"Agh!!!" Marlis cried out in pain while trickles of blood flowed from her eyes.

Her small body struggled to withstand the pressure from the energy that she could barely manage. She could absorb far more energy than most people in the world, but it was an ordeal even for her.

"Fuck! This is supposed to be a nice and relaxing process! Instead, I feel like my body is literally being torn apart! Shit! I've dreamed so much about this moment and imagined it completely differently!" Marlis exclaimed with an angry look as her eyes became as sharp as a pair of blades, "Fucking Wain! Did you really have to destroy such a huge Soul Pearl?!"

Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.

Marlis slowly rose as the platform beneath her feet cracked.

"Hah, looks like I'll have to use this on myself... It's been a long time since I've done this, but it looks like I just don't have any other choice." Marlis said with a slight smile on her face before raising her hand.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

At the same time, massive streams of green energy burst out of her as a magical circle with many intricate runes appeared above it.

"Fine, I am a support after all, aren't I?" Marlis said in a confident manner with a smirk on her face before clenching her hand into a fist.

The magic circle descended on Marlis, covering her body with a dense shell that greatly increased her protection. She was immediately relieved as blood stopped flowing from her eyes, but it was still not enough as her body gradually approached the boundary.

"Hah, I guess I still remember how to do it." Marlis grinned as she looked up, "When I used all those spells on Sven... Agh, he was like a god no one could stop."

Tremble.

Space trembled as more than ten magical circles appeared above Marlis, of various shapes and sizes. All of them fell on her simultaneously, amplifying her.

Scratches and bruises began to heal at an accelerated rate as the pressure from the energy eased so much that Marlis barely noticed it.

Crackle.

Marlis grabbed the sword from the compressed white energy and pulled it from her chest. There was no blood as this sword could not harm the physical body, only the soul because of too much pressure, which could cause other damage.

"Nice, now I've had enough. Couldn't have revealed all my cards to Wain, could I?" Marlis smirked as she tightened her grip.

historical

Crackle.

The sword shattered into small shards, then Marlis took a deep breath. The shards turned into streams of energy, heading towards Marlis.

"Brrr...!" Marlis shuddered while waving her head from side to side as if she had drank very strong alcohol, "Damn, that was hard, but... Damn, that felt good. It's been a few years since I've gotten stronger by even a little bit."

Marlis took a moment to absorb all the energy, then she looked ahead into the vast darkness and with an ice-cold look muttered, "Well, if my hunch is right about Sven's thoughts, then I don't need to sneak into Death Shore, because then Wain will definitely be fine."

Marlis was puzzled as she thought while rubbing her chin, 'Hmm... I better get back. Even if something urgent happens, the three of us can help Wain.'

Whoooooooosh.

She waved her hand as space shattered into several pieces as if a mirror. Then, Marlis with a confident expression headed forward, crossing into the open space.

...

"Looks like I'm here... at least I finally got to something interesting..." Wain muttered while looking ahead as he leaned his hand against a tree.

He was on a high slope overlooking ancient ruins in the distance and a massive, just indescribable river.

Through all of Death Shore flowed a river whose water was as dark as tar. Inside it sometimes appeared strange arms as if drowned men were trying to get out, body parts of various creatures, and creepy eyes that tried anyone who approached them.

"Fuck... This is really creepy. If I get in that river, I'm not going to be able to get out of it... Although, it's something I imagined." Wain uttered with a dazed look as he took a step forward and fell off the cliff.

Bam.

He landed on the stone wreckage covered in ash, breaking it into several pieces and pressing it to the ground.

"Well, well, it's certainly not the nicest place, but from the looks of it, the seventh form is worth the trip for it, even to hell." Wain said in a calm voice as he closed his eyes.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

There was a ripple in the air as the rush of wind made his hair and coat wave.

"So I have to go there...?" Wain looked to his left with an emotionless look.

The left side of the ruins was full of massive columns, most of them broken and lying on the ground, but some were still standing upright. Among the columns were parts of the walls of some ancient structure and stone slabs as though from an arena.

Wain sighed, took a step forward as his silhouette blurred and he turned into a dark flash, crossing the ashy ground.

It only took him a few minutes to reach the columns as his senses multiplied. He could clearly feel the currents of energy that were coming from behind the walls in front of him.

"Fine, looks like I'm getting close." Wain said in a calm voice as he headed forward with slow steps.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

After a while, he felt a strange tremble on the ground, barely noticeable, but it was enough to make Wain wary.

'Hmm? Is there someone here? Is that possible?' Wain wondered as he turned and found himself among the high walls and columns, that looked like an arena.

Wain's eyes opened wide as he saw the reason the ground was shaking. He was right, he was not alone there, and the creature's aura sent shivers down his body.