Ashes Of Deep Sea
Chapter 389 - Chapter 389 Chapter 393 Inside and Outside the Mirror

Chapter 389: Chapter 393: Inside and Outside the Mirror Chapter 389: Chapter 393: Inside and Outside the Mirror Agatha suddenly stopped in her tracks.

At the end of her line of sight, something abnormal at the small alleyway disrupted her rambling thoughts.

In that dimly lit corner, clusters of revolting black matter surged forth. They seeped out from the nearby ground and walls like viscous grease overflowing from pipes, and in the nauseating noise, mounds of mud-like substances almost instantly began to take on human-like forms, casting malevolent glares at Agatha.

“Still haunting me, huh…”

Agatha let out a soft sigh, but her body moved without hesitation–before the mud could fully solidify, she had already raised her staff and aimed at the nearest cluster.

Pale fierce flames ignited out of thin air, instantly devouring the writhing “Prime Element.” The power of Cremation turned it into flying ash, and in the next second, a gray whirlwind swept through the alley. The howling Grey Wind passed through the rising humanoid counterfeits, as if bearing the mighty forces of devouring and erosion, reducing them to dry, corroded dust.

Yet, more and more mud-like substances kept seeping through the walls and the ground, and an increasing number of humanoid aberrations appeared at the corner, blocking Agatha’s way.

As the Grey Wind swept past, Agatha’s figure solidified from within the wind. Fatigue appeared on her face, and upon sensing an unusual aura suddenly emerging within the mud, her gaze grew even more solemn.

She looked towards the direction where the aura came from, just in time to see a counterfeit made of Prime Element rapidly writhing and mutating. Within seconds, it transformed into a smiling young man with golden short hair, dressed in a white shirt and a black vest.

“Gatekeeper Miss, you certainly have impressive stamina,” the young man nodded slightly, his tone exceedingly polite, “May I ask if your exercise here has been to your satisfaction?”

“If you think you can tire me to death here with this war of attrition, that’s far too naive,” Agatha watched the young man’s another incarnation with an icy gaze, steadying her breath, “Death means nothing to me; I can fight even after death–The Gatekeeper’s soul never tires, and there will come a day when you’ll be found by me.”

“Of course, of course, it’s not so simple to truly kill a Saint of Bartok,” the young man laughed, his smile radiant, “I’ve never considered killing you. I just need to keep you here as long as possible. These empty husks provided for your slaughter should be regarded as hospitality, entertainment for your idle moments.”

“Your heretics’ way of hospitality is indeed unique,” Agatha knew the other party was trying to delay her in various ways, but at least at this moment, she didn’t mind speaking a bit more to regain her strength, “I’m suddenly a bit curious if your real body is also so leisurely at the moment–I can feel that I’m gradually getting closer to your hiding place. Each time I destroy one of the monsters controlled by you, I can sense your whereabouts more clearly… How many places do you have left to hide?”

The smile on the blond young man’s face finally stiffened for a moment, but it was just for an instant before he smiled pleasantly again, “Ah, it seems I have overlooked–Bartok’s watchdog always has a good ‘nose.’ How about we make a bet then?”

He raised one hand as if inviting her.

“Let’s bet whether you find my real body first, or Frost becomes the first mortal kingdom where The Saint descends–the stakes are your soul, and the lives of everyone in Frost…”

A pale fierce flame exploded abruptly, sweeping towards where the young man stood even before his words finished, and in the next second, Agatha had turned into a howling Grey Wind. This raging wind surged toward the corner, where the assembled counterfeit creatures immediately surged forward to stop the Grey Wind but were dissected and shattered by the power of the wind of death–within the blink of an eye, the Grey Wind struck the blond young man now wrapped in pale flames, slamming him directly into a low wall on the other side of the alley.

After a thunderous boom, the flames were dispersed by the fierce wind, and Agatha materialized from the Grey Wind. She stood with her staff raised in her right hand, the tip of the staff nailing the blond young man through the chest, pinning him firmly to the wall.

“Sorry, no bet,” Agatha watched his eyes, calmness in her gaze, ” Gambling is forbidden for clergy.”

“Interesting…” The Heretic, pinned to the wall by the staff, twitched the corners of his mouth, black muddy substance oozing from his mouth and nose as he spoke, his shell rapidly dying, yet he seemed without fear or pain, “I hope your composure and confidence last a little longer…”

Life drained from the shell, and the body of the blond young man quickly collapsed and melted into a viscous black substance that flowed down and dried up quickly as it hit the ground. The surrounding counterfeit creatures that had been under his control also ceased to move, reverting back to a pile of lifeless “Prime Element.”

Agatha pulled her staff from the wall, flicking the impure substance from the end of her staff with disgust, then calmly raised her head, looking towards a direction in the Upper City District.

“`

Another incarnation had been eliminated; as life ebbed away, the bond between the gatekeeper and the heretics lurking in the shadows grew stronger.

It felt… closer.

“With composure and confidence… I have indeed always believed in myself…”

Agatha muttered to herself, then took several deep breaths, leaned on her cane, and slowly made her way toward the direction she sensed. Meanwhile, behind her, in a puddle, a cluster of eerie green flames began to emerge from the water’s reflection, quietly brightening the dim alleyway.

In the puddles in the alley, in the windows of nearby buildings, on the metal lampposts of distant streetlights… the flames’ tiny reflections could be seen on all the shiny, mirror-like surfaces.

…

The Silent Sanctum was bright with candlelight, and the sounds of the cane and heels striking the ground broke the tranquility of the meditative hall, as a tall figure dressed in black passed through the dark-colored doors to approach the platform where the black “spirit coffin” was placed.

An aged, hoarse voice came from the coffin, “Agatha, you’ve returned–how is the situation in the second waterway?”

“The first batch of people has just reached the west entrance; just to clear the connecting shafts and deliver equipment downstairs will take a whole day,” Agatha shook her head, somewhat helplessly, “You need to have some patience, Bishop Ivan.”

“Oh…” The voice from the coffin fell silent for a moment, then asked, “What about the situation at the west entrance?”

Agatha: “…”

After a pause, she sighed: “What else can you expect from an underground facility that’s been abandoned for half a century? I’ve mobilized twelve heavy machine guns and three steam walkers, all the bullets blessed with holy oil and fire, and a hundred and fifty fully armed silent monks, to dispel the darkness there. The good news is that we’ve succeeded in establishing the first base at the junction beneath the vertical shafts and have restarted the electricity and lighting in a few of the connecting tunnels. The next exploration might be a bit smoother than expected–if we don’t encounter more collapses and gas leaks, that is.”

“Any discoveries of heretic figures?”

“Not at the moment,” Agatha shook her head, “But the deeper areas are still unclear–the second waterway is too vast, and the different collapsed regions are isolated from each other. We are currently just getting our footing in the first passage of one of the areas. However, there is one concern that’s rather troubling…”

The sound of fabric rustling came from the coffin, and then the somber lid was pushed open from the inside, as Bishop Ivan, resembling a mummy, sat up.

“A troubling concern?” the “mummy” asked in a deep voice, “What happened?”

“At the end of some ancient pipes, we found signs of repair and alterations, and some suspicious branch pipes extending into the dark depths,” Agatha said with a frown, “We’ve checked the archives for the Primordial Blueprint and confirmed those pipes are not on the original design plan.”

Bishop Ivan was silent for a while before he asked, “What is your opinion?”

“It looks like someone continued to maintain that area after the second waterway was abandoned and carried out some modifications,” Agatha shared her thoughts, “This maintenance wasn’t continuous, so many areas were abandoned after several years. But deeper in the sewers, there might be something still in operation.”

Bishop Ivan listened intently and after a long time slowly spoke, “The second waterway… It’s a vast underground kingdom, capable of harboring countless secrets. Even if you filled it with all the guardians’ forces, you wouldn’t cover all its corridors and junctions. So don’t focus too much on those inconsequential signs of alteration–concentrate on searching for the heretics, and leave the other matters for the city hall to worry about.”

Agatha looked at Bishop Ivan and then nodded thoughtfully.

Bishop Ivan noticed the gatekeeper’s weariness in her expression, “You look unrested–it shouldn’t be that the exploration has exhausted you to this extent. Are you not feeling well? You’ve seemed burdened with thoughts ever since you came in.”

Agatha opened her mouth, hesitated for a few seconds, and then spoke, “It is a bit… restless.”

“`