The black sun hangs high

Chapter 238 Roots of Destiny
As the black shadows continued to suck the bodily fluids of the Corrupted Dragon, their size gradually increased. The black shadows, which were originally only the thickness of a finger, had expanded several times in just a dozen seconds. Now they were as thick as a wrist, and they looked almost as big as the Touch of Karron floating beside Hugh. Moreover, the "protrusions" growing on these long shadows also began to expand and grow further.

Now, they have a precise outline.

“It looks like sharp claws and wings… In other words, these things should not be snakes, and their true form should also be different from the Touch of Calron.”

Hugh carefully observed the changes in these shadows from a relatively safe distance.

Gradually, he realized that these slender creatures seemed to be some kind of peculiar reptile with diverse characteristics and the ability to fly.

Considering that there was always some subtle connection between the various offerings prepared in the past and the final results of the "exchange," Hugh concluded that these strangely shaped shadows could be either a kind of divine kin that existed in the past and once roamed the world of Vaan.

Before long, the putrid dragon fluids that Hugh offered were completely absorbed by these strange, long, shadowy shapes. They gradually separated from each other, and Hugh saw that the empty bucket connected to the ends of their bodies now contained a considerable amount of liquid.

Under the dim light, these unidentified liquids had a nauseating color, mainly yellow and green. Hughes could see these two colors constantly merging and twisting in that limited space, and the irregular patterns were even more repulsive.

The sacrificial process was clearly not over yet.

Hughes saw that the liquid inside the bucket seemed to be driven by some force, and it began to swirl along the bucket wall. As it swirls, the strange colors intertwine to form dazzling patterns. With this change, the colors gradually begin to spread outwards—no longer confined to the inside of the bucket, but rapidly entering the black shadows connected to the bucket as the liquid swirls.

At that very moment, the metal disc in Shug's mental world began to slowly accelerate.

Meanwhile, the court hound, which holds a very high "predator" status within the metal disc, stood up warily in its room, baring its mouth to reveal sharp fangs and tiny whiskers used to suck the prey's bodily fluids.

However, Hugh did not sense any longing or desire for hunting from the court hound. On the contrary, the moment the court hound stood up, it conveyed a series of strong feelings of resistance to Hugh.

Yes, it wasn't cowardice, fear, or timidity, but rather an extremely simple and direct aversion and resistance.

Just as Hugh was about to try to find out the reason, all the other metal disc "residents" except for the court hounds exhibited similar behavior.

The sprinting rat, whose intuition was second only to the palace hound, had unknowingly bristled. Hugh glanced sideways and saw that the huge three-tailed rat had now clearly "blown up" into a giant ball of fur. Its mouth was tightly shut, its dark green eyes were flashing, and a threatening sound was coming from deep in its throat.

The tentacles of Kaljun began to tremble violently. Hugh noticed that these black tentacles, which should not have expressed clear emotions, were instinctively growing more black keratin. It seemed that they wanted to wrap themselves up tightly with these hard protective layers.

As for the summoned mirror image clones, they were even more blatant.

As a Stand that could "take the hit" for Hugh at a critical moment, it unconsciously took two steps back and stood in a relatively backward position. The crystal gun in its right hand was ready to fire, while its left hand was placed in a position that Hugh couldn't understand.

It was covering its nose.

It looked as if they had smelled something unbearable.

"No... are you guys really that serious?"

Hugh was somewhat puzzled, because he did not sense much threat from his intuition or the rotation of the metal disc. Therefore, he did not understand why his ancient creations were behaving so seriously and vigilantly at this moment.

This is really unusual.

At this moment, the yellowish-green hues were finally completely "filled" into these black shadows, and at the same time, Hugh finally saw the true appearance of these strange shadows.

Almost instantly, Hugh felt that his eyes and sense of aesthetics had been severely damaged.

He had seen countless ugly and twisted things, but none of them could compare to the writhing, elongated beings before him, whether they were the offspring of the Dark Abyss, the court hounds, or the bizarre creatures he had glimpsed in the dream of the "giant ship."

These long, thin creatures, now as thick as a wrist, snaked forward. The yellowish-green liquid injected into their bodies gave them an incredibly slippery "skin," making them look like they were covered in a thick layer of oil paint. Amidst these color variations, Hugh could vaguely make out the fine scales growing on their bodies.

At the same time, these colors have also successfully spread to the claws and wings of these creatures.

Their claws are long and slender, but these are clearly not the limbs that reptiles usually possess. Their claws are more like the "palms" that humans know. Although at the ends of their "fingers" are sharp claws that seem capable of cutting the skin and flesh of their prey, these "fingers" are clearly more inclined to grasp. Hugh can even imagine what they look like when they use these limbs to manipulate tools.

In addition, the wings growing on their bodies are also special.

These wings clearly resembled what Hughes called "wing membranes." They were actually extensions from the sides of simple limbs that looked like tentacles. At their joints, Hughes could see countless drooping, fluffy things—actually tiny fleshy tendrils of unknown purpose.

But regardless of which part it is, its surface is covered with that special color...

These creatures lacked eyes and any visual organs on their bodies, but as the spiraling serrations began to slowly rotate, Hugh was astonished to see countless tiny eyeballs densely packed together deep within their cavities. These faintly glowing eyes were now peering into the outside world through their narrow mouths. "..."

The moment he saw the faces of these monsters, an extremely strong and strange emotion suddenly sprouted in Hugh's heart. He frowned and took a step back. Just as he was about to mobilize his magic to adjust his mental state, he found that the strange emotion had taken root in his body. His mind was completely occupied by intense fear and hatred!

Inside the "bucket" at the back, the strange liquid continued to swirl, but as this process progressed, the translucent bucket seemed to gradually break free of its original form. In Hugh's increasingly confused vision, the colors that were originally confined inside the container gradually broke through the "cage" and brought the distinct patterns outward.

As these illogical changes continued, Hugh found himself unable to distinguish between the "container" and the strange creations outside. He suddenly realized that the two seemed to be one and the same; the barrel-shaped object behind him was not a container at all, but a large, twisted organ that sustained the strange creature...

At this moment, the bright and viscous yellowish-green liquid began to circulate between the organisms and their rear organs. This trend made the ugly, elongated creatures even more active. They began to stretch their bodies, and with this action, the "paint" covering their bodies began to flow faster, forming more intricate psychedelic patterns in an instant.

The metal disc seemed to be spinning faster, and Hugh's right fingers quickly rested on the trigger of Hound's Fang; he was ready to attack.

Unpleasant sounds, yet distinctly rhythmic and paused, emanated from the limb- and winged, elongated creatures. These sounds were clearly not the threatening roars of wild beasts, but rather some kind of definite language. As these strange beings muttered something, they raised their bizarre limbs and repeatedly extended their serrated, spiraling mouthparts toward Hugh.

Sensing the obvious hostility, Hughes no longer hesitated. He immediately raised Hound's Fang and was about to pull the trigger when a crisp sound came from his right finger.

"what?"

Hugh was stunned.

The trigger of the Hound's Fang broke off completely.

Before Hugh could figure out what was happening, he discovered that the weapon in his hand was collapsing at an extremely fast speed. In just two breaths, it had turned into a pile of dust. At the same time, Hugh also discovered that the connection between himself and the court hound had been severed, as if it had never existed at all.

"Kaka...ka..."

The yellowish-green shadow continued to approach, making noises as it did so. Faced with the threat, Hugh immediately gave commands to the running rat and Karl's Touch. However, something even more perplexing happened one after another. Sniggy, who was always fearless of death and always loyal to orders, gave a decisive refusal to Hugh's commands. Not only that, it retreated to a distance and shrank behind a row of tables, timidly observing the changes.

As for the Karron Touch, a crucial combat weapon for Hugh, it became extremely weak at this moment. The hard keratin that originally gave people a great sense of security had completely disappeared. Although it protected Hugh, it was constantly trembling. The sharp limbs and the long and short swords had also all vanished...

Hugh's heart began to race. He turned to look at his side and saw that the Mirror Messenger's Stand was now cowering on the ground, clutching its head. It looked just as cowardly and desperate as an ordinary person facing a monster.

"What exactly is going on?"

Panic began to grow uncontrollably in Hugh's heart. His breathing became rapid, and the scene before him seemed chaotic and dazed. The nauseating yellowish-green color began to entangle him and, along with the extension of the monsters, continued to occupy Hugh's vision.

They were rapidly approaching, and an extremely foul odor assaulted Hugh's nostrils.

He smelled decay and death in that odor.

The psychedelic colors and suffocating smells brought back to Hugh the despair, helplessness, and pain that had been far removed from him for a long time. A large number of memories related to the concept of fear began to emerge uncontrollably from the depths of Hugh's mind.

Hughes saw himself being pierced by Calron's Touch during his first "sacrifice".

He saw Veraine Ernst in the old house's study, relentlessly interrogating him with spiritual intelligence.

He also saw himself in the sewers of Seren, being overwhelmed and torn apart by the surging Dark Abyss Spawn...

In those few seconds, Hugh seemed to glimpse countless different branches of his destiny, and the development of any one of them seemed to lead to a completely new and tragic ending.

The monsters before him clearly possessed some terrifying power to interfere with and influence emotions and thoughts. Their ferocious maws were already in front of Hugh, and the eyes inside their cavities were greedily staring at the young man's face. Deep within these eyes, every detail of Hugh's memories was constantly being reflected...

What Hughes didn't know was that he was facing a being that was already infamous among all the Vain beings in ancient times.

Among the many civilizations and communities of that time, these monsters shared a common name: they were called "Roots of Fate".

Using the emotions of intelligent beings as nourishment, they can easily evoke the most painful memories of their victims, plunging them into despair and fear. Their existence is even enough to threaten those who have received blessings and favors from the gods. Under the influence of their power, these people may even have the chance to glimpse the destruction of their own faith.

Now, these ancient creations summoned by the "Corrosive Dragon Fluid" finally have another chance to unleash their power. They scrutinize the prey before them, who has been dragged into an illusion from the very beginning, and their cavities emit a cacophony of sounds representing pleasure...

(End of this chapter)