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Chapter 187 The Princess of Oolacile
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Naruto sat at the bonfire, its glow painting his face in flickers of gold and crimson. The flames crackled, and the warmth seeped into his muscles. He stared into the heart of the fire as if searching for an answer hidden in its shifting embers. His voice broke the silence.
"Did I… make the right choice?"
Oscar tilted his head, his round eyes glinting in the light. The small companion gave a soft, questioning chirp, unsure of what Naruto meant.
"About not letting Sasuke and Sakura into Lordran," Naruto said, his tone low. "It's dangerous here. You die once and you stay dead. They wouldn't last. Not in this place."
Oscar stepped closer. He placed a small claw on Naruto's thigh as if to ask what was really weighing on him.
"I don't know, man." Naruto ran a hand through his long hair, his gaze still locked on the flames. "I know I don't want them here. But is that wrong? Am I just being selfish? And… why did I have to lie?"
The guilt twisted in his gut. He remembered the anger he had felt toward Kakashi for keeping secrets, for bending the truth. Now he had done the same. The taste in his mouth was bitter.
Oscar gave another chirp.
"Yeah, I know. My lie isn't the same as Kakashi's," Naruto muttered, frustration tightening his jaw. "But I still feel like crap about it."
Another chirp caught his attention. This time, Oscar was already running toward the cave entrance, his small legs moving quickly over the uneven ground. Naruto followed without hesitation. They broke through the tree line and arrived at the Darkroot Basin arena, the place where he had once fought the Hydra and crossed blades with Havel.
The battlefield had changed. The wreckage of their past fights was gone, replaced by an eerie stillness. Lordran had healed the scars, but the silence felt heavy, unnatural.
Oscar's sudden mischief broke the stillness. He fired a shot into the distance, the crack echoing through the trees. A crystal golem turned, its body shimmering with jagged blue facets, and lumbered toward them. Oscar gave a final chirp that seemed to say you can handle this before burrowing into the earth and vanishing from sight.
Naruto chuckled as Oscar always knew that a fight could clear his head better than any lecture.
The crystal golem leapt high into the air, its shadow blotting out the moonlight, and came crashing down in a crushing punch. Naruto's fingers blurred through a series of hand signs. He inhaled deeply, then unleashed a giant fireball that engulfed the creature in roaring flames.
The golem did not fall. It tore through the fire, its crystalline fist driving straight into Naruto's position. At the last instant, Naruto formed a one-handed seal, his body flickering away in a puff of smoke. The crushing blow struck a wooden log in his place, shattering it into splinters that scattered across the ground.
In the next instant, the real Naruto appeared on the monster's back, zweihander in hand. With a wide arc, the blade cleaved through the golem's neck, its head tumbling free in a spray of crystal shards. He landed lightly on the ground, heart pounding, a smile tugging at his lips. The victory was short-lived. Five more crystal golems emerged from the mist.
Naruto tightened his grip on his weapon. Even now, after everything he had survived, Lordran still had teeth. And it would gladly tear him apart if he slipped.
The golems raised their fists in unison and slammed them into the earth. A wave of blue crystal spread across the forest floor, the jagged growths pulsing with dark energy that promised to crystallize his soul and snuff him out in an instant.
Naruto jumped, soaring above the deadly wave. He drew his Sorcerer's Catalyst, his other hand forming shadow clones in mid-air. Blue streaks flared from above as a barrage of soul arrows tore into the golems, their hard shells cracking under the magical onslaught.
He landed and dismissed the catalyst, a rapier materializing in his hand. In the same breath, he blurred forward, his form vanishing into motion. Each golem staggered as a single, precise thrust punched through its core.
The crystalline giants froze, fractures spiderwebbing across their bodies. One by one, they shattered into glittering fragments that fell to the forest floor.
[Victory Achieved!]
[You have gained:]
[2,500 Souls]
[Blue Titanite Chunk]
Naruto stood in the silence that followed, the pieces of his enemies still glimmering faintly in the moonlight.
A slow smile spread across his face. The rush of battle always left him with a strange calm, as though the weight in his chest loosened with every clash. Victories like this cleared his mind better than rest ever could. He glanced down at the glittering prize resting in his palm and tilted his head in curiosity.
[Item: Blue Titanite Chunk]
[Description: Titanite chunk for weapon reinforcement. Blue titanite holds powerful magic energy. Reinforces magic weapons to +9 and enchanted weapons to +4. With the discovery of chunks in Lordran, the race to find the Legendary Slabs has begun. Yet some still wonder if the slabs are only a myth.]
Naruto's eyes brightened as an idea began to form.
Oscar popped up from the ground, brushing dirt from his tiny claws, and chirped with a questioning tone.
"I think I might have just figured out something fun," Naruto said, grinning. "What if I use this stuff in my explosive seals?"
He pushed a small pulse of chakra into the chunk, and it reacted instantly, flaring with faint blue light. Without another word, he hurled it toward the lake. The crystal struck the water and, a second later, the surface erupted with a deafening explosion. A shockwave rolled across the lake, sending ripples racing outward as mist and spray filled the air.
Oscar turned his head toward Naruto with a look.
"That worked better than I expected," Naruto admitted, scratching his chin. "Actually… no, way better. The blast was stronger than any high-grade explosive seal I've ever made. What if I grind it into a fine powder and use that for my seals? That could boost their destructive power by a ridiculous amount."
He reached into his inventory and pulled out a new leather-bound notebook. He began scribbling notes quickly, page after page filling with rough sketches and formulas. His mind was already racing ahead. What if I coat arrowheads with this powder? The impact would be insane. And if I combine it with a delayed storage seal…
He trailed off, too absorbed in his brainstorming to notice Oscar shaking his head. The little crystal lizard had seen this before. His partner would get an idea, summon a dozen shadow clones to handle the tedious work, and then sit back and watch the fireworks.
Oscar's gaze drifted to the horizon. A flicker of movement caught his eye.
Naruto finally looked up from his writing. "What is it, bud?"
Oscar rose onto his hind legs, his entire body going alert. He extended one clawed arm, pointing straight ahead into the moonlit lake.
With Hawkeyes active, the shifting mist over the basin parted in his perception, revealing a massive shape beyond the waterfall. Standing upon the smooth stone ledge was a Golden Crystal Golem, its size dwarfing the blue crystal golems Naruto had fought before. The moonlight caught its surface, each golden facet gleaming like molten sunlight trapped in ice.
Naruto's gaze moved past its bulk to something far more important. Embedded within the golem's torso was the faint silhouette of a girl. She was suspended in solid crystal, like a rare insect trapped in amber.
[ Name: ? ]
[ HP: 276 / 745 ]
Naruto's eyes hardened. His hand reached up, fingers sliding the visor of his helm down into place with a metallic click.
"Oscar," he said evenly, "I want you to go full ravenous crystal lizard mode and engage it. I will fire from range, then use telekinesis to pull Sleeping Beauty out of there."
Oscar chirped once, his body already glowing faintly as chakra flooded his metallic chakra network. The crystalline growths along his body pulsed, then erupted outward, forming interlocking plates that wrapped him in a jagged second skin. In moments, he was covered in a full suit of crystal armor, every plate gleaming with lethal edges.
Naruto, watching from the corner of his eye, muttered to himself. So that is how he does it… He adjusted his grip and strung his greatbow, the string groaning under the draw.
Oscar's low chirp swelled into a roar. He leapt into the air, bit down on his own tail, and twisted his body. In a flash, he began rolling, his crystals grinding and sparking against the stone.
The Golden Crystal Golem raised its arm and planted its massive forearm before it like a shield. Oscar slammed into it with a crack that split the air, sending vibrations rippling through the ground. Shards of golden crystal flew outward, but the golem held its ground, the sheer mass of its frame stopping Oscar's roll dead in its tracks.
Naruto's arrow was already loosed. The greatbow kicked in his hands as the giant stake-like arrow screamed through the air and struck the golem's head. The impact was thunderous, the arrowhead biting deep and staggering the giant backward.
He expected Oscar to leap clear so he could send more arrows into the cracks, but the lizard surprised him. Oscar planted his crystal claws into the stone and channeled his chakra with a sharp pulse. From the armor along his forearms and shoulders, long thorn-like crystals began to grow outward at alarming speed. They shot straight toward the golem, drilling into its chest in jagged spirals. The thorns splintered the crystal casing around the imprisoned girl, fractures spreading outward like spiderwebs.
Naruto's eyes widened. Isn't that Guren's crystal thorn jutsu…? He shoved the thought aside. Now was not the time.
A dozen shadow clones popped into existence around him. Each clone raised an open palm, the embedded eye within their hands glowing with a deep red light. In unison, they pulled. Invisible force wrapped around the damaged section of the golem's torso, wrenching it forward with violent tugs.
[ Name: Golden Crystal Golem ]
[ HP: 1,000 / 2,500 ]
The golem's upper body tore partially free but immediately began reforming. The golden plates knitted themselves back together with a grinding noise, and before Oscar could pull away, its massive right arm swung. The blow connected with the crystal lizard like a battering ram, sending him skidding across the water in a shower of shattered stone.
Naruto was prepared to unleash a volley of wind bullets. Before he could fire, Oscar rolled to his feet and let out a sharp, guttural roar. His eyes locked on Naruto, and the look in them was unmistakable.
I want to fight.
Naruto gave a short nod. "All yours, bud."
The lizard was ready to show every trick he had learned from his battle with Guren, and Naruto knew the Golden Crystal Golem was about to be on the receiving end of all of it.
From Oscar's back, hundreds of needle-thin crystal senbon shot forward in a lethal spray. The massive creature reacted with surprising speed for its size, twisting its upper body and vaulting to the side. Its huge arm slammed down into the stone floor of the basin with an earth-shaking crack. Entire slabs of rock broke apart, collapsing inward as water rushed to fill the gap.
The crystal lizard leapt cleanly into the rising water, vanishing beneath the surface with barely a splash.
From beneath the water, a new construct took shape at the end of Oscar's tail. It spun and locked into form. A massive hexagonal crystal shuriken gleaming with razor edges. With a sudden flick of his tail, Oscar launched the weapon upward. It cut through the water like a blade through silk, breaking the surface with a hiss and screaming toward the golem.
The golden giant raised an arm in defense, but the shuriken drove into its torso with a deep, ringing impact.
A sharp burst of chakra propelled Oscar up from the lake, and his claws found footing on the rocky shore. His form shifted again, crystal blooming outward from his sides in two perfect, spinning rings.
The Golden Crystal Golem recovered from the crystal shuriken and shaped its own weapon. Thick jagged crystal surged from its forearm, forming a brutal club. It swung in a wide arc, aiming to crush Oscar mid-charge. The crystal lizard's response was manifesting two long blades from his forearms.
The impact rang like steel on steel.
Oscar used the momentum to spin, his blades carving deep lines into the golem's arm. He did not relent. Again and again, he dashed in with bursts of chakra, his strikes flashing in rapid succession. The sound of crystal shattering filled the basin as he worked his way across the golem's body, cutting apart joints and seams.
The golem staggered. It raised an arm to defend its head, but Oscar was already in motion. He planted his claws, vaulted upward, and drove both crystal blades down into the weakened torso. The sound of fracturing crystal roared through the basin as the giant came apart in a spray of shards and dust. The remains collapsed, dissolving into pale motes of light that drifted upward before vanishing.
[ Souls: 5,000 ]
The soul drop poured into Oscar, and he gave a sharp, satisfied roar while absorbing his prize.
Naruto had a grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. It was hard to believe this was the same creature who once hid timidly inside his dirty laundry.
Beside him, the crystal torso cracked, split, and then fell apart completely, revealing the still form of a young woman. She lay as if in the middle of a peaceful dream, her head slightly tilted to one side. Her hair was a soft, dirty blonde, braided neatly around her head with delicate feather-like ornaments framing her face. Her skin was pale and unblemished, her features calm. She wore a high-collared dress of light fabric, lace trimming the neckline and puffed sleeves. A gemstone clasp gleamed at her throat, and a beaded chain with small decorations hung at her waist. Her hands were folded in front of her, a ring glinting faintly on one finger.
[ Name: Dusk of Oolacile ]
His eyes widened briefly. He had seen that name before, etched in the description of the Dusk Crown Ring he claimed after defeating the hydra.
Did she lose her ring? His gaze flicked to her right hand, and there it was. A band almost identical to the one he carried.
"That is strange…" Naruto murmured.
Before he could think further, Oscar's roar echoed across the basin. The crystal lizard had already begun moving deeper into the lake.
Naruto crouched beside the sleeping girl. With a quick seal, a shadow clone appeared, its hands already glowing faintly with healing chakra. The clone carefully began tending to Dusk's still form, ensuring she was healed before flickering away.
"What is it?"
Oscar's claw extended forward, pointing toward the far edge of the lake. There, beneath a jagged slope of moonlit stone, something lay half in shadow and half in the water's reflection.
A corpse.
In Lordran, corpses were as common as broken swords and rusted armor. Yet as Naruto approached, his chest tightened. This one was different.
She could have been Princess Dusk's mirror image, save for one unsettling difference. This woman was older, her beauty touched by time, her form stilled by death. The resemblance was so exact that it felt less like seeing a relative and more like gazing upon the same person separated by decades.
Naruto's gaze fell to the hands. They were pale, stiff, and bare of the ring he had noticed earlier on the living Dusk's finger. His breath caught, a cold knot forming in his gut. If the ring he had claimed from the hydra truly belonged to Princess Dusk, perhaps it had not come from the young woman he had just saved. Perhaps it had been taken from this lifeless body long before.
Slowly, he crouched beside the corpse. The water lapped gently at the stones around them, yet the air felt heavy, as if each second dragged against the flow of time. Naruto reached out, fingers brushing against the crown resting upon her brow. It came free with surprising ease, almost as though it had been waiting for him.
[ Item Acquired: Crown of Dusk ]
[ Description: Special magic crown bestowed upon Dusk, Princess of Oolacile. Its wearer is blessed by all manner of magic. Increases the strength of magic and miracles, but also heightens magic vulnerability. ]
Naruto's frown deepened. The description left no doubt. This was indeed the crown of the Princess of Oolacile, and the corpse before him was hers. The problem was painfully clear. If this was Princess Dusk's body, then who was the woman he had just pulled from the crystal prison?
"Oscar," Naruto murmured, eyes still on the pale face before him. "If the corpse in front of us is Princess Dusk… how is it possible that we just rescued her from the golden golem? When we fought the hydra, there was no golden golem here. This body was already here due to the Dusk Ring on the hydra. So where did the living Dusk come from? Did she simply… appear?"
Oscar tilted his head in thought. He scratched at his own head, clearly just as lost, and finally gave a slow shrug.
Naruto considered using his soul sight. Perhaps it could reveal some truth hidden beneath the layers of reality. Yet every instinct screamed at him to stop. Whatever secrets lingered here, they were the kind that stared back.
With a faint shimmer of chakra, Oscar's crystal plating receded, revealing his smaller, regular form. He leapt lightly onto Naruto's shoulder. His head turned toward the shore where they had left the young princess. She was beginning to stir, her body shifting faintly as though waking from a dream.
Naruto let out a quiet sigh and, with practiced motions, stored the corpse in his inventory. He turned away from the slope and began walking toward the waking girl.
Behind them, at the edge of the lake, the air seemed to ripple faintly. It was subtle at first, a distortion barely visible in the moonlight. The jagged stones cast longer, darker shadows. A faint black mist curled against the ground, whispering as it coiled upward. The slow, deliberate pulse of something ancient pressed against the walls of time itself. From somewhere far beyond the present moment, something from the past was beginning to claw its way forward.
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[ Personal Note: First off, thanks a ton to all of you for sticking with this story. Seriously, you guys are awesome. Now, if you're interested in supporting me on P@treon, let me just say that over there, I post these massive 5k-word chapters. But heads up, if you're jumping to P@treon, you'll need to start from Chapter 89, since that's where this chapter lines up with the content there.
To everyone here just reading along, please don't forget to leave a comment! Honestly, your comments make my day, and they let me know you're as invested in this story as I am. So yeah, thanks again, and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!