aircannonsinc Chapter 28 Kazan the Gravekeeper 2
Chapter 28 Kazan the Gravekeeper 2
"Stranger...the living..." The voice was dry and hoarse, like rough sandpaper rubbing against a stone, each syllable carrying a tearing, sluggish quality.
Strangely, however, the tone of the voice revealed an almost cold calmness, a rational tone belonging to a learned person who scrutinizes the world, which was incongruous with its identity as a dead person.
Two eerie blue soul flames flickered deep within the empty eye sockets, reflecting the wary figures of Lin Tian and the giant wolf beneath him.
"You shouldn't... awaken this... cursed graveyard of knowledge..." Kazan—the former scholar, now the gravedigger—spoke a warning, his jaw clenching. His tattered robes fluttered without wind, stained with unknown dark dirt.
Lin Tian controlled the giant wolf to stop, and the giant wolf "Greyclaw" under his mount, covered in bone armor, immediately stopped its charge. Its thick limbs were firmly planted on the ground, and a low, threatening growl came from its throat.
Lin Tian's gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, piercing through the dim light as he carefully examined the being before him, which exuded a powerful aura of the undead.
"Are you the guardian of this tomb?" he asked in a deep voice, his tone echoing in the empty tomb entrance. "What happened to the once glorious jewel of Ascatella that caused it to fall to this state? And what about the 'Soul Eaters'... what are they?"
Kazan did not answer immediately. The soul fire in its eye sockets flickered violently, as if its deepest pain had been touched.
The eerie blue flame flickered with a complex and enigmatic light, reflecting pain, regret, and even a lingering, pure yearning for knowledge. It seemed to have sunk into a fragment of time and space so distant as to be almost forgotten.
"Knowledge... is poison... and also an antidote..." it finally spoke, its voice carrying a dreamlike, ethereal quality.
"We... thirst for knowledge... like moths to a flame... exploring the secrets of the astral plane... deciphering the language of the dead... attempting to touch... the origin of the universe..." Its bony claws gripped the bone staff engraved with ancient runes tightly, the knuckles making a slight rubbing sound.
"However... it was precisely this yearning that attracted... shadows that coveted the stars... They... are parasites of knowledge... predators of wisdom... 'Soul Eaters'..."
Kazan's voice suddenly turned sharp and filled with hatred:
"They...like maggots clinging to bones...whisper in the ears of the seeker of knowledge...weaving sweet lies...promising...power beyond the mundane...that power...like the finest poison...it...corrupts...the purest heart...twisting the thirst for knowledge...into greed and madness..."
It slowly, with a heavy sense of ritual, raised the bone staff in its hand, the tip of the staff pointing directly at Lin Tian.
"Here... lies buried...not just piles of bones...but also...contaminated, desecrated...forbidden knowledge! They...are the source of the plague! Leave...living...while you...can still turn back...curiosity...will drag you...to the same...abyss of no return as us..."
Surprisingly, those last words contained a hint of weary warning and... a hint of pity in admonition.
Lin Tian took a deep breath, as if something deep within the tomb was calling to him.
"I'm sorry," his voice was firm and unwavering, "I have reasons to go deeper into this place, and there is no turning back."
"Then..." The last glimmer of rationality that belonged to the "scholar" in Kazan's eyes was completely extinguished like a candle in the wind, swallowed by pure, cold killing intent! The ghostly blue soul flame instantly became as sharp as a blade!
"...Let knowledge...purify your...ignorance!" Before the words were finished, the bone staff swung forward violently!
The battle erupted instantly!
Kazan displayed the terrifying skill of a high-level spellcaster, starting with a powerful defensive spell—[Necronomicon Shield]!
Countless ancient and twisted symbols made of azure energy appeared out of thin air, spinning and intertwining around its broken body at high speed as if they were alive, instantly forming an indestructible energy barrier that shimmered with runic light! A deep hum echoed in the air.
Almost at the same moment the shield was formed, the attacks came one after another!
Arcane Missile Barrage!
Kazan's Bone Staff flashed, his movements as swift as lightning. Five arcane missiles, compressed to their limit and gleaming with a blinding blue light, were unleashed as if by an invisible machine gun!
They tore through the air, emitting a chilling shriek, trailing long, comet-like energy tails, and fanned out to cover the spot where Lin Tian and his giant wolf stood! Each missile contained terrifying energy capable of tearing through steel!
Lin Tian's pupils contracted slightly, but his reaction was as fast as a ghost!
"Scatter!" he shouted, forcefully slapping the wolf's neck with his left hand while rolling backward. The giant wolf, in perfect harmony with him, growled, its massive body displaying astonishing agility as it leaped to the side and rear with all four limbs, creating a gust of foul wind.
Lin Tian dodged the first arcane missile.
However, the other four missiles, with no decrease in speed, were already upon us with a deadly whistle!
Lin Tian moved swiftly, his footwork exquisite. At the critical moment, his body twisted at an incredible angle, narrowly avoiding the two missiles that whizzed past the hem of his clothes and the edge of his robe!
The violent energy surge stung his cheeks!
The glaring red damage numbers flashed by at the edge of Lin Tian's vision.
Worse still, a status icon of "Ignorance," composed of twisted books and chains and emitting a dim gray light, instantly appeared above his head!
A cold, viscous sensation instantly invaded my mind, as if my thoughts were being immersed in murky ice water, and my mental processes became sluggish and blocked—the curse of knowledge had taken effect!
"Tsk!" Lin Tian frowned, suppressing the mental discomfort, but his will to fight back burned even brighter!
"Fireball!"
He roared, and the tip of his staff instantly shone with a blinding white light! A fireball, blazing white and radiating terrifying heat, condensed like a miniature sun, carrying the power to incinerate everything, and crashed down on the [Necronomicon Shield] in front of Kazan!
Boom! ...
A deafening explosion echoed throughout the tomb! Blazing white flames clashed violently with the azure runic shield, eroding each other and unleashing blinding light and raging energy turbulence!
The shield's surface twisted and rippled violently, its runes flickering and seemingly on the verge of collapse, but it ultimately withstood the bombardment!
-4940!
Huge damage numbers appeared, and the shield's light visibly dimmed, but it was clearly still quite a distance from shattering! Kazan, as a former top scholar, possessed magical skill and shield strength far exceeding that of ordinary undead!
Kazan relentlessly pressed on, like a tireless undead machine. It seemed to be enraged by Lin Tian's counterattack, or rather, its undead instincts were fully activated. Its bony feet slammed heavily onto the dusty ground, producing a dull thud.
The bone staff was raised high, its skull atop it gleaming with an eerie light! "Awaken...the sealed...wisdom! For the ignorant...fell...the judgment of knowledge!"
[Summon Knowledge Manifestation] Activated!
The space fluctuated violently as three powerful arcane energies materialized out of thin air around Kazan!
In the blink of an eye, three enormous magic books, each as big as a door panel and burning with raging, dark blue flames, appeared out of thin air!
They are not physical entities, but are composed of pure energy and distorted knowledge. The heavy pages turn wildly and frantically without any wind!
With each page turned, several incredibly sharp arcane energy arrows composed of dense runes shot out!
These energy arrows rained down on Lin Tian and the giant wolf that had just regained its footing!
At the same time, a visible halo of the [Curse of Knowledge], radiating a nauseating gray-green light, suddenly spread out from Kazan's center!
Wherever the halo passed, the air seemed to become thick and heavy, and a dizzying, mind-bending whisper resounded deep within the mind!
The "Ignorance" icon above Lin Tian's head instantly darkened, and his mental pressure increased sharply!
"Get rid of those annoying books first!" Lin Tian immediately assessed the priority of the threat.
Despite the sluggish spellcasting caused by the [Ignorance] state and the buzzing whispers in his mind, he nimbly dodged and weaved through the dense rain of arcane arrows and Kazan's occasional follow-up [Arcane Missiles], while forcibly concentrating his mind and striking out with his staff repeatedly!