Hunter of the Evernight
Chapter 307: Hala

Chapter 307: Hala

The throbbing seemed to catch everyone’s attention as Ana and Victoria, once done with the throne, shifted their attention to Alex with Alejandro recovering from the memory he’d been shown.

Not a word was said as they all glanced up ahead where a most grotesque abomination hung.

It looked like an egg, one made of rotten flesh and covered in pus.

Pulsing like a heart, the umbilical cords scattered about the hall seemed to originate from it.

Alex didn’t even need to consult the others as he utilized Black Bullet instinctively.

Bang

Five bullets were fired, piercing the fleshy exterior of the egg, causing inky black ooze to pour out from holes.

An ear-piercing screech erupted from the egg as it tore open, revealing what could only be described as an amorphous abomination.

Before anyone could react, however, it dropped dead, falling from above before slamming into the concrete below.

Silent for a few seconds, Alex broke the ice. "Is it dead?"

"... It seems so," Alejandro replied, his gaze fixated on the unmoving body of the grotesquery.

"So we won?" Ana muttered before adding. "But then why isn’t the corruption receding?"

True to her observation, the corruption in Isena Thalore hadn’t reduced and instead seemed to be slowly increasing, causing the group to grow tense.

"Something is wrong," Alex remarked. "We aren’t seeing the full picture."

"Perhaps it has something to do with the purple gems we found?" Victoria suggested, with Ana quickly refuting.

"Even then, what do we do about it?"

"We could try destroying it," Alejandro remarked.

Alex shook his head. "I doubt it would be that simple."

Inwardly, he couldn’t help but muse. ’From one boss to the next, if I hadn’t already died once, I’d have thought I was in some sort of game."

Meanwhile, silence came over the party as they fell into deep thought, each person considering ways to deal with the befuddlement before them.

Seconds passed, stretching into minutes before Alex moved, his steps measured as he approached Alejandro.

The latter met his gaze, inquiring in slight confusion. "Is there a problem?"

"None, but I have a conjecture I wish to try out," Alex replied before extending his right arm. "Give me the gem."

Albeit still perplexed, Alejandro handed the gem over and then watched as Alex placed the gem he was with with the one he had been given.

There was a spark and then... the gems merged, pulled by an invisible force quite similar to how magnets would react.

"As expected," Alex remarked. "The attraction of the gems isn’t as simple as we thought it to be."

Bam

The sudden sound drew Alex and Alejandro’s attention over to Victoria who had destroyed the Goddess’s statue pupil she was with to extract the purple gem within.

Coming in contact with it caused the same effect as the others, transporting her into memories of a time passed, which lasted for mere seconds before she extricated herself.

As she tried to regain her composure, Ana moved to pick up the purple gem she was with and after attempting the same thing Alex did, found that the gems merged as well.

"Now the last piece," Alex muttered as he took a deep breath, mentally prepared for whatever would happen once the gems were put together.

Getting within arm’s length, Alex beckoned for Ana to hand over the gems she was with with the latter obliging.

The gems merged but for a moment, nothing happened.

"Uhmm..." Alex frowned, unsure of what to make of the situation.

"Maybe we could..."

Flash

Purple light exploded from the merged gem, bathing the entire hall for a bit before abating.

With the light gone, the group watched as the hall dissipated like a lie, the act almost akin to watching an oil painting get washed away, revealing what lay beneath.

It was a desolate landscape with a black sun and an atmosphere saturated with corruption.

Alejandro was caught off guard, eliciting a muffled groan from his lips as he found himself assaulted mentally just by taking a breath.

Before Alex could move to his aid, a series of claps drew their attention over to a figure who stood before an obsidian tower.

She donned a torn white gown with the symbol of a glorious tree etched at the center.

Half her body carried the usual elven traits of pointed ears, flowing golden hair, unblemished skin, and a slender physique.

The other however... told a different story, one that was to be expected of a person that had spent quite some time in the abyss.

Rotten skin with maggots burrowing in and out without a care in the world with an empty eye socket.

It elicited a sense of disgust from everyone present with none bothering to hide it as they scrutinized her.

"I didn’t expect to receive guests so soon." The woman remarked in fluent Razan, her lips curled in amusement.

"Question." Alex suddenly asked. "Are you the final boss?"

"... What?"

Shaking his head at what was essentially a terrible joke, Alex rephrased. "Forget that. Who are you and how do you know Razan?"

"Ah yes, where are my manners?... I should properly introduce myself to my helpers."

"Hmm."

"My name as given by the Goddess is Halanaestra Krisquinal. But you may call me Hala. I am... or rather, I was the High Priestess of the Goddess Nuena."

"And how do you know Razan?" Alex pressed, slightly curious as to why she spoke in Razan while the armored figure had spoken in Fel.

It made no sense that she could have learnt Razan considering her civilization died out before the concept of Ra’as came into being.

"That was quite simple actually. Platadoris’s death provided me with all he lost, though I was unable to gain his adaptation, his knowledge has brought me up to speed on everything I need to know considering I would soon be returning to the mortal plain." Hala excitedly explained.

However, Alex furrowed his brows as he muttered. "How’s that even possible?"

"Oh, but it is. Whatever is corrupted by me is known to me and upon their death, they will return to me, nourishing me, regardless of the dimension they escape to. Isn’t the power of the abyss wonderful?... It’s like a disease that never gets cured once you catch it."

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