Half a day had passed, and the Styx River remained as calm as ever. The water flowed slowly, appearing from a distance like a green ribbon of light. If not for its black-green hue, it would look completely still.
I ordered the 500 soldiers I brought, dividing them into groups of ten to camp by the Styx River, keeping watch for any movement in the water.
Yesterday’s battle was still vivid in my mind. Maybe it was the lingering atmosphere of the battlefield, but my chest felt as if it were burning with fire.
All day, the soldiers talked about Yuna Ji’s heroic presence yesterday, their praise overflowing. Only then did I learn that after I charged out, Yuna Ji immediately organized the troops on the city walls and those still in chaos inside the city, explaining their mission simply and directly: destroy the enemy’s catapults and attack from both flanks.
The tactics were highly effective. After she completely suppressed the two skeletal generals, the rebel forces achieved an exceptionally meaningful victory.
One hundred kilometers east in a straight line from Crimson Plume Fortress is the Netherhell Citadel. Now that we’ve knocked out one of its defenses, all we need to do is hold this fortress, gather our strength, and when the time comes, launch a full assault on the Netherhell Citadel for a decisive result.
The enemy’s army at the central fortress is likely already pinned down, and the northern strongholds are also facing overwhelming trouble.
My current task is to remain stationed here indefinitely. Yuna Ji doesn’t seem to want me too involved in this war, so she arranged for me to stay here. She’s anxious and wants to end the conflict as quickly as possible.
"What exactly is at the bottom of that lake?"
I began to ponder. At the bottom of the Styx River lay countless bone fiends. The actions of Scarlet Howe and the others seemed to be telling me there was something hidden in the river. I rode my horse slowly toward the Styx River, determined to see for myself. It was risky, but I had to find something.
If those three monsters from yesterday hadn’t retreated, the rebel forces in the city would have been wiped out. It’s been exactly a month since their last attack—maybe there’s some sort of time limit at play.
Once someone dies, they’re revived in the nearest Resurrection Pit. The farther the distance, the longer the revival takes. Both sides routinely swap revived soldiers: those who come back in the rebel sector join the rebels, while those revived in the empire’s territory join the imperial army.
It’s a straightforward exchange, but only for ordinary soldiers. Most generals are too steadfast to switch sides so easily, so they’re imprisoned. There are quite a few generals here in Crimson Plume Fortress, only recently freed after the last battle.
Yesterday, Scarlet Howe took me to see one of those Resurrection Pits. It was bizarre—I couldn’t sense anything at all.
I came to the Styx River’s edge. No one was around. I looked in every direction, crouched by the water, and watched the nearly motionless current. I released my Specter Web, letting it pierce the surface, but still sensed nothing.
No one knows why these monsters exist at the riverbed—not even Yuna Ji. They have no thoughts, but seem to act with some unclear purpose.
Suddenly, I looked east toward the Netherhell Citadel. Aside from the sections Yuna Ji built later, the rest—including the statues of the Nine Dragon Guardians—have been there since ancient times.
According to Scarlet Howe, back when this was the old hell, it was a burial ground. No ghost would ever come near this lifeless place.
I drifted slowly onto the river’s surface, peering into the water below. With a splash, I plunged in. Visibility was zero—only black-green darkness all around. I unleashed a mass of Specter Webs, reaching deeper and deeper. After a long while, I was surprised; the phrase 'bottomless abyss' echoed in my mind.
I began to swim downward. Whatever was hidden at the riverbed, I had to find out now. Fortunately, the Specter Webs gave me a sense of distance and some visibility—the images imprinted clearly in my mind.
The river wasn’t wide—just over a hundred meters across. Both banks were lined with black rock. I decided to go deeper, but then I stopped, sensing something strange.
Where were those monsters? I searched all around. I’d already planned how I’d fight them underwater, but now I couldn’t see a trace of them—not even a single bone.
It was unbelievable. I could feel the current flowing. I oriented myself and looked west.
"Where does this water actually flow to?"
That was my biggest question now. The source didn’t matter; what mattered was where the river ended up. I’d never seen the Styx River’s mouth by the River of Forgetfulness—except for the one that had been dug out before.
Previously, the Underworld had sealed all the river mouths. If Zhuang Bo hadn’t opened one, the rebels would have lost their supply point for new soldiers. Lately, they’d only attacked after gathering enough forces, since dying in enemy territory would mean heavy losses and strengthening the enemy.
Most battles achieved little. That’s why, once the rebels learned about the new opening in the mountain wall, they rushed here, pouring nearly a third of their forces into this new supply point.
How did the rebels learn so quickly about the breach in the mountainside? A string of questions popped into my mind as I decided to keep diving.
Even after a long while, I still couldn’t feel the riverbed, and there was no sign of any monsters.
I decided to head back to the surface—I had no idea what was happening above.
After swimming upward for a while, something felt off. I stopped—the water had stopped flowing. It was the most tangible sensation I had. When heading downstream, the Styx River’s water moved, but now, moving upstream, it was completely still, like a stagnant pool.
(Irrelevant passage about continuing to the next page. Skipping translation.)
I started swimming downstream again, and immediately felt the current. A surge of excitement ran through me—this was a major discovery. I decided to return to the surface and ask Yuna Ji about it once I got back.
A few minutes later, I broke through the surface, slowly floated up, and crouched on the river. I reached a hand into the water—the current was moving. But when I lifted my hand, the flow stopped.
Suddenly, I sensed something strange and instantly returned to the riverbank. On my left, a group of cavalry was rushing toward me.
"General, there’s a change in the situation over there."
I nodded, mounted my horse, and followed the soldiers.
Gradually, I could see it—a black vortex slowly spinning on the river’s surface, surrounded by soldiers.
Everyone noticed the anomaly, and the vortex’s rotation seemed to be speeding up.
Suddenly, a streak of white appeared in the vortex. I swallowed and immediately shouted.
"Everyone, mount up immediately!"
A massive bone fiend floated up from the riverbed, shrouded in black-green currents. The creature looked like a lizard, but with six legs and a flat skull—its mouth resembled a crocodile’s.
With a swift motion, I drew Beauty, glancing around, then ordered the soldiers to hurry back to the city and report. I stayed behind to hold the line.
After the soldiers had retreated, I watched the bone fiend floating in midair. In an instant, I flew up and swung Beauty at its head.
With a whoosh, my eyes widened in shock—I’d passed right through the creature’s body. It was like a shadow, with no substance at all. I kept slashing, but the result was the same. The fiend drifted slowly toward Crimson Plume Fortress, and even my Specter Web sensed nothing.
"Why is this happening?"
I muttered. Meanwhile, the black vortex seemed to be fading, shrinking smaller and smaller. With a rush, I transformed into a stream of black mist and plunged into the vortex.
"What are you?"
A commanding voice rang in my ears. I snapped my eyes open—where was I?
All around was endless white, with giant bones piled together—no idea what kind. Each one was thick and sturdy, probably from Styx River fiends. Massive bones lay scattered everywhere, crisscrossing the ground.
Everywhere I looked, there were massive white bones. But what was that voice just now?
Suddenly, I sensed something strange and darted into a hollow bone, like slipping inside a pipe. Once inside, I concealed all signs of my presence and watched quietly. Two green flashes swept overhead—it was the Specter Ghosts.
"Things aren’t good here. Hardly any useful ones. Still, the river by Netherhell has plenty more we can use."
A younger voice spoke.
"What’s the rush, kid? The monsters over there still won’t cooperate, so it’s better to do things yourself and reap the rewards. There’s plenty of time—take it slow!"
It was an old man’s voice. After a brief exchange, the pair left. I emerged from the bone and released my Specter Web, sensing everything around me. It was deathly silent—nothing here at all.
"Can you hear my voice?"
Suddenly, I clutched my head and swept my gaze around.
"Who are you?"
"Someone just like you. If you can hear me, you should be able to see me too!"
A buzzing sensation filled my head as a streak of white light flashed by. My eyes snapped open—everything around me changed in an instant. A black-green space appeared before me, and all the bones vanished.