Chapter 314: The Heavenly Kingdom and Olivia
Flamme stood at the entrance to the underground labyrinth, her eyes fixed on the entrance. She had been here for a long time, but apart from the members of the initial exploration team of the allied forces, no other creature had ever come out of it.
The same applies to the demons.
She could even feel the lingering magical energy from the previous battle still present in the air deep within the labyrinth.
The enormous creature that dwelt in the abyss was incredibly powerful, possessing not only hard scales but also the ability to unleash devastating breaths of energy. However, it ultimately failed to pose a real threat to Flamme's life.
However, the creature's cunning exceeded her expectations. Seeing that it was starting to lose ground, it did not hesitate to give up the fight and, relying on its familiarity with the terrain, plunged headfirst into the abyss below.
Flamme wanted to give chase, but her opponent disappeared as soon as she entered the water. In addition, the underground river was very complicated, so she eventually gave up the idea of pursuing it.
The reason she stayed there for so long was not for the escaped creature, but for Carlo, who fell into the abyss right before her eyes.
The mage she wanted to use memory magic on to prevent him from revealing her secrets ultimately disappeared in this underground labyrinth.
She hoped that Carlo would somehow manage to escape from that dark labyrinth. If he shows up, Flamme can proceed with the original plan to erase his memories of it, rather than let things end this way.
However, she had been waiting for a long time.
During this time, she tried to venture deeper into the underground labyrinth again, repeatedly scanning the area with wide-ranging detection magic, and even discovered the ancient creature's figure once more.
But the person she was looking for never appeared.
"So...he really died inside...?" Flamme muttered to herself, and the glimmer of hope in her heart vanished.
This is not a good result, but it is precisely the most perfect solution. A complex emotion spread through her heart.
She sighed softly, deciding to wait a little longer. If she still couldn't find him, she would have to accept the fact and end it all.
While waiting, out of boredom, she looked up and unconsciously gazed at the sky. The vast sky and ocean stretched as far as ever, but within this expanse, a tiny, almost imperceptible black dot caught her attention.
It wasn't a bird, but something much stranger.
It hovered high in the sky, and if Flamme hadn't had eyesight far exceeding that of an ordinary person, she would have almost overlooked it.
"What is that?" Her curiosity was instantly ignited.
Without much hesitation, Flamme channeled her magic and cast a flight spell, flying towards the small black dot.
She initially thought the black dot was not far away, but as she climbed higher, she realized that it was actually thousands of meters in the air!
The air began to thin and grow cold, and the magic power required to maintain flight increased exponentially, making it incredibly difficult even for someone as strong as her.
Finally, just as she was about to reach her limit in flight, the object floating in the sky came into clear view before her.
In that instant, Flamme's eyes were filled with shock.
That was a city.
A complete city built from some pure white stone! It floated thousands of meters above the ground, silently, like a forgotten country, with ruins and desolation everywhere. Some buildings had collapsed, and many houses were covered with cracks, resembling a dead city.
The moment she saw the city clearly, a nearly forgotten word flashed into Flamme's mind: Skywing Clan!
In the mythological era, there was a powerful race with wings on their backs, who had a close relationship with the goddess, but ultimately left this world for unknown reasons.
The kingdom they inhabit is a "Heavenly divine kingdom" that floats in the sky.
'Could it be that this seemingly completely abandoned city was once the dwelling place of the Skywing Clan?' Her heart started racing uncontrollably.
Flamme recalled that in the occasional mentions of god-slaying stories by Kurtz and Teacher Serie, there seemed to have indeed been a Skywing companion.
However, the specific name and deeds of that being have long since disappeared into the past, and the world knows very little about them. A strong sense of curiosity arose in her, and Flamme adjusted her direction, flying towards the city.
The closer she got, the more breathtaking the interplay of splendor and ruin became. However, just as her figure drew nearer to the white city...
Bang!
Flamme felt as if she had crashed into an invisible wall, and she almost lost control of her flying magic, her body swaying. She managed to steady herself, and with a look of surprise and uncertainty, she reached out and touched a smooth, transparent barrier.
Flamme immediately realized that this was a defensive barrier that enveloped the entire Sky City, isolating it from any outside intruders.
Flamme found this barrier somewhat troublesome. 'Or should I force it off?'
However, this barrier looks very sturdy, and breaking it would require a considerable amount of magic power, and even the use of high-level attack magic.
This wouldn't be a problem on the ground, but this is thousands of meters in the air. Just maintaining flight posture would consume a lot of magic power, and if that magic power were wasted attacking the barrier...
Moreover, it remains unknown whether the barrier can be broken. If it triggers a violent reaction, thereby attracting a counterattack or the Skywing Clan, then it will be troublesome.
Although the Skywing Clan has left this world, such a large-scale barrier should theoretically require a sufficiently powerful mage to maintain it. Perhaps there are Skywing Clan members left in this city.
"Perhaps, it really is just an empty city?" Flamme glanced at the city before her again; it was a scene of decay and ruin, with not a single person in sight.
"Let's give it a try," she reassured herself, tentatively conjuring a light gun and firing it at the barrier.
The light gun struck the transparent barrier, creating only a barely perceptible ripple before it dissipated, leaving the barrier still. Flamme's expression turned serious as well; the strength of this barrier was beyond her expectations.
But she did not give up. As a mage proficient in various magics, she was also very familiar with magic barriers. Since she could not break them by force in a short time, she might as well find another way.
She closed her eyes, placed her hands on the barrier, and carefully sensed the way its energy flowed.
"This is...the foundation of holy magic?" After a moment, she opened her eyes, a hint of relief flashing in them.
Although holy magic was not her major, she happened to have mastered its most core original runes, and although this barrier was powerful, its construction principle did not completely deviate from this framework.
Having found the entry point, the next step was to crack it.
Finally, through her tireless efforts, a small opening, barely large enough for one person to pass through, temporarily appeared in the seemingly indestructible barrier in front of her.
Flamme didn't dare to delay and quickly crawled inside.
...
In the very center of the city, inside a magnificent hall that serves as its core and is one of the few remaining undamaged structures, a winged girl kneels quietly before a statue of a goddess with a blurred face.
With her eyes closed and her hands clasped together in front of her chest, her outstanding appearance and the wings on her back clearly indicated her identity as a member of the Skywing Clan.
The moment Flamme broke through the barrier and stepped into the city, the girl's tightly closed eyes snapped open.
At this moment, her eyes were filled with surprise. In the solitude of a thousand years, this forgotten divine kingdom was being disturbed for the first time by an outside presence.
Who is it that can break through the barrier constructed by the sacred magical scripture?
Could it be Kurtz?
She stood up, spread her wings, and took off without any unnecessary movements, flying swiftly towards that aura.
On the other side, Flamme was walking cautiously through the empty city.
The view was desolate, with all the buildings in a dilapidated state, as if a turmoil had damaged them. The passage of time alone could not have caused such widespread destruction.
After all, the houses here are made of special materials that should withstand the erosion of time. Could it be that the Skywing Clan experienced some upheaval before they left?
While marveling at the former glory of this sky city, Flamme became even more convinced that it was now a ghost town.
However, just as she cast her flight magic to explore the highest hall in the city center, an irresistible force suddenly descended.
This is a special magic-suppressing barrier, and the wind elemental magic she relied on for flight was instantly dispelled.
"Oh no!" Flamme was startled, and her body fell uncontrollably from several meters above the ground.
"Bang!" She fell onto the hard stone slab; although it wasn't a great height, it still made her bottom ache.
She rubbed her sore bottom and angrily looked up, ready to see what had happened, but froze on the spot.
A beautiful girl with wings on her back stood before her, her golden eyes scrutinizing her without any emotion.
"—"
Flamme opened her mouth, but for a moment, she was too embarrassed to say anything. She hadn't expected that there were actually still living Skywing Clan members here, even though it looked like a dead city.
"Intruder," the girl's voice broke the silence, "state your purpose." A dangerous golden light gathered at her fingertips; clearly, she would decide how to act based on Flamme's answer.
Flamme naturally noticed the other party's movements. Although she was no weaker than the other party in terms of strength, she was in the wrong first, and Flamme was not the kind of person who was unreasonable.
So she waved her hand and smiled, "This is a misunderstanding, Your Excellency of the Skywing Clan. My name is Flamme, and I am just a passing mage who happened to discover this Sky City. Out of curiosity, I took the liberty of trying to enter. I have no malicious intent!"
As she quickly explained, she had secretly assessed the other party's strength and concluded she was powerful at an ancient level.
However, she is probably no match for her. After all, she was a disciple of both Teacher Kurtz and Professor Serie. How could there be anyone in the world stronger than her? Of course, the two teachers are an exception!
There's also the mysterious and unpredictable Demon Queen, whom she had never met, so I'll exclude them for now. And then there's Kraft, the legendary and powerful warrior I've met once before; it seems I wouldn't be able to defeat him if he got close.
Sooo....it seems like there are a lot of people she can't beat?
Meanwhile, in response to Flamme's explanation, the Skywing Clan girl tilted her head slightly, "Curiousity? Oh Meaningless behavior. For thousands of years, no one has been able to break through the barrier of the divine kingdom. What methods did you use to break in?"
The light at her fingertips solidified even more, clearly indicating that she didn't believe the story and was preparing to take action.
"I possess the original runes of holy magic!" Flamme quickly explained, showing the runes.
The original text of sacred magic was given to Kurtz by the goddess in the past, and then Kurtz interpreted it and passed it on to humans and other races.
As the other party's disciple, it is perfectly reasonable for me to possess these runes, and even the Skywing Clan cannot find fault with it.
Upon seeing the runes displayed by Flamme, the Skywing Clan member stopped what she was doing. She leaned forward slightly, carefully sensing the familiar aura within the original runes that Flamme was displaying.
Although she was extremely indifferent, she would never admit her mistake.
This is...the aura of Serie and Kurtz!
The coldness in her eyes began to fade at a visible speed.
"You..." the Skywing girl softened her tone, "Why is there aura of Serie in your runes? And another one..." She didn't say the name directly.
Flamme naturally noticed the change in the other party's attitude and was overjoyed: "You know Teacher Serie? I am her student!"
"Is that so?" The Skywing girl murmured to herself, having received the answer she wanted. "And there's another aura?"
"That's the aura of Teacher Kurtz, and I'm also his disciple!" Flamme quickly revealed this crucial identity, hoping to completely dispel the misunderstanding.
"Kurtz..." the Skywing girl repeated the name softly, her eyes instantly becoming incredibly complex, "So you're still alive after all..."
She had known all along that Kurtz was still alive, though he was probably completely devoured by the corrupting divine power, and she had always believed it.
The reason is simple: the connection of the life magic circle within her body has not been severed.
At the same time, the hostility surrounding her completely vanished. "Are you truly Kurtz and Serie's disciple?" she asked again, her tone softening completely, even carrying a hint of concern.
"Absolutely!" Flamme tidied her hair vigorously, while pondering to herself, 'Could this Skywing Clan member in front of me be the legendary companion who accompanied both of her teachers on an adventure?'
The Skywing girl remained silent for a moment, seemingly calming her inner thoughts. She looked at Flamme again carefully, as if trying to see those two old friends from long ago through her.
Finally, she gently adjusted her hair, which was a formal way of acknowledging Flamme's identity.
"My name is Olivia," she said, her voice still cold but no longer carrying any sense of oppression, instead stating a simple fact. "I am a member of Kurtz's kin, and a companion who fought alongside him to kill the false god."
[End of Chapter]
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