CHAPTER 305: FLOWER WITHER

Before, while he was swimming, that feeling of connection had been faint, almost subtle. But after moving forward and passing through the spatial distortion, Darian felt it clear as a beacon. He knew, without a doubt, that this ship was where he was supposed to go.

He spotted a massive, rusted chain linking the ship’s top to the sea below. That colossal thing had been anchored there for who knows how long. As he got closer, the chains were so gigantic he felt like an ant climbing them.

Because of the rust, some flakes were sharp as blades. Strange fluctuations leaked out of that rust, giving off a terrifying sensation. Everything about this ship screamed that it was on a level way beyond what he could even imagine.

As soon as he reached the top, Darian carefully raised his head to check what was up there.

It was completely empty.

The moment he stepped on deck, a bad feeling ran through him. Then, a sound and a weird vibration rose beneath his feet.

It was a bizarre noise—like footsteps, but also like a broom being dragged. The sound made his soul shiver in discomfort.

Darian took a deep breath; saying he wasn’t afraid would’ve been a lie. The scariest part was not having a clue what he was up against.

Focusing, he felt the pull of the karmic connection.

He started walking toward the ship’s center, and after a few minutes, spotted a passageway in the distance. The ship was so massive it took him a while to reach the entrance.

Along the way, the strange noises never stopped. When he finally stepped inside, the world got darker, and the sound became even sharper.

The air reeked with a metallic, nauseating stench. The place was damp, and almost nothing could be seen ahead, just a narrow corridor. He let out a snort and pressed forward...

He walked for several minutes until he reached the lower level. It opened into a vast, empty space. There wasn’t much light, but a few cracks in the deck above let faint beams spill in—enough that he could make out the surroundings without too much trouble.

He had barely arrived when noises echoed behind him!

Darian nearly jumped. Not far away, a strange lifeform suddenly appeared.

Its shape resembled that of a humanoid. Its feet had five sharp claws; on its head was a long horn, giving away a demonic origin...

But it was unlike any demon Darian had ever seen. The lineage running through that body radiated an unparalleled strength, similar to what he felt from Niara. This wasn’t just some random demon—it was from an ancient, powerful race.

The creature ignored him. Its legs dragged heavily across the floor as it moved forward.

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Darian frowned, confused, but quietly stepped aside to let it pass.

His eyes and senses were on full alert. That’s when he realized something terrifying...

’It doesn’t have a soul?!’

This wasn’t a living being, but a corpse moving on its own. Inside it, there was... something—like a life rune created by a necromancer, forcing the body to move according to some preset program.

He drew a deep breath. The sound echoing around him came from the claws scraping against the floor. The demon moved slowly, like every step was a struggle.

Just then, another demon appeared in the distance. It was identical to the first, dragging its feet and moving in that same strange way.

Darian noticed their steps were perfectly spaced apart. Every movement was mechanically identical.

Soon, he saw that those creatures were carrying something. They all walked expressionless, heading in the same direction.

Without hesitation, Darian ran after them.

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He quickly reached a light barrier blocking the path. Behind it...

...he saw—and felt—it was the center of that karmic connection.

The faint glow of the barrier illuminated the figure curled up and unconscious.

It was a humanoid woman, about one meter eighty tall. Her vibrant hair cascaded down in a rainbow of colors. She wore a simple black top, dirty and torn in places, along with equally worn dark pants.

Darian’s eyes went wide. ’A Chromaraic??’

That rainbow hair, paired with her exotic and striking beauty, were the unmistakable traits of that ancestral race of all humanoids.

At the same time, his gaze swept across her exposed skin. Black, circular markings spread over her body. But he realized those hadn’t been inflicted—they were something she was born with, part of her lineage, not wounds from outside.

Those black marks were giving off a faint demonic power. ’She was half Chromaraic, half Demon...’ Darian muttered, certain of it.

Right now, she was still unconscious inside the barrier, her body bound by chains that held her from above and below. Even in that state, her face twisted in pain. It was like watching a beautiful, vibrant flower wither under the weight of captivity.

’How is she connected to me?’ Darian thought, stunned.

The karmic connection only applied to his current life, not the past. So, he should’ve known where she came from...

’I’ve never seen a Chromaraic before...’

He focused on her, realizing she was alive, different from the demons. When he activated his curse... the karma was black... pitch-black, thick and gloomy.

He took a deep breath and remembered the first time he saw Niara. She also had a similar karma, but only because of the situation she was thrown into, not because she was actually bad. Darian had learned he couldn’t judge someone just based on that.

’Well... fuck it, I’ll save her and see what happens.’

He needed to figure out where his connection to her came from, and he also wanted to complete the special mission. He’d already wasted too much time and effort, no way he was turning back now.

At that moment, one of the demons showed up in front of the light barrier and slowly stretched out its hand. That’s when Darian finally saw what it was holding: a crystal, about the size of a thumb.

The crystal fused with the barrier and turned into white threads, like a spider’s web, wrapping around the woman.

When those threads merged with her body, the chains binding her started trembling. Darian felt strange fluctuations spreading through the chains up to the top.

’It’s draining... something really important, and also her life force.’

He could only identify one of the things being taken. But... her life force was being sucked away, and yet she still looked perfectly alive and stunning?

How powerful did she have to be for that to even be possible?

But some things were clear. They were draining her energy so she wouldn’t wake up and would never break free. As for those demons, they were like lifeless machines, using crystals to pull energy from her.

This woman was so impressive they couldn’t — or wouldn’t — kill her. The only thing left for them was this method to keep her there. The whole ship looked like it was built as a prison, and she was the only prisoner.

Darian kept examining her carefully... she was really beautiful... but as soon as that thought crossed his mind, he instinctively looked away.

That’s when he realized: he did it out of reflex, afraid of what Niara might think.

He let out a heavy sigh... he really missed her. But this wasn’t the time. He quickly brought his focus back to his goal.

It was clear as day: the chains, the light barrier, and the entire ship were connected, like parts of one massive array.

He needed to find the core of it all to free the woman.

Without hesitation, he focused on the demons slowly moving away from the place. Then he rushed after them through the ship.