The two made their way down the ramp. Just as Bai Shi had suspected, the ramp spiraled outward, eventually running alongside the tower’s wall. From then on, the path clung to the wall on one side, which offered a faint sense of security. After their last encounter, Bai Shi now walked in front to prevent any enemies from suddenly appearing in their line of sight. Bai Shi’s left hand trailed lightly along the wall, while his right held Shard of Alexander’s. For the time being, they encountered nothing unusual, so the two simply walked on in silence, quickening their pace. They followed the ramp downward for a very long time, but the path seemed to stretch on without end. A sense of urgency began to creep into Bai Shi’s mind. Darkness is one of humanity’s deepest and most primitive fears. Thanks to the snowballing effect of his Fengling Yueying system, Bai Shi had only ever felt weak and short on resources in the very early days. Now, with little Humanity on hand and no way to use his full strength, Bai Shi felt a long-lost sense of tension return. Bai Shi sighed silently. He needed to find a way to damage souls soon, or he would be reduced to a Pokémon trainer, summoning Spirit Ashes for every fight. Although he had plenty of powerful Spirit Ashes, the Spirit Calling Bell could only summon two or three different spirits at a time. He still hadn’t found the stronger spirit-calling tool he’d been hoping to collect, so he had to make do with the bell. If he had a powerful enough tool, Bai Shi could unleash a veritable plague of the undead. After a while, Shard of Alexander took the initiative to start a conversation. It seemed the prolonged time in the darkness was taking a considerable psychological toll on her. Once they started talking, the journey indeed felt less arduous. After a time, Bai Shi suddenly recalled what Shard of Alexander had said earlier about how to stop the ritual. They had to destroy the mausoleums and sever the connection between the Spirit World and the Lands Between. “What will happen if we sever the connection between the Spirit World and the Lands Between?” Shard of Alexander thought for a moment before answering. “Even if you ask me... I’m not sure. The method itself is just something I inferred.” “If I had to guess, this entire region of the Spirit World would probably collapse and be utterly destroyed.” “As for whether the souls inside will be annihilated or just scattered to other regions, I don’t know.” Bai Shi said nothing after hearing her reply, his mind replaying his brief experience in the Spirit World. Remembering the actions of those mud-like monsters, Bai Shi felt a pang of hesitation. Although one had hurt him when he touched it, the sludge-creatures hadn’t shown any hostility before Ashmi shattered the skull. On the contrary, they had even seemed somewhat curious. The Spirit World may have been warped, but these souls were once normal living beings, and they still appeared to possess consciousness. Besides, Bai Shi knew far too little about the Spirit World and hadn't encountered many of its other inhabitants. It seemed too arbitrary to classify all of them as enemies right now. His enemies were the followers of Godwyn, not the entire Spirit World constructed by the Deathbirds. “Shard, have you ever encountered any beings in the Spirit World that didn't show hostility?” A look of sorrow crossed Shard of Alexander’s face. “Obviously, such beings do exist in the Spirit World.” “But no matter their nature, they have all been twisted by pain into abnormal monsters.” “Souls so contorted by suffering are not normal. This Spirit World is not normal.” “Bai Shi, rather than worrying about causing unintended harm, it would be better to grant them release sooner rather than later.” Bai Shi silently mulled over her words, unable to reach a conclusion for the time being. He would decide after encountering another non-hostile soul. A while later, Bai Shi heard a noise from above and asked Shard of Alexander to light up the area. Bai Shi and Shard of Alexander looked up to see a slender figure hanging upside down on the staircase above them, its head raised as it stared intently at the two of them on the underside of the steps. The monster's form was like a true shadow, entirely black and ethereal, rivaling even a Cemetery Shade. However, this creature was clearly not of the same kind as a Cemetery Shade. Spiky protrusions, whether horns or bones, jutted out from its entire body, and its figure was contorted, as if it were a corpse that had been twisted twice over, causing all its bones to pierce through the flesh. The light clearly disturbed it. The monster immediately took an aggressive stance, let out a meaningless shriek, and leaped down, lunging toward them. This creature looked like a common grunt, so Bai Shi decided against sending Ashmi out. He would let his other Spirit Ashes get some practice and test their strength. Bai Shi immediately used the Spirit Calling Bell, summoning the spirit of Banished Knight Oleg. Oleg appeared before Bai Shi and Shard of Alexander, his tall back an reassuring and secure presence. By the time Oleg materialized, the monster had nearly reached them. Yet he remained composed, unhurriedly drawing the two greatswords crossed at his waist. As he drew them, a single downward cross-slash cleaved the shadowy monster in two. He followed up with a kick, sending it flying. Oleg planted his feet, twisted his body, and in the next moment, unleashed a fierce storm. He surged toward the airborne monster, his twin blades whirling as he relentlessly hacked at the creature in mid-air. Under the continuous barrage of slashes, the monster's form began to disintegrate, on the verge of destruction. With a final, violent gale bursting from its wounds, the creature's body fell to the ground and gradually dissipated into the wind. After dispatching the monster, Oleg slowly sheathed his swords, gave Bai Shi a respectful bow, and returned to his ashes. Watching Oleg eliminate the enemy with such a fluid, storm-like grace, Bai Shi felt a bit helpless. Discrimination! The Spirit World was blatantly discriminating against him! The physical techniques he used now couldn’t harm souls at all, yet the magic and skills of his Spirit Ashes dealt damage to these enemies just fine. Bai Shi had all this power at his disposal, but his techniques simply didn't interact with the monsters of the Spirit World. The only way he could deal damage was through a direct collision of souls. Collecting the Humanity that drifted from the creature, Bai Shi stared thoughtfully at the spot where the monster had vanished. That monster had been hanging upside down on the staircase, yet after it jumped down, it stood upright on the same underside of the stairs as them. Was that an innate ability, or was that just how the structure here worked? Bai Shi handed all the Humanity to Shard of Alexander. It wasn’t much this time, which seemed to suggest the amount was related to the monster’s strength. Still, as long as no one was injured and needed healing, any amount was a net gain. Bai Shi led Shard of Alexander onward. Along the way, they encountered several more monsters of a similar kind, with only minor differences in their appearance. None of them were particularly strong; Oleg was more than enough to handle them, so Bai Shi left them all to him. With hardly any resources consumed or damage taken, they gradually accumulated a fair amount of Humanity after Oleg dispatched a series of them. Because of this, Shard of Alexander once again proposed to completely heal the wounds on Bai Shi’s soul. Even if they used the Humanity to fully heal Bai Shi now, they would still have a decent amount left over. Besides, they had encountered quite a few monsters on their path so far, so they would likely be able to restock later. Bai Shi assessed the state of his soul. On top of his existing injuries, he had been taking continuous damage, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. “No need. Let’s save up a bit more.” “We still don’t have enough Humanity right now.” Fortunately, only Bai Shi, with his physical body, was susceptible to the constant soul damage. Shard of Alexander had no such symptoms. She just needed to use Humanity occasionally to alleviate the mental strain, so the group’s healing requirements weren't too high. This time, however, Shard of Alexander didn't indulge him. She insisted on healing him completely. “No, I must fully heal your soul.” “I know it might not seem like a big deal to you, that you can just endure it.” “But don’t forget, if we stay here too long, our minds will be affected.” “And when your soul is damaged, that effect is amplified.” “Even if it doesn’t drive you to madness, it could lead to poor judgment later on. Such subtle changes are hard to detect on your own.” “We can only succeed in conquering this spire if you remain in peak condition.” Bai Shi couldn’t argue with Shard of Alexander, and her reasoning was sound. He allowed her to use a portion of their Humanity to heal him. As for the Spirit Ashes, there was no need to heal them for now. He could mend them later if they had any Humanity to spare after leaving this place. During their idle chat earlier, Shard of Alexander had also mentioned how Spirit Ashes could be enhanced. In the Lands Between, using Grave Glovewort to tune spirits merely strengthened the bond between the ash and its master, allowing them to draw out their full potential through mutual recognition. But here in the Spirit World, one could use dark souls to strengthen the Spirit Ashes directly, raising their power ceiling. Theoretically, they could even surpass the strength they had in life. Shard of Alexander’s family, it seemed, was a clan of spirit-tuners, which was why she was so knowledgeable about all matters of the soul. After drinking the burning Humanity, Bai Shi instantly felt a refreshing comfort spread through him, and his thoughts became much clearer. The subtle pressure the darkness had been exerting on him, along with whatever had been clouding his mind, dissipated in an instant. It seemed regular healing was indeed necessary. After descending for some time, the path before Bai Shi and Shard of Alexander came to an abrupt end. Now, only endless darkness lay before them. The light from Shard of Alexander's hand couldn't reach the other side of the broken section, leaving them unsure if the path continued. With no other choice, Shard of Alexander had to burn the Humanity even brighter to illuminate their surroundings. The scene that followed was one Shard of Alexander could hardly believe. Before them, the path was gone. The staircase that spiraled down the spire’s wall was completely shattered. In the gap where the path had disappeared, only a few minuscule remnants of the steps clung to the wall. And below their feet, the staircase on the next level down was likewise gone, leaving only profound darkness. Shard of Alexander burned the Humanity to its absolute limit, but in the end, it could only illuminate a distance of twenty or thirty meters. The level below that was also completely fractured, and anything further down was beyond the light's reach. Since they couldn't see a complete path, simply jumping down to the next level was not an option. If there was no path below, they would plummet into the unknown. Shard of Alexander stared at the vanished road ahead, her expression grim. She turned her head, managed to force a smile, and tried to comfort Bai Shi. “It seems the path has ended.” “Looks spire is a dead end...” “We have no choice. Let’s go back and try our luck at the next tower.” “The next one will be a success, I’m sure of it.” Although Shard of Alexander felt the sting of their wasted Humanity, she knew that adventuring was never without its setbacks. Especially in the Spirit World, where information was scarce. They had spent a lot of Humanity, but at least she and Bai Shi were still intact and unharmed. As long as they could build up their reserves again, they could make an attempt on the next spire. Bai Shi glanced at the tiny fragments of the staircase ahead and smiled. How could there be no path? It was right there. To move forward, they just had to land on those remnants one by one and leap across. This was a time to use the power of a Tarnished. In the game, he had cleared platforming sections countless times. This would be no exception. A mere platforming section. Watch me clear it in one go! “It’s fine. We can keep going.” Shard of Alexander turned her head, her face filled with astonishment. “What? But there’s clearly no path ahead...” Bai Shi let go of Shard of Alexander’s hand and wrapped his arm firmly around her waist instead. Shard of Alexander’s face immediately flushed red. “Wh-What are you doing?” Bai Shi smiled faintly, then leaped toward the first fragment of the staircase ahead. Shard of Alexander clung tightly to Bai Shi, letting out an involuntary shriek. Fortunately, she didn’t forget to maintain the Humanity in her hand for light. Without it, Bai Shi wouldn't have been able to see the path. Bai Shi moved with deft agility, swiftly advancing across the scattered remnants of the stairs. Most of the steps had shattered cleanly, leaving only tiny, palm-sized footholds against the wall. Bai Shi touched down lightly on the balls of his feet, narrowly but safely crossing each one. Other sections, while severely broken, still offered the width of a step or two. These spots looked safer but would crumble the instant he stepped on them. However, before the steps could give way, Bai Shi had already pushed off them, launching himself to the next foothold. After her initial shriek, Shard of Alexander slowly calmed her nerves. Though still shaken and tense, she remained quiet in Bai Shi’s arms to avoid distracting him. If she were to interfere and cause him to misstep, they would both be finished. Although Bai Shi couldn’t attack the souls, his physical strength remained. A little platforming challenge was no problem for him at all. Finally, after Bai Shi had leaped across a distance equivalent to three or four floors of the staircase, they spotted a relatively complete set of stairs ahead. With one great leap, Bai Shi landed successfully, carrying Shard of Alexander safely to the intact steps. Shard of Alexander released her grip on Bai Shi and fell from his arms, her legs giving out as she sat on the ground. “Jeez! How can you be so reckless!” “And also, why are you so good at this!?” Bai Shi scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish, but offered no explanation. All that time he spent jumping around on the rooftops of the Academy with Sellen had indeed given him plenty of experience. Shard of Alexander sat on the ground for a moment to recover, then quickly stood up. Time was precious; she couldn't afford to waste too much of it, or their Humanity, here. The interior of this spire was enormous. They still had no sign of the end, and there was no telling how long it would take to fully explore. This was her first time venturing so deep into one of these spires, so she had no prior experience to draw upon. Seeing Shard of Alexander's legs still trembling slightly, Bai Shi wanted her to rest a bit longer, but she refused, so he had no choice but to lead her onward. The long staircase seemed to stretch on forever. Bai Shi and Shard of Alexander walked for a very long time once more. This time, even the monsters had vanished. They walked through the endless darkness for longer than all their previous travel time combined. There was nothing in the darkness. It was pitch-black and silent—enough to drive a person mad. Shard of Alexander had already drunk the burning Humanity twice to ward off the effects on her mind. This pure darkness was worse than hearing whispers or strange movements; at least those would have provided some diversion. Bai Shi noticed the light in Shard of Alexander's hand seemed to have weakened slightly and asked: “What’s wrong? Are we running low on Humanity?” Shard of Alexander shook her head, but after a moment’s thought, she gave a slight nod. “We still have a decent amount, but I’m getting worried because we’ve been walking for so long without seeing an end.” “There are no monsters on this stretch of the path to replenish our supply, but there’s also no danger, so I reduced the intensity of the flame. I hope to conserve a little so it can burn for longer.” Bai Shi nodded, agreeing with her course of action. After all, with no monsters to provide more Humanity, it was only natural to be cautious. Bai Shi led Shard of Alexander forward, and this time, the long, repetitive path finally presented something different. His left hand, which had been trailing along the wall, touched something peculiar. As if a mechanism had been triggered, a large door slowly opened in the wall before them. Once the door was open, Shard of Alexander tried to shine her light inside. However, the doorway was covered by a thick layer of gray-black fog that prevented any light from passing through. Bai Shi and Shard of Alexander exchanged a look. “It looks like a hidden room. There might be something inside.” “I’m going to check it out.” A little dark room was an essential part of the Soulslike experience. Shard of Alexander hesitated for a moment, then nodded. Chapters fırst released on 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⁂𝖿𝗂𝗋𝖾⁂𝔫𝔢𝔱 Continuing down the stairs felt hopeless; they might as well see what was inside. Bai Shi went first, touching the black fog gate with his hand. His body began to phase through it. It was just as dark inside, but as Shard of Alexander entered, the flame in her hand cast a faint glow on their surroundings. A straight, level path stretched before them, leading to an unknown destination. Without hesitation, they continued forward. As they walked, lights suddenly flared up on both sides. Bai Shi glanced toward the light and saw several torches mounted on the walls of the room, now spontaneously lit with ghostflame, illuminating the area. However, the darkness on either side of the path remained too thick to be penetrated by the light, churning like a viscous liquid. From within it, unsettling sounds faintly echoed. As the two advanced, the torches on the wall continued to ignite one after another, revealing the path ahead. At the very end of the path, Bai Shi and Shard of Alexander saw a white orb resting on an altar. The orb looked unassuming; they had no idea what it was for. Just as Bai Shi was about to step forward and touch the orb, all the torches in the room flared brightly at once, revealing the true appearance of the chamber. Within this room, in the darkness that flanked the path they had just walked, a menagerie of monsters lay hidden. When the two reached the end of the path, they had evidently triggered something, unsealing all the creatures here. Their forms were varied, but all were grotesquely twisted as they crawled out of the churning darkness. The smallest were only the size of imps, scurrying forward with unnatural movements. The largest, however, stood dozens of meters tall. It was a terrifying giant made entirely of shadow. Its lower half walked upright, while a long, slender spine connected to its upper half, which crawled along the ground. Its head was upside down, its face a mask of savagery. Now, large and small, they all emerged from the darkness, staring hungrily at Bai Shi and Shard of Alexander. The first monster could no longer restrain itself and moved, and then all of them charged toward Bai Shi and Shard of Alexander from all sides. Seeing the formidable horde of monsters, Shard of Alexander's face turned deathly pale. With so many of them, how could they possibly escape? The path they came from was now swarmed with monsters, trapping them on the altar. But unlike the panicked Shard of Alexander, Bai Shi smiled at the sight of the numerous monsters. Now this was more like it. A dark little room was a staple of the Soulslike experience, but only one filled with an ambush could be considered a proper one. And the Humanity they were lacking? Well, here was a delivery. Since the enemy had already taken the initiative to surround them, he didn't need to be polite. Bai Shi gently shook the Spirit Calling Bell. What to do against such a large group of enemies? He happened to have two Spirit Ashes perfectly suited for large-scale combat. As the bell in Bai Shi's hand chimed, the bodies of two behemoths appeared to his left and right. They were Dragonkin Soldiers. Designed and created as warriors and weapons, neither human nor dragon, they ultimately never had the chance to be deployed. They were forgotten along with the destruction of the Eternal Cities, never having fulfilled their purpose—a tragedy for beings that were both warriors and weapons. The souls of the Dragonkin Soldiers, found by Bai Shi after an eternity of burial, were now finally making their debut. Only now could they at last fulfill their destiny as warriors and weapons: to throw themselves into endless battle. To repay Bai Shi's favor, they would fight fearlessly to the very last moment. Seeing the various misshapen enemies rushing toward them from all sides, the Dragonkin Soldiers' eyes glowed with a ferocious red light as they threw back their blood-red maws and unleashed a mighty roar. If only the theme from Unit-01's rampage could be playing right now, it would be absolutely perfect. Bai Shi pointed toward the numerous enemies before them and issued his command to the Dragonkin Soldiers: After its roar, one of the Dragonkin Soldiers immediately unfurled the four skeletal wings on its back. It leaped into the air and, after a short flight, landed amidst the swarm of enemies, crashing down upon the largest of the monstrous shadow giants. Countless surrounding monsters were instantly crushed by the bodies of the two behemoths. After landing on the giant’s back, the Dragonkin Soldier began to relentlessly pound on the terrifying creature's spine. The giant writhed, its spine coiling like a serpent to entangle the Dragonkin Soldier, while its hands continuously battered its foe, each blow sending tremors through the Dragonkin Soldier's soul. In retaliation, the Dragonkin Soldier bit down on the giant's hand and tore viciously. Unlike the elegant ancient dragons, the Dragonkin Soldiers fought with utter madness. As weapons, they paid no heed to their own injuries. The shockwaves from the battle between the two colossal creatures annihilated many of the other monsters nearby. But even so, those monsters continued to swarm onto the Dragonkin Soldier's body, tearing at its form. The Dragonkin Soldier beside Bai Shi couldn't fly, but it possessed another deadly skill: ice lightning. It charged forward on all fours, its arms sweeping left and right across the ground, carving a bloody path. Then, it rushed to its companion's side, conjured violent ice lightning in its hands, and slammed it downward, instantly clearing the dense swarm of enemies clinging to its ally. Next, it gripped a spear of ice lightning and ran through the terrifying giant entangled with its companion, pinning it to the ground. The other Dragonkin Soldier, in the midst of its savage assault, tore the monster’s spine apart, eliminating the largest and most conspicuous enemy. Although the two Dragonkin Soldiers had engaged the vast majority of the enemies, they couldn't hold them all back. A large number of monsters were still swarming toward Bai Shi and Shard of Alexander, attempting to attack them. Bai Shi shook the Spirit Calling Bell again, summoning the ashes of Banished Knight Oleg, and also let Ashmi emerge from his body. Bai Shi instructed Ashmi to assist the Dragonkin Soldiers and prevent them from taking too much damage. Oleg, meanwhile, would be responsible for cleaning up the few enemies that slipped through. One of the hollow-armored enemies, similar to those from before, appeared behind a Dragonkin Soldier. This time, the enemy wore armor from the Land of Reeds, its great odachi about to cleave down on the Dragonkin Soldier's neck. But Ashmi had already leaped up, landing on the Dragonkin Soldier's back and blocking the blow. Ashmi had been annoyed at her failure to quickly dispatch a similar foe earlier and was determined to prove her strength this time. The two clashed fiercely, using the Dragonkin Soldier's back as their arena. After dozens of exchanges, the suit of armor fell from the Dragonkin Soldier's back, turning to dust before it even hit the ground. With a free hand, Ashmi cast the Golden Vow incantation to buff the Dragonkin Soldiers before plunging into the horde of monsters to begin the slaughter. Ordinary incantations couldn't heal souls, but attack buffs worked just fine.