https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-609-The-Shadow-Weaving-Record-of-Lanchi-and-Shubelian-Part-I-/12584944/
https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-611-Sigrid-s-Southern-Continent-Plan/12584946/
Chapter 610: The Shadow-Weaving Record of Lanchi and Cybele (Part 2)
Chapter 610: The Shadow-Weaving Record of Lanchi and Cybele (Part 2)
In the dreamlike cathedral, ethereal and heavenly, the young man held Miss Witch in his arms.
"It's alright," she whispered, gently patting his back. "Life and death are natural parts of life, just as day turns to night."
Like a tender wife, she continued, "Life isn't as good or as bad as we imagine it to be. Didn't you once tell me that when you lose something, you also gain something else?"
"Those words were from sixteen years ago," he replied hoarsely, his voice finally breaking. "Now, I dare not speak to anyone about anything, for as soon as I do, I miss everyone."
He wanted to cry, but his heart felt drier than a desert.
"Once upon a time, there was a girl who would nag at me to stay calm," he continued. "Whenever I lost control, she would frown and tug at my sleeve."
"Later, my sleeve felt light and airy." Despite his words, his hand felt too heavy to lift.
"I am someone who has crossed over to the other side," she said softly, slowly taking hold of his sleeve. "But you are different. You shouldn't be attached to this side." And with that, she gently pushed him away, no longer allowing him to hold her.
"I don't understand," the dark-haired youth shook his head.
"Lanculos, your pretenses..." Miss Witch sighed. "Now that you're awake, I can rest easy." Looking at him, she smiled, the sadness gone from her eyes, her voice vibrant, just as it had been when they first met. "I know you want to stay here, but sometimes what seems like a brief pause can turn into an endless stagnation, causing you to miss your chance. Your mission is not yet complete, so go forth."
She once thought that her blindness meant darkness, but one day she realized that the sun was just a morning star. Even if all the other stars disappeared, they would continue to accompany the sun, and it would remain the most conspicuous among them.
The young man's hand seemed to be glued to Miss Witch's shoulder, unable to let go.
Until she shook her head and began to back away, her movements graceful like a dance.
"By the way," she said, placing her hands behind her back and bending slightly, her eyes fixed on him, "to prevent you from falling into illusions or being invaded by enemies through mental magic in the future, I must remind you of something."
"Fall in love with someone," she said seriously, "or you will not be able to defeat the third ancestor, Lashiel."
"What are you talking about?" he asked, confused and agitated. "Even if you tell me this now, I might forget it when I wake up."
"From now on, love every creature you meet who is willing to treat you kindly," she explained.
"I'm tired and weary," he shook his head. "I don't want to learn how to love again. Let me grow old alone."
"If you can't do this," she raised an eyebrow, her finger pointing at his forehead in rare admonishment, "then you will repeat the same mistakes."
"Again and again," she added, her eyes softening once more. "Lanculos, learn to love again. Only by loving someone can you anchor yourself to this world. Only then will you not stray towards nothingness."
Once one steps towards nothingness and embraces nihilism, they believe that life has no purpose, only process. They see everything as meaningless, becoming purely rational, accepting the insignificance and powerlessness of being human, sensing the chaos and uncontrollability of fate. Rather than challenging nothingness in a futile struggle, they let go and fall into the abyss.
As he listened to her words, his dry eyes began to tear up once more.
Outside the cathedral, the sky was slowly turning a soft pink in the glow of the setting sun, resembling the hues of dawn.
"Then... goodbye," he forced himself to smile through his tears, bidding her farewell as he struggled to keep his eyes open.
The floor-to-ceiling windows of the cathedral reflected their figures calmly, like a tranquil sea.
Miss Witch's words were like a small boat, sailing through the stormy sea of his heart, leaving ripples in its wake.
"I will forget everything," he vowed, "and fulfill our promise to end this Blood Moon Calamity!"
The wound still pained him, and his parched throat had not yet found relief.
But it no longer mattered; let the wind blow it all away.
At the end of obsession, there was nothing but emptiness.
Wiping away his tears, he steeled himself, his eyes determined as he raised his hand to her.
She smiled and waved, slowly melting into the sunset.
The youth would also disappear in the dawn's radiant light.
"If we don't meet again, then it's fate," she said, as if revealing her vulnerability. "So, don't be obsessed anymore!"
"You are utterly and completely wrong! There are many more days to come, and I will never forget!"
The young man with black hair bared his longing without restraint, shouting at the top of his lungs.
Hearing this, the phantom of Miss Witch, who was about to dissipate, paused for a moment, a bemused expression on her face, before breaking into a serene smile.
"You say you won't forget me."
"I believe with all my life, from this day forward, all of it..."
"...is contained in those words of yours."
She left him with these final words.
The black-haired youth felt the illusion around him beginning to collapse.
Even so, he could still hear her gentle voice echoing in his ears -
"Soon, you will sleep, and when you awaken, you will be a part of a new world.
Go, and walk forth.
To a place that belongs to you."
And so, he returned to the mortal realm.
Crimson thunder rumbled within the empty space at the center of the Nakalis Demon King's Palace, filling the transparent protective barrier surrounding the palace with an ominous, dark aura, causing it to appear as if it were on the verge of collapse.
On both sides of the palace hall, a clear divide could be seen between the silver-white and blood-red magics as the Fallen, Kaliyela, continued to exert all her strength to control the Fourth Ancestor, Eduardo.
The Tenth Ancestor, Ulysses, had almost reached the left side of the viewing platform, arriving beside the little she-wolf he intended to capture.
Suddenly.
Ulysses noticed the Radiant Demon sitting beside the she-wolf tremble slightly, and he paused in his tracks momentarily.
In that instant, it was as if the Radiant Demon had shattered all the shackles binding him, or perhaps he had endured an interminable tribulation, as his aura began to surge, entering the Eighth Stage.
"You can still move?"
Ulysses lifted his eyebrows slightly.
Even though this Radiant Demon wasn't even a Great Demon, the fact that he had suddenly broken free of Kaliyela's restraints and reached the Eighth Stage didn't make him an opponent to be feared.
"Yes."
The Radiant Demon still kept his head lowered, tears falling one by one to the ground.
"It seems you've lost the will to fight?"
Ulysses looked at the demon with a puzzled expression.
Even though this demon was so saddened, he was able to break free of the Fall of Gentleness.
This could only mean one thing.
His heart had shattered.
"Then I'll take her away, and as a demon, you shouldn't have any reason to be my enemy, right?"
According to Ulysses' prior intelligence, this little she-wolf had been persistently following this Radiant Demon, and he had been trying to shake her off as if he wanted to get rid of her, showing no concern for her life or death.
The Radiant Demon remained silent.
He raised his hand, and space distorted, forming an eclipse-like black ball that sealed the Tenth Ancestor, Ulysses, within it.
"Just a Blood Marquis, and you dare to call yourself my enemy..."
He murmured, not bothering to lift his head.
On the other side of the palace hall, Kaliyela, who had already noticed the change, looked at the Radiant Demon in astonishment.
Initially, when she saw the Radiant Demon awaken, she had been worried that he might not be able to handle the Tenth Ancestor, given his recent entry into the Eighth Stage. But now, it seemed that he was a sealing-type demon.
He seemed to possess a special power that could counter the bloodline of the vampires, and in a confrontation between vampires of the same stage, even the Tenth Ancestor, Ulysses, was no match for him!
Before long, the Radiant Demon stood up, and the Fourth Ancestor, Eduardo, was also sealed within a pitch-black, embedded block by him. Finally, Kaliyela released the Fall of Gentleness with a lingering fear.
"Friend, will you join us? Whatever conditions you have, I will do my best to satisfy them."
The Fallen was the first to approach the Radiant Demon.
She had never met a demon who could hide his strength so well, and with his addition to their forces, the demons' chances of victory against the vampires would increase significantly!
The Radiant Demon glanced at the Fallen but didn't respond.
His deep green eyes were cloudy and weary.
He didn't leave either.
Instead, he sat down again beside the little she-wolf, quietly waiting.
Until the she-wolf by his side woke up.
"What happened...?"
The little she-wolf woke as if from a nightmare, her eyes darting anxiously around the remains of the battle.
Having experienced life and death several times, she soon realized that she had escaped once more. And the one who had saved her, yet again, was the cold and ruthless Radiant Demon by her side.
"I promised you that if you could help me explain the last riddle she left behind, I would teach you until you could defeat the vampire ancestors."
He spoke slowly.
"After that, we will have no more ties. Whether I take revenge, live, or die, has nothing to do with you!"
Before the Radiant Demon could finish, the little she-wolf hastily recited the latter half of their agreement in a rushed tone.
Her nervous eyes seemed to convey that she hadn't forgotten the terms of their contract and would never overstep her bounds or break her promise.
Suddenly, the little she-wolf lowered her head again.
"But as for the riddle... I might need a little more time to solve it..."
She stammered, becoming more and more flustered as she spoke, even fearing that the Radiant Demon would be angry with her for possibly deceiving him.
"Your promise has been fulfilled, and I now understand the answer." Her voice was calm as she replied. "Now, it's my turn to deliver on the reward."
"Huh?" The she-wolf stared at her with wide, disbelieving eyes.
Then, she gasped for breath as if her chest had frozen, unable to utter a word.
Soon, she burst into relieved sobs.
"Sigrid, your promise has been fulfilled," the Radiant Demon said again, his voice firm and gentle.
"Ahhh..." Sigrid's eyes were moist and cloudy, as if she had finally received a reward for her relentless pursuit despite seeing no hope.
After a long while, her tired eyes gradually closed, soothed by the Radiant Demon's voice. However, she refused to let go of him, afraid that he would leave her again.
The Radiant Demon slowly reached out, as if afraid of breaking the fragile flower in his arms. It took all his courage to stiffly place his hand on the back of her head.
"Sigrid..." His voice was almost inaudible. "...I will protect you. As long as I protect you, I will have a reason to keep living."
"Let's go." He picked up the little girl and walked towards the corridor outside the Regent Hall.
Kaliyela watched the Radiant Demon's retreating figure, wanting to say something but not knowing how to stop him. She eventually turned her head away.
Under the dim light, his figure walked down the long stone corridor of the Nakalis Demon King's Palace, becoming a blurry, gradually fading dot.
And so, the story recorded in Cardinal Lanchi's Shadow-Weaving Record came to an end.
In the boundary space between the shadow world and reality, the only thing left in the starry sky was the final text that had been sitting there since the shadow world's calculation was completed.
[Series Shadow World—Blood Moon Calamity, historical coordinates have been anchored, current completion rate 3/4.]
[Up to this point in the Blood Moon Calamity, starting from the Pecラント Empire, traversing through the Land of Eternal Night, and reaching the dark underbelly of Demon King Island, you have left your mark on history. Dear comrade, do you remember the deep-seated vengeance and the bone-chilling grief? The deep crimson miasma covers the entire southern land, and the shadows of the Blood Moon demons have brought nothing but sorrow. The suffering endured until now cannot be easily expressed in words.]
[Before ending the series of shadow worlds, the current challenger will enter the "Blood Moon Calamity" fourth node.]
[Mission Objective: Complete the final node.]
It felt like they had just watched a movie.
Lanchi stretched lazily.
However, he noticed a soft sobbing sound beside him.
He turned to see Cybele, her eyes already glistening with tears, her eyelids red and swollen.
"Cybele..." Lanchi was unmoved, but Cybele seemed to be deeply immersed in Cardinal Lanchi's Shadow-Weaving Record.
He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and handed it to her.
"I'm sorry... I'm fine..." Cybele took the handkerchief.
"I'm sorry... Thank you for bringing me along..." She added quickly.
"No, I should be the one apologizing. I didn't expect you to cry so much, and I thought Cardinal Lanchi's memoir would be more lighthearted." Lanchi scratched the back of his head, feeling embarrassed.
He never expected the Fall of Gentleness to actually fail.
There was silence between the two for a long time, so much so that even the cat had hidden in the shadows.
Lanchi waited until Cybele's breathing had calmed down. He looked at her, intending to say something.
However, her profile remained, her crystalline skin still bearing traces of redness around her eyes.
"By the way, if something happened to me, would you become like that?" Cybele seemed to notice Lanchi's gaze and turned to meet his eyes, asking the question.
"Then I suppose I wouldn't be around either. We're in this together." Lanchi shook his head.
"But... I think I understand now why you're so concerned about virtue. With your bad luck, you're afraid it will bring me misfortune as well. Looking back, I seem to have caused you a lot of trouble, always doing things that startle you." Lanchi finally said in a low voice.
Cybele stared at Lanchi in surprise, her tear stains fading.
It was as if she never expected to hear such words from Lanchi in her lifetime.
The projection of Cat Boss automatically played the next set of images—the shadow world record they had left behind in the Pecorant Empire.
Before the film started, the cheerful and relaxed jazz music from Chickel Manor filled the room, with the addition of brass and string instruments making the melody even more cheerful, like a formal Broadway finale.
"That's not true." She moved closer to Lanchi.
Even closer.
Until she put her arm around Lanchi's shoulder, pulled him towards her, and snuggled up next to him.
(End of Chapter)
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