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As expected, Aaron collected the flesh and blood on the deck. Looking at the island in front of him, he pondered for a moment before leaving the ghost ship and beginning his initial exploration. He had to ensure his safety while he was in a deep sleep.
Before he had walked a few steps, Aaron stopped. Under his feet was a skull buried in the sand. Spiritual energy emanated from it, and in the direction leading to the depths of the island, there were scattered bones.
Among them were many Beyonders. Even from a distance, Aaron could clearly feel the spiritual fluctuations from some of the bones, indicating they were at least Mid-Sequence Beyonders.
Looking at the severely corroded Aurora Order badges scattered next to many of the bones, Aaron guessed that these people might have been the group of believers who went on a pilgrimage with the Saint of Blackness. Even a demigod was trapped, so the fate of those believers was obvious.
Silently collecting the Sealed Artifacts that had merged with the bones or other objects scattered on the ground, Aaron had already arrived at the entrance of the black monastery.
The paper crane in his pocket seemed to sense something, floating in mid-air and emitting a faint silver light. Suppressing his curiosity, and after confirming that there were no strange creatures outside the monastery, Aaron returned to the ghost ship.
He smeared the blood separated from the Saint of Blackness's flesh onto the surface of Groselle's Travels. Whether it was an illusion or not, Aaron felt a momentary blur, and the black monastery in the distance seemed to have a fleeting double image.
As the blood was absorbed and disappeared, Aaron sacrificed Groselle's Travels to the dark gold mist. His consciousness sank back to the throne. With a wave of his hand, a small metal bottle from the pile of sundries flew over.
This contained a small tube of blood he had previously extracted from his own body, which he had brought to the dark gold mist earlier, to facilitate his Spirit Body entering Groselle's Travels.
After unscrewing the cap, Aaron did not immediately smear his blood onto the dark brown cover of the book. Without the protection of a physical body, the Spirit Body itself had a higher probability of being damaged in a demigod battle.
Although the Sun Chaser Scepter had the best effect, its own Beyonder Characteristic was too high. Directly integrating it into the Spirit Body without protection was no different from directly consuming a magical potion; at least, the result was the same.
Aaron first integrated the black emperor card into his Spirit Body. As that Card of Blasphemy integrated, Aaron's Spirit Body seemed to swell slightly, but in reality, it became much denser, with dark gold patterns appearing.
After thinking for a moment, he took out the "Mask of Death," which he hadn't used for a long time, from the pile of sundries and integrated it into his Spirit Body. Two clusters of pitch-black flames then flickered in his eye sockets, as if they had a life of their own.
Through meditation and adjusting his spirituality, Aaron completely reined in the coldness originating from Death. The abnormality in his eyes quickly returned to normal.
Aaron unscrewed the cap of the metal bottle, poured out a few drops of blood, and smeared them onto the cover of Groselle's Travels.
After a brief wait, what he saw was initially blurry, as if countless transparent things were hidden within, then it became clear. There was a blue sky, white clouds, gray-brown city walls, and people coming and going, including giants with characteristic vertical single eyes.
Through divination, Aaron found Bayer Baile and the others, who were still near the ice field. This "Demon Hunter" was already in very good condition, no longer on the verge of losing control as he had been over a month ago.
Without pleasantries, Aaron threw the letter written by Mobet to Siatas and the others, then immediately took Bayer Baile and activated the teleportation. Using the remaining flesh and blood of the Saint of Blackness, he quickly pinpointed his location on a desolate plain.
The Saint of Blackness still maintained his giant form, covered in black armor. His left eye glowed with a deep red light, while his right eye was bloodshot, filled with pain and despair, but still retaining a glimmer of hope.
The ground beneath his feet was stained with a layer of viscous blackness, which was still spreading outwards. The light in his right eye gradually dimmed. Even though the main personality was severely wounded in the last dream, after breaking free from the power that caused his personality split, the benevolent personality had lost its last protection and was about to be devoured.
Having already sensed the strangeness of this place, the main personality of the Saint of Blackness felt his unease gradually intensify. Suddenly, he turned his head and swung the straight, deep greatsword in his hand backwards.
Bang!
Accompanied by a crisp, sharp explosion, the Sword of Dawn, as if condensed from light, bloomed with layers of dawn, transforming into a Hurricane of Light that enveloped the Saint of Blackness.
The viscous liquid emanating a corrupt aura was purified by the Hurricane of Light but did not hit the enemy. Eyes covered in dark green symbols suddenly looked to the side.
Shadows flickered there, but the figure of the Saint of Blackness had unknowingly emerged from the Darkness, his black greatsword already striking.
Without any fear, Bayer Baile's body condensed the "Armor of Dawn." He also raised the light sword in his hand, and the area within forty to fifty meters around him was instantly filled with dawn, preventing the Saint of Blackness from using shadows to jump and evade attacks again.
Wearing a black crown and a white bone mask, Aaron stepped out of the void. With the enhancement of the black emperor card and the bonus of the Mask of Death to the aura of Death, the "Imprisonment" decree successfully bound the Saint of Blackness, who had just emerged from the shadows.
The ground then collapsed. The sudden decree caused the Saint of Blackness's body to stiffen for a moment, losing the opportunity to dodge or counterattack.
There was no emotion in his cold eyes. He slightly tilted his head, accompanied by surging black viscous liquid. The light sword, aiming for his head, ultimately veered off, only shattering his right cheek and half of his body.
The "Black Knight," broken into fragments, flew backward. A cruel smile appeared on his half-remaining face. The other personality that had troubled him was finally obliterated. The true "Black Knight" had returned.
The broken body rapidly wriggled and reassembled, transforming into a thin blanket of flowing flesh and blood, covering the shattered ground.
When a layer of flesh and blood grew on the desolate plain, a distorted, swaying black shadow rose from within the flesh and blood.
This was a soul he had Grazed after his advancement to "Black Knight," with the help of the "Angel of the Holy Word" Steph. It was also the demigod soul he had Grazed the longest.
It came from a powerful Sanguine from the Forsaken Land of the Gods, corresponding to the Sequence 4 "Shaman King" of the Moon Pathway.
If the target Grazed by a Shepherd is at the demigod level, due to their solid Spirit Body, they can be directly released, but only one at a time, unless the corresponding Shepherd has become a Sequence 3 Trinity Templar.
Now, he was severely wounded, and the forceful elimination of his split personality had damaged his Spirit Body, preventing him from Grazeing too many souls simultaneously.
The distorted, swaying "Shaman King" shadow reached out and dug out one of its eyes—a phantom eye, a blood-red eye.
This eye shimmered with clear and scarlet light, instantly illuminating the entire desolate plain, as if a red Moon had descended there.
Its pupils reflected the towering figure of the giant clad in the Armor of Dawn and Aaron in mid-air.
Without hesitation, the "Shaman King" shadow clenched the hand holding its eyeball, allowing the scarlet "Moon" to be completely swallowed by Darkness.
Around Aaron and Bayer Baile, deep, solidified Darkness then emerged, binding them in place, making the scene there appear frozen.
Flesh and blood surged together, forming a knight covered in black full armor, wielding a deep greatsword, and exuding an immense sense of oppression.
Through the gaps in this "Black Knight's" faceplate, two clusters of deep red light flickered faintly, instantly locking onto the strange Spirit Body suspended in mid-air.
Bayer Baile roared, and his body expanded again, but the shadow beneath his feet suddenly came alive, grabbing his ankles and rising like water, tightly entangling him.
"Black Knight," "Control Shadow"!
The Saint of Blackness's eyes were cold. He manipulated the "Shaman King" soul to entangle Bayer Baile, while he himself charged towards Aaron in mid-air, swinging the long, wide, and deep greatsword in his hand.
Feeling the sense of restraint coming from various parts of his body, Aaron's expression remained unchanged. The white bone mask emitted a strong aura of Death, and a phantom Door of the Underworld suddenly opened.
The power emanating from the small Underworld spread towards the charging Saint of Blackness. The power of the Underworld awakened the Grazed souls; all the souls wailed within Leomaster's body.
Dazzling electric arcs and a psychic storm spread outwards from his body. The deep red light in his eyes flickered. His damaged Spirit Body was restrained by the souls Grazed within him, and his figure also froze in mid-air.
Seizing this opening, the sub-consciousness waiting for an opportunity within the Sefirah raised the Sun Chaser Scepter, which had been accumulating power. Using his prayer light points, it passed through numerous obstacles. The sublimated Sun Chasing Arrow shot towards the Saint of Blackness, who was entangled by souls.
Having just shielded the Grazed souls from the Underworld's interference, the light arrow, emanating endless purifying flames, had already arrived before him. The deep red light in his eyes collapsed into a singularity, and he only managed to let out half a desperate roar:
"The Creator of all things;
"Behind the curtain of Darkness..."
Watching the Saint of Blackness being swallowed by the Sun, the restraints on Aaron's body also dissipated. After helping Bayer Baile completely purify the uncontrolled "Shaman King" soul, the rising Sun gradually extinguished.
A mass of pitch-black liquid surged in the giant pit formed by lava, with spiritual light of different colors shimmering within the blackness.
Unsure if night had already fallen in the real world, Aaron had no time to check his gains. He put all his spoils into the spiritual box. Without hesitation, Aaron's Spirit Body suddenly expanded, enveloping the spiritual box, and directly ended the summoning, returning to the dark gold mist.
After putting the spoils back into the pile of sundries, Aaron returned directly to the real world. Opening his eyes, he was met with a deep Darkness. The Darkness Mark on his wrist spontaneously emitted fluctuations, pulsating with the surrounding Darkness, resisting some kind of power.
The obstructing Saint of Blackness had been eliminated, and the hindrance to exploration no longer existed. Aaron did not hesitate. After confirming his own good condition, he directly entered the dream world.
Opening his eyes again, Aaron was back at the entrance of the black monastery. Unlike before, the "Painting of Misfortune" on the hall wall was already blurry.
Aaron had anticipated this. The monastery was pieced together from various dreams—dreams from different beings in the divine war ruins, or perhaps remnants of past dreams.
The previous mural was clearly a manifestation of a certain memory of the Saint of Blackness. After his demise, only damaged and blurry dream remnants naturally remained.
Passing through black wooden doors that contained unknown dreams, Aaron arrived at a winding black staircase leading downwards. The light of dusk shone through the stained-glass windows high above, bringing a fiery sacred glow.
Aaron examined the human skull carvings on the black staircase handrail, feeling the Underworld aura on the steps, which was identical to that of the Mask of Death. He thought of the Numinous Episcopate Undying who had searched for traces of the former Death.
That demigod seemed to have lost control in his whispers, forever wandering in an underwater ruin. An Undying could probably provide enough time for the "Ghost Picture Frame"...
This thought flashed through his mind, but Aaron's steps did not stop; he continued downwards.
Perhaps due to the protection of some power, the journey was surprisingly peaceful, without the expected dangers. After walking down the stairs and arriving at the bottom floor of the monastery, Aaron finally stopped before a black wooden door covered in strange patterns.
His spirituality gave a warning of danger, but the token in his hand guided Aaron to push open this wooden door. After a moment of hesitation, spiritual energy surged into the Darkness Mark on his wrist. Gritting his teeth, he opened the black wooden door covered in strange patterns.
Inside was a vast sea, directly illuminated by dazzling sunlight. Large expanses of rich golden light seemed to be hidden within the waves.
That was the blood of the Ancient Sun God!
Before his Death, he was affected by the power of Darkness, fell into a dream, and dreamt of himself being torn apart, his blood staining the sea.
Clang!
As the black wooden door opened, an unimaginably strong aura permeated out, causing the entire monastery to shake noticeably, as if it had encountered an earthquake capable of destroying the world.
Illuminated by that golden light, Aaron immediately felt his Spirit Body melting and his spirit evaporating. It seemed it wouldn't be long before he would become nourishment for this dream.
Deep blackness surged from his wrist, eliminating this pain. Pulled by this power, Aaron seemed to rise high into the sky, as if looking down at the ocean behind the door.
As the golden light grew more intense, a wave-like black ocean gradually appeared at the end of space, with a massive shadowy outline rising and falling within it.
The token in his hand instantly emitted strong fluctuations. Aaron's lips were somewhat dry as he murmured to himself, "Specter Empire..."
Before he could observe carefully, even more dazzling and blinding golden light appeared before his eyes. The dream shattered with a roar, and the sky of the divine war ruins was once again dominated by midday.
The stinging sensation from his Spirit Body transferred from the dream world to reality. Aaron rubbed his forehead to alleviate the pain.
Suddenly, he looked up ahead. The void distorted, and Astolfo emerged from the colorful space. Lines on his body lit up, seemingly shielding him from some power's perception.
As the letter fell, a voice also came:
"This is your letter. Although I don't know why you came here, I must warn you."
"This area is very dangerous. My awakened memories indicate that this is the battlefield where the Creator of the second epoch fell."
"This place is not far from the core battlefield. Not only does it retain the unwilling will of that Creator, but also the residual divine power of other True Gods has been radiating this sea area."
"If you need help, I can take you away, including this ghost ship."
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