Chapter 42: The Shadow’s Deception

Gale-force winds howled into being, akin to an invisible behemoth, its furious charge whipping up dust from the ground, momentarily blinding those caught within its swirling embrace.

The night was dark and the winds fierce, a perfect prelude for malevolent entities to emerge.

Standing in the very heart of this desolate wasteland, Xia Ranxin instinctively shielded her face with both hands.

Only after a few moments, as the night wind gradually subsided, did she dare to peek out.

To her astonishment, the bright moon that had previously hung high in the night sky had vanished without a trace, and the surrounding stars had simultaneously dimmed their brilliance.

Not only that! Xia Ranxin frantically scanned her surroundings, realizing that not a single glimmer of light remained in her vicinity.

Neither the faintly visible city lights from afar, nor the subtle phosphorescence flickering within the grass, were anywhere to be seen.

At this very moment, all had vanished.

An immense darkness enveloped Xia Ranxin, and she finally understood what it truly meant to be unable to see one’s own hand before their face.

‘The monster is here—’

Xia Ranxin’s senses sharpened abruptly, and her primal instinct was to call out a warning to Lin and Rena, who were hidden nearby; however, though her mouth opened, no sound escaped her lips.

It was then that she realized her body was trembling uncontrollably, cold sweat already drenching her back, rendering her incapable of even uttering a simple sound.

A sudden realization dawned upon Xia Ranxin: her body had already sensed the impending danger before her mind could even fully grasp the thought itself.

‘This cannot continue. I must do something.’

‘The Shadow Beast’s power is far more insidious than I imagined. I must alert Lin and Rena, who are currently lying in wait.’

Yet, no matter how desperately she tried, she could only manage to emit meaningless ‘ah-ah’ sounds.

It was as if something had seized her by the throat.

Not merely her throat, but Xia Ranxin’s entire body was held captive by an unseen force.

As Xia Ranxin struggled frantically, her peripheral vision caught sight of something.

She fell silent instantly, for she had finally discerned what was holding her captive.

It was an intangible, serpent-like entity, extending from the profound darkness that surrounded her.

Yet, this aberrant form appeared far more bizarre and perilous than any snake, resembling, perhaps, tentacles reaching out from the realm of shadows…

Xia Ranxin slowly lifted her head, her gaze fixed.

Within the boundless darkness, she distinctly saw a gaping maw, bristling with black fangs, hovering almost directly before her face…

“Now!”

A sudden roar erupted from behind Xia Ranxin, and in the next instant, the Magic Cubes pre-planted around them activated simultaneously.

Twelve thick pillars of light shot skyward, illuminating the entire area as if it were broad daylight.

Xia Ranxin suddenly felt the pressure on her body lighten.

She staggered back a few steps, and amidst the blinding radiance, she finally saw the true form of the Shadow Beast that had been relentlessly pursuing her.

It was a massive, four-legged beast, utterly black, its features indistinguishable.

Devoid of any discernible face, it bore sharp claws at the ends of its limbs.

Within the cage formed by the twelve beams of Holy Light, it appeared severely weakened, now prostrate on the ground, emitting a series of low growls towards Xia Ranxin.

The very next second, Lin’s figure materialized behind the Shadow Beast.

Her eyes ablaze with fury, she swept her sheathed longsword horizontally.

Xia Ranxin blinked, convinced she was seeing things.

It had been an utterly unremarkable swing, yet why had she witnessed three red sword slashes appearing from different directions?

“Crimson Heart Style: Three Moons’ Descent.”

The crisp, cold voice resonated once more.

Only then did Xia Ranxin realize that the Lin who had appeared earlier was merely an illusion.

The true Lin had, at some unknown moment, leaped directly above the Shadow Beast, her sheathed longsword raised high, poised to strike.

This technique involved deceiving the opponent with a feigned movement, then launching three slashes from different directions, each varying in speed and power.

However, these were merely diversionary maneuvers; the true killing blow was a powerful, heavy strike descending from above, delivered precisely when the opponent was exhausted from parrying the initial three attacks.

This was a strike capable of ‘felling the moon,’ achievable only by warriors of the Crimson Moon Clan who had mastered the ‘Self-Sacrifice’ secret technique, allowing them to unleash physical abilities beyond conventional limits.

Even with Lin’s longsword still sheathed, its power diminished, it was still potent enough to deliver a fatal blow to the malevolent beast.

However…

“Owooo—”

A low growl emanated from the Shadow Beast, as four shadowy tentacles simultaneously erupted from its back.

These appendages, chaotic yet swift, thrashed about, forming an impenetrable barrier that precisely deflected the supposedly fatal strike.

Immediately afterward, the four tentacles simultaneously lashed out towards Lin’s position in mid-air.

Concurrently, two new tentacles extended from the Shadow Beast’s shoulders, coalescing into spear-like forms that shot towards the still-recovering Xia Ranxin with astonishing speed.

“Tsk, was it deflected?”

Lin adjusted her posture in mid-air, using her longsword to guard her vital points, but was still sent flying by the tentacles.

“Rena!”

In a flash, a slender figure of golden light shimmered into existence, appearing before Xia Ranxin to intercept the deadly attack on her behalf.

—It was the Radiant Knight, Rena.

Rena raised her right hand high, brilliant light coalescing within it.

In an instant, a colossal shield materialized before both her and Xia Ranxin.

Rena’s left hand protected her right wrist as she calmly responded to Lin:

“I know without you telling me!”

Almost simultaneously, with two dull thuds, Rena’s right hand trembled slightly, as if two ferocious beasts had simultaneously crashed into the shield with all their might.

She barely managed to steady herself, shouting aloud:

“Bastet’s conjecture was correct; it’s in a physical state now. Kill it!”

A crimson, phantom-like figure surged forth instantly.

Lin gritted her teeth, saying, “I know without you telling me!”

Retorting to Rena with the same words, Lin, having landed safely amidst the onslaught of tentacles, swung her blade to repel the encroaching shadowy tendrils.

She then returned her longsword to her waist and slowly closed her eyes.

In an instant, Lin’s aura underwent a dramatic shift.

A ferocious energy surged within her, and simultaneously, countless intricate moon-white patterns emerged across her skin, while dense crimson mist billowed around her form.

From a distance, she appeared as a sanguine blood moon.

The Crimson Moon Clan’s ultimate technique, the ‘Self-Sacrifice’ secret art, which had vanished from Granzenias for years, now reappeared in the outskirts of this foreign world’s small city!

Seemingly sensing the threat from Lin behind it, the Shadow Beast abandoned its immediate prey.

It snarled as it turned, its six tentacles erupting from its back in unison, all striking at Lin, who stood rooted to the spot.

However, it was already too late.

Lin calmly opened her eyes.

She did nothing, yet the six tentacles hurtling towards her froze in mid-air simultaneously, then shattered into fragments!

Following this, she slowly, almost impossibly slowly, swung the sheathed longsword, loosely held at her waist, in a diagonal arc.

In that moment, time itself seemed to halt across the entire world.

Xia Ranxin’s eyes widened in disbelief.

She clearly saw that, with the black sheathed longsword as the dividing line, everything around them—be it the Holy Light cage, the boundless darkness conjured by the Shadow Beast, or even the Holy Light greatshield in Rena’s hands before her—

Everything existing within this space was equally bisected by the line drawn by that longsword.

“Crimson Heart Style: Secret Blade, Severing Void Strike.”

This was a secret art, passed down through generations, that only a select few within the Crimson Moon Clan were permitted to learn; as its name implied, it was a strike capable of almost cleaving space itself.

Lin took a deep breath and opened her eyes.

The moon-white patterns on her body gradually receded, the crimson mist enveloping her dissipated, and the sheathed longsword in her hand had already fallen.

Only then did Xia Ranxin realize that the Shadow Beast had been motionless since the attack.

Summoning her courage, she peered out from behind Rena’s Holy Light greatshield.

The Shadow Beast remained frozen in its attack posture towards Lin, immobile as a statue.

Then, a crack abruptly appeared in the center of this ominous, obsidian sculpture.

This fissure lengthened progressively, eventually spreading across the Shadow Beast’s entire form.

From the darkness came hoarse sighs and wails, as the Shadow Beast could no longer maintain its form, collapsing into a pile of black fragments on the ground.

“It succeeded?”

Xia Ranxin gazed in disbelief at the pile of debris before her.

She looked up to see Lin, restored to her usual demeanor, smiling at her.

“Lin!”

She instinctively moved to step forward, but was suddenly restrained by Rena beside her.

Xia Ranxin turned back, a hint of confusion in her eyes.

Rena, having condensed Holy Light into a small knife in her hand, grabbed Xia Ranxin by the back of her collar and flung her away.

—And the direction she threw her was straight towards Lin!

“Rena?”

Xia Ranxin’s heart leaped in alarm, and she instinctively wanted to cry out a warning to Lin, but then saw Lin abruptly halt her steps.

Immediately after, the small knife grazed Lin’s shoulder as it flew past, embedding itself in a small patch of shadow behind her.

“Owooo—”

A frustrated roar echoed, the unmistakable sound of the Shadow Beast.

Only then did Xia Ranxin realize that the Shadow Beast, though seemingly cleaved by Lin, had not been completely destroyed.

It had clung to Lin’s shadow, still attempting to launch a sneak attack on them all.

Fortunately, Rena had discovered it in time.

“What a troublesome beast. Even with preparations, it almost escaped.”

Lin frowned, gazing with distaste at the small cluster of shadow.

“You were clearly negligent, thinking everything was over and letting your guard down.”

Rena retracted her Holy Light greatshield, routinely teasing Lin as usual.

However, Lin did not retort as she usually would; instead, she solemnly bowed her head.

“You are correct. In that final moment, I was indeed careless, failing to detect even this simple disguise.

Had you not discovered it in advance, Lady Ranxin would likely have fallen into danger once more.”

She bowed respectfully to Rena with sincere gratitude.

“Your self-sacrificing intervention saved Lady Ranxin’s life, and I am eternally grateful.”

Rena: “…Your sudden formality is quite unsettling. How about you quickly go back to your usual self?”

Lin, however, remained perfectly serious. “How could I? You are Lady Ranxin’s savior!”

Rena chuckled. “Er… you were the main force in this operation. I merely picked up the scraps at the end; there’s no need to be so polite.”

“Not at all, Lady Rena! You are the true hero!”

“…If you keep talking like that, I really will cut you, you know.”

Witnessing the two, who usually exchanged sharp retorts, suddenly become so humbly deferential, Xia Ranxin, standing nearby, couldn’t help but let out a laugh.

Infected by her mirth, the other two also broke into smiles.

“Regardless, this troublesome Shadow Beast is finally dealt with. You no longer need to live in fear, Ranxin.”

Rena spoke sincerely to Xia Ranxin, who in turn bowed deeply to both of them.

“Without you two, I would have likely perished at the hands of that monster long ago. I am the one who should be expressing the most gratitude.

Lin, and Rena, thank you for saving me.”

As she spoke, and then looked up, she couldn’t conceal the tears welling in her eyes.

Rena, somewhat awkwardly, scratched her head.

“Your solemnity is making me uncomfortable… What a pity Bai Zhi isn’t here.”

“If Lady Bai Zhi were here, she would surely have subdued that beast even faster,” Lin nodded, agreeing.

“Who knows?”

Rena shrugged.

“Still, that fellow must be quite frustrated, missing out on such a grand opportunity to show off. We’ll have to thoroughly brag about it to her when we get back!”

“However—for now, let’s deactivate this Holy Light cage. Honestly, it’s truly blinding.”

Rena chuckled as she began to rise, intending to deactivate the Magic Cubes.

However, Lin suddenly spoke.

“Um, perhaps I’m being overly cautious, but isn’t Lady Ranxin’s shadow a bit peculiar?”

“Peculiar?” Rena paused. “In what way?”

“It’s just… both my shadow and Lady Rena’s are directly beneath our feet, yet Lady Ranxin’s shadow is distinctly elongated behind her.”

Lin spoke cautiously.

“Perhaps my observations are simply limited.”

“Directly behind her…”

Rena circled around behind Xia Ranxin.

Just as Lin had described, Xia Ranxin’s shadow stretched long behind her, a phenomenon made all the more conspicuous by the intense illumination.

It resembled a person’s silhouette cast by the setting sun.

Yet, it was not sunset; the blinding brilliance of the surrounding Holy Light cage indicated it should be high noon!

Rena instantly understood, her expression shifting dramatically as the Holy Light greatshield reappeared in her hand.

“That Shadow Beast! It hasn’t—”

Before Rena could finish her sentence, four tentacles erupted from Xia Ranxin’s shadow behind her, firmly coiling around Xia Ranxin’s body.

Then, the unsuspecting Xia Ranxin was pulled backward by the tentacles, tumbling to the ground.

“Lady Ranxin!”

The sheathed longsword swept horizontally once more.

However, this time Lin felt no impact with a solid object; the longsword passed through the tentacles unimpeded.

“Damn it! Is it no longer corporeal?”

Lin quickly took a few steps forward, intending to grab Xia Ranxin’s hand and pull her back.

Rena also rushed forward, but just as their hands were about to touch Xia Ranxin, the four tentacles suddenly accelerated.

A bewildered Xia Ranxin was dragged into the shadows right before Lin and Rena’s eyes.

Subsequently, the elongated shadow rippled, then shattered completely, vanishing without a trace like a reflection on water, leaving only an empty patch of ground.