Chapter 35: Heretics
Chapter 35 Heretics A
Fazzan quietly whispered a buddha word. Then, a orb glowed with solemn gold light rose from his palm. At first, the light was still staying with Fazzan, but under Fazzan's control, the orb brightened instantly. The gold light surged to all direction. The golden aura already passed Shaw Danon before he could hear the sound of it.
Everyone's faces were shined by the golden light. At the same time, their heart felt easy. The nervousness also eased. The dark cave instantly turned as bright as day. If not because of the bats, it may cause people to think this is the holy place of Buddhist.
Even the proud Li Su was surprised: "Orb of Luck!"
Fazzan looked at him, said: "Li Shixiong has a pair of sharp eyes."
Li Su mannar toward Fazzan became respectful, said: "No, it is Fazzan Shixiong who has high cultivation."
With the light of "Orb of Luck", Shaw Danon could see they were on a clean ground. He lifted his head and found the bats were gone, but the strange sound was still next to his ears.
After few seconds, he realized behind him, countless of bats were hanging on the top of the cave. But above the hard, clean ground Shaw Danon and others were on, there was a red line cutted through the cave wall. It was like the blood vessel of the stones.
This red line acted as a border. Outside, there were countless of bats, but none went across the line. There were no more bat's stool on the ground.
Fazzan looked around, said lowly: "This place is very weird. Be cautious everyone."
They finally able setted their feet on a clean, after they checked surrounding, their first action was to tidy up their clothes. Issa took off his shoes, poured out all the disgusting thing, whispered to Shaw Danon: "This is the first time in my life understand that walking on a clean ground is such comfortable thing!"
Shaw Danon smiled, quickly tidy up the clothes. He felt better. After a while, Kevern saw everyone was ready, said: "Let go." Then walked deeper into cave.
Everyone followed. Soon, as they walking forward, the place behind them sinked into darkness again.
And in front, darkness was like a devil, opened his arms with a evil smile and welcome them.
The small light in the darkness, slowly walking.
They walked for long time. The ancient cave was like endless. It used to be very wide, but as they got deeper, the tunnel became narrow and twisting. They did not know which direction they were going except downward.
The sound of the bats were already gone. In the darkness, there were no sound except for their footstep. Shaw Danon could feel the moisture was getting heavier. He could not imagin how deep they were underground.
"Orb of Luck" shined with golden buddhist light, shone at everyone. Kevern also summoned "Union Mirror" just in case anything happen. They walked. After a while, Kevern suddenly stopped, held out his arm, said: "Stop."
Everyone immediately stopped.
Around them was silent. Not a single sound.
"Orb of Luck" and "Union Mirror" got brighter. In front of them, the cave ahead, there was a fork. Both were dark, leading to unknown place, like a devil's mouth. Between the forked roads, there was a stone tablet that was about six men high, four characters were marked in red:
Heaven On My Side!
※※※
Li Su snorted, said angrily: "Felkin Heretic, dare to call the name of heaven!"
Fazzan frowned, looked at the monument again, said: "I heard my master Pohun said, eight hundred years ago Felkin did have a monument like this. But it was cutted in half by our Righteous ancestor. Why it remain in good condition today?"
Yanon suddenly spoke: "Look at the bottom of the stone, isn't that a crack?"
Her voice was soft, plus this was the first time Jadeons heard Yanon speak. They were a little surprised to hear her voice. They looked closely and saw a thin gap. It was right in the middle of the monument, splitted it in half. The stone at crack was dark red. If not look at it carefully, they will never see it.
Kevern nodded, said to Yanon: "Yan Shimei is careful."
Yanon smiled, lowered her head and remain quiet.
Kevern looked at the monument again, then turned to others, said: "This monument was already repaired. It is clear the Felkin Heretics are here doing some shameful business. We are right to come here."
Fazzan said: "Qi Shixiong is right. There are danger hide everywhere in this cave. We now have a difficult question. This fork, which road should we take?"
Kevern slightly pondered, said: "Fazzan Shixiong, you have said your master Pohan Divine Monk had mentioned about this place. Did he senior said about this fork?"
Fazzan nodded, said: "Master did mentioned it. But he alway learned this from the master of previous generation. At the battle between Good and Evil, both forks end up with Felkin Heretics' lair. As for situation now, he does not know about it."
Everyone silence. After a while, Kevern looked at other three people from his faction, then turned to Fazzan, said: "What about this, we split in half. Us four from Jadeon will go to the left. Fazzan, Fashan Shixiong and the two Incense will go to the right. If meet Felkin Heretic, use a loud whistle to inform. How it is?"
Fazzan was quiet. Although he knew splitting is not a good thing, but the length of the dark road is unpredictable. If they go to the wrong path, it will waste couple of hours. They are all elite from each factions, they can save themself most likely. He turned and looked at Li Su and Yanon, seeing they did not have disagreement, so he said: "Then let do what Qi Shixiong said. Must be cautious everyone."
Then, he looked at Shaw Danon again.
Shaw Danon felt that Fazzan Shixiong paid a lot of attention to him, but he only smiled in reply.
Kevern nodded and saluted to Fazzan and others, then lead Shaw Danon and other two to the left path. The light behind them slowly disappeared, seem like Fazzan entered the right road.
Kevern walked in the front, putted Union Mirror above his head and activated the spiritual power of it. Union Mirror's soft yellow aura covered the four people.
Chapter 35 Heretics B
This road was getting more narrow. The rocks on the side were pointy. Shaw Danon almost got cutted. The only thing that remain the same was the eternal darkness. In here, it seem there were never brightness before.
The four Jadeons were not in a mood to talk. Especially Kevern, who was putting all his mind into preparing for unknown danger.
This walk, was also took a long time. Shaw Danon doubted even if they really meet some Felkin Heretic and let out a long whistle, can Fazzan Shixiong hear it is a problem.
At this moment, a sudden change happened. In the dead darkness, there were loud ghost cries. It was loud and shocking.
The four people were surprised. Kevern was about to remind them, his body was shocked. Different glows brightened in the darkness surrounding them, and attacked on Union Mirror's aura at the same time.
The power was so strong that Union Mirror shook. Kevern's body was shocked, he couldn't speak. He quickly focus and support the aura.
The ghost cries were getting louder, causing them to feel dizzy. Issa, Anan, and Shaw Danon protected Kevern in the center. The countless of lights were hitted back by Union Mirror. They turned and striked again. In there darkness, unknown numbers of enemies were hiding, controlling the espers.
Kevern's face was pale. His hands held the incanation mark tight. Although under the attacking of espers, the Union Mirror settled. The aura got brighter. Just when the Jadeons were relieved, Shaw Danon suddenly felt the ground was shaking.
He hadn't react to it, Issa already shouted: "Careful, below the feet there are-"
He hadn't finished, a huge bang covered all the sound. They felt the ground was shaking, then a powerful force came out from the earth. The ground was destoried and the Jadeons fell to different directions. Union Mirror could protect the surrounding, but could not protect below the feet. The aura disappeared. The mirror flight back to Kevern.
The whistles of the esper's lights were like elated laugh, charged at the four seperated people.
Shaw Danon was standing a little bit front, so he fell forward when the force from the ground pushed his feet. But his long time cultivation in Jadeon allowed him to immediately let go of fire stick. The familar coolness circulated through his body. "Fire stick" let out soft green light and faced the glows that were coming from behind.
A moment later, a dark red light was the first arrived. Shaw Danon could smell the blood stink. It was disgusting. He quickly held his breath and drive the fire stick. The green light brightened and stopped the dark red light. Under the glow of green light, the dark red light seem dimmed.
From unknown place in the darkness, there was suddenly an exclaim.
At the same time, one grey and one yellow light also striked at the fire stick. With the light, Shaw Danon could see the dark red light was a dark red trident, covered with blood stain. The yellow light was a three feet long sword. The grey light was a weird, giant beast fang!
Shaw Danon's body was still in mid-air, but basicly settled. But got hitted by three espers at once, though there was "fire stick" blocking them for him, the strong force pushed him back. He couldn't control his body and landed heavily on the wall. Half of the body fell into the wall. The rocks flight everywhere.
Shaw Danon could see stars in his eyes. The pain in the back striked into his heart. But he understood it was matter of life and death, he gritted his teeth and bared the pain. He fell onto the ground. The three deadly objects in the air turn around and striked at Shaw Danon again.
In the darkness, where were the people who are controlling the espers?
Shaw Danon held incanation mark, and the fire stick crushed with the yellow sword and beast fang. They bounded back. Shaw Danon quickly fell forward and dodged. The dark red trident hitted on the wall behind him, created a large hole on the stone wall.
The grey fang returned again. Striked him from above. The cold tooth point was very noticable in the darkness. Shaw Danon could not imagin the consequence if that weird esper hitted on him.
Shaw Danon gritted his teeth. His both hands drew a line in mid-air. The fire stick followed his mind, and blocked the fang. A line of crack appeared on the fang.
From far away, there was a scream, seem like the owner of the esper was pained and surprised.
Shaw Danon had no time to taste that pityful enjoyment, for the yellow sword arrived in front of him just an instant. Shaw Danon could not react immediately. He shouted, floated up and fused into the green light of fire stick.
The yellow sword did not give him a break. It turned and attacked him from below his feet. Fang from above, sword from below. Shaw Danon slightly trembled. He curled himself and mumbled incanation. Fire stick's green light brighted and covered him.
The two loud bangs almost happened at the same time from above and below Shaw Danon. The two espers' of enemies returned to their owners. The fire stick shook in the air. Shaw Danon's heart almost stopped. He almost had the illusion thought that his fire stick was turned into pieces.
But fortunately, although his fire stick was ugly, the material of it was extreamly tough, it did not get a scratch. The sword and the fang on the other hand, their light dimmed, it seem like they were damaged. But fire stick received such hard hit, cause the light that protected Shaw Danon to disappear.
Just when Shaw Danon was about to retrieve back fire stick, suddenly a sharp pain from his shoulder. Half of his body weakened. His brain was empty. He lowered his head and saw a small trident stabbed through his shoulder. The blood kept coming out.
The dark red trident had sneak attacked him and injured him severely while Shaw Danon was off guard.
Shaw Danon saw the dark red color of the trident was bright, it was like the blood had awaken it. Shaw Danon groaned, he was originally planned to take out the trident. But as the blood stain got darker on the trident, a shadow rose from the trident, then attached tightly to Shaw Danon's back.
The owner of the trident lived inside of this esper.
Shaw Danon felt dizzy. He did not have the strength to shake off the heretic on his back. Beside pain, there was also paralyzing feeling from the wound. Trident was mostly poisonous. He could not see the heretic's face, but he could see the hands that grabbed his shoulders. They were dry, bony and stink.
From far, there was a wild laugh. And from behind him, a evil voice came: "Jadeon brat, you ask for it. Now give me your fresh blood!"
Shaw Danon did not have time to understand his word, but he could understand through his action. The heretic in the shadow opened his mouth and bitted on left side of Shaw Danon's neck, sucking the blood. At the same time, the dark red trident became brighter, it was seem also drinking blood.
Shaw Danon was extreamly terrified. All the blood were going toward to his throat. His body felt light. The strength of his body guadually disappeared. He could not even support the fire stick. The fire stick fell from mid-air.
This scene, it seem like he was back to previous time, that day in ancient valley.
That nightmare!
Fire stick fell from above his head and landed in front of him. Let out soft green glow, like summoning something. Shaw Danon grabbed it, and felt the coolness inside of the fire stick was raging, like anger.
His blood was kept flowing out, and was drunk by the heretic. Shaw Danon could no longer hear any sound. He used all his remaining strength, like a cornered beast, he stabbed at the heretic with his fire stick.
The fire stick was no sharp, but it stabbed through flesh like they were tofu.
The heretic shook, and stop sucking blood. He looked at Shaw Danon with an unbelievable look. Shaw Danon also looked at him.
It was like the cold laugh from devil of hell, but it was also like the heart beats of someone in the darkness. Shaw Danon's hand that was holding the fire stick could feel wave and wave of heart beat. Like the movement of blood, and also like the cheer of devil.
The dark red trident had darkened. Behind them, endless darkness came.
At the instant the darkness swallowed Shaw Danon and that heretic, half concious, Shaw Danon saw the scene that he will never forget in his entire life.
The heretic's originally wrinkled, but healthy face, had mummified, the flesh dried, lay on the bones.
Next moment, darkness surrounded him.
The lost had regain. Endless energy came from the fire stick, entered Shaw Danon's body.
Shaw Danon regain concious, but he was startled. His shoulder was still hurt, but the unknown power had clotted the blood. But this young men did not noticed it. There was only one idea in his mind:
What did I do? What did do?