Death… And Me

Chapter 4354: Too Good

As Arcis approached, he noticed a half-buried object with a deep golden color and a powerful energy radiating from within. Even before reaching it, he could already feel the terrifying amount of power contained inside. The closer he got, the more certain he became of what he was looking at.

Finally, he carefully pulled it free from the dirt and rubble.

”A Godly Crystal...”

The moment it was fully revealed, Arcis felt his feathers tremble involuntarily. The energy contained inside was simply unbelievable. He had seen many Godly Crystals throughout his life, ranging from ordinary ones to those obtained from powerful Godly Horror Creatures. Yet none of them came remotely close to this one.

In fact, it took several seconds before Arcis realized he was staring blankly at the crystal.

Only then did he notice that he had even started drooling.

The best crystal he had ever seen before was a Godly Horror Crystal. Compared to the crystal now resting in his hands, however, even that seemed insignificant.

The last Godly Horror Crystal Arcis had personally seen was the one obtained from the Godly Horror he fought during the defense of Terno Dore Country. That crystal was also the only Godly Horror Crystal Besgol kept for itself. All the others had been distributed among the Law Gods who came to assist the region during the war.

Yet the crystal in front of him was clearly something else entirely.

Eventually, Arcis snapped out of his trance. The excitement in his eyes quickly faded, replaced by a growing sense of fear.

”The owner of this thing...” His voice trailed off as he stared at the crystal. ”The owner of this thing was definitely not something I could even dream of defeating.”

The realization sent a chill down his back.

Whatever creature had produced such a crystal had been unimaginably powerful. More importantly, that creature was dead. Not only dead, but apparently annihilated by an attack powerful enough to leave behind a crater hundreds of kilometers wide.

Arcis immediately expanded his Celestial Sense once more, carefully scanning every inch of the surrounding area. If something capable of killing the crystal’s owner was still nearby, then he and everyone accompanying him would be dead before they even realized what was happening.

Fortunately, there was nothing. Nothing at all.

That only made the situation stranger.

Normally, a crystal of this caliber would have attracted countless Godly Creatures. They would have thrown themselves at each other without hesitation, fighting to the death for even a chance to absorb a fraction of its energy. Yet the surrounding territory remained completely empty.

Not a single Godly Creature could be found.

Arcis looked around the crater again before his gaze returned to the crystal.

”It’s the lingering power inside this crater,” he concluded. ”It is concealing the crystal’s existence.”

That was the only explanation that made sense.

The residual power left behind by the explosion not only suppressed Godly Pressure and frightened nearby Godly Creatures, but it also seemed capable of masking the crystal’s presence. Otherwise, the area would already have become a battlefield.

As Arcis continued examining the crystal, time passed without him noticing. Meanwhile, the scouts accompanying him began to grow concerned.

When several minutes turned into much longer than expected, they finally decided to enter the crater themselves. Following Arcis’ energy signature, they eventually found him standing near the center.

”Senior Arcis!”

The shout immediately pulled Arcis out of his thoughts. Only then did he remember that he wasn’t alone. Without hesitation, he stored the crystal out of sight and raised his wing.

”Don’t come any closer!”

The sudden order caused everyone to stop immediately. They looked at each other in confusion. ”Is everything okay, Senior?”

Arcis nodded. ”I’m fine. But I need all of you to leave the crater and keep watch outside. I’ll be there shortly.”

Although they didn’t understand the reason, none of them questioned his command. They quickly turned around and retreated, leaving Arcis alone once more.

After confirming they had gone far enough, Arcis looked back at the crystal. His expression became complicated.

He would be lying if he said he hadn’t considered keeping it for himself.

This crystal alone might be enough to support several breakthroughs. Even for a Law God like him, such an opportunity might never appear again during his entire life.

For a brief moment, the temptation was overwhelming.

Then he sighed.

”No...”

He slowly shook his head.

Arcis had lived long enough to know where such thoughts led.

How many regions had fallen because powerful cultivators placed themselves above everything else? How many organizations had collapsed from internal greed? The reason regions like Besgol still existed was because, when it truly mattered, their strongest experts chose the survival of the region over their personal gains. The regions that didn’t do that have long since disappeared.

If every Law God only thought about himself, Besgol would have ceased to exist long ago. ”Let’s bring it back to Tobao so we can decide what to do with it.”

With that decision made, Arcis immediately sent the crystal into his Spatial Collar.

*Crack... crack... crack...*

His eyes instantly widened.

Without even thinking, he pulled the crystal and all his possessions back out.

A second later...

*Crack!*

*Plang!*

The Spatial Collar shattered into countless pieces.

Arcis froze.

For a moment, he simply stared at the broken fragments scattered across the ground.

Then a look of pain appeared on his face.

That collar had been incredibly expensive. It was one of the highest-quality Spatial Collars available in the entire Besgol Region. Yet it had broken almost immediately after the crystal was placed inside.

Fortunately, he owned a second one, although its quality was somewhat lower.

After equipping the replacement collar, Arcis carefully stored all his belongings again, leaving only the crystal outside.

”This is definitely not just a Godly Apex Crystal.”

Godly Apexes were fifth-level Godly Creatures. Arcis had never encountered one personally, nor had he ever seen a Godly Apex Crystal. Even so, he was certain that his previous Spatial Collar should have been capable of containing one.

Since it had failed so completely, there could only be one conclusion.

The crystal belonged to something far beyond a Godly Apex.

”What do we do now...” Arcis frowned deeply. There was no way he would attempt to carry such a crystal all the way back to Besgol without a proper Spatial Container.

The moment he started moving with it exposed, every Godly Creature in the surrounding territories would eventually sense it. Even a Law God could not fight endlessly. Given enough time, he would be overwhelmed.

Trying to transport it directly would be suicide. ”Seems like Tobao will have to come here himself.”

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable that solution became. Besides, if they truly intended to establish an outpost here in the future, Tobao would likely need to inspect the area personally anyway.

In the end, Arcis dug a deep hole and carefully buried the crystal once more. After memorizing the exact location, he covered everything and erased any obvious traces of disturbance before flying back toward his companions.

The scouts immediately gathered around him as Arcis looked at them before giving a series of orders. ”I need some of you to return to Besgol. Donas, you’ll lead them.”

Donas stepped forward at once. As a Zone God Demon Beast from the same race as Arcis, he was someone Arcis trusted completely. ”Bring this message to Tobao and make sure only Tobao receives it.”

Arcis handed him a small card. Donas accepted it and stored it away. ”Understood, Senior. I’ll leave immediately. What about you?”

Arcis shook his head. ”I’ll be staying. I want to continue investigating this place and make sure there are no hidden dangers.”

His gaze drifted briefly toward the center of the crater before returning to Donas.

”Now go.”

Donas nodded and immediately gathered a small group. Moments later, they departed at full speed toward Besgol.

As for Arcis, he remained behind and ordered everyone else to avoid the center of the crater. The risks were still unknown, and until Tobao arrived, he wasn’t willing to let anyone approach the area carelessly.

With nothing else to do, Arcis could only wait.

Sooner or later, Tobao would come personally, and only then would they decide what to do with the mysterious crystal hidden beneath the crater.