Chapter 357: Gaze
Alex was furious. Before he could even use his High Demon-level Demon Noble Phantasm, Ancestar’s charge had torn through the boundless darkness. Unable to use his Noble Phantasm in his urgency, he was actually put at a disadvantage.
Ancestar was like an agile flying ant, relentlessly piercing and biting the giant Alex. Alex’s form became battered, and he roared in rage. Ancestar grew faster and faster, giving him no time to react.
Just when Alex thought he was done for, Ancestar stopped. His body was completely withered; save for a layer of skin, he was no different from a skeleton.
He maintained his charging posture, seemingly shouting “That enemy is worth fighting,” but unfortunately, his life force was completely gone. Even his heart had dimmed. He had met his end.
Alex gasped heavily for breath, then kicked the charging Ancestar away viciously. The entire Abyssal Projection seemed to be shouting, with countless shadows surging. The Abyssal Projection Lair, once the dwelling of the Abyssal Archduke Dokebach’s projection, shrank violently, seeming to brew something.
After a long while, the Abyssal Projection Lair spat out a shadow that entered Alex’s back. Pitch-black darkness enveloped him, seemingly containing infinite terror within.
The entire Northern Abyssal Projection seemed greatly drained; even the air became listless.
“Where there is light, darkness is ubiquitous. Where there is justice, evil breeds.”
Alex stepped out of the Abyssal Projection’s range. His six wings gradually degenerated back to four, and his demonic horns became less prominent. But the mass of pitch-black darkness on his back was so terrifying it induced despair.
“Where there is order, all things are chaotic!”
That mass of darkness gradually formed a perfect sphere, slowly floating in mid-air. An aura of despair and chaos spread, as if infinite evil was brewing.
“I have known since childhood that the so-called great deities view us as ants. If we want to gain a foothold in this world, we can only rely on ourselves. My path is the path of darkness—to contain all witnessed sins and defile all beauty.”
Strange music seemed to play. Countless shadow tentacles surged. Everything grew turbulent as whatever was hidden deep within the Abyssal Projection was about to pour out.
Maintaining his Great Demon form, Alex flew beneath the pitch-black sphere. The black sphere expanded gradually, blotting out the sky and sun, harmonizing with the eerie rhythm of Mt. Baal. Black liquid poured out from the sphere. Splash!
Beneath the black sphere, Alex looked up at the waterfall of black liquid, feeling its wash. He roared with pleasure: “Yes, just like this! Contain all witnessed evil, defile all beauty. This is my Noble Phantasm, the eternal source of sin—’Star of Ultimate Evil’!
“You forced my Noble Phantasm to be born early, making it premature. Then let you be the sacrifice to complete it!”
Alex acted like a madman. His Noble Phantasm had seemingly been gestating for a long time. Being forced to birth it now damaged its potential, making him incredibly furious and crazed.
He had become like a true demon, disregarding the unknown hidden beneath Mt. Baal, even attempting to devour that unknown.
The filthy black liquid flowed, flooding Mt. Baal.
Ace, still some distance from Mt. Baal, saw this terrifying scene. With the rune structures in his eyes spinning rapidly, he hovered in mid-air and stopped.
“The Mystery level has exceeded Level 2; the Eye of Truth (Pseudo) cannot effectively understand it. But this tangible malice and eeriness, along with the continuously strengthening whispers of sin, are definitely closely related to the appearance of that black shadow!”
Ace proceeded cautiously. Under such terrifying power, recklessness was forbidden. He needed time to observe, looking for an opportunity as he approached.
Arno watched the black liquid waterfall that corroded everything. It was too late. Ancestar’s withered body was instantly swallowed by the black liquid. Arno transformed his Courage Holy Light into a protective shield, trying his best to resist the filthy liquid.
Watching Ancestar be swallowed helplessly felt like a knife being twisted in his heart—excruciatingly painful.
Ollie’s aura grew weaker and weaker, adding to Arno’s agony. His tears flowed uncontrollably, and with each drop, the Courage Holy Light thinned.
Courage meant forging ahead indomitably. When sorrow flooded the heart, courage stagnated.
Splash!
Crack! Crack!
The black liquid corroded the Courage Shield. Arno and Ollie were immersed in the black liquid, eroded by surging sin. The incredibly fragile Ollie grew cold; her breath was as faint as a thread.
Arno did his best to hold Ollie up, struggling to float in the turbulent ocean of black liquid. His body was corroding, his soul dulling, seemingly hearing countless whispers and curses in his ears.
He felt as if he had returned to that night when the Grey Believers killed everyone in the village and hanged his father from the tree branch—so desperate and helpless.
“Even the Melancholy Uncle… even the Melancholy Uncle…”
In this moment, Arno tried hard to calm himself. He frantically held up the barely breathing Ollie, whispering, “At least let… at least let Ollie live. This is my promise. I will protect Ollie until…”
Splurt. The sound of a sharp object piercing flesh. Arno turned his head numbly. It was Alex’s shadow halberd.
In the sky, Alex laughed maniacally. Covered in black liquid that had solidified into terrifying black mud, he had become one with it.
The halberd had been thrown by Alex from the air. He said in a delighted tone:
“What a touching scene. Close comrades helping a desperate couple, lovers saving each other. In the end, the comrade dies, the lover is dying, leaving only you.
“Then why don’t you die? Having lost your most precious people, can your conviction still hold? Do you hate me?”
Ollie’s heart was pierced by the shadow halberd. Strangely, no blood flowed out. Ollie’s body was cold. Suddenly, she opened her eyes. Hum!
It was the magical rhythm of the wind. Ollie turned into wind elements, wrapping around Arno and flying north for a distance before crashing heavily onto the mountain.
Blood flowed slowly, soaking the ground uncontaminated by black liquid. Ollie’s body gradually turned cold, losing its warmth and softness.
Arno’s eyes lost their luster, becoming completely dim. His eyes, his heart—there was no more courage. The Level 2 Courage Rune representing a Grand Knight shattered and dissipated with a bang.
In a trance, Arno seemed to see his father being pecked by crows, and seemed to hear Ollie smiling and saying, “We will be together, together forever and ever!”
That smile was as beautiful as the dawn, intoxicating.
In a trance, Arno heard Ancestar stroking his head and saying, “As long as we work hard, we will eventually meet on that path.”
Blood tears flowed from Arno’s eyes. He murmured softly, “There’s no one left on this path.”
The illusory Ancestar shook his head solemnly. “Stick to your creed. Do not let negative emotions blind your eyes at any time. When you gaze into the abyss, you too will become the abyss!”
Arno murmured, “Gaze into the abyss?”
He watched numbly as the black liquid raged. Mechanically, he looked up at the delighted Alex in the sky, a joyless smile appearing on his lips.
Advance chapters at Nightjar Reads · nightjarreads.com