Chapter 378: Breaking the Vow

Last night, when Saul was explaining today’s battle plan to Agu, he specifically taught him one line:

“Surprised? Didn’t expect that, did you?

He told him to say it after the ambusher realized the person they’d attacked had actually switched places with the real target.

At the time, Agu didn’t really get the point of this sentence.

It didn’t help with combat in any way.

But now, as he grinned and blurted it out, watching Kongsha’s face contorted with rage—

Goddamn, this line is infuriating in the best way!

“Lord Saul must be punishing me for hesitating yesterday!”

Just as that thought crossed Agu’s mind, a black tentacle—nearly a meter thick—plummeted straight toward his skull.

Smack!

When the tentacle rose again, Agu’s head had been mashed into pulp.

“Saul!” Kongsha’s chest heaved violently, “Saul! Bring him back no matter what!”

Saul was the centerpiece of her entire plan—her final gamble.

Let Mark leave? Fine. But Saul? Never.

Just then, she noticed that the white phantoms causing chaos had shifted—from beside her to the front of the palace.

“He’s over there!” Kongsha snapped to attention.

The disturbance among the white phantoms wasn’t because Saul’s guards saw him in danger and rushed in to save him.

It was because they saw the decoy catching Kongsha’s attention while he was accelerating, sneaking closer to the palace under cover of the chaos!

Kongsha sneered, “Stop him!”

A figure suddenly burst out from the crowd of phantoms just three meters from the palace doors.

Frost caked his hair and clothes—it was Saul, who had switched places with Agu!

Hearing the wind tearing behind him, Saul abandoned all pretense of hiding his magical presence and shot into the air.

The scene replayed—the black tentacles tore through the air, chasing Saul’s afterimage.

Just as they were about to catch him—

Someone stepped in.

Morden.

With both hands, he slammed the ground. The earth surged upward, forming a towering black wall.

Thud! Thud! Thud thud thud!

The tentacles pierced the wall like arrows.

But by the sixth strike, the makeshift barricade crumbled under the onslaught.

“Tch. Still not enough magic in this body,” Morden sighed and was instantly impaled by the tentacles breaking through.

But thanks to Morden’s desperate stand, Saul had made it inside the castle’s perimeter.

Kasila had already opened the palace gates, so he didn’t waste a second forcing his way in.

Of course… there was still the matter of the furniture guarding the doorway.

“Outta the way! I’m bringing back the Elf King’s head!!!”

The shelving unit shuddered, as if human.

Seeing Saul charge forward, it… actually sidestepped.

Saul had already been preparing a spell to break in, but the furniture’s sudden compliance left him skidding to a near crash inside the circular hall.

He finally came to a stop, ducked into a blind spot behind the doorway, and peeked outside.

He saw the black tentacle slowly withdraw from Morden’s corpse and Morden, eyes wide open in death, still staring at him.

In the next moment, Morden’s body crumpled. Kongsha stepped over him, approaching the palace.

The black tentacles, however, hesitated at the entrance, writhing uncertainty.

Brushing off dirt, Saul approached the door.

“I figured you’d make a move mid-route… I just didn’t guess your ally would be that powerful,” Saul said, a look of reluctant admiration on his face.

Kongsha’s expression was icy. She neared the palace doors, casually picked something up from the ground.

“Veiled Crystal Essence?” Saul tilted his head.

The place where Kasila’s body had lain was now empty.

“By now, you must’ve figured it out,” Kongsha said, licking the transparent shard into her mouth, “That’s right. Veiled Crystal Essence is made from the corpses of apprentices. Though… It requires some special conditions. Like mental collapse.”

“I discovered it the first time I entered the valley,” she went on. “And it helped me reach Third Rank. You know, Saul, I was so happy when I realized I could finally advance!”

Saul frowned. “So the two people who entered the valley with you… you killed them?”

“The first one went mad on his own. The second, unfortunately, failed my experiment—turned into just a regular corpse.”

“And then you brought even more people here… just to use as test subjects?”

“Not only that,” Kongsha smiled, brushing her flawless cheek with her fingers—her ring finger pressed against her left eyeball, gently applying pressure.

No longer cold and glassy.

She smiled wider. “I also got a rare treasure out of it.”

“And dragging me in? What was the purpose of that?”

“Curious?” Kongsha tilted her head. “Come out, and I’ll tell you.”

Saul fell silent.

Come out? So I can get skewered into kabobs by the ancient Soul-Devouring Mire?

If he hadn’t used the twin-sided coin from Mochi Mochi to switch places with Agu, he’d be the one with a head like swiss cheese right now.

And since that monstrous mire didn’t dare enter the palace, he sure as hell wasn’t giving up that advantage.

In fact, he took a few steps deeper into the hall, almost entering the next chamber. After all, while the tentacles hadn’t entered yet, who’s to say they couldn’t?

“If you won’t say, that’s fine. One of my good traits is a manageable sense of curiosity.”

Furniture throughout the palace watched Kongsha warily, just as unwilling to provoke the Soul-Devouring Mire outside.

Kongsha wasn’t surprised. If prey obediently walked into traps, there’d be no need for hunters.

With a cold wave of her hand toward Saul:

“Catch him.”

The tentacles twitched, hesitating.

Saul’s heart tightened. He turned to the furniture near the door.

“Hey! Your home’s getting invaded, and you’re just gonna sit there? Get out there and block them!”

At the same time, he thought:

“The palace wants to recover the lost treasure aka the Elf King’s head. But I’ve already brought it here, and they still haven’t reacted. Do I need to physically carry the head to the Pure White Throne?”

If it were only Kongsha, Saul might stand a chance.

But now the massive tentacled ancient mire listened to her. Saul really didn’t think he could win and get the Elf King’s head back.

“What’s wrong?” Kongsha’s voice suddenly rang out, “What are you afraid of? The elves are long gone! Can a mere remnant of their will really hold you back?”

She raised her head and glared at Saul, her pupils vanishing.

“This is the king’s command!”

The thief, with the king’s head, issued his final order to the monster.

The Soul-Devouring Mire flung its tentacles skyward and launched them like arrows at the palace!

As the black tentacles pierced into the interior, a formless shockwave rippled outward originating from the palace and spreading across the entire Elven Valley.

The ancient balance was shattered.

The white phantoms at the forest’s edge took a synchronized step forward.

Then another.

As if gaining consciousness, they advanced.

Their pale toes touched the charred ground.

Frost formed beneath their feet.

Snow began to drift through the air.

Black tentacles grew wildly from underground, lashing at the encroaching white figures.

But the phantoms fought back.

Tentacles whipped and snapped—

White shapes burst into mist—

And so it was…

The Forest of Four Seasons… descended into chaos.

(End of Chapter)

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