Enlightenment (Continued)

—I should have realized this much sooner. Surtr has always been popular in Terra, partly because of her helpfulness, constant running errands, and immense strength. But the fact that those who actually have designs on her are almost always women, and the lack of men, is a huge anomaly... The Sarkaz are a people who believe in bloodlines, and males' desire for powerful females is an innate trait ingrained by their culture and customs. I've seen many similar cases, but she's different.

Stay alert, amplify your senses, and the emerald green dragon-snake bursts forth, concealing its presence with camouflage.

It's not surprising that people ran away. Even those who are reluctant to leave their homeland will be overwhelmed by fear when they see Skyfire falling and burning the accumulated objects of their faith over the years—the rich will leave, and the poor will scramble for the wealth left behind by the rich before fleeing. And in this process, it is not unusual for blood to be splattered.

But she did not perceive any clearly living creatures.

—Surtr was different; she was exceptionally popular with women, which was one thing. But now, looking back, it seems that only the most outstanding, intelligent, and exceptional women treated her with attitudes that went beyond friendship. Those with mediocre looks and talents, even if she rescued them from danger multiple times, and even if they themselves had homosexual tendencies, often only showed her admiration that didn't even qualify as a secret crush.

She passed through the gatehouse, the cold wind howling and wailing as it swept through the shattered ruins. There seemed to be some sounds of collision in the distance, but no one was there.

She chose a spot where she could easily escape and subtly increased the weight of her steps.

—I could easily recall a hundred examples, because Surtr attracted a hundred or a thousand times more attention than that. Phew...how interesting. Does liking someone really require qualifications? One or two moments of self-consciousness are one thing. But hundreds or thousands? That seems rather suspicious.

—And what's even stranger is that, despite noticing these details, I never paid any attention to them... Was it because I was also among the admitted personnel? Or...?

"Is it love because it's blind?"

She leaned back, and a door beside her shattered with a crash. A farmer, dressed in worn clothes and with a pale face, roared and charged out from behind the door, wielding a pitchfork. In the moments before, and even now, she had not sensed any breath or heartbeat!

Living corpses.

The emerald-green dragon-serpent suddenly swung its bladed legs, severing the creature's limbs and pinning it to the ground. Only dried, congealed blood remained at the severed ends.

The undead was not yet dead, and continued to roar until the bladed foot dislocated its jaw—its roar attracted several other undead that were coiled around it, and they too quickly fell to the bladed foot of the dragon-snake.

This was the first time Kal'tsit had observed the undead so closely—she had been well protected since arriving in the Profaned Capital. Even in battle, she had fought against the living beings of the Sunken Church. This was the first time she had encountered such a creature, one that Yelena had ever fought or interacted with.

The undead was still moving; even without limbs and a heart, it remained vibrant. Kal'tsit hesitated for a moment, then destroyed its head and brain. Yet its mangled limbs continued to writhe purposefully, as if trying to pounce on her.

—So, this must be an innate charm ability. It has a filtering function, unilaterally amplifying and distorting favor... No, that's not right, Surtr's personality wouldn't allow her to use this ability willingly. Besides, she has also had moments of weakness and vulnerability, and even a top Terra sorcerer like His Highness couldn't detect anything unusual.

So it's not an ability, but some kind of natural, subtle, passive effect... It's not that she changed the people around her, but that they spontaneously changed in a direction that conformed to her wishes. Just like a sunflower follows the sun, it's not that the sun distorts the sunflower's physiology, but rather that the sunflower yearns for the sun's warmth and light.

She remembered Surtr's fighting style, and the flames she had unleashed that night—she still couldn't use Originium Arts. But she carried fire-starting tools with her.

Then, a few seconds later, a ball of flame ignited. And the undead, enveloped in the flames, finally fell silent.

In this world, fire is the soul.

Therefore, physical flames are a specialization that can attack the soul.

She gazed at the flames, which ceased burning after the bones had been consumed. A few tiny white glimmers appeared on the remains, and she knew they were the manifestations of unclaimed souls.

She reached out and touched it, and fragments of scattered memories surfaced from the depths of her mind. She felt she had acquired some farming and carpentry skills, and fragmented images appeared in her mind—fire, a burning Giant Tree, panic, gathering, prayer, prayer, chaos, the sprouting roots bringing death—the memories were chaotic, yet they formed a clear logical chain. So she got up and looked at the remains of the Giant Tree. In that instant of moving her feet, she clearly sensed a slight enhancement in her physical abilities, and a subtle, strange feeling of fullness that quietly emerged.

On this continent, everyone can acquire knowledge and power by absorbing souls.

On this continent, the absorption of souls by living beings is limited.

That's true. If there were no limits, the law of the jungle would be eternal. Except for the chosen ones destined to become heroes, large-scale devouring of souls is taboo.

—So the conclusion is obvious. Surtr possesses a certain quality, a quality that inspires longing yet also has a filtering effect. It can amplify or suppress positive emotions in a targeted way... and perhaps not just positive emotions.

—Surtr realized this... She must have only recently realized it. Was it on the night she told me to return to Rhodes Island? No, no, it must have been after Rhodes Island Chernobog, or even in this world.

She walked towards the tree's remains, gently pursing her lips. According to her knowledge, the undead are driven by obsession, while the living dead are bound by it. And in this fortress, many people's obsession must lie with that Giant Tree, worshipped as a god of the wilderness, yet perishing in a fire from the sky.

She walked that way... she didn't know why she was walking that way.

—After all, the changes in me serve as a good reference... I couldn't even control my mouth in Terra, yet in the Dream World, I could utter fawning and obsequious words... So that's it. I, or rather, my body, possess a resistance to her supernatural charm. So in Terra, my heart wanted to approach her, but my body desperately resisted. Persephone must have known this, which is why her influence was indispensable in this unexpected journey together in the Dream World.

Her pursed lips turned into biting them, and her inner thoughts surged like a turbulent tide. She connected many causes and effects, and found the motivation behind many seemingly inexplicable developments.

—I am special because only I have shown this resistance. Possessiveness is just a facade; the real reason is my resistance to her. She realized this, so...

She would agree to Miss Lian's request. Because Miss Lian's feelings for him were irreversible.

She will reject me, she will drive me away. Because I... still have the right and the opportunity to escape.

I raised my hand and touched my cheek. The lingering pain now seemed like a gentle touch. Yet even so, it was only a feeling, pain was still pain.

—She wanted me to live for myself. She wanted me to decide where I was going... Ha, that makes sense. I've lived so many years. To become almost obsessively infatuated with someone of the same sex in such a short time is somewhat incomprehensible. I never thought there was anything wrong with it before. But now...

—It seems there's no problem.

The feelings of love still stirred within him. But it wasn't the same as before—the eager, selfless devotion to her, the desperate attempt to share her burdens. Instead, it was a different kind of love: resentment at being driven away, disgust for the womanizer, and a subtle blessing that he wanted the person he both liked and disliked to live a happy life.

—I still love her. My feelings have shifted, but the intensity hasn't diminished... Is it because I haven't been away from her long enough to completely escape her influence? Or is it...

—Is this my true intention and sincerity?

The thought process yielded no definite conclusion, which meant he might need more time to ponder—looking up, he saw the charred remains of a colossal Giant Tree, still retaining its former scale. Many undead figures surrounded the remains, worshipping them. And deep within the tree's heart, something pale seemed to writhe.

The flames gradually died down, but only gradually died down.

The end of the world is coming, but it is only coming.

So, there must be a reason why this fortress, which was a place where people lived not long ago, is now full of living corpses.

"Surtr wasn't completely wiped out... no, did the dead things in the wreckage come back to life because of the fanatics' prayers?"

Footsteps and words awakened the slumbering evil. The wordless prayer abruptly ceased, and all the armed undead suddenly turned their heads toward her. And the next moment—

She was one step ahead of the undead.

"Mon3tr, go!"

There was no need to give the order, yet the command to fight was triggered subconsciously. The emerald green dragon-serpent charged into the horde of corpses, its bladed legs slashing up and down to clear a path for her.

She strode forward, armed with a sharp weapon, heading straight for the heart of the enemy.

She still doesn't know why she delayed her trip to Lothric and wasted time lingering there.

But at least for now, she has decided to eliminate the remains of this evil creature that brought about the disaster!

As the flames of Twilight engulfed the underground palace, the ancient city ruins were reduced to desolate remains. Amidst the raging fire, countless undead sang in unison. Their forms crumbled, transforming into a torrent of unclaimed souls that flowed back to the source of the flames.

Power was expanding, and fuel was piling up. The vast and complex memories of an entire nation flooded into the Flame-haired Girl's mind, only to be completely obliterated by the tides of her heart—the resonance of her inner darkness allowed her to transform this enormous, ownerless soul into the parameters of her own form in an extremely short time.

Arm strength increased, perception sharpened, and computational efficiency greatly improved, allowing for more precise maneuvering. In a short period, his physical strength approached the limit of his current intellect. This increase in mental efficiency was accompanied by a growth in wisdom.

She deduced the function of a small portion of those vague and chaotic world runes and put them into use. And these runes and circuit structures, pieced together, unleashed new power under her will.

Her vision sharpened, piercing through walls, through the ground, through seals, through labyrinths—the seal that imprisoned the tyrant Vordt was captured by her. And the medium that carried the seal, the bone cup sealed deep within a palace, was distorted in the instant she reached out, its spatial structure twisted, appearing out of thin air, suddenly, within her palm.