Abyssal Chronicles

Chapter 708 - 709: The Manipulated Chess Piece

"Miss Tania? What are you talking about?"

As the words of the blonde girl echoed in his ears, Asar seemed to be struck by lightning, standing there dumbfounded, looking at the girl in front of him with disbelief, even doubting his own ears.

Faced with Asar’s question, Tania slightly tilted her head, and spoke very considerately, word by word.

"I’m saying, what you should hate is the Goddess."

This simple answer instantly shattered the doubts in Asar’s heart.

For a moment, Asar held his breath, as if still unable to recover from this shocking statement.

After all, in Asar’s view, the other party was a priest of the Asumos religion, a follower of the Goddess. How could a follower of the Goddess utter such blasphemous words?!

’And, hate the Goddess?!’

’Why should one hate the Goddess?’

’What, what is this person thinking?’

In shock, a strong confusion continuously bombarded Asar’s mind.

Taking a deep breath, Asar asked tentatively.

"Miss Tania, are you serious?"

"Do I look like I’m joking?"

Stretching out her hand to lift Asar’s chin, Tania asked rhetorically with a playful tone. Not only that, Tania continued with her astonishing words.

"Not just you, strictly speaking, everyone on the Continent should despise that Goddess. If it weren’t for the Goddess, the Abyssal Demons wouldn’t have reappeared in this world, and the Black Rose family wouldn’t exist anymore."

As she spoke, Tania’s light golden eyes filled with a strong murderous aura. Combined with her sharp gaze and the hidden chill in her tone, Asar came to a definite conclusion.

— "She’s serious." —

"Why do you say that?"

"Little brother, do you know? Our respected Goddess is not as kind and loving as we think. She is quite cruel. For one purpose, she has created a so-called trial in our world."

"A trial? What are you talking about?"

Asar pretended not to understand and shook his head repeatedly.

Unfortunately, Tania didn’t pay attention to him but continued to explain, her smile revealing a bone-chilling coldness.

"In this trial, all of us, regardless of our strength or status, are the Goddess’s playthings."

"..."

"The trial that the Goddess has set up is essentially a game. The main mission of this game is to cultivate the Chosen Ones to repel the Abyssal Demons. Do you know? After defeating the demon race, we could have enjoyed a peaceful and happy life, living and working in peace and contentment, without fear of threats from the north, without worrying about being devoured by the Abyssal Demons, and without the fear of the impending catastrophic prophecy. However, to create a suitable background for the trial, the Goddess deliberately released the Abyssal Demons into this world, erasing peace and bringing fear and death to us."

"Miss Tania?"

"It’s precisely because of the Goddess’s heartless and reckless actions that over the years, countless species have been exterminated, tens of millions of people have lost their lives, and numerous cities and ancient relics have been destroyed in an instant. If it weren’t for the Goddess’s permission, little brother Asar, you wouldn’t have to worry every day about being killed by the Abyssal Demons, or being devoured alive by the Black Rose family…"

"Wait! Wait!"

As Tania’s bold words continued to echo in his ears, Asar, feeling very odd, couldn’t help but shake his head and wave his hands to interrupt Tania’s speech.

"Miss Tania, could you perhaps have some misunderstanding about the Goddess?!"

However, Tania didn’t directly answer Asar’s question. Instead, under Asar’s astonished gaze, she gently held the young boy’s confused face and asked him a meaningful question.

"Little brother Asar, why do you think there are so many Abyssal Demons in the North?"

"It’s because of the Demon Temple’s existence, right? The Demon Temple left by the Demon Lord continuously releases the shadow power, infecting everything around it, and eventually turning the Cold Winter Forest into a paradise for Abyssal Demons."

Asar said softly, as this was his understanding of the origin of the Northern Abyssal Demons.

"Hehe…"

Hearing Asar’s answer, Tania gave a cold laugh, with a "just as I thought" expression of coldness on her face.

"Since the Demon Temple caused the appearance of the Abyssal Demons and led to the current natural disasters in the North, then smart little brother, why do you think the Goddess didn’t just destroy the Demon Temple and eradicate this biggest threat to the continent? Why not ensure eternal peace for this world?"

"Because, after the Goddess fought with the demon lord, she was gravely injured and greatly weakened. She had to leave this world and was thus powerless to destroy the Demon Temple..."

"How naive, little brother. Maybe she was injured, but the Goddess’s strength was hardly affected. After that great battle, the Goddess didn’t immediately leave the Ancita Continent but traveled around the continent for several years. During this time, the Goddess used her power to perform miracles, such as reconstructing the ecological environment of the continent. Does this seem like someone whose power is diminished? If you don’t believe me, I can show you the ancient texts passed down by the Church, which have records of this. Not only our church but even the underground archives of the Red Leaf Empire have corresponding records. Numerous pieces of evidence show that the Goddess still retained her powerful strength then and was more than capable of destroying the demon lord’s relics [Demon Temple]"

"This…"

Asar bit his lip, looking conflicted as he lowered his head.

Although Tania hadn’t shown any concrete evidence yet, her well-structured argument caused a slight wavering in Asar’s heart.

But soon, Asar shook his head frantically to calm his restless mind.

"Maybe the Goddess didn’t know about the Demon Temple’s existence? After all, the Goddess defeated the demon lord over three thousand years ago, right? And the Demon Temple and the appearance of the Northern Abyssal Demons happened only about eight hundred years ago, right? It’s not impossible that the cunning demon lord hid something, right?"

"Yes, most people would think that way."

Tania smiled and nodded, not upset by Asar’s rebuttal.

She knew from the beginning that the Chosen One would not easily believe her words.

’However, what does it matter if he doesn’t believe?’

’In the face of reality, how long can you hold on?’

Although she still maintained a kind and sweet smile, a chilling and eerie light had already unknowingly emerged in Tania’s pale golden eyes. The blonde girl shook her head as if puzzled:

"Ah, so you see, you’ve all been deceived."

"What do you mean?"

"To be precise, the first Abyssal Demon of this era was recorded to have appeared 839 years ago at noon. And the day before this Abyssal Demon appeared and launched its attack, a significant event happened on the continent – the Goddess descended into the Cold Winter Forest."

"What are you saying?!"

As these words reached his ears, Asar could no longer sit still. He jumped up, supporting himself on the table, and stared at Tania in disbelief;

"The Goddess appeared in the forest too?!"

"Yes, the Goddess not only appeared in the Winter Forest, but she also used her powerful divine power within the forest. At that time, the terrifying fluctuations could be felt for miles around. What do you think the Goddess suddenly appearing in the Cold Winter Forest meant? Was she intending to destroy the Demon Temple? If so, why is the Demon Temple still intact to this day? Moreover, the day after the Goddess’s descent, the Abyssal Demons attacked human villages."

"..."

"Hehe, I know it’s hard for you to believe what I’m saying, but, all of this is true."

Saying this,

A series of pale golden lights gently rippled in Tania’s palm, and a precious, rare magic stone used for recording videos suddenly appeared in her hand. Then, without sparing any expense, Tania handed this invaluable item to Asar.

"This is a secret stored within our church, recording the major event that happened in the Northern region 800 years ago. If you don’t believe it, you can take a good look…"

Staring intently at the magic stone in his palm, Asar’s pupils trembled continuously.

Vaguely, he seemed to have guessed something.

Taking a deep breath, to deny the blasphemous thoughts in his mind, Asar activated the communication magic stone. A historical scene filled with the sense of time unfolded before the eyes of the new Chosen One...

...

As these images continuously surged into his mind, Asar’s expression became serious.

And almost at the same moment,

Tania slowly leaned over to Asar’s side and whispered in his ear:

"I know you don’t want to believe it, but this is the truth. The Demon Temple was activated by the Goddess herself. Frankly speaking, all the disasters and tragedies related to the Abyssal Demons in this world today, their chief culprit is our respected Goddess. But no matter how many people die, the Goddess won’t care. She only cares about the Chosen Ones"

"..."

Seemingly thinking of something, Tania shook her head somewhat helplessly and patted Asar’s shoulder meaningfully:

"Oh, it’s not quite right to say Chosen Ones. Strictly speaking, what the Goddess really cares about is the Girl of Destiny... Even the Son of Destiny selected by divine power is nothing more than a chess piece for the Goddess. A piece that can be discarded at any time."