Chapter 601: The Reincarnated Hawkman
A Fateful Reunion
The moment the golden-winged figure appeared on the roof, the young man in the basement seemed to sense him and looked upward.
"Six hundred years! You finally appeared! I've been looking for you for so long."
Powerful magical energy surged through the basement. The young man leaped up, penetrating the floor, and landed on the roof. Looking at the figure who was both familiar and strange, he greeted him with a trembling voice:
"Long time no see, Prince Khufu."
Carter Hall turned his head, his eyes showing confusion mixed with shock.
"Hasshett?"
The young man cackled. "Compared to your previous reincarnations, you are smarter this time; you actually recognize me.
Carter Hall's face darkened as he slowly drew the mace from his back.
The young man continued,
"From the original Prince Khufu until now, you have gone through seven reincarnations. Each time, you and Chay-Ara die by my hand. This time will be no exception, Your Highness. Anubis is calling you; it's time to go. Don't worry, after you die, I will treat Chay-Ara well and give her the most wonderful experience."
"Shut up!"
Carter Hall spread his wings and rapidly charged forward.
Hasshett chanted a spell. The scepter swelled instantly, transforming into a giant Cobra King over sixty meters long. Palm-sized scales shimmered darkly in the sunlight, and its fangs were longer than a man's arm.
Destruction of the Monastery
The sudden appearance of the Cobra King caused immediate chaos. Tourists in the courtyard screamed in terror and fled. People affected by the commotion rushed out of their rooms and were stunned into silence upon seeing the colossal beast coiled on the roof.
The largest snake in the world is only a dozen meters long, yet this Cobra King was nearly seventy. Its huge body, dark scales, and terrifying fangs all spoke of its horror.
The chaos quickly escalated. Soon after, with a deafening boom, the church exploded. Dust flew everywhere, and the resulting blast wave knocked many tourists who hadn't managed to escape off their feet.
The entire monastery was engulfed in smoke. The tourists, who had been contemplating staying to watch, lost all courage and scrambled down the mountain without looking back.
Barbara, near the entrance, frantically called out Diana's name. Derek beside her looked anxious.
"Diana left a long time ago! She's not here!"
Barbara stubbornly shook her head.
"You go. I'm going to look for her."
With that, she plunged into the smoke. Derek's expression changed several times. Just as he was about to follow, a dull roar came from inside. The sounds of impact and collapsing buildings echoed through the thick fog.
The ground shook violently; the entire mountainside was trembling.
Derek immediately bolted down the mountain. Staying now was tantamount to suicide.
A deep pit appeared in the heart of Mount Sinai. Buildings and walls collapsed one after another. Dust billowed, and the thick fog expanded. The monastery, a heritage of over a thousand years, was slowly swallowed up, ultimately becoming a pile of ruins.
The Tomb of Teth-Adam
Adone was right: the Sealing Place was beneath the monastery, wrapped in a layer of magical barrier. The church was the key node; once destroyed, the magical barrier vanished.
Deep underground, a light source illuminated the pitch-black surroundings. Looking at the murals carved into the walls, depicting ancient legends, Luke couldn't help but exclaim,
"Who would have thought the world-famous Saint Catherine's Monastery was hiding such a huge secret."
Diana complained, "You shouldn't have stopped me."
Luke waved his hand. "The tourists have mostly left. There's no need to interfere. Besides, I wanted to see what's really down here."
He raised the light source and approached the wall for a careful look.
Judging by the clothing and headwear of the figures in the murals, they dated back at least three thousand years, originating in the Ancient Egyptian era. Each painting told a different part of a legendary story:
The oppression of slaves.The emergence of a warrior.War: the warrior leading the slaves against the army and achieving victory.The birth of a nation and the warrior's coronation as king. The murals after this were destroyed and unclear.
Based on this content and prior intelligence, the identity of the warrior could be confirmed. In all likelihood, this was the Sealing Place of Teth-Adam.
Diana warned, "Someone's coming."
Luke extinguished the light source and conjured an illusory barrier to conceal them.
A moment later, a group of armed thugs appeared in the passage. Leading them was a bald, middle-aged man holding a map, seemingly searching for something.
"Thaddeus Sivana?"
Diana frowned. "How is he here?"
Luke sneered.
"A magic fanatic and part-time grave robber. It's not surprising that he's here."
"You know him?"
"I've heard of him; this is the first time I've seen him."
"Should we..."
Diana made a gesture to suggest taking action, but Luke shook his head. "No. Let's follow them. I want to see what this guy is up to."
The map the bald man held seemed to detail the layout of the Sealing Place. The group walked and stopped, following the map's guidance, and soon reached a sacrificial chamber. The bald man rushed onto the altar as if discovering a new continent, touching everything, beside himself with excitement.
At the same time, Hasshett and Carter Hall arrived.
Looking at the inscriptions on the altar, Carter Hall seemed to remember something and couldn't help but say,
"Teth-Adam, the slave hero. Is this his tomb?"
Hasshett smiled eerily. "Your Highness, you died too early; you don't know what happened later. Teth-Adam was not only a slave hero but the King of Khandaq. The first thing he did after becoming king was overthrow your father and establish a so-called world of equality and freedom. Guess what happened?"
Carter Hall's face was grim, but he remained silent.
"Your father died, and he failed, too. Even with the power of the Six Gods, he couldn't defeat Nabu and Shazam. However, because of the Six Gods' power, he couldn't be killed. He was sealed by Shazam in the Rock of Eternity."
Hasshett walked up to the altar.
"This is the entrance to the Rock of Eternity."
Carter Hall frowned slightly. "You're going to release him?"
"Precisely. The world has changed; it's completely different now. Relying solely on my own power makes it difficult to become the king of this world. I need help. Teth-Adam is the best choice. He is full of hatred and resentment. Once he breaks free, he will surely detonate the entire planet."
"Nabu is dead, and Shazam no longer exists. Who can stop him? No one. He is invincible and will ultimately rule this world. And I will be the first man under his throne."
Thinking of the glorious future, Hasshett burst into laughter.
Carter Hall tightened his grip on his mace, his wings beating and kicking up a gust of wind.
The Wizard Society thugs quickly raised their guns and fired. Bullets sparked off Carter Hall's armor, but he was unaffected. He charged into the crowd and quickly struck the thugs down. Just as he was about to rush toward the altar, a figure leaped at him from the side.
Bang!
The unusual brute strength made Carter Hall's arm numb, and he staggered backward.
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