Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert-Chapter 494

Chapter 494

Latricia looked at Tamulana with a heartbroken expression.

Tamulana had always been the pillar of their clan.

Latricia was the one who led them in practice, but the one who embraced the clan and served as their steadfast support had been Tamulana.

Even Latricia, their leader, had relied heavily on her.

She still couldn’t believe that the ever-gentle Tamulana—who had always been their warm-hearted anchor—had turned into something so horrific.

“Please, Lady Tamulana! Come back to yourself. The one you’re putting your faith in isn’t Lady Ciela—it’s the evil god, Barque.”

“Silence. I felt His presence. I heard His voice. He commanded me: offer the spirits as sacrifice and awaken Him.”

“That’s a lie. Lady Ciela would never say such a thing. Even the spirits are her children.”

“Ohhh, Latricia! My disciple! You know nothing. Do you have any idea how many long centuries I have served Lady Ciela? For over a thousand years I have worshipped Her—do you think I wouldn’t recognize Her voice? Trust me, Latricia. If you follow me, we High Elves will finally bask in glory on this Earth.”

“I cannot.”

With a sorrowful look, Latricia shook her head.

She still couldn’t accept the sight before her. The woman who had followed Ciela more devoutly than anyone—Tamulana—was tormenting the entire clan under the influence of the evil god Barque.

Because of her alone, the village they had painstakingly nurtured lay in ruins, and her own daughter, Brielle, had been trapped inside Barque’s Prison.

In truth, when Brielle had returned, no one had been happier than Latricia.

She had believed her daughter was lost forever to the humans. What parent wouldn’t rejoice when a child they thought gone forever came home alive?

But the problem was the laws of the High Elves—and the judgment of the others.

As the leader of the High Elves, she had no choice but to treat Brielle sternly and coldly.

Under ordinary circumstances, a High Elf tainted by human influence could never return to the village.

It was an ancient rule of their people.

A High Elf must remain pure.

They must serve Ciela unblemished, untouched, without a single speck of contamination.

That was what set them apart from the other Elven races.

So Latricia had forced herself to treat her long-lost daughter even more harshly.

Her heart had felt like it was being torn apart, but that was the duty of a leader.

But Brielle had not returned alone.

When the sylph Brielle had summoned popped its little head out, she had nearly fainted from shock.

A spirit they believed they would never see again had been reborn on Earth and was living alongside her daughter.

Naturally, the High Elves had erupted.

It was difficult for a spirit to be born at first, but once even one spirit was born, the likelihood of more appearing increased dramatically.

The High Elves born on Earth had never seen a spirit, but every High Elf who had crossed over from Kurayan had once made a contract with one.

They had lived with spirits suited to their nature—but when they came to Earth, those bonds had been severed.

The spirits had vanished along with Kurayan itself.

Those who had crossed over had lived with a profound sense of loss.

For a hundred years, it had felt as though a piece of their own body had gone missing.

Some High Elves had suffered from crippling depression.

Laughter disappeared from the village; silence became their constant companion.

So when Brielle’s spirit revealed itself, the shock had been indescribable.

The older High Elves who had come from Kurayan with Latricia had fallen to their knees and wept.

Her daughter had returned carrying an incredible gift for their people.

Those who had once treated Brielle coldly quickly changed their attitudes and welcomed her home.

It had been the moment Latricia’s worries finally faded.

But no one had expected that the eldest elder of the clan would lose herself to Barque and commit such atrocities.

Latricia cried out.

“Please, come to your senses!”

“Silence, Latricia!”

What came back was Tamulana’s voice, twisted with madness.

Szzzzz!

Dark mana poured from the holy relic, completely overtaking Tamulana.

There was no way to bring her back now, no matter what they did.

“Ahh! Lady Tamulana!”

Tears streamed down Latricia’s face.

Her legs buckled, and she nearly collapsed; the High Elves beside her rushed forward to support her.

At that moment, black energy burst from the necklace around Tamulana’s neck.

KWOAAA!

The temple, already barely holding together, exploded into fragments, and the weakened High Elves were thrown backward like dolls.

Latricia among them.

In their frail state, they couldn’t withstand the power of the relic.

“Aaaah!”

“Ghhk!”

The energy from the relic rapidly invaded their bodies. At this rate, it was only a matter of time before the High Elves were turned into Barque’s thralls.

“Barrier!”

Tesserina unleashed a spell, shielding the High Elves from Barque’s corruption.

Thanks to her, they regained stability.

Tesserina turned to Zeon.

“I can’t keep this up for long. Hurry and finish this.”

“Right.”

Zeon nodded.

‘A dragon, and now a god?’

The only silver lining was that Tamulana hadn’t been consumed by Crassius’s lingering will in the violet gem.

Though, honestly, the difference in danger was negligible.

Both Crassius and a god were catastrophic threats to humanity.

What troubled Zeon was that these entities were awakening around the same time.

Humans believed the past century had been a time of extreme chaos—and that they had finally entered an age of stability.

But they might be wrong.

True chaos might only just be beginning.

“Hoo…”

Letting out a deep breath, Zeon walked toward Tamulana.

He flicked a finger—and dozens of streams of sand shot toward her.

It was Sand Blaster, one of his primary skills.

PABAPABABAT!

But the sand dissipated the instant it hit the divine protection shrouding Tamulana.

Zeon frowned.

The black sand in the High Elf village hadn’t produced his full power.

This place had already been claimed as Barque’s growing domain.

And in an evil god’s territory, the evil god’s strength was naturally amplified.

That was likely the reason the Dark Flowers had bloomed around the village.

“Well, no helping it. If I can’t bite with teeth, I’ll chew with my gums.”

Sand wasn’t Zeon’s only weapon.

FWOOOOSH!

The Inferno Gauntlet strapped to his fist erupted with overwhelming flame.

Improved by Tesserina, the gauntlet had advanced another level.

With this, he could stand toe-to-toe with a Tamulana corrupted by Barque.

Fshht!

Zeon kicked off the ground and shot forward.

His target: Tamulana.

His strike slammed into the divine protection surrounding her.

BOOM!

With a thunderous blast, Tamulana was pushed backward, sliding across the ground. But no wound marked her body.

The blessing had absorbed the impact entirely.

Still, Zeon neither wavered nor faltered.

He had expected as much.

“Hyat!”

With a sharp shout, pure-white fire surged from his hands.

He hurled a pillar of flame toward Tamulana.

KWAANG!

The flame hit her barrier and scattered in all directions.

“Useless. No human can pierce Lady Ciela’s blessing.”

“It’s Barque, not Ciela.”

“Do not try to deceive me with lies. I am a faithful servant of Lady Ciela. I will not be swayed by a mere human.”

Then she summoned them—an overwhelming number of Black Soldiers.

Armed with swords, sabers, and spears, the Black Soldiers arrayed themselves behind her like a dark wall.

They were creatures born of Barque’s power.

Weaker than they had been in Kurayan, yes—but easily strong enough to devour most Awakeners.

“Kill him. All of you!”

The moment her words fell, the Black Soldiers surged toward Zeon like a tidal wave.

A black mass rushing across the ground—an utterly terrifying sight.

Yet Zeon’s face held not a trace of fear.

“If it’s a numbers game, I’ve got some confidence of my own.”

Ssssshhh—

Behind him, subspace opened its maw.

From it burst soldiers made of sand.

Sand Soldiers.

PAPAPAPAT!

Without needing a command, the Sand Soldiers spilled out of subspace and charged the Black Soldiers.

KWA-KWA-KWAM!

Explosions rang out as both Sand Soldiers and Black Soldiers burst apart.

Neither were true living beings.

Both were battle constructs—one born of Zeon’s power, the other of Barque’s.

They felt no pain. Knew no fear.

They simply obeyed their summoner.

THUD!

A Black Soldier shattered a Sand Soldier’s head.

The soldier immediately collapsed into loose sand—but before it even hit the ground, it reformed into a Sand Soldier once more.

The reborn soldier lunged with renewed ferocity.

BOOM!

Its fist pierced a gaping hole through the Black Soldier’s chest.

But even with such a wound, the Black Soldier did not fall.

Expressionless, it turned its head toward the Sand Soldier.

And then the Sand Soldier’s fist struck again.

THUD! THUD!

The Black Soldier’s body shook like a reed—but still it refused to collapse, responding with its own counterattack.

All around them, the same battles unfolded.

A clash between immortal foes.

Neither Sand Soldiers nor Black Soldiers would stop or die unless their summoner perished or their mana ran dry.

KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA!

The battle between the two forces tore the High Elf village apart.

Latricia and the others retreated, unable to even dream of intervening.

“Ahh!”

“The village…”

Tears streamed down the faces of the High Elves as their home turned to ruin.

Tesserina snapped at them.

“Is now really the time to cry? Fools! If you can’t help, then at least don’t get in the way.”

Her voice carried the authority of a dragon.

Diminished, yes—but more than enough to snap the High Elves back to their senses.

Latricia was the first to recover.

“We must destroy the barrier surrounding the village! This domain of Barque puts humans at a disadvantage. Find the core relic and destroy it!”

“Yes, Lady Latricia!”

“Understood!”

The High Elves scattered at once in all directions.

Tesserina spoke to Latricia.

“Go to your daughter. It seems things over there are just as dangerous.”

“Y-you mean… the Great One?”

“It’s not my true body—just a fragment. Don’t expect any help from me. In this form, I can’t handle Barque at all.”

“But—” 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

“Don’t worry. That human will handle it.”

“How can a mere human defeat a god—?”

“That ‘mere human’ killed a dragon.”

“…What?”

“He’s a Dragon Slayer. A weakened god is no match for him. Just trust him—and do what you need to do.”

“I… understand.”

It was difficult to believe. But the one saying it was a dragon.

A dragon had no reason to lie.

Right now, she had no choice but to trust her.

Latricia turned and dashed toward the place where her daughter was trapped, glancing once at Zeon.

He was locked in fierce combat with Tamulana.

‘Please… human. Save my clan and my daughter.’

She prayed with all her heart, hoping her plea would reach Zeon.