I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

But the sounds coming from outside didn't give Lu Ban much time.

He heard that the originally gloomy music had become a melody, a melody that he was somewhat familiar with.

"...I pray to God, for in this life, my flesh is weary, and my dreams have vanished..."

This is a song that Lu Ban heard when he got lost at the torii gate on the mountain!

He pried open the dungeon door with a crowbar, had Hongye help the weak painter up, and then walked out of the dungeon himself.

Reaching the top of the tower and gazing at the courtyard, Lu Ban saw that the performance had reached its climax, with countless monsters gathered together, and amidst the things they surrounded, stood a priestess.

The shrine maiden was dressed in traditional white robes and scarlet hakama, holding a rusty Kagura bell in her hand, and surrounded by mist, as if she were dancing gracefully.

All the monsters prostrated themselves before her, bowing their heads as if worshipping something.

"This is... the Witch of Calamity?"

Lu Ban had vaguely touched upon the deepest secret of this island.

Chapter 110 [Glassy Fire]

If the previous hellish scene of rampaging demons was enough to drive one to madness, then now, with numerous monsters prostrate on the ground, and only a pure shrine maiden dancing in an absolutely filthy world, there is indeed a certain charm to it.

This priestess was different from the somewhat desolate and bleak appearance Lu Ban had seen before. She seemed more like a projection from the past, spotless, standing barefoot in the filthy and messy courtyard. Red and white versus black, purity versus filth, madness versus reason, life versus death, formed a strong contrast at this moment.

The song echoed across the entire island, and all people, all creatures, and all buildings fell silent, listening to the song that seemed to come from nowhere and from nowhere.

Even Lu Ban felt his mood calm down.

No, that's not right.

This calm state of mind is not normal.

Lu Ban felt his blood cooling down, all his obsessions about to dissipate, and only death was his final destination.

He saw the mist spreading from the witch's body, engulfing the monsters.

The monster underwent further mutation.

Several monsters gathered together and transformed into a giant, six-legged worm that walked with a limp gait. The worm's mouthparts were filled with sharp teeth, layer upon layer, like the mouth of a hagfish.

The bird soaring in the sky let out a sharp cry, and then its head split open. The wound healed rapidly, and it became two heads. The two new heads seemed to have a disagreement and began to peck at each other. In the blink of an eye, they fell into the sea and were swallowed by a huge monster.

The trees began to sway, and the leaves quickly withered and turned black. From the branches grew heavy, plump fruits, which, when turned over, turned out to be human heads.

In the sky, the enormous, eerie crystal doll also changed. Its abdomen split open, and dark green pus fell like rain. The green rain poured down on the earth, and wherever it touched, smooth, mushroom-shaped plants grew. The monsters swam in the small lakes formed by the pus, looking very content.

Even the buildings began to age and decay, with human faces appearing on the walls, as if struggling or enjoying themselves.

The mist spread towards Lu Ban, and all the island magistrates prostrated themselves on the ground, worshipping the priestess.

Without a doubt, this is the witch who brought disaster, the culprit behind everything that happened on the island of song.

Lu Ban wasn't sure whether she was brought by the Uncertain Mist or whether she created the Uncertain Mist.

But he probably knows that the island itself is part of a ritual, and the witch is the core of the ritual. He doesn't know who is in charge of the ritual, and now he is just waiting for everything to develop naturally.

As for what the ritual could ultimately create, Lu Ban guessed it would probably be something that could fight against the divine child.

"Now that things have come to this, this farce of the poetry festival should come to an end."

Lu Ban muttered to himself as he saw Hongye help Wan Ye up and walk out.

He didn't know when or if the divine child's purifying fire would come; Lu Ban only knew that he had to stop the thick fog from spreading.

The white, sun-obscuring fog spread extremely quickly, suddenly enveloping him.

The air, even more gritty than the one he felt at the shrine the night before, rushed into Lu Ban's nose and mouth. The intense pain, beyond description, tore through Lu Ban's lungs and respiratory tract in an instant, along with his stomach, liver, and kidneys. If he stayed in this fog for another three minutes, Lu Ban would die in the most distorted form.

Different patterns appeared on his arms. Lu Ban could see that a third hand was sprouting from his elbow, a keratin layer appeared on his palm, and bones were growing wildly inside his body, trying to break out.

Lu Ban had almost lost all his sight. He could only sense that the red leaves in front of him had opened up a faintly glowing dome, enveloping Wan Ye and himself within it.

The tearing sensation from the fog eased somewhat, but an even more intense pain surged up, almost overwhelming Lu Ban's entire consciousness.

He saw that he was no longer human, and even though wild grass was constantly emerging from his body, it was difficult to resist the erosion of the fog that exceeded the limits of human beings.

[Item obtained: Sigh of the Uncertain Mist]

Even the system's cold and indifferent words gave Lu Ban a strange sense of familiarity. He struggled to sit up, grabbed the tattered bag with his third hand, and pulled out a bottle from it.

The bottle was filled with a black flame, which contained orange-red, light yellow, dark green and azure colors, like a flowing rainbow or a swirling galaxy. The points of light within it were like stars, dazzling and radiant.

【Glassy Fire】

Upon seeing this, Hongye's expression changed noticeably. She seemed to realize something, yet also felt a pang of regret, but she remained silent.

Lu Ban threw the object forcefully in the direction from which the mist was coming. Despite his body being riddled with holes, he felt an endless power within him.

Something ethereal covered Lu Ban's body, and like a puppet on strings, Lu Ban's tattered body was forcibly driven, and the bottle was thrown out, landing with a thud about fifty meters away from him.

In the thick fog, Lu Ban couldn't see how the bottle shattered. He could only hear a faint sound coming from the silent mist, followed by a dazzling light.

Some say that fire existed first in the world, and then humankind came into being. Fire is a symbol of civilization, a sword of reason that triumphed over the savagery of beasts.

Now, not far away, a nascent flame is rising.

Multicolored light leaped across the flames, and incredibly, the fuel for these flames was the fog itself.

Like a hot knife slicing through butter, like a wildfire igniting a grassland, the flames spread in an instant.

The thick fog that blanketed the entire island was like a frightened wild beast, suddenly beginning to shrink back.

Lu Ban vaguely saw the faint light around Hongye flickering continuously. The surrounding mist was no longer an airflow, but a sandstorm with a physical form, gradually pounding against Hongye's fragile defenses.

The mist seemed to be trying to suppress the pure flame by constricting itself.

But that would only make you burn out faster.

All the monsters, the mutated animals, the dilapidated buildings, and the gloomy world were burned by flames.

As far as Lu Ban knew, this flame would burn eternally, burning the entire island to ashes, dyeing the sea with its fiery hue, and eventually engulfing the entire island in a sea of ​​fire, just like the purifying fires in other places.

Lu Ban seemed to understand why this place was an "island".

It is likely that a war between humans and filth once took place on the earth, which ultimately led to the purifying fire covering all the land where humans could live, thus creating the islands we see today.

Everywhere you look, there is pure fire.

"You did it."

Surrounded by flames that intertwined pale and pitch-black light, Hongye looked at Lu Ban and revealed a smile he had never seen before.

Imagine it's a warm spring afternoon. You're holding a book you've been longing for, browsing through it in a sunlit library. Just as you finish reading an exciting passage, you look up and see a girl sitting opposite you holding the same book. She looks up at you too, and after you confirm each other's books, a barely suppressed, joyful smile spreads across your face.

“You have successfully dispelled this fog of uncertainty. There is one more thing to do: everything concerning Song Island and the Poetry Festival will come to an end.”

Hongye pursed her lips, her voice resolute.

"That is to completely purify the obsession left by the witch of calamity."

"That is, me."

Chapter 111 Unheard

Hearing Hongye's words, Lu Ban's last remaining doubt was resolved.

On this island teeming with monsters, it only takes half a day to be corrupted and eroded. Even the priest of the island shrine died silently. Everyone else except herself turned into monsters. Why is it that only Momiji is unharmed?

Even though she was once a candidate for Godhood, why is there no difference in her situation when Lu Ban has been greatly affected?

These can, of course, be explained by the fact that Hongye is exceptionally gifted and has a special physique.

But Lu Ban now knows that this is because the wicked witch who rules over Song Island is none other than Hongye.

“A hundred years ago, a candidate for the position of a shrine maiden came to Uta Island and became the priest of the island shrine, responsible for purifying impurities.”

"However, she did not expect that the island had already been polluted. Apart from her, all the other officials and island officials had been corrupted by the Uncertain Mist and turned into monsters."

"That priestess was too gentle, trying to save these monsters that had lost their reason. Little did she know that the true target of that uncertain fog was this priestess who had once been closest to the divine child."

Hongye's expression was somber; even the ever-burning flames could not bring her face back to brightness.

"You can probably imagine the final result: the priestess was killed by the people she wanted to protect, and her soul was sacrificed to the filth. The filth did not completely devour her, but instead corrupted and eroded her, turning her into its own representative, the wicked priestess."

"then you……"

Lu Ban's body sprouted lush green grass, but as the temperature rose higher and higher due to the flames, the tips of the grass and plants gradually turned black and withered.

The island will continue to burn for a month, and will not be completely submerged until about fifty days later. Meanwhile, the fire will continue to spread and inundate the water until, after several years, the seabed here will become a complete hell.

"Do you know the most fundamental effect of the fog of uncertainty on people? It is illusion."

Hongye said in a deep voice.

"This island, this festival, is itself a dream. The Uncertain Mist uses the power of the Witch of Calamity to lure ships to the island, trick them into participating in the festival, and eventually assimilate them into monsters. Meanwhile, poets, artists, and painters who have a deep understanding of the world and are full of inspiration will be attracted to the island of song."

"Over time, the poetry festival became a legend of the island, a true festival."

Hearing Hongye's words, Lu Ban roughly understood what he had experienced.

It is likely that both Tachibana Masamune and Ginpei were artists who had already been murdered on Uta Island. They became true monsters, merging with the entire island and deceiving other visiting artists.

Wan Ye was an artist who climbed this island before Lu Ban.

This explains why Tachibana Masamune and Ginpei were transformed in just half a day, while Riku Ban remained unharmed. This was not due to Riku Ban's "photosynthesis," but rather because the island's erosion of people takes time.

"So, you want me to end all of this?"

Lu Ban looked at Hongye.

He found it difficult to describe the current state of the red leaves.

She was once a priestess who was close to the divine child, but she was corrupted by filth and transformed into a monster. Over the past hundred years, the poetry festival on this island of songs must have attracted many artists who have been inspired.

She would have continued living in a daze, like a puppet on a stage, like a crystal doll from Uta Island.

But by some coincidence, she gave birth to a wisp of will, which transformed into the red leaves in front of Lu Ban and went to the island with her.

It's possible that Hongye has repeated similar actions many times over the years.

She hoped that someone would come and redeem the souls of the entire island.

However, as this cycle repeated itself, Hongye could only watch helplessly as her companions turned into monsters and puppets one by one.