The black sun hangs high

Chapter 405 Seeds, Soil, and Fertilizer
The definition of "legend" is actually very diverse.

Sometimes it's because someone has achieved something amazing in the past.

Sometimes it's because a particular individual radiates a unique brilliance that ordinary people cannot possess.

Sometimes, this title and concept may also be associated with "miracles" or "absurd events" that people cannot easily accept or believe. It may belong to a hero or a clown who has created a historical joke...

At the same time, it may also belong to a name and image that has created bizarre, terrifying, or horrifying rumors.

In the minds of many members within the Black Sun Society, the name "Shug Ernst" falls into the last category. The vast majority of them have never seen Hug in person, and their understanding of the name is basically limited to his life story and the "literary works" he created earlier.

However, this widely known information is somewhat disconnected from the series of achievements that Hugh Ernst later accomplished.

Initially, members of the Black Sun Society were able to attribute these unusual changes to the arrival of the "Son of the Abyss" mentioned in ancient prophecies. However, as time went on, this rather optimistic assumption was eventually destroyed.

It was even destroyed by Hugh himself.

At that time, he was only a relatively good Stream-level mage, but in the end, he truly broke through the deadly encirclement. In the process, he even destroyed a Black Sun Ritual in front of many members of the society and killed a large number of participants in the gathering.

This incident remains within the Black Sun Society like an eternal mark of shame.

Even today, the name "Shug Ernst" and the things he did have become taboo topics that many members of the society dare not discuss casually, because once they start to discuss them, they will inevitably touch upon a bizarre fact that they cannot explain or accept.

That guy who is resolutely at odds with the society and using every means to interfere with, obstruct, and hinder its cause is indeed a special case who carries the blessings of many gods, controls many lost magics and rituals, and has the recognition and following of a large number of divine followers.

Any member of the Black Sun Society who tries to delve into and investigate the specific reasons behind it is very likely to fall into a vicious cycle of self-doubt.

However, now, regardless of their attitude towards Hugh, this special figure who had previously only appeared in rumors and battle reports has come before them.

Just like the amazing feats Hughes has accomplished in the past, his "appearance" this time is equally astonishing.

Their sudden appearance without any warning, their extremely bold and even arrogant methods of action, their malicious mockery and provocation...

Of course, there were also the vicious attacks that came with sarcastic remarks.

The square was packed with people. Although Hugh's second "Breath of Death" bullet hit a densely packed area, the direct damage was still limited. In the blink of an eye, a large amount of lethal magic poured out from different directions of the central square, which, together with the magic bullets fired by the professional guards and soldiers, wove together an impenetrable net of death.

This is what makes the Black Sun Society so unique and powerful.

With the lost "legacy" unearthed from ancient ruins, the Black Sun Society is able to "mass-produce" spellcasters at any cost. Although most of these spellcasters will suffer damage due to those ancient rituals or brutal surgeries, the power they gain will make them ignore the cost and evolve into loyal followers of the ancient gods, devoting themselves to the Society's cause.

However, the figure that moved swiftly through the square like a wisp of black smoke made these incomplete spellcasters question the power they possessed.

The dark mist emanating from the messenger in the mirror had already covered Xiu Ge's entire body.

Perhaps it was because Hugh's control over magic was constantly improving, or perhaps it was because Theseus, the faceless god who had always been hiding behind Hugh, was secretly giving him instructions and support, but at this moment Hugh felt that he had become incredibly agile. He was like an invisible ghost that could not be successfully hit or captured, easily moving through the dense web of magic. Occasionally, a wide-ranging explosion or magic would brush past him, and the magical damage caused was negligible.

"boom!"

After successfully dodging another round of magical bombardment, Hugh burst out of the surging magical smoke and dust. His illusory misty figure instantly returned to solidity. He steadied himself, raised his double-barreled crystal gun again, and two more deafening and terrifying sounds rang out.

The violent sound wave blew away all the magical dust that enveloped the surroundings, and two "Breath of Death" bullets flew one after the other in the same direction.

Unlike before, these two "Breath of Death" bullets appeared very unstable. The magical paths they created in the air were chaotic and disordered, which was the result of Hugh infusing them with an excessive amount of Dark Abyss magic!

An extremely unstable magic bullet, with its astonishingly high destructive power, can always bring unexpected "surprises".

Stimulated by Hugh's magic, the third magical bullet exploded amidst a group of Black Sun Society soldiers. The chilling aura of death transformed into dissipating clouds, enveloping most of the group like a ravenous, twisted beast, and utterly ending their lives.

The fourth bullet lasted longer. It flew through the scattered ranks of soldiers, piercing the chest of a Black Sun Society dog ​​trainer, and then burst into bloom among the dark dogs in the square. The "breath of death," mixed with traces of the Dark Abyss, came with the wind and began to frantically stimulate these ferocious beasts that had lost their command.

The chaotic will from the "higher being" easily disrupted the fragile will of these "hybrids," while the magic originally belonging to the "Breath of Death" pierced their bodies like slender, sharp needles, fully unleashing the bloodlust inherited from the Dark Abyss Hounds and the Earth Rat pack. Hugh didn't pay attention to the specific lethality of these dark hounds on their own kind or other personnel nearby. After firing two shots, his body once again dissipated into an invisible black mist, successfully avoiding several blazing fireballs shrouded in dark light.

In this chaotic moment, several members of the society who had received favors from the Dark Abyss Court took action.

As Krzlov himself took over the Black Sun Ritual, intricate and dark magical lines immediately climbed toward the figures gathered around him.

With the aid of the Black Sun Ritual, the dense dark abyssal magic that constituted their bodies became exceptionally active. Immediately afterward, their bodies began to rapidly deform, and their translucent, jet-black limbs began to extend and grow. Countless scarlet eyes, similar to those of the Dark Abyssal Hounds, quickly appeared within these black limbs.

At this point, they were no longer simply believers or followers of the Dark Abyss Court. Under the influence of the power of grace within them, they began their most thorough transformation—transforming into the creations within the Dark Abyss behind the Black Sun.

Upon seeing this, the members of the society who had been gathered in the square immediately began to retreat to the edge of the square. Although they remained vigilant, their focus of attack had shifted to the dark dogs that had been provoked and gone mad.

As for Hugh Ernst himself, who is the primary target, he should be left to be dealt with by the elite members of the society who are favored by the gods.

"Well, you'd better be careful."

This time, Theseus's reminder was very timely: "The traces of the Dark Abyss Court here are too strong, and I can't offer you much help at this time... However, I can assure you that these things, twisted and mutated from living people, are probably already similar to the beasts in the Dark Abyss, or even more troublesome and dangerous..."

As if to confirm Theseus's words, a dark shadow wrapped in scarlet color suddenly rushed out from an unexpected angle. Judging from its appearance, it was quite similar to the power of the Mirror Messenger that Hugh was using!
Faced with this sudden attack, Hugh immediately broke free from the mist. Before he could regain his footing, the black keratin of the Touch of Calron had already grown from his left arm. These sturdy shells spread downwards, quickly climbing up his forearm and palm, and then reaching for the Black Sun Scepter in his hand.

Just then, the fierce figure arrived in front of Hugh. Under the illumination of the crystal streetlights in the central square, Hugh saw a strange body that was extremely unbalanced.

The distorted part of this Black Sun Society member's face is half of his face. The black shadows that make up half of his face are now stretched out severely, making it look like a black tree "grafted" onto the human head. However, the "branches" extending from this "tree" are all in the shape of animal claws and limbs.

These growths were so enormous that they far exceeded the size of the human body itself. Now, these dark shadows growing from the heads of the society members had completely taken control of their actions. Some of the "branches" became limbs for walking, while the rest evolved into ferocious claws with scarlet eyes.

Its blood-red pupils flashed incessantly, and then its massive claws swiftly pressed down.

Faced with this aggressive attack, Hugh did not choose to dodge again. Following his keen senses and instincts, he quickly raised his left hand and swung a dark, shadowy light diagonally upwards.

What Hugh was holding in his hand was no longer a metal cane.

Enveloped by the Touch of Calron, the metal staff that could perfectly conduct magic had been transformed. It was now a long and sharp black blade, its surface constantly shimmering with strange magical colors.

These colors are a mixture of many lost powers possessed and mastered by Hugh, including the life colors of the Lord of the Ocean, Calron, as well as the psychedelic traces of the Roots of Fate, and the mists of the Abyss and the blessings of the Mother Earth cannot be ignored.

The seemingly casual slash inflicted unexpected damage on the ferocious-looking enemy. Faced with this dark and sharp blade, the exceptionally thick beast-shaped claw almost broke off on the spot, and the shimmering scarlet eyes collapsed into foul-smelling blood under the destructive power infused by Hugh.

Immediately afterwards, the memories that once belonged to the Iris Guard within Hugh quickly resurfaced. He deftly dodged the continuous attacks launched by the deformed monster in front of him, and then the sharp blade in his hand swiftly pierced out along with the rotation of his body and feet, accurately hitting the human body "hanging" in the dark shadow, directly piercing through its chest.

Taking advantage of his opponent's brief pause, Hugh swung the double-barreled crystal gun in his right hand. As the magical mist dissipated, two "Breath of Death" magic bullets were chambered again. He strode forward, pressed the crystal gun against the mangled body, and decisively pulled the trigger.

A spray of blood mixed with a great deal of filth erupted from the violent impact. As the mangled body fell and the black spawning creatures perished, Hugh took another step forward, rushing toward the direction where Krzlov was.

However, more members of the Society who had been "modified" by the Black Sun Ritual came before Hugh. Similar to the individual who had been killed by Hugh, the bodies of these Society members had also undergone bizarre mutations that were difficult for ordinary people to understand.

It could be an arm, a leg, or even half of the body.

Based on different body parts, the final evolution results were also different. On these strange figures, Hugh not only saw body structures similar to those of court servants and hunting dogs, but also many features resembling bizarre creatures such as the Dark Abyss Spider.

"The so-called gift of the Dark Abyss is actually to forever engrave the traces of the Dark Abyss on these living bodies... Their bodies are the soil, and their spirits are the fertilizer. Nourished by them, those 'seeds' from the Dark Abyss can continue to grow and eventually evolve into living inhabitants of the Dark Abyss in this world."

As Hughes grapples with these unusual adversaries, Theseus offers his own explanation for these monstrous creatures.

After Hughes used his sword and weapon to take down yet another target, he continued, "So... that's why I always feel you need to be faster. Think about it, in those towns behind Saint Steel, there are countless people still shrouded in the so-called Dark Abyss's grace."

"If they all end up like this one day, then the so-called salvation will probably be meaningless."

(End of this chapter)