The black sun hangs high

Chapter 418 The Key
From the moment Hugh arrived in this world and came into contact with the extraordinary powers originating from ancient times, the metal disc that served as the vessel for magic and creation has always been shrouded in a veil of mystery that is difficult to fathom.

Initially, Hughes paid very little attention to the disc itself. In those critical situations, he always focused more on the specific powers he could summon and control. As for the metal disc itself and the intricate and complex mechanical structure inside, Hughes regarded it as part of some unspeakable lost ritual.

Now, the will and power originating from the goddess of magic, Mel, and the fragmented words spoken by the projection of the invisible wolf, have finally lifted the hazy mist covering the mysterious disc.

As Theseus drew upon the magical pages, the numerous patterns imprinted on them began to change in a way that defied logic. They were extracted from the physical pages, while the magical paper that served as the medium turned into powder and ash in the turbulent shadows.

What you see is merely one form of presentation of the 'carrier'.

As Theseus modified and manipulated these magical runes, his explanations continued to enter Hugh's mind.

"The reason why the projection of that mad dog called you a 'pure descendant' is that there is indeed an incomparably pure 'framework' deep within your body and spirit."

"My mentor, in the process of contacting and merging with that endless magic, successfully summarized and extracted such a set of rules."

"It applies not only to the deities who were once active in Vain, but also to every living being that breathes and moves in Vain."

A multitude of messages raced through Hugh's mind, these words from Theseus clearly revealing the true nature of the "metal disc" to him.

"It is a solid foundation, a robust framework, a broad carrier capable of supporting almost all creation and operating methods... Pure, yet extremely orderly, which is why it appears to you as the structure of a mechanical watch dial."

As Theseus spoke, Hugh swung his trembling arm once more, and with the slashing of the constantly flashing sword, another thin line of blue magic appeared in the shadow cast by the twisted limbs.

As the colossal object pressed down, another astonishing impact occurred. When the thin line, formed by the compression and condensation of a large amount of magic power, exploded, countless dark crystalline fragments shot out from near the "wounds" on the limbs. Destructive, chaotic magic power, like blood, continuously seeped outward from these fragments, disturbing the already turbulent space around them.

This situation was even more tragic than before, but by constantly draining and overdrawing the magic power in his body, Hughes finally managed to attract the attention of the invisible wolf and minimize the additional impact and disaster it might bring.

From Hugh's perspective, this approach was clearly unnecessary; he could have preserved these precious gifts from Mel and used them to deal with any potential trouble that might arise later.

However, when Hughes gained control of this remaining power, he could clearly sense the thoughts and beliefs that belonged to the original owner of this power, left deep within him.

Naturally and logically, Hugh did just that.

Even Theseus, who usually enjoys mocking and criticizing these things, didn't say much this time. He even subtly showed a hint of approval and agreement.

Intricate magical threads pulsated and shimmered around Hugh, most of the patterns already set, while a new change occurred at the center where Hugh was located.

Beside Hugh, a cluster of silver patterns was constantly combining and intertwining.

These shimmering magical lines come from several special pages of a magic book.

Those were the ancient rituals and magic that Verin had deciphered and reconstructed from "The Poem of the Night." Now, these special ancient lines were rapidly recombining under Theseus's manipulation, imprinting themselves in the space beside Hugh and forming a strange key-like pattern.

At this moment, Hugh's intentions were very clear, and the invisible wolf had also sensed them. So, without waiting for the wounds on its limbs to heal, it immediately launched an even more ferocious and brutal attack on Hugh.

The azure magic used to counter these attacks grew increasingly dim and weak. Although the metal disc had reached its maximum rotation speed, the magic power squeezed out from it could no longer keep up with the rate at which Hugh was consuming it.

Thus, in the series of attacks launched by the invisible wolf, Hugh finally reached his limit.

The magical explosion occurred once again above the completely destroyed plaza. Under the unimaginable violent shock, the Black Sun Scepter that had accompanied Hugh for so long finally succumbed to the pressure. The magical light and shadow that coiled around it shattered completely in the impact, and the patterns that carried the magic were destroyed and smoothed out.

Blood gushed from Hugh's palm, crimson stains rolling down his deformed cane, creating a gruesome scene.

"It's time. Draw your gun."

At this moment, Theseus's preparations were finally complete. At his prompting, Hugh released the staff that could no longer serve as a magical medium and instead took the "Hound's Fang" out of nothingness.

“Remember what I told you before? The power of the hounds can traverse different times and spaces and be used to open channels connecting different worlds... Now, it’s time to use it.”

The mist belonging to Theseus wrapped around Hugh's arm, stabilizing his trembling body slightly due to exhaustion. Then, the silver key pattern coiled around Hugh shattered into starlight, which surged towards the "Hound's Fang" in Hugh's hand, mingling with the blood on Hugh's palm to depict intricate patterns on the dark purple crystal surface of the pistol.

Above the square, the shadow of the invisible wolf once again loomed down.

In the night sky behind this shadow, crystalline projectiles continued to streak across the sky, leaving pale trails that looked somewhat like meteors.

Time seemed to stand still at this moment.

Hughes raised his hand and pulled the trigger on the shadow falling toward him.

Just as if someone had smashed a beautiful glass window with a stone, a strange sound echoed in the night sky. It was so clear and loud that it even drowned out all other sounds on the land.

The sounds of exploding shells, people crying and cursing, buildings collapsing...

All sounds vanished into nothingness at that moment.

In a desolate wilderness far from Watchtower, Verin hid at the edge of a grove of trees, staring blankly at the sky above Watchtower.

In her arms, a semi-transparent, soft shadow was trembling violently. Justina was now enveloped in intense fear. As a special being composed of the color of life and the power of the dark abyss, it was neither willing nor able to face the destructive tremors coming from afar.

Until that crisp cracking sound rang out.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the terrifying crack and shadow that had dominated the sky above Watchtower City vanished without a trace. It seemed as if some force had completely destroyed the gate that brought despair and death, and returned the shadow symbolizing destruction to where it belonged. An overwhelming sense of gloom settled in Vereen's heart like mud and stones; it was so heavy that it even suppressed all her outlets for expressing her emotions.

She gazed at the chaotic traces left in the sky by the crystallized shells, struggling painfully to pull the last vestiges of logic and reason from her viscous emotions, then slowly lowered her head to look at the strange creation that Hugh had entrusted to her.

To her relief, the little creature that had a close magical connection with Hugh was still active.

So Verine placed her palm on its body and slowly transferred some magic power to it.

After Justina calmed down a bit, Verine opened her mouth and asked in a dry voice, "Justina... can you still feel your... um, father?"

Upon hearing Weilin's question, the soft shadow trembled slightly, and then a childish voice came from within it.

"No... He's ignoring me, but he's still here..."

Justina's two soft ears, which she used to express her emotions, slowly drooped down. She was constantly trying to grasp the magical connection between herself and Hugh, but although the connection existed, she was unable to touch Hugh's heart and will, which made her feel very flustered and uneasy.

Upon hearing this, Wei Lin's gaze flickered twice. She pursed her lips tightly, and the bitter taste on her lips slightly lifted her spirits.

So she forced a smile and comforted the little guy in her arms, "Don't worry, don't worry... as long as the magic connection is still there, he'll be fine. He's probably just wandered off somewhere."

Her droopy, soft ears perked up again. Reassured, Justina twitched twice and asked expectantly, "So he'll be back soon?"

"Probably..."

Vera's smile was very forced. She wasn't good at comforting others, and she had never really coaxed such an innocent child before. But at this moment, she could only bite the bullet and say, "So you need to pay more attention to your contact with him. What if he comes looking for you at some point?"

Soon, the young offspring regained her vitality under the soothing magic and words. She lay quietly in Virin's arms, shifting her body to find a more comfortable position.

At this moment, figures approached from afar. They were spies and soldiers who had evacuated from the Rock Lake Mine with Virin. They had already scouted the way ahead and were preparing to advance towards the backup hideout.

So Vera patted the little thing's "head" in her arms and said, "Let's go, we need to find a safe place to hide first, it's too dangerous here."

Yes! That's right!

Justina readily agreed, but soon she looked at Vera with curiosity and asked very politely, "I will be with you when Father is not here... How should I address you?"

"..."

Faced with this question, Wei Lin became somewhat silent.

But soon, the clever Justina found the answer in her own wisdom: "Oh...you take care of me just like my father, so you are my mother, right?"

Although Vera had been mentally prepared, her expression still became subtle at this moment.

Finally, she nodded: "Okay, you can call me that, but you have to be obedient from now on... and you need to know that I will be much, much stricter than your father."

And so, on this night destined to bear countless legends and bizarre tales, the team evacuating from the Rock Lake Mine headed into the depths of the forest, where arduous tasks and missions would continue to accompany them in the days to come.

……

Any kind of magic or ritual related to teleportation can never provide a good experience for its user.

The longer the teleportation distance, the more unstable the teleportation magic itself becomes, and the more painful it is for the unfortunate person trapped in the magic.

So the question is, how far is Vaan from the Dark Abyss?

Hughes didn't know, and he didn't want to know.

All he knew was that he was like a cockroach that had fallen into a powerful toilet bowl, being carried by unimaginable chaotic forces into an endless, narrow abyss.

However, throughout this process, he remained extremely clear-headed. He could even feel his limbs being torn and pulled in different directions by invisible forces. Moreover, a large amount of turbulent currents were constantly impacting his mental world.

Despite these impacts, the sturdy metal disc served as a powerful barrier for Shug, yet each impact of these turbulent currents still managed to create violent waves in his mental ocean.

Under such prolonged torment, falling into a coma or even dying would be considered a relief.

However, his strong mental state and the life force hidden within his body kept him awake, which made the all-encompassing torture a "normal" thing that he had to accept and get used to.

Hughes couldn't see the end of this painful journey at all; it seemed that all he could do was endure it.

However, just as Hugh was mentally prepared for the long torment, he suddenly felt himself being thrown from the narrow "passage" into a much wider space.

So he opened his eyes wide and looked into the distance.

He saw a strange world.

A strange world filled with deep fog and shrouded in gloomy colors.

(The End of Volume Four: Daylight Without Light)
(End of this chapter)