The longer Hao Ren stayed in Collow, the more he was shocked by the secrets buried in this strange dimension. At first, he thought that this was just an ordinary dimension sandwiched between the Plane of Dreams and the Surface World. But as he delved deeper, he found the power left behind by the goddess of creation, ancient creatures that may be more ancient than the First Borns and the guardian giants, and traces of a "lost era" before the goddess of creation created all life. And now, he even found the prototype of the guardian giants and the prototype of the Creation's Engine!
There were so many secrets buried in this dimension called 'prison'. It seemed to point to an extremely ancient era and a truth that no one had ever imagined. But outside of Collow, there was no mention of this prison in any known ancient records!
What was Lockmarton? Were the wardens who guarded it the original form of the guardian giants? Why were there so many things in this prison and its guarding system that were completely different from the relics of the goddess of creation? For example, the crystal mountain of Asurmen and the Ark of the Sacred Covenant. They were obviously different from the temples of the goddess of creation that Hao Ren had found in other places!
With these questions in mind, Hao Ren looked at the Lord of Lords, Loken, who was manipulating the holographic runes in front of the crystal pyramid. "Has the gate opened?"
"The gate — the Realm of Reflections is not the kind of gate you think it is. It will not open and will only 'show' itself. And the Forgotten Abyss where Lockmarton is imprisoned is not some kind of enclosed space or prison cell that you think it is. It has been around all of you since the beginning, it's just that you could not perceive it, "Loken said as he pushed some of the floating runes on the crystal pyramid to a specific position. As he manipulated the runes, Hao Ren felt some kind of hidden and obscure change was happening. It seemed that the huge cavern in front of him had unknowingly changed and gradually turned into another place. Loken's voice also gradually became ethereal." I will send you to the other side of the Realm of Reflections. There, you will see the real Collow, and you will face Lockmarton's challenge. "
Loken's voice was getting further and further away. Hao Ren was surprised to see that the warden's figure was gradually fading as if he was in a different space and time. Half of the other twenty wardens beside him had the same change, while the other half remained the same.
"My ten companions will go with you. They will explain to you the situation on the other side of the Realm of Reflections. The other wardens will stay here with me. There are many things waiting for us in the 'waking world'.
"Go, destroy Lockmarton. Whether you succeed or not, we will hold on until the last moment before you return."
Loken's voice was finally getting further and further away. The eleven wardens, including Loken, had also disappeared before everyone's eyes. Along with them, the divine light that flowed throughout the cavern of the Ark of the Sacred Covenant had also disappeared. The entire cavern was eerily silent and dark. The crystal pyramid had become dull, and the stone floor and the Asurmen crystal clusters above had turned into ordinary, bare rocks. A cold twilight light that represented Lockmarton's will floated above the cavern, filled with malice.
The ten wardens who remained stood beside Hao Ren and the rest. The one leading them was a burly male colossus. He had thick hair and a beard, and his greyish-white braids were draped over his back. Heavy stones were tied to the ends of his braids, and the lines of his body were so swollen that they looked like they were about to burst out of his rocky skin. He bowed slightly to Hao Ren. "I am Loken's brother and assistant, Geddon, Lord of the Mountains. Let's go, the Eternal Battlefield awaits us. "
Hao Ren looked at the people around him and shrugged. "If I'm not wrong, we have passed through the Realm of Reflections and entered the Forgotten Abyss. I almost understand the spatial structure of Collow. "
At this moment, after Hao Ren and the rest had completely disappeared, only Loken and the other wardens were left in front of the Ark of the Sacred Covenant. The cavern they were in was still filled with divine light. The runes on the crystal pyramid wandered, and the light of Asurmen shone down from the top of the cavern, filling the entire cavern with a sacred and solemn atmosphere.
As for Lady Gloom, she had returned to Asurmen. The newly reactivated starship needed her debugging.
Outside the cavern, the sacred mountain of Asurmen was already up and running. The powerful Light of Order had swept away the shadow of Chaos that shrouded the sanctum, bathing the entire continent in holy Order — at least for the time being.
Loken retracted his gaze from the crystal pyramid and looked up at the crystal dome of Asurmen that was getting brighter and clearer. "Those warriors have reactivated Asurmen, and they have awakened the old guy in the will hub. My old friends, we have never been so close to the final victory. Almost everything is in its best condition. This time, we have no reason to retreat."
As Loken spoke, the bottom of the crystal pyramid was covered in a layer of dusk light. Under the light of dusk, shadows appeared out of thin air. Countless twisted creatures that looked like flesh and blood grew out of the shadows, gnawing at the real world bit by bit. However, as soon as they came into contact with the light around Loken, they would let out a brief wail before returning to the cold, silent darkness of their world.
"Loken, what do you think the chances of those warriors succeeding are?" A female warden took out a short wand from her back. The wand glowed in milky white holy light. "They are going to face Lockmarton. He is an existence that even we can't defeat. He has been dormant on the other side for 10,000 years. Now, he will only become more cunning and powerful."
"I feel an aura similar to Mother's from them, especially their leader. The one that looks like a human has many different powers lingering around him. Some of them are Mother's, some are similar to Mother's but not exactly the same, and some I can't tell. You should remember what Mother once said."
"There should be something similar to her outside the world we know. Mother said so," the female warden said. "So you suspect that they are …"
"Mother has always been lonely, but I think she will no longer be lonely," Loken said softly. An energy wand appeared out of thin air in his hand. A bolt of lightning shot out from the tip of the wand and shattered a shadow that just crawled out from the bottom of the crystal pyramid. "Those warriors should be from Mother's' hometown '. I can vaguely hear Mother's voice. She asked me to believe in those warriors. So, when they face Lockmarton and our rebellious brother, she asked us to stand guard here and not let the Chaos cross the line! "
"When the Holy Accord opens, the people of the real world can enter the Nightmare Realm, and the monsters of the Nightmare Realm will also enter the conscious world through this passage," the female warden said softly. Her voice was slow and deep, like she was chanting. The cavern was already filled with shadows. These abnormal shadows appeared out of thin air under the illumination of the light, and countless indescribable things were wriggling and spreading out. "Lockmarton will not let go of this opportunity. But this time, we will not let them go so easily!"
Balls of light exploded, and battle cries rang out. The shadows and the holy light clashed fiercely. In the sacred cavern of the Ark of the Sacred Covenant, the wardens and the monsters from the Nightmare Realm engaged in another battle of life and death — the last battle!
The battle in the cavern of the Ark of the Sacred Covenant did not affect the other side of the Realm of Reflections. In this Nightmare Realm, all that could be seen were some floating shadows swaying around the dim crystal pyramid. These small anomalies did not stop the challengers who had already entered the nightmare.
Hao Ren, Calaxus, and the rest led the remaining warriors through the long tunnel, and under the guidance of the ten wardens, they were gradually approaching the surface.
Aside from the barbarians who blindly followed the alpha and did not think about anything profound, the sacred warriors led by Calaxus had realized that they had entered another world. While it was hard to explain, they were sure that they were walking in a strange land!
After leaving the cavern of the Ark of the Sacred Covenant, they were supposed to go through the crystal corridors and halls of Asurmen. But now, in the same direction, in the same position, all they saw were endless stone tunnels and rock caverns filled with strange runes and patterns that seemed to have been abandoned for many years. In the caverns, there were decaying weapons and twisted skeletons, as well as pools that glowed like mercury.
Any high-ranking priest who lived in Fidelinopolis would be sure that there was no such place under Asurmen!
"Do not go near those glowing pools," Geddon, the Lord of the Mountains, warned. "That is the lure of nightmares. Those who are thirsty will sink into these fake oases and drink their own blood to their deaths. Those bones beside the pools are the victims that have been tempted."
Muru cautiously looked at everything along the way. He walked behind his "brothers" who were made of stone and metal, and finally found a chance to speak. "This cavern seems to be specially designed for the giants. It is very tall."
"Because in the beginning, only us giants were guarding the Nightmare Realm." The Lord of the Mountains glanced at Muru and nodded slightly. "I did not have time to greet you just now. You and I are brothers. Mother created you later."
"We never knew of the existence of you rock brothers."
"Because we belong to the part that must be forgotten." The Lord of the Mountains patted Muru on the shoulder, and the entire cavern rumbled. "As a lifeform, you look more complete than us."
Muru wanted to say more, but the tunnel had come to an end.
A dim yellow light came from the front, and the murky and chaotic sky was faintly visible. Along with it, there was the faint sound of battle and thunderous roars.
"Welcome to the 'real' Collow," Geddon said loudly. "Welcome to the last line of defense at the border of the nightmare, the Nightfall Fortress!"
After that, he mumbled, "Just call it the Nightfall Ruins."
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