Elden: Ring of Calamity

Chapter 316 Prologue
The woman shrugged, smiled noncommittally, and said, "That's about right."

The man stared at the woman with his hawk-like eyes, but his tone was as normal as if he was talking to a customer. He asked, "So, what is the purpose of your visit?"

"Oh, can't we just come for a drink?"

Her voice is elusive and enchanting, like a vague and flickering shadow in a dream, which makes people imagine a lot but is elusive, as if one will sink into it if one is not careful.

The man frowned, took a half step back without leaving a trace, and said with concentration: "Since your identity has been revealed, why do you have to hide it?"

"For thousands of years, there has never been a conflict between you and me. No matter what purpose you have in coming here, you might as well tell us clearly. As long as it does not touch our bottom line, everything can be discussed."

"Oh?" The woman tilted her head. "I'd like to know, what is your bottom line?"

Hearing such a straightforward test, the man actually felt a little relieved. He had no idea of ​​the woman's identity and strength, so he did not kill her the moment she was exposed. However, he was confident that the other party was also afraid of him and the forces behind him. Since neither side could make up their minds to kill, and there was no conflict of fundamental interests, it would undoubtedly be good for everyone to talk it out.

So he sorted out his thoughts and said, "You are a smart man. Since you know that we revealed the news of the Tomb of the Gods to the Twin Sages several months ago, and you also know that we teamed up with the Selia leaders and the corrupt sects to set up the current situation, you should know that our intention is only to target the evil god who is about to revive."

"To tell you the truth, the Shuangxian Sect is our subordinate, and the young and strong leaders of Selia are also our hidden pawns. We launched this turmoil just to take advantage of the opportunity of the evil god's revival and use its remaining power for our own use. After this incident, even if Esti is still immortal, she will definitely run out of energy and will no longer pose any threat to the people in the border area. I think this result is also what you are happy to see, right?"

As he spoke, he looked normal, but secretly he was trying his best to activate his mental perception and observe the woman's reaction.

Judging that the other party is a visitor from the Eternal City is certainly not just based on the rare attire of covering the eyes with black silk. Although apart from the night witches in the underground Eternal City, very few people in the outside world dress like this, the real basis for judgment is the power fluctuations from the Black Moon system that are obviously coming from the woman.

There is no doubt that this must be a secret divine power that is only passed down within the Eternal Sect, and it is of a very high level.

As the most secretive and strict underground sect in the world, these lunatics are often even more extreme than the real cultists. They will never allow the secret methods to be leaked. Therefore, this person can only be a high-ranking figure in the Eternal Sect, but it is impossible to determine which of the three eternal cities he is from.

But then again, although the three Eternal Cities have many differences in internal affairs, their positions will remain highly consistent when it comes to their common enemy - the evil god Esti who destroyed the former Eternal City.

Because of this, he was sure that no matter which faction the woman came from in the Eternal Church, she would not have a direct conflict with him on this matter. Anyway, you Knox people can't reach the ground for a while. No matter what the purpose is, we want to help you completely solve your former enemies. What is there to be hostile to?
Sure enough, the woman's brows relaxed, she leaned back comfortably, crossed her legs and said, "It sounds good. As long as Esti is alive, she will always be a problem. It would be good for everyone if we can drain her remaining power. But... you guys made such a big scene. What will happen to the two sages and those rebellious Selia leaders afterwards? How will your group of insect allies deal with it?"

The man looked at her strangely and said, "I didn't expect you to be so broad-minded that you even care about our lackeys. Shuangxian and the Seria people were originally the successors of Esti's power that we pushed forward. How much benefit they can inherit depends on their luck. If they are lucky enough, their strength will probably reach the level of Lusert and Azrael, so they don't have to worry about their lives."

"If they are unlucky, haha," he smiled nonchalantly, "the chance has already been given to them. If they can't seize it, then any way they die is natural."

"As for that group of bugs, please don't misunderstand me. They are not our allies. Our cooperation is limited to this operation at the State Guesthouse. We gave them control over that group of mutants, as well as the locations and movements of the six demigods. If they can't accomplish anything, it's their own fault. How they survive the liquidation after the war is naturally not our concern."

He spread his hands and said indifferently, "If you want to pursue the old grudges of the forbidden war, hunt down those bugs, or dig deeper into their underground layout, I will just pretend that I can't see it. Please do as you please."

"Tsk, that's really well said," the woman couldn't help but praise again, "It completely matches my impression of your secret agent - cold, efficient, and meticulous."

This was the first time she revealed the man's identity. The man looked stern, but not too surprised. As he said at the beginning, the identities of both parties had been exposed to each other before the conversation began.

He could tell that she was from the Eternal Sect. She even found out what happened four months ago. Of course, she could see through his disguise as a two-finger emissary.

But the woman hadn't finished her words. Through the thin black silk, he seemed to be able to see a hint of mockery in her smile. "One hundred years ago, when you faced the two most outstanding young wizards in Rhea Lukalia at the time, 'Dark Star' Cygnus and 'Radiance' Milea, you also analyzed the pros and cons in the same way, so frankly and clearly, right?"

Hearing this, the man's body suddenly tensed up, and his voice inevitably trembled a little, and he said, "I don't understand what you mean."

"What's there to not understand? The original purpose of the establishment of the Shuangxian Classroom, which has been famous in the magic world for a century, was to dig out the secrets of the Tomb of the Buried Gods, seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to revive, and let the dead who were unwilling to end their lives return again in the bodies of their descendants. This kind of reincarnation routine seems to have been seen a lot recently. A dragon used it in Asia earlier, and not long ago, someone in the North also figured out a set of seemingly plausible things."

"But have you ever thought about this..." She raised the corners of her lips and said with a half-smile, "This power that you thought you learned from her and used to do all kinds of shameful things has actually always been mine?"

The charming voice floated into the man's ears, and he no longer had any lustful thoughts in his mind. He only felt a bone-chilling chill bursting along his spine, and the hairs on his body stood on end in an instant!

His left hand, which had been hidden behind his back, quickly swiped across his belt, and a short sword with a cold glow had appeared in his palm. His body shook and in an instant he burst out with the amazing speed of a crossbow arrow, going straight for the woman's throat!

Just one step away, the sword suddenly approached at a speed as if it was pulling out frames. The bright sword reflected her beautiful face, and the air torn by the edge of the blade had already messed up her hair on her forehead!

When the man saw the woman's surprised look, a glimmer of hope flashed in his almost desperate eyes!

Have the opportunity!
This person doesn't seem as scary as the legend says. Is it because the serious injury he suffered back then has not healed yet, or is it that the gap between him and her has never been as big as he imagined?
Just one more point and the blade would be enough to cut her throat!

Just at this moment, he saw her smile again, full of mockery as before.

Then, he saw the woman casually waved her hand in the air, pushing away the blade that was frozen in front of her. She stood up with a yawn and walked to the open space in the middle of the store, moving her graceful body and stretching lazily.

"Hey, it's not like no one has ever thought of me. During the Yatan incident, a little guy was the first to connect the clues. Unfortunately, he was a little smart, but not much, and he somehow pinned the blame on someone else for your mess. By the way, do you know the true identity of that rebellious ancient dragon?"

".Forget it. I know you are all useless people who only care about your own business. It's useless to ask. Let him worry about it."

"I'm here for another reason." She walked around and approached the man who was frozen in place like a fly in amber, and said with a smile, "Didn't you ask me about my real purpose? Now I can tell you--"

"Esti will not be sealed any longer. It must die, but it will be killed by him personally. Is there anything else you want to tell me now?"

As she partially withdrew the seal, the man's eyes turned red, as if he was expressing his last resentment before death. He sneered, "Your plan will not succeed! All the prerequisites have been met, and Cygnus will be resurrected with Esti soon!"

“Even if it’s you, you can only watch him and the remnants of the Ancient Dragon Dynasty being crushed into dust by the evil god, just like when his mother died, hahahahahaha.”

His voice stopped abruptly, and the woman's face instantly turned cold. She looked at him for the last time as if she were looking at a maggot, and said lightly: "I was going to let you die without any pain, but now I have changed my mind."

"Your body will perish here, but your soul will become an eternal torch beside my throne, burning until the day your gods reunite with you."

As soon as she finished speaking, her figure disappeared into the air. Fierce black flames roared up from the man's body, and accompanied by tragic howls, the prelude to war was played.

(End of this chapter)