The black sun hangs high

Chapter 414 Carrier and Projection

To the outside world, the blue light that emerged from the gloomy darkness of Watchtower City was the most striking "miracle" in Vaan.

But for Hugh, these voices, hidden within that ancient power, truly represent the tangible footprints left by a "deity" or a "legend" in that lost history.

Compared to the dazzling magical light that could be described as magnificent, Mel's words seemed incredibly simple.

There were no excessive embellishments, and no emotionally charged tones used to evoke feelings.

The voice she left behind was always peaceful, even filled with beautiful hopes and longings for that unpredictable future.

Hughes could hardly reconcile such a tone with an existence that had drastically altered Vaan's course in the distant past.

Yet it is what it is.

These words and phrases have become completely integrated with the flowing and operating magic, and as the bearer and user of this magic, Hugh can feel the true emotions contained in every word and every pause with unparalleled clarity.

The voice echoing in his spiritual world calmed Hugh, making the dark magic constantly surging in his surroundings and the turbulence caused by the invisible wolf's actions particularly bothersome.

The magic surging within Hugh's body was far too special and far too powerful; it was not only power itself, but also a vessel for memories, words, and emotions.

Under its influence, an extremely strong emotion began to emerge.

The guidance brought about by this emotion was very clear. Under its influence, Hugh temporarily stopped listening to those words. He raised his head slightly, and the azure color in his pupils subsided. As a result, his blank gaze refocused, and his eyes became as sharp as a dagger.

The hostility that already existed within Hugh's body towards the Dark Abyss Creatures was amplified infinitely at this moment.

Although in general legends the goddess who herself symbolizes the magic of Vaan is loving and tolerant, her attitude becomes extremely fierce when facing clear enemies—any individual who is hostile to Vaan and poses a clear threat, whether a deity or a member of her kin, should be eliminated and removed by the most ruthless and direct means.

The massive figure that kept moving around Hugh and trying to launch an attack was a prime example.

Although what appeared before them was not the true body of the Dark Abyss Hound Lord, it was enough to ignite a surge of fury beneath the azure ocean of magic.

Thus, the magical models that were originally designed primarily for "repulsion" underwent a complete transformation at this moment. The peaceful tides turned into towering waves, the invisible magic solidified into deadly ice blades, and the seemingly fragile magical threads wove into an impenetrable net, completely sealing off the surrounding area.

The crystalline pupils on the wolf's ferocious head flickered incessantly as it sensed a threat.

At this moment, the Invisible Wolf had confirmed that the power emanating from the human in front of him belonged to the "deity" who had once brought a huge shock and threat to the entire Dark Abyss Palace. This realization directly awakened a trace of panic deep in the Invisible Wolf's long-forgotten memories.

As the master of the Dark Abyss Palace, the Invisible Wolf had a very deep impression of that figure.

Even though its knowledge and memories have accumulated to the point of being enormous, that terrifying figure can never be completely buried.

It was she who forced the Dark Abyss Palace to cease its eternal hunt, and it was she who, for a very long time, completely cut off the offerings that should have been provided to the Dark Abyss. Her actions caused the extinction of countless large races born in the Dark Abyss, and even affected the very existence of the palace itself!
She is my enemy.

She is the enemy of the entire Dark Abyss, a hidden danger that should be completely wiped out and eliminated.

Forced by the vast net of resilient magical threads, the ferocious wolf could no longer roam the shadows. Driven by the ever-growing magical models, it finally reappeared, its massive body now riddled with countless tiny wounds from the sharp magical threads.

However, its pupils did not dim; instead, they revealed a strange light that was completely different from before.

Although the magic that had just changed had caused it some damage, it also made the invisible wolf aware of a special detail that it had almost overlooked.

The opponent's magic was not as powerful as he had imagined; in fact, it was rather weak for a powerful deity.

It suddenly realized that the person standing in front of it was not the terrible enemy in its memory, but an ordinary "prey" that could only bear a few traces of her. This discovery made the invisible wolf immediately put down its fear. It steadied itself and began to breathe heavily.

At this moment, the wolf beast's rather exaggerated body began a new round of changes.

Its originally bloated and enormous body began to shrink inward, causing the chain-like structures to interlock and entangle with each other. At the same time, more dark purple crystals diffused out of its body and combined with these chain-like structures.

In just a few breaths, the enormous wolf beast shrank considerably. Although the now invisible wolf could still be considered a giant, it was clearly more agile and more deadly than before.

The dark purple crystals finally completely covered its body surface, and the ugly structure on its chest, which had been twisted by Kezlov, was now completely swallowed up, turning into a barely perceptible dim shadow.

At this point, both sides are able to clearly understand each other's intentions.

Whether as the bearer of Mel's will and power, or out of his own choice, Hugh could not allow the projection of the Invisible Wolf to continue operating in Vaan. He had to completely destroy it in this completely enclosed space to prevent the Dark Abyss Court from taking further action and to strike at those dangerous enemies.

On the other side, the invisible wolf, as the eternal advocate of the hunt, could not possibly let go of this extremely valuable "prey" before it. If it could complete this hunt, it would have the opportunity to completely erase the last trace of that dangerous enemy, and at the same time, it could damage Theseus's potential plans and schemes!

Thus began a battle far more intense than any before.

There were no further questions or answers, no demonstrations or shouts; both sides silently devoted all their attention to the battle.

Faced with the surging waves of magic and those sharp and deadly threads, the invisible wolf's body twisted rapidly, and a large number of crystalline spikes burst out from its body. These spikes successfully tore through the obstacles in front of it. Moreover, the crystalline fragments that shattered due to the violent collision "grew" into strange columnar structures of varying sizes the moment they hit the ground.

In that boundless, dark courtyard, these columnar crystals served as dens and pathways for the hounds, allowing them to inhabit different areas and even reach another unfamiliar "hunting ground."

This time is no exception.

As the columnar crystals took shape, a path connecting different worlds was established. The Dark Abyss Hounds belonging to the Unseen Wolves immediately responded to their lord's call. They struggled through the fragile passages made of magic, risking being completely shattered in the magical turbulence, emerging from these dark purple crystals and arriving inside this strange battlefield.

However, before these ferocious predators could even establish themselves, a swift and decisive cleanup had already begun.

In the present day, it is impossible for any mage to truly understand Mel's methods of manipulating magic.

There are no rigorous magic formulas, no complicated derivations, and certainly no "universal models" summarized by Merlinle and the mages for the convenience of magic teaching and use...

Everything was so natural and smooth.

The magical waves that had been crushed by the invisible wolves reassembled the moment the Dark Abyss Hounds arrived. Infinite threads of magic were superimposed and compressed by a powerful will, forming a massive arc. With a gentle swing of his cane, this arc cut forward along the ground.

Those predators who responded to the lord's call were cut into gruesome pieces along with the crystal pillars before they could even see the situation or identify the enemy. The fragments of souls contained within them were crushed into useless dregs by the aftershocks caused by the curved arc.

However, the invisible wolf never intended to rely on these hounds to achieve victory.

As the hounds perished and collapsed due to Hugh's attack, the dark traces hidden deep within them began to take effect. The thin, gloomy mist thus broke through the magical blockade and once again came to the side of the invisible wolf.

The moment it touched the mist, the ferocious crystal wolf beast swiftly vanished, and even the magical threads covering the entire area were unable to accurately detect its movements.

However, the consciousness that had become one with the magic offered an extremely clear and definite guidance at this moment.

Several translucent, pale blue tentacles appeared beside Hugh.

Those were the tentacles of Karron, but due to the different magic power infused into them, their forms had changed drastically. Now, these tentacles, which looked like clear streams of water, quickly wrapped around Hugh's body and pulled him aside.

The ground was suddenly torn open, and the mist of the dark abyss surged out. With a burst of speed, the ferocious wolf-beast tore apart a portion of the magic used to seal the space and destroyed a large number of neat magical threads.

The claws, encased in dark purple crystals, swung swiftly, leaving a huge dark crack in the spot where Hugh had stood. A malevolent aura surged from the crack, and strange colors flowed down, adding a touch of glaring filth to this pure ocean of magic.

Hughes, of course, would not back down. Under his control, the Karron's Touches, infused with pure magic, surged rapidly toward the Invisible Wolf. Wherever they went, the magic structures damaged by the Invisible Wolf were quickly repaired.

However, the invisible wolf had no intention of letting Hugh fill the magical gaps in this space. Seeing that the Touch of Karron was about to touch the dark rift it had created, the ferocious wolf immediately changed its strategy and charged towards Hugh.

As the Invisible Wolf made this seemingly risky move, a large number of strange dark crystal fragments and twisting chains grew from its body. In an instant, these fragments, which shared the same power as the Invisible Wolf, scattered and flew everywhere, constantly destroying and cutting through the surrounding magical environment. Meanwhile, the twisting chains unleashed an astonishing destructive power far exceeding that before. They tore through layers of barriers and, together with their main body, transformed into a storm composed of dark crystals, sweeping towards Hughes.

During this process, the strange chains that emanated from behind the invisible wolf emitted an unusual sound as they vibrated violently—not the sound of metal or ore colliding, but rather closer to the cries and howls of living beings enduring pain.
When that sound rang out, an exceptionally strong sense of anger exploded in Hugh's mental world.

Through the knowledge and will that Mel had left behind, Hugh successfully discovered the origin of this strange sound.

That is the despair and pain preserved from countless prey and sacrifices worthy of "collection" since the Dark Abyss Palace launched the eternal "Great Hunt". It is the fragments of the souls left behind by the victims after they were hunted down, the will and memories stripped away after their resistance failed.

Some of these were used as treasures in the Dark Abyss Palace, specifically for training loyal hounds and servants. The deeper the despair contained in these "raw materials," the more outstanding individuals they could produce; Theseus was once a prime example.

The other part was held by the invisible wolf. These howling fragments were not only its food reserves, but also the source of its strength to walk in the dark abyss and hunting grounds.

In other words, as long as the Dark Abyss Palace still exists and the Invisible Wolf continues to lead the hounds in the eternal hunt, the number of miserable souls held captive will only increase. Those shattered wills will not only be unable to resist or break free, but will also have to join in the hunt for other victims!

It is for this reason that the Black Sun Society uses a chain-like instrument of torture specifically when performing "blasphemy rituals"—piercing statues of past deities with it symbolizes sending those spiritual symbols as sacrifices to the hunting grounds. This is not only blasphemy but also a vicious curse.

Throughout countless ages, the goddess of magic, Mel, has been the primary bearer of such curses.

(End of this chapter)