novellhall Chapter 1134 The Song of the Elders
Chapter 1134 The Song of the Elders
"There's no time!"
Ferragan let out a low shout, and the emerald green light around his body suddenly intensified.
"Elrond, take the rest and leave immediately! Activate the first phase of the fortress self-destruct program to buy me time to initiate the 'Sleep Ritual'! Hurry!"
Elrond clenched his fists tightly.
He took one last deep look at the venerable elder and saw the unwavering resolve and composure in his eyes.
"...May the starlight guide you to your eternal rest, Elder Ferragan."
Elrond bowed deeply with his right hand on his chest, using the oldest elf etiquette.
Then, he turned around abruptly and roared into the communication channel: "All remaining personnel, evacuate immediately! Repeat, evacuate immediately!"
"Activate the first and second phases of the 'Nature's Wrath' barrier overload! Target: newly opened rifts and surrounding areas, with maximum delayed detonation!"
The moment the order was given, a muffled hum of energy emanated from inside the fortress.
Throughout the city walls, some of the pre-buried rune traps were activated, bursting forth with dazzling silver-green light and transforming into raging energy currents that temporarily halted the torrent of monsters surging forth from the new rifts.
The last group of warriors covering the rear, including legendary rangers like Loran, began fighting and retreating, rushing towards the final teleportation array in the central square.
Elrond was the last to retreat into the teleportation array's range.
He glanced back one last time before the silver light appeared.
On the city wall, Ferragan Linyu's figure was completely enveloped by an intense, almost tangible, emerald-green light.
The light was no longer confined to himself, but spread downwards like roots, connecting with the city walls, the earth, and the still struggling living plants.
Wherever the light passed, the raging natural energy was strangely calmed and gathered, as if weaving a vast and tranquil net of light.
Before Ferragan, a surging purple tide, a gaping void rift, and a pulsating dark purple sky that seemed capable of swallowing everything.
Light and darkness, life and death, order and nothingness—at this moment, on the ruins of the Andal Spirit Fortress, a final, still image was formed.
The silver light engulfed Elrond's vision.
……
Northeast of the Tate Continent, the "Sengge Barrier" transit station.
The massive teleportation array flashed with silver light, and batches of elf, human, orc, and dwarf soldiers who had evacuated from the Andal Spirits and other forward nodes appeared.
Most of them were injured, their faces a mixture of exhaustion, grief, and bewilderment at surviving such an ordeal.
As soon as Elrond regained his footing, before he could even recover from the dizziness of the teleportation, he abruptly looked up to the north—the direction of the Andal Spirits.
Despite being hundreds of kilometers apart and separated by mountains, at that moment, all those with keen senses, whether legendary powerhouses or high-level spellcasters, felt a strange tremor originating from the depths of their souls.
That wasn't the roar of an explosion.
It was a... deep, long, humming sound, as if the earth itself was sighing.
The buzzing sound, mixed with the rustling of ancient trees, the babbling of flowing water, and the whispering of the breeze, ultimately merges into an ancient and poignant elegy of nature.
Immediately afterwards, in the direction of the sky where the Andal Spirit had originally been, a beam of emerald green light, not dazzling but incredibly solid, seemed to connect heaven and earth, slowly rising and lasting for about ten seconds.
Within the pillar of light, the faint shadows of countless ancient trees, the outlines of vines, and the light and shadow of birds and beasts could be seen. They circled and danced, and finally, along with the pillar of light, slowly sank into the earth and disappeared.
There was no earth-shattering explosion, no spreading shockwave.
Only in that area, the previously volatile void energy readings suddenly became... unusually "calm" after the pillar of light disappeared.
It wasn't a disappearance, but a deep, heavy, stagnant feeling, as if it were firmly "suppressed" and "wrapped" by something.
The devouring line continued to advance, eventually overflowing the spot where the Andal Spirit had once stood.
However, according to the feedback from the "Senge Barrier" monitoring array, the activity level and erosion speed of the void energy in the newly devoured area were significantly lower than those in other areas of similar size.
Like a silted-up swamp, its surface is calm, but deep within lies an unknown "hardcore" that is out of place with its surroundings.
Elrond gazed in that direction for a long time, until his eyes welled up with tears.
He knew that Elder Ferragan had succeeded.
He sacrificed himself, completing a silent yet magnificent funeral.
The spirit of Andal did not turn to ashes in the explosion, but instead sank into an eternal, thorny dream along with its guardian.
It became a green thorn nailed to the wound of the continent of Tate, a silent coordinate.
……
The "long slumber" of Andal's spirit is like a pebble thrown into a turbulent lake, with ripples spreading quietly.
After the initial violent shocks and contractions, the advance of the Devouring Line on the continent of Tete experienced a slight, imperceptible delay in some areas due to the buffer and "rule contamination" brought about by the sacrifice of individuals like Ferragan.
This delay, though insignificant in the grand scheme of things, was like a faint firefly in the darkness, offering the steadfast elves a sense of indescribable comfort and a heavier responsibility.
However, the intensity of the war did not decrease as a result; on the contrary, it continued to escalate as the Void Devouring Area expanded and the Second Void Gate continued to spew out forces in Bestar.
The pressure was like a tightening noose, constricting every inch of the world that remained in Aegira.
……
The strategic command center of the Deep Rock Eye on the continent of Bestar.
On the holographic sandbox, the deep purple representing the void has covered nearly two-fifths of Bestar's area and is still slowly and steadily encroaching inland.
Many of the golden dots representing the defensive nodes have gone out or are flashing, indicating an emergency.
Grom's brows furrowed into a deep frown, and his thick fingers tapped unconsciously on the edge of the sand table, producing a dull "tap-tap" sound.
The reports in front of him were piled up like a small mountain, each one detailing casualty figures, material losses, and breaches in the defense line.
“Anvil-22, Cliff-9, Long Wall-4... Three more nodes have applied for early evacuation today, citing ‘the frequency of legendary units appearing exceeds the threshold of the plan, and the regular garrison cannot maintain effective defense’.”
Grom's voice was filled with suppressed anger, "It's only been a few days? Our depth is being compressed rapidly! At this rate, the core of Bestar will be exposed to the direct attack of the Void forces half a month earlier than the most pessimistic predictions!"
Tactical mastermind Elendil stood beside him, his pointed ears drooping slightly, and his face had lost its usual ease.
He pointed to a slowly expanding purple area in northern Bestar on the sand table: "That's the problem. The Second Void Gate is like a never-ending poisonous spring; it produces not just grunts, but legendary behemoths of the 'City Eater' level."
"There are also various specialized elite units, and their frequency and number of appearances are increasing. Our 'Soul Guardian' squads and legendary warriors from various races are already exhausted, working like a fire brigade to plug leaks everywhere, but the leaks are only getting bigger and bigger."
He pulled up a set of data projections: "Look, this is the record of legendary engagements over the past seven days."
"Our legendary members participate in an average of 1.7 high-intensity battles per day, which severely compresses the mana/stamina recovery cycle. Three members have already been forced to withdraw from the front line due to damage to their Rule Body caused by continuous combat."
“And the 'respawn' speed of Void Legendary units is estimated to be 1.5 times that of ours. This is a trade-off…” “We can’t go on like this!” Grom slammed his fist on the control panel. “We need more effective ways to kill them, we need to disrupt their 'respawn' rhythm! We can’t always be on the defensive, waiting for them to come out before we attack!”
"Take the initiative?"
Elandil gave a wry smile. "Old man, I think you've really gone mad. We're only good for playing defensively."
Taking the initiative is simply not an option; the Night's Watch has given a clear, firm order on this point.
They have to figure out how to stop them.
Taking the initiative will only expose them to greater risks and will not yield good results.
Even if they take the initiative, what will their target be?
It couldn't possibly be a portal to the void, could it?
The Void Gate is a colossal gate that will inevitably exist in the world.
Even if you go to great lengths to destroy it, in a couple of days, it will open it again for you, and it will be even closer.
That's when you'll realize you were wrong.
Grom let out a sigh of relief, knowing full well that he had just said it in anger.
But you have to vent, right?
"What about the continent of Tet?"
Elandil glanced at him.
You wouldn't want to know.
"What do you mean?"
"They did better than expected."
"Why?!"
Because both encountered the Void Crisis at almost the same time, they naturally had a certain degree of psychological competition.
However, they have opened a void gate here, which has greatly increased the pressure.
However, the void creatures that poured out from the opened void gate were not only targeting the continent of Bestar.
Some of them will also drift away towards the continent of Tate.
"The sacrifice of an elder..."
…………
Rewind time.
As Elrond's figure was swallowed by the silver light of the teleportation array, everyone retreated.
The emerald green aura surrounding Ferragan Linyu suddenly contracted inward, as if condensing from a blazing campfire into a single, profound spark.
He was not alone—behind him were seven other figures, also draped in druid robes naturally formed from tree bark and moss.
Their faces were weathered, yet they all carried the same calm and resolute expression.
“Elder Ferragan,” one of the female druids, with an aged face and a pale green vein on her forehead, said softly, “our journey has come to this point.”
Ferragan didn't turn around, but merely nodded slightly. His aged voice remained clear amidst the increasingly violent hissing of the void energy: "Elena, and you all... do you regret it?"
"Regret?" An elderly druid with gray hair and a slightly hunched back chuckled softly, his voice hoarse but firm.
"We failed to reach legendary status, our talents were limited, and our lives are coming to an end. Rather than watching the younger generation bleed for us from the rear, we would rather... sleep here with the earth. This is our root, our final resting place."
"It is our honor to complete this final ceremony together with the elders."
Another druid said in a deep voice, his hands already pressed on the bricks of the city wall, feeling the increasingly faint pulse of the ground beneath his feet.
All seven of them were "Watchers" among the elven druids, who devoted their lives to studying how to empathize with nature and regulate the flow of ley lines, but due to their limited talents, they were never able to cross that legendary threshold.
Time has left its mark on them, and it has also deepened their love and attachment to this land.
When Ferragan proposed the "sleep ritual," they stepped forward almost without hesitation.
It was not for a grand sacrifice, but to use his remaining life and soul to plant a deeper and more resilient "seed" for this land that was about to fall.
"it is good."
Ferragan said only one word.
He closed his eyes and focused all his mind on connecting with the earth beneath his feet.
The seven druids also acted simultaneously, standing scattered around Feragan, forming an ancient natural magic circle.
Each person's hands were pressed firmly against the city wall or the ground, and natural energy in shades of gray-green, light brown, and tender shoot color flowed from their bodies like trickles of water, merging into the vast torrent of energy guided by Ferragan.
"Singing Ballads!"
The orders given by Elrond before his evacuation were now being faithfully executed by the fortress's remaining automated control system.
Inside and outside the city walls, the first set of the seventeen "Wrath of Nature" rune arrays, which had been pre-embedded at key nodes, simultaneously lit up with a dazzling silver-green light!
"Buzz—Boom boom boom boom boom!!!"
It wasn't an explosion, but a directed eruption of a torrent of energy!
Outside the fortress, along the base of the city wall, the bottom of the tower, and the outer moat, a total of thirty-six energy release outlets suddenly opened, and the long-accumulated, highly compressed energy of order and nature surged out in all directions like a flood breaking through a dam.
The silvery-green energy surge did not spread randomly, but formed thick energy walls, each over fifty meters high, that pushed outwards in a ring shape.
Wherever it passed, the air was ionized, releasing a pungent ozone smell, and the earth was plowed into deep furrows. The void creatures that had just emerged from the new fissures and were frantically rushing towards the city walls bore the brunt of the attack.
The bone cone crabs, burrowers, and floating crystals in the front row, upon contact with the energy wall, were as if they had crashed into a high-speed rotating meat grinder—their shells were torn apart, their bodies were disintegrated, and their energy structures were forcibly dispersed.
Even the elite units at the forefront were forced to retreat with cries of agony under the continuous energy surge, their purplish-black light rapidly dimming.
The first burst of energy lasted a full ten seconds.
In those ten seconds, a "vacuum zone" with a radius of more than two hundred meters was cleared at the foot of the city wall.
The ground was littered with the shattered remains of void creatures and dissipating purple energy mist, but further away, more monsters were regrouping, howling as they prepared to charge once more.
This also gave Ferragan and others the most crucial "window of opportunity" to remain undisturbed.
"Now!" (End of Chapter)