Ruth cried out through clenched teeth, "Ah, how hateful! Even the Dark Staff has been suppressed. Do those mortals have any idea what this means—"
But Brando showed little reaction to this scene. He merely felt that voice silently fade into his memories.
"Lord Feng Hou..."
At Brando's side, the altar had completely collapsed by then, transforming into countless fragments that tumbled into the void.
But he remained completely unaware.
Even Bai said nothing more at that moment. She had not noticed the voice conversing with Brando; she had merely become slightly distracted when Ruth mentioned the Dark Staff.
It was as though she had been extremely familiar with that staff from the beginning.
"Brando."
"Reach out and grasp it—"
"Your destiny."
At the exact moment Lord Feng Hou's voice vanished, another voice suddenly rang out in Brando's mind.
In his bewilderment, Brando almost instinctively reached forward. An endless darkness spread out from the direction toward which his hand pointed.
"The Dark Orb!"
"The Dark Orb." The same words had entirely different meanings when spoken by Ruth and Bai. One was astonished, while the other had expected it all along, with a trace of resentment in her tone.
Bai came to her senses. Although she had already understood that the sacred relic had chosen its master that day, she still felt faintly unwilling when she thought back on it.
If not for that mistake, how could so many things have happened today?
The two of them watched as Brando made a grasping motion in the air. The stars suddenly brightened slightly, and in response, a streak of black light shot into the sky from the Sea of Dead Moons on the Vonder Continent. Every sailor and seaman navigating those inland waters witnessed the astonishing sight.
The black pillar of light