Aslan was drenched in cold sweat.
In a way, it was a situation that left him no choice.
To put it simply, it was akin to being caught in the act of adultery.
Of course, the relationship between Aslan and Lewena wasn’t the same as it used to be.
Though it’s true that divorce papers or any legal procedures didn’t exist in this world, when Aslan had cut off Lewena’s head with an old pulsion after a fight…
It was essentially the same as stamping his signature on a fictional document of spousal separation.
Thus, if one were to examine the current situation meticulously, Aslan had nothing to feel guilty about.
It was merely that Aslan’s emotions wouldn’t allow it.
Because he still harbored lingering affection for Lewena, Aslan found himself extremely uncomfortable in the present situation.
Hence, his hand remained awkwardly placed on Ereta’s buttocks, their bodies pressed closely together, yet…
Aslan’s body failed to express the excitement it ought to have shown.
Rather, it was growing colder instead.
The deep-purple eyes that stared at him and Ereta belonged to her.
It was due to the faint emotion embedded in those eyes.
Had it been jealousy, things would have been fortunate. Had it been clear, there might have been some relief.
But the faintness, the unreadability of it, sent shivers down Aslan’s spine.
How they’d come to this point only occurred to him a little later.
Lewena stared at them intently. A faint curve graced the corner of her lips.
Yet, there was no trace of joy, only a subtle hint of hostility.
As far as Aslan knew, it was a reaction she often displayed when she unleashed shadows in ambush.
So, Ereta sensed a threat in that smile, just as Aslan did.
Interrupted during what should have been a most intimate moment, Ereta pulled up her skirt and drew the axe strapped to her inner thigh.
Aslan naturally lowered his hand from where it rested on Ereta’s bottom and drew a mace from his other thigh.
Just as the two prepared to deflect an impending attack…
Aslan suddenly felt a sense of unease.
Lewena showed signs of attacking but didn’t follow through.
The hundreds of times Aslan had seen Lewena attack; by the time she moved, it was already too late.
Realizing this, Aslan stood still, watching Lewena, then grabbed Ereta’s wrist as she tried to leap from his lap.
“Ah.”
Pulling the wrist toward him, he made her sit back down. With their faces now close, Ereta momentarily appeared flustered.
Lewena wore an enigmatic expression, but…
Aslan, maintaining the position, returned the mace to Ereta’s thigh and asked,
“An illusion, right?”
At the question, Lewena blinked rapidly, seemingly surprised.
“How did you know?”
The slightly surprised tone of Lewena’s voice. Aslan confidently looked at her.
It wasn’t something he could distinguish with the naked eye, but Aslan knew.
“Would I not?”
Speaking as though it were obvious, he pointed out the things he could detect from Lewena with unwavering confidence.
Subtle differences in appearance.
Faint traces of mana.
The method by which Lewena constructed her illusions, unique to her.
A series of information that he couldn’t help but know after spending a year together as husband and wife.
As Aslan pointed these out, Lewena slowly formed an expression over her blank face.
A gentle smile, devoid of any unpleasantness, bright and cheerful.
“Still my Hyunwoo, aren’t you?”
The Lewena from moments ago who seemed ready to lash out—it was all a bluff.
Since this was an illusion, it was impossible for Lewena to harm either Ereta or Aslan.
But it wasn’t without its implications. As Aslan opened his mouth, Lewena looked at him steadily while speaking.
“Still, showing me something like this feels excessive. If it were up to me, I’d want to show who deserves such behavior…”
But it seems I can’t do that now.
Adding this, Lewena’s image began to blur slightly, perhaps dissolving the illusion.
A soft magical energy became visibly apparent, and Lewena’s form started to blur—specifically, her arms.
What appeared in their place was a black liquid.
Clearly, some part of the Abyss.
A liquid that solidified into the shape of an arm rather than flowing.
It seemed to be a liquid that Lewena had created to precisely control her illusion.
As Aslan had guessed, what was present here wasn’t Lewena’s actual body.
She had cloaked the Abyss in shadow and controlled a sophisticated illusion.
In other words, a kind of double.
Watching this double, Aslan thought.
The warning Lewena had given him in a dream.
Her appearance now through this double.
These two facts…
They clearly indicated that Lewena wasn’t free to move as she wished.
Aslan realized that her visit here wasn’t simply because he and Ereta were about to copulate.
There must have been a reason.
When Aslan set Ereta down from his lap, ignoring her disappointed expression, and stood up, Lewena re-cloaked herself in the illusion and faced Aslan.
Looking at Aslan through the refined illusion, a faint sense of urgency lingered in her deep-purple eyes.
“What’s going on?”
As Aslan asked, Ereta behind him gripped her weapon openly, wary.
She was ready to attack if Lewena tried anything deceitful.
While personal feelings couldn’t entirely be ruled out…
Lewena glanced at those personal feelings disapprovingly, sighed, and rested her hand on her cheek.
Naturally tilting her head, Lewena brushed her hair aside and spoke softly.
“Can we talk alone?”
Naturally, it was a request Aslan couldn’t agree to.
“You know it’s impossible.”
Lewena approved of Aslan’s firmness. Smiling gently, the woman nodded.
“That’s right. Even I would avoid being alone with myself. Hyunwoo is cautious.”
Considering what Lewena was capable of and what she had done before, it was only natural.
Aslan understood that her seemingly self-deprecating statement was sincere and subtly nodded.
“We don’t have much time, so listen carefully.”
Despite the subtlety, Lewena spoke without revealing any particular demeanor.
“The Formless One is dead.”
At these words, Aslan flinched, his pupils trembling as he looked at Lewena.
“And the Abyss is consuming its remains.”
The subsequent shocking information. While Aslan processed this, Lewena gave him time to digest it.
Fortunately for Aslan…
Of course, he hadn’t expected the Formless One to still be alive or intact.
After all, it had opposed the Dark Ram who had created the world.
So it was unlikely that it would remain unscathed. He had known that well.
But the fact that it had died and was now being consumed by the Abyss…
Even Aslan’s shock wasn’t the only one.
Ereta, having grasped the situation, wore an expression of great surprise.
Both Ereta and Aslan simultaneously recalled the same entity.
The basis of the apocalypse.
The Poison-Spitting Dragon, which had grown terrifyingly stronger merely by consuming one corner of the Three Evils similar to itself.
They were recalling its form when it had become stronger than even the Supreme Divinity.
Thus, the inevitable conclusion followed.
If the Abyss, already powerful, had consumed one of the mighty Evil Deities—the Formless One—what would happen?
There was no need to calculate.
And beyond that, considering the peculiarities of the Formless One…
As Aslan contemplated the worst-case scenario in his confusion, Lewena said,
“The Formless One is merging into the Abyss. Be careful.”
That the worst-case scenario might be true…
Aslan, about to ask Lewena for more details upon hearing this, suddenly…
He could feel the cautionary “be careful” Lewena had just uttered lingering in his mind.
Then, his instincts reacted.
The heightened nerves and the ability to sense danger.
The ominous atmosphere detected by his sensitive sensory organs.
Reacting reflexively, Aslan lowered his stance.
Simultaneously, the wall crumbled.
KWAANG!
The deafening sound accompanied flames that heated the space.
Shattered fragments of the wall flew everywhere, interspersed with precisely arranged metal shards designed for maximum lethality.
The scattered shrapnel was followed by an explosion, briefly causing Aslan to lose consciousness.
Coughing violently, Aslan, who had managed to rise despite everything, saw more than just the collapsed wall.
Lewena’s illusion was riddled with tears and cuts.
Ereta, fortunately, didn’t seem badly injured but was pulling out a shard embedded in her thigh in real-time.
The sudden event prompted Aslan to react instinctively.
“Is everyone alright?!”
Only after speaking did he remember that Lewena was an illusion and couldn’t be harmed, but it wasn’t important at the moment.
“I’m fine. It’s just a scratch.”
“I won’t get hurt anyway. But kindness aside, you’ll regret it if you don’t check outside now.”
“Outside…?”
If the wall had been destroyed, there must have been someone responsible.
Realizing this, Aslan stood up and looked around through the acrid smoke.
Only then did he notice that the collapsed wall bore the marks of a high-pressure, high-powered explosive.
Explosives. When Aslan approached the broken wall and peered outside, he acknowledged what Lewena had said.
Indeed, outside was information that, had he not looked, he would have regretted missing.
Beyond the explosion that seemed to carve out the VIP room where Aslan and Ereta were hidden within the fortress walls…
Not so far away that regular projectiles couldn’t reach, but far enough, there it was.
A figure completely clad in black.
Yet, identifiable by the contours of the tactical gear, body armor, and assault teams indicative of modern attire.
With a submachine gun slung across their side and something resembling a rocket or bazooka in hand.
A familiar sight, even though the face couldn’t be seen beneath the darkened figure.
As if confirming this familiarity, something appeared at the edge of Aslan’s vision.
A system message floating, instructing him to capture the Abyss’ high-ranking priestess of Void and Chaos.
[Ongoing Main Quest]
[Defeat the High Priestess, War Hero Rebecca Clarke]
This had changed.
As Aslan noticed this, widening his eyes, the darkened figure standing before the Abyss retreated backward.
As if their task was complete, they walked into the dark sea.
[Ongoing Main Quest]
[Defeat the High Priestess and the God of Void and Chaos]
The system message also reverted to its original form as if nothing had happened.
Only then did Aslan understand what Lewena had warned him about and what she wanted.
What was happening now was undoubtedly unprecedented.
A rare and exceedingly dangerous event.
She had come to warn him about it.
The Abyss had consumed the Formless One and was using the Possessor as a high priestess.
But how?
When Aslan turned his head to ask for an explanation, all he saw was the spot where Lewena had been, now stained with black liquid.
Lewena was already gone.
Clutching his teeth, Aslan felt the presence of the Dark Ram lurking behind all this.
The Dark Ram was evidently plotting something beyond Aslan’s expectations.
