Kane woke up to the smell of rich, damp earth and pine—a strangely soothing scent after the metallic reek of ozone and blood. He tried to move, only to find an immense, unexpected weight pressing down on his chest and legs. Missy and Linia, both utterly unconscious, were sprawled across him, their bodies limp from exhaustion.
He gently managed to wake them by patting their shoulders. Soon, all three sat up, blinking against the sudden, brilliant light.
"Where are we?" Linia whispered, her voice still hoarse.
"I would also like to know about it," Kane replied, his gaze sweeping over the surroundings.
Missy, recovering quickly, recounted the horrifying tale of the city's sudden, geometric fragmentation, the blinding portal, and her desperate scramble to drag their inert bodies into the void before reality tore itself apart.
Kane listened, the enormity of her action sinking in. "It seems leaving you outside was a good decision," he said, genuinely impressed.
Missy instantly shot him a sharp, wounded glance, the mist of her form darkening in irritation. Kane immediately realized his mistake; she hated being treated as disposable or sidelined. He quickly corrected himself. "I mean, thank you, Missy. It seems you saved our lives yet again. Your quick thinking was invaluable."
The tension eased slightly. Kane then turned his attention inward. "So, since we came out of that place, I think we should be able to use our Aspects again." The moment they had stepped into the inverted city, their Aspects had been sealed, a silent rule of that confined domain.
Kane activated his Aspect. With a subtle surge of energy, he immediately transformed, the raw, boundless power of his Divine Transformation flowing through him.
Linia's eyes widened, then her mouth curled into a genuine smile. "It is... cute."
Kane felt a momentary, unexpected flush of heat rush to his face, a ridiculous human reaction even in his divine form. Linia laughed—a rare, bright, and infectious sound. "Still," she said, her voice turning serious, "we cleared Level One, but now we've just entered the next."
Kane surveyed the surroundings. They were in a lush, impossibly green forest beneath a perfect, azure sky. The air was clean, almost saccharine. But the trees were unlike any natural flora. Their branches, thick and gnarled, bore fruit that was not pulp or seed, but large, perfectly cut diamonds. These gems shone with a brilliant, blinding white light wherever the sun hit them, turning the forest floor into a mosaic of dazzling reflections.
Kane walked toward a nearby tree, activating his Aspect Vision. He observed the structure. It was, impossibly, a simple tree, its tissue functioning normally, yet its fruit was pure, crystallized carbon. 'What was the trial here?' he wondered, a creeping sense of unease replacing his relief. 'We are able to use our Aspects, but this place feels too pristine, too perfect.'
Linia went off to the other side, observing the diamond-fruit trees. She turned back. "There seems to be no immediate threat here. We might want to start searching for a portal to leave, or perhaps the next key."
Missy, having recovered her energy, stood up and wandered off in the opposite direction, her misty gaze fixed on the diamond-studded horizon. Kane followed Linia, needing the crucial information she held.
"How was the battle on your side?" Kane asked, his voice low.
Linia looked at him, her expression hardening with the memory. "Apparently, my fight took place inside a boat, surrounded by a suffocating fog. I fought some sort of morphing black monster—it kept changing shape, mimicking my own form. It took all my strength to defeat it." She paused, a flash of pride crossing her face. "And I got this."
She summoned her own armor. A suit of exquisite, swirling silver plate materialized over her body, covering her completely. The design was stark, elegant, and chillingly effective. It perfectly framed her long, flowing turquoise hair, which contrasted sharply with the cold metal.
"It... looks graceful," Kane admitted, genuinely impressed by the sheer artistry and lethal function of the suit.
Linia unsummoned the armor, returning to her normal clothes with a fluid motion. "So, how was your battle? Did you get anything good?"
Kane's mouth curled up in a weary, self-deprecating expression. "I had to fight a seducing lady."
Linia's eyes widened, then narrowed into a frown of suspicion. "So, you did the deed with a Nightmare creature?" The implication was a subtle accusation.
Kane facepalmed, groaning. "No, I didn't! If I had, I would have been a goner, and you wouldn't be talking to me right now. As for the loot, let me show you."
He summoned the [Shrink Chest] and opened it, revealing the pure white bone figurine. Linia took it, observing the chilling detail of the hair carved with snake-like eyes. Linia's eyes widened in genuine shock, a look of profound recognition mixed with dread. 'I've never seen her this shocked before,' Kane thought. With every conversation he had with Linia, he sensed a massive, terrifying secret lurking beneath her cheerful façade.
Linia carefully handed the figurine back to him, her tone grim. "Have you faced any negative effects since acquiring this?"
Kane thought hard, checking his internal state. "I don't think so. I only just recently got the statue, anyway. What is it?"
Linia hesitated, her gaze evasive. "Actually... I can't delve into details, but it is both beneficial and harmful. Just tread cautiously."
Kane looked at her, confusion clouding his face. 'Harmful and beneficial. What the fuck is going on? She clearly knows something huge.'
Linia, sensing his scrutiny, offered a sudden, sly smirk, redirecting the conversation with brutal clarity. "So, how did the Demoness taste?"
Kane's composure shattered. "Luckily I didn't!" he snapped, but his thoughts were racing. 'How did she know that I fought a Demoness of Pleasure? I never mentioned the name of the Titan.'
As Kane was about to demand an explanation, he was interrupted by a distant shout.
"Kane! Linia! Come and look here!" Missy's voice cut through the forest.
Immediately, both of them sprinted towards the source of the noise. Linia summoned her Black Scythe, and Kane summoned his [Sleeper Killer] to form a long sword, a perfect replica of [The Ultimate Defiance]. They found Missy standing near a cliff edge.
When Kane and Linia reached the cliff's edge, they were frozen. The sight that unfolded before them shocked them to the core.
This striking image presented a dramatic and utterly eerie transformation of a majestic cathedral, which now stood perched precariously on a sheer, rocky cliff edge, overlooking a vast, mist-shrouded landscape. The perspective was from an even higher, craggy outcrop, providing a breathtaking, albeit profoundly unsettling, panoramic view.
The atmosphere was undeniably foreboding, dominated by a tumultuous, dark green sky that churned with heavy, sickly storm clouds. Streaks of bright, electric green lightning pierced the oppressive gloom in several places, illuminating distant, jagged mountain peaks that rose like ancient, slumbering titans from the ethereal fog. The unnatural green hue of the sky saturated the entire scene with an unsettling, spectral luminescence, contributing heavily to the horrific vibe.
The cathedral itself, reminiscent of an old European grand edifice with its twin spires and intricate stone façade, was surrounded by an otherworldly forest. Leafless, gnarled trees with twisted, skeletal branches dotted the foreground and extended into the misty depths. These were not ordinary trees; they bore the same luminous, diamond-shaped fruits that glowed with an internal, cool blue light. These "diamond fruits" were scattered liberally across the branches and even settled on the rocky ground, adding an element of macabre, dangerous beauty to the scene.
The mist itself was a character, swirling thickly around the base of the cliff and creeping into the valleys between the distant mountains. Its green tint, mirroring the sky, gave it a spectral, almost corrosive quality, as if the very air was imbued with a supernatural, suffocating presence. This dense vapor partially obscured the ground far below, hinting at unfathomable depths and lending an oppressive sense of isolation to the cathedral.
The architectural details of the cathedral remained prominent, but their context had shifted dramatically. The intricate flying buttresses, the ornate windows, and the soaring spires now appeared more formidable and imposing, standing as a defiant, yet terribly vulnerable, sentinel against the elements and the eerie landscape. The stone appeared darker, almost blackened in places, as if weathered by centuries of supernatural storms. The overall impression was one of a sacred edifice that had been transplanted into a realm of dark fantasy, a beacon of perhaps lost light amidst an overwhelming, encroaching darkness.
Kane was utterly overwhelmed by the sheer, terrifying scale of the place. He looked at Linia, who, despite her own inner demons, was equally shocked.
Linia looked at him, her eyes fixed on the gothic spire. "So, shall we go inside?"
Kane sighed, the sheer absurdity of their predicament pushing him forward. "Sure. Let's find out about the new hell."
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Here are the few Webnovel stories I might start (not Immediately,But surely I will)
1.Shadow Slave: Lumian Lee
Spoilers for the Domain war:
Lumian Lee and Aurora Lee,who was awakened who was in Valor Clan,When lord of shadows and Song of the fallen Siezed the domain from the Soveriegn,Unfortunate things befalled on them,What happened?Lumian must forge his own path from his own blood and conflicts
2.LOTM:New Greater Old One
Morpheus,the transmigrated into the world of lord of the mysteries,is forced to take the most crazy pathway switches that makes even alista Tudor see sane
3.LOTM:I am king Grey
The original MC of Tbate,King Grey/Arthur Leywin,when he died,what will happen he transmigrated into Loen Kingdom instead of Dicathen?