Taking the Initiative
The Snake Dowager was exceedingly protective of her descendants in the Shadow World. She’d even especially asked Leylin to suppress any possible chaos in the organisations with extraordinary strength, guiding them to the capital. Leylin could sense something strange from this.
“I and a few others are the source of all the extraordinary power in the Shadow World, so these descendants will be quite useful…” That was how the Dowager explained it, but before she could finish speaking Leylin’s expression changed.
The entirety of the Shadow World began to howl out, and a huge net of purple and gold materialised all over it, full of an enchanting beauty.
“The origin force of the world is boiling… What is the Mistress of the Night up to?” The Snake Dowager muttered.
“I’m afraid she wants to deal with our allies, and also pull us into her trap. Remember my prediction just now?” Leylin now looked grim.
“Have Trial’s Eye and the others been discovered already?” The Snake Dowager wrinkled her beautiful brows, and then straightened them out, “That doesn’t matter. Even if the Mistress of the Night is just one step away from the peak of rank 8, Massa and the rest are also beings of laws. If she truly has the guts to walk out of the Shadow World, that’ll be a great opportunity for us!”
Leylin shook his head, “I’m sorry, but I still stand by it. If she chose to act, then she should be rather certain that it’ll work. It’s better we stay hidden.”
At this point he’d grown some respect for the Mistress of the Night. The courage to leave the Shadow World whose origin force protected her was really something, even if it was only an avatar.
After all, this avatar of hers would hold most of her power. The moment it fell, Shar would fall into a condition similar to or even worse than Beelzebub!
Currently, outside the Shadow World. Under the illumination of the boiling sea of origin force, Shar appeared in her black gown. She took one step forward, and the astral plane formed the most resplendent of pathways under her feet. It allowed her to reach the astral plane in an instant.
Rank 8 strength erupted out, merging the auras of several laws together as it suddenly swept past a gigantic black mountain in the astral plane.
*Crack! Crack!* A solid mountain the size of a small plane was shattered instantly by this strength, and the black dust generated from it devoured by the shadows. From the outside it looked like Shar had a massive black hole in her hand, sucking in everything without even a speck of dust left behind.
“I’ve got you!” Shar smiled like a flower all of a sudden, her jade-like fingers pointing at a grain of dust that hadn’t been absorbed.
Space trembled violently, and a hidden plane opened up slowly amidst golden radiance.
“Trial!” “Justice!” “Judgement!” The golden light seemed to form a song of praise, forming a rune in the shape of a large, vertical pupil. The mysterious rune flashed as it exited the semi-plane, the power of light and electricity surrounding it.
“Trial’s Eye, the final judge? Why are you going against me?” Shar’s own body seemed to grow in the face of this giant eye that seemed to span the entire astral plane. She was eventually a head taller than the eye, bringing with her the pressure of an entire world.
“I guard contracts and enforce rules!” Trial’s Eye used its own actions to answer, boundless golden light forming a holy lance that flickered with the laws of trial and justice.
“What a pity… I would have wanted someone like you to work with me!” Shar’s expression showed the pity she felt as a large green web appeared in her hands to meet the lance.
This was a weave she’d constructed personally. It could not compare to Mystra’s Weave or the Shadow Weave, but it was already enough to restrain Trial’s Eye. Threads of shadow twined around the golden runes, corroding into them.
Evidently, Shar was more powerful than the Trial’s Eye in terms of sheer might. While both of them were rank 8s, Shar was close to the peak.
*Crack! Crack!* The golden lance was melted away by the web, but the eye betrayed no emotions.
“Light of Judgement!” A thin white streak flew out of the centre of the eye, pushing space apart in the astral plane as it imperiled the planes and small worlds around them.
This was the power of judgement, the Trial’s Eye’s core law. In the face of such an attack, Shar had no choice but to get serious. Terrifying energy storms were formed in her surroundings, sweeping through the skies. A tremendous vortex absorbed the light..
From a distance this golden lustre was like a huge dragon, surging forward in the horrifying sea of shadow force.
“Hehe… stupid woman, you’ve actually left the Shadow World…” A voice suddenly sounded deep in Shar’s mind, and an image of an old man wearing luxurious clothing appeared before her eyes.
“A spiritual attack? No, it’s one on my truesoul itself!” Shar bit at her lips, and a layer of shadows quickly enveloped her.
“It’s no use… I am a spirit grandmaster! No material power can hinder my soul energy!” Yuri began to chuckle madly.
“So this is the soul energy of a spirit-sucking monster, a brain-seizing devil?” Shar bit at her lips. All of a sudden, a smile full of confidence emerged on her face, “I got another one!”
“Stop trying to conceal it. I can see the terror and weakness hidden in the shadows of your mind.” Yuri continued to attack her with all his might. The soul energy dispersed in her body, and Shar found that her control of her own body gradually weakened, as if there were two wills trying to gain control of her body.
“How foolish! Did you think you can truly see my mind? Get out here!” Shar yelled out, and terrifying soul force spread through the area like a giant invisible web going taut.
*Whoosh!* A streak of black lightning appeared in the sky, striking down to reveal an old man in imperial robes.
“Show your true face!” Exceedingly powerful shadow force was transformed by Shar’s hand, the effects of divinity and magic combined within. It undulated power, at least as strong as a rank 7 spell.
The boundless shadow force turned into a black sickled that slashed at the back of Yuri’s neck.
*Schlick!* The blade cut through silently, and the black lines it caused immediately moved out into the sliced through the world.
Yuri’s body melted away, and the luxurious imperial robes immediately fell and turned into a pile of ashes. The body that was like molten wax regathered to form a new figure, that of a terrifying spirit-sucking master with tens of thousands of heads. Numerous tendrils hung down from these heads, making it like a willow that was even larger than a plane.
However, at this point, a hundred of its heads had all exploded at the same time, causing smelly yellow pus to flow out. Evidently, Shar’s attack had injured its main body badly.
“I judge you!” The light of judgement broke out of the vortex during Shar’s exchange with Yuri, arriving before the former goddess. A lustre that could melt worlds away was blocked by the black clothing, but Shar’s right glove turned to powder as a look of pain emerged on her face.
One could not help but pity her. She was outside the Shadow World, no longer supported by its origin force. She was strong enough to have the upper hand against a single rank 8 existence, but fighting two would be difficult. As for three? As for three? Unless she was a peak rank 8 or had a specific advantage that targeted the enemies’ weak points, that would be impossible!
A bundle of darkness slowly squirmed until it was underneath Shar, abruptly opening its mouth wide open. “Keke.. I like the shadow force on you very much!” Massa’s voice sounded out, making her move upon Shar once she noticed the former goddess was injured.
However, there was a tone of greed and violence to her voice this time, completely different from the bashful lady that Leylin had met. It was like Snow White becoming an old witch.
Massa came from the Dark World, and she was enamoured by the law of shadows. Her understanding of the law of darkness gave her a natural advantage over Shar.
Three rank 8 existences were surrounding Shar in a triangle. The situation seemed to be a complete deadlock.
“Whatever it is, this isn’t the Shadow World anymore. You’re alone, and there’s no way you can contend with the three of us…” Yuri’s nine thousand or so heads emitted powerful spirit undulations, “Let us all attack… I want this woman’s main body’s brain!”
“Inform Allsnake, have her rush over with Leylin. That’s the most dependable method!” Trial’s Eye shook, separating a tiny golden eye from itself that suddenly dropped into the Shadow World.
Within a red villa, the Snake Dowager and Leylin were standing on the balcony. Their expressions changed as they saw a golden meteor fall to the ground.
“The aura of the jar imprint? So it can be used this way too…” Leylin nodded, finding that he had learnt something new. The golden light split in two, entering the eyes of the Snake Dowager and Leylin, allowing them to know the events of the astral plane as if they’d experienced it themselves.
“Seems like there’s a great chance of them winning, now that Shar has given up the reinforcements from the Shadow World.. What do you think?” Leylin glanced at the Snake Dowager with a half smile.
“I actually have the same thoughts as you do. Shar isn’t someone so easy to deal with, so she must have some plot. I’ll send down the order to have them all retreat immediately!” The Snake Dowager’s beautiful eyes moved, the words that she said stunning Leylin slightly.
“There’s no use. Massa needs the shadow laws to make up for her own darkness. Yuri is also very envious. In a situation like this where things seem to be going so well, your suggestions will still…” Leylin shook his head.