Night World Players

Chapter 119 He Betrayed the Shore Keeper (1.2W)

A note to remind her?
So, the head maid is saying... that it was Brother Rast who tipped her off and told her that he was about to infiltrate?
Hearing the cold words echoing in the room, Gray couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.

Brother Rast, did he betray the shore keepers?
Such a thought was only fleeting and was quickly forced out of Gray's mind.

These are just words used by the enemies to deceive themselves.

If such a casual remark could make me waver, then I am not worthy of being a member of the shore guards, let alone a companion of Brother Last.

As her mind raced, a vague premonition suddenly emerged in Gray's heart.

That was a revelation from "fate".

So, following this premonition in her heart, Gray's figure suddenly jumped up without any warning and rushed towards the iron gate she had entered before.

The next moment, the place where she was previously was pierced through the ground by a chain surging with the glory of dusk, accompanied by a loud bang.

Level 6

Feeling the power fluctuations coming from behind, Gray also made a judgment in her heart.

Although in name, Anna was just the head maid in this palace.

However, as a maid who had served her mother, the previous queen of the underworld, long before Helen was born... Anna's status was far more than what could be summarized by the title of "head maid".

As the first citizen of paradise to be granted eternal blessing, in this palace, the head maid even has the power to mobilize the twilight realm to a certain extent and can exert power comparable to that of the sixth level.

This is all the information passed on by Brother Last, and it is exactly the same as the current situation.

However, looking at it this way...it turns out that what Anna said before was just a lie to deceive me.

If brother Rast really betrayed the Shore Watchers, how could he have passed on all the information, including Anna's true combat power?
Even though she was in danger, Gray felt like she was breathing a sigh of relief.

The chain fell beside her again, but was once again avoided by Gray by a hair's breadth.

One party is at level six, while the other party's rank is no more than level two... In an ordinary battle between extraordinary people, this should have been a match without suspense. The latter would be killed instantly by the former without even a second of struggle.

However, following the vague premonition in her heart, Gray narrowly avoided the dim yellow chains that were attacking her and successfully reached the entrance door.

This is the terrifying thing about the long sequence of "fate".

It is possible to ignore the huge gap in rank and directly modify the trajectory of the future in this mysterious way.

She took out the "master key" from her arms again and stretched it towards the falling steel door.

However, the crisp click of the door lock opening did not sound as Gray expected.

"It was the power of the Twilight Restriction. The other party used it on the steel door, which exceeded the range of the master key that could be effective."

The shadow servant's hurried voice rang in Gray's ears.

"Whether what she said is true or not, whether Captain Last has betrayed..."

"But it is also true that the other party, in some unknown way, was aware of our plan to steal the Reaper's Relic and set a trap in advance."

"Under these circumstances, the final phase of the 'Lost Paradise' plan must be terminated and the emergency evacuation plan implemented."

"Little Gray, find a way to deal with the other party. I will forcibly break through the restriction around the palace and help you evacuate."

"She has only barely reached the sixth level with the help of borrowed external forces... As long as the Queen of the Underworld is not around, a mere head maid can't stop me."

Listening to the vice-captain's instructions, Gray nodded seriously.

Of course, she didn't believe that Brother Rast had really betrayed the shore guards and leaked the plan.

However, Gray also had no idea how the head maid Anna discovered her... She even set a trap in advance.

The only explanation is that the other side had already seen through everything the shore guard team had planned long before he sneaked in.

Thinking about it this way, wouldn't it be that the identity of Rast's brother has already been exposed? It's just that the ruler of the underworld has never revealed it in order to lure the snake out of its hole.

Besides, unlike me who had a deputy captain to help us evacuate, Brother Last was completely isolated and helpless...

And what he has to face is the furious queen who knows everything.

Countless complicated thoughts surged in Gray's mind, including confusion and doubt about her plan being seen through, and worry about the safety of her brother Rast.

But Gray still forced herself to cheer up, and following the vague premonition in her heart, she once again avoided a dim chain that was piercing through her.

Her spirit became active, connecting directly to the astral world, that wisp of spiritual ocean that seemed to exist and not exist...

Then, follow the thread called "fate" to peek into the direction of the future.

As long as he could hold out from the clutches of the head maid and hold on until the deputy captain broke through the ban and evacuated him from the palace.

By then, the vice-captain will be able to free up his hands and go to assist Brother Last...

With such a belief——

In a flash, Gray suddenly felt that her spirit was closer to the great power called "destiny" hidden deep in her soul.

Revelations from the astral world, spiritual premonitions...

Those vague signs that were originally ethereal and difficult to guess in Gray's eyes...now turned into tangible light and shadows and images, directly appearing in the depths of her soul.

No role playing, no training, no life-or-death battles—

At this moment, Gray's "destiny" sequence broke through without any warning and reached a higher level.

The flow of time, the trajectory of fate... everything became clear before Gray's eyes.

Her emerald green eyes suddenly flashed with silver light, as if dark silver was flowing in them.

It is no longer just a few words of revelation or a vague and vague premonition.

Instead, I could clearly see the future that had not yet happened a few seconds later.

This is true "future vision".

With the help of "Future Vision", Gray's dodging movements became much smoother, and she left ample room for every move.

Even the head maid Anna showed a look of surprise.

Obviously, she had not expected that this extremely weak thief in front of her could escape from her hands time and time again.

If we continue to maintain the current situation like this, it shouldn't be a problem to hold on until the vice-captain breaks through the restriction.

Such thoughts could not help but emerge in Gray's mind.

however--

The next moment.

Deep in Gray's soul, the "future vision" image transmitted from the astral world suddenly froze.

The silver light in her eyes shattered without warning, revealing her original fragile pupils.

The flowing time, the clear trajectory of fate, the fragments of the future... everything disappeared.

It was as if something had abruptly cut off the original trajectory of fate, leaving only pure nothingness.

Gray's face turned extremely pale, without a trace of blood left, and tears of blood flowed from her eyes...

This was the backlash of peeping into fate, causing her soul and mental strength to suffer severe damage in an instant.

But what made Gray even more uneasy than the pain that seemed to tear her soul apart was the vague premonition before the backlash came.

It's like——

It was as if something terrible was about to happen.

……

"Sure enough, the remains of the Grim Reaper are not here."

Unexpected.

There was a dull sound echoing in this metallic space.

He was an old man who looked like a gardener, wearing a pure white robe with a tombstone-like pattern painted on it, and green branches surrounding him.

His face was ordinary, and his indifferent eyes overlooked the entire palace with some indescribable indifference.

No one knew the exact time when he appeared, but he just stood there, as if he had merged into the entire world... If you didn't see it with your own eyes, you wouldn't even be able to detect the slightest bit of his aura.

"who are you?"

"And an accomplice of those thieves?"

The head maid Anna looked at the old man who suddenly appeared and couldn't help but question him in a stern voice.

She swung her hand violently, and chains shining with dim yellow light followed her wishes and attacked the gardener-like old man.

But then.

"They don't even have their own domain... They are just the dead who can exist in the world only by relying on the protection of the remains of the god of death, a vague phantom."

"But you tried to attack the embodiment of abundance, the master of life."

"Like a moth to a flame...how pathetic and ridiculous."

Along with that indifferent voice, the next moment.

A green area full of vitality quietly expanded under the feet of the gardener-like old man.

Then, in an instant, the entire palace was enveloped in it.

Then, in the green light filled with the breath of life—

The surging yellow chains, the figure of the head maid Anna, and even the palace... everything was frozen.

The colors of dusk shattered quietly, and then disappeared inch by inch, returning to nothingness.

Even Anna herself, her body was frozen in place, the dim light fading from her body... That dim light was a blessing from the god of death, but it was being stripped from her body at this moment.

It was as if in just a few seconds, the time that had been stagnant for hundreds of years due to the eternal blessing was experienced again by her.

Anna's body and clothes were rapidly aging, weathering, and decaying.

Then, in the space of a breath, time, which had been accelerated by a billion times, came to an end for her.

The head maid Anna disappeared from this world.

Only the dim yellow fragments remained, scattered in the air along with the weathered ashes.

What on earth happened here?
Gray felt that her thinking had become extremely slow and she was completely unable to comprehend what was happening before her eyes.

Although from the current standpoint, head maid Anna is undoubtedly her enemy...

But how could a sixth-rank strongman be wiped out from this world in the blink of an eye?
No, it's not just the chains and the head maid Anna.

Rather, the entire palace was gradually losing its dusk glow.

The eternal protection disappeared, and the time that had been stagnant was once again imposed on this palace that seemed to have remained unchanged for eternity.

Then it weathered, decayed, broke... and finally turned into scattered dust.

The sound of the palace's main beams breaking came in the wind, as if the whole world was shattering and collapsing.

The scene of Dongshui Town turned into ruins was exactly the same as Gray's memory.

"Little Gray, run away!"

"If I'm not mistaken, this is a legend."

"From the Gravekeeper, the legend of the Order of Plenty."

The shadow servant's voice woke Gray from her dull thoughts.

Gravekeeper?
what is that?
As this thought flashed through her mind, Gray subconsciously wanted to follow the deputy captain's instructions and immediately escape from this palace that was constantly weathering and decaying.

But then, she saw the old man with a tombstone painted on his white robe turned his gaze towards her.

In the emerald light, Gray's body froze in place, unable to move anymore.

"I see."

"The feeling that my fate was being spied on earlier, did it all come from you?"

"It's not a prophecy-related ability, but comes from the long step to godhood... It seems that the unique long step to godhood, "fate", has been born."

"I didn't find the remains of the god of death, but I didn't expect to get some unexpected gains here."

It was clearly just a casual glance.

But the old man, whom the shadow servant called "the gravekeeper", seemed to have known all of Gray's secrets in an instant.

next moment--

Thousands of rose petals and leaves are flying.

It transformed into a giant hand that blocked out the sun, and fell toward Gray from above.

The giant hand moved very slowly, and it looked like it could easily escape from its range... but it also seemed to have some kind of irresistible force, unstoppable and irreversible.

Gray's mind and spirit are struggling hard to awaken the power of the "destiny" sequence deep in her soul.

However, the power of fate that seemed to be invincible in the past, even the pollutants of the evil god could be bound, and it could easily take effect even when facing a sixth-level strongman, and could turn the tide of the battle...but now it was like a pool of stagnant water, and it was completely silent.

Gray could only watch as the giant hand made of flowers and leaves slowly descended from the sky and came towards her.

In the face of the legendary power, all the branches of destiny were cut off... The future world line that had originally extended infinitely was now being continuously converged, leaving only the increasingly approaching, destined ending.

But at this moment, the inky black shadow that had been lurking quietly under Gray's feet suddenly rose up.

The shadow turned into a sharp sword, intertwining with the hand of abundance that descended from the sky and slowly fell.

The inky shadows collide with the vibrant green light...

In just a moment, the dark shadow was shattered inch by inch, turning into mottled scars.

Just like a moth to a flame.

The thick shadow did not last even for a second before it was swallowed up by the emerald green light and vanished into nothingness without causing a ripple.

But this gap of less than a second allowed Gray to briefly escape the lock of the fertile field.

An extremely faint, illusory shadow rippled under Gray's feet, wrapping up the girl's figure.

Then, he quickly fled out of the palace.

"It's clearly the sixth step of the Devil's Ladder to Godhood, but it carries a hint of the scorching sun."

"Cesare's subordinates?"

"Not only the sequence, the supernatural power is also very interesting. It can actually split one's soul and differentiate into a second incarnation..."

“If my body hadn’t been broken long ago, I would have had a chance to advance to the legendary level.”

"Unfortunately--"

The gravekeeper's gaze swept calmly across the black shadow that was constantly disintegrating and annihilating in his own fertile domain without even a ripple... He then looked at the illusory shadow that was quickly escaping in the distance, and his old eyes were still calm.

After just a brief fight, he already knew everything about Shadow Servant.

The long stage of ascension to the gods, "Demon", or as it is called in this era - the long stage of sequence, "Shadow".

In this era when supernatural knowledge is almost extinct, it is rare to be able to reach the end of the sixth step of the ancient ladder of ascension to godhood, "Demon".

This is fundamentally different from the previous deceased who relied on the blessing of the "Remains of the God of Death" and the help of external forces to barely reach the sixth level.

There really is a glimmer of possibility for a legendary seed to cross the chasm and ascend to legend.

Every legendary road is a unique, unrepeatable miracle...Everyone who reaches the legendary level is the protagonist of an era.

Therefore, even a secret organization like the Gravekeepers that has spanned several eras is qualified to look down on all living beings in the world and regard them as ants... but they will look up to true legends and legendary seeds.

However, this woman’s legendary journey... had long been completely cut off.

Her body had long been broken, and she was only barely maintaining her life by relying on the power of the "sun".

Moreover, this woman possesses a very powerful supernatural power, which allows her to cut her own soul and differentiate into a new shadow incarnation.

Just now, she paid the price of her original body colliding with herself and her soul being annihilated... Only then was she able to briefly break her own fertile field and use another shadow incarnation to rescue the little girl on the "Destiny" step.

"In exchange for this moment of escape, I will use my own life as a price..."

"But what's the point?"

"It's just a meaningless act."

The gravekeeper reached out his hand again, grabbing the illusory shadow that was carrying Gray away.

Clearly, within just a few short breaths, the illusory shadow had already disappeared several miles away and was barely visible from sight.

However, as the old man, who looked like a gardener, raised and lowered his hands, the distance of several thousand meters seemed to be penetrated in an instant and kept getting closer.

Only legends can fight against legends. This is the iron law of the world of extraordinary people.

In addition, even if a strong man has reached the end of the sixth level and is only one step away from becoming a legend, that blow at the cost of his life... can only hinder the legend for a tiny moment and cannot affect the final outcome at all.

This is the glory that belongs only to legends, irreversible and unstoppable, just like fate.

But at this moment, the gardener-like old man suddenly stopped moving.

It was clearly dusk at this moment, but a hot and clear light rose from the end of the skyline.

It shines brightly with the setting sun in the sky, as if there are two suns in the sky at the same time.

It was the radiance of the blazing sun, with a burning illusory corona, and an aura that was no less than that of the old man's fertile domain.

"This generation's shore keeper, Cecil."

There was finally a change in the old eyes of this legendary gravekeeper.

He recognized this aura, as he had briefly come into contact with the owner of this aura not long ago.

There are gaps among legends.

As a gravekeeper who has experienced several eras, his accumulation in the legendary field should be far superior to the newly born legends in the current era.

However, the brief confrontation before made this gardener-like old man realize that this generation of shore keeper Cecil is far from being just an ordinary newly promoted legend.

Instead, he is the one who has truly taken the legendary path to the extreme and is able to compete with himself.

At the same time, his mental power moved slightly.

The Legend of the Sequence of Fertility finally discovered... the location of the remains of the Grim Reaper that the Gravekeeper was looking for.

This relic of the god of death is not in the palace at the core of the paradise where the power of the god of death is the strongest.

Instead, it is located on the outskirts of Paradise King City, on the top of a mountain.

The old man's gaze paused slightly at the direction where Gray and the shadow servant were quickly escaping, and the energy rising like the scorching sun.

Finally, he turned towards the suburbs - where the relic of the Grim Reaper was.

"The darling of fate..."

The indifferent words dissipated.

The next moment, the gardener-like figure disappeared.

Compared to the accidental discovery of the "Destiny" Stairway to the Gods, which was an unexpected gain... the goal of "recovering the relics of the God of Death" from the gravekeeper is undoubtedly a higher priority.

……

The shadow carried Gray's petite body away at a rapid speed, and the surrounding scenery changed like lightning.

In a blink of an eye, she had crossed the entire Paradise Royal City and was outside the suburbs of the royal city.

However, even though they were already thousands of meters away from the palace and the old man who was like a gardener guarding the grave...

But the premonition of desolation that seemed to cut off all futures and lead to only a bleak ending still lingered in Grey's heart for a long time. It was a warning from "fate", a pressure from a legend. With Grey's current status, she could neither interfere with the fate of legends nor predict their future.

Until a middle-aged man with gray hair appeared in front of her.

He looked to be about fifty years old, wearing a linen shirt, with an indescribable look of vicissitudes in his silver-gray eyes.

And the moment the other person appeared, the warning sign of fate that had been flickering in the depths of Gray's soul disappeared and returned to silence.

As a member of the Shore Watchers, Gray naturally knew the identity of the person in front of her.

Cecil Balzette.

The leader of the Shore Watchers organization, the strongest human currently known.

Unexpectedly, Leader Sissel came in person.

That’s right. Since the organization called “Gravekeepers” by Sister Shadow Servant has sent out Legends, the Shore Guardians will definitely send out corresponding combat forces.

Leader Cecil is a true legend...

Now that even he has arrived, there is nothing to be afraid of such earth-shaking changes in the paradise.

Such a thought just arose in Gray's mind.

The next moment, the shadow that was originally running fast also stopped.

The shadow that originally enveloped Gray's body faded away and re-gathered in the air into a vague, distorted human figure, which was exactly the same as the appearance that the Shadow Servant Deputy Captain usually presented.

But for some reason, the shadowy figure seemed inexplicably unreal to Gray.

Life was draining from the shadowy figure... Gray felt like the dead natives in Paradise.

Already dead, yet an illusory form remains.

"How...how could it be?"

Gray's figure just stood there in a daze.

She originally thought that although Sister Shadow Servant had a clash with the legendary gravekeeper in order to save her... her injuries should not have been serious.

If not, how could Sister Yingpu take me away from the scene?

But at this moment, the revived power of destiny deep in her soul gave Gray a clear answer.

Fighting against a legend with a sixth-order body... Even if it's just to block a fleeting gap, how can it not come at a price?
And the price was her life.

The real body of Shadow Servant Sister has passed away, and the one who escaped from the palace with Gray... was just a doppelganger created by Shadow Servant using his "Shadow Servant" ability to separate a small part of his soul.

But the essence of the soul is dead.

Naturally, the only thing that awaits this incarnation of rootless and sourceless shadow is extinction.

This is just the last afterimage of a deceased person... No different from those deceased people in Paradise who have already died but are still alive in the world with the blessing of the god of death.

Gray subconsciously raised her head and cast her hopeful gaze towards the white-haired old man in front of her.

If it is the legendary leader Cecil.

Perhaps there is a way to rescue Sister Shadow Servant...

As soon as such a thought arose.

next moment.

Gray saw that Cecil seemed to see through her thoughts and shook her head silently.

"I'm late."

“Life is the most difficult thing to recover.”

"Perhaps with the special features of your long-stage of the "Destiny" sequence, after reaching the legendary level, you will be able to accomplish the feat of reversing time one day..."

"But no one can revive the dead at this moment, not even I, the Legend."

how come?
Deep in Gray's soul, she could clearly hear the sound of something breaking.

It was as if a layer of false bubble was punctured, leaving only pure nothingness and emptiness in my mind.

From reuniting with his brother Rast at the headquarters of the Watchtower, to joining the Shore Watcher team and heading to the Paradise Royal City to carry out the mission.

For Gray, the past six months have been like a dream.

On my birthday, it would be nice to have hotpot with my brother Rast.

He even went to Paradise and worked with his teammates to help his brother Last conquer the Queen of the Night, and worked together to come up with ideas for their date plan, even playing the role of a fortune teller.

Although there was also some anger when she saw her brother Rast interacting intimately with other women.

But overall, the atmosphere of this journey was quite cheerful and relaxing for Grey.

It’s just like a story written in a fairy tale book - leisurely, light, bright and beautiful.

Gray has always been immersed in this fairy-tale atmosphere.

So much so that, even though she knew from the beginning that the ultimate goal of the "Lost Paradise" plan was to overthrow the entire underworld.

However, as a bystander, she witnessed every detail of Brother Luster and Queen Helen's interactions, and felt the tranquil beauty... Gray always felt that they would eventually be able to find a way to have the best of both worlds -

Perhaps this underworld kingdom, a paradise where countless dead people live and work in peace and contentment, does not necessarily have to be destroyed.

Perhaps the relationship between the Shore Watchers and the Queen of the Underworld is not necessarily so irreconcilable...

There must be a way... to allow the dead, whether humans or those in Paradise, whether it is Brother Rast, Queen Helen or myself, to finally have a happy and perfect ending.

But, at this moment——

Looking at the palace that carried countless memories of Queen Helen, but has weathered and decayed into dust.

And the shadow servant sister who sacrificed herself to save me, but I could only watch helplessly...

In Gray's heart, the fairy-tale filter was shattered.

It turned into countless sharp fragments and blades, piercing straight into the depths of her soul, bringing pain that pierced through her flesh and blood.

Reality is not a fairy tale.

Not every story will have a romantic and happy ending like a fairy tale.

It was a war from beginning to end.

The war between humans and aliens, the war between the living and the dead, order and chaos, the continuation and destruction of civilization history, and the war between shore keepers and grave keepers.

The moment he put on the silver winged emblem that read "Guarding the Coastline" and swore to become a shore defender, he had already stepped onto the battlefield.

Those who step onto the battlefield should be prepared for a life-and-death struggle. There has never been a romantic and beautiful war in this world... The main theme of war is death and blood. Everyone who steps onto the battlefield will use any means necessary to kill the enemy.

They roared, raged, and swung their bloody blades at each other, fighting to the death.

The fairy-tale dream was shattered.

Only the cold reality and the cruel truth remained, washing over Gray's mind over and over again.

But even so——

However, there was still one last belief in Gray's heart that supported her and prevented her from getting lost in the shock of her shattered dream.

Brother Rast...

That's right.

Brother Rast is still in danger.

The legendary gravekeeper who killed Shadow Servant Sister's real body... gave up hunting me because of the intimidation from Leader Cessel, and now he is likely to go to Brother Rast!

With a little fear, Gray raised her head hurriedly and spoke quickly but with some hope.

"Leader Cecil, although it may be a little presumptuous, could you go and rescue Brother Rust?"

"He's facing the Queen of the Underworld right now, and the legendary gravekeeper is probably going to look for him too!"

I have lost a lot of things, I can't lose my brother Rast again!

However, facing the gray-haired girl's earnest gaze.

Cecil's eyes, however, became a little more indifferent.

"Unfortunately, he doesn't need my rescue right now, nor is he qualified to be rescued by me."

"Laster has betrayed the shore keepers."

It was like thunder exploding in my ears, and all thoughts stopped at this moment.

Brother Rast...betrayed the shore watchers?
No, this is impossible!

It's impossible!

Even though these were the words spoken by the legendary Cecil, the leader of the Shore Watchers.

Reason told Grey that what Cecil said was most likely the truth, but Grey still refused to believe it.

If brother Rast betrayed him, then what would happen to the young man who saved him from the desperate situation in Dongshui Town... and what would happen to the goals and everything he had been fighting for all these years?
However, Cecil's cold words rang in Gray's ears again.

"Laster, the information he passed back was false from the beginning."

"That relic of the God of Death was never in the palace of the royal city... but was inside the body of the Queen of the Underworld."

"Last must have noticed this and was greedy, so he planned this betrayal—"

"For the relic of the god of death, the remains of the god that can make people ascend to heaven in one step."

"I even suspect that he may have had contact with the gravekeeper... I don't know him well. If it wasn't him, Shadow Servant wouldn't have died in the battle."

"From now on, Rast will be on the shore watcher's most wanted list—"

"As long as the Shore Watchers organization exists, the bounty for their killing will continue, and the fight will not stop until they die."

……

No, there must be something wrong!
Even the leader of Sissel may have been blinded by the treacherous people.

Or maybe Brother Rast had some leverage over someone and was threatened.

Or they may be hypnotized, bewitched... their minds are controlled, their souls are polluted and corrupted, and they would only do these things when they have no other choice and are forced to do so.

If that is the case -

So now Brother Rast is in an extremely dangerous situation.

With such thoughts in mind.

He completely ignored the sudden warning signs of fate and the premonition of death and extinction that were rising in the depths of his soul.

Gray stood up suddenly and ran towards the mountain path behind her.

She had been taken away from the royal city by the shadow servant and arrived at the outskirts of the city.

Therefore, this place is not too far from the peak where Rast had a date with Queen Helen.

Grey didn't believe other people's retelling, even if it was the leader of the Shore Watch, Cecil the Legend.

She wanted to go find Brother Last and ask him in person what was going on.

Then, clear his name and prove his innocence!

……

The petite figure of the gray-haired girl shrouded in a hooded cloak gradually moved away and soon disappeared at the end of the mountain road.

But Cecil did not stop him.

He just stared silently with his silver-gray eyes at the gray-haired girl who ran towards the top of the mountain regardless of the muddy mountain road.

Beside Cecil, the dark shadow also faded away quietly.

The body that was originally shrouded in shadow and whose appearance could not be seen clearly was revealed.

It was different from the shadow servant's body that Rast had seen before, with its shriveled, skinny, and aged body covered with wounds.

After the shadow faded, what appeared was a slim and mature woman.

Her long brown hair with a few waves falls softly behind her shoulders. Her facial features are elegant, but her face has a gentle curve.

Unlike the ugly and ferocious appearance that Last had seen before, Shadow Servant's appearance at this moment was that of an absolute beauty.

However, the figure of the shadow servant had a certain illusion and vagueness, as if it might disappear at any time.

This is a matter of course.

Her body, which was covered in wounds and whose heartbeat could only be maintained by Cecil's power... had already died in the palace, submerged in the domain of the legendary gravekeeper of the Sequence of Fertility, and disappeared silently.

What still exists is just the shadow incarnation created by the Shadow Servant using the power of shadow and the soul fragments he cut off.

Since it is an incarnation... then it can naturally present a form that conforms to the origin of its soul, which is the appearance of Shadow Servant before he suffered that near-death injury, before he was disfigured.

However, with the death of the original body, when the power maintaining this incarnation is exhausted, it is naturally destined to return to nothingness and extinction.

"Actually, you've already arrived, Cecil."

The incarnation of the Shadow Servant looked at the peaks shrouded in the setting sun in the distance, and suddenly spoke.

Her voice was no longer vague and hazy, but returned to the soft and mature female voice that Rast had heard before.

"You arrived earlier than the gravekeeper... You were not late. You were able to take action from the very beginning."

"Only, you didn't do that, did you?"

Cecil did not answer directly.

He just stared quietly with his shadow servant at Gray's shrinking figure on the distant mountain road.

After a long time, Cecil's voice came, a little hoarse: "I'm sorry."

"No, don't say sorry to me."

However, in response to Cecil's apology, Shadow Servant just shook his head slightly.

"I know, Cecil, you are more protective than anyone else, and you want to protect the members of the Shore Watch more than anyone else."

"But you're afraid."

"You are the leader of the shore guards. You have more things to worry about and consider than anyone else."

"You are unwilling to engage in a life-and-death battle rashly because you are afraid that you will die in battle before you can train your successor. By then, the shore keepers will have no legendary leader, while the grave keepers will have multiple legends... Everything will be irreversible."

"You are also afraid that because of your actions, Little Grey will not be able to experience sacrifice and death firsthand, and her character will not be able to complete the transformation and growth, and become a qualified leader of the next shore guardian who can shoulder the future of civilization."

"You are more afraid that your actions will disrupt Rast's plans and arrangements, causing him to be exposed... In order to save me, you will drag the future of the entire organization into an abyss of no return."

"You must always maintain your full combat strength, because the Broken Coast has been restless recently... If the taboos in the sea notice that you are weakening, they will definitely launch an attack on the coastline. If the Broken Coast's defense line is lost, tens of millions of lives will be lost."

The shadow servant's voice sounded like he was talking to himself, but also like he was confiding himself.

"You are not only carrying the weight of yourself, but also the entire Shore Watch organization, and even the fate of human civilization in this era."

"So you can no longer be as carefree and free as we were when we were young and just joined the Shore Watchers... you can do whatever you want, just follow your own wishes and likes and dislikes, and save all the lives in front of you."

"Because at that time, we had the old leader behind us to cover for us. No matter what consequences we caused, he could help us clean up the mess... But now, you have become the one responsible for the future of all mankind."

"I know all these things, and I understand them all."

"If you weren't such a person...how could I have been willing to stay by your side for so many years."

"I am also a member of the shore guards. As a soldier, I pave the way for little Grey's growth and transformation. This was my duty from the beginning and the mission I have chosen... I have no regrets about this."

"I'm just a little unwilling."

"Ever since you, Cecil, succeeded the leader of the Shore Watchers...I haven't heard you open up to me again."

Shadow Servant paused for a moment.

"Cesare, can I use your shoulder?"

"Just think of this as the last request made by your subordinates who have worked hard for you for hundreds of years."

In the glow of the setting sun, the white-haired old man was stunned for a moment.

Then he nodded.

Cecil reached out and gently embraced the shadow servant's figure, which had begun to disintegrate and became increasingly illusory in the glow of the setting sun.

The shadow servant rested his head lightly on Cecil's shoulder, but there was no weight at all.

"fortunately--"

"I am coming to see you as this shadow incarnation, not as my old and withered body."

"So, this is my last meeting with you, my last memory for you..."

"I think I can be frozen in my most beautiful state now."

Shadow Servant and Cecil stared at the looming peak that was dyed red by the setting sun.

"Come to think of it, I'm already a grandma who's several hundred years old... but I'm still saying things like a young girl in love, 'I want you to remember me at my most beautiful'. If I think about it carefully, it seems quite embarrassing."

"But - it really did bring back a lot of memories from my youth."

"I participated in the new shore guard assessment with you, participated in the newcomer training, went out with you for the first time to team up to carry out a mission, and when we returned triumphantly for the first time, I was showered with applause, flowers and glory..."

"By the way, Cecil."

"Don't you think those two little guys, Little Gray and Rust, are actually quite similar to us back then?"

The shadow servant's figure became increasingly illusory, vague and uncertain.

The fiery red rays of light passed through her almost transparent body and fell on Cecil's weathered face, like mottled marks.

"Really? During this mission, I saw little Grey staring out the window several times. It was as if I saw myself when I was younger."

"At that time, when I was on a mission with you, I saw that young man who controlled the sun's rays, and I began to admire you... That's why I embarked on this path of no return."

"And that little guy, Rust, is just like you... in every way. If he hadn't refused to become the leader of the Shore Watch for some unknown reason, I think it would be no problem for him to take your position right now."

"I can't bear to see those two little guys, Gray and Rust, follow in our footsteps."

"So, promise me, okay? Cecil."

"When little Gray has fully grown up and become a qualified leader capable of shouldering the future of the Shore Guardians... please tell her the truth."

"Don't let them go down the same road of no return as us, which is doomed to end in failure, because of misunderstanding, misconception, and unfounded hatred."

In the fiery red glow, the white-haired old man was silent for a long time, then nodded slightly.

"In that case, I'm relieved."

The shadow servant's words became increasingly softer. If it weren't for Cecil's legendary physique, he would have been unable to hear them clearly.

"The last of the last."

"Let me bathe in your light once more."

"I saw it when we first met... that bright and pure light that could dispel all darkness and illuminate the way for the shore guardians."

Hearing this, Cecil raised his hand quietly.

next moment.

Like the blazing sun, the blazing and sacred sunlight shines up.

In that bright and clear light, the last ray of shadow that formed the incarnation of the Shadow Servant dissipated.

(End of this chapter)