The black sun hangs high

Chapter 416 Door
As the forces of the two sides continue to clash and collide, the situation on the battlefield becomes increasingly clear.

The blue light, which was initially severely disrupted by the Unseen Wolf's counterattack, has now stabilized. The Dark Abyss Shadows that once enveloped the central square of Watchtower City and a considerable area around it have become extremely thin. Although these shadows can still cause those who stray into them to lose consciousness and the ability to move, the Unseen Wolf can no longer use these shadows and mists to devour more prey due to the magical barrier.

Although what flowed within Hugh's body was merely a fragment of the power left behind by Mel, this massive magical ritual, built upon the fundamental concept of "Sinarhai," still displayed unparalleled power.

As Meyer stated, the concept of the "Sinnar Sea" originated from the sea lord, Carjun.

Therefore, when creating and constructing this special ritual, Mel also took into account the unique characteristics of Carjung—"Sinarhai" should not be born for pure confrontation and struggle.

Inclusivity, absorption, integration... these are the most important methods for it to establish its own advantages.

Just as Hugh is now sensing, this special ritual is working in harmony with all the magic around it. Under that vast magical structure, "Sinarhai" is constantly exerting its influence on the outside world, changing the nature of those magical forces at their source, and actively absorbing them, turning them into the endless power that sustains the ritual.

With this ebb and flow, the Dark Abyss Shadow created by the Invisible Wolf is on the verge of collapse.

Even with the support of the Black Sun Ritual, the Dark Abyss Mist that allowed the Invisible Wolves to roam freely could not withstand the "Sinar Sea" ritual for long. What was even more terrifying was that whenever the mist began to recede or collapse, a considerable portion of its magic would be quickly influenced and assimilated by this azure domain. Not only would it be unable to continue fighting for the Invisible Wolves, but it would also converge into the "Sinar Sea," becoming part of the subsequent waves!

Hugh stood quietly in place, leaning on his cane, silently watching the wolf beasts and sculptures in the distance, which were now surrounded by endless waves.

In his mental world, the metal disc that served as the vessel for power continued to operate at a steady rate, while the blue light representing Mel's power flickered slowly within the disc's patterns.

The message from the "goddess of magic" has come to an end, and her last remaining will is fading away as the metal disc rotates.

Hughes sighed softly. He knew that the power granted by Mel was destined not to last long. Before the "Sinarhai" ritual collapsed due to the loss of power, he had to quickly end the battle at hand and eliminate the dangers and calamities brought by the Black Sun Society.

As a result, the magical tides grew ever more turbulent, and countless Kalron's tentacles were drawn from this magical ocean. They intertwined and entangled with each other, forming a massive cage that enveloped both the invisible wolf and the Black Sun Ritual sculpture.

As Hugh gave the order, the massive magical cage began to rapidly shrink inward.

His goal was very clear and simple: to use endless magic to destroy everything in that cage in the most direct way.

The wolf-beast projection trapped in the cage understood Hugh's thoughts almost immediately. As a projection with a certain degree of self-will, it immediately recognized the situation before it.

It decided to make one last attempt.

Then a deafening roar rang out, and the invisible wolf's crystalline body, already riddled with holes from enduring numerous attacks, began to shrink further, transforming it into a slightly larger court hound.

However, unlike the hounds that were shrouded in black mist, even after being "shrunken," the invisible wolf still had those geometric structures that defied common sense and logic, and was covered with thick, dark purple crystals.

"Click..."

Fine cracks began to appear at the bottom of the Black Sun Ritual sculpture, spreading and climbing until they reached the blooming black flower.

This is the result of the Dark Abyss Magic being violently extracted from the ritual; it is on the verge of collapse.

In return, the invisible wolf's body began to shimmer with an intense light beneath its crystals—it appeared extremely unstable, like a highly concentrated crystalline ore containing a large amount of magic power but being highly unstable.

In response to the dramatic changes on the battlefield, a slight disturbance was felt in the central area of ​​the metal disc.

Immediately afterwards, the will of the Faceless God, which had been absent for a short time, awoke, and the dim light and shadow once again spread outward from the center of the disc. However, Theseus was very careful. He did not touch the blue tracks that belonged to Mel, but gently avoided them. He even took the initiative to use his power to create a protective layer around these blue tracks.

Then, the warning from Theseus reached Hugh's ears.

"Be prepared... Every decision that mad dog makes is destined to be devoid of any sense of 'common sense.' If I'm not mistaken, what it's thinking about right now is how to destroy everything around it as much as possible and, in turn, bring more prey to the Dark Abyss."

Theseus's voice sounded somewhat muffled, as if he had just woken up.

Although Hugh still had many questions about Mel, Vaan, and Theseus himself, the current environment and atmosphere were clearly not suitable for discussing these issues. So, while controlling the cage, he asked, "So, what will it do?"

To put it simply, it's "self-destruction".

Theseus's tone was relatively relaxed, but what he said was anything but: "As a projection, it certainly cannot fight against you in your current state, but if it 'detonates' itself without regard to the cost, it would be enough to create a passage here that exists for a short time."

"A passage? Where does it lead?"

Theseus explained, “Of course it’s the ‘back garden’ leading to the Dark Abyss Palace, and it might even be directly connected to its main body… I’m sure this mad dog is capable of doing such a thing. After all, it is part of the ‘Great Hunt’. All its decisions and actions are only to expand its hunting grounds and hunt more precious prey. Unfortunately, you now perfectly meet its hunting criteria.”

Before Theseus could finish speaking, an astonishing force directly impacted the interior of the magical cage. The impact was so fierce that a significant portion of the Calron's Touch that made up the cage collapsed in the shock.

"Thump!" The metal staff, enveloped in magic, slammed into the ground, and even more waves immediately surged toward the cage. Under Hugh's control, this pure magic flowed toward the breach in the magical cage, filling the gaps like mud and stones used to fill a dam.

The pure power remaining in the disc was indeed incredibly precious, but Hugh knew that if he simply kept it as a treasure without using it, it would inevitably lose its original meaning.

As Hugh made his decision, the metal disc began to rotate at an all-time high. Under Theseus's silent gaze, the precious radiance preserved from distant times began to shine extremely brightly, while Hugh's keen senses began to spread throughout this ocean of magic.

At that moment, Hughes was surprised to find that he could actually hear the "cheers" emanating from the magic.

Yes, cheers.

He could clearly sense the changes in every structure around him, and feel the trembling of every tiny line...

Every corner seemed to rejoice at the touch he perceived.

They came to life. These invisible magics, these tiny, almost indescribable "particles," these strange entities that were ubiquitous and active in every part of Vaan, were given vibrant life at this moment. They broke free from their silent past and began to shout out in Hugh's mind.

The chaotic sounds lasted only a brief moment before they began to converge in a single direction.

Those magical powers rejoiced at the transparent footprints left by the "goddess of magic," and wept for the fact that she had long since departed. But in the end, their joy and sorrow merged into one, just as countless rivers that had traversed mountains, forests, and plains eventually converged into the ocean.

The piercing shriek drew Hugh's attention back to reality. He looked up and saw countless solid dark crystals and winding chains piercing out from the inside of the cage. These ever-growing, bizarre beings had finally managed to break through the restraints Hugh had imposed and cleared a path for the wolves behind them!

Its twisted form struggled to squeeze through the cracks in the cage, the endless chains swinging and hindering the tide's advance.

To break through this blockade, the Invisible Wolf had paid a heavy price—several huge wounds appeared on its body, almost piercing through it, allowing Hugh to see the restless, chaotic shadows within its body.

The crazed wolf opened its mouth, and a strange, penetrating laugh pierced through the distance and entered Hugh's mind.

It didn't say anything, but its laughter clearly contained hatred for all living things and an endless thirst for hunting.

Hugh narrowed his eyes slightly but ignored the other party. Under his command, the calm "sea" below quickly rolled back, along with the layer of magic cage that had been broken through, and enveloped the direction of the invisible wolf projection.

Before the new wave of magic could fully encircle them, the restless shadow active within the wolf's body was completely released. With the explosion of that destructive power, the projection of the invisible wolf was torn apart on the spot. Whether it was chains, fangs, or crystals, they were all completely swallowed up in the ever-expanding darkness!

Theseus's assessment of the invisible wolf was entirely accurate. After realizing that he could not contend with his opponent no matter what, the projection carrying the wolf's will decisively adopted the most effective, and only, method of confrontation.

The explosion was silent, but its impact and destructive power far exceeded any of the crystal projectiles or lethal magic in Vaan.

Faced with the interference of this force, the once incredibly stable "Sinnar Sea" ritual was finally shaken. Numerous cracks appeared on the calm, smooth surface of the magical sea, and this independent space created by a large amount of magic finally showed obvious damage. Strange magical light and shadow intertwined with the brick and stone debris of the real world, while the explosive shockwaves that overflowed from the cracks and damage easily destroyed everything they touched.

Buildings, human bodies, magic... When the shockwave swept across, it left behind a horrific path. On wide streets far from the plaza, an entire squad of city defense soldiers was reduced to ashes. The flesh and blood of these dead were often devoured on the spot by the escaping dark abyss power before they even hit the ground.

The terrifying tremors lasted for several tens of seconds.

In order to contain the explosion that was happening before his eyes as much as possible, Hugh was forced to abandon the maintenance of the "Sinarhai" ritual and put all his energy into controlling the magical waves.

Finally, with the annihilation and dissipation of countless magical forces, the aftershocks of the wolf beast projection explosion completely dissipated.

However, there was no sign of relief on Hugh's face. Through the tattered magic barrier in front of him, Hugh saw that a huge crack had appeared where the invisible wolf projection had been. Its height was comparable to the tallest building in Watchtower City!
This is the passage that Theseus spoke of.

That path led directly to the courtyard filled with hunters.

This night will be unforgettable for the residents of Watchtower.

After the blue light and the dark shadows dissipated, they finally had the courage to come to the window to observe. But then they saw a long, narrow shadow that was enough to steal all their reason and judgment, a gloomy door leading to an unknown world!
Even under the dark night sky, it appears so cold and profound that just one glance is enough to draw people's souls elsewhere!

After a long silence, people's uneasy assumptions were confirmed.

With a crisp tearing sound, the crack containing dark purple shadows trembled, and a malicious gaze was cast from behind the crack, sweeping across the chaotic city.

Immediately afterwards, the simple "door" was pushed open.

An enormous beast claw, which should only exist in legends, nightmares, and fantasies, slowly emerged from it. On its surface were countless translucent crystals in a state of growth and annihilation, and inside these crystals seemed to grow countless eyes—souls eternally imprisoned within them, howling and screaming, venting their misery and pain in this seemingly familiar world.

(End of this chapter)