Chapter 377

Chapter 1: Three Kinds of Power

The sun gradually set.

The dim twilight dyed the sky of the royal city with a gentle warmth.

More than ten kilometers outside the southern part of the city, in an endless expanse of wilderness, stood a lush and tranquil forest. Under the glow of dusk, large areas of green trees and vines were bathed in deep red hues, shimmering with golden scales. Thick clouds loomed overhead, while a babbling stream flowed through the woods. A gentle breeze rustled through the leaves, making a soft sound.

Boom—

Suddenly, a muffled sound echoed from within the forest.

Accompanied by the shockwave, countless birds took flight, soaring high into the sky with a rustling sound. In the dense forest, a tree as thick as three people could barely wrap around collapsed with a series of sharp cracks, crashing to the ground and causing another loud thud. Dust rose high into the air.

A fair-skinned girl with bright eyes stood before the trunk of the broken tree. Her hair, dampened by sweat, clung to her cheeks. She wore a black dress that fluttered in the wind. Dust and smoke erupted from where the tree fell, rushing toward her in an instant. She covered her nose and mouth, lightly tapping her feet on the ground, her body flashing as she retreated several meters away with a gust of wind.

After steadying herself, the girl looked down at her delicate fist, her brows slightly furrowing.

Power…

It had clearly increased again.

Breaking a tree this thick required only three punches… This is beyond human capability, almost like the strength of a monster…

Sss—

Suddenly, there was a rustling sound from the shrubbery to her left. An old deer darted into view, hopping frantically and fleeing in panic. I thought for a moment, and wisps of black smoke drifted out from my left arm, swiftly chasing after it. The smoke flew past several small trees and completely enveloped the deer’s body, emitting a sickening “hissing” sound.

Two seconds later, pale white smoke rose into the air, mixing with the dissipating black smoke, returning to my chest.

“Guh…”

I couldn’t hold back a groan. My cheeks flushed slightly, my eyes misty, and my body trembled momentarily before I lifted my head and let out a long breath.

…That felt good.

This was already the third day in a row I came to this forest. Besides satisfying my hunger, I also needed to familiarize myself with the changes in my body and the much stronger power within me.

Considering my current strength, whether it’s frost, inferno, or the chaotic power of the abyss, if I want to practice freely within the city, there isn’t any suitable and spacious place. Once I fully unleash my power, everything around me would be destroyed.

So I had to come out here.

This was once where I consumed the Teresa monster.

I remember that the aftermath of our battle had already left the forest in shambles. Later, Margaret appeared and used divine miracles to revive the grass and trees, erasing the traces of the black smoke, allowing the dead land to regain life. Now, the area was even more lush and rarely visited by humans. As long as one hid deep in the forest, it was sufficiently hidden. Even the most experienced hunters wouldn’t appear here, and anything could be done.

But…

Careful control over power was still necessary.

After all…

I took a deep breath.

In the next moment, blue light flashed in my eyes, and thin frost mist rose from beneath my feet, quickly spreading and covering the surrounding grass with a layer of frost.

Crack, crack.

With a crisp sound of breaking ice, countless ice blocks suddenly appeared, pressing together to form a regular shape. The color rapidly changed from transparent to deep blue. In less than a second, an ice-blue staircase appeared before me.

The staircase was ancient and magnificent, with half-meter-high railings on both sides, adorned with intricate patterns. The overall design vaguely resembled the stairs of Saint Zayieri Cathedral… Of course, I made it based on that.

Effortlessly…

I stepped forward, placing my foot on the staircase.

Creak, creak…

The sound of compressed ice filled the air as the staircase extended continuously at a 45-degree angle. The frost mist around me gradually thickened, and the temperature dropped sharply. I climbed the staircase step by step, feeling that I had surpassed the height of most trees. I quickly waved my hand, stopping the extension of the staircase, and formed a half-meter platform at its end. Then I stepped onto the platform, stood firm, and surveyed the surrounding forest.

A gentle breeze brushed my face, and my black hair fluttered.

I closed my eyes and slowly spread my arms.

Concentrating, gathering…

Whoosh—

The surrounding cold wind suddenly turned icy, forming small whirlwinds. The wild currents, mixed with countless ice crystals, whirled around my body, howling past my ears. In an instant, the tops of nearby trees were frozen solid.

In the next moment, countless towering azure ice spears suddenly exploded in the dense forest ahead.

Crack, crack, crack, boom!!!

With a thunderous roar, an ice mountain covering dozens of meters in diameter rose from the ground, lifting thick tree trunks more than ten meters high. Countless broken branches and leaves scattered in the air, and dense white mist surged from the mountain. Sounds of beasts echoed from all directions, with birds being frozen mid-flight and shattered into pieces. Bone-chilling cold winds blew fiercely.

I opened my eyes slowly amidst the swirling ice and frost.

…Very smoothly.

And there was no trace of fatigue. It seemed like my power was inexhaustible; such attacks could be unleashed a hundred times more…

Next…

“Hoo—”

I stood in the cold wind, gently exhaling a puff of white vapor.

In the next moment, vivid and complex crimson patterns rapidly spread from the right side of my face to my right arm and then across my entire upper body, flickering like breathing, turning my black dress red.

The fierce wind had not yet stopped, dispersing the wisps of black smoke emanating from my mouth.

Power…

was enhanced once again.

I assumed a stance, aiming at the towering ice mountain ahead, and suddenly swung a straight punch.

In an instant, dazzling red light burst from my fist, illuminating the sky as the twilight faded.

Boom!!!

Vast inferno, like a massive vortex deep in the ocean, surged from my fist and spread in a fan-like pattern, instantly striking the ice mountain. In a flash, two extreme temperatures collided violently in front of me, with cold winds and heat waves carrying visible ripples, forming a terrifying shockwave that spread abruptly. It swept away all vegetation and bushes within a hundred meters, sending sand, stones, and soil flying high into the air. Steam rose like surging waves, accompanied by a shrill “hiss,” forming a vast mushroom cloud.

“Oh!”

The fierce currents rushed towards me, almost blowing me off the platform.

Oh no…

I exerted too much force…

The massive ice mountain in front of me suddenly shattered and collapsed. Intense inferno shot up through the thick fog, making the air alternately hot and cold. Trees scattered in the air burned and fell, and mud splattered on my body, dissolving with a hiss.

I stared at the scene before me, which resembled a disaster, maintaining my stance of punching, blinking my eyes.

After the ice mountain shattered and collapsed, the scattered fragments of ice and frost touched the raging inferno, extinguishing it. More steam rose into the sky.

Hmm…

I have become quite proficient with the power of the inferno…

Now comes the…

The fierce wind gradually subsided.

I looked at the frost and inferno spreading everywhere ahead, slowly standing straight.

The crimson patterns gradually faded from my face.

Whirl—

Black flames ignited from my right palm. I raised my right arm, lightly tapping the air with my jade-like fingers.

Immediately, thick black smoke gushed from my body, the wind began to howl, and the black smoke rapidly condensed. Arc-shaped, pitch-black blades, taller than my head, quickly formed where I had tapped, swooping forward.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

The black blades pierced through the frost mist, slicing through the inferno, moving at an unbelievable speed, almost disappearing from sight in an instant. I immediately clenched my right fist, ready to

The black blade that had returned to several black dots reformed into mist, simultaneously controlling the dark flames to spread over its back. With a “boom,” it transformed into a two-meter-wide flame wing. Then, it bent its knees and lowered its waist—

The flame wing suddenly struck downward.

Whoosh!

The body shot up into the sky like a cannonball.

Rushing wind filled the ears.

The clouds above seemed to rapidly approach, visible to the naked eye.

Suddenly, I controlled the flame wings to open again, fighting against the wind with two powerful flaps to drastically reduce the ascent speed. Then, I twisted my body, hovering in mid-air, looking down at the dense forest below, as well as the land where frost mist and sin fire continued to spread. After a moment’s hesitation, I raised my right hand above my head.

In the next moment, dead smoke surged wildly from within my body.

Releasing chaos power…

As much as possible…

Thick dead smoke rose滚滚升腾, transforming into countless massive smoke snakes, almost obscuring half of the sky overhead. The smoke snakes twisted and flowed at high altitude before rapidly converging about ten meters above, their concentration sharply compressed. In an instant, they solidified into a huge, immeasurable death black sun, seemingly replacing the sun that only retained a sliver of afterglow, hanging high above my head.

I lowered my hand and looked up at the black sun, my eyebrows furrowed into a knot.

This move…

Was inspired by the Endless Abyss, because it looked quite impressive at the time.

But in reality, its only function was to block living beings… For example, if I were injured or didn’t want to fight, I could hide inside it. Unless someone like Nero came, no one could do anything to me.

But apart from that…

It felt useless.

Unless there was a special situation, why bother releasing dead smoke directly? Why expend so much energy… It was useless.

…Let’s try compressing it further.

Whoosh—

As I concentrated again, the black sun overhead suddenly began to shrink, the concentration of dead smoke increasing. Then, with a “boom,” the black sun churned up dark flames, transforming into a giant fireball more than twenty meters in diameter. Pale flames almost brightened the dimming sky anew.

Wow…

My eyes were dazzled, but I could still feel the immense energy contained in the fireball… Could this be considered a version of the Spirit Ball from another world?

I felt I could continue releasing dead smoke to make it even larger…

Forget it, it’s too dangerous… and incredibly exhausting. I’ll use it as a finishing move in the future…

I waved my hand.

The black sun “whooshed” apart, scattering like a huge fireworks display across the sky. Then, all the dead smoke rushed back into my chest.

Whirl—

The flame wings on my back flapped again, causing my body to spin in the air and dive downward with a “thud” onto the ground.

Winds swirled around me, blowing a strand of hair that was losing its silver luster and turning black back into my face.

I reached out and grabbed it.

Ah…

It happened again.

After these days of practice, I discovered that whenever I fully mobilized the power of the Abyss, the strand of silver hair on my forehead would begin to spread, turning all my hair white. But if I used it just a little bit, such as releasing a small amount of dead smoke, this wouldn’t happen.

That meant that if I fought with all my might, I would turn into a white-haired demoness.

…What’s the principle behind this?

I don’t understand…

Regardless, I now have some understanding of the three forces within my body.

Ice Order, Sinfire, Chaos Power.

They did not interfere with each other and worked together seamlessly. Using them felt completely natural, and the power of Sinfire no longer felt awkward, as if it were naturally mine, or had become an indispensable part of my body.

…It’s hard to say whether this is good or bad.

But overall…

It shouldn’t be bad.

I’ve come to terms with it.

In the past, I always suppressed myself, suppressing the chaotic power within me, fearing it would get out of control, consuming too many lives until it grew to an unimaginable extent, then I would become…

How would I become?

I didn’t know; perhaps it would end up like Eirush’s fate.

But…

Even if I suppress it, doesn’t it still grow continuously?

Then what’s the point of my persistence…

I can’t stop the Abyss from devouring.

So why not just let go? As long as I don’t use it to harm others, but instead do something meaningful, or use it recklessly to save my life… At this level, no one would say anything.

With such a powerful force, with the ability to easily resolve enemies, yet choosing to suppress oneself, making matters more complicated…

That feeling is truly…

I held up my fair right hand, my slender fingers dancing gracefully.

Dead smoke quietly dispersed from my fingertips, flowing toward the land beneath, causing the flowers and grass underfoot to wither quickly.

The last wisp of twilight faded away into silent darkness.

Night had fallen.

A young girl in a black dress stood gracefully among the darkening woods. A gentle breeze brushed her black dress, causing the lace edges to sway lightly.

Pitch-black smoke enveloped the girl, rapidly turning the small patch of land beneath her into a scorched, dead zone, starkly contrasting with the lush surrounding forest.

Her delicate face, illuminated by the flames flickering nearby, faintly glowed with a rosy hue. She held her right hand in front of her, staring intently at the dead smoke flowing from her palm, as if she were enjoying something incredibly interesting.

After a moment, she curled her lips into a smile.

Whoosh—

In the next moment, the drifting dead smoke rapidly converged in front of the girl, writhing like a living entity, slowly transforming into mud. It resembled the dark abyssal muck in a chasm, gradually taking shape, growing limbs and horns, and eyes…

Finally, it took the form of a deer.

This deer, vaguely resembling the one she had previously devoured, was entirely black, gleaming with metallic sheen, unlike any creature of this world—but it was indeed alive.

The old deer staggered unsteadily, walking like a newborn foal, limping and swaying towards the girl. It stumbled after just a few steps, “puffing” and reverting to dead smoke, which swiftly merged back into the girl’s chest.

“Hehe.”

The girl seemed delighted. Her clear, pleasant laughter echoed through the dense forest.

…It’s dark now, so let’s call it a day.

Time to go back.

I turned to look in the direction where the sinfire was burning, raising my hand.

Bang—

Vast frost mist surged from my palm, spreading in a fan-like shape, instantly freezing everything within sight for dozens of meters. The collapsed ice mountain shattered into countless pieces of ice, and the sinfire, already unable to burn brightly in the cold, was finally extinguished by this impact.

…Done.

I nodded in satisfaction and started walking under the night sky. Suddenly, I noticed the ice stairs standing askew nearby and stopped, tilting my head in thought.

…Better break it up.

Otherwise, it will be hard to melt… Keeping the cold air for too long isn’t good. Otherwise, it might pose the same threat as the dead smoke, turning this area into a barren wasteland.

Thinking this, a blue glow flashed in my eyes, and a fist-sized deep blue ice stone quickly formed above my head, moving toward the ice stairs at an almost imperceptible speed.

Whoosh—

Clang!

The ice stone hit the steps, producing a metallic sound, followed by a rapid expansion of icy blue in front of me.

Damn it…

Bang!

“Ouch!”

The rebounding ice stone accurately struck my nose, causing my head to tilt backward.

…Ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!

I clutched my nose and crouched down, curling into a ball. I felt liquid running from my nose and tears streaming for a long time. Suddenly, I remembered something and frantically looked around.

“Mmm…”

Thankfully, no one saw…