The Unnameable Phantom Shadow

 In Vina's mental world, Vina's spiritual body was being suspended midair by chains. The one pulling the chains was a woman, and if one looked carefully, it seemed possible to spot traces of Betimia in this woman's appearance.

 This was none other than Bloodstorm's elder sister, whose soul had been devoured by the Reaper's Shadow—Addis, the Reaper's Shadow!

 "Why, why must you continue enduring such agony? Choose death. Death is your true destination!"

 Addis tried to tempt the suspended Vina. But Vina made no response, for she was already devoid of consciousness. In her last moment, the only thing she remembered was a single phrase...

 Hold on!

 "Hurry up and die for me!"

 Seeing that Vina remained unmoved, Addis manipulated the chains to constrict, causing Vina's soul to suffer a certain tearing force.

 "It won't be long before this worn-out soul will disintegrate, and then I can take her place and be reborn!"

 Once outside, she would be able to call forth the undead army again. At that time, everything would end!

 "Soon, very soon!"

 Watching as Vina's soul was about to dissipate, Addis grew increasingly agitated.

 But just then, the chains suddenly vanished, and Vina's body plunged into a spring that appeared out of nowhere.

 "What!"

 Addis lunged forward, but grabbed only at empty air—Vina's spiritual body had already disappeared. Seeing this, Addis looked around and shouted loudly.

 "Where did she go? Come out right now!"

 She could sense that Vina's soul still existed.

 As long as her soul still existed and her body hadn't perished, then Addis—currently devoid of any deathly power—was unable to resurrect.

 "Sorry, but I can't hand this girl over to you."

 A female voice answered her. Hearing this, Addis immediately turned around, only to find a black shadow with deep purple eyes had somehow already appeared behind her.

 The purple light emanating from her eyes radiated an unfathomable magic. Unbeknownst to herself, Addis's own eyes also took on a faint purple hue. But she didn't notice this change in herself—she only cared about one thing.

 "Who are you?!"

 Seeing that unnameable phantom shadow, Addis demanded in a loud voice.

 "Who am I?"

 But the shadow didn't answer her. It just repeated the question, then slowly began to shift in form.

 It was the silhouette of a woman, but wrapped in that blackness, her features couldn't be seen.

 "Hmm?"

 The scene shifted. The woman vanished, replaced by a young girl. Then, the scene changed again, and an elegant noble lady appeared.

 Seeing the never-ending transformations in the black shadow, Addis felt a fear called "unknown" surging within her.

 "Who the hell are you?"

 Addis braced herself. The sudden appearance of this shadow had made her forget her original purpose for coming here—now, all she wanted was to fathom this shadow's true nature.

 But the shadow remained silent. Seeing this, Addis controlled her chains, winding them out and using mental power to turn them into chains with which she tried to hoist the shadow up, preparing to interrogate it.

 But once she'd done so, the person split into three—it was exactly those three forms the black shadow had manifested earlier.

 "Who am I?"

 Suddenly yet another shadow appeared. Addis, upon seeing it, immediately used her mental chains to seize control.

 But then, more and more figures appeared one after another, and Addis had no choice but to continuously expend mental power to control them.

 Even though none of those people seemed particularly threatening, being confronted by so many pairs of bizarre purple eyes caused Addis's heart to fill with terror—even her mind started becoming warped.

 Gradually, more and more shadows were being hoisted into the air by her chains. At last, that voice stopped...

 When no more shadows appeared, Addis laughed.

 "Hehehe... Hahaha! Not a single one of you is a match for me, all of you..."

 Her voice cut off abruptly, because she suddenly witnessed a bizarre scene: countless enormous purple eyes floated in the sky, blinking, every single vein so clearly visible it could be counted.

 Looking at those eyes, Addis saw the veins inside them writhing and crawling, like tentacles slathered in viscous slime, twisting and rolling. As she watched, Addis's breathing grew ragged.

 What is this? Who are all of you!!!

 The black shadows had already vanished. They'd congealed into a thick, viscous black ooze, oozing out across the sky, like some deep, mysterious, infinite ocean trench—making anyone looking at it shudder uncontrollably.

 At this, the panic on Addis's face faded away. Now, she wore a slack-jawed face of utter astonishment, aimlessly glancing around. In her ears, she could faintly hear some gloomy and complex murmuring.

 That sound reverberated through Addis's soul. When she looked up again, those purple eyes had already sunk to the bottom of the sea...

 What was that? The sea!

 The sea is above my head?

 Below my feet is emptiness!

 In that instant, Addis felt her head growing light and her feet heavy. The world spun. Staring at the rapidly approaching black sea, her mind was filled with endless unknown thoughts.

 "Who is it? Who is it? Who is it?"

 Who exactly is it!

 During this ceaseless repetition, a whisper sounded by her ear.

 "The origin to which all things converge."

 "Origin? Who am I?"

 Addis voiced the question. By now, she had utterly forgotten her purpose for coming here. Terror had fully seized her soul.

 But after acclimating to the terror, she felt an infinite sense of relaxation of the mind, as if she were a gigantic stone sinking into the deep sea, descending rapidly and unstoppably to the silent sea floor, merging with the ocean, to sleep in silence forever.

 "Who am I?"

 That hollow voice echoed in her empty mind, then the unknown whisper answered again.

 "Food!"

 "I am... food!"

 Suddenly, Addis's eyes widened. She flailed desperately, struggling to break free from the seemingly tranquil sea's bottom, but no matter how much she thrashed, the black surface of the sea remained above her—the distance between only ever growing with her fall, never shrinking no matter how she struggled.

 Addis, Reaper's Shadow! She was supposed to be the master of the undead, a powerful lich, not food...

 Bzzzzz! Glug-glug!

 Strange noises echoed. Addis looked down, and with just one glance, she immediately collapsed into utter madness!

 This madness didn't manifest physically, nor did it show in words. It was a calm, overwhelming insanity, expressed only by her eyes, which continued widening until the very corners tore open.

 I am... food!!! "Ah-mmm!"

 (Chewing sounds...) ......  In the real world, Serea was still desperately absorbing the deathly power from the bone ring. Suddenly, tiny cracks appeared on the bone ring. This change was triggered by the destruction of Addis's soul.

 It worked! In the next second, the black gemstone on Vina's chest began to transform, and then a 'kawaii' monster that looked like a black furry ball, standing on four short legs, appeared atop Vina's chest.

 "Master, it's done, but from here on, I can no longer help."

 "You did well. Leave the rest to me!"

 With that, Celia grabbed Dogsius in her hand.

 Serea looked at the serene-faced Vina. At the same time, the deathly power within the bone ring had already been completely absorbed by her.

 System: Queen of the Undead (Death Altar) bloodline awakening—skill acquired: Death Decay (Tier 2). Building unit unlocked: Plague Cemetery. For details, please check your personal information tab.

 It's here!

 (To be continued...)

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