Chapter 140: The True Parristol

"According to Judith, that mysterious man likely did teleport away. But teleportation magic usually only high-level mages can accomplish. Plus, we didn't see him cast any spells."

"Even the most elite earth mages would find it difficult to reach that level of mastery!" 

Yulanda expressed some skepticism.

"...Not only is he skilled in magic, but his physical prowess equals high-ranking warriors too. Is he really human?"

Though he appeared human, his other abilities seemed distinctly inhuman.

"Actually, it's more than just magic. Don't forget those moves he used against Feliciana's group - they gave me a strong sense of deja vu! As if..."

With Yulanda's support, Brennan added uncertainly,

"As if he were like me!"

"Demon Taming, right? So you noticed too! That Dark Devouring Dragon was no weaker than the Phoenix - a rare sixth-tier dark elemental monster even in the Dark Continent. His ability to command such beasts already proves the point, only..."

Judith immediately revealed the truth, but her expression showed some helplessness and confusion.

"Though I didn't witness it myself, that man gave me a sense I've heard of him somewhere before..."

"Who is he?"

Could he really be human? I was stunned. If so, he must be an extremely powerful Battle Qi expert. But such experts supposedly can't use magic, so how did he teleport? 

Since the "Eye of Galadra" was confiscated by Edenmere, I couldn't think of any way he could have silently fled the battlefield, unless the monsters got new equipment.

"Reed, can you still contact Mia?"

But rather than answer me, Judith suddenly changed the subject after a moment's thought.

"Of course, we agreed to get in touch once she reached Crescent City. Judging by the time, it shouldn't be long now."

Reed nodded confidently after some calculation.

"That's great, I may need her help researching some materials in the archives. Could you relay that for me?"

Judith breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. Unable to use the "Spiritual Convergence" spell, she had to resort to this roundabout method. Fortunately, their recent collaboration on refining the teleportation circle had built up some rapport between them, so Reed readily agreed without hesitation.

"What's this about? Does it have to do with that guy earlier?" 

The ever-curious Cyra sidled over. Still recovering from being pummeled into the ground earlier, she continuously cast healing spells.

"Yes, I do suspect..."

Just as Judith was about to explain, the trembling ground suddenly intensified!

A deafening "rumble" ensued as trees violently shook and boulders rained down cliffs, a scene of apocalypse. Caught off guard, we nearly lost our footing.

"What's happening? Why is the quake growing so intense? Didn't they say it would only affect the Parristol area?" 

I flapped my wings frantically to stabilize myself, shouting in alarm.

"You misunderstood! There's no proof of that claim. Even the earlier quake had faint tremors outside the city. And don't forget, the seal has been undone!"

Reed corrected me, taking to the air like me as standing grew too difficult.

"Think about it the other way - if the tremors are this severe here, you can imagine Parristol..."

"Adrian..."

I thought of the Chromos Tower still standing in Parristol's center. Unless something happened, Adrian should be there now. 

Not that I worried for his safety in this quake. But as Parristol's new king cooperating with monsters, Adrian must know the consequences of that mysterious man breaking the seal!

Wasn't Parristol the Loren Family's legacy spanning thousands of years? Why would he allow its destruction? I feared even the Chromos Tower, Parristol's last landmark, might not survive such severe quaking.

"Is the Demon God going to appear? What should we do next, flee?"

Cyra hovered, looking bewildered as she asked Yulanda. With the increasing instability and boulders raining from peaks into Lake Ditaam, the ground grew too hazardous. So we angels decided to evacuate everyone into the air for now, each carrying one human - still manageable for the moment.

"But these sounds seem off. The rumblings from Parristol are getting louder!"

Judith shook her head doubtfully. As she said, the situation here at Lake Sun was relatively better - most of the rumbling came from the Parristol area south of the peaks. Completely unlike normal quake noises.

From my perspective, it sounded like dozens of excavators operating at high capacity right next to my ears - deafening, as if mayhem had erupted over there. 

"Could some Demon God really be trying to dig its way out?"

I naturally didn't believe Cyra's nonsense. But these noises clearly fell outside normal quake parameters. Plus, this was lasting abnormally long!

The best way to satisfy our curiosity was to fly over and see for ourselves. It wasn't far, and I wanted to understand what Adrian and the monsters were up to anyway.

Without further ado, I dragged Brennan and flew straight toward our previous path. But the sight that greeted us left me stunned, doubting my own eyes.

The sunken basin holding Parristol City had risen from the center! As if some massive domed object was trying to emerge from underground. The original city structures and foundations had been utterly demolished, with barely any intact ground surface remaining. Rubble continuously slid down the slopes to the outskirts, piling up like mountains - a devastating scene! 

Only the Chromos Tower stubbornly remained standing at the center, seemingly the focal point of this upheaval. 

"No way? Could I have been right? It really looks like something is struggling to crawl out from underground!" 

Catching up, Cyra gasped at the sight, turning to Reed and Judith behind. 

"What kind of monster was sealed under Parristol?"

"No, it doesn't seem like any monster!" 

Staring at the scene, a flash of insight seemed to strike me as key details gradually emerged through the crevices above - it looked like...

Finally, with the Chromos Tower's last peal, the massive buried object shed its final restraints, bursting fully into view -

It was a massive city! Filled with towering skyscrapers, lakes, parks - stunningly beautiful and grand. It sat atop an immense circular base roughly matching this basin's area. Above it arched a translucent hemispherical barrier gradually rising with thunderous rumbling into the sky.

"No...way...A sky city?"

We all gaped open-mouthed in disbelief at this revelation none could have foreseen. The city's tallest central structure reflected the morning sun from its spire in a blinding glare - 

The Chromos Tower! What we'd seen in Parristol was merely its upper third jutting out, with the vast remainder buried underground until now fully revealed.

"So...magnificent! Is this the real Parristol? Likely an ancient ruin, but incredibly well-preserved to still function! No...the architecture suggests a later era..."

Judith stammered out her impressions. Indeed, many structures resembled the central city we saw in the trial space, yet with notable differences. Beyond just ancient origins, I spotted architectural flourishes reminiscent of Edenmere too - perhaps a human creation after angelkind's emergence.

Its remarkable preservation was surely thanks to that barrier. As for whether civic amenities and other urban functions remained operational - who knew? 

None of us imagined millennia-old Parristol concealed such a behemoth underground. We stood dumbfounded for a long while before the quaking finally ceased as the city rose into the sky.

We landed on our previous campsite, now littered with debris but still viable shelter. The city's departure left a massive "bottomless" pit where the basin used to be.

A chilly wind blew through, filling us with profound awe...