Chapter 634: The Missing Millennium
A Sense of Foreboding
Under the leaden, thick clouds, a small hill stood isolated. Clark stood at its summit, gazing blankly across the endless black plains.
A deadly silence pervaded the area. Other than vengeful spirits and slowly shuffling stitched-up monsters, one occasionally spotted venomous insects.
This was the Underworld: desolate, vast, and steeped in hopeless decay.
"I don't like it here at all."
"Me neither," J'onn nodded in agreement. "Though, this adventure has been quite interesting, provided we can get back."
Diana rolled her eyes dismissively.
"What if we can't go back?"
"If we have to live here forever, I'd rather just die."
"This is the Underworld. Even if you die, your soul won't find release."
"Well, that's just awful."
"Clark, what are you thinking about?"
Superman gently shook his head. "I'm just worried. Anubis vanished after he brought us here, and he hasn't shown up since. Is he just going to let us wander?"
"There was something wrong with that guy's body."
"He's dead," J'onn added. "I can't sense any psychic presence from him. He's like a corpse."
Clark said gravely, "Anubis is the Egyptian God of Death, yet he ended up like that. And the seats in the Rock of Eternity—seven seats, each representing a divine system. That means for thousands of years, Earth had many Gods, at least hundreds, and now they've all disappeared."
"Why did this happen? Don't you find that strange?"
Diana fell silent in contemplation. After a long pause, she spoke slowly,
"The place I was born is called Themyscira, inhabited by the Amazonian Warriors. The archives at the Rock of Eternity record that the ancient Amazon was once a very powerful nation. Then, for unknown reasons, they all died. The remaining people were brought to Themyscira by Zeus, sealed there by magic, and isolated from the world. That's how they survived."
J'onn asked curiously, "When did that happen?"
"Five thousand years ago."
Clark continued, "Have you noticed that in our existing historical records, the oldest accounts barely go back four thousand years? The one thousand years in between are completely blank. Also, Shazam—he's been inside the Rock of Eternity for so long. Why hasn't he left?"
"It's not just them. Atlantis in the sea is the same," Diana added. "Like the Amazons, the Atlanteans once ruled the land before fleeing to the seabed. Their civilization only began to flourish again four thousand years ago."
"So, all these races experienced a one thousand year gap."
"As far as we can tell, yes."
A civilizational gap, the disappearance of the Gods, a thousand years of blank history, followed by their current new life. Putting all these facts together, something felt fundamentally wrong.
"What kind of event do you think could cause a one thousand year gap?"
"A century could be explained, but a millennium must have been caused by an external factor."
Diana said with a solemn tone, "Are you suggesting that the Earth was once ruled by a species that even the Gods feared, and only after that species left did human civilization manage to thrive?"
J'onn shook his head. "I was just speculating. Don't take it too seriously."
As a Martian, he wasn't personally invested in Earth's history, but if it represented a potential danger, it was certainly worth attention.
"Someone's coming."
Clark suddenly spoke, his gaze fixed on the sky above.
The Dragonhold Hunt
Beneath the black clouds, several winged monsters were flying toward their location at great speed.
The trio quickly concealed themselves and only emerged after the monsters had passed. Yet, soon after, more monsters appeared. This time, they were Spider-Men, with human-like torsos and spider lower bodies. Their skin was pitch black and virtually invisible without close inspection.
Each Spider-Man was followed by a swarm of small spiders. They lingered over the plain, apparently searching for something.
Seeing this, the three grew uneasy.
Their suspicion was confirmed. A huge black shadow swept across the sky, and various monsters descended, commencing a systematic search of the ground.
"It's the Dragonhold forces," Diana said grimly. "What are they looking for? Is it us?"
"It couldn't be anyone else."
"When is Luke coming back?"
"We still have about an hour before the agreed time."
"No, we can't stay here. If we wait any longer, they'll surely find us."
"Where can we go?"
This was a realistic problem. The Underworld was vast but completely foreign to them. They had no familiar places to retreat to.
"Let's move first, and we'll figure it out as we go."
"What about Luke?"
"He can locate the armor's position. He'll find us."
Hearing this, the three didn't hesitate. They flashed away, rapidly fleeing into the distance. Sonic booms cracked in the sky. By the time the monsters reacted, the trio had vanished without a trace.
Not long after, the alerted Akorn arrived at the hill, followed by the five Three-Eyed Imps.
One of the Imps grabbed some soil and put it in its mouth. After chewing, its three eyes immediately glowed.
"Such powerful life force, such a delicious smell."
"Even the scent is so fragrant. If I could just take a bite of their flesh..."
"Enough," Akorn said impatiently. "Where are they?"
The Imp raised a withered hand. "That way."
"Pursue!"
Akorn took the lead, with the others close behind. Meanwhile, the sorcerers continuously conjured portals in the void. Aided by the portals, they spotted the three heroes in just ten minutes.
"Stop them!"
The Shadow Wraith Legion transformed into ethereal shadows, rapidly moving through the soil. Their speed was even faster than Diana's full-speed flight. Upon catching up to the trio, they immediately attacked.
Shadow Wraiths are special creatures, somewhere between a physical and a soul body, capable of switching between solid and ethereal forms. Their attacks are versatile, able to harm both the body and the soul.
Realizing they couldn't shake off their pursuers, Diana abruptly stopped. She drew the Sword of Hephaestus and slashed at the Wraith's head.
Whoosh!
The blade passed right through the creature's body. The Wraith sneered, opened its mouth wide, and unleashed a soul shockwave. Suddenly, a red beam of light struck it from above, instantly blasting it into ash.
Red light emanated from J'onn's eyes, sweeping the energy beams up, down, and across. Clark took a deep breath and unleashed a cold breath that instantly froze the Shadow Wraiths into blocks of ice.
Diana raised her sword and forcefully slammed it against her shield.
Boom!
A shockwave rippled through the air. The frozen Wraiths shattered one after another, falling from the sky as shards of ice.
The Shadow Wraiths were Dragonhold's elite unit, unbeatable on the battlefield, having claimed the lives of countless powerhouses. Yet, they were as fragile as glass before the three heroes.
Akorn was shocked and furious. He waved his hand.
"Encircle them! Do not let them escape!"
The Half-Dragon Legion charged first, followed by the Demon Lizards and Dark Spiders. The sorcerers chanted, weaving magic arrays around the heroes, intending to seal off their retreat routes.
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