Chapter 75

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Chapter 75: Doubt

Tasha suddenly sat up and started coughing.

Blood and filth overflowed from her lungs, disappearing into the air like the evaporating remains of the monster beneath her. When the barrier shattered, the magical cycle broke, and the remnants of the magical creature finally found release, melting away like dirty snow in the sunlight.

The skin corroded within the monster’s belly rapidly regenerated under the influence of magic. The energy Tasha had swallowed clashed within her body, unstable and causing interruptions and setbacks in the regeneration process. Tasha felt bloated, her mind a mess. She closed her eyes, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

The Crimson Egg on the monster’s forehead was indeed its weak spot and Source of Magic, but the shell was not the core – the monster’s soul stored inside was. When Tasha shattered the egg, the trapped monster invaded her, bringing immense chaos and contamination – perhaps all magical creatures that had ever come here had become part of this pollution. Tasha’s soul, pure, steadfast, and leaning towards order, clashed with the endlessly corrupt and chaotic soul within the monster, immediately succumbing.

Like wearing white gloves to block mud, once they touched, the contamination was inevitable.

However, luckily, this was purely a spiritual attack.

Tasha had Victor as backup. Being a ruthless boss who had experienced the demonic gifts’ effectiveness in a previous battle against a Paladin, she had kept Victor in her reserve, despite it being in the "non-renewable, use sparingly" category. While Victor had not been very useful in the previous fight against the monster, in the battle of souls, he was undoubtedly a valuable ally.

Indeed he was.

Through understanding, experiencing, and teaching, Victor temporarily connected with Tasha’s soul. In this state, Tasha’s soul was like a demon, but compared to the original demon of the abyss, what was a man-made degraded monster soul? Demons feed on souls, with a cold and indifferent stomach, unafraid of any pollution. Tasha, possessed by a demon, licked her lips, chewing on the soul that had previously tried to inhabit her, feeling like she was eating a weird-tasting bean.

Occasionally, stones fell from above the crypt, but it did not crumble like in the illusion. The consumption had stopped, and the remaining parts were barely holding on, with no immediate risk of collapse. Tasha tried to stand up, failed, and decided to lie back down.

The corroded skin was regenerating, the ruptured organs were healing, the fractured bones were growing again, many of them likely crooked. The bloodstains in her vision slowly faded, the pain returned, her right arm, used to activate the "Calling Full Moon" ability, was completely disabled, but her heart was unharmed. Tasha was in a sorry state, but emerged victorious.

"Victor?" Tasha said.

"What?" Victor replied listlessly.

"We won, be happy," Tasha said, "Thank you."

"You should be thanking me," Victor muttered.

His resentful tone made one wonder what he had lost this time, but Tasha was more interested in another question.

"Is ‘that’ you?" Tasha asked.

It’s not the memory of a big evil demon, but the blurry figure that appears at the beginning and end of the dream.

Even though the voice sounds the same, compared to the most of the time silly and unreliable Book of Dungeons, the figure seems more reliable and dangerous, with a completely different atmosphere. If the one who initially told Tasha "don’t lose to me" can be linked to Victor, the tall man they meet later gives off a wary sense of strangeness.

The difference between them is like two roles played by a talented actor, and Tasha hasn’t even seen their faces yet.

"It’s all me!" Victor understood what she meant and said somewhat angrily, "I’ve told you so many times, at least I’m a big evil demon! Do you understand what a big evil demon means? Among thousands of people, only one can grow from an ordinary person to a Legendary Wizard, and compared to the Abyssal Demon Seed that grows into a big evil demon, the rate of promotion is as high as giving it away for free! Big evil demons are powerful and rare, it is not an exaggeration to call us favored children of the abyss or abyssal monarchs…"

"You see, this is why I find it hard to take you seriously." Tasha sighed.

"What? Because I’m a big evil demon?" Victor raised his voice in disbelief.

"No, it’s because of the exaggerated self-praise that lacks credibility." Tasha said, "It sounds very uncouth."

Victor fell silent for a while, as if he had suffered a great shock or blow.

"I didn’t lie," he said somewhat hurt, "Is there anything wrong with telling the truth? If it wasn’t for the contract that forces me to tell the truth, of course I could spout a bunch of wonderful lies."

"So, you’re the one providing the introduction to the dungeon heritage as the Book of Dungeons, right? And you call the slime the ‘Eater of All Things,’ Eater-Of-All-Things," Tasha said slowly. Unfortunately, Victor showed no sign of embarrassment. "If creatures like slime deserve such a title, how seriously would I take your talk of the Abyssal Lord?"

"…Fine," Victor said reluctantly, "but that wasn’t my intention, I once…"

"My soul has been severely damaged, indeed," Tasha rolled her eyes for him, "so what’s the deal with the illusion?"

"Well, it’s a long story," Victor evaded.

"Then make it short."

"Could you leave here first? I think this place might collapse soon," Tasha urged.

"A rib bone punctured my lung, and it needs time to heal. I can’t get up, and it hurts like crazy," Tasha said impatiently, "or do you think I enjoy chatting with you here for no reason?"

"Isn’t it because you want to thank me right away?" Victor said in shock.

Immediately, Tasha sincerely praised his hard work, simply because Victor sounded so pitiful.

Dungeon Master gladly accepted the praise and began explaining the fantasy world Tasha had encountered.

In reality, it wasn’t a fantasy world after all.

It was Victor’s inner soul.

A bone-chilling coldness surrounded the narrow path, covered in scaled creatures brushing against her ankles, with a faint hissing sound in her ears – in such an environment, she unconsciously thought she was passing by a familiar marshland from her childhood. It just shows her mind wasn’t very clear back then. As Tasha found herself caught up in it, disoriented, Victor’s reminder brought a sense of déjà vu.

She had once searched for Victor’s soul through a link, feeling like entering a pitch-black alleyway, only to be pushed out halfway through the first exploration. Perhaps she should have a clear understanding back then: even for a severely wounded great demon like Victor, his soul was not something Tasha could easily touch.

Victor personally led her in and allowed her to wander within his soul. But even with the permission from the present Victor, Tasha didn’t have an easy journey.

"I have set up spells within my soul," Victor said. "Any intruder will encounter ‘him’ – one of my Soul Fragments, representing me during the time of casting that spell."

The great demon only trusts himself, so he created a projection to guard his own soul. "He" is like the white blood cells in the body, using home advantage to deceive any invaders, and then kill them in the most appropriate way to become his nourishment.

That’s why Tasha felt disoriented inside, and if she hesitated to forcibly pull herself out but instead attacks "Victor" under his temptation (which was indeed a hidden invitation for murder), she would fall right into the demon’s trap, getting lost in the fantasy world and gradually losing control of her own soul.

"That’s a powerful spell that I can’t remove," Victor said. "If you attack him, he will devour you, and then I will be doomed for attacking a contract target. This chain reaction of death is just ridiculous."

"You can’t revoke it? Didn’t you think about encountering a situation like mine?" Tasha said.

"The great demon never invites others into the soul; intruders are always enemies. I was once called the ‘great demon with a forever escape plan’… Even though there are many tricks I don’t remember now due to soul damage," Victor sighed in pain. "Of course, I never imagined I would end up like this."

The former great demon, Victor, set a hidden safety net for his soul centuries ago. Indeed, if the safety net on the soul could be revoked, and if unfortunately controlled to revoke the defense line, its existence would be meaningless.

The great demon hidden in his own soul silently guided Tasha forward, exploiting her trust, manipulating her blind spots, leading her to the most sinister parts. He subtly infused malice and murderous intent into his teachings, like a venomous snake whispering in Eve’s ear, appearing to be a friendly cannibalistic psychiatrist. While helping Tasha fight against the pollution of the monster’s soul, he sneakily engaged in similar behavior.

Yet, just as it’s hard to deceive someone with no desires, Tasha awakened with her own willpower.

"Victor with always a trick up his sleeve"? After experiencing firsthand how effortlessly the other side set traps, Tasha finally realized the intellectual danger of the former great demon. Despite hearing that he doesn’t remember his tricks, she couldn’t help but find it amusing—like a clever squirrel burying a bunch of pine cones in the fall, only to later not find them, resulting in making bridal clothes for others as the stockpile turned into reforestation.

"The person who told me not to lose before is now you?" Tasha asked.

"Yes."

"I really can’t tell," Tasha quietly looked at the book.

"What prejudice do you have against me?!" Victor angrily said.

"By the way, were those really your feelings in the Primary Material Plane in the past?" Tasha quickly changed the subject, "The craving for souls, the restlessness towards the Primary Material Plane… Do all demons really feel that way, or is it just one of your tricks?"

"All creatures shrouded by the Abyssal Will on the ground are like this."

"Even now?"

"Now… not anymore," Victor hesitated for a moment, "probably because I’m injured. What’s wrong?"

"I suddenly kind of admire you."

"What?"

"Just from experiencing that for a short while, I almost turned into a mindless killer," Tasha admitted frankly, "You constantly endure that craving, yet still choose to store souls instead of devouring them, it’s amazing self-control."

Victor made a sound like he was saying "of course".

For the first time, Tasha felt a strong curiosity towards the creatures of the abyss.

Despite being filled with chaos and various malevolent beings, they did not cease killing when they arrived on the surface. From this perspective, the self-control of the Great Demon surprisingly surpassed that of ordinary people. Was the commonality of slaughter due to the Abyssal Will? Some vague speculations drifted through the mind, unable to grasp firmly.

"I don’t know what you’ve encountered, but don’t be too naive," Victor said. "The lower Abyssal Creations will rampage on the surface without the need for a commander. I can maintain my sanity simply because I am powerful enough to suppress my instincts with reason. The Great Demons need to devour countless competitors to climb to the top of the pyramid. I haven’t spent so long to reach my current position just to do what I’ve been doing all this time."

Surprisingly serious, Tasha glanced at him unexpectedly. Although he was an evil demon with a totally different perspective, in some aspects, he surprisingly resembled Tasha.

If power is only used for destruction, it is like burning a valuable guqin (Chinese zither) and cooking a crane.

The wound in her lung had already healed.

Tasha stood up and looked at the increasingly shaking ceiling. The magnificent reliefs combined with the magic array no longer resembled their original form. As the barrier of frozen time shattered, time began to flow again in the underground palace. In the distance, some passages had begun to collapse. Tasha started to run, knowing that before the treasures here were buried, she had some things to take.

——————————

Terence shouted loudly and blocked Iron Golem’s fist with a wooden axe.

After being blessed by the Heart of Nature, the Orc Warrior became stronger, with bulging muscles and veins, letting out a fierce roar. He stood firmly against the towering golem, resisting its attacks as his feet sank into the muddy ground.

Iron Golem’s fist was stuck under the wooden axe, with the crystal on its head faintly glowing. It seemed that the warrior’s human flesh might not hold against the golem’s strength, but in this battlefield, Terence was not alone.

The bowstring vibrated, creating a buzzing sound like a swarm of bees. Under the bright moonlight, the archer’s eyes were sharp. The short bow may not have the power of a long bow, but with shorter distance, it was still powerful. With the warrior blocking the golem, the archers behind could shoot continuously without worries.

Letizia quickly shot seven arrows in a row, her once frail figure now strong like an Amazonian — the most talented human apprentice among the Amazonians in recent years, who never gave up her short bow. Her swift shots hit the golem’s crystal eyes repeatedly, causing cracks to grow until it shattered.

Despite being invulnerable to blades and spears, the golem’s crystal eyes were as fragile as a mechanical bird’s, having a small vulnerable spot high up. The arrows shattered the crystal, and an Amazonian with a long bow followed by shooting a special arrow like a harpoon deep into the golem’s eye, pulling it forcefully outward.

Black smoke started to emerge.

Jacob moved among the golems, traversing a battlefield filled with plants catalyzed by Druids, where Orc rangers excelled. While his scars increased, his body appeared more flexible and agile. Jacob maneuvered closely around the Iron Golem, granting his allies a breathing space or a chance for a counterattack when the golem turned to him. He skillfully evaded its arm and prepared to climb its shoulder.

Jacob wielded two long daggers, feeling more comfortable than the ones he used in the arena. He moved with the agility of a fox when evading, and the fierceness of a lion when attacking, blending with the surviving vines and branches. He relied on nature and also summoned its power when needed.

Jacob’s additional skill evolved under the enhancement of natural energy, with the probabilistic skill "Nature Caller" transforming into the definite success of "Nature Summoner."

"Nature Summoner": By standing at the center of the world and calling upon nature, with the blessing of the Heart of Nature, nature heeds your summons. Using this skill allows you to summon Natural Aura in different environments, transforming the cold stony city into the ideal land for Druids.

The wilderness is not a stony city.

The dungeon applied the skill on this battlefield, causing the spells of Arborist Druid to surge like fertilized growth. Even if the thick branches are cut by the golems, sap splatters on the steel. The air becomes damp, like in a rainforest, and the movements of the golems slow slightly, showing signs of rust.

A dazzling silver light moves across the battlefield, emanating from the magnificent Silver Wolf. Marion is not a savior like Jacob, she is one of the main forces on the battlefield. Her dagger-like claws grip the ground deeply as she runs and strikes, bringing down the Iron Golems. Her claws leave deep marks on the reinforced steel plates, the sharp sound of metal rubbing making one want to cover their ears. With a mighty roar, the Silver Wolf grabs the head of a golem, tearing and throwing it in mid-air, leaving teeth marks on the iron skin. Another iron can is dismembered in her roar.

The Ranger’s skill and the presence of the Silver Wolf subtly change the environment, dispersing the thick clouds. The bright full moon shines high in the sky, with fertile soil below. The Dragon Riders’ team moves up and down like seagulls capturing fish on the sea, shaking the golems repeatedly. Though some respectable warriors fall to the ground, the dragons do not fall. Magic swiftly repairs the flying dragons’ bodies, the Dragon Riders’ reserves ready, waiting to mount the dragons and enter the battlefield.

In the deepest southeastern corner of the battlefield, there is an exceptionally large and formidable golem. This Iron Golem has no fists; its arms are sharp chainsaws. Even without turning on the chainsaws, they are extremely deadly weapons.

The cheetah is thrown out, nearly disemboweled, transforming back into a small woman on the ground. The charging ram loses its long horns; a bit deeper and you would see brain matter. The Druid’s vines try to save the fallen Shape-shifter and Orc, but the golem keeps swinging the chainsaws, cutting through the branches, seemingly about to harm the wounded.

"Death’s Embrace!"

At the same time, a loud shout during the voice change almost cracked.

The small piece of ground trembled, and countless wild grass began to grow wildly. The flexible wild grass quickly entangled the chainsaw golem’s lower body, then climbed up to its waist and arms. It struggled hard but couldn’t break free. The roots of the wild grass formed a strong network above and below the ground, making it difficult for the golem to move freely; it wildly waved its arms, but the chainsaw did not release much from the entanglement of the grass. The wild grass was thinner than vines and in large numbers, making it hard to break free.

Alfred, who created this giant web, chanted a spell. He was the son of the tree-seeker father and the first Arborist recognized by the Heart of Nature. After several years of improvement, he finally invented his own attack method. He had grown past the age of being called a boy, and although young people grew quickly in these years, the young mage still was not taller than his archer training partner.

"Alfred!" the brown-haired Amazonian shouted.

Atlantic started to run faster during the run-up. When she jumped, vines wrapped around her waist, just like they had practiced countless times on the Training Ground. The vines activated by Alfred suddenly lifted her, and Atlantic drew her bow and released her arrow in mid-air, aiming perfectly.

The adult Amazon warrior switched to a longbow, a heavy and powerful weapon passed down from her mother, difficult to draw but extremely potent. The long arrow suddenly shot out and exploded upon hitting the gap in the chainsaw golem’s head.

This was a new weapon from the Craftsman Dwarf workshop, created as they delved deeper into magical technology and improved the productivity of the factory in the southeast corner. This invention, a cross between cold and hot weapons, made its debut on the battlefield. The agile archers used the ammunition provided by the Craftsman Dwarf, which could explode, carry paralyzing poison, or deliver electric shocks used by lightweight airships in the past. With the best craftsmen as support, the archers became capable of facing an Iron Golem.

To a giant golem, the amount of electricity carried by an arrow was just a minor annoyance – if aimed at the shell. The electric arrow exploded inside the crevices of the Iron Golem’s armor, the electric current rushing through the intricate circuits within the golem’s body causing sparks to fly. The massive creature trembled as if struck by lightning, as a smell of burnt metal filled the air. The chainsaw golem did not fall, but its eyes went dark, and it stopped moving.

"Impressive move!" Atlantic landed lightly and gave Arborist a thumbs up.

"You too!" Alfred answered, watching as Amazonian charged into the battlefield once again.

Behind them, the wilderness was occasionally lit up by flashes of electricity or fire from arrows.

Since the beginning of the battle, the dungeon’s army had defeated many golems. However, it seemed like the number of golems didn’t decrease much.

The number of injured soldiers kept increasing.

The field hospital was once again filled with wounded soldiers. The ones who were initially full of fighting spirit became more silent as time passed. Not only because the later injuries were more severe, but also because of another terrifying thing eroding the soldiers’ morale. The faces of the medical staff also became worse, as they learned from the wounded soldiers about the situation outside: many seemingly scrapped giant golems could stand up again after some time.

As one of the top creations in magical technology, the Iron Golems contained magical runes that could self-heal. As long as there was enough magic, they could be brought back into battle.

Surrounded by the army, Iron Golems, and other magical weapons, the magic was flowing towards this place along the tracks. The magical devices on the train were operated by a group of technicians, continuously sending magic into the golems. The tracks, trains, and the distant Source of Magic formed a very large circuit, a principle that made Tasha think of wireless routers or Bluetooth devices, supplying magic to the golems wirelessly.

"Let me go." Douglas struggled to get up. He still hadn’t fully recovered from the aftermath of extracting the magical array, but at the moment, he didn’t want to occupy a hospital bed. "I heard you have a way to cure the covenanters directly… I can try to bypass and deal with that device."

"You’re not injured, it’s fatigue, healing won’t help," Tasha said. "It’s not necessary."

"Are we just going to let our people fight endlessly against those things that can keep coming back to life? It’s all in vain!" Douglas said disappointedly.

"It’s not in vain," Tasha said.

Every drop of blood is not wasted, they are using up the magic of the golems, prolonging the battle. As they fight bravely, the outcome of the battle is heading towards the southeast corner of Tasmanian.

"What do you mean we can’t do it?" General Shirel frowned.

"Sir! There seems to be a problem with the energy transmission," the technician answered, sweating profusely while trying to fix the chaotic control panel, "There might be some interference…"

"What kind of interference?"

"I have never seen values like this before…" the technician hesitated, his assistant spinning around the huge control panel like a frantic mouse, "It’s like, it’s like…"

"Like what?" the general demanded sternly, "All I know is, none of the golems have stood up in the past ten minutes! The Hybrids are pushing the front line towards us!"

"It’s as if the source has disappeared," the technician said softly.

He was not wrong to feel afraid, the general’s face turned very frightening. "Do you know what you’re saying, Captain?" Shirel laughed in anger, "Are you implying there’s a problem in Aryan’s capital?"

"But I don’t know what else could be possible," the technician said despairingly.

"Take this unskilled technician away," Shirel said flatly, clapping a hand on the nearby technician’s shoulder, "Now, you tell me what’s the problem."

All the senior technicians looked like they were about to have a breakdown, the adjutant named by the general stared at the dashboard, laughing nervously with a pale face. "No no no, this is absolutely impossible…" he muttered, "Yes, it must be a blocked circuit, just need to increase the power."

"Then start working now!" Shirel ordered.

He gave the command, but the technicians hesitated. More golems stopped moving, the dirty Hybrids started engaging in close combat with the human soldiers ahead. The huge advantage was about to be lost, the useless technicians were indecisive again, the general felt his anger boiling, he then stepped forward himself.

Having learned some magic technology knowledge at the military academy, the general turned the power output switch to maximum.

People near the train started shouting, Druid quickly reacted, hurriedly creating a wall of trees. The night was instantly lit up, behind the tree wall, the train exploded.

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