NCCnovel Chapter 199 Embracing the Forbidden Zone
Chapter 199 Embracing the Forbidden Zone
Chapter 199 Embracing the Forbidden Zone
When Grilando and Desque woke up, they were already very close to Black City.
Since the agreed time was fast approaching, Tang Zijun didn't want to leave the two of them alone in the wilderness, so she rode the skeletal horse at breakneck speed, galloping towards Black City.
Although it was late at night, they did not encounter any attacks along the way. The deathly aura emanating from the skeletal horse kept many creatures in the darkness at bay, and the living creatures wandering in the wasteland dared not make any move at all.
Without any strange monsters causing trouble, Tang Zijun's journey was relatively smooth, which gave him plenty of time to reflect on his previous experiences.
I thought the Blood Cult was just a minor figure who worshipped an evil god, but judging from the information I just received, there is probably an unimaginable danger behind that guy.
If we were to apply the Cthulhu Mythos to the dream world, the Void Gods would likely be part of the Old Gods, while beings like the Blood God would be Great Old Ones, and Nightmares would most likely be the Outer Gods.
Although Tang Zijun is not very familiar with Cthulhu, as an author he has some knowledge of its settings, such as the fact that there are no "Outer Gods" in the strict sense of the Cthulhu Mythos.
Outer Gods and Great Old Ones should theoretically be the same kind of beings, except that Outer Gods are more powerful than ordinary Great Old Ones.
Such a life undoubtedly put Tang Zijun under immense pressure.
"Tang Zijun, what are you thinking about?" Hyacinth asked casually, perched on Tang Zijun's head.
She was quite accepting of Tang Zijun's transformation and did not think that Tang Zijun had fallen into darkness just because she used the power of Sir Skull. In Hyacinth's mind, the loser should be the spoils of the winner.
Moreover, she also sensed a trace of the Tree of Life's essence within Tang Zijun's body, which made her, who was already particularly uncomfortable with her surroundings, feel a little better.
"Hyacinth, what kind of being is the God of Blood?" Tang Zijun asked after a moment of silence.
Hyacinth thought about it seriously. "I don't know, but you destroyed that guy's altar and didn't see him show up."
This is the first time I've seen a god so irresponsible towards its followers.
"Should gods be responsible for their believers?" Tang Zijun raised an eyebrow.
In his mind, gods and humans should be two separate and different beings, but after all, hyacinths are long-lived plants.
Moreover, the Flower Fairy clan has survived from the mythological era, so there must be some truth to what she said.
Then Hyacinth spoke up. "Gods should guide their followers, just as the Tree of Life guided us back then. If it's just a conflict between followers, perhaps the gods will turn a blind eye. But if other gods are involved, no god would stand idly by, would they?"
As she said this, Hyacinth looked at Tang Zijun with a meaningful expression.
Her meaning was quite clear.
At this moment, Tang Zijun had already stepped onto the position of the God of Greed and the Lord of the Reversed World Dimension. Even if he was unwilling to admit it, this was the reality. Tang Zijun was now qualified to sit at the same table with other gods.
Tang Zijun had already come knocking on the door, but the God of Blood still didn't react at all. Even his own "offspring" were easily usurped by Tang Zijun. This wasn't just being good-tempered; he was practically a pushover.
Tang Zijun pondered for a moment. He was actually a little unsure, because his original plan was to confront the gods of this world directly, but the situation here was obviously much more complicated.
Thinking of this, Tang Zijun suddenly spoke up. "Is it possible that there is no such thing as a 'God of Blood' in this world at all?"
"Why did you come to this conclusion?" Hyacinth blinked.
"At first I wasn't sure, but after actually fighting him, I realized that while the power wielded by that Blood Cultist was extraordinary, it hadn't yet reached the so-called 'divine power' level."
Tang Zijun shrugged. "To put it bluntly, he's just someone who can see through magic. A few powerful magical girls could probably take him down. I find it hard to believe that such a madman has some powerful 'god' backing him."
"No...cough cough..."
Just then, a weak, light cough was heard.
Tang Zijun was slightly taken aback, but then she saw that Grelando slowly regained consciousness.
"Are you alright? How are you feeling?"
"...I...I'm alright..." Gloria rubbed her head, still feeling a little dizzy. Once she came to her senses, she found herself leaning against Tang Zijun's chest. "Where's that Blood Cultist?"
"He's dead."
Tang Zijun replied.
"Those contaminated cave dwellers and undead also died in the mine. The secondary explosions they created at the moment of their death collapsed the mine shaft, burying everything underneath. However, the altar was destroyed, as Hyacinth can attest."
"That's right! I can't sense those eerie auras anymore~" Hyacinth said with a light laugh.
As Grilando listened, she let out a soft sigh of relief. At that moment, she finally felt that the dark clouds that had been hanging over her head had dissipated somewhat.
The Blood Church posed a significant threat to Black City at this time. Dark creatures roamed outside Black City day and night, posing a constant threat to those inside. Most of the mercenaries were also attacked by these monsters.
Now that the blood altar and cultists have been lost, the situation here will improve a lot. At least they won't have to worry about dark creatures launching an armed attack on the city.
Rubbing her temples, Gloria suddenly recalled what she had just heard and said, "...Sir Knight, the God of Blood truly exists..."
Upon hearing this, Tang Zijun was slightly taken aback.
Gloria continued, "Although I don't know what kind of profession you mean by 'magical girl,' there is indeed an ancient god standing behind the Blood Cult..."
"Wait, something's not right. Didn't you say before that the God of Blood separated from the desolate church of the fallen druids?" Tang Zijun frowned.
"Indeed, the druids hate humans. Even if they have fallen, they will never allow humans to worship their gods. Therefore, some of them seek knowledge about the forbidden wasteland and have learned of the existence of the God of Blood."
Gloria sighed softly. "Although the Church of Blood has not been established for very long, the God of Blood is an incredibly ancient being... even... far more ancient than the gods themselves..."
After he finished speaking, the atmosphere on horseback became somewhat quiet.
The old days.
A look of realization flashed across Tang Zijun's face.
"So that's how it is."
Now he can understand the situation of this world a little better.
If, as that mad cultist said, the Blood God he worshipped was an Old One, then Tang Zijun can reasonably deduce that before the rise of the Void Gods, the Dream World was under the rule of this group of forbidden evil gods.
No wonder he calls the God of Blood the Old Ones; these madmen, corrupted by nightmares, have now chosen to join the ranks of even more ancient gods.
But can these Great Old Ones truly protect them from nightmares?
"So the topic returns to the previous question: if this God of Blood really exists, why didn't he show himself just now?" Hyacinth asked curiously.
Gloria opened her mouth, unsure how to answer, while Tang Zijun narrowed her eyes slightly. "Is it possible that these Great Old Ones aren't unwilling to show themselves, but rather unable to?"
"Can't show itself?" Hyacinth tilted its head.
"The Great Old Ones existed before the Void Gods and the Nightmare Creatures. Now, the Void Gods are in control of this world. The followers and altars of the Great Old Ones have long been buried in history. If it weren't for the invasion of the Nightmare Creatures, probably no one would even remember them."
"You mean, the Great Old Ones clashed with the Gods of the Void in history, and were then defeated, banished, or sealed away?"
"I think it's very likely." Tang Zijun nodded.
After all, there was a sealed god before the Reversal World existed. Although these ancient rulers are ancient, they are not invincible. If the newly formed Void Gods unite, they still have the power to fight back.
If these Great Old Ones were sealed away, that would explain the current situation.
Just as the greedy need to absorb enough negative energy to break the seal of the god of greed, these followers of the Old Ones walk the world, spreading suffering and madness. How are their actions any different from those of the greedy and heretics?
But one sentence from the Blood Cult members made Tang Zijun's heart leap into her throat: "You merely rule the world he once ruled, and you will rule the world you rule."
What does this mean?
The superficial understanding might refer to the dream world. The Blood Cultist might not know his own origins, so what he actually meant was that the Great Old Ones would eventually descend upon the dream world and regain control of it.
but!
The phrase "You rule the world that he once ruled" is quite interesting.
In Grilando's eyes, she should be a knight under the goddess of ice and snow. Tang Zijun believed that most people in this world would not think of her as someone from another world.
However, the Blood Cult directly claimed to be a ruler, and that they ruled a world, which made Tang Zijun think of the Reverse World and the real world.
The ancient rulers exist beyond space, beyond reason...
Could it be that these Great Old Ones once had a close connection with the real world, or perhaps the existence of the Inverted World is also connected to them in some unknown way...?