Shadow Slave Chapter 3228

Once upon a time, it took Smile of Heaven and her two companions years to travel from Shadow's desolate realm to the Kingdom of Hope. However, that was because they had traveled as mundane humans — on foot, in a carriage, or by boat. More than that, there was no end to messy situations they had gotten themselves involved in.

This time, Smile of Heaven was traveling with Slayer, and her goal was to move as swiftly and stealthily as possible. Better yet, she was already somewhat familiar with the geography of the mortal realms — even if the world had changed dramatically in her absence.

It was far more... peaceful.

Which was truly surprising, considering that the world was ruled by the Empire of War now.

Humans were the dominant force in the mortal realms now, and the endless conquest of the Empire could only be felt on its periphery. Most of its provinces, meanwhile, seemed quite well-off and orderly. Some were rich, and some were poor — but almost all of them were thriving compared to how they had been during the tumultuous Age of Heroes.

The Empire provided stability, and stability was fertile soil for progress. So even as Smile of Heaven moved past cities and villages, not daring to enter them, she saw the signs of progress — better construction techniques allowed more varied and sophisticated buildings to be built, aqueducts and irrigation channels turned previously desolate land into vast fields, bridges spanned wide rivers...

Humanity was developing swiftly. The human population was also growing — it had already expanded greatly, turning many settlements into sprawling cities.

Which meant that Smile of Heaven — or rather, Orphne — had to put in some effort if she wanted to remain unseen.

Still, Orphne was a Supreme being capable of transforming into any kind of beast, eerily proficient in stalking prey and slaying it from the shadows. Getting past Awakened watchmen, or even Transcendent champions of the Empire, was not at all difficult for her — even the Supreme governors of imperial provinces remained none the wiser while a sinister shadow moved through their Domains.

Smile of Heaven only needed to avoid attracting the attention of the four living Spirits of the Empire. In that regard, she could only rely on luck.

This time, luck was on her side.

In the end, it took her mere months to reach the former territory of the First Kingdom and make her way to its heart.

Once, countless years ago, these lands had been the beating heart of humanity — the cradle of human civilization and the greatest city to have been built by human hands.

But now, the city was abandoned, flooded, and swallowed by sands.

It had not taken long for the First Empire to collapse after White Abyss grew indifferent to its fate. Soon enough, the lesser powers of her abandoned Domain split into hostile factions and tore it apart, destroying everything the harrowing nephilim had built.

Their strife spilled into a frenzied conflict, and for a while, all reason seemed to have been lost...

But even the hopeful inheritors of the throne were not mad enough to kill each other in their absent ruler's home. So, the capital of the First Kingdom had not suffered much damage during its collapse. What truly destroyed it was the societal shift that followed.

Such a big city could not sustain itself and relied on imported grain to exist. Once the First Kingdom shattered, no one had the means of supplying it with all the things that the citizens needed — there was no point to, anyway, since trade faltered and civilization regressed in the absence of unity.

So, the people of the great city had not been slaughtered in the civil war. They simply wandered away in search of better lives over several generations.

Until the city turned into a desolate museum to human folly.

It was not completely abandoned, though... Because the great temple of White Abyss still towered above the ruins.

The magnificent visage of the immense pyramid had surrendered to the ravages of time, somewhat. The polished stone plates that had once covered its slopes like a smooth carapace were now weathered and cracked, many of them missing. The gold that had encased its pinnacle once was now dull and uneven.

But incinerating white flames still burned in its depths, illuminating the ruins like a beacon at night.

And although no one had spoken with White Abyss since the dusk of the Age of Gods, everyone knew that she still dwelled there, in the flames.

And everyone still feared her.

It was strange, really.

Back when the First Kingdom was established, Supremes had been all but unheard of. These days, however, there were more than a few around — Smile of Heaven had learned about some on her way here. There were Sacred humans, as well. And yet, throughout history, no one had dared to challenge White Abyss... or, at least, no one had survived challenging her. Even Azarax, the Plague of Steel, had given the ruins of the First Kingdom a wide berth during his bloody conquest. The Empire similarly avoided setting its sights on the crumbling temple of White Abyss — for now, at least.

Even if the Dragon had no reason to be wary of a mere Supreme Titan, he seemed reluctant to disturb this particular creature. In the meantime, the ruins of the city had become a place of pilgrimage for many humans. There were fewer and fewer pilgrims coming to this desolate realm each year, but there were still some. Their modest encampments shone in the night with the light of dim lanterns.

Smile of Heaven observed the ruins for some time, then shifted her gaze to the towering edifice of the pyramid.

A quiet sigh escaped from Orphne's lips.

‘How am I supposed to convince that thing to leave with me?’

Smile of Heaven had indeed convinced a Supreme Titan to go on an adventure with her once. But she doubted that a nephilim would be as easygoing as Shadow had been back then.

Still, the stakes were too high, so she could not allow herself to fail.

The mysterious Supreme who had sent her here did not seem foolish, anyway. She would not have gone into the trouble of summoning Saint Cor from beyond the grave and instructing him to send Smile of Heaven on a search for White Abyss if there was no chance of success.

‘Right. It's just the mythical first ruler in the history of humanity. What's the big deal?'

With that, Smile of Heaven escaped from the body of Orphne and assumed her Transcendent form. Glancing at the silent shadow, she forced out a pale smile.

"I think it's better if you sit this one out, sister."

White Abyss was a creature of fire and light, so taking a creature of shadows to her throne did not seem like a good idea.

The gaze of the sinister shadow shifted to the distant pyramid. She studied it for a long while, then sat on the ground without saying a word.

Smile of Heaven sighed.

‘To be fair, she hasn't said a single word since we met.'

She had, however, drawn a few runes on the ground once or twice.

"I'll be back soon."

With that, she leapt into the air and flew toward the pyramid.

She flew toward the light.

There was a wide platform carved into the stone near the pinnacle of the pyramid. Landing there, Smile of Heaven grimaced and shielded her eyes.

In front of her, there were walls cast from pure gold. There was also a towering gate that stood open, an ocean of flame contained beyond its threshold.

The radiance was blinding, and the heat was unbearable. Smile of Heaven saw the edges of her feathered wings slowly turning black, the searing air burning her lungs. Nevertheless, she took a step forward, and then another.

Eventually, she came to the very threshold of golden gates. The roaring wall of flames was right in front of her, emanating harrowing heat — if not for the armor Shadow had forged for her, her Transcendent form would have already caught flame.

This close to the fire, it was almost impossible to breathe.

‘W—what... what do I do now?'

Was White Abyss somewhere in the depths of the temple, bathed in the flame?

No...

If she was a creature similar to Shadow, then she was the flame.

An ocean of pristine white flame contained within the walls of the towering pyramid. Despite the obliterating heat and the pressure of being that close to a mythical being, Smile of Heaven smiled faintly.

If there was someone in the world who knew flame, it was her.

So, gathering her courage, she opened her eyes and shouted, her voice drowning out the deafening roar of fire.

“White Abyss! I am here to seek an audience!"

There was no change, but it felt as if the radiance of the white flame became even more merciless.

Smile of Heaven struggled to remain in place, every instinct in her body screaming that she had to turn around and escape.

"I... I have a favor to ask!"

There was no response.

She hesitated for a moment, then took another step forward.

"My name is Smile of Heaven! Forgive me for coming uninvited!"

With that, she released her corporeal form and dove into the flame.

However, just as her soul was about to pass the threshold...

The roaring wall of fire disappeared.