After the spirits blocked Sol Hart's view, she moved swiftly and fearfully to save Shion Lan. She entered the palace, not getting out of the palace, she shouted at the top of her lungs,
"Come out! now!"
From cracks and openings, spirits emerged—ones that looked different from those they had faced before. They stared at her in surprise, clearly not recognizing her.
"This will take some time… survive, Shion!" she muttered with a heavy heart.
...
Shion collapsed onto the ground and tried to reach the last potion he had.
"I should have brought more and not been stingy with quality!"
When Shion first learned that the mission would merely be half a day of protection against a few wandering spirits, there had been no need for excessive preparation. He had forgotten that accidents could happen—and now he was surrounded by an army of spirits, among them fourth-level forces. The spirits didn't give him the chance to drink the potion.
"Damn you all! (Paths of Fire)!"
He opened the hand resting on the ground, and threads of flame shot out, multiplying rapidly as one more thread appeared. Despite this success, Shion had no leisure to celebrate. He drank the entire potion, threw the bottle away, and summoned the water element in his other hand.
"(Water Bomb)!"
The two spells surged in all directions as he slowly stood up, sensing something familiar.
"Again?!"
A fourth-level force advanced toward him once more, this time launching an attack that targeted the soul. Its purpose was to temporarily disrupt control of the body, allowing the evil spirits to attack freely. But the moment Shion was struck, he felt something shake inside him.
"This…"
A headache slammed into his head, yet he didn't fall. He muttered to himself,
"This is the seal Shi Yun Lan placed on me when those memories came back. It's strong—after all, it was done by someone of Noble level—but the strike still hurts."
Shion rushed toward the palace, but the spirits blocked his path and converged on him.
"(Fire Claws)! (Cutting Flames)!"
He transformed the fiery part of his body into magical claws that struck with flaming techniques, while his other hand unleashed (Water Bomb). He moved one step closer to the palace, but his stellar aura began to weaken. The spirits seized the opportunity, attacking both physically and spiritually. Shion began to feel dizzy.
"This… this…"
His vision spun, the world turning upside down. He fell again, but he didn't close his eyes. He watched as attacks rained down on his back—scratches, cuts, burns, stab wounds, everything a human body could suffer. Yet Shion didn't panic.
"It seems that bastard's influence made me indifferent to dying in battle. I've endured far worse anyway."
The fourth-level spirits surged forward, absorbing the power of other spirits. Shion watched calmly, waiting for the right moment—until spirits were absorbed at a weak point.
"I must survive!!"
Without overthinking, Shi Yun clenched his teeth and endured the physical pain he was already accustomed to.
"(Explosive Fire Steps)! (Paths of Fire)! (Water Bombs)!"
He shouted out all the techniques at once. His feet burst into flames as he rushed toward the weak point. Using Paths of Fire, he attacked one spirit, creating an opening. As the spirits counterattacked, Shion formed a sphere of water beneath his flaming feet, the remaining fire threads entwining around it. Both spells exploded simultaneously, launching Shion upward. He grabbed the edge of the wall—but was shocked when a chain bound his leg. Without even turning around, he shouted,
"(Fire Claws)!" But the spell didn't act.
After that, Shion could barely think straight, having exhausted his mental capacity. Yet his body refused to give in. He chose a dangerous method to escape the pull and the blows that would ravage his body.
"(Stellar Summit: Star Surge)!"
Without a sword, he used his body as a conduit for the technique and shouted again, drawing on his soul's power:
"(Art of Annihilation: Blood of the Dead)!"
Not all blood was still alive. Shi Yun decided to use that blood to push himself to his absolute limit. His body surged forward under the combined effect of technique and art, vaulting over the wall. The moment he crossed inside, the chain binding his leg vanished, and the spirits pursuing him dissipated as well.
He fell onto his back amid what should have been shrubs—but were now ashes and thorns.
"I'm safe now! The spirits shouldn't be able to enter except by chance. If I just rest a little…"
He began to drift off, thinking of protecting Sol to understand what was happening, but a sharp headache split his head in two.
"AAAH!!"
"What are you doing there? If you fall asleep with these wounds, you'll die without even realizing it," Shi Yun Lan spoke calmly, warning him. "Even after three years, there should still be some healing potions inside."
Shion couldn't hear him at all. Shi Yun Lan continued,
"I sense a magic circle. Go to it, and I'll be able to heal you without harming your soul."
A chill spread through Shion's body despite the burn marks. He looked at his ruined form—moments ago glowing with aura. His hand burned by Fire Claws, his body warped by Star Surge, deathly aura lingering from the art he had used. His feet were charred black from the explosion, and blood seeped from everywhere, staining him completely.
In a weak voice, Shion asked,
"Wh…ere… is… the… ma…gic… cir…cle…?"
The headache struck again.
"In the palace. When you get close, I'll alert you."
Shion couldn't stand. He chose to crawl toward the palace, fighting the loss of consciousness, repeating to himself,
"If I fall, I'll die! I can't lose awareness!"
The sun neared the horizon, an orange disk casting red light before darkness swallowed the other end, painting shadows black. By then, Shion had reached the palace and entered through the door. Spirits appeared—but they were different from those he had faced before. They weren't surrounded by a baleful aura; they felt like warm dreams that revived memories.
Yet the moment they looked at Shion, they recoiled in fear and began murmuring anxiously.
"..."
"...."
"...!!"
Shi Yun couldn't hear any of them. He thought to himself, 'As long as they don't attack, I'll just go on. Since Shi Yun Lan hasn't moved, I can still survive without him.'
Leaving the frightened spirits behind, Shion crawled up the stairs.
Shi Yun Lan spoke, "Yes, you'll find the circle upstairs, it's—"
But Shion could no longer perceive anything. As the sun disappeared completely and darkness spread, his consciousness faded. He moved only by instinct—no longer seeing, hearing, or feeling.
Shion started to mock himself 'The reason I defeated the crows was because I understood their habits and combat style, used high-quality potions, and relied on Shi Yun Lan's power. But now…!'
He stretched his hand toward another stair.
'I only used my own power against spirits that happened to be affected by it, but I couldn't face them the way I did the Dark Crows. I'm pathetic on my own…'
Shion could no longer think; only instinct guided him. Time passed until he heard sounds piercing his ears.
'Hm? What's that sound? What floor am I on now?'
He moved toward the sound, unsure whether it was right or left. Then he felt something strike his head—a familiar sensation he couldn't identify. Another indistinct voice followed. He stopped, realizing the headache was returning, his consciousness being pulled into darkness once more.
'Am I going to die?'
That thought crossed Shi Yun's mind making him trembling inwardly. Images from months past surfaced, but he recognized none of them.
'What are these? They're not me! Where am I now?!'
Then an old image appeared: a man staring at him with icy coldness, drawing his sword. That man showed no obvious power, yet vanished suddenly. The world spun, and Shion realized his head and limbs had been severed—yet he was still alive. He focused on the man: white hair with age, a still-handsome face, but those lifeless dark eyes filled Shion's heart with terror.
Breathing within this dream, Shion shouted,
"Shi Yun Lan, this darkness won't take me! I'll resist this feeling no matter the cost! Don't look at me with those eyes, you damn old bastard!!"
…
On the third floor of the palace, spirits stood at a distance, staring at the boy's body lying on the ground. A terrifying death aura emanated from him. One of them spoke,
"How are we supposed to explain this to that girl?!"
"What do you think we should do?! He's emitting a horrifying aura stronger than that of the spirits themselves!"
"We used to spread the stench of death, but now we're afraid of it in that boy's presence."
The spirits nodded in agreement, acknowledging their fear of him. but the strongest among them spoke again,
"His vitality is still there. We made sounds to guide him to the place of healing, but he stopped—that's strange."
"Yes, he started turning just now, then stopped, as if something struck him."
"What do we do now? His vitality is fading, and we can't save him. If we touch him, his aura will kill us!"
"Why did that girl care about him anyway?" one complained. "If it weren't for her carrying the mark of our young lady Solan, I wouldn't have forced myself to obey her."
"You're right! That girl is incredibly arrogant! How can she bear the mark of our beloved lady?!"
"Enough!" the strongest spirit said again. "If she can bear the young lady's mark, then we can trust her. But we can't do anything about that boy…"
"AAAHHH!!"
The body on the ground screamed at the top of its lungs. Shion stood up, his eyes unfocused, releasing a violent stellar aura as he forced himself to move, enduring the killing pain. He couldn't respond to anyone—until a severe headache snapped him back to awareness.
"Shi Yun Lan! Follow the same path that girl mentioned—but to the left!"
Ignoring the stunned spirits, Shion moved left, He moved with ragged breaths, reached the fifth room, and frantically searched for anything leading to a secret passage. Weakness surged again, so he raised his intact hand:
"(Fire Claws)! (Cutting Flames)!"
He destroyed the entire room with five slashing attacks until a crack appeared. Shion shattered it and fell below. Before his eyes closed, he sensed an evil, ominous presence from that place. He said in despair,
"This is the end."
But his eyes turned pitch black.
"Not yet!"
Shi Yun Lan looked at the circle, smiled mockingly, and extended his hand toward it.