The Traitor Mantises moved silently, like bloated, pale green ghosts. Seeing Simon approach with his Nail, they didn't rush in but instead retreated a few steps to adjust their attack range.
Their scythe-like blade-limbs tightened, bodies tensed, then they lunged. The blade-limbs flashed out like lightning, carving a pair of intersecting death trajectories.
Simon carefully dodged, observing their combat rhythm.
These Mantis Warriors, enhanced by the plague, were indeed more agile and powerful, but they also suffered from the fatal flaw common to infected creatures: rigid thinking and a lack of nimble adaptability. Such enemies were the most uninteresting. Simon swiftly took their lives during the buffer period after their attacks.
After understanding the Traitor Mantises' combat patterns, Simon's progress became effortless. He strolled across the architectural platforms of the garden, checking his map to decide whether to enter a passage. This circuitous route, with a few wrong turns, showed how complex the terrain was here.
Crossing a long stretch of path covered in thorny pain, he jumped to an upper area. Simon arrived before a relatively dim passage, which was sealed by a mechanism. But from its design, it was undoubtedly a Stag Station.
Previously, he had hoped to take the Stag Beetle directly to the garden, which seemed like it would save a lot of time. But fate is fickle and unpredictable. Walking a longer path resulted in a generous reward, saving him the effort of breaking through the Shade Gate.
Simon was grateful for his good luck, but he wouldn't rely on chaotic fate; he was a person who lacked a gambling spirit.
Since the station was inaccessible, Simon didn't mind; this wasn't a mandatory path anyway.
There were some mechanical doors on the way that required detours, which wasted a lot of time.
Continuing to explore, gradually, the building density increased. The power of nature had not yet assimilated this area; the artificial craftsmanship stood out. The surfaces of these architectural platforms were covered with damp loose soil and pale green moss, blending with their carved patterns. They looked like old, worn maps, full of historical and mysterious charm.
Several spiny husks wandered aimlessly on the platform, covered in plants. As Simon approached, sharp spines extended from some old circular wounds on their bodies, then shot out in all directions.
The spines flew very fast, almost hitting him in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, their force was not great and did not penetrate Simon's shield.
Simon retaliated with a Soul Orb. The pure white sphere struck these husks and embedded itself within them. The explosion caused orange-red blood to splatter, and this putrid blood contaminated the environment.
He was very close to his destination now.
Simon peered into a few passages and saw the Shade Gate.
Its main body consisted of four metal devices installed on the four walls of the passage, shaped like truncated cones. Their sides had a ring of claw-like spikes, and from their centers surged a tangible, dense, tide-like darkness.
The four devices formed an array, sealing off the entire passage. This was a portal condensed from Void power, and no one was allowed to pass without permission.
Simon focused his mind to feel the power of the Void.
Deep, oppressive, tyrannical, it originated from beneath the world, harboring power to destroy all, transcending the meaning of existence, defeating the passage of time, like the ultimate destiny of the universe.
The bound Void energy surged back and forth between the four devices, like a turbulent current, ever-changing, yet it never collapsed or dissipated. Only tiny shadow particles flew out from the torrent, then vanished instantly into nothingness.
Simon slashed out a sword qi. The violent Soul Energy struck the Void and disappeared without a trace.
This gate seemed to connect to an abyssal world; any attack would simply vanish like a pebble dropped into the ocean.
Realizing he couldn't affect the Shade Gate for now, Simon gave up his attempts and held out the key.
As the spherical black key approached the Shade Gate, its surface glowed. Above its complex patterns, one symbol was exceptionally clear: the Hallownest mark.
A void appeared in the center of the Shade Gate, rotating and expanding, revealing the passage behind it.
Simon held the key and passed through the void, arriving at the other side.
The area was strewn with corpses.
The severed limbs of Traitor Mantises and Mantis Petras paved a bloody floor. Orange-red blood congealed on the walls, seeping into the soil and absorbed by plants, making the shade here extraordinarily dense, like an unresolvable, chilling nightmare at noon.
Stepping on the shriveled corpses produced creaking sounds and the crackling of breaking carapaces, as if walking through a marsh filled with dry branches. A sticky, heavy, and brittle sensation came from underfoot.
The closer he got to the White Lady, the more intense the fighting became.
But this war seemed to have ceased.
The battlefield was silent.
Delving deeper, he reached a structure that looked like a shaded rest area or an observation deck. The gate suddenly slammed shut.
Several Traitor Mantises burst out from the shadows of the building, only to be killed by Simon's Nails.
Then, a colossal shadow was cast on the ground. Simon looked up. A huge, bloated Mantis peered through a hole in the roof. Its orange-red eyes were filled with rage, ferocity, and blindness. He was the Traitor Lord!
Simon chuckled, "Found the main culprit!"
These words completely ignited the Traitor Lord's killing intent. He leaped indoors, his massive body making even the spacious observation deck feel somewhat cramped.
The Traitor Lord let out a tragic roar, brandishing his blade-limbs and unleashing a sky full of orange-red wind scythes. His soul had been completely infected by The Radiance, and even his Soul Energy had this unnatural hue.
Simon dodged with a teleport, suppressing the urge to swing his sword.
The Traitor Lord's movements were incredibly agile, and he seemed to have activated some kind of advanced hunting instinct, making his combat techniques exceptionally cunning and flexible.
He would launch surprise attacks in the gaps of Simon's teleports. His enormous blade-limbs were comparable to heavy hammers; even if not cut by the blade, they would cause severe blunt force trauma.
Facing an onslaught as fierce as winter's flying snow, Simon fluttered up and down in the air like a spring butterfly, untouched by a single ice crystal.
It must be said that the Traitor Lord was far stronger than the three Mantis Lords. In terms of size, strength, speed, and endurance, he completely surpassed them. The only thing the three Lords could do when facing the Traitor Lord was to remain calm.
Simon tentatively swung out a sword qi, which struck the Lord's thick carapace, cutting only a small gash. It seemed his defense was also very strong.
The sword qi was largely offset by the frenzied and brutal Soul Energy within the Lord, so Simon would find it difficult to gain an advantage relying solely on Soul attacks.
The Lord continued to use wind scythes to restrict Simon's movement, then intensified his assault, unleashing blade-energy as thick as a wall, seemingly intending to crush his overly agile opponent to death.
Simon's eyes couldn't see through the blade-energy to the other side, making teleportation risky. Perhaps the moment he exited the soul coordinate system and returned to reality, the Traitor Lord's blade would descend upon his head.
In this situation, he had no choice but to go all out.
Simon let out a loud shout, and the Nail he had been gripping in his hand burst forth with a dazzling light like the scorching sun.
"Slash!"