“One, two, three, four… I’ll stop counting now. Impressive, so many jumped out all at once. Not bad at all.”
Ella nodded in satisfaction.
“If I hadn’t come out tonight, I would’ve thought you were really relying on those little fishmen to fight your battles.”
Her satisfaction was directed at her own actions.
Judging by the sheer number of these things, they were the real army of the Sea Demon Tribe.
Very good. Since you’ve sent your army right to my doorstep, for the sake of the brothers still in the mountains, it’s time for the Demon King to thin your ranks a bit.
“Hss-ha!”
A Desecrator leapt up, its powerful frog legs launching it off the dock in a single bound.
The Blade of Coral in its hand glimmered with a dark sheen—it was clearly poisoned.
Ella twisted aside, dodging the overhead slash, and then lifted her long white leg sharply.
“Hyaah!”
***
What does the world look like through the eyes of an Undead?
Zero carefully surveyed her surroundings.
It all seemed so familiar, because she was still in the same room with the water vat—even her own body was visible.
No need to mention the other things.
The vat was still a vat, the stove was still a stove, the chair was still a chair, and the bed was still a bed.
But there was something different: everything seemed shrouded in a gray filter, as if she were dreaming an unreal dream.
Can she move?
Yes, but not by walking—she floated.
In a blink, she drifted from beside the water vat to the table, right above the burning candle. It wasn’t hot at all.
She couldn’t help but reach out to pinch the flame.
In the real world, the candle flickered, and for a moment, light and shadow danced across the room.
Kagasha understood: Zero had succeeded.
She stood up from her wheelchair, gently opened the door, and looked at her great-granddaughter standing guard outside, along with a dozen other children.
“Lisa,” the old woman said calmly, “it’s time.”
Her great-granddaughter—Lisa—had red, swollen eyes, unable to hold back her tears.
“Don’t cry. Remember what I said: the future of Harbor City is in your hands.”
With that, Kagasha returned to the room.
In the Nether Interstice, Zero played with the candle flame, drifting about, marveling at the strange sensation.
She looked out the window and noticed a quiet little river flowing outside…
Wait, was there a river outside?
She remembered it should be a street.
“You’re adapting quickly. With a bit more practice, you won’t even need saltwater to enter this state.”
Kagasha’s voice suddenly sounded in her ear.
Zero turned, “Senior… you?!”
The girl jumped in fright—she’d just seen a ghost.
“Don’t be nervous. You’re the same as me now.”
Kagasha’s gentle laughter echoed.
“Because right now, we are ‘Undead’.”
Zero looked down.
Sure enough, her body was shrouded in gray mist, like a floating garment, or a wisp of smoke rising from a chimney.
No face, only an outline about the size and shape of her body.
“As for that river, it’s the River of the Underworld—Yellow Springs, the final destination of the dead. It has nothing to do with your location. Wherever you go, it always flows nearby.”
So that’s how it is. How mysterious.
Zero quickly adapted to her current form.
“Senior, I’m ready now. Let’s go look for the Shrine.”
But Kagasha shook her head helplessly.
“Child, my life ended long ago. I lingered in the mortal world for years, just to wait for your arrival. Now, my mission is complete.”
Kagasha floated outside, and Zero hurried after her.
Once outside, she saw a dozen or so people in cloaks standing there, white cloths on their heads.
The big sister she recognized was at the front, leading everyone in silent tribute toward the room.
The old woman had made all arrangements for her passing—it was not a sorrowful death, but a peaceful departure.
They walked together to the outside and finally stopped by the Yellow Springs.
“This is as far as I can take you, child.”
Kagasha gazed at the quietly flowing river.
“Fifty years ago, when the Captain who brought us to Harbor City passed away, he held each of our hands and reminisced about our journey here. A hundred years ago, in the old Harbor City, the Sirens wreaked havoc on this land. The fishermen risked their lives to bring us a few salted fish, and we made a delicious fish soup.”
She lifted her head slightly, as if recalling the taste from a century ago.
“It was that bowl of fish soup that made us decide—for the people here, we would kill all the cultists. But we were too few and too weak. Even after decades, we couldn’t succeed. Instead, they returned in even more secretive ways. Fortunately, in the end, I waited for you.”
Zero opened her mouth, a bit embarrassed.
“Senior, actually I… I came for a companion. She wants to protect this city, so I…”
“That’s wonderful, child.”
Kagasha reached out, a shadow shaped like a dagger in her hand.
“To choose the path of death from your heart, you are already a true Sanctuary.”
After handing the dagger to the girl, the old woman stepped onto the River of the Underworld—not jumping in, but walking atop it, her form slowly fading, like smoke drifting onto the water.
At the same time, in the room with the water vat in the real world, Kagasha’s body sat on the chair, lifeless. Decades of time had settled on that frame, and in an instant, it became a dried corpse.
Thus, all the original members of the First Generation Sanctuary of Silence had passed away.
Ella braced herself to stand a little steadier.
That Desecrator just now had been sent flying by her kick—a solid hit, quite a bit of physical damage.
***
The problem was, she nearly lost her own balance, almost flung away by her own massive chest.
Not used to her new center of gravity, she wasn’t suited for this kind of brawling.
With more and more Desecrators closing in, a glint of coldness flashed in Ella’s ruby eyes.
“Alright, alright, so you want a brawl, huh?”
Last time, when fighting the Hero Squad, she couldn’t use that move because she was countered by the Saintess’s Holy Light dual attributes.
Now, she could finally show her true power.
Shrrk!
Ella stabbed the Necromantic Sword into the ground, her soft, sweet voice chanting:
“Bone Without Tomb. Corpse Breaking Ground. Return of the Dead. Revival by Light.”
All the souls willing to serve her returned from the Yellow Springs.
Undead Minor Catastrophe!!
***
In the Nether Interstice, Zero held the weapon Kagasha had left her, feeling a bit sorrowful. But at that moment, something strange happened—the waters of the Yellow Springs grew turbulent.
What’s happening?
There was no time to think.
One after another, spirits of all shapes and sizes crawled up from the River of the Underworld, rushing ashore.
Zero quickly took a fighting stance, but soon realized they weren’t coming for her—they ignored her completely, surging in a single direction, their faceless heads letting out hoarse cries—
“Loyalty!”
“Loyalty!!”
“Loyalty!!!”
There seemed to be something… no, there definitely was something calling to them, because Zero heard it too, and felt an urge rising within her, compelling her to run along with them.
Why is this happening?
The mighty Undead army surged out from the alleyways, heading for their final destination—the harbor docks—where, without another word, they charged at the bizarre Sea Demons.
“Charge!!”
Zero didn’t join the charge. It was as if her soul had been hooked, and she drifted step by step toward the very center of the battlefield.
Is it her?
It’s her. It had to be her. Not even a thin gray filter could stop her from recognizing that figure.
Long pink hair as beautiful as a blossom, a sweet, adorable face, a curvaceous figure, and that unrivaled, magnificent chest.
Zero stood before the girl, so excited she didn’t know what to do.
Just then, she heard the girl speak.
Not gentle and obedient, not calm and composed, nor plotting and scheming—this was a voice she’d never heard before, a little sly and playful—
“What are you staring at? Get to work!”
[Silent Watcher]
Type: Dagger.
Quality: Legendary.
Description: The true Sanctuary’s inheritance—a blade that cleaves through the Nether with death.
[We are the blade in the night, the waning moon before dawn, the ember in the ashes. We are—the Silent Sanctuary!]