Leon blitzed through the Ashen Barrows.
He needed to reach the hill before the dark sea consumed him. With an azure scythe in one hand and the crown on his head, he approached the hill and began scaling it with great speed.
The two bottles of oil were secured in his bag as he rushed through the desolate field. The sun had set, and Leon had made it just in time — but not without catching the attention of the Carapace Demon.
The sea had fully risen, and only a small island remained of the hill. The tree stood majestically ahead of him. The Carapace Demon noticed him and immediately attacked with its giant pincers.
The Ember Crown flared.
Ember Charge: [156/1000]
Ember Charge: [136/1000]
The ground exploded beneath Leon's feet, hurling him into the air like an arrow. The demon's eyes followed him as he continued flying upward.
Bright orange flames covered his silver armor. The seven stars on his chest shone like embers while unbearable heat built beneath the metal.
Gritting his teeth, Leon twisted midair and triggered another explosion. This time, the blast hurled him forward, straight toward the tree.
The demon was startled, but it could do nothing. It couldn't reach Leon.
The demon was never Leon's primary target — he had always aimed for the tree.
Leon flew toward it at terrifying speed. He crashed through layers of scarlet leaves and thick branches, snapping them apart as his momentum carried him deeper into the canopy.
By the time the force finally died down, he tumbled forward and rolled into a giant, elaborate bird's nest resting between the crimson leaves.
The nest was spherical in shape, with a round opening leading inside, through which Leon had just stumbled.
Usually, a nest would be made of grass and twigs, but this one was constructed from the branches of the great tree — each at least as thick as a man's arm, which helped break Leon's fall as he crashed into the nest.
He landed on a soft surface. The lower part of the nest was covered in a thick cushion of white, silky spiderwebs. Entering the nest had not been part of his plan, as he had simply wanted to reach the top of the tree and begin burning it. Without waiting for Noah's explanation, he began studying the nest.
Leon steadied himself as he noticed a giant gray egg in the center. The surface of the egg shimmered with shifting shades of gray, layered over one another like moving clouds.
Leon stepped closer and placed his hand on the egg.
The egg was warm to the touch.
'Where is your mother, I wonder…'
"That's a Great Devil, Leon," Noah said with a smile.
"Honestly, I didn't know if you would survive this. You're probably rubbing off on me."
Leon noticed something. The egg was trying to steal his life force. The feeling was faint, but he could sense the pull on his core.
Calmly removing his hand, Leon took a step back.
"This little shit. It's not even born yet, and it's already trying to go against me." Leon snorted.
Gripping his scythe, he swung at the egg.
Nothing.
The egg didn't even crack. The scythe simply bounced off its surface. Leon clicked his tongue as he closed his eyes and focused. He could feel the egg trying to siphon his life force.
Leon activated his aspect ability.
Aspect Ability: [Formless Scripture]
Ability Description:
[You can perceive and comprehend the structure of Attributes possessed by others—how they function, what fuels them, and the price they demand.
By force of will and understanding, you may temporarily imprint fragments of a foreign Attribute, at extreme cost.]
He pictured Sunny using his shadow — wrapping it around himself and his weapons, using it as an invaluable helper. Sunny's shadow moved like an extension of himself, almost independent.
Leon instantly felt his body temperature drop. He shivered as the cold spread through him, his body desperately trying to warm itself.
The shadows around him grew deeper. His own shadow felt strange.
Blood began pouring from Leon's nose, ears, and eyes. The strain of maintaining the ability was too heavy for his body to endure. He collapsed to his knees, unable to copy Sunny's Aspect ability. Leon coughed up blood as he clutched his chest.
"Guess you need the blessing of the Shadow God," Noah said.
Finally catching his breath, Leon wiped the blood from his face and stood up again. He could still feel the constant invisible pull from the egg. The only reason it failed to devour his soul was because he didn't possess a normal soul core. Rather, he had the mysterious and annoying Resonance Core.
Leon continued staring at the egg. Then, a small smile appeared on his face.
Approaching it again, he tried picking it up. The egg was surprisingly heavy. Straining every muscle in his arms and back, Leon slowly lifted it.
He moved toward the entrance of the nest.
"Wait… what are you doing?" Noah asked in a tense voice.
Leon's eyes twitched. He let the egg drop to the ground as he took a few deep breaths.
"What else, idiot? If I drop the egg on the creature, it should suck the life force out of it, no?"
Noah shook his head frantically. "We need to be the ones to kill the demon. It gives us a very important Memory. And what if the egg hatches? How do you plan on dealing with…"
He paused and frowned.
"With that abomination's spawn!" he shouted.
Leon looked down at the egg. He stared at it for a moment, then glanced back at Noah.
Leon grinned.
"Who said this was for the demon?"
Noah froze. "What…what do you mean?"
Leon grinned madly and let out a laugh.
"Let's have a reunion with an old buddy."
He bent down and picked the egg up again.
"That piece of shit is going to pay for the migraines it gave me."
When he exited the nest, he had to push through a thick barrier of leaves while barely balancing himself on the narrow branches. The part of the tree where the nest rested almost felt twisted downward.
Passing through the dense leaves, he carefully walked along the branches of the tree. Along the way, he noticed several hanging fruits. They looked ripe and delicious, but Leon stayed focused on descending the tree under the heavy weight of the egg.
'I'll return for these later.'
Struggling to carry the egg, Leon took multiple breaks during his descent down the tree. The crimson leaves of the Soul Devouring Tree rattled every time he set the egg down. The wood near it immediately turned lifeless and gray whenever the egg touched the surface.
It looked like the tree was constantly trying to cut off a part of itself whenever it came into contact with the egg. The crimson leaves shook, as if they were trying their best to endure the pain caused by the egg.
He wasn't sure how many hours had passed since he began descending the tree, but the soreness in his muscles grew worse and worse.
Unable to see perfectly in the dark, Leon had to alternate between copying Sunny's Aspect and letting his eyes rest to relieve the strain of keeping his innate ability active. The rustling of the scarlet leaves was far from calming or tranquil anymore. It sounded like thousands of trapped souls, all screaming in agony.
Pushing his thoughts aside, Leon focused on descending the tree. At first, the branches were narrow and thin, but they soon grew chaotically in all directions, twisting and crossing each other, with thick foliage blocking his line of sight. The branches eventually grew as wide as roads.
Eventually, Leon finally reached a tiny clearing. He immediately stopped his descent and put the egg down. Leaning forward, he forced himself to breathe as quietly as possible, though his chest still rose and fell heavily from exhaustion.
Focusing all his senses, he listened.
Beyond the rustling of leaves and the distant waves of the dark sea, he heard something.
A faint screech echoed from somewhere below him.
***
A few hours later, Sunny was still sitting on top of the spine, looking in the direction of the tree.
Nephis climbed up and stood beside him.
"Get some sleep, Sunny. I'll keep watch," Nephis said in a low voice.
"How's Cassie?"
"She got tired and fell asleep."
Sunny exhaled. "I'm good, Nephis, thanks."
He paused.
"I'm gonna go there as soon as the sea descends, and I'm gonna beat some sense into that bastard."
He paused again.
"Then we're gonna cook the meat of the demon, and have some demon steak."
Nephis smiled faintly.
"Yes."
With that, she sat beside him.
***
Leon was already prepared for a scenario where he would have to face the Carapace Demon in the branches of the tree. Considering how vast the labyrinth was, he would have the advantage up here.
Leon sat on a lower branch of the tree where he had a clear view of the Carapace Demon, but the demon couldn't reach him.
Even though Leon wanted to go down there and throw hands with the demon, he knew that he wasn't strong enough to clash with it head-on.
Removing two clay bottles from his seaweed bag, Leon threw them at the tree and doused part of the trunk with oil. The trunk was far too large to cover completely, but Leon only needed to light it for a short while anyway.
'Why didn't this thing climb up anyway?'
Surely, even if the demon knew it was at a disadvantage up there, it wouldn't just sit down there and do nothing. Noah had said the tree itself was the root of the problem.
'Perhaps… it fears the tree?'
The Carapace Demon, which had not noticed Leon's presence so far, now heard the disturbance. It had been patiently waiting for its prey, but had not dared to harm the great tree by climbing it and ruining its grand form.
The demon was the size of a house after all. Even if the tree were larger, the creature would have to dig its pincers and scythes into the trunk to climb.
Leon immediately caused a small explosion near the trunk, and the tree burst into flames.
The Carapace Demon watched as the tree burned. It remained still for a few moments before it finally moved. Even though the oil had barely been enough to ignite a small part of the trunk, Leon's continuous explosions caused the flames to grow rapidly.
Leon watched with widened eyes, amazed at the demon's reaction.
The demon grabbed its armor and ripped it off its own flesh. Strands of meat clung to the torn shell as the creature continued prying it off until the armor finally tore free from its body.
The demon gripped the armor plate and dashed toward the dark sea, scooping up a mass of water with the curve of its shell. It rushed back to the tree, trying to extinguish the fire.
Leon was confused. The demon should have been too prideful to go this far, and yet its actions were completely baffling.
For the first time, Leon's analysis was wrong. He had expected the demon to try to extinguish the flames, but this was not resolve.
It was desperation.
He watched as the demon scurried across the ground, desperately trying to smother the flames.
'Soul Devouring Tree…'
Leon remembered the name Noah had mentioned.
His gaze slowly drifted upward.
The branches above him were heavy with fruit. Pale, swollen shapes hanging silently among the scarlet leaves. One of them dangled close enough to reach.
Leon hesitated for a moment before extending his hand and plucking it from the branch. The fruit felt strangely warm in his palm.
He turned it slowly, studying its surface while the distant crackling of fire echoed through the night.
For a few seconds, he simply stared at it.
Then, Leon brought the fruit to his mouth and took a bite.
[A new pattern has been completed.]
[Resonance Fragment acquired.]
Leon's eyes widened.
He immediately grabbed another fruit from the branch and bit into it.
Nothing happened.
Leon slowly chewed and swallowed, then let out a quiet sigh.
Of course, he already knew the nature of his Resonance Core.
"Figures…" he muttered under his breath.
Leon wiped the juice from his fingers and glanced down at the chaos below. The Carapace Demon was still desperately trying to smother the flames crawling up the trunk.
A small smile spread across Leon's face.
"Don't die too early, proud demon. I still need you as bait."
***
Sunny sat atop the spine, his gaze locked on the distant tree. Nephis had already gone down to look after Cassie, but Sunny had refused to move.
Suddenly, a bright flash of light appeared in the distance, followed by the faint sound of an explosion.
Sunny's eyes widened.
A bright orange glow began to shine like a beacon in the darkness.
Sunny slowly stood up, his breath shaky.
He couldn't see what was happening. All he could make out was the flickering orange light far away.
Sunny clenched his fists.
'Come on Leon...'
***
Leon watched as the demon continued to dart around the island in a desperate attempt to put out the fire.
He used the Ember Crown to heal himself, taking a deep breath as he tried to concentrate. He stopped using the crown on the tree. The demon had already put out most of the flames, but Leon figured it should be about time now.
Then the sea moved.
The air grew colder, and a thick wall of fog began to rise above the dark waters.
'There it is.'
Leon closed his eyes and used the Shadow pattern on his Aspect. Activating Shadow Sense, he felt the sea part, making way for something enormous.
Or at least, that was what Leon thought. The creature had no shadow. All he could do was guess its size from the massive gap it carved through the water.
Leon smiled madly.
"Welcome back, you little shit."
The demon slowly turned as it noticed the creature approaching. The Carapace Demon roared and struck its scythes against each other.
In the next moment, the whole island trembled as the demon clashed with the unknown creature that had been lurking in the fog. Something shattered with a deafening crash, and the ground shook again, causing the branches of the great tree to sway.
Leon had kept his ears keen the entire time, but he mainly tried to make sense of the battle through Shadow Sense. By now, the fire on the tree had completely dissipated.
Leon waited.
Then he heard voices again.
"Open your eyes," he heard a familiar voice say.
"OPEN YOUR EYES! OPEN YOUR EYES! OPEN YOUR EYES! OPEN YOUR EYES! OPEN YOUR EYES! OPEN YOUR EYES—"
"Shut up, goddamnit!" Leon shouted.
The voice immediately disappeared.
'Wait… that worked?'
But by the time Leon tried to figure out what had happened with the voice, he sensed the demon kneel. He thought he understood the demon's pride — or at least he believed he did.
After the demon's suicidal armor move, he doubted the creature was that easy to understand. He still had his doubts, but he knew the demon would not kneel easily.
This could only mean one thing.
'It's dying!'
Immediately, Leon picked up the egg again and threw it down. Using the crown, he triggered tiny, weak explosions to push the egg toward the demon. And unlike the last time he had thrown something like this, Leon actually managed to strike the egg directly against the demon's exposed flesh.
The demon's eyes widened in horror. Its remaining pincer and scythes fell limp. It screeched loudly, the sound echoing across the entire island.
Then the demon collapsed.
A heavy thud followed as the creature's massive body slammed into the ground.
[You have slain an Awakened Demon, Carapace Warden of the Ashen Barrow.]
[A new pattern has been completed.]
[Resonance Fragment acquired.]
[You have received a Memory.]
Leon grinned madly. Throwing the egg had been a gamble, but it had paid off. As the demon fell, the egg rolled toward the shadowless part of the island.
Another loud, ear-piercing screech rang out. The sound felt inhuman, as if something like that should not exist. The scream seemed to be a muffled chorus of different voices, all crying out in agony.
"How do you like my welcome present? I thought I'd return the favor!"
Leon screamed at the top of his lungs.
Coiling his fingers around the shaft of his scythe, he threw the scythe toward the creature. But the scythe was soon caught by it.
[Your Memory has been destroyed.]
"Motherfu—"
But his words were caught in his throat. He sensed something else. The fog surrounding him had started to recede. Sensing this, Leon tried to use Shadow Sense again. But something was wrong. He couldn't sense any shadow at all. It was almost as if…
'It's enveloped the entire island?'
But before Leon could move again, something grabbed his leg. Gritting his teeth, Leon tried to use his Crown, but it was too late.
The fog creature's grip around his leg tightened.
"ARGH!"
Leon screamed in agony as he felt every bone in his leg being crushed. He was then dragged to the ground.
He summoned his new Memory, hoping that whatever it was would help him in this desperate situation. An elegant sword materialized in his hand. A single-edged tachi with a long hilt.
Gripping the sword, he thrust it deep into the flesh constricting around his leg.
The grip on his leg loosened, but he could still hear the countless murmurs of the fog creature. Right as he was dragged down, his body hit something soft. The ground — or whatever he was lying on — constantly shifted in a slow, wave-like motion.
Refusing to open his eyes, Leon continued to struggle, reaching around blindly until he eventually grabbed something spherical.
'The egg!'
As Leon's hands closed around the egg, the shifting surface beneath him suddenly stopped.
The countless murmurs fell silent.
For the first time since he had been dragged down, everything became still.
Leon froze.
His fingers tightened around the blade, cautious that even the smallest movement might provoke whatever surrounded him. The egg — still draining the life force of the creature — lay right beside him.
Then, a voice spoke from the darkness.
"Dreamspawn."
The voice sounded old… and rusty, like something that had not spoken in centuries. Yet there was a strange cheerfulness to it — almost as if it was amused.
Leon's breath caught in his throat.
Slowly… very slowly…
He opened his eyes.
***
Sunny was still standing where he had been when he heard another explosion. This one sounded weaker than the last.
He also noticed that the sun was nearly up, so he had already prepared himself, his shadow wrapped around his body as he waited to rush over as soon as possible.
Then he heard a bone-chilling scream.
Sunny froze. His body shuddered uncontrollably. He fell to his knees, gasping for breath as he struggled to steady himself.
Then the scream stopped.
Sunny breathed heavily as the sun began to rise.
The dark sea was retreating.
***