Dark Sonata

The intense zither music gradually subsided within the stone chamber.

Following it came the sound of strings snapping, one after another.

Strings as black as ink broke one by one before Saff.

As the last string snapped and scattered, silence fell within the stone chamber.

At the same time, the dark Nen aura on the zither slowly retracted, disappearing without a trace.

Saff, or rather, her real name—Eve.

Her eyes held deep confusion, as if she couldn't quite grasp the reason for her appearance here, yet she vaguely remembered the death that had befallen her.

In the silence, she looked at the zither with its completely broken strings. She could see a dirty, grimy musical score inlaid on the bridge, a stark contrast to the pure white, jade-like body of the zither.

Dark Sonata—A Solo Zither Score.

The phrase appeared inexplicably in her mind, as if obscured by a fog.

Eve stared blankly at the score on the bridge. A few blurry memories pierced through the fog like sunlight, appearing suddenly.

"I am still alive."

A voice like a whisper echoed in the stone chamber.

The confusion in Eve's eyes faded, gradually replaced by calm.

She raised her hand and gently caressed the zither's body. A starlike luster flashed between her fingers; this was the manifestation of Nen.

Returning to the world by sketching her body with musical notes, this Third Princess, born into the Gugan Jade Great Country with its ancient heritage, had naturally awakened the power of Nen.

The memories of the zither and the score, which should have been sealed away, also reappeared in her mind.

But before returning to the world…

Eve didn't actually know the specific abilities of the zither and the score, and naturally hadn't expected such a scene.

She held no reverence for death and wouldn't care about its arrival.

In her view, humanity, walking on a path against something, should naturally face the risks of death.

This was normal and only right.

Ironically, while other non-ability users facing death directly, those who resisted it the most perished like dust.

But Eve, who feared death the least and could face it most calmly, could still breathe the air.

"This is the power of 'Nen'…"

Eve's fingers slid over the bridge and then under the tailpiece. The starlike luster seeping from her fingertips drew a string in the empty air.

Just like that, she added a string to the zither.

Perhaps due to the manifestation of her Nen ability, an extremely rare hint of excitement appeared in her eyes, as calm as still water.

A lush, dense forest.

This place was located on the border of the Minbo Republic, facing the continent where the Gugan Jade Kingdom was across the sea.

Moro plummeted from high above.

When he saw that the area below was a densely packed forest, the anxiety that had been weighing on his heart finally eased.

A freefall of several thousand meters…

Although Nen abilities could be used in various ways to preserve one's life, there were still many risks from uncontrollable factors before landing safely.

Fortunately, at this time, the airship was still flying over the territory of the Minbo Republic, not over the sea.

Moro looked down at the ground, seeing an endless expanse of forest bathed in the bright moonlight.

As the ground grew closer, Moro used a returning Flying Star to cancel out his downward momentum.

Even so, he still hit the ground from a height of a hundred meters.

In an instant, Moro felt like a cannonball, crashing heavily into the forest and creating a tremendous noise in the quiet night.

Crash!

Flocks of birds were startled by the sudden sound and took flight in all directions, while nocturnal beasts on the ground scattered and fled.

Thud.

A centuries-old tree unfortunately became Moro's precise landing spot. Under the immense impact, it crashed down with a roar.

A moment later.

Moro emerged from the dense canopy and looked around.

Around him, he could see towering trees. The bright moonlight filtered through the gaps in the foliage, illuminating a faint mist.

Beneath the flowing mist were bushes visible everywhere, as well as old wood and scattered stones covered in moss.

Further in the distance, a winding stream flowed through a pile of rocks.

Moro's gaze followed the stream to its end, only to see darkness.

After a brief scan of his surroundings, Moro withdrew his gaze, thinking to check on Kan Kai's situation. He immediately took out his phone, only to find it already cracked with several fissures and automatically shut down.

"Kan Kai should be fine."

Putting away his damaged phone, Moro thought that if he could land safely, Kan Kai definitely wouldn't have any problems.

Unless Kan Kai was incredibly unlucky and fell into terrain like a swamp or a sinkhole.

"This place... should still be within the Minbo Republic, right?"

Moro walked towards a small stream not far away.

The Minbo Republic was one of the five great nations, and its location was separated from Heaven's Arena by two countries.

Based on the airship's flight path, Moro deduced that he might have landed within the vast territory of the Minbo Republic, but he wasn't sure of the exact location.

In this situation, it wouldn't be easy to get out of this unfamiliar forest.

If his phone hadn't been damaged, it would have been a different story.

Moro sighed lightly and followed the stream.

After a long while, Moro emerged from the woods onto a flat area. Ahead of him was a lake shrouded in a light mist, and he could faintly see starlight reflecting on its surface.

Beside the lake were various wild animals.

Moro scanned the area from a distance. Among all the animals, the most striking were several white deer with enormous antlers.

Their antlers looked like intertwined coral, and their bodies were pure white, shining brilliantly under the moonlight.

Moro had no intention of disturbing the animals drinking by the lake. He simply surveyed the nearby environment, looking for a suitable place to rest.

Bang, bang, bang—!

Just as Moro was looking for a place to rest, gunshots suddenly rang out from the other side of the lake.

Disturbed by the gunshots, the animals by the lake scattered in a panic.

Moro looked in the direction of the gunshots and saw that the large white deer he had just seen had fallen to the ground. Immediately after, several people carrying guns emerged from the forest.

Seeing this, Moro retreated behind a large tree. He could faintly hear the excited laughter of those people and their discussion about the loud noise.

Moro thought about the sound he had made when he landed.

Then he heard them say something about making a huge profit, which made him think that the giant-antlered white deer must be very valuable, causing them to be unable to hide their excitement.

Moro thought for a moment, then walked out, deciding to ask these people for some information.

Meanwhile.

About ten kilometers away on the other side of the forest.

A spherical object, formed by over a dozen people intertwined together, crashed heavily onto a lake, creating a massive tidal wave.

As the spray subsided, human bodies began to float to the surface of the lake.

Splash—

More water exploded on the surface of the lake.

Kawahara surfaced, breathing slightly heavily as he looked towards the dense forest on the shore.