to recover his strength. The feeling he had before under the full moon was obviously not an illusion. The spell hidden under his skin seemed to be absorbing his vitality. Every time the seal opened his body would become weaker. The first time he came back from the back of the mainland, it didn’t feel so obvious, but he couldn’t ignore it now.
Elinor shook his head without a trace, as if he wanted to shake off the scorching heat on his ears.
Ge Xiu didn’t notice his strangeness.
He breathed slowly, then turned his head to look at the giant wolf whose back he was leaning on. After quietly thinking for a few seconds, he suddenly asked,
“So, what’s your purpose?”
Elinor turned his head to look at Ge Xiu curled up beside him.
The boy’s face was pale, the lines of his profile were exquisite and beautiful, with a shocking sense of fragility, but those dark eyes were as deep as a pool, as if no light could make them shine, and there was some kind of calm curiosity at the bottom of his eyes, as if he was asking about something simple as weather.
It was such a seemingly ordinary human being that has climbed to the top of the food chain in the abyss on the opposite side of the continent, fighting to his limits in the siege of the demons and intercepting their plans, he could still calmly break the game.
Elinor came a little closer.
The tip of the moist nose rubbed the other’s neck secretly—
in the familiar smell of the teenager, there was a trace of…a breath of a stranger.
It was like inserting abrupt notes into a perfectly rhymed harmony.
The smell was very light, almost melting in the cold air, if it weren’t for him to transform into this body, it would be impossible to capture it.
The dead wood smell of a necromancer, with the cold and rotten breath of death.
His eyes were slightly cold, and the dark anger flashed through the deep vertical pupils like drops of blood.
Since he didn’t get a reaction from the other party for a long time, Ge Xiu changed his method of inquiring:
“When I saw you at the bottom of the abyss, you were wounded and full of hatred. I guess you didn’t fall down while walking by yourself “
Ge Xiu buried side of his face in the soft and thick fur of the other person, the eyes calm like a lake stared at scarlet eyes of the wolf and continued to say:
“I can feel the changes that have occurred in you after you swallowed the flesh and blood of the demon race – intimacy, familiarity, just like the feeling that the dark element gives me, so that’s why you’ve been reluctant to eat for so long, right?”
Finally, he concluded:
“You didn’t want to become a dark creature because you wanted to leave, and you want to leave because of what must be done in the front side of the mainland?”
The young boy’s pitch-black eyes seem to know everything, as if they could see through ones heart:
“For example, revenge?”
Elinor stared at him unmoving. In his scarlet eyes were suppressed all the emotional ups and downs, making his huge wolf-shaped mountain look even more dangerous and terrifying.
Ge Xiu lay on his back, curled up his lips innocently, and said softly:
“Maybe I can help.”
In the next second, Ge Xiu suddenly felt that space around him became empty, and the original solid sense of support disappeared suddenly. The feeling of weightlessness struck him, and he didn’t react for a moment, and fell straight down, and then his whole person fell into a strong and hot embrace, feeling dazed.
Elinor turned back to his human form without warning.
He used a pair of powerful arms to hold the thin young man firmly in his arms, confining him perfectly in a narrow space. He lowered his head, the emotions in the scarlet pupils were difficult to understand, and his voice was deep: “I don’t need it.”
After a brief surprise, Ge Xiu calmed down quickly.
He had always had a calm and steady temper, and after discovering that he could not break free, he was no longer tried to struggle meaninglessly.
Ge Xiu yawned calmly, adjusted to a comfortable posture in the other’s arms, then raised his head to look directly in the man’s eyes:
“Of course, I believe you can still succeed without my help, but… …Why do you refuse? You should use all available resources now, don’t you trust me?”
…It’s not like this.
Elinor lowered his eyes, and his long eyelashes blocked the deep and complex emotions in his eyes.
They used to depend on each other at the bottom of the abyss and fought together –
even…
He was willing to fall into the darkness for Ge Xiu, and forever give up the opportunity to return to the front of the mainland.
And give up the opportunity for revenge as well.
This choice seemed unimaginable to Elinor. However, at the critical moment, he did not hesitate to do so.
Revenge was very important.
Every time he thought about the humans and gods who betrayed him and framed him, violent anger would flow from his heart, and the desire for revenge could swallow his reason in an instant.
But he was unwilling to risk the life of the person in his arms.
Perhaps the loss of his godhead made him weak.
The gods of war couldn’t be weak.
He once tried to leave – their fates were interwoven from vulnerability, but the two straight lines must separate after they intersection. He knew that this was the best for them both, but he couldn’t control control himself from leaving his destiny mark, activating in a situation that could threaten the other’s life.
Now, just like in the dark side of the continent, two almost identical options were placed in front of Elinor.
Ge Xiu is strong.
His strength lied not only in the precise control of the dark element and his great affinity, but his wisdom and mind were the real danger, moreover, he was determined and would never waver.
He would be a powerful helper in his revenge.
At this moment, Ge Xiu offered him an olive branch.
But… there was a risk of losing the other party.
Ge Xiu himself has fallen into a dangerous situation. The demons are chasing him day and night, and the Temple of Light was also looking for him at all costs. The truth behind his body was hazy and mysterious, so much that even Elinor couldn’t fully see through it.
Elinor didn’t mind putting him under his own protection, hiding him forever and ever.
However, if he agreed to Ge Xiu’s proposal, the threats from all sides would not just be the human race and the demons –
but also the gods.
Elinor stared at the young man who was waiting for his answer, and his voice was deep:
“No need.”
Ge Xiu sighed, “Unfortunately, whether you need it or not, I’m afraid I’ll have to help.”
What?
Elinor was taken aback.
Ge Xiu continued without waiting for an answer, “When you were in the abyss, your body was full of light elements, so the dark elements on the back of the continent were the most dangerous to you. Although your body was strong, it wasn’t like I couldn’t find your weakness– and on the front of the mainland, the situation has not changed.”
He narrowed his eyes slightly:
“After you become a dark creature, the light element on this side of the mainland will definitely cause harm to you, but fortunately, if the seal is loosed, there will still be a continuous leak of dark elements to nourish you and replenish your energy, but I guess it’s far from enough, right?”
Elinor did not answer, but his body was slightly taut.
Ge Xiu smiled and winked slyly at him: “It is a coincidence that my body can open the door between and front and back of the continent once a month, and every time there will be more and more dark creatures. Even the demons were trying to break through the door-I’m afraid it will become more and more difficult to resist, and for you, isn’t this the blood food delivered to the door? Mutual benefit.”
He straightened his body slightly and put his palm on the man’s muscular forearm, and said with a smile,
“Plus, according to your previous reaction… I guess the target of your revenge is more difficult than I thought.”
Ge Xiu raised his eyebrows and thought for a while, added lightly:
“If it’s even more terrifying than the demons and the Light Temple…then it could only be God.”
Elinor stared at Ge Xiu for a long time, his eyes as cold as blood, as if he was thinking about something important, finally, he broke the silence and said,
“So, what is your purpose?”
He repeated the question Ge Xiu asked him just now: “Is it just for mutual benefit?”
Ge Xiu shrugged, “Of course not. “
The young man’s pupils were immeasurably deep, black like eternal night, and in the depths of those eyes dark like an abyss, there was a wild and rebellious fire flickering.
His reason was very simple.
Ever since entering this world, whether it was the pain that appeared every night in the abyss, the demons that exhausted all efforts in hunting him down, even leaving the abyss and falling into the double attack of humans and demons – all of this was the result predetermined by the group of people from the referee circle.
A hint of arrogant smile crossed his lips:
“I just feel very, very annoyed, being led by the nose.”
———————————-
Ge Xiu: So big!!
^ ^
Elinor: °//////°
Ge Xiu: So what’s your purpose?
Elinor: … is wooing you an answer?
Ge Xiu: *indulging in rua rua and kneading ears*
[afterwards]
Elinor (serious): You need to take responsibility, you took my innocence
Ge Xiu: huh??
Bamboo translator has something to say:
Elinor not only gave up on leaving the abyss and revenge the moment he fell and became a dark creature- he gave up on centuries long inheritance, on the sole existence of the last fenrir…. He really betted everything he ever had for Ge Xiu.
A funny thought: do you think his hair used to be grey before as well before the darkenization? hahah granny hair ahahhahahah
I’m not done yet, I just want to say: rip those referees they gonna bald early with what Ge Xiu’s about to do ahhaha
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