The seal is broken!
Simon, who was in the Ancient Basin, was suddenly startled. He stopped absorbing souls and got up to rush to the Crossroads.
The three seals had been lifted, the Black Egg's door opened, and sin and fear were about to descend upon the world.
Simon arrived at the Black Egg Temple, this final battlefield, which he was visiting for the first time.
Its appearance was like a massive, open-mouthed insect beast, vivid and lifelike. It covered a vast area and was incredibly imposing. The door was its mouth, the long windows its eyes. A vibrant golden radiance spewed forth, and a restless will stirred up a storm in the mind. The temple seemed to have truly come alive, ready to devour all who approached.
Simon was unafraid. He stepped inside, where two comrades were already present.
One was Hornet, and the other was the Little Knight.
They stood amidst the thick mist of light, gazing at the gloomy Black Egg in the great hall. The three Dreamers' masks on the Black Egg's door had dimmed and could now be broken.
Hornet's voice came through the substantial light mist. Simon took a few steps closer, arriving beside them.
The Little Knight glanced at him, then continued to look up, listening to Hornet's words.
"...Little Ghost, you bear the fate of this entire world, yet you remain so strong. Just breaking the Dreamers' seals was an impossible task, and accepting your own empty core makes you truly extraordinary."
As soon as she finished speaking, a seal lit up on the Black Egg's door. The Pure Vessel's image appeared in the center of the seal, then the seal's light dimmed, and the door shattered.
A long, sharp, and profound roar echoed from the deep, long passage behind the door.
It was The Radiance.
Hornet said softly, "The path is open. Regardless, your end awaits you inside. I will not go with you; this space is designed specifically for beings like you. If I enter, I will be bound and drained." She paused, then looked at Simon, "Have you also become like this? It's not surprising; I've long seen your thirst for power. Why are you here now?"
Simon handed the flower the Little Knight had given him to Hornet. "I need to go in and fight alongside the Little Knight, to see him through his final journey. Please keep this flower for me; it's very important to me."
Hornet took the flower, remaining silent.
The Little Knight stepped forward, but took out another flower from beneath his cloak and handed it to Hornet.
"Do you also need me to keep this flower for you?"
The Little Knight shook his head.
"Is that so? This is a gift. Good, I like it very much."
Simon watched this farewell. The Little Knight looked up. Hornet remained as strong and unyielding as ever. The three mask-bearers walked the same path. Though they had only met recently, they already shared a deep bond.
Entering the Black Egg, perhaps only one would emerge alive, or perhaps none at all.
Hornet didn't say any foolish words about not going. She would monitor the battle at all times, and if the situation turned dire, she would sacrifice herself to help.
"Let's go, we're going in. It's time to meet the previous Hollow Knight." Simon's tone was excited, completely devoid of any sorrow for separation or death.
The Little Knight took the lead, entering the Black Egg.
They passed through the gradually thinning light mist.
They stepped into a dark, long corridor.
The space here seemed boundless.
After walking for a short while, totem light pillars lit up around them.
Near and far, shallow and deep, these abstract totem poles symbolized the insect tribes that had participated in the great feat of sealing The Radiance.
Many of them were familiar.
The Leaf Tribe of Greenpath.
The Weaver tribe of Deepnest.
The Mantis Tribe.
The Root Tribe, derived from the White Lady.
There were also unfamiliar ones.
These monuments lit up one after another, creating a wide path in the deep, dark space.
With each step, mysterious halos appeared beneath their feet, as if they were walking on a supreme and sacred journey.
At one point on the path, there was a broken stone egg inscription, which read:
"Vessel, though bound, you should still know the state of the world.
Hallownest will be made whole again."
Simon sensed the powerful energy of this stone tablet, vaguely delving into the river of fate. Concentrating, he vaguely saw a complete map of Hallownest, with the fates of the insects flowing upon it.
The most concentrated areas of fate were one in Deepnest, and another in the mist outside the map.
Simon sighed, "A great kingdom does not forget its people. This stone tablet is extraordinary."
The Little Knight nodded and continued onward.
They arrived at the deepest part of the Black Egg.
The vaulted hall.
Mist diffused.
Cold chains crisscrossed, extending diagonally from ground anchors to mid-air, binding a tall Knight.
The Pure Vessel.
He was the mature form of a Vessel, with a tall body and a mask like deer antlers and a crescent moon, with a deep crack. His eye sockets were no longer the black of the Void, but the orange-red of The Radiance.
He was bound by chains and draped in a heavy, petrified cloak, silent like the souls of the dead walking in the Sky. Yet, his restless will reminded all who approached of the fierce killing intent within him.
The Little Knight and Simon swung their Nails, breaking the chains one by one.
The Hollow Knight broke free from his chains, shattered his cloak, and fell to the ground, kneeling weakly.
Simon and the Little Knight both tightened their grip on their Nails.
This Vessel wore a standard cloak, which fit the Little Knight perfectly, but for him, it was like a vest.
The Hollow Knight suddenly rose, leaning back with an exaggerated arch. The Radiance's shriek erupted, echoing through the hall, surging like waves.
He held his long, pure Nail inverted and launched a rapid three-strike attack at the Little Knight.
Three slashes, three advances. The explosive, wild momentum was not like a sword dance, but rather like a meteor crashing to earth.
The Little Knight used Shade Cloak, leaping out of the Hollow Knight's attack range.
The next instant, the Hollow Knight's body vanished and reappeared above Simon. His long Nail plunged down, like summer lightning tearing through the dark clouds of the Sky. Only a streaking afterimage remained in sight, and the Nail had already struck the ground.
Simon teleported away in the nick of time, unhurried.
After this move by the Hollow Knight, the entire floor of the great hall was covered with evenly spaced, dim yellow light clusters.
"Be careful," Simon warned the Little Knight, then quickly moved to an empty spot without light clusters. Before he finished speaking, the light clusters erupted, sending up sky-high pillars of fire. The dim yellow flames were also enveloped in spiraling Void currents.
The hall was filled with fire pillars. Simon and the Little Knight both managed to hide in the gaps between the fire pillars, but they completely lost their vision.
The Hollow Knight's huge body silently appeared behind the Little Knight, his long Nail thrusting forward like a sweeping gale.
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