Chapter 596 - Unmarked Graves
...
After some time passed, Izroth and Aurie finally arrived at the end of the spatial corridor.
Unexpectedly, the first thing that entered their sights was a graveyard that spanned further than the eye could see. There were countless unmarked graves, and each had a powerful energy of death oozing out from them. The air in the boundless graveyard was incredibly dense, making it difficult for one to breathe. However, it was not enough to deter Izroth and Aurie as they proceeded deeper into the graveyard.
"Not a single one of these tombstones have a name written on them. The size of this graveyard is also a bit..." Aurie commented as she furrowed her brows.
While she did not know the exact number, Aurie got a decent grasp of it with a detection-type skill similar to Izroth's Energy Vision Sense.
"There are millions of unmarked graves. I thought it was merely the work of a powerful illusion at play, but there are no traces of the mana in the atmosphere being manipulated. If anything, the mana in this graveyard is almost nonexistent. It's as if the death energy that resides here has replaced mana as the natural energy source. There's also something else that's a bit concerning." Aurie explained.
"It's possible a catastrophic event took place in this Minor Realm. But, that would still fail to explain the abundance of life." Izroth replied as he, too, studied the graves as they walked by.
'It's strange. Even though this place is filled with death energy, everything still feels alive. It's almost as though those buried here are in a state of perpetual slumber.'
Aurie's eyes widened from shock. A few seconds later, a weak smile appeared on her face as she shook her head and said, "You continue to surprise me, Captain. At this rate, I'm afraid nothing you do will ever shock me again."
Of course, Aurie also noticed the unusual amount of life in a place so full of death. She was concerned that whatever was asleep here would be awakened by their presence. But, she never expected Izroth to perceive this as the life contained within each grave was barely noticeable.
Izroth gave a carefree smile in return and replied, "That would be a problem, Commander. How can I earn enough contribution points if nothing I do ever surprises you?"
"If you keep at your current pace, I fear there will be no contribution points for others to claim," Aurie said.
"There's a limit?" Izroth asked, a little taken aback.
Aurie looked towards Izroth and responded, "No, just my attempt at humor, Captain,"
She then set her gaze forward as she returned her focus to the boundless graveyard.
'It seems I still have some trouble with the humor of this world. I will have to ask Zi Yi to further my knowledge on this matter.'
After all, in his experience, Zi Yi told the best jokes out of everyone he knew. When it came to this, even he had to admit defeat before her expertise.
...
Approximately 15 minutes later...
After seeing no end in sight and confirming that there was no immediate danger from those within the unmarked graves, Aurie decided it was time for them to increase their travel pace.
But, despite moving several times faster than before, there were still no signs of an exit.
It was not until they came before an unusual tombstone that they halted their steps. This was the first tombstone Izroth and Aurie came across that was different from the others.
This particular tombstone was pitch black; however, what truly separated it from other graves was the faintly lit purple text carved into its surface. It was a labeled grave!
"This text is written in an ancient language that originates from the Nether Realm," Aurie said as she thoroughly analyzed the words written on the black tombstone.
"Can you understand what's written on it?" Izroth questioned.
"It may be an ancient language, but it's still a language. I may not be able to fully understand the meaning behind it, but reading it should prove no issue." Aurie stated.
'She even inherited that trait of the spirit race? Her origins are not simple.'
Not many players were aware of this, but every language in RML originated from the spirit race's mother tongue as language itself was a gift from the primordial spirits. The spirit race's language did not have an official name, but it was usually referred to in texts as "Tongue of Origination".
Every member of the spirit race was born with the knowledge of the Tongue of Origination, and it appeared that Aurie was no exception despite being only half-spirit.
In most cases, the system would automatically translate the language for the player to understand its meaning. However, there were certain rare cases where if a player wanted to comprehend something, they had to do their own research without help from the system. Though it was a tedious process, the payoff was usually huge as the secrets it unlocked was nothing to scoff at. Because of this, it was not uncommon for top guilds to enlist the help of polyglots—even if they lacked a gaming background.
Aurie sounded out and read the name written on the tombstone aloud, "Nek... rosa... tor... as... Nekrosatoras? Where have I-... The Death Emperor!" She suddenly exclaimed.
'Nekrosatoras... It's definitely a name that belongs to someone from the Nether Realm. Judging from her reaction and the amount of death energy lingering around this grave, this person was not a small character.'
"How is this possible? The Death Emperor should have been killed by the Nether Realm's current ruler countless cycles ago when his authority was usurped. How did they end up in this Minor Realm?" Aurie muttered to herself.
"Is there something special about this name?" Izroth inquired. He understood its importance without needing to ask; however, when Aurie spoke under her breath, he could hear her words clear as day with his heightened senses, and what she said immediately caught his attention.
Apparently, this Death Emperor was the previous ruler of the Nether Realm! An entity with that title had to be at the true peak of the legendary realm during the time of their rule!
"Special is a bit of an understatement. A single entity did not always rule over the Nether Realm. In fact, it's one of the bizarre anomalies of the major realms. Even here in the Mortal Realm, there are multiple groups of power in the forms of kingdoms, organizations, societies—well, I'm sure you get the picture." Aurie revealed.
She then continued, "During their era, the Death Emperor was an individual who controlled the mightiest force in the Nether Realm. But, one day, a newcomer showed up. No one knew their name or where they came from, but they quickly made the other forces submit. It was not long before the Death Emperor was also defeated; however, he refused to surrender and was eventually killed. After the Death Emperor's passing, the Nether Realm became the first major realm to have a single entity as its absolute ruler—the Netherworld Monarch."
Izroth was not surprised that the Death Emperor refused to surrender. It was already hard giving up power to someone you viewed as an equal, but to relinquish it to some nobody who just appeared one day—the Death Emperor's pride would likely never allow them to commit such a shameful act. This was even more so, seeing as how the Death Emperor stood at the pinnacle of their major realm.
'Just what is the Netherworld Monarch? Where did they come from?'
Izroth had severed the Envoy of the Netherworld's arm and even had a curse placed upon him. There was zero possibility of him ever being on friendly or even neutral terms with the Nether Realm.
If the Netherworld Monarch was already able to overthrow someone like the Death Emperor so long ago who was at the peak of the legendary realm, the odds of them being a Plane Ascender was virtually guaranteed!
If he did not learn of the Divinity Line Cycle from Aurie, Izroth would have wondered why someone like the Netherworld Monarch had not yet ascended to the Divine Realm.
"While I still have some questions, we shouldn't risk disturbing this grave any more than we already have. Let's move on." Aurie said as she moved away from the black tombstone.
"Leaving so soon? It's been more than two thousand years since I last entertained a guest." A voice suddenly sounded. It came from the black tombstone!
"?!" Aurie was alarmed. She was positive the Death Emperor was still in a state of perpetual slumber. Could it be that they were pretending this entire time?! If so, this was bad! If the conversation she had with Izroth angered the Death Emperor, in this graveyard filled with death energy, there was no chance of them surviving his wrath!
Izroth, on the other hand, did not raise his guard. He realized something peculiar about the Death Emperor. Although he was affected by the Netherworld's Curse, there was no trace of killing intent coming from the Death Emperor. Of course, Izroth had a theory as to why this was.
"Ha, there is no need to be alarmed. If I wanted to kill you, would you still be breathing? Besides, that young one there is quite pitiful. Marked for death by so many things—reckless brat, it would seem the people you've offended are well in excess." The Death Emperor's voice echoed with an amused chuckle.
"I only offend those who offend me. That's all." Izroth replied without a second thought.
"Good, very good. Yes, I suppose you will do just fine. After all, we share a common enemy. Isn't that right?" The Death Emperor remarked.