After delivering this warning, Ishkab ignored the group and began fleeing on her own, her projected figure at the center of the array gradually fading away.
"Everyone, time waits for no one. We must hurry."
Kinich couldn't afford to wait even a minute longer. His sister was being hunted in the Night Kingdom, and every moment they lingered outside increased her danger within.
Mualani nodded eagerly. "Let's go! Let's go!"
Mavuika, though having lost her powers and unable to provide direct support, resolved to monitor the Night Kingdom's fluctuations from their current location. "Just in case—I mean, in the unlikely event you encounter something you can't handle... I'll be your last resort."
-
According to Mavuika, they could enter the Night Kingdom through a rift left by the Abyss's corruption, hidden within a secret Domain.
The four adventurers arrived at the Domain. As they ventured deeper, they finally discovered the fissure the Pyro Archon had mentioned. After squeezing through the crack, they felt a dizzying sensation and found themselves in the Night Kingdom.
Mualani: "It seems we've arrived safely. This must be... the Night Kingdom."
Lumine's expression turned grave. "I can sense it—Abyss Power is everywhere here. It's even materialized into solid form."
Mualani: "It's precisely this accumulation of Abyss Power that's trapping them here."
Kinich: "Let's save these discussions for later. We need to act immediately."
Ajaw: "Hurry, hurry, hurry! First, we find my sister, then we'll let those Abyss creeps taste the might of Sacred Dragon K'uhul Ajaw's Dragonfire!"
Paimon: "Before we leave, we should memorize this place. Otherwise, even if we rescue everyone, we might not be able to find our way out."
Paimon pointed her tiny finger upward. The rift through which they had entered loomed impossibly high above them.
But everyone distinctly remembered the rift not being this high before. If that were the case, how could they possibly escape through it?
Could Lumine carry them out one by one?
Hmm... actually, that might work...
Kinich: "Ever since we entered this world, our perception of reality has completely failed. Anything is possible here. Do you see the light streaming down from that rift high above?"
Paimon: "Yes."
Kinich: "We certainly didn't jump from such a great height, yet the reality presented to us now is that we did. This is what I mean by 'perceptual failure.'"
"Therefore, to return, we don't need to go through that rift again. We simply need to stand in the light and pray sincerely."
"Alright, everyone remember this place well. Let's move out."
The four began to walk forward, and soon they encountered a dense swarm of illusory figures formed from condensed Abyss Power. These phantoms immediately attacked upon seeing the group, lunging forward with reckless speed.
Lumine: "Everyone, take cover behind me!"
Lumine drew the Unrelenting Will. The power surging from the sword enveloped the group in a protective barrier. Any illusory figures that touched the shield's perimeter were instantly annihilated, vaporized upon contact.
"Traveler, this sword..."
Kinich and Mualani both recognized it—the energy radiating from the sword seemed to be the very bane of Abyss Power! They could sense an immense power emanating from the blade.
Lumine: "This sword contains fragments of the soul imprints of four Pure Souls... In their final moments, they each channeled a sliver of their essence into the blade. Pure Souls are inherently the Abyss's nemesis!"
Kinich ceased scrutinizing the sword, turning his gaze elsewhere in search of any trace of his sister.
Kachina and the others were at least together, and based on their earlier conversation, Kinich knew they likely weren't in any serious danger. But his sister was a different story.
She was alone and being hunted. How could Kinich not worry?
He was far more composed now than he used to be. A few years ago, he would have charged into the Night Kingdom alone to rescue her, even if it meant facing near-certain death.
Unlike his sister and others with Pure Souls, he didn't want to end up as a mere wisp of soul trapped in a sword.
Guided by Lumine's sword, the group advanced swiftly.
"Ugh, there's nothing here! Not a single person in sight. Are they even really here?" Paimon complained, after searching for a long time without success.
"The Night Kingdom is vast," Mualani pointed out. "Finding them here will be difficult!"
Just then, the sword in Lumine's hand trembled violently, slipped from her grasp, and flew off in another direction.
"Quick, follow it!" Lumine called over her shoulder before chasing after the sword.
Mualani and Kinich quickly followed.
"Waaah, wait for me!" Paimon trailed behind.
-
In a remote corner of the Night Kingdom, Ishkab knelt on one knee, her single-handed sword plunged into the crimson ground for support as she gasped for breath.
The Anemo Vision on her chest flickered dimly, and the metal shuttle beside her was riddled with cracks, hovering lower and lower.
Across from her, a black-robed figure coalesced from dense Abyss Energy slowly advanced.
It had no face, only a swirling void beneath its hood. Two crimson pinpricks of light fixed their gaze on its prey. The energy blade in its hand dripped a viscous black substance, dragging across the ground with a nauseatingly corrosive sound.
"Ugh..."
Ishkab tried to stand, but the deep, bone-deep wound on her left shoulder reopened, staining her pale tunic crimson.
She had lost count of how many times she had been cornered.
In this twisted, fractured Night Kingdom, the memories of the Ley Lines were like shattered mirrors, reflecting bizarre fragments of the past that blurred the line between truth and illusion.
From beginning to end, the only thing Ishkab was certain of was that the scene where Kinich admitted to wetting the bed earlier must have been real.
I wonder where they are now, and whether the Pyro Archon followed them.
The black-robed clone before her clung to her like a leech, unerringly tracking every attempt she made to conceal her presence. Its attacks were brutal and cunning, tinged with a sadistic playfulness, like a predator toying with its prey.
Indeed, this was another minor Abyss villain conjured by Jiang Mumu. She'd given it a black robe because she couldn't be bothered to sculpt a body, or even bother to sculpt a face.
After all, it was just a slightly stronger mob... well, to Jiang Mumu...
The black-robed figure vanished soundlessly again. In the next instant, the space behind Ishkab rippled slightly. A pitch-black longsword shot out like a striking viper, aimed directly at her heart!