Nupian casually walked down the dim corridor. Her pure-white wedding dress fluttered with the cold breezes. Its colour contrasted the dull environment.
While walking, she surveyed the surrounding. The ceiling and the walls merged, forming a suffocating arch which restricted movements and airflow. Though the corridor had a faint scent of mould, there was no spiderwebs, cracks, nor dust. Nothing except silence survived here.
When she glanced behind, she found that the gigantic entrance had disappeared. In its place was a set of stairs whose destination reached upwards. Just like the steps below, the steps above held the ancient air inside its structure, giving off an impression that it had been here for ages, and its visitors would accompany it for the next.
"Miss Core, where are you?" Nupian said. "Are you playing hide and seek with this big sister?"
Her voice traversed through the silence and disappeared into the darkness. There was no echo. Nupian’s words dissolved into the nothingness. Something tore them apart and devoured their meanings.
"Miss Core, you're good at hiding. When you reveal yourself, it is only for a few moments. If not for my luck and karma, I would not have found you." Nupian covered her mouth, smiling. "Don't worry. Once I catch you, I'll take exceptionally good care of you. You'll be my most beautiful wife, my main wife!"
Nupian raised her voice and increased her pace. Her graceful expression gradually shifted to frenzy. From her dress, the snow-white Corruption Power gushed out and dyed the corridor white. It cracked open the stone steps, producing muffled yet noticeable noises.
Once the sounds became audible, the darkness howled and rushed towards Nupian. The invisible creatures bared their fangs, their growls drowning the initial silence.
"This place is an inheritance ground indeed. To my knowledge, the Soundless Shadow Beasts have gone extinct long ago. This is the first time I've seen living proof of their existence."
Nupian raised her right hand and pushed forwards gently. Her movement generated a soft breeze which coiled around the snow-white Corruption Power. It brushed past the Soundless Shadow Beasts, inviting them to take a bite.
The Soundless Shadow Beasts bit onto the breeze. They tore it into pieces and swallowed the fragments. The wind moved down their throats, glowed, and exploded into a barrage of snowflakes. The creatures shuddered as their stomachs bloated, growing bigger and bigger. They screamed, but their voices reached nowhere, for the snowflakes inside their bodies had frozen their voices.
A low snap resounded. The Soundless Shadow Beasts ruptured. Their shadowy blood splashed across the corridor, tainting the staircase and the arch. The snowflakes inside them flooded out. They flew towards the nearby creatures, sticking to their skins.
As the snowflakes multiplied, the temperature dropped. Nupian took a deep breath and blew another puff of cold air. Her Corruption Power spread, freezing the tainted black blood. Around her, the Soundless Shadow Beasts screamed, yet they could not overwhelm the silence that permeated the atmosphere.
"No matter how hard they try to separate us, our love will eventually unite us," Nupian said.
The last Soundless Shadow Beasts shivered. Its countless eyes locked onto Nupian’s ghostly wedding dress, its body still, its mind collapsing. Despite her harmless, charming appearance, the beast dared not meet her gaze. It wanted to escape, but the chill had already frozen its movement.
"If I weren't in a hurry, you would have been a great addition to my collection." Nupian sighed. "The thought of driving a species to extinction pains me, but I shall do it. This is the extent of how far I'm willing to go for love."
Nupian's voice broke the silence. The last Soundless Shadow Beast exploded, turning into a blizzard. It engulfed the endless corridor, which creaked as its structure broke down. Coldness stretched and froze even the retreating darkness. It fell into the ground, turned into a misty blob of blackness.
As the obscurity disappeared, Nupian closed her eyes and listened. Her footsteps now echoed around the corridor. The despairing tranquillity had vanished, and the endless corridor became just an old corridor, filled with frozen cracks and ices. She glided her hands along the wall. Dust shook under her touch and fell to the ground.
"Miss Core, your welcome banquet warms my heart; now I want to see you."
Opening her eyes, Nupian raised her head. Her fingertips pierced through the wall and dug something out. Her sharp nails tore the fabric of reality apart. The nothingness of the void crawled into existence, but Nupian's invisible aura effortlessly pushed them back.
Smiling, she reached into the void and swung her hand lightly. Her nails cut through another layer of reality, revealing another inner world. Inside it was the greenery with a single track that extended forwards, where a crossroad and a worn-down tavern located.
"I'm tracing your footstep, Miss Core. Please wait for me." Nupian looked up.
...
Iris stared at the screen, and Nupian stared back. Iris almost fainted as she cut the connection between her and the endless corridor. That pair of beautiful, glittering eyes almost sucked out her soul. They caressed her figure like a couple would do to each other, but Nupian hadn't even seen Iris!
"Legacy Ground, can you do anything?" Iris said.
After killing the Overseer and the forefather, the system of the Puppeteer Legacy Ground finally recognised Iris as its owner. Though the Legacy Ground was only a phantom right now, it still held the wealth and knowledge of the ancient, glorious civilisation.
To Iris, a Transformation Phase Monster Girl, this wealth is unimaginable.
"Lady Iris, the power of the intruder exceeds my capability. I cannot force her out nor stop her advance. My power can only delay the inevitable," the system said.
"When compared to the Overseer, how strong is she?"
"According to our classification, the Overseer is at the King of Automaton Rank, similar to the True Master Rank of the Pure Races. The intruder has already eclipsed the Overseer. According to my data, she might be the strongest under the realm of the legend."
"So much stronger than the Overseer? The peak of the Solidification Phase?"
Though the Condensation Phase and the Solidification Phase differed only one realm, the distance between them was vast, much more than the lower realms combined. The power difference was not linear but exponential. The peak of the Solidification Phase could decide the fate of a new Solidification Phase Monster Girl.
"Legacy Ground, after the forefather resurrects, how is he going to escape from this place?" Iris lowered her voice. "The Divine is watching. The Overseer must have prepared an emergency exit somewhere. Tell me, is there such a thing?"
"There is indeed an exit, but it is a single-use, one-way, random-direction teleportation formation. Because of its design, it requires an enormous amount of energy, too much for the current Legacy Ground to handle."
"What will happen if I forcefully activate it?"
"The Legacy Ground will rupture. My circuit will self-destruct. The Puppeteer Legacy Ground will be no more."
"So it is the last resort?" Iris waved her hand. A new hologram manifested. "Legacy Ground, bring me all the books inside the treasury. I want to take a look at them."
"I can also bring the legendary artefacts here. Do you want them too?"
Iris shook her head. The current Legacy Ground was a phantom. Though its phantom was so powerful that it could display its real power, it would disappear after its time was up.
Though I can't take or use any artefacts, I can still take the knowledge with me. I'll use this little time scanning as many books as possible. Maybe there is a solution to this crisis inside one of them.
Another quake threw Iris off balance. She quickly stabilised herself. The hologram in front of her flickered. Inside, Nupian walked around the forest, admiring tall trees and colourful flowers.
With every step she took, the ground beneath her feet cooled and spread its coldness. Blue shades infested dirt and gravel, then the surrounding trees and rocks. The summer forest gradually turned into a winter forest, filled with ices, snows, and frozen trees.
"I can sense your gaze, Miss Core," Nupian said. "Are you waiting for me at the depth of this Legacy Ground? How romantic."
When the whole forest had turned into a snowy landscape, Nupian finally reached the crossroad. She looked at the misty path, then the sunny track, and at last the worn-down tavern. She closed her eyes and sniffed at the air. Her ears shivered as a familiar scent entered her body.
In her mind, Iris's journey surfaced.
"It seems you had a nice relaxation in here, Miss Core. My standard is quite high. I hope the service here can satisfy me."
Nupian walked to the tavern and looked around. A closed sign hung at the front door. Dust gathered around the building. The old wooden floor creaked every time Nupian stepped on it, but she did not mind them. They sounded pleasing to her ears.
Standing in front of the door, she placed her right hand on it and leaned forwards. Her left ear pressed on the surface. Silence. The bar was empty.
"I'm entering it now," Nupian said. "Please forgive my intru—"
"Miss, inside is a memorial of someone I admire. Could you please leave this place alone?" a shaking yet determined voice echoed. "I'm waiting for you at the deepest part of the Legacy Ground."
Nupian smiled and retreated from the tavern. She looked at the sky and waved her hand at the spying Iris.
"Your voice is beautiful, Miss Core. No. Your name is Iris? You are indeed the eye that reveals the beauty of the world."
Nupian turned around and strolled towards the misty path. The dull scenery and the disquieting silence crawled towards her. They whispered anxiety and terror into her ears.
"The road of despair is a long and intertwining road. Thankfully, I have love inside my heart."
The illusionary despair around Nupian dispersed, replaced by chilling gales and falling snows. They painted the grey world with ices and numbness, freezing the environment and the wall of mist. Even the fabric of reality could not resist this frost.
"I've heard your promise, Iris. We will meet at the depth of the world."
...
"I must be mad." Iris slapped herself. "Why did I do that? Now she knows my voice. Even my name."
While mumbling, Iris grabbed another book and scanned through its content. Though she could not understand much of it, she still memorised them before placing the book behind her. She needed more time to digest the information, but she didn't have that time right now.
The hologram in front of her flashed. Nupian had plunged through the First Floor and into the Second Floor. Iris didn't dare to spy on Nupian anymore. The two times she did so, Nupian noticed her presence and somehow gained information about her.
"Legacy Ground, is there really nothing that can fight back?"
"Our strongest Floor Guardians have already gathered at the Ninth Floor, but their power alone could not force her back. Even with the legendary artefacts in the treasury, the result will not change."
"How come? Even this one necklace manages to recreate the entire Puppeteer Legacy Ground. You're bound to have something of the same quality."
"According to my data, the necklace is not something we created."
Iris perked up. In her heart, a bad premonition rose. "What do you mean?"
"The necklace is a gift from a deal with the Foreign Existences."
So, they actually predicted all of this?
Iris rushed toward the necklace and scoured through its broken parts. It didn't take long until she found the crimson gem. She rubbed its surface and observed its form.
In the reflection on her eyes, something inside the gem glowed. As she focused on it, it quivered, screaming for attention.
Please don't be it.
Iris exerted her hand. Her force crushed the crimson gem into pieces. When she opened her hand, aside from the red crystals, there was a Shadow Heart Fragment.
While Iris was stunned, the Fragment entered her body and joined with the Core. She had obtained another piece of the Shadow Heart. Only eleven more remained.
"Just how much of my choices are mine?" Iris muttered. "Have you all also foreseen this development?"
