Chapter 82: Great Spirit?
The ground trembled, but instead of the grotesque maw of another monster tearing through the earth, a colossal phantom slowly materialized from the ether. It was ancient, towering high above the wasteland, radiating a sacred, heavy presence. This was the Wayob—the revered manifestation of Natlan's six great tribes.
Yet, this majestic entity was a prisoner. Thick, purplish-black sludge—the unmistakable rot of Abyssal energy—coiled tightly around the phantom. The corruption hardened into jagged, bone-deep iron chains that choked the totem, suffocating its natural brilliance until only a sickly, dying ember remained. The air itself grew heavy and foul. Malicious whispers, dripping with seductive poison, echoed through the distorted space, clawing at the edges of their sanity and trying to worm into their minds.
Dan Heng's expression hardened. He shifted his stance, his spear materializing in a flash of teal light. Beside him, Belle tightened her grip on her weapon, her cheerful demeanor instantly replaced by sharp vigilance. Paimon squeaked, doing a mid-air backflip in sheer fright before hiding behind Belle's shoulder.
"Wait!" Chasca's voice cracked over the tense silence. She stumbled forward, her eyes wide with a frantic mix of disbelief and desperate reverence. "Don't attack! That's... that's the Wayob! It's the very core of Natlan's Night Kingdom, the origin totem of the six great tribes!" Her voice broke as she stared at the suffocating chains. "It... it's been severely corrupted by the Abyss!"
She took another hesitant step toward the towering phantom. The sorrow in her gaze hardened into fierce determination. "I can feel it. Its consciousness is incredibly weak under all that Abyssal rot, but it hasn't completely dissipated. I can use my power to temporarily suppress some of the corruption... maybe awaken a sliver of its true mind! But..." She bit her lip, her shoulders slumping slightly. "It would only be a temporary solution."
Before Chasca could move, a tiny, floating figure zipped right past her and hovered boldly in front of the corrupted mountain of a totem.
"Abyssal corrosion?" Paimon puffed out her chest, planting her small hands firmly on her hips. A smug, utterly confident expression painted her face. "Then let me handle it! I'm a total professional at this! You guys have been doing all the fighting for so long, now it's Paimon's turn to save the day!"
Paimon skillfully extended her small hand, her voice ringing out with practiced theatricality. "Optimization Power, activate!"
A wrench radiating a soft, pristine silver glow materialized out of thin air, dropping neatly into Paimon's tiny grip.
Chasca blinked, staring at the floating mascot. 'A wrench? Can that really work? Isn't that a bit... childish?'
Completely ignoring the bewildered stares, Paimon tilted her head, sizing up the mountain-sized totem. She tapped her chin thoughtfully, then waved her hand with a grand flourish. "Make it bigger!"
With a blinding flash, the silver wrench instantly expanded, blowing up to a colossal size that perfectly matched the towering Wayob!
Paimon grabbed the air as if holding a massive invisible handle, and with a vigorous, exaggerated swing, she knocked the giant silver wrench phantom directly toward the Abyss-entwined core of the totem.
Chasca's heart leaped into her throat. She braced for an explosion.
Instead, the very second the wrench's phantom made contact with the corrupted core, the air hummed with a resonant frequency. A colossal, incredibly complex magic circle erupted beneath the totem, bathing the wasteland in a blinding, pure golden light. Countless complex runes flowed like liquid gold through the geometric lines of the array. Simultaneously, the massive silver wrench phantom materialized directly above the Wayob, spinning with mechanical precision.
Sizzle! Hiss!
It sounded exactly like a red-hot branding iron being plunged into a bucket of ice water. The purplish-black Abyssal sludge that had choked the totem instantly boiled. It shrieked and evaporated violently, transforming into thick, rolling clouds of black smoke that rapidly dispersed into the upper atmosphere.
Freed from the suffocating grip, the Wayob's own dim light began to surge, purifying and brightening at a visible, astonishing speed. The maddening, unsettling whispers of the Abyss dissolved into pathetic, dying gasps.
"This... this is impossible..." Chasca stammered, utterly dumbfounded. She rubbed her eyes, hardly daring to believe the spectacle unfolding before her. That seemingly ordinary—well, admittedly gigantic—silver wrench was rapidly and efficiently scrubbing away Abyssal corruption that even the most ancient tribal secret arts struggled to contain!
But the Abyss was a living, malignant force, and it refused to be purged so easily.
The residual Abyssal energy permeating the wasteland suddenly spiked, turning violently aggressive. It surged upward like a tidal wave of black tar, crashing against the Wayob totem in a desperate counterattack. It sought to drag the entity back into the dark, engaging in a brutal tug-of-war against Paimon's Optimization Power.
The totem's newly restored light choked, suppressed once more. It flickered unsteadily, and a deep, muffled groan of ancient pain echoed from within the phantom.
"The Abyss is counterattacking!" Dan Heng warned, his sharp senses immediately picking up the violent shift in the environmental energy. He readied his spear, though physical attacks would do little against this conceptual rot.
"Paimon, watch out!" Belle cried out anxiously, stepping forward.
"Hmph! Still daring to resist?!" Paimon's small face scrunched up in intense displeasure. She absolutely hated it when things didn't go her way on the first try.
She didn't hesitate for a single second. Throwing her other hand into the air, she shouted, "Have another wrench! Cleanse it completely!"
A second, equally colossal silver wrench phantom materialized out of thin air. This one pulsed with an even denser, more blinding wave of Optimization Power. With a heavy, phantom clang, it smashed down forcefully right beside the first!
This time, the effect was devastatingly immediate.
Double Optimization Power!
The golden magic circle beneath the totem flared like a miniature sun. The two massive wrench phantoms above accelerated their rotation sharply, spinning into a blur of silver light.
The Optimization Power swept through the corruption like an unstoppable force of nature. The wildly thrashing Abyssal energy had finally met its absolute nemesis. It was rapidly neutralized, shredded, and forcefully purified. The purplish-black filth receded from the totem at a staggering speed, screaming as it burned away.
Crack! Snap!
The thick black chains binding the phantom shattered inch by inch, dissolving into golden dust. Within a mere handful of breaths, the very last wisp of Abyssal black mist clinging to the totem completely evaporated.
Buzz—!
The entire totem erupted. An unmatched, pure, and incredibly warm dark-golden light washed over the wasteland. The sickly dimness was entirely gone, replaced by a sacred majesty and a thrumming, vibrant vitality that made the very earth feel alive.
A gentle, overwhelmingly grateful grand consciousness expanded outward. It washed over everyone present like a warm, comforting tide, soothing the lingering chill of the Abyss.
'Thank you... warriors of Natlan... and travelers...'A deep, resonant female voice echoed directly within their minds. It carried an innate warmth that instantly inspired trust and closeness. This was the true will of the Wayob.'The corrosion of the Abyss... it was like an endless nightmare... Thank you for awakening me from my descent into the dark...'Chasca dropped to one knee, so moved that hot tears welled up in her eyes. "Wayob! You are finally awake!"'Chasca, brave child.'The Wayob's voice carried a motherly comfort. A tendril of the totem's dark-golden light reached out, gently enveloping the young warrior and washing away the deep physical and mental fatigue she had accumulated.'Your arrival has saved a crucial power of Natlan.'The Wayob's light then swept over Dan Heng and Belle. Its vast consciousness carried a distinct hint of deep understanding and deep goodwill.'I can feel it... your souls are remarkably clear, carrying the pure intent of salvation. This goodwill is far more important than any origin or identity.'The ancient entity deliberately chose its words. It clearly recognized their otherworldly nature but chose not to expose Dan Heng and Belle's multiversal origins to Chasca. It was a silent gesture of protection and respect for those who had come to help.'I know you came for that child, Kachina. She is a brave, good child.'The warmth in the Wayob's voice shifted, taking on a heavy, serious tone.'However, time is pressing. I can feel Kachina's energy growing weaker by the minute. Let me show you the way.'
A perfectly clear mental imprint suddenly bloomed within everyone's minds. It wasn't just a direction; it was a precise, obvious beacon pointing directly to Kachina's exact location in the Night Kingdom.
Not only that, but the Wayob's light fluctuated subtly, sharing another layer of insight. 'There are two other powerful auras carrying that same otherworldly goodwill... they are also approaching Kachina, but they appear to be trapped by different obstacles.'
Faint, secondary coordinates brushed against their consciousness, vaguely transmitting the current locations of Lumine's team and Stelle's team.
Finally, the dark-golden light at the very center of the totem condensed. A small shard of pure obsidian separated from the phantom and floated gently through the air. It drifted directly toward Dan Heng, landing softly in his outstretched palm.
The moment it touched his skin, the shard shifted, transforming into a palm-sized, ancient-looking obsidian compass. It had no physical pointer in its center—only a soft, swirling golden glow that pulsed like a heartbeat.
'Take it, children.'The Wayob's voice faded, carrying a heavy weight of anticipation.'It can sense the goodwill and the deep bonds carried by your companions, guiding you toward each other. May your powers converge... and may you illuminate this land shrouded in darkness...'The totem's brilliant light began to slowly recede, its edges blurring as it dissolved into the atmosphere. The Wayob's voice grew fainter, echoing like a distant memory.'My power has only just recovered... I must rest... The future of Natlan... I entrust it to you...'
As the final syllable faded into the wind, the colossal totem phantom completely vanished, leaving the wasteland feeling suddenly vast and empty.
The only proof that the ancient entity had been there at all was the warm obsidian compass resting heavily in Dan Heng's hand, emitting its steady, golden pulse. A subtle, tranquil aura now lingered over the wasteland, the oppressive stench of the Abyss entirely scrubbed away.
The four of them stood in silence, staring at the empty space where the totem had been. Their chests felt tight, filled with a deep reverence and the sudden, rushing exhilaration of having accomplished something truly monumental.
"We... we really just woke up a Wayob?" Belle murmured, still staring blankly at the sky, her usual chaotic energy momentarily subdued by awe.
"Paimon is very amazing, you know!" Paimon, completely unaffected by the solemn atmosphere, puffed out her chest again. She stood proudly with her hands on her hips, absolutely thrilled that she hadn't just been a screaming bystander this time.
"There's no time to lose." Dan Heng's voice cut through the lingering silence. He gripped the obsidian compass tightly, his sharp gaze locking onto the invisible path pointing straight toward Kachina. "Let's go."
"Right!" Chasca and Belle nodded heavily, their weapons at the ready.
With the Wayob's guiding compass in hand and their hope completely rekindled, the four of them didn't waste another second. They dashed forward, charging straight into the final stretch of their journey to rescue the young warrior.
Behind them, the desolate wasteland remained quiet, save for the gentle, purified breeze sweeping over the scars of their arduous battle.
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