Translator: CinderTL
"It's merely a temporary measure," Ellis said, tilting his head. His soulfire swept over the soldiers of the River Domain Nations, who had been slaughtered almost to the last man. His jaw seemed to twitch, forming an upward curve. "In my eyes, those so-called Gods are nothing more than transcendent beings with greater strength. They hold no value for worship."
Holland simply raised a non-existent eyebrow in response to Ellis's statement, choosing to change the subject. "Alright, let's not dwell on that..." He tilted his chin, gesturing toward Fisher's kneeling form. "How does this vessel suit you? Is it adequate for your daily activities?"
Ellis shook his head slowly, a faint grinding sound emanating from his bones. "Transcendent beings in this region are... remarkably scarce." His voice held a hint of barely perceptible disappointment. "Even after provoking the River Domain Nations so blatantly, I only managed to lure out a mere three transcendent beings..."
After muttering this, he turned his attention back to Holland's question. "The physical strength is acceptable, but it lacks the potential for spellcasting." Ellis's soulfire swept over Fisher's corpse. "Therefore, I intend to use him as a sacrifice to awaken Van Buren."
"Whoa!" Holland's mouth dropped open in exaggerated surprise at the mention of Van Buren's name.
Though the gesture looked somewhat eerie on his pale face.
"That guy's not like me! He's a genuine holy knight! You haven't forgotten his stubborn, bullheadedness from our adventuring days, have you? If he wakes up and finds you've turned him into an undead..."
Holland made a dramatic chopping motion.
"The first one he'll chop down will definitely be you! Just so you know..."
He raised both hands high in surrender.
"Whether alive or now, I'm no match for him. Don't expect me to break up the fight when the time comes."
"Enough, Holland!"
A rare hint of impatience flickered in Ellis's usually detached tone.
Watching his companion's antics, he said in a low voice, "Don't forget you were once a devout priest in life! I believe Van Buren... uh..."
Recalling his companion's granite-like stubbornness, Ellis trailed off, then let out a long, hollow sigh.
"I need your help, Holland."
"When all is over, I will release your souls into the void, granting you eternal rest..."
"Heh..."
Holland merely responded with an ambiguous chuckle.
Seeing this, Ellis seemed to take a deep breath and changed the subject.
"How's it going on your end?"
"Met a rather interesting young fellow."
Holland shook the silver shield in his hand, its edges shattered, his tone light as if discussing a trivial sparring match.
"His breathing technique is remarkably refined. If it weren't for this undead skeleton's immortality, that kid's few sword strikes would have likely shattered my soulfire."
"As expected."
Ellis showed no interest in Holland's assessment of Graham's abilities.
"As an undead, you can no longer wield even a trace of divine power, and coupled with this... frail vessel," he added with a hint of barely perceptible disdain. "Surviving a close-quarters battle with a Transcendent Professional Knight is already a stroke of luck."
"I'll take that as a compliment," Holland shrugged indifferently. "But I did manage to make that kid suffer a bit using those little spells you taught me... Oh, right!"
His casual, humorous tone suddenly sharpened, and he turned to Ellis with keen interest.
"I detected a familiar scent on that kid! You'll never guess who it belongs to!"
Silence fell, broken only by the fading echoes of battle from the distant battlefield.
"Fine, fine. You're still as dull as ever."
Seeing that Ellis showed no interest in pressing further, Holland curled his lip in dissatisfaction, reluctantly continuing.
"It was that bastard Rudolph! The breathing technique that kid cultivated shares at least sixty percent similarity with Rudolph's method! But..."
Holland ran a bony finger over his smooth jawline, a glint of dark light flickering in his eyes.
"I seem to recall that bastard didn't leave any descendants before he disappeared, did he?"
"But we absolutely can't let Van Buren find out about this."
"After all, that scoundrel Rudolph... had a thing with the saintess of Van Buren's church... Tsk tsk tsk!"
He smacked his lips, then abruptly changed the subject.
"By the way, Ellis..."
His tone took on a note of deep confusion.
"Come to think of it, how did I die? I have absolutely no memory of it."
At this question, the soulfire in Ellis's eye sockets flickered slightly. After a moment of silence, he whispered in his hollow voice:
"I'm just like you... when I woke up from my inexplicable resurrection, the memories of my death had already vanished without a trace. Otherwise..."
He raised a bony finger and tapped it lightly.
In the next instant, a nearly imperceptible membrane shimmering with faint negative energy ripples instantly enveloped Fisher's massive, kneeling form.
"I wouldn't still be searching for my phylactery to this day."
As he spoke of the lost core that sustained his existence, Ellis's thoughts drifted back to that scene at Far Ocean Port.
The ghostly image of his phylactery, flickering within the eerie flames, began to stir the long-dormant emotions within him.
"Don't worry..."
Holland reached out again and patted Ellis's shoulder. This time, his touch was much gentler.
"Didn't you say?" he tried to reassure him. "If the Golden Valley Kingdom didn't have your phylactery, then it must still be hidden somewhere on this land..."
At this point, Holland glanced around at the vast expanse of swamps and wetlands, and his previously flippant tone couldn't help but take on a hint of wistfulness.
"Who would have thought that this land, once so prosperous, would fall into such desolation in just a few centuries?"
"Let's go, Holland."
Ellis ignored his companion's lament.
After properly disposing of Fisher's body, he turned and walked away without looking back.
"The sooner we finish here, the sooner I can release your soul into the void. After all..."
He tilted his head slightly, his hollow eye sockets gazing up at the sky, shrouded in thick fog.
"If my senses are correct, as the magic element revives, those greedy deities are also slowly awakening. If they discover you have violated the iron law of life and death..."
Ellis's voice was cold and resolute.
"Only complete annihilation of your soul awaits you."
"Alright, alright... I know..."
Holland dragged his feet to catch up, his armor clanking dully in the mud.
"By the way, you captured two transcendents, didn't you? Where's the other one, the little guy?"
"He bears the shadow inheritance. I couldn't stop him."
Ellis's withered fingers traced the shattered remnants of his right ribs.
"But... the inheritance he wields is incomplete."
"The shadow inheritance?"
Holland seemed to recall something, gently stroking his smooth skull as a spark of soulfire ignited in his eyes.
"Ah! I remember now! There was that time you almost got killed by a shadow assassin!"
When Ellis ignored him again, Holland grumbled and trailed behind, his voice laced with resentment.
"Ugh, I finally crawl out of my long sleep, and before I even get a taste of this era's wine, I have to go back... What a pity."
"Holland."
Ellis spoke without turning, his voice utterly devoid of emotion.
"Do I need to remind you that your church's tenets explicitly forbid its followers from drinking alcohol?"
"Ha!"
Holland let out a short, mocking laugh.
"Well, I'll remind you of something too, Ellis! Back then, to scrape together enough money to buy you that damn staff, I even resorted to grave robbing!"
"You..."
Ellis's voice, rarely tinged with frustration, wavered slightly.
"I'll never understand what Lothander, the Sun God, saw in you to choose such a worthless piece of trash as his priest!"
"Likewise," Holland retorted without flinching. "At least I'm better than you, you bastard who fell in love with his own mentor!"
"Holland!" Ellis's soulfire flared violently.
"Alright, alright..." Holland waved his hand, stopping the escalating argument. "By the way..." He changed the subject abruptly. "You summoned my soul using my shield as a medium. But how do you plan to summon Van Buren's soul? What will you use as the medium?"
"That's none of your concern."
"Please, Ellis, for..."
Their voices faded as they walked away, leaving the scorched earth to fall silent once more. Only the carefully laid spell traps on the ground continued to flicker with an ominous glow in the dense fog.
(End of the Chapter)
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