"Approaching Drywall..."
Northern’s eyes sharpened as Drywall sprawled into view. It was expansive and... dark.
’Dark?’
It had taken a few hours to cross the whole of Welster and finally reach Drywall, so it was now late morning. The day star blazed radiant and brilliant, shimmering against the cold air.
The problem was, the closer the Tower drifted toward South Drywall, the darker it became.
Northern stood somewhere in the middle of the encroaching darkness, frowning as he stared into the void.
The crews were rattled and confused.
"What’s happening? Night during the day?"
They looked back, but the day remained bright—only as the ship drifted further did the night thicken around them.
Such a phenomenon was nearly impossible. It had never been witnessed before.
Or so they thought, until Ascendant Zion stepped forward hurriedly. He reached Northern with a knowing expression etched across his face.
Northern met his gaze calmly. He had already figured it out before Ascendant Zion approached.
After all, he had unfinished business with that damned monster.
’To think the bastard would last this long... I’m flattered.’
The shadow storm now officially claimed third position among the monsters that had cost him dearly. He never expected it.
Northern strode toward the bow and leaped gracefully, floating like a leaf on the wind. He landed on the rim and looked back at the crew.
Nebulous Lord watched him with passionate eyes, while Abyss Tyrant remained indifferent.
"Let me handle this one. It’s personal."
He waved and fell carelessly.
Eli watched. The moment Northern fell, he almost cried out in concern but held back when he saw that even Northern’s closest subordinates remained silent.
Meanwhile, Northern’s body plummeted through the dark clouds. He closed his eyes, crossed his hands behind his head, and placed one leg over the other as though he were lounging on a plush bed, savoring sleep. He ignored the violent torrent his body tore through as it hurtled toward the ground.
His fall accelerated relentlessly. Thirty feet to impact, to crash into paste—Northern didn’t react. Twenty feet—still no reaction. Ten—nothing.
Then suddenly, his body twisted, and his feet touched the ground softly, as though he hadn’t just been plummeting at terrifying speed. The way his momentum simply vanished defied all logic.
The moment he landed, uneasiness washed over him. Something about this darkness felt terribly familiar, yet wrong.
Northern scowled at the shadows and began summoning the Molten Vein.
Black sparks danced across his body, coalescing into jagged dark armor with overlapping plates that fit together perfectly like the scales of a vicious apex predator.
Finally, the helmet formed, leaving only the V-shaped visor opening. Northern’s eyes gleamed with cold blue light from within.
"So. Do you remember?"
He opened one hand.
Balls of fire the size of buildings spawned instantly in the air—one, two, three... until seventeen hung suspended above him.
They cast a fiery glow around Northern’s position, temporarily banishing the darkness.
He could see he stood on solid ground. This was different from his last encounter with the Shadow monster.
’The bastard has grown stronger...’
Most likely evolved?
’Wasn’t it already Apex, though?’
Northern was puzzled.
The monster had been an Apex Maelstrom. But now, it felt entirely different.
Why?
Monsters weren’t supposed to evolve beyond their rank.
Nebulous Lord and Abyss Tyrant were different scenarios—they were being influenced by Omniform.
’But this bastard has been to my soul too...’
The light in Northern’s eyes sharpened, growing more dangerous.
’It couldn’t be...’
The chances were slim, and it was an outrageous idea. But that was the only explanation for the difference and the uneasiness Northern felt.
He finally decided to peer into the monster’s soul. However, nothing came.
Northern turned right and glared into the darkness—nothing. He stared left—the same void.
’Things are getting dire.’
Two possibilities existed: he could no longer see souls. Northern didn’t believe Chaos had collapsed to that extent, so he dismissed that theory.
However, there was a second reason gnawing at him.
Northern looked around, his helmet folding and vanishing into fragments of light.
His expression grew pale despite the uneasy frown creasing his features.
He extended his hand and swept it lightly through the space.
’What the hell... it really is darkness.’
That had to be it.
Currently, he stood not within a monster’s soul but in pure, absolute darkness.
’How can that creature create darkness within light? Did it truly evolve?’
The answer was stark and undeniable. Creating darkness was something the shadow enthrall couldn’t do before—yet suddenly, now it could.
The damned abomination had definitely evolved. Northern was certain.
What baffled him about its evolution was this nagging suspicion: when the monster invaded his soul, it might have been tainted by the influence of Void, Chaos, and Omniform.
Which made its evolution possible.
Either way, the only method to confirm this was to find the real Shadow Enthrall and examine it directly. That would also verify his initial suspicion.
Four clones materialized, each sprinting in different directions—all transforming into streaks of light that blazed away with ferocious speed.
Northern stood alone. He closed his eyes momentarily and used his spatial awareness to read his surroundings, widening the scope both below and above.
After a while, he was certain of what was happening.
’There’s shelter underground... and survivors to the east.’
His eyes widened a bit and then he smiled.
’Interesting.’
He slowly lifted off the ground. His helmet reappeared and sealed shut, then he rocketed eastward, slicing through the wind at breakneck speed.
***
Despite the fact that the entire city of South Drywall had been devoured by darkness, Tharion’s Citadel building still stood strong and vibrant.
A transparent shield with bronze accents shimmered over the entire structure. The shield’s shape resembled a colossal gourd half-buried in the ground.
Countless monsters and Drifters enthralled by the darkness relentlessly hammered the barrier, but their efforts proved futile—nothing they did could make the shield budge.
On the Citadel’s balcony—the one that jutted out overlooking the pound—Ilitis and Gourdon stood watching the horde as they desperately tried to tear down the shield.
Ilitis raised his eyes to the distance and spotted something: a small speck of blue light racing closer.
He adjusted his monocle and smiled pleasantly, prompting Gourdon to ask:
"You’re grinning? In this situation...?’
Ilitis’s smile didn’t waver.
"It seems we’re in luck today."
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