The black sun hangs high

Chapter 57 The So-Called Sacrifice

With the help of magic, Hugh managed to stay conscious, but for an ordinary person like old Schubert, the sights and the terrifying sounds were enough to completely destroy his mind and reason.

To counter the overwhelming pressure, he continuously used his flamethrower to spew flames forward, but soon, it reached the limit of the simple flamethrower. The oil in the gold can was completely exhausted, and the magic crystal embedded in the flamethrower had completely lost its luster. After the last wisp of fire was emitted, the weapon in old Schubert's hand fell silent. In that moment of distraction, a dark shadow suddenly darted out from the side and pierced through old Schubert's calf like an iron hook.

It was a huge insect limb.

Or perhaps it was a clump of viscous pus mimicking the shape of an insect's limbs.

Hugh's reaction was already at its limit. The two tentacles that were busy tearing apart a "soldier" immediately changed direction. They accurately hit the insect segment made of black slime, and while successfully shattering it, they also hooked onto old Schubert's body. The two black tentacles exerted force at the same time, and brought the old man's thin body back.

Poor Schubert had completely lost his mind. His eyes were vacant, and he made weak, futile groans. His lower leg, pierced by black limbs, dragged limply on the ground, seemingly devoid of all vitality.

Sally rushed over and, trembling, dragged her uncle backward.

As ordinary people, they have already reached their limits.

Just then, exciting news finally came from the rear.

"That's it!"

Veraine's voice trembled slightly, but this could not conceal her joy and excitement. Hugh, relying on his perception of magic, also noticed that a clear gap had appeared in the magical ritual field that had been blocking their way.

The alchemical bomb that he had been holding in his hand for a very long time finally had a purpose.

He pressed down hard on the protrusion on the metal sphere, and the fine and dangerous fluorescent patterns reappeared on the metal sphere. Hugh swung his right hand forcefully, throwing the alchemical bomb away. He then swept his touch with force, repelling two sticky shadows that tried to approach him, and turned to run.

He had witnessed the horrors caused by these alchemical bombs before, and he didn't want to suffer the same torture of being "stuffed" with swamp witch hair as that sword-wielding hermit who had become a victim of horror stories.

As for what this black pus, which doesn't even have a fixed shape, might think, Hugh didn't bother to think about it.

Under the cover of two fire arrows released by Virin, Hugh successfully retreated to the opening of the ritual site. At that moment, the alchemical bomb that had been thrown out finally exploded!
The scene that had left a deep impression on Hughes happened again, only this time, because the environment was more confined, the impact was more direct. Dense shadows of hair suddenly erupted from the point where the alchemical bomb landed, and they moved like sharp steel wires through the viscous black shadows. In an instant, all sorts of figures were torn apart and cut into fragments of different sizes.

This time, the alchemical bomb's effects were far less dramatic than before.

Although these bizarre life forms composed of black pus were brutally torn apart, the hairs that sprang from the alchemical bomb were not enough to extinguish their life force. Therefore, after falling to the ground, the liquid began to recombine...

"Come on!"

Hugh urged him on.

Veraine immediately passed through the gap, and she was already prepared. As soon as Hugh passed through the gap, she would destroy the insignia crystal in her hand so that the ritual site could be sealed again.

At that time, the obstacles that previously prevented them from escaping Seren will be transformed into a protective force to block the enemy from behind.

But accidents always seem to happen when people are just one step away from success.

Just as it was as if he were seeing the prey he had been dreaming of about to leave, a strange magical fluctuation suddenly erupted the moment Hugh was about to pass through the gap, and then an unexpected change occurred.

Under the influence of that magic, some of the slimy remnants near the edge reassembled in the blink of an eye. These small amounts of black pus barely formed a mutilated human body. It lunged forward, its two mutilated and deformed arms stretching out forcefully, trying to hug Hugh's body!
Hugh's reaction was equally swift. The instant the sound came from behind, the Touch of Karron emerged from his palm. The fierce black tentacles pierced backward like spears. However, the mutilated slime humanoid abandoned its lower body the moment it was hit by the Touch of Karron, and actually clung to Hugh's body!

This situation was beyond everyone's expectations, including Hugh's own.

He wanted to immediately shake off the strange sludge, but before he could take any further action, a chilling sensation came from the point where the black sludge had come into contact with his body. Under its influence, Hugh felt that all his movements had become extremely difficult. He could see that the incredibly ugly black pus seemed to form the face of a middle-aged man in front of him, with its mouth wide open, as if it was about to shout something.

Time stood still at that moment.

Heartbeat, breath, blood, thoughts, and even magic... everything was frozen by the cold. Hugh tried to move his body, but he found that he had lost control of it.

The annoying, strange sacrificial text rang out once again, but this time, the chanting echoed directly in Hugh's mind, and not only that, the content had also changed.

"Thank you for the gifts from the ancient gods."

"So that we, the remnants, may enjoy this empty shell."

"Thank you for the mercy of the ancient gods."

"May our descendants return to the world." A burning emotion welled up within the cold eulogy—reverence, gratitude—but to Hugh, it carried an overwhelming malice.

The instant the chanting faded, Hugh felt the chill that had been lingering in his body erupt instantly, completely taking over every blood vessel, every muscle, and every bone. Under the influence of this power, even Hugh's mental world, which had never been offended or harmed before, was not spared. Hugh glimpsed that large, elusive black mists were emerging in his mental realm, transforming into various limb shapes, and then climbing up the rotating metal disc from all directions.

With this change, a deluge of incredibly chaotic information surged in. Amidst this jumble of images, Hugh saw the princes' slowly advancing caravan, the suddenly collapsing clock tower of Seren, and the black tide sweeping towards the crowds…

These images all come from the victims.

This ancient being, summoned and nurtured using a large number of shapeshifting insects as the main offering, the spellcaster who presided over the sacrifice as the key, a suitable location as the sacrificial pit, and the blood of the innocent as nourishment, is now wantonly pouring its power into the body before us.

Just as those sacrificial incantations say, in this utterly chaotic mass, the creature summoned by the ancient ritual has regarded Hugh's body as the perfect vessel given to him. In that chaotic aggregated consciousness, this is one of the most important purposes for him to return to the world!

That is why it, or rather they, dared not harm this body in the slightest. As for the other life forms around them, they were nothing more than sweet treats to satisfy their hunger after completing their mission of continuing.

Hugh watched all this, but he did not give up resisting. Even though his body was completely immobile, he still tried his best to maintain his conscious mind. The metal disc that symbolized his magical path continued to rotate at a certain speed. As the disc rotated, the dark limbs that dared to climb onto it were constantly being twisted and crushed. The dark green light and shadow that permeated the center of the disc flickered incessantly, as if it had become Hugh's second heart.

Another surge of magic was forcibly mobilized by Hughes, and the metal disc accelerated again with difficulty, sweeping away the viscous darkness that was spreading in.

However, this resistance did nothing to help the situation. In that almost frozen time, Hugh could feel the erosion his mental world was undergoing intensifying, and all he could do was prolong this painful process as much as possible...

Hugh could clearly feel the depletion of his magic and spirit. He knew that, given the current situation, his resistance against this invading force would eventually falter. Once that happened, his body, memories, senses... everything that could prove he had ever existed would be completely stripped away. At that time, he would inevitably become part of the foul-smelling black slime, just like the victims who were devoured.

"If I were to become like that, it would be worse than death!"

He gritted his teeth inwardly, but he was powerless to stop the darkness from spreading.

The viscous shadow eventually filled every corner of his mind. The rotation of the metal disc gradually slowed down and almost stopped. The dirty black filth covered it and gradually moved to the very center of the disc. It seemed that it was ready to completely invade the last bit of "territory" that belonged to Hugh.

The Touch of Karron and the Rampaging Rat, hidden in the groove, had become extremely listless. But what puzzled Hugh was that the dark green crystal and the Mirror Messenger were still full of energy. Moreover, the Mirror Messenger, which had previously been extremely agitated, had somehow become calm again. At this moment, it was sitting properly behind the "desk" in the groove, seemingly writing something attentively.

In the midst of the chaos, the scene was truly bizarre. As the erosion brought by the dark filth was about to completely cover the entire metal disc, Hugh didn't have time to think too much. In his last bit of clarity, he poured his remaining magic into the groove of the Mirror Messenger.

The Mirror Messenger, which had never been used by Hugh as combat magic before, began to take effect at this moment. During the frozen time, Hugh's body and limbs began to rapidly transform into a state of black mist. However, this transformation also completely drained the last bit of Hugh's remaining power, and caused his consciousness, which he had been struggling to maintain, to fall into a blank.

The monster's corruption seemed to have been completed at this moment.

However, right in the center of the metal disc, within the dark green crystal whose origin Hugh had never been known, an extremely lazy voice drifted out.

"Okay, I thought you could hold on a little longer..."

At the moment when Hugh's consciousness faded, the voice that clearly belonged to the "God of a Thousand Faces" slowly emerged from the surrounding filth.

An exceptionally rich, dark green light rapidly gathered above the recess where the mirror envoy was located. The mirror envoy, who was "writing at his desk," slowly raised his head, and an exaggerated smile slowly appeared on his face, which had been imitating Hugh's expression.

The next instant, this figure, composed of simple lines and a light mist, "walked" out of the groove. It stood quietly in the center of the metal disc, and then slowly raised its arm...

In the dark sewers, Hugh, who had been in a dazed state after coming into contact with the ancient artifact, suddenly regained his ability to move.

Unbeknownst to Virin and the others, Hugh's eyes, which had seemingly lost their light, regained their luster. A deep light emanated from the depths of his eyes, and his arms, which had been touched and bound by the black slime, instantly "exploded" into a blurry mist. Under the control of the will that had taken over the body, this black mist, transformed from the characteristics of the Mirror Messenger, surged forward and, in the blink of an eye, tightly enveloped the half of the black figure hanging above Hugh's body!
At this moment, the roles of devourer and devoured underwent a complete transformation.

The thick fog dissipated after tumbling twice, reforming into two complete arms, while the figure shrouded in the fog was reduced to a useless mass of lifeless debris.

"...It is truly tragic that inferior and defective offspring cannot even be considered as qualified descendants."

With a low sigh, "Shug" took a light step and passed through the gap in the magical ritual field.

Time, which had been frozen, began to flow again. Virin awoke from her brief daze and, without thinking twice, instinctively stopped the supply of magic to the symbol crystal in her palm. The opening in the ritual space that allowed people to enter and exit immediately closed, completely isolating it from the ominous and terrifying aura.

"finally……"

The female mage let out a long sigh of relief. Just as she was about to say something, she heard a muffled thud beside her. Hugh, who had just escaped the crisis and successfully passed through the ritual site's blockade, was lying in the mud and sewage. It seemed that he had already passed out.

(End of this chapter)