Chapter 117: From the Ashes
Chapter 117: From the Ashes
"Ah, so that’s where he is."
The spy centipedes spotted them as clear as day.
But...
’What the hell is going on?’
His body was lying mutilated on the ground. There was a gaping hole in his stomach, and the side of his face was ripped off as if someone had dragged his face across concrete.
He was missing an arm, and there were large gashes spreading across his chest.
His face was pale, as if he had been dead for a while, and the blood on his body was already dried and dark. No, he had definitely been dead for a while.
He was already rotting while his guild sat around him in a circle.
Is the Phoenix King dead?
Somehow that sentence felt wrong. But he was clearly dead; I couldn’t sense any sign of life from him.
And why are they all sitting around him? Even Amanda was there. What is going on?
If he’s dead, then why doesn’t she just escape?
Dammit, Amanda. I can’t leave her because I need her to find the lost city and also for Amanda’s sake.
Afterwards, she can do whatever she wants for all I care. But... she certainly didn’t look like herself.
She looked just as lifeless as the Phoenix King’s corpse. Her face had sunken in and lacked any sign of vigor.
For whatever reason, the guild members didn’t look as distraught as you would think.
Sure, they didn’t look happy, but they didn’t look all that unhappy either. It looked more as if they were waiting for something. But what?
Sitting beside his deceased body was a group of around 10 women. It was a widely known fact that the Phoenix King was in a polygamous relationship. It wasn’t something I wanted to know, but it’s hard not to when it was plastered everywhere.
Even his wives didn’t seem all that sad.
The big question that was on my mind was what could’ve done that to him. The Phoenix King is one of the strongest players alive. To think there is a monster able to kill him. And that said monster is in the same nest...
This might be the perfect time for me to attack and go after Amanda. Although it still won’t be easy. Some of his wives are famous players ranked in the top 100. Some are even more powerful than Amanda herself.
So if I wanted to get to her, I had to play it smart.
They weren’t that far away; I could get there in about an hour or two if I flew and avoided any fight with the ants.
Alright, that settles it.
Vibrating my wings slowly, I raised my body into the air and propelled myself forward like a jet taking off. From this distance, I think I can communicate with her telepathically.
"Amanda..."
...
Inside the spacious chamber where the Phoenix King’s corpse lay, his guild members sat and waited quietly for what was going to come next. They were all unaware that they were being watched. Well, all except one, Amanda, the master assassin, could detect something observing them.
But she didn’t say a word after she spotted the creature watching them from the ceiling.
’That looks like a tiny centipede. Could that be Liam? I know he can control his size. What is he doing here?! If he’s seen, then he will be instantly killed, and not even I can do anything to stop it.’
"Amanda..."
Suddenly the sound of his voice invaded her mind.
’Liam?! You have to leave before anyone notices you!’
’I can’t, not yet.’
"I’ll tell you where the lost city is; just get to it before the other players do. I’ll be fine.’
’Look, I don’t want to be the one to tell Amelia that her sister didn’t make it back from the void. Who knows how that would affect her. If you won’t save yourself, then I’ll have to do it for you.’
’Save me?’ Amanda found the words strange as they resonated with her.
She didn’t want to be where she was, yet she couldn’t leave. The thought of someone getting her away from her sent a flutter through her chest for a second, but she quickly came back to her senses with cold, hard logic.
There was no way she could get out of this. Unless it was her father himself who came down to save her. If Liam came, she would have to watch him die.
’Don’t be stupid! Liam? Hey Liam!’
He’s gone.
Amanda couldn’t help but sigh internally.
’What am I going to do?’
There were roughly around 20 members left in the guild. Ten of whom were the Phoenix King’s wives and were all powerful in their own right. The other members of the guild weren’t weak either.
The Phoenix King made sure to bring his top guild members when entering the void. That was how they survived this long. Even if she wanted to, she couldn’t escape on her own.
Besides...
Her eyes glanced over to the Phoenix King’s mutilated corpse.
’He could be up at any moment.’
She felt her skin crawl just looking at him. He was a slimeball, but his power was undeniable. This is why she was shocked beyond measure watching him being completely overpowered by that monstrosity.
Just a few days ago, they saw something that completely changed their perspective. Except for Amanda, she was privy to things most awakeners didn’t even know. She had seen gold-like beings rise and fall.
Her mother, for instance, to her, she was a god, and the being that killed her was far more powerful.
Amanda sat anxiously, praying that he would change his mind and leave her be. Her eyes glanced up at the tiny centipede, the size of a housefly, resting on the ceiling.
It hadn’t moved. What was it waiting for?
Her eyes panged back to the Phoenix King’s corpse.
"Is everything alright?"
One of her wives saw her strange behavior and stared at her with suspicion.
"Everything is fine." Amanda replied, trying to sound casual, but it was hard to sound casual when her voice was shaking.
This caused them to look at her even more suspiciously.
"Don’t even try to escape. We won’t be as merciful as our husband. For one, we don’t care who your father is."
They were all tense. Seeing the Phoenix King in such a state taking a toll on them.
Amanda frowned and opened her mouth to speak, but just then, the room was enveloped in smoke. The smoke was coming directly from the Phoenix King’s body. His pale ghostly skin began to glow bright orange as the putrid smell of rotten flesh filled the chamber.
"It’s happening!"
The wives surrounding him climbed to his feet and took a step back. At the same time, the Phoenix body combusted into bright orange flames.
A ripple of whispers spread around, almost distracting from the supernatural event taking place.
To them this was a display of true power, unbridled power. Amanda had heard of the power of the Phoenix bloodline, but this was the first time she was witnessing it in person. The power of rebirth.
The locals in Vesperia had a strange title for the beings who possessed this bloodline. They were called Hollowborns.
[FireBolt]
Just then as they watched the sight in awe, a storm of lightning descended upon them. The bolts were in the form of lightning, but they resembled flames. The powerful attack seemed to have come from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.
It ricocheted over their heads, bouncing off the walls like a tennis ball on a court. It felt as if they were standing in the middle of a storm. They immediately drew their weapons and prepared themselves for some kind of attack, but the bolts of flames never came close to them before they completely did.
"What happened? What was all that?"
Their eyes shifted back to the Phoenix King.
Maybe it was him. His body wasn’t even visible anymore as a massive bonfire stood where he once lay.
’That was definitely him,’ Amanda thought. She had recognized that spell. ’What is he planning? The spell did nothing rather than distract them for a few seconds.
Was that its purpose?
But why?
If he wanted to distract them so he could kidnap me, then he has done a terrible job of that.’
She frowned, but then another thought popped into her mind.
What if I wasn’t the target?
Her eyes landed on the Phoenix King, but there wasn’t anything out of place.
Except...
For a moment, the ground where the Phoenix King lay changed. It looked like mud or quicksand, but in the next second, it hardened.
No one else seemed to notice the change as their eyes were on the bond fight as they hoped for the king’s safe rebirth. The fire burning brightly before them, like a testament of power, slowly began to dim with each passing second.
The excitement in the air was palpable as they continued to wait for the moment the Phoenix King rose from his own ashes.
But it never happened.
In fact, there were no ashes. His body was gone, leaving behind only the charred ground where the mighty flame once stood.