Descent into Madness, A Timely Rescue

The forest was permeated with a dark aura, seeping from countless fissures. This pervasive gloom led everything to ruin. Living beings became twisted, and even the plants withered in its presence.

Ilivy cleaved a path through the thorny undergrowth, with Anto following close behind her.

To conserve his stamina for any unforeseen dangers, Anto, at Ilivy’s suggestion, merely maintained the Holy Light around his body to ward off the encroaching miasma. He refrained from expending any further energy.

The Holy Light Flare was his last trump card. Unlike ordinary Holy Light, unleashing it would allow him to erupt with astonishing power for a brief moment.

However, this burst of strength would be followed by a prolonged period of exhaustion, leaving him utterly defenseless. Therefore, its deployment demanded extreme caution.

Meanwhile, Knight Ilivy, drawing upon her extensive experience, acted as their vanguard. They had not encountered many walking corpses since arriving, as most had already been slaughtered, leaving the area relatively clear.

Anto closed his eyes. “Here… I can sense a faint trace of light.”

“It’s very weak… incredibly faint,” he murmured, “but it’s definitely there. It’s Lu Wei’s presence. We need to go a little deeper.”

“But night will fall soon,” Ilivy cautioned. “It will be even more dangerous here.”

“As long as we find Lu Wei and confirm her safety,” Anto declared, “I’m confident I can lead her out of this forest.”

“The Holy Light Flare’s range… is sufficient to briefly purify this area.”

“After the purification, everything will be in your hands, Knight,” Anto said.

Ilivy nodded. “I will lead you and her to a safe zone.”

“However, the undead will also attack the outpost at night,” Ilivy added. “We must be careful not to be mistaken for enemies.”

“Yes, I believe they can distinguish us,” Anto murmured.

Ghoulish roars already echoed around them, signaling their entry into an unsafe zone. Anto felt the pervasive evil aura, and the unsettling sensation on his own body intensified.

A growing sense of unease began to spread through him. Anto understood this was due to the forest’s corrupting aura; such darkness would erode one’s spirit, infinitely amplifying negative influences.

The less strength one had to resist, the deeper this insidious erosion would become. This was precisely why he worried for Lu Wei. Individuals completely enveloped by fear, despair, and negative emotions often lost their minds, committing numerous irrational acts. A mental breakdown was, for any person, the most terrifying fate.

‘I must prevent such an outcome. I hope Lu Wei can hold on,’ Anto prayed silently.

He knew he wasn’t devout, nor did he believe in any so-called deity. Yet, Lu Wei was a true believer in the light and the One True Lord; she deserved the protection of her faith.

With these thoughts, Anto stepped deeper into the forest. Around them, swaying figures in the woods began to move with increasing speed.

As night descended, many of these beings’ eyes glowed with an indescribable red light. Their formerly decaying bodies became incredibly swift, moving step by step, emitting terrifying roars as they frantically hunted for prey. The entire forest had plunged into madness the moment the sun set.

Lu Wei was curled up on a tree branch, whimpering. “Don’t find me… Don’t find me…”

She desperately tried to think of something optimistic, but it was useless. The darkness increasingly enveloped her heart, eroding her nerves. Countless fears and feelings of despair were gradually amplified.

All the optimistic and positive thoughts within her were being relentlessly stripped away, impossible to retain. She curled up tighter, trembling more violently with each passing moment.

“No one… no one will come to save me…”

“Here… I can’t go down…” she stammered, “They… they can smell me… Soon they… they’ll come up… They’ll come up…”

The most negative emotions were eroding her already tense nerves. She crouched there, utterly motionless, for she could no longer move. “Don’t come… don’t come… Please, I beg you, stop screaming! Stop screaming!”

Her voice was hysterical, a sound that played right into the hands of those lurking presences. The noise attracted them, drawing them closer step by agonizing step, and the constant sound further warped her mind. At this moment, she could barely feel the light anymore.

“Hoo… hoo…” Following the hysterical screams, boundless terror spread. This particular forest possessed a sinister magic, capable of gradually driving people into madness.

That pursuing figure also seemed to sense her despair, and Lu Wei watched as it slowly drew closer. Step by agonizing step, the thing moved with a ponderous, exceptionally heavy gait.

“Hoo… hoo… Ergh ahhhhh!” Pushed to her absolute limit, she finally couldn’t help but let out a collapsing shriek and scream. Below, the monsters had formed a veritable sea of corpses, all waiting for her to fall.

‘Jump down…’

‘Jump down and become one of them…’

‘Then you will no longer fear, no longer be tormented. Your flesh will be accepted by the earth, accepted by us, and then, under our blessing… you will be reborn.’

‘You will be reborn, no longer afraid, transformed into a more perfect being…’

“Perfect… rebirth…” Lu Wei, her mind already shattered, seemed to hear an unspeakable whisper, a murmuring in the darkness that guided and incited her to fall.

“Yes, rebirth, complete rebirth…”

“Just jump down…” Lu Wei’s pupils dilated, her eyes having lost their original luster. She was like a puppet, manipulated by an unknown voice.

“Yes, jump down… if I just jump down…” Her voice trembled slightly, yet a morbid smile spread across her face, as if she had finally found a permanent solution.

“If I just jump down—”

“Lu Wei!!!” Just then, a voice rang out.

“Don’t do anything foolish! Ilivy!”

“Understood!” Ilivy responded.

Accompanied by the blessing of the Holy Light, a brilliant glow manifested, enveloping the knight’s body. Simultaneously, Anto’s own form erupted with a powerful light.

“We must reach her! Lu Wei!” Anto cried. “Don’t listen to that voice’s nonsense! Don’t be lured by it! Snap out of it—snap out of it, Sister Lu Wei!”

Disturbed by this familiar voice, Lu Wei, having recovered a sliver of her discerning ability, blankly raised her head and looked towards the light.

“…Anto? Little… Anto?” she whispered.

At this most critical moment, Anto had successfully arrived. It was, in the truest sense, a rescue at the eleventh hour, a genuine hair’s breadth escape.