Chapter 312:

The pale skeletal bird flapped its wings and soared into the sky. Under Xu Xi’s control, it ascended at a steady pace.

The dark clouds surged, heavy with deathly energy. The pitch-black sun blended seamlessly with the ominous storm clouds, making it nearly impossible to distinguish. Only a faint, shadowy outline of its form could be seen.

A thousand years ago, the sun and moon of the sorcerer world had been normal. But ever since the Netherworld’s corruption began, they had transformed into the black sun and the blood moon.

This was a sign that the world was approaching its end.

“This height should be enough,” Xu Xi murmured, stopping the undead bird’s ascent. He maintained a safe altitude so that Sylvia could observe the land below.

Suspended high in the sky, everything was laid bare beneath them.

The entire world stretched out before their eyes.

The fierce wind howled in their ears.

The sensation of swaying, of weightlessness, of losing direction, of standing on unsteady ground—these were experiences she had never known before.

It was a sensation more novel than anything she had encountered in her entire life.

For a moment, Sylvia shrank back, but she quickly steadied herself, gripping the gaps in the skeletal bird’s frame. Soon, she regained her composure and began to take in the sight below.

“This is…”

“This is what Crowfield has become…”

The wind was strong.

It made Sylvia’s soul fire flicker unsteadily.

The sight before her was terrifying beyond words. The land was twisted and grotesque, the terrain warped into unnatural shapes. Everything stood at unnatural angles, as if reality itself had fractured. Undead wandered aimlessly, while the living cowered in fear, hiding wherever they could.

Death, terror, plague, darkness…

She had always known about these things.

But seeing them from the sky and experiencing them from the ground were two completely different things.

For the first time, with Xu Xi’s help, she was able to view the world from above.

For the first time, she truly understood the scale of the undead calamity.

That… that was—

That was hell.

“How did this happen…” Sylvia’s voice was hollow, her mind unable to reconcile this nightmare with the beautiful homeland she remembered.

A world reduced to this.

A Crowfield that had become like this.

It seemed… there was no way to return to the past anymore.

“Master Sorcerer, is the whole world like this now?” she asked softly.

“For the most part, yes,” Xu Xi replied. “What you see now is what most regions have become. More than half of the world has already been consumed by the Netherworld’s corruption.”

The world was vast.

There were still a few places where traces of life remained, untouched by the corruption.

But such places were far too few.

Death was the melody of this world now.

Just like the land below them.

Corpses were scattered everywhere. Undead roamed freely.

The living either hid in remote corners or gathered in fortified strongholds, desperately resisting the tide of the undead.

“Sylvia.”

Xu Xi lowered his gaze, following the undead girl’s line of sight to two gravestones on a distant hill.

He asked, “Even knowing all this, do you still choose to stay?”

“Yes, Master Sorcerer.”

Her answer was as firm as he had expected.

Her skeletal face, void of color, her pale bones—these were not what defined her.

It was her actions that expressed her unwavering resolve.

“I will take my father and mother’s place and protect every last person in Crowfield.”

The wind distorted her voice.

But Xu Xi had heard it clearly—the fearless determination within her words.

[Protecting others, protecting the past—such things were no doubt burdensome and exhausting for Sylvia.]

[Especially when the world was destined to perish.]

[Her efforts were like a dream that would inevitably crumble into nothingness.]

[You had countless ways to convince her to stop, to make her abandon this meaningless struggle. But then, you remembered your third simulation.]

[You smiled, realizing Sylvia didn’t need your guidance.]

[She was already a mature hero.]

[Her faith unwavering, her will unshakable. The only thing you could do was offer her your blessing.]

[After circling the land with Sylvia, you guided the undead bird back down, allowing her to return to her decayed mansion.]

[As you bid farewell, you deeply understood the burden a hero carried. You passed down a powerful soul cultivation method to Sylvia—a technique with high adaptability that suited her perfectly.]

[Sylvia expressed her gratitude with a polite knight’s salute.]

[“May you find success in all you pursue, Master Sorcerer.”]

[As the undead girl bid you farewell, you sat alone atop the skeletal bird and flew northward, toward the Kingdom of Aoka.]

[Your final destination—White Crow Tower, the Four-Ring Sorcerer’s Tower.]

…

Xu Xi had left.

A sorcerer’s traveling speed was incredibly fast.

In just a single breath, the skeletal bird’s wings stirred the winds, vanishing from Sylvia’s perception in an instant, leaving only faint streaks in the sky.

“Rustle, rustle.”

The withered branches swayed and scraped against each other.

A long, long time passed before Sylvia slowly returned to her senses and withdrew her gaze from the sky.

“Master Sorcerer is gone now…”

Her voice was calm, but there was a trace of loneliness within it.

She turned around.

She reached for the door.

The undead girl in heavy armor once again pushed open the rotting wooden door.

The creaking sound echoed through the corridor, sharp and piercing, carrying a sense of desolation.

Lonely and cold.

“From now on… will it be just me again?”

She did not enter immediately.

Instead, she stood at the doorway, staring into the dark, empty interior.

Suddenly, she found herself reluctant to step inside.

In the past, a lone hero could ignore hardship, press forward through storms, curl up in the darkness, silently clearing away the lingering undead.

But now, something had changed.

In just one short month…

She had become unaccustomed to the solitude of her old life.

“Stay strong, Sylvia.”

“You are the last hope of the Crowfield family. For the sake of your father and mother, you must endure.”

She steeled herself, then stepped into the dilapidated mansion.

It was nothing special.

It was just a return to her old life.

She had endured before.

She could endure again.

“Master Sorcerer was right. Right now, I am too weak. I cannot protect myself, nor can I protect others.”

“I must become stronger.”

She took out the cultivation technique Xu Xi had given her and carefully studied its contents, fully immersing herself in training.

Training, sword practice, and hunting undead.

These became the three pillars of Sylvia’s daily routine after Xu Xi’s departure.

On occasion, during thunderstorms, she would add a temporary fourth activity—curling up and holding her head as she waited for the storm to pass.

“Look! The hero is here!”

“Thank the heavens! We are saved!”

“You monster! It’s because of you that the undead are here! Get lost!”

“Throw that creature out of the village!”

Within the land of Crowfield, nothing had changed.

Some regarded the “hero” with gratitude, believing her to be a selfless savior.

Others viewed her with malice, blaming her as the cause of the undead scourge.

Sylvia never responded.

She simply wore her armor, kept her face hidden, and continued clearing the undead that plagued the land.

She had always lived like this.

From the past until now, it had never been any different.

“Father…”

“Mother…”

“I met a good sorcerer.”

At the peak of the hill, the hero curled up once more, sitting with her back against two gravestones.

She remained motionless, enveloped by the thick night.

The heavy armor she wore made her figure appear imposing.

But somehow, she still seemed small.

And very, very lonely.