svetikya Page 359
Page 359
The fluttering banner was raised high from Joan of Arc's hand, and the circular barrier forcibly opened up a small safe space inside the flesh-filled interior, but this was already Joan of Arc's limit - the being she was facing was not King Solomon, but an "Outer God" that even the complete "Root" could not contend with.
If it weren't for the "keyhole" restriction imposed by Abigail Williams, Jeanne d'Arc, appearing as a Heroic Spirit, wouldn't even have the right to look directly at it. After all, it was a concept that human thought could not access or understand; simply peeking at it would drive one into a state of madness and unknown terror, much like the Demon God Pillar Raum.
"I'm sorry, Master."
Faced with the overwhelming pressure from all sides, the barrier lasted less than five seconds before being forced to the brink of collapse. The newly summoned Joan of Arc showed signs of weakness, and the banner she held involuntarily tilted to one side.
"Please leave here as soon as possible, while I still have—"
Before she could finish speaking, a tentacle suddenly swung down from above, smashing a corner of the barrier. With the unspoken words still lingering, the saintess's form was shattered and returned to the "God Space," awaiting the next summons.
After Joan of Arc disappeared, the barrier she had struggled to maintain naturally ceased to exist. Accompanied by a series of sounds like shattering glass, the once-erect banner of glory collapsed...
—It fell into my hands.
Noble Phantasm: My Lord is Here
Grade: A
Type: Barrier Noble Phantasm
The moment I touched the flag, all the information about this "treasure" naturally flooded my mind.
However, from Lin Yi's own perspective, this "treasure" itself was nothing special—an ordinary metal flagpole, a flag embroidered with irises, and apart from being formed by magic, it had nothing special about it.
It lacks the legendary aura of the EA sword, which shatters the world, and the power of the Snail Annihilation City creed, which allows people to ignore magical limitations and forcibly launch large-scale magical rituals. All it possesses is the banner itself.
But this ordinary flag, in Joan of Arc's hands, displayed a power sufficient to confront an Outer God, even if it was only for a few seconds. In those few seconds, she did something that no human could do: confront the existence of a terrifying Outer God.
The moment Lin Yi grasped the flag and understood its structure, she wondered: What was it that gave her this power?
……
"Thump—!!!"
The detached tentacle did indeed hit its target. Although there was no splattering of flesh and blood or ghastly bone fragments, the texture of flesh being crushed was still clearly transmitted to Abigail's consciousness.
As the medium through which Yog-Sothoth projects its power into this world, it can be said that every tentacle in this space that is capable of driving its observer mad is "a part" of Abigail. Abigail can sense whatever they "eat" or "destroy."
"Oh God..."
With an expression that seemed to be both desperate and fanatical, the witch parted the layers of tentacles in front of her, revealing a corpse whose original face was still completely unrecognizable: "Have you abandoned Abby again? Even if you leave in this way, you are unwilling to save Abby?"
Questions that shouldn't have received a response unexpectedly did.
"I can't save anyone."
"—!"
Like piercing cloth with a spear, the tip of the flag easily pierced through the tentacles, approaching the witch's face with a sharp sound of air being torn apart—it was only stopped by the swirling tentacles when it came within half a centimeter of her face.
A startled gaze turned to the back of the flag, where what came into view was the "human" that should have been smashed into mincemeat, while the spot where the tentacles had been whipping had been replaced by the corpse of a ghoul.
Moreover, as cracks appeared out of thin air around them, the ghouls that should have been in Salem howled as they approached the witch.
Closing his right eye, which was constantly throbbing with sharp pain, Lin Yi pulled back the flag that was stuck into the tentacle.
Compared to when it appeared in Jeanne d'Arc's (ruler's) hands, this banner (Noble Phantasm) has undergone considerable changes.
The irises originally embroidered on the flag have long been replaced by strange images: a broken ancient sword (Zhu Xian), burning metal fragments (the source of fire), a huge ancient tree (the world tree), and a fragmented piece of coded information (the information integration thought body).
……
An ordinary flag, in the hands of a devout saintess, can manifest the power to fight against the outer gods. It is not due to magic or legend—those things are meaningless to the outer realms. What truly gives her such power is "faith," an unwavering faith in the "Holy Lord" she worships.
Similarly, the elements required to unleash this "Noble Phantasm" are exceptionally simple; all that is needed is "faith." The upper limit of its power is not determined by magic or legend, but by the strength and resilience of faith. It is because of this that Jeanne d'Arc (ruler) was able to fight against the evil gods of the outer realms in a form similar to that of a human.
However, what can Lin Yi, who has obtained this treasure, believe in?
The flag in his hand transformed into the sharpest weapon, easily tearing, severing, dividing, and piercing through the incoming tentacles.
"...and never placed any hope in anything."
If you don't have unrealistic hopes for the unknown, you won't be disappointed, and you won't despair because of hopes that don't exist in the first place.
If this kind of self also possesses "faith," then there can only be one kind—
He gripped the flag in his hand, planted it in the "soil" built of flesh and blood beneath his feet, and softly uttered his words:
"I am here."
Noble Phantasm: I am here.
Level: EX
Type: Self-targeting Noble Phantasm
A broken ancient sword, burning metal fragments, a giant ancient tree, and fragmented pieces of information, all surrounding the raised banner, gradually manifest the things one "believes" in within this real world.
The wriggling tentacles seemed to realize something, and the speed of their whipping increased more than double in an instant. However, they were still unable to easily stop what was about to happen due to the large influx of ghouls.
“If you seek salvation from so-called ‘gods,’ then I have no right to answer; but if you seek salvation from me, then I have only one answer.”
He casually grasped one of the many manifested blades, and, meeting the "witch's" empty gaze, thrust it straight towards the "keyhole" on her forehead—
"The only thing we can save is ourselves."
P.S.: It's the middle of the night... Can I ask for some razor blades?
The Great Old Ones: Chapter 923 Yog-Sothoth (Part 1)
[Rationality: 20/50]
[Test failed]
[Rationality: 10/30]
[Test failed]
The sense of distance was distorted, and the key-shaped hole kept enlarging in the eyes. Dazzling, shimmering "light" poured out from it, carrying a carrier called "knowledge", constantly impacting every last bit of rationality left in this fragile body.
[Rationality: 5/10]
[Test failed]
[Rationality: 1/1]
[Test failed]
Almost at the same moment the data symbolizing rationality returned to zero, the front of the sword reached the shining "door" on the street—the originally narrow keyhole shape had long since transformed into a vast space that could encompass the entire "view" ahead. The rationality that had completely stepped into madness did not lose control; instead, it entered another kind of "rationality," eagerly absorbing this forbidden knowledge at a reading and comprehension speed that ordinary people could not possibly possess.
No... Rather than saying that "people" are trying their best to accept and understand this "knowledge," it's more accurate to say that this "knowledge" itself is constantly pursuing and pressuring "people."
It is not that "human beings" are desperately seeking knowledge, but rather that knowledge is constantly pursuing "human beings," or rather, it is chasing after "human beings." Its pursuit is as cruel and ruthless as an eagle or hound chasing a hare.
A page drifted down from behind the "keyhole." In this era where "reason" has been completely reduced to zero, there is no need for "language proficiency." The true meaning of the words themselves seems to eagerly and proactively flood into the mind.
I have often heard that it is not people who are diligent in seeking knowledge, but rather those who are knowledgeable who are diligent in seeking others. However, I know this is a fallacy. Those who are knowledgeable are not seeking others; in fact, they are chasing after others. They are ruthless and heartless, like hawks and hounds chasing rabbits.
You have obtained a fragment of the "Seven Chapters of the Mysterious Monarch's Secret Scripture" (Part Three).
[Mysticism +30, Linguistics +30, Archaeology +30]
[Mysticism (120) + Linguistics (120) + Archaeology (120) - Sanity (0)]
[Test passed]
Now you know its real name—
At the same time, a massive amount of information, enough to overwhelm and overwhelm an ordinary person's brain, flooded into his memory, from the most basic things like how to create ghouls to how to establish a singularity similar to "Salem" in a void, from the life of an ant that Yog-Sothoth inadvertently observed in an immeasurably long history to its terrifying speculations about the origins of all things ancient... Amidst countless forbidden knowledge, Lin Yi found the piece of information he needed.
Without hesitation, she released the blade that had been touching the "keyhole." In terms of spatial distance, she only retreated less than half a step, but in her perception, it felt like she had traveled tens of thousands of miles. The most obvious change was that the keyhole, which had previously "covered the sky" in her eyes, returned to the tiny hole on the forehead of the girl Abigail Williams.
The situation he found himself in suddenly shifted from the "gateway" less than half a foot away from the outer realms back to the Salem side created by the "Root".
Everything looked exactly the same as before... if it weren't for the newly acquired, constantly roaring "knowledge" in my mind.
Wiping away the blood seeping from his right eye, maintaining a distance that allowed him to further control the "external medium" and step back to enter the "root" surrounding him, Lin Yi opened his mouth—projecting the knowledge symbolizing "calling" into reality in words, according to the "memory" he had just obtained.
"Hear me! King of Infinite Space!"
As if struck by a massive impact from the outside, the once solid space began to shatter from its very surface, and a "keyhole" radiating a dazzling white light appeared in the sky, from which a distorted roar could be faintly heard—
Ignoring all the external anomalies, he fixed his gaze solely on the "medium" before him while performing the summoning ritual: "P.lanetmover! The Foundation of Fastness! Ruler of Earthquakes! The Vanquisher of Terror! The Creator of P.anic! Destroyer! The Shining Victor! Son of Chaos and the Void! The Guardian of the Abyss! God of the Outermost Darkness! Lord of Dimensions! Riddle-knower! Guardian of the Secrets! Lord of the Labyrinth! Master of the Angles! God of the Whiporwills! Omegapoint! Lord of the Gate! Opener of the Way! The Oldest! All-in-One!" (Starshifter! Solid foundation! Master of earthquakes! Conqueror of terror! Creator of pain! Destroyer! Victorious victor! Child of void and chaos! Guardian of the abyss! God of primordial darkness! Lord of dimensions! Enigmatic sage! Guardian of secrets! Master of labyrinths! Master of angles! God of night hawks! The final tip! Lord of gates! Pathfinder!)
The space at the edge shattered. Never before had the outer realm, filled with unknown terror, been so close to the inner realm, which could be observed and understood by humans. So close that one could simply raise their head and glimpse the enormous, twisted body that resembled the "sky" itself.
Facing the Outland shadow that could engulf Salem along with its "Roots," calmly utter its final name—
"The One by Life Prolonged! Umr At-Tawil! Iak-Sathath!"
"Yog Sothoth NAFL'FTHAGN! (Yog Sothoth NAFL'FTHAGN)!"
Ancient and unknown, not only in space, but also in time, which is a chaotic and unknown place.
A blind and foolish "god" was born, and from it, the three original gods were born.
Symbolizing "darkness" is the Supreme Mother Goddess Shub-Niggurath, who gave birth to almost all the Great Old Ones, including Cthulhu, and indeed all life. (Chapters 688-691)
The symbol of "chaos" is Nyarlathotep, the messenger and representative of all the gods, a symbol of mockery and contradiction (Chapters 647-658).
And what remains is the "Nameless Mist"—the all-knowing being of time and space, the key to the Silver Gate: Yog-Sothoth.
The Great Old Ones: Chapter 924 Yog-Sothoth (Part 2)
Essentially, the "keyhole" on Abigail Williams' forehead is neither decoration nor weapon, but rather an "entrance."
It connects to the "Silver Gate"—a gateway to the Outer Realms dominated by unknown terrors; a gateway to the treasure trove of knowledge held by Yog-Sothoth; a gateway to the origin of the will of every Great Old One and the Outer Gods.
Through this "Silver Gate," the evil gods of the outer realms can see everything inside, but in another sense, it may not be the case.
Things are always interconnected; when you look down into the abyss, the abyss may also be looking back into you...
Raising his head, Lin Yi "looked up" at the terrifying "Yog-Sothoth," one of the three primordial gods summoned above him.
At this moment, it is still filled with all the characteristics that could drive anyone who comes into contact with it mad, and it has even reached a level of distortion that would not only affect humans, but also heroic spirits.
Furthermore, it's not a simple reversal, but a constant and irreversible phenomenon that infects and distorts the very existence of the Heroic Spirit along with its Spirit Origin. In this state, even if a Heroic Spirit is destroyed or scattered, it cannot return to the Hall of Heroes of the "Root," unless the "Root" is prepared for everything to become as chaotic and unknowable as the "Outer Realms" for the sake of a single Heroic Spirit.
However, no matter how powerful it is when it arrives, it still cannot change one reality.
—It, Yog-Sothoth, is right here.
—When faced with things that cannot be understood, touched, or even observed in any way, the intellect becomes confused, and thus develops a sense of fear towards things that are called "unknown."
The folded space forcibly intervenes in the "root": having already distinguished the "dormant" main body, there is naturally no need to worry about the original "collateral damage".
Grip the cold metal gun handle and point it at the "sky".
—From this perspective, terror stems from the unknown, because when faced with the "unknown," the intellect cannot accurately measure or define its species, scope, size, or region; only the ever-increasing panic expands and intensifies its "power."
There are two elements that constitute an extraterrestrial evil god.
One is "unknown".
One is "horror".
The unknown breeds terror, and terror amplifies the unknown... When faced with their existence, the stronger one's understanding and thinking, the easier it is to fall into madness. The ever-decreasing "reason" is both a warning and the end. It can be said that the moment one realizes the existence of their uncertainty, one's foot is already on the edge of madness.
Either you let the unknown terror devour you and eventually become a mindless monster, or you try to understand it completely and see it clearly before that happens.
For example, at a known time and in a known place, it is summoned from an unknown outer realm and then descends.
The unknown instills boundless terror, but once it becomes known, even the most terrifying things have their limits. Humanity's limits far exceed its capacity to comprehend the things of the "outer realms." Even mere glimpse can drive them to madness, let alone attempt to comprehend the knowledge of the "outer gods." Therefore, those who attempt to peek into the vast dimensional sea label such knowledge from the outer realms as "forbidden" and restrict it, for it is all stuff that would drive humans to madness and insanity upon contact. Fortunately…
“My ‘limit’ is just a little bit higher than what you’ve shown.”
Pointing at the "sky" above, gently pull the trigger.
----------segmentation----------
May, 1692
Salem.
A raindrop fell, then a second, a third... Before long, the rain completely engulfed the maddened town. But this time, no evil god from the outer realms was watching over them; what drove them mad was only themselves.
Just like in the original history, the fleeing Demon Pillars discovered a girl named Abigail Williams, and Salem in 1692 was recreated with her as the center, where the "Witch Trial" was being held in this singularity.
Meanwhile, the Heroic Spirits and Mages from Chaldea arrived as investigators, and after a series of investigations and deductions, they discovered the true culprit behind all of this...
During this process, the girl only admitted to five crimes.
"Is this the eighth time?"