Chapter 342: 117. The Sorrow of Souls (8k)
“Boss ah ah ah ah! Run!”
On the second floor of the hotel, Miss Valentina, brought down again by Fisher, waited at the staircase. After all, Fisher knew who his enemy was, and Valentina was a burden there, so he used the excuse of “retrieving the imprint and the pristine ice” to leave her side. Feeling the tremors of the building, Valentina glanced uneasily in the direction Fisher had left. Soon after, Phyllis came running back joyfully.
“Phyllis? So you were here. I didn’t see you after you went to take the rear.”
“Hah, I don’t know what happened, but the magic Fisher gave is quite effective. I just cut a few times and ended up on the second floor. By the way, Fisher told us all to hurry and leave the hotel without worrying about him. Here, he prepared some defensive magic for you, quite a few.”
Valentina glanced at the several rings flickering in Phyllis’s palm, blushing slightly as she cleared her throat. She silently took all the magic into her hands, putting them on while looking upstairs, saying, “Heidi Lin and the Snow Fox Tribe should be going down to the first floor from another direction on the third floor. We should hurry too.”
“Okay!”
After Phyllis finished speaking, she ran down, but feeling something was off, she returned and helped the boss, who was sitting in a wheelchair, to go down together. Compared to Fisher and Heidi Lin, Phyllis was rather clumsy pushing the wheelchair, causing Valentina to almost lose her balance. Just as they were going downstairs, a loud noise suddenly came from Fisher’s direction, adding to their worries.
In the hall on the first floor, the door that was previously cut open by Balzak had regrown thick, bloody, and meaty tentacles. Valentina had no idea who was targeting the imprint that they had finally found, but the other party’s intentions were clear – it was the “Frost Parasol Tree.”
And whether it was her imagination or not, Fisher seemed quite familiar with the person who launched the attack. Could it be that he was heading to the Frost Parasol Tree specifically because of this attacker?
After all, that guy usually studies subhumans, but he wasn’t the type to dodge them. The parasol tree didn’t seem important to him, yet he was so determined to go. Was it for himself? It, too, wasn’t impossible; if what she saw in the pristine ice wasn’t a mere illusion but rather some prophecy.
In the hall on the first floor, Heidi Lin was anxiously rubbing her temples. In front of her, a group of chattering Snow Fox Tribe people gathered around the door formed by the bloody tentacles, seemingly discussing how to escape from the first floor. Heidi Lin occasionally glanced back, realizing that these Snow Fox Tribe members were in a hurry and had brought nothing but the Snow Fox Tribe imprint, so they had no way to sever the tentacles blocking their exit.
“Heidi Lin, I’m here!”
“Miss!”
Just as the hotel’s structure shook more violently and Heidi Lin grew increasingly anxious, Phyllis finally pushed Valentina into her line of sight from the stairwell behind. The moment Valentina saw the group huddled together with the Snow Fox Tribe, she figured out what was happening, so she took off a ring that Fisher had given her earlier.
“Let’s get out first. This is the magic Fisher gave me. It should be strong enough to burn through these tentacles.”
Heidi Lin nodded, taking the increasingly glowing ring from Valentina’s hand, and then instinctively asked, “Wait, where is Fisher?”
“Boom!”
Heidi Lin’s words hadn’t fully escaped her lips when the ceiling of the first-floor hall suddenly collapsed, as if struck by the proudest artillery of Shivali, and then, bizarrely, defied gravity as it floated upward.
Above the building, a deep purple gravity magic completely pierced through the hotel, leaving the entire demolition team in the Northern Region feeling ashamed in front of such terrifying destruction.
“This is the eighth ring’s gravity celestial ring. Hurry, Heidi Lin, quickly! Fisher is fighting with the person who attacked us!”
Although Valentina wasn’t very good at engraving magic, she had basic insight. Fisher carried dozens of high-ring magic spells, which, if fully unleashed, would reduce everything to rubble. Feeling the tremor akin to an earthquake, Heidi Lin aimed the sixth-ring fire magic Valentina passed to her at the tentacles in front of her.
Tribe Leader Dar and Juna stepped back a bit. The sound of relentless battling above reverberated like artillery, accompanied by intermittent flashes of magic light, shaking the already unstable building. Just as Heidi Lin was using flames to burn the tentacles, debris rained down like raindrops, terrifying the Snow Fox Tribe, who all shrank into corners to avoid the falling stones.
“Chirp!”
A massive noise exploded beside her ear, and Juna hurriedly stood next to Valentina. From beneath her cloth-covered wooden basket came continuous fox-like chirps, prompting Juna to lean down and comfort the small creatures inside.
“It’s okay, it’s okay. Everything will be fine soon.”
“Chirp.”
“Be careful!”
Just as Juna was bending down, Valentina, sitting in her wheelchair, noticed the falling stones above and quickly reminded her. But Juna’s reactions were slow; even upon hearing the warning, she foolishly looked up. By the time she fully understood what was happening, the stones were already a hair’s breadth away from her.
Luckily, Phyllis was still nearby. With a quick pull, she managed to drag Juna and her wooden basket back, causing the massive stone to crash down and splinter into fragments. Valentina barely had time to react, raising her hands to shield her face as a stone grazed past her, and a trickle of blood immediately seeped from her tender skin, causing her to gasp in pain.
“Hiss.”
“Boss, are you alright?”
“I’m fine. Hurry, Heidi Lin has opened the door. Everyone, quick, get out.”
“Okay!”
Phyllis promptly held onto the back of Valentina’s wheelchair, pushing her while trying to cover her injured hand as they escaped the hotel. Only after they got outside did they see that the employees who had escaped and the nearby civilians had formed a circle, exclaiming at the hotel. In the distance, the military from Miya received reports and was rushing over.
Except for Fisher, who had yet to leave the hotel with the imprint, everything seemed to be heading in a positive direction. Meanwhile, in a place where nobody was paying attention, a faint blood scent emanated from the wound that Valentina was covering, spreading until it became too faint to capture, yet still detected by some distant presence.
“Ha.”
In the next second, whether it was an illusion or not, the temperature in the Miya urban area suddenly dropped several degrees during the day.
A fierce wind descended from the distant, towering Sema Snow Mountain, whipping up the freshly fallen snow from roofs, carriages, and streets, forming a spreading haze of white mist across the streets and urban area.
“Why did the wind suddenly pick up?!”
“Cough, wait, don’t push me!”
“It’s so cold! I can’t see anything!”
Amidst the mist, Valentina, clutching her injured finger, suddenly felt a chill on her back. Although she couldn’t see anything clearly due to the surrounding blizzard, she instinctively turned her head toward the Sema Snow Mountain, feeling a sense of dread recalling the night when Haldor had left her. The curse she couldn’t make out clearly, but the chilling aura remained undiminished!
“The last phoenix, I have found you.”
In the wind and snow, a terrifying voice, only audible to Valentina, suddenly erupted in her ear, startling her into clutching the magic ring Fisher had given her, as if those things bestowed her immense courage.
“Howl!”
The next second, the fierce wind from Sema Snow Mountain gradually coalesced into a calamity-like storm, causing all pedestrians to stagger. Beneath the growing haze of white snow, a phantom figure silently descended from the sky, targeting the small girl seated in the wheelchair.
The curse from that night, amidst the now chaotic situation, rejoined the hunt for the bloodline of the phoenix.
Meanwhile, within the hotel, the battle between Fisher and Erwind’s creations raged on. Erwind, deserving of his life status as a life lord with the Soul Supplement Handbook, not only had reached the threshold of mythical rank but also could conjure flesh monsters in combat that withstood Fisher’s assaults, indicating the creature’s physical strength had reached the tenth rank.
However, thanks to the assistance of the Soul Supplement Handbook, Fisher had stored away many high-ring magic spells in preparation for battle. These spells played a decisive role when physical standings were comparable.
“Boom!”
“Fisher, he’s upstairs. He knows he can’t beat you with physical strength, he wants to return to the room where the imprint is stored to retrieve it.”
In the empty corridor, only Fisher’s solitary figure remained, while Erwind’s flesh creations were nowhere to be seen. The shaking building testified to the ferocity of their previous encounters, but after casting two spells, Erwind had hidden away, unwilling to confront Fisher head-on.
In his ear, Jahl Uzz’s calm voice surfaced, and instead of pursuing the flesh creature that could shrink at will, Fisher walked back to the room where the imprint was kept, convinced that Erwind would return shortly.
He lightly stepped on a mechanism, tucking the pristine ice and the six tribe imprints that were rising from the ground into his embrace. Just as he picked up the imprint, a voice unknown to him echoed in the room.
“Such a powerful soul and such profound magical knowledge; this is simply the perfect match. No wonder you could prepare so much magic in such a short time; truly impressive. If I could apply the knowledge of souls to my study of living beings, I’m sure I would achieve remarkable progress.”
The seemingly omnipresent voice momentarily slowed down Fisher’s movements as he collected the imprints. Jahl Uzz stood beside him, constantly scanning their surroundings, eyes filled with vigilance. As he watched droplets of viscous blood begin to drip from the ceiling, he suddenly shouted at the squatting Fisher.
“It’s coming, Fisher!”
Faster than Jahl’s warning, Fisher abruptly drew out the Fluid Sword from within his cloak. The next moment, those viscous blood droplets surged toward Fisher as if attracted to him, striking with an ear-splitting rush. Fisher’s eyes moved rapidly, witnessing Jahl Uzz being pierced by the blood.
His foot faltered for a moment due to the unexpected sight.
As Jahl Uzz’s illusion faded, Fisher felt a drop of rapidly flying blood strike his back.
“Sizzle!”
The magic ring on Fisher’s hand suddenly blazed to life, enveloping him in a snake-like current of electricity. He covered his back, while his rapidly moving eyes scanned every droplet of blood floating in the air. Each drop reflected his blurred face, and his distorted yet robust soul granted him exceptional soul perception. In the next moment, his gaze fixed on a droplet of blood in the corner of the room.
There lay Erwind’s consciousness; he was hiding there!
“Quickly, Fisher! He’s there!”
In his ears, Jahl Uzz’s whispers vanished, replaced first by Feilon’s magnetic voice, then by numerous differing voices of various genders and ages chiming in unison.
“Collect his soul quickly, Fisher. Your soul needs him.”
Excessive magical consumption led to intensified hallucinations, but undeniably, the compelling desire from Erwind to attack propelled Fisher toward the droplet of blood in the room’s corner.
“Boom!”
The blood in the air rapidly expanded, ultimately transforming into a blood flesh giant. Erwind extended his fist to meet Fisher’s knuckles, yet he swiftly felt an immense force blast him out of the hotel. The snow and mist outside were hazy, but Fisher still saw Erwind plummeting from the second floor, crashing onto a shop across the street.
The solid hit that connected with the opponent gave Fisher an exhilarating sensation. He looked down at his palm, only to find a murky magical force tainting his already twisted magical circuit. Meanwhile, his soul was continuously consuming Erwind’s magic, attempting to assimilate it into himself.
This sudden shock left the highly exhilarated Fisher’s spine cold. He inhaled sharply, quickly trying to control his magic to expel the magic belonging to Erwind. However, this process proved quite challenging, as his rationality and soul wrestled with one another; neither side was willing to yield.
Fortunately, it wasn’t too much magic, and after a strenuous effort, Fisher ultimately succeeded in expelling Erwind’s magic from his body.
His soul had subconsciously absorbed another’s?
“Clap! Clap! Clap!”
At this moment, a round of dense applause erupted from the room behind him. He turned his head to see Jahl Uzz, Feilon, and many indistinct silhouettes in the room watching him, lightly clapping their hands.
“Congratulations.”
“Exactly, just like that.”
“You have begun to sense the mysteries of the soul, Fisher.”
It was Jahl Uzz who spoke first, stepping forward to pat Fisher’s shoulder. The glare from his bald head reflected the white light from outside as he smiled and said, “The soul originates from the eternally swirling murky consciousness of the Spirit Realm. The closer you get to such a state, the closer you approach the essence of the soul and the more you can feel the call of the truth of the soul. A person’s soul and consciousness, even when reaching mythical beings, are ultimately frail. You have not witnessed the turbulent consciousness that stirs the essence of the world within the Spirit Realm; thus, you cannot understand the kind of awe-inspiring power it represents.”
“But we can take our time. You have made a good start, Fisher.”
Breathing heavily, Fisher glared at Jahl Uzz and kicked him. The full power strike, carried by immense kinetic energy, burst through the gap between the room and the corridor, sending countless debris to the other side of the hotel, causing it to gradually collapse and crack.
“Get lost, you bunch of lunatics.”
Jahl Uzz, Feilon, and the obscured figures all vanished. Fisher closed his eyes, taking a moment to breathe, then turned to gaze down towards the hotel. From the distant Sema Snow Mountain, a fierce wind suddenly roared, and a phantom shadow so ethereal it could not be captured by the naked eye opened enormous wings, launching itself toward the Miya city.
Many civilians, who originally intended to see what Fisher struck over, suddenly felt an intense itch throughout their bodies.
“Hiss, so itchy. What is this, feathers?”
They scratched at their necks until they drew crimson streaks, and from there they pulled out continuously growing black feathers. Fisher’s expression shifted, and standing on the verge of the collapsing hotel, he turned to the direction of the snow mountain. In the vision of the Spirit Realm, a curse entity, covered in pitch-black feathers and adorned with countless eyes on its head, was hurtling toward him.
And the target was…
Fisher turned to see Valentina, covering her bleeding finger and retreating under Heidi Lin’s escort. Despite being pushed away from the scene by Heidi Lin, she still turned her head back towards the hotel, shouting to everyone.
“Wait! I still have a companion inside the hotel! He hasn’t come out yet!”
“Miss, please come this way.”
Heidi Lin was pushing Valentina out when suddenly a Turan family staff member slammed his hand on Valentina’s wheelchair. Heidi Lin glared at him angrily, seeing a cold-faced employee staring at her, slowly shaking his head.
Heidi Lin opened her mouth, quickly understanding his meaning.
Don’t forget your mission.
Valentina had already escaped the curse twice: once when retrieving the scroll from the Southern Ocean, and the second time in the Moon Rabbit Tribe’s shrine. After failing to receive news of Valentina being successfully sacrificed both times, the Turan family questioned Heidi Lin.
As the one responsible for sacrificing Valentina, Heidi Lin’s first explanation to the family was Fisher, and the second time was again Fisher. This made the Turan family start to suspect her. Following the Moon Rabbit incident, they dispatched new staff to ensure Valentina could be successfully sacrificed to the curse, to repay the phoenix blood they had once stolen.
Now, this employee obstructing Heidi Lin from taking Valentina away clearly meant for her to stop worrying about Valentina. Heidi Lin’s face paled. She wanted to weave another delaying reason for the family, perhaps insisting that Valentina must be brought to the parasol tree to be sacrificed to be effective. But right now, Miss Valentina was right beside her; if she spoke, she would undoubtedly know she had been deceived by everyone.
Despicable sins cause hereditary diseases that are incurable; your life is the only antidote. But Heidi Lin did not want Valentina to die just like that. Hesitating for a second, her expression suddenly turned resolute.
Emotionless, she released her grip on Valentina’s wheelchair. As the employee thought Heidi Lin was obeying family orders, she suddenly picked up a stick from the side of the road and struck him forcefully in the groin.
“Ahhhh!!!”
With a piercing scream, the Snow Fox Tribe members who had been following them turned pale, stepping back in fear of Heidi Lin, who would react so violently. But Heidi Lin paid them no mind; she just took hold of Valentina’s wheelchair again and quickly left the area.
“Heidi Lin, why? Wasn’t that someone sent by the family to support us?”
“Miss, do you… believe that I won’t harm you?”
“What are you talking about? Of course, I believe you! You’ve been with me all this time; how could I…”
Before Valentina could finish her sentence, Heidi Lin, while pushing her forward, suddenly lowered her voice and said loudly, “None of your parents or Haldor have been around you longer than I have, right?!”
“Um, but what’s the matter, Heidi Lin? Do you have something to tell me?”
Heidi Lin continued to push her away from the hotel, her hands unsteady, whether from the cold or fear. Even her clenched teeth began to tremble.
“Damn, I really should have just slept with that damn man back then, so if I ended up caught by the family and killed later, it wouldn’t count as a wasted life.”
“Huh? Wait, Heidi Lin, who are you talking about sleeping with?”
Valentina was confused, wondering when Heidi Lin had developed a close relationship with a man. Oh right, it seemed she was keeping her exchanges with Fisher from her too, so having a bit of private space was normal, right?
Heidi Lin didn’t reply; when she looked up again, her body’s trembling had slowed. She firmly held onto Valentina’s wheelchair, pushing her further into the mist until they were completely out of sight.
“Nobody, just an extremely vile man, Miss. Just now I mentioned I slipped and accidentally hit that person. Do you believe it?”
“Let’s discuss it later, Heidi Lin. Go find the Miya military, I saw they were coming earlier. Fisher is still behind and needs help.”
“Uh-huh.”
As Fisher watched Valentina get further away, he sighed in relief, glancing at the approaching cursed entity. He took out a spell with a “soul” ring and hurled it toward the curse, intending to divert its attention from Valentina.
“Oh, turns out you have more enemies than just me, Fisher.”
As soon as the spell was thrown, a flesh creation shot up from the ruins below, catching Fisher off guard. He raised his hand to defend himself, but unexpectedly, Erwind wasn’t aiming to attack him. Instead, he tightly gripped Fisher’s arm, pulling him down from the second floor.
Fisher adjusted his position midair, landing smoothly. Before he could steady himself, a shrill screech pierced through the air. He winced in pain, quickly covering his ears as the blood flesh giant bore down on him, delivering a heavy punch that sent Fisher staggering back several steps. But as he fell back, he didn’t forget to retaliate with a kick that sent Erwind flying back.
“Howl!”
The distant curse had found its “enemy” in Fisher. With a chilling spectral scream, both Fisher and Erwind began to sprout fine black feathers. Due to Fisher’s soul being thoroughly twisted, he quickly absorbed the feathers without harm, sustaining even less injury than the punch Erwind had delivered.
Meanwhile, the blood flesh giant merely looked down as more and more feathers accumulated on its hands. Soon, the giant, controlled by Erwind, sported a layer of black feathers resembling a coat. Erwind alternated between gazing at his hands and looking up at the floating shadow, murmuring,
“I see now.”
“Cough cough.”
Fisher clenched a high-ring magic, readying himself for a one-on-two fight. However, Erwind appeared disinclined to continue the fight. He merely glanced at Fisher’s pristine ice and imprint while extending a finger covered in feathers, saying,
“So eager to deal with me; you quickly devoured so much forbidden knowledge. Yet you’re not mad. Truly surprising. Let me give you a hint; your weak body and will need time to adapt to the changes brought on by this knowledge. You’ve been hearing hallucinations the whole time, haven’t you?”
“Seeking the truth is like climbing a cliff. A moment’s carelessness may lead to the abyss of madness. We all tread carefully, as if on thin ice, yet you seem heedless, voraciously drawing in knowledge. Is the pressure I exert too great, or do you have a goal you urgently wish to achieve?”
“Heh, then for today, this will be all, Fisher. Until we meet again. By the way, the military should be arriving soon. The uproar today has been considerable; the society will surely take note. Do think of a way to escape to the snow mountain.”
Fisher was momentarily taken aback, unsure why Erwind suddenly ranted about reading the Supplement Handbook. He turned his gaze toward the floating curse approaching, in the distance, pale beams of light began to rise from the sea, heading rapidly toward the urban area.
“Beep beep beep!”
It seemed to be a twelfth-ring light magic, “Unblemished Realm.” For a small country like Miya, only the military could deploy such a spell.
The blinding light fell like a meteor to the earth, spreading outward upon contact as if it had shape. Within such light, the tempest stilled, the snowstorm came to a halt, and all panicked pedestrians froze, shielding their eyes from the blinding radiance. Even Fisher couldn’t look directly at the light, covering his face with his hand.
The entire Miya felt as if it were under the sun, causing everyone, including the curse, to strangely halt. Yet, the cursed entity could only operate during the night. The daylight rendered it exceptionally weak, making it shriek eerily as it scattered away from twelve-ring magic exposure.
Erwind said nothing more, nor did he take advantage of the moment Fisher shielded his eyes to attack or steal the imprint. He appeared to leave quietly, and suddenly the entire street felt eerily tranquil, as if only he existed.
Much later, when the people of Miya arrived with a few tattered firearms and some magic, they found only the wreckage of the hotel.
On the outskirts of the Miya city, a figure clad in a heavy trench coat and wearing a bird-headed mask sat by a campfire. As a life lord from the Creation Society, his strength was undoubtedly formidable. After the previous president’s departure, he became the longest-standing individual possessing the handbook in the society. Despite the commotion he caused in Nali, only that artificial intelligence had been dispatched to stop him.
Yet today, that Nali person he hadn’t seen for six months truly surprised him.
The rising life rank, a robust soul, and an exceptionally lucid will paired with superb magical skills posed a significant challenge to Erwind. However, today wasn’t entirely without gain, especially regarding the information about the parasol tree.
After several seconds of silence, he recalled the moment Fisher struck him, during which a small part of himself had been absorbed and harbored a strong inclination to merge. This was an extremely dangerous signal. The loss and pain of a soul were exceptionally challenging to heal; otherwise, he wouldn’t have remained lying in the ruins for so long after receiving Fisher’s punch. That blow had certainly injured Erwind’s soul, which was precisely this life lord’s Achilles’ heel.
Erwind’s magical circuits flickered on, revealing for the first time their shape, distorted by his lifeforce. He no longer could be considered human.
However, it was evident that his lower abdomen was dim, his magical circuit there seeming almost powerless. If one observed closely, they would see a flicker of crystalline light still present.
That was the soul wound inflicted by the Mechanism, still unhealed. The Mechanism had received the technology of soul energy from the former soul lord, Feilon, and created soul-wracking Mechanism weapons. Had it not been for Erwind’s rich experience, he would likely have been blown to smithereens by that shot from the Mechanism.
He gazed at the soul wound slowly mending, and then one of his arms gradually transformed into curling tendrils and reached toward the other side. It turned out that dozens of subhuman corpses lay beside him, seemingly members of the nearby tribes. As those tendrils invaded the still-warm bodies, he trembled, and the healing of the soul wound noticeably accelerated.
Those corpses shriveled slowly, and Erwind stood up again, vanishing from sight in an instant.
求求投票、打赏和支持，这对我来说十分重要！
万分感谢支持！
(End of Chapter)
