The other two groups accompanied by one of Theodore's bodies eventually all arrived at the same impossibly large land of the dead. Just like how all paths lead to Rome, on this World Shard, it appeared that all routes inevitably ended up converging in this one, central location.
Despite having grown used to the sight of death many years ago, Xie Mei and the majority of the guards and maids were still considerably shaken when they laid their eyes upon the endless expanse of stacked corpses.
"Just how many people died here!?"
Consciously tightening her grip on Theodore's hand, Xie Mei shivered as she took in the sights. Dead people weren't particularly scary, but when there were practically countless of them in one place, this quantitative change could lead to a qualitative one–at least in her emotional state.
"Based on what I've seen so far, quadrillions, if not quintillions. Even I have never come across this many corpses in one place. Usually, during most battles, the cannon fodder simply ends up obliterated, so there are few remains."
These insensitive yet calm and collected words served to stabilize her mood a little. Clearly, her beloved was still in control of the situation, therefore there was no need for her to succumb to her worries, right?
"I see... I wonder what caused this tragedy to occur? Did you find anything yet?"
Trying to distract herself from her internal turmoil, she kept the conversation going. Considering that another one of Theodore's bodies had been here for a while, he must have come across something by now.
"Nothing concrete–I can only speculate. It appears that all of these people were gathered here, most likely because of the arrival of an outside threat. Then, they were drained to death by either the local Array, or someone who was in this place with them. I could be wrong about some of these details, though, so take them with a grain of salt."
Responding to his words with a contemplative nod, Xie Mei had a wary look on her face as she eyed their surroundings. At this point, if it hadn't been for Theodore being right at her side, she might have begun jumping at shadows.
Finding her display of caution somewhat adorable, a smirk couldn't help but play across his lips.
At the same time, far away in another corner of this underworld, the trio of Sarasvain, Vigdis and Theodore were also busy exploring the place. When they had first arrived here, the Undying President had stared at what lay in front of them in disbelief and shock–clearly, he hadn't expected for such a terrifying secret to be buried here, in what was practically his backyard.
"Based on how uniformly this method of draining has been applied to all of these people, I think we can be reasonably certain that it was indeed an Array which took their lives. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that it was the one that is still active to this day."
Composedly stating her conclusions, Vigdis rose to her feet again, having just closely examined another batch of dead bodies.
"I agree. But I suspect that it was indeed this Array that caused this. It's way too high level for us to fully decipher, and we can't even probe into its core, or most of its nodes. What we currently see is only a small fragment of the bigger picture."
Releasing a sigh, Sarasvain shook his head. All three of them here could be considered Array Formation experts, with Theodore being the most proficient of them all–and yet, they still ended up largely stumped when they focused their efforts on further understanding this Array.
"What do you think, Theo? Do you agree as well? ... Theo? What's going on?"
Upon receiving no response from him at first, Vigdis turned to face her boss, her eyebrows slightly furrowed. Usually, he wouldn't space out like this, but for whatever reason, he had just done so–evidently, either something had happened, or he had discovered something.
"Apologies. Faavi informed my main body that she's begun to sense a familiar presence. I can't even begin to speculate what or who that may be. It might simply turn out to be one of the corpses here, or an item of some sort, but I'm growing a bit concerned. Should we all begin to converge in the same direction, just in case?"
Still unsettled by the fact that he couldn't feel even the slightest hint of danger, Theodore was beginning to adjust his plans further. Initially, he had intended for the three groups exploring the netherworld to stay largely separate, mapping the entire area. But what if their combined combat power was needed to fight for a slim chance of survival?
"So, you suspect that it could be an old acquaintance, or even an enemy from the past? Yeah, I think it would make sense to meet up with the others."
Narrowing her eyes, Vigdis quickly nodded in agreement. If–somehow–a being here had remained alive, then it should be far beyond what they could currently handle. If their sole goal was to have someone survive, then splitting up and running off in different directions would be the most reasonable choice. But that was not what they were after. Unless it was unavoidable, none of them would make such a choice. They were all quite confident in their life-saving measures, after all.
"What do you say, Mr. Sarasvain? Will you come with us?"
Extending a warm invitation, Vigdis looked at the last member of their group. Not technically being a part of their camp, he had no obligation to follow along at all–he could easily leave them here, without either side developing any hard feelings about such a choice. Still, she hoped that he would stick around.
"Naturally, I will! Who knows what we'll come across? I'm relieved that we finally have a solid lead!"
Dispelling her concerns immediately, he responded with a spirited smile. Amidst the monotony of countless years, how long had it been since he had last embarked on such an adventure? Even if it proved to be lethally dangerous, he wouldn't regret it! Anything was better than endless boredom and more of the same, after all.
"Well, I'm glad to have you aboard."
Giving him an appreciative nod, Theodore proceeded to lead the way. Under his guidance, all three groups eventually zeroed in on what presumably was the most central area of this whole necropolis.
'Still nothing. How come you can feel it, Faavi, and I can't?'
Back at the team with Xie Mei, Theodore's main body squinted, sending a mental inquiry his trusty Armament Spirit's way.
'Hmm... maybe it's because only I'm familiar with whatever it is that I noticed? Or perhaps my senses are just different from yours? If it's a person that I'm feeling, then it could also be that they're hiding from you. Sorry... I really can't say for sure!'
Conveying apologetic, saddened emotions, Faavi 'shook her head'. She was puzzled as well, but until they found what they were looking for, she suspected that they wouldn't be able to figure out the truth.
'It's alright, don't beat yourself up over it! Let's wait and see.'
Transmitting an encouraging smile to her via their connection, Theodore pampered her a little, having her direct him towards the correct spot all the while.
It wasn't too long before he first noticed significant changes in the environment. Or rather, in the kinds of corpses that were the most prevalent. The closer to the centre that they got, the more fully intact dead bodies could be found. Evidently, the people here had been, on average, much stronger than those housed at the 'outskirts' of this subterranean chamber.
The plentiful dust and bones quietly began to disappear from view, replaced by more and more eternally 'sleeping', lifeless people, untouched by the erosion brought about by time.
But even this soon changed. Barely an hour after having stepped into this expanse of 'dreamers', their numbers began to decrease, until they finally became sparse enough to actually spy the ground and buildings underneath them properly once again. Soon, except for entirely empty streets, not a single corpse was still in sight.
It was like they had stepped from the afterlife into a ghost town–just, without any ghosts. Nothing jumped out at them, no being spied on them from dark corners. This place was completely desolate. Despite how deserted it was, it felt like death had a stronger grip over this region than the last. And yet, what called to Faavi was still located further inside this ghastly zone.
Here, the three groups finally reunited. They were already very close to their destination, so they proceeded onward undeterred.
However, very soon, a few amongst them spotted something that made them grow highly uncomfortable: Corpses. Again, there were corpses!
But this time, there were far less than earlier, perhaps only a few hundred in total. They appeared to form a circle around the centremost point of the entire netherworld, kneeling devoutly on the ground. Underneath them, an impossibly complicated Compound Array was still indistinctly flashing to life in a regular rhythm, almost akin to a heartbeat.
"A-Are they... still alive?"
Whispering to the others under her breath, Xie Mei's voice trembled. Contrary to the dead bodies on the way here, these people clearly still possessed some of their Energy–they hadn't been drained entirely dry.
"No, they're definitely not. Their souls are long gone. Even though some life still remains within their bodies, you can compare them to... someone brain-dead. Empty husks, in a way."
Shaking her head, Ninna's explanation served to help her new sister relax a little. Although it was obvious that these individuals had once been far more powerful than Xie Mei could currently imagine, they had still died–long, long ago. Therefore, they should pose no threat.
"... let's continue."
His instincts still not having warned him in the slightest, Theodore led the way even deeper, towards a towering spire-shaped building at the core of the Array. He didn't know why, but as soon as he had laid eyes upon these few dozen figures, a vague sense of sadness had overcome him–and that was clearly abnormal!
'I've got to stay sharp! It's possible that this is all because John was once connected to these people–but it could also be that I'm imperceptibly being affected by some malignant influence.'
These worries of his wouldn't last for long, however. Because, as soon as he stepped into the tower-like structure, his eyes widened in genuine alarm. Nothing during the entire Heavenly Succession had ever shaken him to this degree!
Seated directly in the centre of everything, with countless parts of the Compound Array converging beneath him, there sat an elderly man appearing to be in his late seventies. Perhaps, once upon a time, he had been a dapper gentleman, but by now, little of that splendour still remained. He had clearly entered his twilight years, but he nonetheless exuded an undeniable air of nobility and authority.
His clothes' colours had faded over the ages, so they were now only numerous shades of white, grey and black. They looked a bit like a military general's uniform mixed with comfortable robes in a style identical to those on the statues of this lost civilization.
Before entering this place, Theodore had been completely unable to perceive this old man, but once he did, he instantly realized that he was indeed still alive! But that was not what had unsettled him–after all, he had already anticipated such a scenario.
No, it was the fact that this senior gave him the same exact feeling of powerlessness as his own father! Even if he wasn't truly as strong as the renowned Theoderick Winter, he couldn't be too far off. How the hell could a figure as mighty as this possibly make it into the Heavenly Succession's event venue?! Were the Heavenly Empress and the Heavenly Dao this incompetent!!?
Amidst his stupefaction and incredulity, the old man finally opened his eyes and turned his head, looking directly at Theodore's main body–and then, his gaze lowered a little, scrutinizing the Storage Ring on his finger. Soon, a gentle smile spread across his lips.
"So you've made it, Lady Faavi. What a relief!"