Chapter 41: The Wraiths

What kind of otherworld? Lu Mi’s heart jolted; he quickly turned his head toward the window.

He should have seen hills, grasslands, and trees, but what met his eyes was a wasteland, with pale clouds stacked layer upon layer high above, blocking out all sunlight and casting every object into the shadow of a vast darkness.

On the dark brown wasteland, figure after figure moved and wandered—mostly clad in white linen robes, their faces pale with a bluish tinge, eyes utterly hollow, mouths slightly agape.

These clearly weren’t normal people.

Among the countless figures, some ran frantically toward the edge of the wasteland—or from it—as if they could never stop, never attain the longed-for rest.

At the edge of the wasteland, where a cliff seemed to loom, faint shapes of black monsters with human bodies and goat-like horns could be seen; they occasionally seized a figure in white linen and hurled it downward.

Cries of agony drifted faintly into Lu Mi and Aurora’s ears.

Tap-tap-tap—among the countless figures, a towering human clad in deep black full armor rode a gaunt white horse, barely more than skin and bone, sometimes walking slowly, sometimes galloping back and forth, as if herding sheep.

Lu Mi had exceptional eyesight; as the figure turned its body, he clearly saw its appearance from afar.

Inside its metallic sheen helmet, two crimson lights flickered like flames; a grotesque wound stretched from its neck down to its navel, nearly splitting it in half, exposing a long trail of pale intestines dragging behind.

No other evidence was needed—Lu Mi’s mind instantly flashed one thought:

Death Knight!

This was the Death Knight that appeared often in the folk legends of Intis!

At that moment, the carriage carrying him and Aurora came to a stop.

Noira said nothing, opened the door, and stepped out.

Aside from her clothing, her pale-blue face, hollow eyes, and numb expression were growing ever more like those of the figures in white linen.

Aurora turned her gaze away from the window and said in a low voice:

“These are all wraiths.

“You must not leave my side.”

As she spoke, she pulled out a golden brooch and pinned it to her chest.

Simultaneously, her other hand withdrew from a hidden pocket inside her clothing a handful of gray-black powder.

Lu Mi leaned forward, glancing at the driver’s seat, and saw that Sevel had also changed—he now had a pale-blue face, hollow eyes, and was slowly walking into the depths of the wasteland, as if he had been dead for a long time.

He hurriedly told Aurora:

“Sister, I’m already a Follower—I’ll drive the carriage while you deal with these wraiths; let’s get out of here as fast as possible!”

Since he had no ability to combat wraiths or ghosts, he reluctantly took on the role of driver.

Of course, if the Death Knight charged toward them, he’d do his best to hold it off.

Aurora was startled and, without time to ask questions, warned:

“Check the condition of the horses!”

Only then did Lu Mi realize—he turned his attention to the horses ahead.

They seemed to have had their flesh and blood drained; their coats withered, clinging to bones, utterly motionless.

“Those two horses seem dead,” Lu Mi reported.

Before Aurora could speak, the wraiths surrounding them, as if sensing the scent of the living, abruptly changed direction and surged toward the carriage, trying to get inside.

“xxx,” Aurora uttered a word in a language Lu Mi didn’t understand.

As she spoke, the golden brooch on her chest glowed faintly, and the gray-black powder in her left hand ignited instantly, emitting a fierce yet non-harsh golden light.

The light flowed like water across the surroundings; the moment the wraiths touched it, they screamed instinctively, their bodies rising in pale smoke.

They tried to retreat, but more wraiths pressed forward, forcing countless figures to crowd around the carriage, as more and more “people” evaporated and vanished.

Lu Mi watched, both envious and heavy-hearted.

He raged at his own helplessness, his longing to ascend his Sequence and gain greater power intensifying.

Seeing Aurora’s powder nearly spent and more wraiths still pouring in from afar, completely ignoring those already dissolved by the light, Lu Mi quickly warned:

“We can’t stay here forever.

“Break out!”

Even with the most abundant supplies, Sister couldn’t handle this many wraiths!

Besides, the Death Knight and the demonic creatures near the wasteland’s edge hadn’t moved toward them yet.

The best course now was to force their way out of this wasteland known as the “Otherworld” before her supplies ran out.

Aurora nodded and said simply:

“Follow me.”

No sooner had she spoken than the gray-black powder in her hand burned to ash, and the empty wasteland around them was instantly filled again by surging wraiths.

Aurora quickly pulled out another handful of material, using the golden brooch on her chest to ignite it naturally, producing a brilliant golden glow.

The wraiths near the carriage screamed as they melted into the light.

Aurora leapt from the carriage and sprinted toward the nearest edge of the wasteland; Lu Mi followed close behind.

Suddenly, a hand reached out from the golden light and grabbed Lu Mi’s arm.

With his sharp instincts and heightened senses, Lu Mi sensed the danger in time, twisted his forearm, and lashed out violently at the hand.

Thwack!

It felt as if he’d struck a block of solid ice; intense cold surged into his body, briefly freezing him stiff.

Clack-clack-clack—his teeth chattered as he saw the hand’s owner.

It, too, wore white linen, but its face was covered by a mask made of white paper; its form evaporated extremely slowly within the golden light.

Seeing Lu Mi freeze, the strange wraith suddenly became insubstantial, preparing to merge with him.

At that moment, a pure and holy light shone down, striking the masked wraith.

It froze in place, its body blazing fiercely before dissolving into streams of black mist.

“Don’t stop!” Aurora pulled her right hand away from the golden brooch and kept sprinting.

Lu Mi shook off the cold and strode after his sister.

Relying on handful after handful of gray-black powder and the witch’s spells, the two forced their way across the wasteland, countless figures in white linen evaporating in the golden light.

Unfortunately, Aurora couldn’t possibly carry only one type of material, stuffing every pouch with the same thing—as a witch, she had to prepare for every possible scenario.

Before long, her hidden pouch of sunflower powder was empty.

Yet they were still hundreds of meters from the wasteland’s edge, and the wraiths around them seemed endless.

Worse still, the Death Knight seemed to have sensed the commotion and turned his horse toward them.

Within the golden light, Aurora’s expression shifted several times; she slowed her pace, gritted her teeth, and said:

“Idiot brother, when I shout ‘three,’ run straight for the edge of the wasteland—don’t look back!”

Lu Mi was about to object, but Aurora added:

“Don’t worry—I’ll follow right behind you. If you stay, you’ll only interfere with me casting a powerful spell and slow me down.”

As she spoke, she removed the golden brooch from her chest and handed it to Lu Mi, who had also slowed down, instructing him:

“Focus your spirituality, extend it to this brooch, and when you run, repeat this word—‘xxx’!”

Lu Mi didn’t understand the word, but he forcibly memorized its pronunciation.

The moment he took the golden brooch, he felt warm light wash over him, and many dark thoughts vanished, leaving his mind slightly dulled.

Instinctively fastening the brooch, Lu Mi followed his sister’s guidance and concentrated, extending his spirituality outward.

Seeing the gray-black powder in her hand dwindling, Aurora pulled out another material and shouted loudly:

“One, two, three!”

To avoid slowing his sister, Lu Mi sprinted forward.

Almost simultaneously, he shouted the word with all his strength:

“xxx!”

The golden brooch glowed brightly, radiating streams of pale-gold sunlight.

In that instant, Lu Mi felt as if he wore a small sun upon his chest; the surrounding wraiths instinctively avoided him.

Thud-thud-thud!

As he sprinted forward, unable to shake his worry for his sister, he half-turned his body and glanced back toward Aurora.

Aurora remained where she was, surrounded by swirling black mist.

The black mist seemed to have an intense pull on the wraiths—they abandoned Lu Mi and surged entirely toward Aurora.

Lu Mi wasn’t stupid—he understood at once that Aurora’s promise to “follow behind” had been a lie.

“Aurora!”

He shouted, slammed to a stop, and spun around.

He feared that those who died within the cycle would truly die when the cycle ended.

Aurora turned at the sound of his voice; seeing him halt, she cried urgently:

“Are you an idiot? Run!”

Lu Mi said nothing—he charged toward Aurora, and the wraiths ahead, illuminated by the golden brooch, parted for him.

Seeing this, Aurora lowered her head slightly and muttered softly:

“What an idiot…”

She immediately pulled out another material and scattered the iron-black powder toward Lu Mi.

Lu Mi was instantly pinned down by an invisible giant hand, forcibly shoved toward the edge of the wasteland.

He struggled violently, but found no point to push against.

The next second, he saw Aurora, her golden hair coiled up, offer a faintly sorrowful smile.

Aurora whispered gently:

"Stupid little brother, live well..."

Before her words faded, the black mist around her had been completely consumed by the undead.

She was now fully exposed before countless figures and the Death Knight.

"Aurora!"

Lu Mi’s eyes widened to their limits, as if his eye sockets might split open; thick red veins appeared in his pupils and across his skin.

Yet he could not stop being pushed toward the edge of the wasteland.

At that moment, all the undead froze in place.

Something seemed to be happening in the distance.

Aurora sensed it, turned in shock, and saw a open-top carriage passing by.

The carriage resembled a seashell or a cradle, entirely dark red; it was pulled not by horses, but by two black, horned creatures resembling devils.

Inside sat a woman, wearing a floral crown and a green dress, her face strikingly similar to Lady Pualis.

But unlike Lady Pualis, her aura was profoundly majestic.

The Death Knight turned his steed and followed the lady.

All the undead on the wasteland made the same choice, clustering behind the carriage as it moved toward the hazy mountain ridges on the other side.

(End of Chapter)