The moment this line of text appeared, before Mu Xuan could even react, the entire corridor was instantly bathed in a vivid red.
The walls on both sides, once smooth as mirrors, now began to writhe before Mu Xuan’s eyes. The hard stone rippled like water, and one by one, humanoid shadows slowly peeled themselves from the surface, as if evil spirits awakening from a long slumber.
They had no features, their outlines blurred, yet they radiated a suffocating malice.
The first shadow lunged with a bone-chilling cold. Mu Xuan twisted to evade, and the twisted figure brushed past his shoulder, a freezing chill seeping through half his robes in an instant.
Then came the second, the third—they surged from every direction, silent yet terrifyingly fast.
A gentle white light gathered in Mu Xuan’s palm, forming a luminous shield before him. As the shadows struck the light, a hissing sound erupted, like hot iron plunged into cold water, before they dissolved into blue smoke and vanished. But more shadows tore free from the walls, their numbers seemingly endless.
In just this short moment, Mu Xuan had already spent a great deal of the Light Force within him. Each of these shadows possessed pitch-black power.
He had to make a choice.
Clenching his teeth, Mu Xuan repelled another wave of attacks. In that brief lull, he suddenly turned and sprinted with all his might toward the left side of the corridor. If he stayed here any longer, these shadows would eventually wear him down to death.
He’d turned back before reaching the end. If there was any chance at all, it could only be found by seeking out Mili.
The Priest’s obsession had already faded, and the Silvermoon Knight also seemed disconnected from the rules of this chapel. The “faithful” were a vague concept—only Mili could have formed a rule for the chapel.
Forcing back the encroaching shadows with his Light Force, Mu Xuan raced desperately for the end. He didn’t know what lay ahead, but he didn’t believe this corridor was truly endless.
Although the corridor seemed endless, the space stretched as if infinitely long, the rule manipulating the terrain couldn’t possibly make this place truly infinite.
However, after Mu Xuan pushed forward a good distance, the walls in front and behind suddenly closed in, leaving not the slightest gap.
Countless shadows writhed on the walls. The ones that had been chasing him now drifted slowly back into the stone, no longer attacking.
What’s going on… Mu Xuan was puzzled.
But in the next second, the answer came.
“Mister, are you lost?”
A faint, ethereal voice echoed.
Mu Xuan immediately turned toward the source of the voice.
Mili’s figure slowly stepped out from the shadows on the wall, her hollow eye sockets staring fixedly at Mu Xuan.
Looking at Mili’s bloodstained face and the torn nun’s habit, remembering the hope in her eyes that afternoon and her shyness when leaving, Mu Xuan felt a moment of disorientation.
“I’m not lost. I came to find you…”
Behind Mili, countless shadows writhed, as if ready to pounce and tear Mu Xuan apart at any moment, yet he was reluctant to fight her.
Whether or not he could win was one thing—what mattered more was…she just seemed so pitiful…or rather, it was a surge of sympathy and compassion from deep within.
More than that, it was a kind of helpless melancholy, knowing what happened but powerless to change it.
All of this had happened long ago. He did not belong to that time.
“Find…me?”
Mili seemed confused for a moment, but then her face twisted, her mouth stretching nearly to her ears.
“Why did you kill them… They didn’t do anything wrong—!”
Mili’s voice lost all gentleness, turning piercingly sharp. The shadows behind her instantly transformed into countless black tentacles, lashing out toward Mu Xuan.
Mu Xuan hurriedly dodged, gathering Light Force before him to form a golden barrier, blocking the tentacles’ assault.
It’s okay…this is only the shallow waters, not the deep. I can handle it for now.
But the Light Force within him was running low—he had to think of something!
Looking at Mili, who was tightly wrapped in tentacles, Mu Xuan didn’t hesitate. He gathered all his remaining Light Force in his hands and fired it forward. Immediately, the Light Force pierced through all the tentacles in its path, carving out a narrow space.
Seeing the opening, Mu Xuan dashed toward it without delay.
“Don’t come any closer!”
Mili’s attacks grew even more frantic, her form wrapped tighter by the tentacles. Her voice was shrill and tinged with fear, as if she had been utterly terrified.
Mu Xuan’s gaze sharpened, and he forced even more Light Force into his hands, sending another beam forward.
This time, though, he pierced far fewer tentacles, and even the shield before him was starting to dim.
With the corridor now so narrow, there was nowhere to dodge. The shield had to bear the brunt of Mili’s tentacle attacks.
As a result, his Light Force dropped yet again.
Tch—
He clicked his tongue inwardly, no longer hesitating. If this continued, he definitely wouldn’t last.
So Mu Xuan dismissed the shield and gathered all his remaining Light Force into his palm, firing it out in an instant.
A blinding brilliance filled the narrow space, simultaneously destroying the tentacles reaching from the walls.
Seeing Mili now freed from the tentacles, Mu Xuan immediately leaped forward, staggering as he landed before her.
“Don’t come any closer! Please, I beg you!”
“I tried so hard, why are you still alive!”
“Goddess, why won’t you save us faithful…”
Listening to Mili’s shrill cries, Mu Xuan felt a pang of sorrow.
Taking advantage of the moment before the tentacles surged again, he hugged Mili tightly, mustering his last bit of Light Force and gently covering her eyes with it.
Mu Xuan’s form began to shrink, and a soft, childlike voice slipped from his lips.
“Does it…still hurt here…?”
Mili froze instantly, the tentacles about to strike him suddenly halting in place.
After a while, Mili’s choked sobs broke the silence, and soon she burst into tears.
“Goddess…is it you…”
“Why…did you come so late…”
Mili’s voice lost all its strength, growing low and hoarse, nothing like the sharpness from before.
Her voice echoed in the cramped space, each word pounding against the eardrums like a heavy hammer, stirring the heart.
The girl’s sobs were thick with sorrow and despair beyond words, an outpouring of bitterness, pain, grievance—and the joy of finally finding light.
Sigh…
Looking at the girl before him, weeping without tears, Mu Xuan couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh.
“I’m sorry…I came too late…”
Mu Xuan’s soft, sticky voice was tinged with both guilt and heartache.