CHAPTER 1252: CHAPTER 628: SETTING OUT FOR THE ROYAL CITY

Rod asked, "Is the Sanctuary ability something you use?"

Evela nodded slightly, "Yes, my former teacher possessed this characteristic. I once asked them how to use the Sanctuary, so I’m relatively proficient at it... I’m curious, how did you find us?"

Rod showed a slight smile, everything was just as he expected.

After losing the trail, Rod determined they couldn’t escape; the best option was to find a hiding place and wait for reinforcements to arrive.

There weren’t many areas around here that could shelter millions, and he quickly narrowed it down.

The most suspicious was the large valley next to this giant Flesh Puppet nest.

It’s an ideal location, surrounded by mountains on three sides, with the valley being tens of thousands of yards deep. Although there’s a monster’s nest, as the saying goes, the most dangerous place is the safest. While the monster’s nest is dangerous, its surroundings usually have no other monsters. Once you block off the nest’s sensing, it’s quite safe.

That’s why Rod headed straight in this direction.

As for the Sanctuary illusion, he saw through it at once.

After hearing Rod’s explanation, Evela’s expression changed slightly as she sized up Rod, "You possess unimaginable wisdom and discernment. May I ask your rank and title in the Trolian Kingdom?"

Rod laughed, "I’m the most powerful rising star in the Trolian Kingdom in recent years. My titles include Invincible War God, Undefeated King, Black Handsome, and Dashing Big Brother, among others. You can call me whichever you like."

Evela looked at him curiously, finding some of the latter titles a bit odd.

Horus nudged from behind, whispering, "Did you say something inappropriate again? Mind your image! You may not care, but Trolian does!"

Rod swatted his hand away, "I know, you don’t have to say it."

At this moment, Vier began to cry again, "Sister Evela, what exactly happened, how did Sword City fall? Why didn’t anyone come to our aid? Why is the Royal City not responding?"

Evela looked at her in surprise, "Vier, after you lost contact, we sent a team to assist you. Did you not encounter them?"

Vier shook her head, "For three months, we haven’t received any support."

Evela’s expression turned puzzled and dark. After a moment of silence, she spoke.

"Sword City fell in despair; we faced unimaginable disaster. The Abyss Rift appeared beneath Sword City, Abyss Rifts spread around, Abyss Monsters surged at us like a tide, and Abyssal pollution erupted on the land. A high concentration of black fog descended and enveloped the city, disasterous heavenly phenomenons repeatedly occurred, and the Bright Fire was strongly suppressed."

"Like you, the black fog cut off our Spiritual Communication. We lost contact with the Royal City. During these three months, we experienced countless bloody battles, destroyed numerous Abyss Rifts, but their numbers only increased. The Abyss Monsters were endless, our warriors could hardly hold their ground, and help from the Royal City never arrived."

"In our final moments, we ran out of all supplies; even the Fuel Element for the fire was exhausted, leaving the Bright Fire flickering and near extinction. Safuk and I knew if this continued, Sword City was doomed."

"The only solution was to destroy the Abyss Rift, interrupting the infiltration of Abyssal power, which would completely sever the Abyss Rifts. Destroying the Rift from the outside was impossible, so Safuk suggested he go deep into the Abyss Rift to destroy the existence supporting the rift."

"I tried to dissuade him, but Safuk persisted, and I also realized this was the only option, so I allowed his action."

"Before leaving, he told me the aura emanating from the Abyss Rift was terrifying. He might return, or he might not, so we must be prepared. He would surely trigger a massive battle in the Abyss Rift; at that time, if the monsters in the Abyss Rifts decreased, we should seize the opportunity to evacuate the civilians from Sword City, as many as possible."

"His words left me uneasy. I wanted to accompany him but was declined. The disturbance from the power of fire would ignite a full-scale battle before even entering the Abyss Rift."

"What he said made sense, so I agreed."

"Safuk entered the Abyss Rift alone. Not long after, there was a massive tremor; countless Abyss Monsters began retreating, and no new monsters emerged from the Abyss Rifts. Seeing this as an opportunity, I immediately led the civilians to evacuate."

Evela’s demeanor turned somber, tears glistening in her eyes.

"But there were too many, over ten million people. My preparations were inadequate, and it led to much chaos. Over half of us died, and we escaped into a dead end..."

"Fortunately, in this final despair, I didn’t lose my mind. I used the Invisible Wind to obscure everyone’s traces, led them to this valley, and built a temporary safe environment with Sanctuary, allowing us to settle down at last."

She turned her gaze to Rod.

"Which direction did you come from? How is Sword City now? Maybe... Maybe Safuk succeeded in destroying the Abyss Rift, in which case we still have a chance to reclaim Sword City. I have sent out many messages; once he receives them, he’ll return quickly. Alas, I regret not bringing his Spirit Messenger..."

Rod coughed and glanced at Vier and Lance.

Their faces were dark and heavy, eyes dim, filled with despair.

"My lady Saintess, in truth, we came from the direction of Sword City, and it has completely fallen."

Evela showed little surprise and asked, "Vier, I remember you carried the Spirit Messenger of Safuk..."

Vier could hold back no longer, tears falling.

"Sister Evela, Lord Safuk, he... he has perished."

"What?"

Evela shot to her feet, looking at her in disbelief.

"How do you know?"

Lance recounted the event in detail.

Evela still couldn’t believe it:

"No, impossible, Safuk, how could he fail? Even if it’s true, you... you couldn’t have defeated him..."

Rod replied heavily, "He sought death, evading no attacks, fighting in a way that inflicted the greatest damage upon himself. I believe his desire to die influenced his soul after falling."

Lance added, "Lord Rod happened to possess abilities that countered him, allowing us to defeat that monster and let Safuk’s soul rest."

Evela sank back into her seat, the light fading from her face.

Safuk’s death seemed a severe blow to her.

After a silence, Rod asked, "Lady Saintess, what should we do next?"

Evela raised her head, seeing them, a spark of light gradually returning to her eyes.

"We’ve been here waiting for two weeks. I once sent a distress call to the Royal City, but there’s been no response."

"My Spirit Messenger tells me the black fog cuts off Spiritual Communication. Between us and the Royal City, it seems there’s a very dense Black Fog Wall, which is why we haven’t been able to contact the Royal City."

Vier asked worriedly, "Then why hasn’t the Royal City sent anyone to find us?"

Evela pondered, "Perhaps the Church Court did send people, but they couldn’t find us; maybe they don’t know about this either."

"I think the Royal City might also be dealing with troubles similar to Sword City’s. The Abyss is erupting throughout the kingdom, the Church Court is busy fighting the Abyss, unable to rescue us."

"Perhaps... the entire North has been abandoned, and the Church Court is withdrawing its forces."

Lance asked, "Why is the Abyss showing such movement?"

"It might have something to do with No Light City and the Dawn Horizon."

Evela said solemnly.

"Before arriving at Sword City, I heard they had a major plan. The second and third Saint Heirs and the first Saintess have gone there, and the Great Shepherd also mentioned that disasters might fall during this time, and we should be on guard."

She looked at Rod and the others, her eyes gradually brightening.

"The black fog blocks our Spiritual Communication, but we can deliver the message personally."

"The Royal City can’t find us; we’ll bring them to us."

"News from Trolian will be a dose of strength for everyone in distress!"

Rod’s heart skipped, "Are you saying..."

"Yes, we’re heading to the Royal City together, as fast as we can!"