Hello, is this a letter addressed to Demon Fortress?

Lin Gui looked at her.

I wasn't moved at all by this mundane, inspirational message.

Those idealistic words did not stir any ripples in my mind.

He just sat there.

The moonlight fell on his face and into his indifferent eyes.

Then he spoke.

Why couldn't I find you the next day?

Sivir was stunned.

"Why did the Heavenly Star disappear from the secret box that only you can open in your room?"

Her smile froze on her face.

"Since we knew in advance about the impending massacre..."

"Why...didn't you tell them beforehand before leaving?"

Lin Gui's voice remained very soft.

But each word, like a nail, is driven into the air.

"Do you know?"

He paused.

Even before being led into the Black Dragon Knight's prison wagon.

"Uncle Barrett and the others are telling me to find you at all costs."

"I'll take you away."

"They say, as long as you are here, the spark will never go out."

He looked at Sivir.

There was no accusation in those eyes.

Only statements.

"But what they don't know is..."

"You cunning fox, you already knew about the impending massacre."

"I had already secretly left Starfire City under the cover of night."

"so……"

He paused.

Am I right?

Sivir was stunned.

She stood there on the edge of the city wall, her back to the city lights, watching Lin Gui.

Those amber eyes were filled with confusion.

Then she smiled.

But that smile no longer had the radiance it once did.

"Lin Gui, what are you talking about?"

She frowned.

"The Black Dragon Army? How did the Black Dragon Army end up here?"

There was a hint of panic in her voice.

"This troop deployment could not have been kept secret from our comrades in Dawn City."

"If they see that army leaving, the Spark team members who came to deliver the negotiation results will surely tell us!"

She spoke faster and faster.

It's like trying to convince myself.

Lin Gui looked at her.

There was no rebuttal.

I just watched her quietly.

he knows.

Those so-called companions, those people sent to Dawn City for negotiations.

Upon entering the largest city in human history, I was dazzled by its magnificent walls.

They were captivated by the unimaginable luxury and decadence on the streets.

A promise from a nobleman.

A place in Dawn City.

Things they never dared to imagine in their lives were right in front of them.

Just nod.

As long as you sell.

Those comrades who once shared black bread with them, drilled through mines together, and swore under the moonlight to change everything.

So what does it matter?

Revolutionary friendship?

A bond between life and death?

Compared to real temptation, it's not worth mentioning.

But Lin Gui didn't tell Sivir.

They didn't press the matter further.

Because he knew.

He won't get the real answers here.

The Sivir before my eyes is nothing more than a nightmare woven by the mists of the Silent Abyss.

It is a phantom woven from his memories.

She couldn't tell him the answer.

because.

He didn't know it himself.

Lin Gui sat cross-legged.

Silently close your eyes.

In that void of spatial vision, those spatial coordinates still remain.

Those were the only realities he had orchestrated along the way.

He continued to peer down.

Towards the initial destination.

Sivir stood beside him, at a loss for what to do.

She looked at the little mage with his eyes closed, unsure of what to do.

His response was too bizarre.

His words just now seemed to be accusing her of something.

But what is she accusing?

What did she do?

She opened her mouth.

What do you want to say?

But I don't know what to say.

Just then.

Footsteps approached.

A figure walked up the steps of the city wall.

Those were the Spark Companions of Dawn City.

He was the one sent to negotiate.

Then, they brought news of "successful negotiations" and so-called signed documents.

They also brought with them the force to suppress the Black Dragon Army...

traitor.

He walked over quickly, a smile on his face.

But that smile looked awkward no matter how you looked at it.

Deep in his eyes, there was a hint of guilt.

A deep sense of guilt.

"Sivir!"

he shouted.

"The final banquet is about to begin! The city lord sent me to summon you!"

He paused, then looked at Lin Gui, who was sitting cross-legged to the side.

He smiled and moved closer.

"Little mage, come along too."

"The city lord knows that you want to go to the City of a Thousand Towers, and he said he would like to thank you properly before you leave."

Lin Gui slowly opened his eyes.

Look at him.

That one glance.

The man froze.

It felt like being stared at by some ferocious beast.

My spine feels cold.

It felt like falling into an ice cellar.

He stood there, frozen in place, his smile gone.

"that……"

He gave a dry laugh.

"Do I...do I have flowers on my face?"

Lin Gui stared at him.

Then, he slowly opened his mouth.

"Pips".

The man was taken aback.

"Um?"

Lin Gui continued:

"When I get back this time, I'll go to Dawn City to find you."

"I hope you live the upper-class life that the nobility promised you."

He paused.

"That way, I can make it easier for me to do it."

Pips's expression changed instantly.

He stared at Lin Gui, his pupils contracting sharply.

"What?! What about the aristocratic lifestyle?!"

"What the hell are you talking about?!"

Then, his face turned red.

"You...you mustn't slander me!"

His voice rose, filled with anger and fear.

"How could I possibly betray Spark!"

"I've fought alongside everyone for so many years; I've shed more blood than anyone else!"

"You are not one of the Sparks, just a traveler who joined midway, a mere mid-level mage."

He pointed at Lin Gui, his finger trembling.

"What right do you have to slander me!"

Lin Gui remained silent.

Just looking at him.

That gaze was like that of someone looking at a dead person.

Pips was trembling all over.

Then, he turned around abruptly.

"Sylvie, don't listen to his nonsense!"

"I...I'll go down first!"

He practically ran away.

Footsteps sounded hurriedly on the steps, then quickly disappeared.

Sivir watched his departing figure.

Then he looked at Lin Gui.

He opened his mouth.

Finally, she whispered:

"Sorry, Lin Gui."

"I don't understand what you mean by suddenly saying those things."

She paused.

"Perhaps you're tired."

"You need to get some rest."

"I will tell Aunt Margaret not to overwork herself."

Then, she left too.

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

On the city wall, only Lin Gui remained.

He remained seated cross-legged.

His eyes were still closed.

Still immersed in that one and only truth.

Those spatial coordinates, those tunnels that are slowly extending through the silent cracks.

He is drawing.

To draw that abyss that no one can truly see.

Time passed little by little.

The revelry beneath the city walls gradually subsided.

The cheers gradually turned into sporadic noise.

Then, silence returned.

One by one, the torches went out.

The streets were plunged into darkness once more.

In the east, the first light of dawn appeared.

Sunset?

No.

It is the rising sun.

A new day has begun.

This was also the beginning of Lin Gui's true nightmare.

Lin Gui heard it.

A massive barrier enveloped the entire city.

That was the work of a legendary magician.

No one can escape.

The sound of iron hooves breaking through the city gate.

Screams.

Crying and wailing.

Pleading.

An angry roar.

All the sounds blended together, creating a deafening roar.

He heard the townspeople helping the Spark members escape.

He heard that those who were overwhelmed by fear, in order to survive, led the proud knights to the hideout of their members.

He heard it from the city lord of Xinghuo.

That man who was waving letters on the wooden platform last night, announcing the victory of the revolution.

They voluntarily emerged from their hiding place.

They surrendered willingly.

He knelt before the Black Dragon Army's iron hooves, begging them to spare the city's inhabitants.

One hundred and twenty-six core members.

They voluntarily emerged from their hiding place.

They surrendered willingly.

then.

Their limbs were crippled.

They were thrown into a prison van.

They were escorted to Dawn City.

The moment the prison cart drove out of the city gate, the gate slammed shut.

The townspeople believed they had survived.

then.

The iron cavalry and the sharp blades turned once more.

The mages, who had already mastered the passageways they were using, began casting spells indiscriminately.

The massacre has begun again.

raging fire.

Wailing.

finally.

Returning to nothingness.

Lin Gui sat cross-legged on the high wall.

With eyes closed.

Listen silently.

He listened to those screams that had repeatedly jolted him awake from his dreams.

Listening to those familiar voices, one after another, disappearing into the flames.

until.

Everything has settled down.

until.

The Black Dragon Army soldiers who were cleaning up and finishing off the remaining enemies in the city discovered him.

Lin Gui heard footsteps.

neat.

Heavy.

Stepping on the charred ruins.

He opened his eyes.

Get up.

Out of the corner of my eye, I swept over the city below the city walls.

The flames are still burning.

Those once simple yet warm shacks are now just dark skeletons.

The streets that were once adorned with colorful banners are now littered with corpses.

The air was filled with a mixture of acrid smells and the stench of blood.

Then, he turned his gaze in the direction from which the sound came.

A troop of Black Dragon soldiers was walking towards him.

Leading the group was a knight dressed in black armor.

The armor had no superfluous decorations except for a black dragon with outstretched wings engraved on the chest.

His helmet was tucked under his arm, revealing a cold, hard face.

He had deep-set features, high brow bones, and eyes that were a pale gray, like a dull blade.

He walked very slowly.

Every step was taken with utmost steadiness.

The knights following behind maintained perfect formation.

No one speaks.

No one looked around.

The only sound was the sound of boots stepping on gravel.

Lin Gui looked at him.

He was the commander of the third regiment of the Black Dragon Army.

Visak.

At the age of twenty-three, he led three hundred cavalrymen to slaughter three rebel strongholds in the north, leaving no one alive, men, women, or children.

At the age of 26, after exhausting the city's food supplies during the siege, he nailed all the surrendered defenders to the city wall, so that they would "warn those who come after them with their deaths."

At the age of 29, in order to wipe out a resistance army hiding in the village, he directly burned down the entire village, and 700 civilians perished in the fire.

At the age of thirty-two, he was promoted to the head of a sub-group.

From then on, there was never another act of resistance in the area he was in charge of.

Because all those who dared to resist were uprooted by him.

He was known for his ruthlessness.

They are known for never leaving anyone alive.

Their motto is to achieve victory at all costs.

This massacre in Starfire City was a stepping stone for him to rise to a higher position.

At that moment, Visak stopped in his tracks.

It was about 20 meters away from Lin Gui.

He looked up at the lone figure on the city wall.

There was no surprise in his gray eyes.

There was no curiosity.

only.

An almost merciless scrutiny.

Like watching prey that has stumbled into a trap.

Then, he raised his hand.

With a gentle wave.

A knight behind him drew his sword.

The blade reflected the firelight from below the city, gleaming with a dark red glow.

The knight strode toward the Forest Ghost.

His steps were steady.

The armor rubbed together, making a soft metallic sound.

He didn't speak.

There's no need to speak.

A mid-level mage.

A skinny young man who was unarmed.

Killing someone like that requires no preparation.

The knife was raised high.

Then, it chops down.

Lin Gui made a move.

He did not back down.

There was no dodge.

Instead, it took a step forward.

In his hand, the gray dagger slid out from his sleeve.

The dagger was short, grayish, and had no luster.

A magician wants to defeat a heavily armored knight with a dagger?

This is simply a fantasy.

The knight even curled his lips into a mocking smile.

However, things took an unexpected turn.

It should have been cleaved in two with a single sword stroke, splattering blood and flesh everywhere.

As a result, the Knight's Sword missed its mark.

Lin Gui turned to the side.

The cleaver slashed down, grazing the tip of his nose.

He quickly pressed himself into the knight's arms.

Gray dagger, held in reverse.

There were no gaps in the armor.

It did not pierce the throat.

Instead.

He pressed the hilt of the dagger straight against the knight's chest.

The knight was stunned.

He lowered his head.

Look at your chest.

The dagger that should have pierced the heart.

No.

That's not a blade.

That's the hilt of a dagger.

The other person was holding the dagger in reverse.

He pressed the hilt of a dagger against his heart.

Why?

The knight stared blankly.

Lin Gui slowly retracted the dagger he had been holding in reverse.

He raised his head and looked at the knight who was standing there in a daze.

A hint of expression finally appeared on that pale face.

It wasn't the joy of defeating a knight by being a mage.

It's not about hating the enemy who crushes you and slaughters everything you have.

Instead, they felt a great sense of relief.

"I've come to take you out."

He said softly.

"Lord Demon King Guxin."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Gui put the gray dagger into his spatial storage.

Inside Lin Gui's storage space, the Demon King Pillar was trembling slightly.

The pillar, which had been silent for so long, now emitted a faint red glow.

It was as if it sensed something.

In his own spatial perception messenger, Rothschild.

The 12-kilometer straight line extending from the exit has already coincided with the winding passageway on Luotu.

In reality, he has already arrived at the location of the Demon King as predicted by Eve.

Meanwhile, within the space, the Demon King Pillar's senses also pointed to the knight standing before them, drawing his sword against Lin Gui.

The knight looked at him.

The expression on that cold, hard face gradually changed.

Then he laughed.

The smile was faint.

But something was breaking in those pale brown eyes.

The illusion is beginning to crumble.

First, there's the sky.

The sky, reddened by the firelight, looked like a torn canvas, peeling away piece by piece.

Then came the city walls.

The bluish-gray rocks beneath our feet began to crumble.

Then came the city-states.

Those burning flames, those lying corpses, those pitch-black ruins.

Everything began to crumble.

Like a painting soaked in water.

The color faded.

The outline is blurry.

finally--

Completely disappeared.

Finally, there was the knight before me.

His body began to contort.

Like a wisp of fog blown away by the wind.

The black armor peeled off.

The white hair underneath was visible.

A figure covered in scars yet standing tall.

A face so thin it was almost skin and bones.

And those blood-red eyes.