"So the Sun Went Out Forever, as Though the Sky Had Fallen Before It"

Upon hearing this, Iron Guard paused, but did not reply, falling into a brief state of stagnation.

Immediately, Su Luo saw a card phantom suddenly appear on his body, then Burn flames and merge into the Iron Guard's broken body.

Miracle happened.

The Iron Guard's damaged armor seemed to reverse time; the corrosion faded, the cracks healed, and it quickly returned to its original state.

His almost depleted Health Points were instantly restored to full, and even the upper limit seemed to fluctuate slightly. Moreover, Su Luo keenly sensed that the Iron Guard's strength and agility fluctuations had increased—he had permanently gained a little strength and a little agility!

But the price was also obvious. After completing all this, Iron Guard stood there for a few seconds, looking even more empty and bewildered than before, as if he had lost something important again.

He slowly raised his hand, touched his intact breastplate, and whispered, "Sacrifice... memories. Burn the past to gain present 'existence' and... power."

"So powerful?"

Su Luo was genuinely surprised this time. The ability to restore full health or even permanently enhance Attributes by deleting cards was incredibly powerful in turn-based card battles, meaning that Iron Guard possessed extremely strong endurance and growth potential.

"With this ability, how could you fail time and time again? Just how ridiculously difficult are the later levels?"

Iron Guard shook his head blankly. "I can't remember... I only remember it was very difficult. Extremely difficult. The Tower... was very strong."

In the next room, a treasure chest emitting a faint blue light sat in the center. The two stepped forward and opened it. Inside, there were no monsters, only two Relics lying Jingjing.

What Su Luo saw was a palm-sized, round badge that resembled an ancient jade piece, displaying a strange pattern of interwoven purple, gold, black, and white colors, as if containing some profound meaning of yin-yang balance and the flow of two poles.

These are his Relic.

[Two Principles]

[Each turn, you gain 1 temporary Agility point for each attack card you play.]

"And so the Sun went out forever, as if the curtain of the sky had fallen before it." -- Zoros

"The Sun has gone out again..."

Su Luo recalled the information she had extracted from exploring the ruins earlier.

"The stars are dying."

"Use light as shackles, and desire as chains."

"The Eternal Night Court, a glorious prison forever."

"The music and songs have ceased, and civilization has turned to dust."

These fragmented verses and statements all seem to point to an ultimate catastrophe that will sweep across the entire civilization and is related to the extinguishing of "light".

Iron Guard then took out another Relic from the treasure chest—a lifelike red skull that exuded a ferocious and ominous aura, with invisible flames seemingly dancing in its eye sockets.

Iron Guard held the skull, falling into a long stillness once again, as if Resonance with the "memories" within.

After a long while, instead of putting away the Relics like Su Luo did, he slowly raised his hands and firmly placed the red skull on the forehead of his mask that he could not remove!

The moment they made contact, the purple flames that Burn only at the wound site on the Iron Guard suddenly intensified with a "boom," instantly engulfing the red skull.

In the purple flames, the skull, like a ghost returning to its rightful place, slowly and irreversibly "sank" into the Iron Guard's mask, and then seemed to merge with his entire head.

On the forehead of the mask, a dark red skull relief mark appeared faintly, then vanished in a flash.

Iron Guard was lost in a long memory, and Su Luo even saw tears streaming down his face through his mask.

While waiting for the Iron Guard's recollection, Su Luo, somewhat bored, sent messages to the outside world, confirming the time flow at the bottom of the tower:

One to three is not fast, and it's even far slower than Su Luo's own Dreamscape.

Soon, Iron Guard's memories finally stopped, and he slowly straightened up and lowered his hands.

Although the mask remained, a subtle change had occurred in her demeanor. The previous numbness had largely subsided, replaced by a settled sadness.

"I remember now..." His voice was hoarse, yet exceptionally clear, with a Burn quality, "My purpose in climbing this endless Tower... was revenge! Revenge against that damned Devil! And to destroy this Tower!"

Su Luo glanced sideways at the purple flames rising around him, seemingly becoming part of his body, and the "red skull" Relic that appeared to be fused with his head and exuded an ominous aura, without asking what the "Devil" specifically referred to.

He asked another crucial question, "Where is the 'Eternal Night Court'? Is it in this tower? Or somewhere outside the tower?"

Iron Guard turned his head, his mask facing Su Luo, a faint purple-red light flickering in his eyes. "I just remembered... The place we are in is the Eternal Night Court; the place where all living beings and gods reside is the Eternal Night Court; the beginning of all glory and stories... and also the end of all this end and imprisonment."

Iron Guard's emotions were noticeably more lively, and he no longer hesitated when speaking.

Su Luo nodded, understanding Iron Guard's meaning; this enormous and exaggerated Dreamscape was the Eternal Night Court itself.

The next room was filled with a relaxing warmth. In the center of the room, a campfire Burn, the flickering flames dispelling some of the darkness and casting swaying light and shadows on the walls.

However, beyond the firelight, a deep, dense darkness seemed to writhe slowly, as if alive, threatening to devour the small glimmer of light at any moment.

Crimson Text emerged:

[Rest: Restores 30% of your maximum health]

[Forge: Upgrade one card in your deck]

"I suggest forging it. Life can be regained, but strength can only be achieved once."

Iron Guard spoke very seriously, having already walked to the campfire. As he made his selection, the phantom of a card appeared, and an invisible iron hammer fell with orange-red sparks.

With a clear "ding," the card flashed and became more solid, with an enhanced border added to its edge.

Su Luo readily agreed, stepped forward, took out [Spell Mastery], and chose to forge it.

In that instant, Su Luo sensed that she had two options:

The cards' carrying capacity is enhanced, infusing them with more power; or they can be strengthened through "standardization" by relying on the power of the Dreamscape Campfire's rules. The effects may be fixed but stable, and they may also create better synergy with other rules of the Dreamscape.

Su Luo chose the latter, and after a series of clanging sounds, a new entry appeared on the card: [Innate]

[Innate]: This card appears in your hand at the start of each battle.

"It's alright, it makes it easy for me to start up quickly."

Su Luo put away the cards and continued climbing upwards with Iron Guard.

In the next room, there were two lice, one red and one green...