[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-adventures-of-hulim":3,"chapter-the-adventures-of-hulim-the-adventures-of-hulim-chapter-484":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Adventures of Hulim",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1882235,2498,"Chapter 484 The Birdcage and the Arena","the-adventures-of-hulim-chapter-484",484,"\u003Cp>“I actually have a theory.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim Heyerar looked at Hena in the distance and spoke her understanding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The endlessly repeating labyrinth was probably the most terrifying, deeply etched memory Hena ever experienced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a long, cyclical period of struggling back and forth between hope and despair…… a memory that finally took shape as a labyrinth that looked identical on the surface, yet slowly sank into darkness.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In there, we couldn’t change a thing. The only thing we could do was keep walking, and witness the process of Hena’s heart falling completely into darkness……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the birdcage, a long silence fell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had seen it with their own eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What an endless, repeating, and gradually darkening path it had been.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could not even begin to imagine\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>what Hena had once gone through.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the final pitch-black darkness truly represented Hena’s heart…… then could they still save her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Say…… Hulim.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miko said in a sorrowful voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Please…… save Hena. I just can’t——”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knelt down, reached out, and gently hugged Hena from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t stand seeing her like this, so full of sorrow any longer……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……” Hulim looked at Miko quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a short silence,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>she spoke in a soft, steady tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……I will.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I-I’ll do my part too!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prarlulu clenched her fist and declared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creak——!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the constant clinking of chains suddenly stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The descending birdcage halted its fall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim lifted her head slowly, her eyes shifting into a battle-ready gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Miko, Prarlulu, get ready.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m ready!” Prarlulu replied loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm……” Miko stood up slowly as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the darkness,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>faint, scarlet lights flickered into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A vast, arena-shaped square unfolded before them, with the birdcage standing right at its center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Groar……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along the edges of the arena,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>countless twisted, hideous scarlet eyes emerged from the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They let out low, feral roars\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>as they stared at the group inside the cage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud——!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A deafening crash rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure slammed heavily onto the arena’s stone floor, raising a huge cloud of dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gurgluh……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A strange sound came from within the dust, and a pair of red-glowing eyes pierced through the haze, locking onto them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creak……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The metal bars of the birdcage slowly faded away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Buzz, buzz!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crimson light flickered around Hulim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She extended her right hand, ready to strike at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then, something completely unexpected happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hena, who had been curled motionless on the ground this entire time, suddenly stood up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Defeat…… must defeat them……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She mumbled dazedly over and over, and a faint black smoke began to rise from her body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hena?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three stared at the scene in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before they could figure out why she was acting so strangely,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shua——!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hena charged straight toward the monster at blinding speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Roar——!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster, hideous in appearance but roughly human-sized, let out a snarl and lunged at Hena as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two collided in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster swung its claw, swiping at Hena.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With astonishing agility, Hena dodged the attack, then sprang forward, lunging into the monster’s embrace and wrapping her limbs around its outstretched arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sharp, crisp sound rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She snapped the monster’s arm clean in half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Roar!!?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster let out a miserable shriek.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The next second,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her small, delicate knee slammed violently into its face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The shriek cut off abruptly. Amid a spray of shattered teeth, the monster crashed heavily backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was still alive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shua!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hena spread all ten fingers, and glistening, razor-sharp nails extended from her fingertips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A white blur flashed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Splat——!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, a flood of scarlet blood splattered across the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The monster fell lifeless, completely dead……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All around the arena, the countless scarlet eyes twisted and flickered wildly, as if thrilled by the carnage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim and the other two watched the entire battle in silence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not one of them could understand why Hena had suddenly acted this way……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh~.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The fallen monster dissolved into a wisp of black smoke and faded away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hena, whose body was now faintly shrouded in more black smoke, turned and walked back to her original spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She crouched down and curled up just as she had before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The second she settled into her crouch,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>the birdcage reappeared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The light around them vanished, and the scarlet eyes sank back into the darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clink, clink.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above their heads, the chains rattled once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The birdcage began to descend again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Miko walked over to Hena\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and knelt down in front of her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……Hena.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hena did not react at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If not for the black smoke clinging to her body, she would have looked as if she had never moved an inch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim fell into deep thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see now……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hulim, do you understand what’s going on?” Prarlulu asked hurriedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim nodded and explained:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I’m right, this place is just a continuation of the path. It only looks different because the memory it’s based on has changed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Judging by Hena’s current age and the fight just now, this memory must be from when she was raised and trained as a living weapon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, that makes sense…… So what do we do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s simple. We help her see it through to the end. I think…… if we keep going like this, Hena’s own subconscious will lead us to the deepest layer before we know it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom——!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the dim arena, a red light suddenly blazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive monster’s body rapidly disintegrated from the point struck by the light. Its fist, which had been moments from crashing down on Hena, froze mid-air, then vanished along with the rest of its form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hena still did not say a word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few seconds after the monster disappeared, she stood up from the ground\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and returned to her usual spot to crouch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The monsters keep getting stronger, but…… they feel way weaker than the ones back in the first two areas, don’t they?” Prarlulu asked in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By this point, the birdcage had stopped descending many times.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every time it halted, a monster would appear without fail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each monster was stronger than the last, but they were incomparably weaker than the ones earlier that ordinary magic could not harm at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They also had no real will of their own. Every single one only targeted Hena, completely ignoring the three of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if they were puppets acting out a pre-programmed set of commands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps it’s because these beings aren’t the things that scare Hena most. The ones before—especially the monsters in the labyrinth—were the true horrors to her.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hulim explained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! I get it now!” Prarlulu exclaimed in realization, then scratched her cheek awkwardly. “……I feel like you’ve been doing all the things I’m supposed to be doing, though.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t worry about it. I’m just putting the clues together.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm…… that just makes me feel even worse. Am I really this useless?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Prarlulu squatted on the ground, drawing circles in the air dejectedly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The birdcage stopped descending once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hena, her body wrapped in thick black smoke, lifted her head again and stared outside the cage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A new battle was about to begin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Hulim and the others were trapped in Hena’s Inner World,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>an unexpected crisis was unfolding on the surface world……\u003C\u002Fp>",1232,"2026-06-10T06:36:37.918Z",1,"novelbin.me","587eafccfd5d1cc4754f87c57db33d310dde19fb7befe0fa5542377309f97a35","the-adventures-of-hulim-chapter-485","the-adventures-of-hulim-chapter-483",528,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-adventures-of-hulim-cover.jpg"]