LRAB Page 607
Page 607
Guided by the invisible dagger, Furu's footsteps led him onto a path deep within the underworld, shrouded in a purer, thicker darkness.
The Dark Path.
Walking through it is not a physical absence of light. It is a deeper, more primal force of "isolation" and "forgetting," originating from the very source of the underworld, enveloping perception like a cold tide, attempting to erode the traveler's sense of direction and existence. Each step feels like treading on the silent sighs of countless departed souls, icy and piercing, drawing away the warmth and will of the living.
This solitary journey, filled with loneliness, oppression, and shrouded in boundless darkness...
This caused Furu's meticulously crafted mind to involuntarily revisit the most famous tragic legend associated with this land of the dead—
Orpheus!
The great singer who moved Hades with his music and was granted permission to bring back his deceased wife Eurydice!
Hades' conditions were harsh and cruel: while guiding his wife through this dark path that connects life and death, she must never look back! Until they return to the light of the world!
Orpheus accomplished the almost impossible. He suppressed his agonizing longing and led his silent wife step by step through the dark corridor that swallowed all light.
However, at that very moment—when the light symbolizing humanity was almost within reach, and hope was about to be fulfilled—
Behind me, there was only deathly silence.
He could neither hear his wife's footsteps nor feel her presence... The fear and loss of control stemming from his deepest love gnawed at his soul like a venomous snake!
A fatal, uncontrollable impulse seized him—
look back!
In that instant when he turned around!
He saw the frozen shock and despair on his beloved wife's face!
Eurydice's figure, as if seized by an invisible giant hand, instantly turned into scattered glimmers of light and fell into the endless abyss of darkness behind her!
Only that soul-piercing lament, which even the underworld mourns, remains, echoing in eternal darkness:
"Your only mistake was loving me too much..."
This legend, like a cold alarm bell, resonated heavily in Furu's mind at this moment.
In this underworld belonging to the dead, on this dark road leading to an unknown shore...
"Looking Back"...
It never seemed to be an option.
It symbolizes the shattering of hope, the breaking of promises, and the most fatal blasphemy against the laws of the underworld. The price is often an instantaneous, utter, and irreparable loss.
The starlight from the dagger suddenly stabilized in the dark void ahead, pointing to a point that seemed to be empty.
Furu's steps also came to a halt.
He forcefully suppressed the instinctive urge to explore the void and darkness behind him that arose from the warning of the legend.
Their gazes, as if drawn by a magnet, were fixed on the "empty spot" pointed to by the tip of the dagger.
There's no going back.
Only by moving forward...
Chapter 638 Cooperation? (4k)
As Furu stepped into the gray-white corridor suspended above the Land of Lamentation, her breathing unconsciously slowed and became stagnant.
cold.
It is not a low temperature in the physical sense, but a kind of "existential chill" that penetrates to the bone marrow and draws warmth from the soul.
The dark road rolled beneath my feet; beneath the leaden ground lay not water, but the frozen whispers of despair from millions of lost souls.
Each silent sigh that rose only deepened the chill of the cold stone floor of the corridor.
Thick sulfurous fog coiled around like a living thing, greedily devouring light and sound, compressing visibility to a mere inch in front of you. Deathly silence reigned supreme here.
“Spiritual interference…” Furu immediately sensed the corrosive feeling that permeated the mist, like being gnawed by billions of micro-insects.
It does not attack the physical body, but rather quietly erodes the sense of "existence," attempting to blur the memory, will, and even "origin" of the individual "Furu," and integrate them into this eternally forgotten land.
He immediately activated the magic circuits within his body, and a thin but tough magical shield, woven like stardust, covered his entire body, barely isolating the invisible power of "forgetfulness" from the outside.
He raised his hand, and the mithril dagger engraved with the twelve zodiac constellations hovered above his palm once more.
Starlight swirled along the blade, subtle yet resolute.
“Lead me.”
His incantation was deep and clear, a declaration anchoring his own existence.
The dagger hummed, breaking free from gravity, and slid into the thick fog ahead like a silver fish. Its trajectory was no longer a simple straight line or arc, but flickering like breathing, with each leap of starlight pointing to a brief "safe point".
Furu followed closely behind, stepping precisely on the spot where the dagger's light had just indicated, one step after another.
The stone slabs beneath my feet were cold and hard, and on both sides was endless void. The only thing I could rely on was the starlight ahead.
The walls of the corridor were partially obscured by the mist, and the stone surface was not smooth.
Furu caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye—it wasn't empty.
Blurred, distorted, like the fading remnants of a mural eroded by time and pain, silently imprinted upon it. The figure of a swordsman, in the instant he turns his head, freezes into a terrified stone statue;
The silhouette of a wizard trying to look back, his lower body turned into flowing ashes and merged into the wall...
These are the marks of the losers, the eternal background noise in the whispers of the dark road, all telling a core taboo: looking back is the end.
Just as he took his seventh step, his mind focused intently on the trajectory of the dagger ahead—
coming.
An indescribable, warm, and familiar sense of presence appeared without warning, just a step behind him.
It is not sight, nor hearing, but "perception" that directly affects the depths of the soul.
That feeling... was just like a scent that I cherish deep in my memory, representing "home" and "peace".
Accompanying this breath was an extremely faint yet chilling sound in the deathly silence—footsteps. Light, with a rhythm unique to life, treading on the cold stone slabs.
Furu's heart clenched! All the muscles in his body tensed instantly, almost stiffening against his will!
A powerful, instinctive urge surged through my spine like an electric current—turn around! Confirmed!
"No!" he roared silently in his heart, biting his lower lip so hard it almost bled. His magical shield lit up reflexively, resisting the warm temptation that was trying to erode his will.
"Eurydice..." The thought surfaced uncontrollably. He was all too familiar with this legend.
The phantom behind him was the cruel exploitation of his deepest longing by the underworld!
It mimics "hope," radiates a magical aura of "safety," and even...
He seemed to "hear" a faint, sobbing call, the voice indistinct yet piercing his heart, almost causing his mental defenses to crumble.
pressure!
A cold, heavy, supreme will, seemingly originating from the entire underworld itself, pressed down on the back of his neck like an invisible giant hand!
The feeling was crystal clear, carrying a clear warning: any form of "looking back" would invite divine punishment!
Furu forced himself to fix his gaze on the spinning dagger in front of him.
He couldn't use any magic to detect what was behind him—that would be tantamount to looking back! He could only trust his own judgment: everything behind him was a sweet death trap created by the underworld using his inner projection!
"Lock on!" he roared, and his magical power surged into the suspended dagger like a floodgate opening!
Om-! ! !
The dagger suddenly burst forth with an unprecedentedly dazzling starlight!
It was no longer just a guide; it instantly projected three incredibly clear points of light, as if composed of fragments of stars, onto the stone path a few steps ahead of Furu!
These three points of light were not static; they precisely marked the safe locations he had to set foot in within the next few seconds, guided by Furu's will and the divination of the dagger!
This is no longer a simple guide, but a forceful anchor to the "future ahead"! The appearance of each point of light infuses Furu's heart with a resolute strength to resist the temptations behind him: Look! Hope is ahead! The future is ahead! Step forward!
He forced himself to ignore the ever-present warmth, the increasingly clear sobs, and the icy pressure on the back of his neck that felt like it was about to break his spine. His gaze was fixed on the starlight ahead, and he took a heavy but unwavering step! One step! He stepped on the first point of light!
The light spot vanished instantly, transforming into a warm energy flow that returned to itself, slightly dispelling the chill of the underworld.
The "presence" behind him seemed to grow restless at his indifference. The warm magical fluctuations turned scorching, and the sobs suddenly rose in pitch, transforming into a shrill cry filled with despair!
The lamentations of the Dark Path surged in like a tsunami, the wails of billions of dead souls converging into a tangible mental shock, frantically pounding against his shield and consciousness!
The stone slabs beneath his feet seemed to begin to vibrate, tempting him to lose his balance and turn around!
"Ugh!" Furu groaned, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, as he forced himself to steady himself.
His eyes were bloodshot from excessive focus and resisting the mental shock, but his gaze remained fixed on the second and third points of light projected by the dagger!
tread!tread!
Two steps down! The points of light vanished one after another! The thick fog ahead seemed to have been somewhat dispelled by the power of the dagger, faintly revealing the end of the corridor—
It wasn't a wall, but a "wall of nothingness" that rippled like water, its edges radiating a faint, soft starlight that seemed out of place with the deathly silence of the underworld!
The node is right behind it!
However, just as he was one step away from the Wall of Nothingness, and the light of the dagger was about to pierce into that rippling void—
"Furu——!!!"
Behind me, that warm, familiar voice suddenly became clear! It was no longer a call, but a final scream filled with heart-wrenching fear, as if I were about to fall into an abyss!
At the same time, the invisible pressure that had been applied to the back of his neck suddenly increased tenfold! Like a cold iron clamp, it gripped his neck tightly and ruthlessly tried to turn his head backward!
The lament of the dark path transformed into a deafening roar, assaulting his eardrums and soul!
That was his teacher's voice!
It was the voice he missed most as the "master killer"!
A close call!
Out of the corner of his eye, Furu could even see the bluish-white skin on his neck caused by the immense force! Every bone in his body was groaning under the strain!
"Open it!!!"
Furi unleashed a roar from the depths of his soul! All his will, all his magic, all his beliefs were poured into the Zodiac Twelve Daggers in his hand without reservation at this moment!
He didn't turn back! His gaze, like a burning star, was fixed on the void before him! His arm muscles bulged, and with an unwavering determination, he thrust the dagger, which shimmered with all twelve constellation runes, straight and without the slightest hesitation, into that rippling void of starlight, like a javelin thrown with thunder or a key inserted into a lock!