The black sun hangs high

Chapter 410 As it should be
Upon hearing Theseus's words, Hugh suddenly recalled something the guy had said when he returned to the Dream Sanctuary.

He remembered Theseus saying that during the time he was away from the Dream Sanctuary, he "visited" the neighbors and "kicked a few puppies" in the yard.

Hughes didn't pay much attention to this description at the time.

After all, given Theseus's abilities and his eccentric personality, it was entirely reasonable for him to do such a thing.

However, now Hughes truly understands the real meaning of Theseus's words about "kicking the dog".

Looking at the bizarre form in the distance that had clearly transcended the category of "human," Hugh couldn't help but take a deep breath and ask, "So... when did you get involved with it?"

"Uh, it's the one you're thinking of."

Theseus's answer was quite frank: "Actually, what I said at the time was all true, at most there was a slight deviation in accuracy... Well, I definitely kicked, but I used a lot of force, and it was indeed a dog, but it wasn't that small."

"What the hell..."

Hugh originally wanted to curse, but before he could come up with the right words, the strange figure standing in the firelight had already taken action.

The chains extending from Kzlov's body began to vibrate violently, accompanied by a strange sound distinct from the clanging of metal. Strange magical fluctuations spread in all directions like ripples on water, causing the dense magical mist and blinding flames to tremble violently.

When these ripples reached the center of the plaza, the enormous Black Sun Ritual standing there underwent a new change.

Countless sharp thorns grew from the vines that climbed upwards along the sculpture, and the black flowers at their tips began to sway gently as if summoned, while the tightly closed petals opened in the process.

At that moment, Hugh clearly perceived the change in the state of magic in the environment.

Under the manipulation of that powerful, invisible will, a gloomy, deep shadow, carrying the unique aura of the Dark Abyss Palace, spread in all directions. It spread very quickly, completely enveloping the vast square in just a few breaths.

Wherever the shadows fell, the crystal lamps used for illumination, the fountains that operated on their own according to simple rituals, the protective rituals people carried with them... all magical creations and tools that operated according to the general rules of Vaan magic lost their effectiveness at this moment.

Moreover, these shadows continue to spread outwards, seemingly aiming to engulf the Watchtower and the surrounding larger area.

In the deep darkness, Theseus's voice slowly drifted over.

"Don't be nervous. The coverage of these shadows is limited... It can only cover a few blocks at most. This is not a conquest launched by the Dark Abyss Court against Vaan. It's just that your opponent wants to create a battlefield that is advantageous to themselves."

At this point, Theseus couldn't resist adding a sarcastic remark: "Dogs, of course, feel safer in their kennels, don't you think?"

As if sensing the mocking words emanating from Hugh's mental world, before Theseus could finish speaking, the vibrations of the chains suddenly became extremely violent, and a strong sense of crisis rushed over.

The mist from the Mirror Messenger quickly filled Hugh's entire body. Following his past habits and experience, he tried to dodge to the side. However, this time, the mist bestowed by the Mirror Messenger lost its original effect. Under the sudden attack launched by Kzlov, the flow of the mist became unusually slow. Hugh only had time to turn his body before the terrifying attack arrived.

The defensive line formed by the Touch of Caljon collapsed.

Countless tough tentacles were instantly shattered by the extremely ferocious attack, and a considerable portion of their magic power vanished on the spot. Even the "Color of Life," which was the source of the Kalron's Tentacle, suffered a significant loss.

In the past, Hugh has used the power of the Dark Abyss Spawns and the Palace Hounds countless times to devour the magic, memories, and knowledge of other targets.

This time, he finally received similar treatment himself.

The moment it sensed its master's predicament, the court hound, which had been overwhelmed by panic and fear, regained its spirits. Its scarlet eyes once again emitted a bright, blood-red glow. The spider's limbs thrashed violently, and a narrow "door" appeared. It nimbly leaped through it and arrived at Kzlov's side in the next instant.

Taking advantage of the brief respite gained by the palace hounds, Hugh quickly broke free from Krzlov's pursuit. However, the strange and terrifying chains did not pursue him closely. Instead, they immediately changed direction, breaking apart from their knotted state and launching an attack towards the edge of the square.

The targets of these chains were the very creatures entangled with the Society's members and soldiers.

The raging rats, the Ernst family rat swarm, and the Fate Roots responsible for creating illusions are all included.

Before Hugh could even react, a sharp pain shot through his mental world, one of the symptoms of a violently severed or destroyed magical link.

The metal disc that held those ancient creations began to tremble, and huge waves surged within the spiritual pool where the Roots of Destiny dwelled. Among those waves were large amounts of the blood and fragments of the Roots of Destiny.

Inside the recesses where the Running Rats and the wills of the Ernst family resided, the interconnected caves began to collapse, and the open space where the Running Rats used to lie down and sleep collapsed completely.

As the cave collapsed, wisps of magical mist escaped from the recesses, each wisp symbolizing the collapse and disappearance of a large swarm of magical rats.

The stinging sensation continued.

Faced with this inevitable massacre, Hugh took decisive action. He directly issued orders to evacuate and disperse, withdrawing all creations that were fighting and entangled with the enemy in the outside world. Even so, losses had already occurred.

The Destiny Roots that once covered the entire Spirit Pool are now reduced to a few scattered clusters. These ancient beings, possessing extremely high intelligence and dependent on their collective race, are now huddled in the deepest part of the pool, trembling with fear. The feeling of having their connection with their own kind completely severed is unbearable for them. Now, they can only rely on Shug's magic to slowly nourish themselves.

The figure of the mad rat appeared inside the groove. At this moment, it was in a terrible state. Its three long tails, which symbolized the Earth Mother Goddess's followers, had all broken off in just a few seconds. This was a choice that Snicky made voluntarily, sacrificing a part of its own power to block the opponent's attack.

Its choice was clearly correct. Had it not severed its own tail to buy time, the Ernst family wills that depended on it would have suffered even greater losses. In the midst of that stinging pain, Hugh clearly sensed the disappearance of several wills.

This even included Jacob, the "elder" who had a close relationship with Hugh and had helped him many times.

The presence of these souls and wills was completely erased in the impact just now. Obviously, like the magic that Hugh possessed, they were completely disintegrated and devoured under Krzlov's offensive.

In the dense darkness, Hugh steadied himself, pursed his lips, and began to activate his magical vision at full power.

He then saw that the chains that had "grown" from Kizlov as the center had now become so dense that it was outrageous. Just like the other Black Sun Society members who had undergone mutations before, Kizlov now seemed to have become a "vessel".

The difference is that Krzlov's body is still intact. Although his upper body and head are in a rather abnormal state, Hugh can still see Krzlov's movements and feel the magic emanating from him.

“Mr. Ernst, this is my sincerity, and the last act of mercy that the Dark Abyss bestows upon you… Choose to cooperate and join our great cause.”

Under the influence of the turbulent magic, Krzlov's voice sounded extremely strange: "Or, accept the eternal pursuit of the Great Invisible Wolf, you know what that would mean, right?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a large number of chains extending from his body suddenly converged together. With a powerful swing, they pierced through the court hounds that were trying to attack from a tricky angle. The hounds had no choice but to sacrifice some of their strength and return to the mist. When they reappeared, the scarlet eyes on their heads had become extremely dim.

The intertwined chains gradually took on a concrete form.

Hughes saw a huge, strange beast.

It is similar to the hounds of the Dark Abyss, with a long and narrow body and head. However, on this enormous beast, there are many strange limbs that cannot be described in words. Inside its body, one can vaguely see a large number of constantly floating dark purple pillars or cones of light. The constantly moving chains form complex structures of different sizes on the surface of this giant beast's body.

Just watching him made Hugh feel immense pressure.

The metal disc, which serves as the carrier of Hugh's power, is already rotating at near its limit.

"How do I deal with this thing?"

While controlling the fear brewing within him, Hugh gritted his teeth and questioned Theseus.

"Um……"

Theseus hesitated for two seconds, then chuckled awkwardly and said very honestly, "If it's the Invisible Wolf, you probably can't handle it."

Hearing this, Hugh gasped: "Racing against the Invisible Wolf? That's even more unrealistic, isn't it?"

Theseus chimed in, “That’s for sure. It’s pure suicide, and it will only excite the other person more.”

"..."

At this moment, the enormous shadow formed by endless chains had turned toward Hugh, and the dark purple light and shadow that symbolized the power of the invisible wolf projection became unusually active.

Theseus sighed heavily, "There are solutions... but they might make things even more chaotic and disorderly, and might even bring you some new trouble."

Hugh raised his head slightly and looked at the huge purple dots of light that were shining in the darkness ahead—these were the pupils of the projection of the invisible wolf: "Stop talking nonsense. Now that I have accepted your opinion and chosen to smash this chessboard, I will naturally not resist the consequences it brings. Hurry up!"

Hugh's words elicited a soft chuckle from Theseus, and the moment the laughter subsided, the darkness beside Hugh suddenly trembled violently.

As if sensing a threat, the massive wolf-beast made of chains took a step forward, and countless chains that made up its body burst forth, their deadly sharp ends carrying dark light and shadow and eerie green electricity as they stabbed down at Hughes.

At the same time, an incredibly complex stream of thoughts surged from the corner of Hugh's mind. They filled his mind with an unstoppable force, calming the restless sea of ​​his mind and restoring tranquility to the nearly overloaded metal disc.

In a daze, Hugh raised his palm, and the black keratin that had been covering the Black Sun Scepter disappeared completely. As he slammed the scepter into the ground, all the patterns on the metal disc were illuminated, and a strange radiance filled every gap in these intricate structures. The black grooves that connected these fine patterns also emitted a bright light in unison!

They were so dazzling that Hugh couldn’t even associate these lights with the somber hues that enveloped Theseus.

But Hughes was very clear about it.

Their origin is Theseus, the ever-changing god who bears the name of conspiracy!
The chains carrying the will of the invisible wolf suddenly stopped just a step away from Hugh's body. They trembled violently, but could not move forward. What blocked the sharp chains was a layer of semi-transparent dark mist. In the dim environment, this mist was almost invisible to the naked eye, but now it seemed to have become the most stable and toughest barrier, blocking all incoming attacks.

"I'm the one who brought this mad dog here, so it's only right that I use my authority to deal with it..."

At this moment, the faceless deity's voice sounded indifferent and calm: "Although I really dislike concepts like chosen ones and messengers, things have come to this point, and continuing to hide will only cause more unpleasantness."

In the boundless world of shadows, a slender figure dressed in a formal suit slowly emerged from behind Hugh, his chaotic face tilting up to look at the enormous wolf beast that seemed to be in a daze.

"If I can kick you once, I can kick you a second time."

(End of this chapter)