Chapter 82: Silver Moon Dream |
Shad’s right hand traced a dazzling streak in the air. The silver blade of the moon tore through the curtain of blood mist, slashing toward the woman who was lightly kissing the ring. However, besides leaving another wound on her forehead, it had no effect at all.
The woman laughed maniacally, her laughter echoing in the final moments of her life. She chanted the incantation Shad hadn’t clearly heard last time:
“The transformation of opposites marks the beginning of a new life!”
She slipped the ring onto her finger, and her mangled body immediately began to emit thick smoke. Madame Lasso slowly closed her eyes as her life reached its end.
At that moment, black smoke engulfed the woman’s body. Shad, trying to intervene, heard whispers once more—the chewing noises from the smoke, and countless voices cursing from within.
As he reached out to penetrate the smoke, hoping to at least do something, a boot emerged from the darkness and kicked him back against the wall.
When the smoke dispersed, a young man wearing a white pebble ring stood amidst the blood mist in the corridor. He twisted his neck slightly and snapped his fingers behind him.
Amid the appearance of steam and the shrill sound of a whistle, the Fate Wheel of a Six-Ring Warlock shimmered behind the man, reflected in Shad’s dazed eyes as he slumped against the wall.
“Gender transformation… it actually works...”
“Indeed, the Secret-Keeper grade relic 【Metamorphosis Ring】. Changing one’s gender while swapping to an entirely different body… Though this damned ring has given me some habits I didn’t have before, the ring itself is worth the cost.”
Six-Ring Warlock Jack Deon laughed.
He wore a sharp black suit, his leather shoes gleaming under the gaslights. The wreckage of the corridor, filled with smoke and unconscious bodies, seemed to serve only to accentuate his pride:
“Hmm? Your clothes look familiar. Oh, it doesn’t matter. I don’t know where you lot crawled out from...”
He spoke loudly, as if delivering a public address, his crisp articulation making Shad want to punch him. It was a display—a boast about his astonishing comeback achieved at the brink of death.
“But this time, it’s clear that I’ve won.”
The runes within his Fate Wheel sparkled with spiritual light. Shad recognized the black iron rune 【Corpse Experiment】, which was triggering an arcane miracle. However, before it could fully manifest, Jack paused it intentionally, his gaze falling on Shad. Suddenly, he chuckled:
“The ritual’s live sacrifices are still insufficient. That woman over there is menstruating, and impure blood won’t do. These two men are too old—the host of the banquet wouldn’t like them.”
He stepped forward and hoisted the heavily injured Shad with one hand, tossing him into the banquet hall to join the dozens already unconscious there. Shad rolled across the blood-red wool carpet, finally stopping when he collided with the leg of a long table.
Struggling to open his eyes, he stared at the double golden doors outside. The doors, previously shattered by Miss Louisa, were now slowly rising and closing under the arcane miracle of the rune 【Metal Repair】.
Lying beside the banquet table, Shad saw through the narrow crack in the closing doors. The man, hands clasped behind his back, ignored the three unconscious figures and climbed the stairs toward the second floor, where the Ring Warlock squad awaited.
The doors slammed shut. Bloodlight shimmered within the room, dimming Shad’s vision. He couldn’t tell if this was a sign of his impending death or an omen of an evil god’s arrival.
As his sight blurred further, he finally had the chance to cast an arcane spell on himself. The spell could only ensure he wouldn’t die—it couldn’t prevent him from slipping into a coma due to his severe injuries.
But—
The small book in his pocket quietly emitted a soft light, activating a sentence he had written moments earlier. Around his neck, the poet-grade relic 【Silver Moon Pearl】 responded to this light, radiating its own silver glow. The fragile relic, which rarely went out of control, cracked under the influence of the script, and its silvery light surged directly into Shad’s mind.
Had there been no intervention, the Silver Moon would have driven him into permanent madness.
In his unconscious state, Shad suddenly woke up within his dream.
The chaotic dream was replaced by a familiar one. He felt the night wind and, looking around, found himself standing on a field ridge under the night sky. Shad slowly lifted his head to see a massive silver moon hanging amidst the stars, suspended above the sea of stars.
Under the Silver Moon, he stood. The Silver Moon was reflected in his eyes. Its sacred radiance entranced him, and the strange markings of light from the Silver Moon, brought on by the relic’s loss of control, were deeply etched into his mind.
He suddenly felt he truly understood the “Silver Moon” and its peculiar power. Reaching out his right hand, he tried to touch the moonlit disk in the sky.
At that moment, the Fate Wheel hidden within his soul turned, and the core rune 【Silver Moon】 emitted a faint light. His deepened understanding of the Silver Moon resonated with the rune and dreamscape, forcibly waking Shad to prevent him from descending into madness within the dream.
However, the full power of the out-of-control relic was engraved into this fleeting memory, making Shad feel as though the Silver Moon was now imprinted on his very heart.
He didn’t know how long he had been unconscious. Upon awakening, the banquet hall was dimly lit, and the blood mist was so dense it seemed to dye the world red. The air was chillingly cold, and the bloody hue seemed to seep into his skin.
The mad whispers heralded the coming of something ominous. Fighting through excruciating pain and trembling limbs, he realized that 【False Immortality】 had been consumed due to his severe injuries. The arcane spell’s effect had dissipated, as it could not endure repeated heavy damage shortly after being cast.
“This is bad. I need to leave the banquet hall, or else...”
Struggling, he leaned on the long table draped in a pristine white tablecloth to stand. But just then—
Ding-dong!
The crisp sound echoed directly in his mind. Someone was striking a bell with a small hammer—it was the signal to commence the banquet.
The resonant metallic sound reverberated through his spirit and soul, blurring the lines between reality and illusion. The blood-drenched banquet hall replaced the normal one. The sacrifices who had arrived before him awakened at the sound of the bell.
The Blood Banquet had begun.
Shad turned to run for the golden doors, but his body was completely immobilized. The descent of higher-dimensional forces rendered him helpless.
Blood seeped from all five of his senses as he trembled and slowly turned to face the head of the banquet hall’s table. At the far end of the long table, he saw it.
He heard it—the chime of the banquet bell opening the feast.
He saw it—silver and gold dishes, laden with fresh human organs, appearing on the once-empty table.
He smelled it—the sweet aroma of food amidst the bloodied mist.
He touched it—the dangling blood-soaked corpses suspended from the ceiling.
He felt it—
He felt it! At the other end of the table, a figure in a crimson robe seemed to emerge from a distant dimension, becoming clearer with every step forward.
