Ark Undead

"Mr. Undead was just invited away by the priests of the Temple of Heroes, supposedly to attend a ceremony as a guest."

Sure enough, in the distance, they saw two priests dressed in gray-black robes with gilded trim, leading the undead toward the Temple of Heroes.

"Mr. Immortal is a guest?!"

The reserve team members were excited when they heard the news.

Melanie frowned slightly and clenched her small hands.

Dobermann nodded, and the reserve team members suddenly became more motivated, which was exactly what she wanted to see.

"So, don't let your teaching assistants down."

"Yes!"

The crowd answered in unison.

On the other side, after the undead were taken away by the priests of the Temple of Heroes, they went straight through the altar and headed to the more distant Temple of Heroes.

"Is this your first time visiting Minos, Mr. War Knight?"

One of the priests was very curious about the undead; he was also one of the priests who had gone to welcome Rhodes Island a couple of days earlier.

"Yes."

The immortal responded.

Although it was his first time visiting Minos, the architectural style of Minos gave the undead a strange sense of familiarity.

This ancient architectural style is grand and luxurious, yet the materials used are very simple.

It gives the undead the illusion that they are still in the Age of Fire.

"I hope you will be satisfied with this battle celebration."

The priest led the undead to the doorway, where they stood on either side and stretched out their hands into the room.

The Undead stared at the nearly ten-meter-tall gate of the Hero's Temple, wondering what kind of person it was built for.

"The high priest is waiting for you inside. Please come in."

After thanking the two priests, the undead slowly stepped through the gate and entered the Temple of Heroes.

Inside the Temple of Heroes are several hero statues, each over ten meters tall.

They held weapons, and their facial expressions were so lifelike that it was as if these giants were still alive.

Beneath these statues were various ritual implements used by priests, containing fruits, flowers, wine, and other beverages.

What the undead cared about most was the round vessel in the very center of the hall.

Flames burned in the vessel, and a high priest, dressed in a long robe of gray-black fabric with gilded trim, knelt before it and prayed softly.

The undead did not conceal his footsteps; as he approached the high priest, he attracted the high priest's attention.

The high priest heard the footsteps of the undead, stood up, and turned around.

She was a dignified woman with flaxen hair that was partially hidden by her long robe.

To the undead's surprise, the high priest was wearing loose-fitting combat gear underneath.

A long chain was wrapped around her waist, connecting two counterweights at the head and tail. She actually carried a flail with her in the temple.

The priest's pale green eyes scanned the undead for a moment before he smiled at him.

“Sir Knight, it is a great honor to meet you. I am the High Priest of Akroti Village. You may call me Pallas.”

The dignified priestess bowed slightly, placed her hands on her lower abdomen, and gave the undead a meticulous bow.

Then, she raised her head and said softly.

"Welcome, destined hero."

334. The Fated Hero

Pallas's way of addressing him unconsciously brought another figure to the mind of the undead.

And this person seemed to have some similarities to Pallas in front of him.

They wore the same greyish-black robes, with the same gilded trim; the only difference was the color of their hair and eyes...

The Undead was stunned for a moment, still somewhat unable to react. He felt that he should have seen what that person's pupils looked like, but why couldn't he remember now?

"The destined hero."

The Undead repeated the name Pallas, hoping to elicit a response from her.

"Why do you call me that?"

In the early days of the Age of Fire, when the Undead first traveled to the continent of Lordran, many people called the Undead the "Destined Undead".

This is not a title bestowed by a god, but rather, in their consciousness, the immortal seems to be such a being.

Despite being an ordinary immortal, he was able to accomplish the feat of hunting down gods and bringing back the soul of a king, as if he had been given a destiny by the heavens.

And now, similar terms are being used again by Pallas.

What do you think?

Pallas didn't answer the Undead directly, but wanted to see their reaction.

The green-eyed priest approached the undead slightly, seemingly trying to peek through the gaps in the undead's helmet to see what the eyes behind it looked like.

"..."

The Undead also stared at Pallas, not avoiding her gaze.

"This is a divine oracle, a call that every one of us priests can hear from the primordial temple."

Pallas was the first to succumb to the pressure from the undead. She looked away, took two steps back, and came to the vessel filled with flames.

"It is calling someone's name. But the name is so vague that it is impossible to hear what it is."

“The first high priest recorded it, and every now and then, he would supplement it with the oracles he had deciphered.”

"We have been recording the history of the Temple of Heroes for hundreds of years, up until this year's Undead Arena. But even so, we have only managed to get a few words that can help us sort out our thoughts."

These are Minos' secrets, and Pallas telling the Undead about them clearly means that the Undead are in contact with them.

"And the most recent call tells us that a hero will go and take it away."

The Undead understood. Pallas meant that there was something inside the Temple of Heroes that made them hold this Undead Arena.

Pallas didn't give the undead a chance to speak; she went to the vessel that held the flames.

Suddenly, he placed her slender, fair hand into the vessel and submerged it in the flames.

This action did not cause Pallas any pain on his face.

Instead, when Pallas took her hand out again, a small flame appeared in her palm.

Even though the flame was small, it was truly burning in Pallas's palm.

It's exactly the same as how the Undead held up the First Flame.

This scene is also a very distant memory for the immortals.

"Mr. War Knight, did you know that Minos's birth was not accidental?"

"It is said that the people of Terra live in a primitive age, when there is no civilization or houses for people to rest."

"Only the people of the far east broke free of their shackles, hunted down the gods, and established the Great Yan Dynasty."

"But before that, there was already a Temple of Heroes, and heroes who guarded it."

Pallas beckoned to the undead, signaling them to come closer.

The undead took a few steps forward, approached the vessel containing the flames, and stared at the flames.

In reality, it was just ordinary fire, and no one could see the nature of the flames better than the Undead.

"It is said that a goddess descended here in the beginning, bringing with her a sword powerful enough to burn the world."

The Undead turned his head and stared at Pallas.

Pallas seemed to sense the gaze of the undead, and she smiled.

"But after countless years, this sword gradually lost its power... No, rather, this sword is like a rootless duckweed, without a source of power, but merely harboring a power powerful enough to burn the world."

"The goddess left this sword in the temple where people commemorate her heroes, to protect Minos."

"She also brought people's yearning for heroes. Simply because she once said that she had seen real heroes."

"A hero who uses his own strength to save the world and give it new life when it is about to collapse."

The Undead remained silent for a moment, then, facing Minos's gaze, asked softly.

"Her name?"

"No record."

Pallas shook his head, giving a disappointing answer.

"No records have been kept of the goddess's name. But later priests, in order to imitate her appearance, wore similar clothes."

"A long, grey-black robe with noble gilded trim, and a shawl that only the high priest of the Temple of Heroes is entitled to wear."

Pallas's few words stirred up the memories of the Undead.

It was the figure he remembered waiting for him by the campfire.

"Then, an oracle descended into my mind, telling me that I would meet a true hero."

"He will, just as he did millions of years ago, pass through the illusion created by that sword and return that longsword to the hands of a hero."

As Pallas spoke, her words gradually calmed down, no longer as impassioned as before.

What do you think?

The Undead remained silent for a long time before letting out a soft sigh.

"What else do you know?"

The priest threw the flame back into the vessel that held it.

"That's all I know. But I know you must be different; you must know more."