Pirate Kingship-Chapter 597 - 429: Fortress of Darkness, Habsburg (6200 in one)_3

Clearly, within this fortress, no national boundaries or barriers that could obstruct them were permitted.

Byron could only immediately dispel the Maze Lock. He controlled a few Fire Element crystals from the Ring of Fire Mountain Range to form the layout of a shadowless lamp.

Above their heads, he cast a bright light source that didn't even create shadows.

Only then did he have time to explain the killing rules of this Secret Realm to Violet and Atahualpa. Finally, he added a crucial reminder:

"We don't have the power to fight an entire city of shadows; we can only rely on the power of a light source to resist them. The first priority tonight is to ensure the lights do not go out."

"Good," Violet agreed crisply. Her fingertips sparked with electric light as she used Alchemy and materials from her traveler's bag to create several backup shadowless lamps.

Atahualpa scratched his head after hearing Byron's words. I think... it won't be that much trouble, he thought.

Saying this, he began to transform into a Fire Element, his entire body starting to glow. Instantly, he became a bright, humanoid light source.

The light, brighter than any shadowless lamp and producing even fewer shadows, instantly forced the surrounding darkness to recede.

Is this trial really that simple? Byron was astonished, realizing he had made an empirical error common to humans.

Apart from a shadowless lamp, the best way to eliminate shadows was to become a light source oneself, ensuring no shadow could possibly touch them.

This Secret Realm, the Fortress of Darkness, was indeed a deadly trap for ordinary humans. It was a place where one could perish without a trace if not careful.

But for those who were always burning brightly, like the Molten Giants and the Son of the Sun, there was hardly any danger as long as they didn't extinguish themselves.

Following Atahualpa's example, Byron and Violet also activated the Night Demon's Shapeshifting. They mimicked the 'luminous squid,' transforming their skin into light-emitting organs.

They became two luminous beings, likewise immune to the shadows' harm.

However, this also brought about another extremely serious problem.

When the three looked up at the previously pitch-black city, they discovered not only themselves but also other points of light, exposed like torches.

Even from the city's very edge, one could see the fires at the opposite end at a glance.

Clearly, those who had made it this far were all 'survivors,' outstanding in every respect. They had all conceived of this simple method to avoid the shadows' gnawing.

But as light-obscuring methods like the National Border Lock were all rendered ineffective, everyone became exposed to the others.

It was as if a group of Hunters, previously groping in a dark forest, were suddenly forced to switch on high-powered lights.

To fight or not to fight? That wasn't even a question! 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"AH—!"

Just as thirty or forty light sources lit up in succession, a piercing scream tore through the night sky.

The two Ravens saw it clearly: the first to make a move was the party of their primary target, the Second Prince, known as the Playboy.

The 'Fly Lady,' the Totem God: Plague Bringer, who could be considered the Second Prince's Mother-in-law, soared into the air.

She held an obsidian Ritual Knife emitting a sinister light. With lightning speed, she slashed at the closest Third Order Prince and then swiftly retreated.

What should have been a common superficial wound, as inconsequential to Elemental Creatures as losing a few strands of hair, instead instantly cost him half his life.

The Prince screamed in agony and aged rapidly. His skin wrinkled, age spots appeared, and his teeth loosened. In the blink of an eye, he transformed from a man in his thirties or forties into a white-haired old man.

The bright light emanating from his body also dimmed, from the brilliance of an eight or nine o'clock morning Sun to that of a setting sun.

This Obsidian Dagger was none other than the Sacred Relic: Time Thief, which Succubus Therese had given to the Second Prince!

If a person's theoretical maximum lifespan, free of illness and disaster, could reach one hundred years, and he was currently twenty, he could theoretically live another eighty years.

If the Obsidian Dagger cut away half, it didn't mean he would live forty years less in the future.

Rather, it was as if he had instantly aged by forty years, becoming a sixty-year-old man on the spot.

A Fourth Order being could live 150 years, but a Third Order being had a lifespan similar to a normal human. Being struck by this dagger was thus potentially fatal.

This was because the dagger didn't just steal lifespan; it also comprehensively affected physical condition, health, and mental acuity, turning the victim into a decrepit, ailing old man, their combat effectiveness drastically reduced.

That was the true power of the Time Thief!

In contrast, the 'Fly Lady,' the Totem God: Plague Bringer, who had gained his lifespan, appeared radiant and noticeably younger.

If not for the side effect of being hunted by the Bizarre: Time Hunter, this dagger would essentially be an alternative Elixir of Immortality, enough to drive the Kings of the Old Continent to madness.

"Hahaha, this treasure is indeed useful! I plan to emulate my grandfather, Death Dusk, and eliminate all competitors."

"This coronation ceremony is going to end prematurely at the third trial!"

"Especially you, my dear elder brother! I fear you would die on the spot if I managed to strike you, hahaha..."

The Second Prince, believing he had the upper hand with powerful Sacred Relics assisting him, was unwilling to relinquish the superb tactical advantage offered by the Fortress of Darkness. He prepared to secure his victory prematurely.

He wasn't the only one with this idea.

As they made their moves, screams were already echoing throughout the fortress.

At this moment, aside from the Second Prince, another individual was making a great display of power. It wasn't the Eldest Prince, Earthquake Light—ostensibly the oldest and strongest—but the Third Prince, Hero's Blood.