Chapter 1051: An Overdue Encounter
‘Why am I not surprised that her tomb was probably hidden somewhere, away from the city and castle?’
‘Please stop reading my old world’s history books.’
=To be fair milord, it makes sense. Hiding a needle in a haystick works, but it’s even easier to hide it in an open field.=
‘Fair eno…hold up…why am I sensing that Grub guy again? I thought he was dead!’
<=We don't know for sure, but it appears this signature isn't alone...=>
‘Huh…better dress appropriately then…,’ Zhen Liu concluded as he continues to be dragged by his left hand.
While flying through the air, he placed his free hand on his [MY Driver] once more and closed the gate connected to his [Regalia]. Afterwards, he switched his hand over to the left lever and pulled it.
Once he did, heavy metal music filled the air around him, as the outer portions of his [Regalia] popped off and restructured themselves to take on a more… sinister edge.
[Stigma, on!]
Once he switched from his [Regalia] to his [Stigma], there was just one more thing Zhen Liu had to address.
‘Hmm…do I stick with the clubs or do I get more…thematic…meh, I guess it depends on whether or not I get there before or after they arrive.’
…
“So this is the place? It looks like a shack.”
“That iz the point,” Buzza pointed out as he landed by the Gao Shen Yuan’s side.
After several minutes of following the strange compass, Buzza and the Fallen’s matriarch had arrived to a small islet that was within Undertow’s territory but was fo far out of the way that it appeared to be abandoned.
The only sign that someone or something has lived here was the presence of small shack that appeared to be made of drift wood and remnants of fishing vessels.
In other words, not the sort of place one would expect a grand tomb dedicated to a powerful warlord who once rocked the world with her presence alone.
“Are you sure this so-called compass isn’t broken?,” Gao Shen Yuan asked while still holding the aforementioned strange tool. “You never really explained how this thing functioned.”
“Yezz, I’m zzzure it works,” Buzza answered while looking around the islet. “I uzzzed it before on previouzz expe-ah-ha! There it iz!”
“Huh?”
Curious as to what Buzza was so excited about, Gao Shen Yuan walked over to where he was excitingly buzzing. When she did, she noticed that imprinted on the ground was a mysterious array that radiated [Chaos].
“What on Valresta is this thing?”
“Thiz, matriarch, is zomething zzzimilar to thozzze zzpatial arrayzzz that you mortalzzz employ for zztorage and training. However, when it’zzz made with [Chaos], the results are… significantly better,” Buzza humble bragged as he looked over the array for a few moments.
“You zzzzhould zzztep back,” Buzza warned the Matriarch. “Wouldn’t want you getting zzzapped!”
Once Gao Shen Yuan had heeded Buzza’s warning, he began to channel [Chaos] into the tips of chitinous fingers and drew out several different runes in a language that the Fallen Matriarch had never seen before. Weirder still, when she tried to commit them to memory, her mind seemed to actively refuse to do so.
“Thezzze runezzz are only accezzzible to thozzze with [Chaos],” Buzza explained, as if reading Gao Shen Yuan’s mind. “You’ll learn to read them when the time izzz right.”
“Interesting…”
It took a minute or so for Buzza to finish writing out all of his runes, but once he did, he proceeded to swipe his claws against all of them at once.
The energy released from this simple action sent shockwaves through the surrounding area, causing everything to distort and bend until the space in front of the duo literally shattered into pieces like a glass window.
“Wait. The islet and the shack were just illusions?”
“No,” Buzza replied. “Just a different facet of reality.”
“Huh…”
Like a distorted window, what now stood before Buzza and Gao Shen Yuan wasn’t a simple shack on a rocky islet, but a grand mausoleum on a rocky islet.
“Now then, zzzhall we?”
“Yes…let’s see what can be gained from such a revered warrior…”
…
‘Well ain’t timing just a bitch and a half… Blazejudicator.’
[Yes, executor?]
‘Mind giving me some…color?’
[But of course, executor.]
‘Also, Logos and Pathos. Did you two prepare the-‘
<=Spear fighting package is ready for download. Sending now.=>
‘Well then, here we go again…’
…
“Now this…this is what I expected from the burial ground of a Kaijin Lord!,” Gao Shen Yuan said aloud as he admired her new surroundings.
The [Tomb of the Storm], as she and Buzza were calling this new location, was a grand mausoleum that put most castles and fortresses to shame.
Crafted from stones that radiated weak levels of [Chaos], every single inch was carved with a variety of sea creatures that ranged from simple coral to strange and monstrous beasts that seemed to be older than time itself. Making these carvings even more interesting though was the fact that they all radiated an aura of life that Gao Shen Yuan had only sense from actual sea creatures before.
“The power of [Chaos] is the power of life…that’s what you said before, right?”
“Indeed.”
Buzza, for his part though, wasn’t paying attention to either the carvings or the building itself. Instead, he was trying to find something a bit more…important. That and his mind was preoccupied by something that was rubbing his wings the wrong way.
‘Zzztrange…the lazzzt time I did thizzz, the [Chaos] in the area would try and repel me. Zzzo why izzz it zzooo docile?,’ Buzza thought to himself as he and Gao Shen Yuan continued to walk through the [Tomb of the Storm].
Something Buzza had learned over the years was that when there were still survivors after the fall of a Lord, those kaijin didn’t simply wallow in misery before turning into abominations. Instead, like the remnants of fallen empires, they built monuments and tombs in memoriam to not only serve as a final resting place for their fallen brothers and creators, but as a place for them to rest their heads once time had come for them too.
‘Unlezz, they’re like me, but no one elzzze izz like me…yet…’
Of course, these were exceptions rather than the norm.
Most kaijin would simply disappear into nothingness upon death, but the ones who left something behind tended to be a bit more powerful than the norm and a bit more…complete.
What this completeness entailed though was still a mystery to Buzz-
“Wait a minute-DODGE!”
“WHOA!”
BOOM!
[Tsk! Couldn’t you have just done me a favor and stood still?,] a malicious sounding voice echoed throughout the hall.
Just as Buzza and Gao Shen Yuan were about halfway through the hallway, a dark purple fireball the size of a grizzly bear came roaring in from the distance and almost burnt the duo into a crisp.
(Un)Fortunately, Buzza was fast enough to notice the change in the atmosphere and managed to warn Gao Shen Yuan in time before they got hit.
The fireball didn’t disappear after missing though, instead, it left what was essentially a dark purple bonfire burning in the place where the duo was standing just moments ago.
Needless to say, the matriarch of the Fallen Clan wasn’t happy about the surprise attack at her expense.
“Who dares to challenge the leader of the Fallen?!,” she shouted in an indignant time of voice. “Show yourself!”
[Oh? You’re mad at being attacked? Well, that’s a surprise. I figured you’d appreciate the turnabout. Since sudden surprises like that seem to be your entire clan’s modus operandi,] that same sinister voice called out. [But you’re right. I should introduce myself. After all, everyone has the right to stare their killer in the eyes, after all.]
Once these words had echoed out, the purple bonfire had snuffed itself in turn, leaving in the embers a long spear that appeared to be made of bone.
Shortly after, a dark armored figure descended from above and landed with such force next to the spear that it launched it into the air for a brief moment before being caught by the figure. As he landed, a wave of [Chaos] washed over the area, causing the carvings to act a bit more lively, and Gao Shen Yuan and Buzza to take a step back.
“T-this power!”
“Ah…a familiar prezzzence…”
With a brief flourish and spin, the armored figure readied the spear and took on a challenging stance, giving the two aformentioned intruders the full view of the man’s darkened armor and strange horned helm.
[The one who has come is none other than the current Kaijin Lord of this era. Please, don’t force me to sully my predecessor’s tomb with your blood.]
…
[Is the voice modulation necessary?]
‘Abso-fucking-lutely.’
