A mage? A spell engineer!

Chapter 290 Those Who Abandon Me

The scene depicting the arrival of the great being is a rare night, with large amounts of deep blue paint applied, and the cool moonlight outlining the countless tentacled beings of the arrival.

They were called tentacles because they were slender and long, quite different from antennae. Then He enveloped the entire island, and all the other gods seemed to have retreated, leaving only Him to reign supreme. Countless tentacles transformed into threads that entwined themselves over the city and fields.

Some humans and elves worshipped Him, while the governors and other important figures of the old empire abandoned their fine wine cups, some even fleeing in their bathrobes, and the soldiers of the old empire began to fight against the rebels of Istani.

The rebels were an alliance of elves, human slaves, and native humans of the island. They were always followed by a shadowy mass of countless tentacles, and they routed the old empire's army, forcing them to retreat in disarray until they were driven back into the sea.

"It seems the time has come to overthrow the old empire's rule." This is the history that Freddy is familiar with. Whenever he thinks of this glorious past, even the poorest and most miserable people in Storm City stand tall with pride. This period of fighting together against the enemy is also the foundation for the coexistence of elves and humans.

And that tentacle monster was... "Obviously our venerable and great Is, haha, how ugly." Freddy didn't care at all.

What's next? They'd already walked most of the way along the original ceiling, each scene teeming with characters and objects. Then Singrev discovered a blind spot: "Where's the Lord of Light and Order? His underlings got beaten so badly, why isn't he getting revenge?"

"I don't know. In fact, the old empire was collapsing at that time." What Luo Xia knew was that it was the "Great Extinction of the Primal Layer," and the Lord of Order should have been overwhelmed. He couldn't fathom what the gods of hundreds of years ago were thinking.

He now has two questions. First, the "Great Extinction" should have already begun by now, so how did this "Is" manage to slip into the real material world? Second, judging from the painting of Dryaz being pierced by the light spear, these paintings depict reality quite realistically. So who is such an amazing war correspondent who can record everything all the way to the God War?

It is at least a well-established organization.

"Ahem, of course the Lord of Order has made his move." A voice that was extremely hoarse, so loud that it made one's ears ache just by hearing it.

The sudden answer startled everyone. When the ball of light shone on it, a dark blob lay on the ground, next to paint, brushes, and turpentine.

It turned out that the "lump" was an old man crawling on the ground, draped in a pure black robe. It seemed that no light could reflect off the surface of the black robe, so there were no outlines or contours visible where the cloth covered. When he raised his head and turned to face the newcomer, he revealed a grin with a mouthful of rotten teeth: "Welcome to the Upside-Down Church. I am the last one left behind. Most people outside call me 'The Black Monk'."

Rorschach was extremely nervous because he hadn't noticed the black monk at all! He had clearly used Dark Vision to scan the entire main hall from the beginning, but he hadn't seen him at all.

If he used some method to become invisible, then there should be a flash of light under Arcane Vision. Given Rorschach's proud sensitivity and control over changes in magical power, even the most powerful invisibility should be detectable.

Was he so focused on the painting that he didn't notice it in time? Panic was useless at this point, so Rorschach put his staff into a semi-activated state, ready to strike at any moment.

"Want to know what happens next? Come on over!"

As he spoke, he shifted his position, revealing not only the area covered by the old man's thin black robe, but also a large section of the scene that suddenly brightened, becoming clearly visible under the illumination of the sphere of light, as if the old man had unveiled a curtain of shadows.

The painting that appeared after the arrival of the gods was unfinished; some parts were colored, while others remained as sketches. When Rorschach and his companions reached the completed section, they saw twelve imposing knights wearing flamboyant helmets, making it impossible to tell whether they were human or elves. These knights bowed to a veiled lady wearing a crown.

Coronation? Because the crown was supported by two tendrils from Is and placed on the queen's head.

"Your Majesty!" Freddy then looked confused. "This isn't right. Istani has been a nation for hundreds of years. How could Her Majesty's reign be so long?"

"When did your king ascend the throne?"

"Of course," the poet choked, "I can't remember clearly. But I have the impression of the coronation ceremony, so it couldn't have been long ago. Look, I'm still a fine young man, not some immortal monster."

"Hmm." The dark-skinned monk made a nasal sound. Rorschach stared at the painting; the veil obscured the face, only the long hair and physical features suggested the crowned person was female. "Great poet Freddy, just because you're not an immortal doesn't mean others aren't."

The painting depicts twelve knights galloping across the island, their iron hooves followed by the tentacles of Is. Old cities are taken over, new cities are born, and churches worship Is are erected.

Some elves seemed to be rejecting the faith of Is, shooting at Is with inferior spears and arrows in vain and ridiculous fashion. However, the tentacles did not continue to reach them. Instead, angry knights swung their swords and slashed at the stubborn elves.

The island split open, with a corner carved out by the sea.

Rorschach guessed where this corner was: "El Isle?"

"Not bad." The old man nodded with satisfaction, whether from admiration for Luo Xia's comprehension or from the lifelike quality of his own painting.

Finally, there is the unfinished painting, in which they can see tentacles rising from the earth, thicker than barbels, accompanied by slime and unknown, bizarre creatures.

The black tentacles easily shredded Is's delicate tendrils, while the scorching golden light from the sky seemed to be primarily aimed at the earth tentacles. Is, caught in the middle, lay suspended in mid-air, his side closer to the earth rotten and contaminated, while his side closer to the sky was dry, broken, and ablaze with flames.

In the final, almost outlined scene, Is, with few whiskers left and covered in wounds, vanishes into the void, half-hidden in the nebula.

This is too tragic. Although the image of this god is just a blurry blob, Rorschach felt that he could read a trace of desolation and grievance in the final scene.

Freddie and Singhlev stared in disbelief at what they saw on the screen: "So... Is ran away?"

"Heh, He is a complete coward. He came here to commit evil deeds while the empire was collapsing, and fled immediately when Istani was in crisis, abandoning His people and His most devout followers, and even deceiving the world at the last moment!"

The black monk was filled with resentment. As he uttered his hoarse words, as if in response to his emotions, his black robes fluttered without wind, revealing not limbs and torso, but countless terrifying tentacles that bared their fangs and claws in the air, just like Is in the oil painting.

The dwarf and the poet felt a chill run down their spines and simultaneously raised their guns to aim at the black monk. Rorschach also erected a blue light barrier between the group and the old man.

Two tiny tentacles pierced through the barrier without hindrance, striking the musket precisely and instantly turning everything from the metal barrel to the wooden stock into a thick, black liquid.

(End of this chapter)