Chapter 91: Late poetry is a dream far away from the world

Until this moment, the Black Lady still showed no sign of stopping, nor any intention of retaliating against those who attacked her…

She merely paused briefly, then resumed walking forward.

“This thing…could it be an entity without consciousness?”

Then…what about soul attacks?

Ileya’s pupils suddenly contracted sharply, becoming narrow slits as she sat on Insmouth’s shoulder!

Her mouth opened slightly…

[!!

The next second, a silent scream rippled through the surroundings!

Even Amisa, who was not the primary target, felt a wave of dizziness!

“Gak gak gak gak gak!!”

And this attempt by the Lady had an unexpected effect!

This Black Lady, seemingly carved from crystal, actually stopped in her tracks under the Soul Scream!

She twitched back and forth like a corrupted tape playing on an old VCR, as if the Lady’s scream had injured the nerves controlling her movements…

“….”

First came two crisp, clear sounds—not like any creature’s call, but more like crystal colliding—crack crack!

Then…from Amisa’s viewpoint standing before her…the Black Lady opened a black mouth!

And the next second, she spat out countless spear-like crystals!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh——!

This attack…felt strangely familiar!?

Thud!!

Amisa immediately leapt off the gravestone where she had been perched, and the poor gravestone was instantly shattered by the crystal spikes!

She still resorted to attacking.

It looked like some kind of puppet or undead creature?

Reacting to the Soul Scream…

Ileya stroked her chin thoughtfully.

But…the opponent clearly lacked the soul core typical of undead beings…

Moreover…

She and Amisa shared the same thought—this attack looked familiar…

That’s right!

Isn’t this the Crystal Magic of the Dark Tunnel Tribe’s Great Priest!?

“This is…Crystal Magic?!”

Just as Ileya thought this, High Priest Garulu came running over.

At this moment, his eyes behind the black feathers widened in disbelief as he looked ahead.

Wait…black feathers…black fur…

Hiss, could it be…this Black Lady…

“Is she…also a follower of the Crystal Giant Tree?”

Garulu spoke before Ileya could finish her thought.

At the same time, the Lady looked toward him.

“You think so too?”

“I don’t know…but this power definitely shares the same source as mine.”

If her own observation was mere guesswork, hearing it from Garulu made Ileya almost certain—the Black Lady was also empowered by the Blessing of the Crystal Giant Tree!

Her own mother’s tribe, the Black Lady, the Crystal Giant Tree, the Slave Elder…

Everything was connected?

Was this the power of fate, or was someone guiding her behind the scenes?

With these thoughts swirling in her mind, the Lady still refused to stop trying to block the Black Lady ahead!

But the opponent seemed to have fallen into a berserk state, indiscriminately destroying the surrounding gravestones, reducing everything nearby to ruins in just seconds—like a passing storm…

“Gak gak gak gak”

Meanwhile, the Black Lady’s jaw and upper jaw repeatedly slammed against each other, emitting cold, rattling sounds.

Although it might cost some effort, allowing her to continue wrecking the place was not a good option.

So…the Lady planned to quiet this Black Lady down first.

Then, she could study what exactly this thing was…

Just as Ileya was about to order everyone to swarm and attack the Black Lady…

“Wa…wait, wait! Lady! Wait!”

At that moment, hurried and broken shouts came from behind her…

Turning around, Ileya saw Arthur finally arriving, breathless and slow.

He really looked like an ordinary old man; even his running was plain and unremarkable.

However…hearing the words from him, Ileya slowly lowered her raised hand—after all, this man had sensed the Black Lady’s aura.

Listening to his opinion might help clarify some of this mystery.

Boom!!

As Insmouth raised his hand to shatter a gravestone fragment flying toward Ileya, Arthur finally reached her side.

“L-L-Lady…may I approach and try to negotiate with…uh…this Black Lady?”

He panted heavily, pointing toward the Black Lady who was rampaging ahead.

“Are you sure you want to negotiate with her? Aren’t you afraid of dying?”

Although she didn’t really care if he lived or died, Ileya still asked.

“Uh…of course I’m afraid. But I feel like this Black Lady is familiar. She probably won’t hurt me.”

Arthur smiled helplessly.

What he didn’t say was that he felt the same about Ileya.

That was why, once he regained some clarity, he could be so at ease around this Lady.

“Hmph~”

Since he said so, Ileya had no intention of stopping him.

She just shrugged slightly, signaling that he could try.

“Phew!”

Arthur clearly wasn’t fearless.

He took a deep breath and then stepped forward quickly.

Crackle…

During this, gravestone shards and stone fragments occasionally whistled past her head and around them…

Some fragments grazed his cheek and hit his body…but Arthur seemed oblivious to the threats, steadily advancing.

“Stop!”

Only when he was within ten meters did Arthur finally speak…

His pale blue eyes stared ahead, without a trace of anger or fear, only warmth and kindness.

It was like an older brother looking at a clueless younger sister, or a loving elder watching over a mischievous junior.

“Gak gak gak…”

What left everyone confused was that the berserk Black Lady seemed to actually hear Arthur’s words.

Her head turned stiffly, the pitch-black face appearing to study the man behind her.

As she turned, that face was revealed before Ileya.

What kind of face was it?

The entire face was nothing but a slit resembling a “mouth,” with no other features—truly horrifying and unnatural…

It gave the immediate impression that being stared at by this thing meant bad news.

“Good child…stop now.”

But Arthur showed no panic, reaching out his hand forward.

Though his beard and hair partially obscured it, one could tell he was smiling.

“Gak gak gak gak”

The rattling sound of jaw hitting upper jaw became intermittent as the Black Lady’s body began trembling with Arthur’s words.

“I know you’re in pain, good child…but you no longer belong to this world. Sleep now~ Open your arms, and embrace…your eternal dream.”

Arthur’s voice grew incredibly gentle…

His left hand formed an embracing gesture before his chest, while his right hand swept across his chest, as if plucking invisible strings of a harp.

Faintly, Ileya seemed to hear a soft, melodious harp sound.

It was like the spring breeze, summer night rain, late autumn wheat fields, and winter hearth fire…

It gave a lazy, drowsy feeling, as if inviting one to sleep peacefully.

“There is green grass, clear blue lakes, and towering Giant Trees.”

“The morning sun shines through your window, the fire has gone out, and you…will sleep peacefully…”