The scene shifted from pure white to pitch-black darkness,
Because William had put on the Abyss Mask in advance, he showed no discomfort at the darkness. He knelt on one knee and chose to pay his respects to the Tenth Abyss with a gentleman's bearing.
He did not pry,
Nor deliberately sense the Tenth Abyss's true form,
But merely displayed an utterly pure posture of paying his respects.
Such a devout posture made it hard to imagine that just a moment ago, William had still been chatting with the pure-white Sick Servant, as though his ascension had never happened, as though he had returned to the state he had been in eighty days ago, when he had just completed his pilgrimage.
Even though the darkness remained silent for a long time, William's Inner Heart remained as tranquil as water.
Time passed little by little.
The Tenth Abyss tilted its head and watched the young man before it, analyzing his bodily structure anew. It also clearly saw that the "Abyss Mask" had actually been completely mastered by the young man, becoming part of his "back features."
The young man before it was the first Abyss-dweller to master the mask without its consent.
What made it even more curious was that although this young man had undergone a "change," he remained as devout as ever.
For a time, the Tenth Abyss developed an "interest" in others for the first time since its consciousness had been born.
Half a day passed,
Yet William remained unmoved, finally forcing the Tenth Abyss to speak first. "An exception... special... extraordinary... person~ Since your purpose has already been achieved, why don't you choose to leave?"
William still responded with pure, unwavering devotion:
"My initial purpose was indeed to seek the pathway hidden here with you. But after