Solar Blood Masters (173)

Chapter 173 - Amethyst Silk Scriptures

The twenty-four Gos pieces on the North Druid Chessboard reset themselves. They returned to their starting positions. Then, the entire board shrunk and hovered before Pi Muram like a miniature replica of the grand game they’d just played.

The board projected a holographic image of a figure radiating ancient wisdom and power. It was a colossal spider. Its sixteen legs were adorned with intricate silver bands. He wore flowing robes of purple and gold.

Pi Shivalti.

Pi Muram gasped upon recognizing the legendary figure.

“Pi Shivalti! He’s… he’s alive?!” Lu Jade was stunned.

“No Little Lu! It’s just a… a… residual image, a ghost.”

Their whispers were hushed as Pi Shivalti’s voice resonated through the chamber.

“Greetings, descendant. I am Pi Shivalti, creator of the North Druid Chessboard. For millennia, my essence has lingered within this relic, awaiting a worthy successor. And now… the board has chosen you, Pi Muram.”

His voice, though spectral, had a warmth, a gentle authority that commanded respect.

“You have shown great cunning, great strategic prowess. Your victories reflect your intellect, your dedication to the art of war, to the very essence of a Confucian scholar. And though I commend your achievements on this board, know this, true mastery lies not in victory itself, but in the journey, in the lessons learned, in the wisdom gained through both triumph and defeat.”

He paused and settled his gaze upon Raphael briefly as a silent acknowledgment, before returning to Pi Muram, “Wield this power wisely, descendant. Use it not for personal gain, but for the betterment of your clan, your territory, your world.”

His tone shifted to a hint of caution.

“But be warned… the North Druid Chessboard is a double-edged sword. Its power… it can corrupt. It can consume. It can shatter even the strongest of wills. Guard your heart, Pi Muram. Let not the allure of power blind you to the true path, the path of wisdom and compassion.

And now… my task is complete. The North Druid Chessboard has found its successor. This Marble World… it will collapse. Farewell, descendant. May your reign be long… and prosperous.”

The spectral image faded into the chessboard.

Pi Muram was deeply moved by his ancestor’s words. He carefully stored the board away in his Spatial Inventory.

RUMBLE!

In no time at all, the chamber began to shake.

“Big Brother!” Lu Jade slithered over to Raphael while hissing in worry.

The rumbling intensified. Cracks appeared on the ground. Dust rained down from the walls. Parts of the mountain was collapsing.

“It’s time to leave. This Marble World is falling apart.” Pi Muram warned them urgently.

He vanished in a blink.

“What?!” Raphael was stunned.

“That bastard! He abandoned us!” Lu Jade’s scales flared with anger.

“Big Brother! We have to get out of here!”

…

Above, on the platform, the Amethyst Spiders stared in shock as the Phantom Webs, once an impenetrable barrier, began to fade into thin air.

Pi Muram materialized beside them.

“Emperor! What’s happening?!”

“The Marble World… It's collapsing! Evacuate! Now!”

Pi Muram’s amplified voice reached every corner of the crumbling realm.

The spiders didn't need to be told twice. They abandoned their tasks, their treasures, their wounded comrades, and scrambled towards the exit.

Pi Rong and her unit, deep within a treasure chamber, heard the command.

“Father’s voice…? What’s going on?”

“The Marble World… It's collapsing!” one of her subordinates yelled while rushing towards the exit.

“What?!” Pi Rong was stunned. She looked around at the treasure chamber, its walls lined with chests overflowing with ancient relics, weapons, and scrolls. She'd just begun raiding.

“No! I can’t leave now! We’ve just found…” She trailed off and looked at a magnificent Silk Sword. She’d already claimed it for herself. She wouldn't leave it behind!

“Commander! We have to go! Now!”

Her unit grabbed her and started pulling her towards the exit.

“No! Let me go! I can’t leave now!”

But her protests were lost in the rumbling chaos.

…

Within Rabbit Ear Mountain, Raphael spread his massive black wings.

“Let’s go, Little Lu.”

Lu Jade coiled himself around Raphael’s horns.

They ascended while observing the chaotic scene unfolding below.

Mountains crumbled. Caves collapsed. The earth split open, revealing swirling vortexes of purple energy that were starting to glow with an intensity that had Raphael shielding his eyes.

“Big Brother! We should get out of here! NOW!”

“Right. Electro Speed…”

Raphael coated himself in yellow lightning, preparing to dash towards the portal.

But suddenly…

His Abyss Nylon began acting strangely.

It constricted, pulling at his limbs, his wings, his horns.

He stumbled, falling back to the ground.

“Big Brother! What are you doing?!”

“It’s not me, Little Lu! It’s this…”

Raphael struggled to regain control of his Abyss Nylon. It was twisting and turning, coiling around him like a living thing.

“Big Brother, we have to hurry! If we’re trapped here, we’ll be consumed by Void Wrath!”

“Void Wrath?” Raphael had never heard of it.

“It’s… it’s like… a… a… cosmic vacuum cleaner. It devours everything! Every Marble World is established within the Void and protected by a membrane which also prevents it from colliding with other worlds. But when a Marble World is destroyed, that protective membrane also vanishes, and Void Wrath comes rushing in and cleans up. We have to go before those walls of darkness appear! It devours everything!”

Lu Jade’s explanation had Raphael even more worried and frustrated with his current predicament.

“I’m trying, Little Lu! I’m trying! But this…”

Suddenly, a large, violet clam, the size of Raphael’s palm, emerged from his Abyss Nylon.

“What the hell…?”

The Abyss Nylon settled down.

“So… that was causing the issue?” Raphael stared at the clam. “Why did it come out all of a sudden?”

“What is that, Big Brother? A clam?” Lu Jade’s emerald eyes widened in curiosity.

Raphael remembered the red rift back in the Dark Swamp Gorge. ‘Hmmm… that clam came from… within that place. I’d almost forgotten about it. Why has it appeared now?’

The clam began to ascend.

It opened its mouth and started absorbing the crumbling Marble World. Dust, rocks, trees, even entire mountains vanished into its gaping maw. It had a dreadful hunger that had even the Phantom Webs in the sky trembling.

Lu Jade and Raphael watched in shock.

“It’s… eating the world!”

“What the hell… is going on?!”

The rumbling intensified.

And from the corners of the world, sixteen large objects began rising from the earth. They seemed to be attached to the Phantom Webs, for as they ascended, the webs stretched and thinned, straining under their weight.

The objects resembled… colossal spider legs.

“Could those be… the legendary legs of Pi Shivalti?!” Lu Jade exclaimed.

“Pi Shivalti’s legs?” Raphael was puzzled.

“Yes, Big Brother! It’s an ancient myth! They say Pi Shivalti used to transport entire mountains! He’d capture them with his webs, then use his sixteen legs to carry them across the world! Imagine! What a feat of strength!”

As they watched, the clam continued its feast, bringing closer and closer those sixteen legs.

“Big Brother! Quickly! Capture those legs! They’re legendary treasures! Maybe you can even bargain with Pi Muram to get the Amethyst Silk Scriptures!”

Raphael didn’t hesitate. He flew upwards, and with his Abyss Nylon, lassoed the sixteen legs, and pulled them away from the clam’s gaping maw. He dragged them into his wings. They were heavy, but he managed.

BOOM!

Just then, the membrane protecting this world began to tear open!

A vortex of pure darkness appeared.

Void Wrath!

It was a horrifying sight.

“Come on!” Raphael yelled at the clam. But it simply ignored him and continued its feast.

“Fine! Stay here!”

Raphael turned and flew toward the portal.

He and Lu Jade burst through the opening just as the rift closed, trapping the remnants of Pi Shivalti’s Marble World within its chaotic embrace.

…

Raphael landed face-first on the hard stone floor with a jarring thud that sent dust and debris swirling. Lu Jade tumbled off his horns, landing with a soft ‘oof’ in a nearby pile of sand.

They were back in Pi Muram’s underground base.

Behind them, the Skybridge Dais, once a gateway to another world, exploded into chunks of glowing runes and fragmented stones.

“Cough…cough…” Raphael pushed himself up, spitting out dirt. He felt something coarse and strangely warm beneath him.

He looked down.

He was lying on top of the violet clam.

‘How… How did it get here? Didn’t I leave it behind…?’ He was puzzled, but his thoughts were interrupted by the clicking of claws.

Pi Rong stood before him. Her multiple eyes narrowed.

“What took you so long, bull? I thought the Void Wrath had gobbled you up.”

Raphael stood, brushing off the dirt. “So, you were worried about me? How sweet.”

“Hmph. As if.” Pi Rong scoffed and turned to leave, almost stepping on Lu Jade.

“Hey! Watch where you’re stepping!” Lu Jade hissed, spitting out sand. He slithered over to Raphael.

“That clam… When did you bring it?”

“I’m as confused as you are, Little Lu. But it doesn’t matter now.”

Raphael absorbed the clam into his Abyss Nylon. He then glanced around, searching for Pi Muram.

“Where’s your father?” he asked Pi Rong.

She shrugged. “I’m not your information source, bull. Shouldn’t you be more concerned about your own survival, with those dangerous abilities you wield?”

Her words were laced with sarcasm.

Raphael scowled. He was about to lash out when a voice echoed from a chamber down the hall.

“I’m inside. Come see me.”

“So there’s that,” Raphael shot a smug look at Pi Rong as he walked past her. Just as he did, she casually spanked his backside with one of her legs and snickered.

Raphael paused.

“What’s her deal?” he whispered to Lu Jade, confused.

“Big Brother… Maybe… she’s smitten by you.” Lu Jade suggested while smiling mischievously.

“No way! A spider… and a bull? Ugh…” Raphael shuddered and hurried towards the chamber.

Inside, he found Pi Muram hanging from the ceiling.

Below him, a huge cocoon of amethyst webs glowed.

“Raphael,” Pi Muram’s voice was calm. “I must thank you for your assistance back at Rabbit Ear Mountain. You helped me earn the North Druid Chessboard. My ancestor’s spirit… it finally recognized me as a worthy successor.”

His tone shifted.

“However… your power… your human appearance… they were… baffling. That transformation… It wasn’t simply a regression. What is your relationship with the Bloodthornes? Their Solar Blood Spirits… their bloodline abilities…”

Even Lu Jade was staring at Raphael now, wondering about his brother’s true origins.

Sensing their curiosity, Raphael decided to shift the conversation.

“I’ll explain later. Right now… you have a bargain to fulfill. I helped you repair the Skybridge Dais. I assisted you in claiming the North Druid Chessboard. My compensation… It’s overdue.”

“I agree, Pi Muram.” Lu Jade added. “You promised the Amethyst Silk Scriptures. Now… hand them over.”

Pi Muram hesitated. He wanted to pry further, to uncover Raphael’s secrets. But the bull’s words… they held a certain truth. He had upheld his end of the bargain.

With a sigh, Pi Muram began weaving.

Suspended in the air, his legs moved with a mesmerizing, almost hypnotic grace. His spinnerets unleashed streams of purple silk, weaving, manipulating, disentangling the webs of the cocoon below him.

Within minutes, the cocoon dissolved.

And there, nestled within a bed of soft silk… lay the Amethyst Silk Scriptures.

It resembled a large hourglass, tapered in the middle with bulbous ends. Its surface was glossy and purple. Within its translucent depths, countless white threads danced and intertwined.

“So, that’s the Amethyst Silk Scriptures?” Raphael’s gaze was captivated by its beauty, its power.

He reached out to grasp it.

But Pi Muram stopped him.

“I’m only lending it to you, Raphael. You must return it… after Sindoll is finished with it.”

“How… How did you know it was Sindoll who’s going to use it?” Raphael was stunned.

“I have my ways, Raphael. Now… take it… and go.”

“Yes! Thank you! Thank you very much!” Raphael grinned. He was satisfied. His mission was almost complete.

He activated ‘Black Pool’, and the Amethyst Silk Scriptures vanished into its depths.

He turned and left the chamber with Lu Jade slithering close behind.

Pi Muram’s eyes followed them suspiciously.

‘That bull… he’s not what he seems…’