Chapter 237: The Town Where Memories Are Forbidden

Chapter 237: The Town Forbidden to Remember

Beneath the leaden clouds that hung low over the town, lightning flickered like frenzied serpents, occasionally illuminating the gloom.

On the ground, more snakes, thick and thin, surged and spread everywhere, as if they were the tangible form of thunder and lightning.

At this point, Lena was no longer willing to call the serpents "monsters" or "beasts"—

For beasts could be conquered and tamed, but the serpents... were powerful like an irresistible, overwhelming phenomenon.

They were almost symbols of destruction, chaotic periods marking the end of all things, and seemed to embody the world's wrath beyond nature.

The roaring thunder blurred Lena's hearing, leaving only a rumbling din in her ears. Meanwhile, the rain fell more urgently, blurring everything within sight, enveloped in a misty, pervasive dampness.

Of course, this did not affect Lena's observation of the serpents' movements.

The serpents' scales shone silver-white, bright like the cold gleam of a scythe swung by Death, piercing through the dim light, slicing through the blurred rain curtain, and directly stabbing into Lena's eyes, evoking an instinctive fear of unknown giants.

Tymasha, before it, was like a tiny insect flapping its wings desperately, unable to escape its hunting range.

Or perhaps, did it really have any "hunting range" at all?

Since its birth, the serpents had grown beneath the ground, like the strong roots of a giant tree spreading in all directions, expanding its control over the entire town.

For those within the city, there was nowhere to run.

Tymasha fled with all her might, not expecting any help from Lena.

She turned and threw several spears, their tips deeply embedded in the ground, forming a triangular barrier with the ground and the houses on either side, temporarily slowing the serpent's pursuit.

The serpent halted before the spear, tilting its head slightly, and leisurely gazed at Tivansha's back.

If it wished, it could have ended this game of chase long ago — but isn't it more enjoyable when the game lasts longer and the process is more intricate?

Though it lacks human intelligence, it seems to have learned to toy with its prey.

This grand yet leisurely chase, and the reprieve of death during the pursuit, left Tymasha uncertain whether it was an act of mercy or cruelty.

Having managed to put some distance between herself and the serpent, Timansa had barely begun to breathe a sigh of relief when she saw a small snake dart out from the shadows with the speed of a silver lightning bolt slicing through dark clouds, sinking its teeth into her forearm. She tore it off with a grim expression.

A piece of outer fabric, no larger than a palm, was torn off by the snake’s fangs, revealing Thimasha’s form beneath the clothing—there was no skin at all.

To be precise, there was no skin, no flesh, no bone—nothing at all.

Beneath the clothes, there was only an empty, transparent space, yet strangely, it could support the garments, allowing for normal movement, and could also be bitten by the snake.

From a distance, Lena suddenly realized that the reason Timansa was so meticulously covering everything below her neck, revealing only her head, was because she had only her head left to be seen.

Had it not been for Tymasha's ability to move freely, she might have been mistaken for a floating head.

"Was this the reason you hid in the Shadow Realm?"

Lena murmured softly, not expecting a response.

But Tamsin’s ears twitched, and from nearly a hundred meters away, she looked toward Lina, clearly having heard Lina’s speculation.

She drew a dagger wrapped in flames from her system backpack, forcing back the tide of little snakes that surged towards her, and laughed bitterly to herself: "What’s there to be so alarmed about?"

"… Aren’t all high-ranking Ability users of [Time] like this? I’m not even the worst case."

Many legends have circulated in the outside world, speculating on the secrets of the high-ranking figures in the "Time" domain who remain hidden from public view.

In truth, there is no great mystery; the metamorphosis that occurred in Tymasha is the reason.

"Time" is a very special domain.

As practitioners of this domain repeatedly trace back through time, mocking the natural progression of timelines, they themselves are being consumed by time.

Each use of their ability pushes them further away from the flow of time—until they are expelled into the seams where time is distorted.

This seam exists neither in the past, nor in the present or future, rendering those exiled within it as non-existent ghosts, completely vanishing from the world, forever unable to return to the present realm.

Compared to her predecessors who were utterly expelled, Tymasha's condition is not as severe; at least she still has a neck and a head left.

But witnessing herself gradually disappear, deviating from the normal timeline, is akin to a prolonged psychological torment, not much better than being completely expelled.

Thus, Tymasha frantically sought ways to save herself, eventually arriving in the mysterious and isolated Shadow Realm, hoping to use the concealment effects inherent in the powers of the Goddess of Misfortune, "Shadow" and "Conspiracy," to delay the process of expulsion.

She hopes to escape the pursuit of time... to avoid being found by time.

—But now, she might not even live to see the day of her expulsion, as she is about to fall prey to the snakes!

Tymasha angrily thought it was all Lena's fault!

Especially now, with Tymasha being chased like a dog on its last legs, she can't stand seeing her former adversary watching from the sidelines, seemingly at ease.

Under her rain-soaked, disheveled hair, Tymasha lifted her emerald eyes, burning with fury, and stared directly at Lena.

The moment their eyes met, Lena knew something was wrong; Tymasha was definitely going to play dirty.

Sure enough, the next moment, a long spear pierced through the air, aiming straight for Lena's heart.

Lena nimbly dodged, but her clothes could not avoid being grazed by the spear tip, leaving a fresh blood trail.

Instinctively touching the blood trail, Lena was momentarily perplexed, realizing that it wasn't her blood, but Thimasha's, who had deliberately smeared her own blood on the spearhead before throwing it.

What is she doing?

Just as Lena felt puzzled, she suddenly sensed something amiss—

The serpent in the distance seemed to have paused.

The countless eyes beneath the serpent's scales shifted, some still glaring at Thimasha, while others turned toward Lena's position. The serpents hissed and flicked their tongues, sensing the scent and information in the air, identifying their prey through the torrential rain.

Alarm bells rang in Lena's heart.

She instantly understood what Thimasha was up to:

Thimasha wanted to divert the danger, using the scent of blood to shift part of the threat onto Lena!

The serpent might not be able to truly distinguish between the two, but when faced with two prey no larger than its scales, did it really matter which one died in the end?

It wouldn't care.

Just like a person sitting at a dining table wouldn't mind whether they drink the soup or eat the meat first; once on the table, they were destined to be the diner's meal.

—And the harbinger of disaster wouldn't care who falls first.

Lena cursed inwardly, and as she became the serpent's target, waves of danger surged through her body like a tsunami or a mountain collapse.

An overly acute intuition intensified her instinctive fear, causing Lena’s face to pale abruptly. She felt as if the air around her had been sucked away, leaving a thick and heavy texture that pressed against her lungs, making it difficult for her to breathe.

Lena had always trusted her intuition.

At this moment, she clearly sensed a fact: with just two seventh-stage Ability users, they could not escape.

No matter how much they struggled, it would only be a drop in the bucket, slowing down the inevitable end in their terror.

“Don’t just stand there, let’s run for our lives!”

Tivansha, the instigator, had the audacity to make demands, her tone laced with the laughter of someone who had successfully dragged another into trouble, “I hope the danger will stimulate you to recover your memory and figure out how to deal with the monster you created!”

Lena snapped out of her daze, retreating while enduring the cold gaze of the serpents, and gritted her teeth, shouting, “What if I can’t figure it out?!”

“Then we die together, our bones will be digested and fused by stomach acid, reborn as biological sisters in the next life… Oh, what a disgusting image, I’ll strangle myself with the umbilical cord before birth.”

Tivansha’s voice was muffled by the rain, growing increasingly distant.

Lena wanted to curse at her, but Tivansha’s insolence did not hinder her actions; she had already fled nimbly, quickly vanishing from Lena’s sight.

Unlike Tivansha, Lena had never been good at direct combat. Her strength and endurance were fixed at a child’s level due to the “Reversed Spear” she had once been afflicted with, making it impossible for her to engage in a chase with the serpent.

Her first reaction was to dart into an indoor attraction, but the serpent’s tail swept across, collapsing most of the structure and sending debris flying, which was then washed to the ground by the heavy rain.

Lena clenched her teeth, raising the silver scissors, aiming the blade at the serpent’s head.

All she needed to do was close the handles, yet her hands trembled violently. An invisible weight pressed heavily on her arm, wrist, and fingertips, making even the act of raising the scissors at the serpent an incredibly arduous task.

The rain soaked Lena’s braids, the cold sensation stimulating her scalp. She tried to use this chill to force herself to stay alert, but she couldn’t manage it.

The natural suppression from a higher domain over a lower one made it almost impossible for her to use her abilities, which should have been as easy as moving her limbs. It felt as if countless sharp spikes had exploded in the depths of her brain, piercing into her nerves, causing pain that nearly blurred her consciousness.

Finally, when Lena closed the scissors, her mouth was already filled with blood, the crimson liquid mixing with the rain, merging into the layer of water on the ground.

However, Lena’s attack had not succeeded.

The serpent remained unaffected; it still hung its head, looking down at her with eyes cold and mocking.

“Snap...”

But the silver scissors in Lena’s hand broke.

Tiny cracks grew and spread, covering the thin, sharp blades in just a few seconds, ultimately disintegrating into specks of silver light that vanished in Lena’s palm.

Lena stood there, pale-faced, both shocked by the unprecedented situation and paralyzed by the backlash of her ability.

But... the serpents were approaching her.

These beasts were cunning. They surged forward in a frenzy to chase the agile Tivensha, never giving up; but when faced with Lena, who remained motionless, they slowed their pace, gliding closer with the rustling sound of their scales, bringing an endless sense of pressure.

There was no escape.

The serpents were only a few meters away from Lena, yet she unexpectedly calmed down.

The throbbing in her brain, the taste of blood in her mouth, the agony throughout her body...

Everything subsided, the tide of negative emotions slowly receding, revealing the reefs and beaches of her inner world, leaving behind the purest tranquility.

It was in this moment that Lena realized how calmly she accepted the outcome of death.

She gazed calmly at the sky, the cold rain quickly wetting her eyelashes and dripping into her eyes, mixing with the liquid that might have been tears, trickling down her cheeks.

Lena’s mind was blank, but familiar words surged to her throat. She followed her intuition and inspiration, reciting them in a hoarse voice:

"May fate guide the way home for all travelers lost in foreign lands."

"May fate grant true rest to all wandering, bewildered souls."

"Fate is the destiny of all beings; all beings are children of fate."

"May He forever protect His pitiful children..."

—This was the passage from the *Holy Canon of Fate* used to soothe the spirits of the dead.

In the church, Lena had countless times laid her hand on the heads of believers, reciting these verses for others;

And now, for the first time and the last, she recited them for herself.

Even in this dire situation, she truly believed deep in her heart that her soul would never be lost, never trapped in the depths of an unfamiliar shadow realm.

The gentle and merciful deity she worshipped would ferry her to the other shore, leading her to His presence, washing away the joys and sorrows of her life, and guiding her into the cycle of rebirth.

Rainwater flowed like a river on the streets, mingling with Lena’s blood and tears as they traced her serene face, falling into the shallow stream.

The drops of blood floated in the puddles, not diluted, but as if drawn by some force, the pale red color spread at an abnormal speed, enveloping the entire street in a layer of ominous blood water.

The approaching swarm of snakes suddenly halted, hissing restlessly, sensing a powerful yet different presence approaching, one akin to their own.

Not only the snakes, but Lena and Tivana, who was battling another group of snakes nearby, also felt it—a deeper tremor rising from their feet, climbing up their spines, making their scalps tingle.

Lena swallowed the blood in her mouth, feeling a sense of foreboding as she lowered her head to look at the puddle on the ground.

The water was like a mirror.

Beneath the surface, a massive shadow loomed faintly, resembling an unknown colossal ancient creature rising from the depths, drawing closer to the surface and becoming increasingly distinct.

Damp mist was swept up by the wind, rising from the water's surface and swirling in the air. Rising with the mist was an indistinct humanoid silhouette.

The enormous figure stood up from the rainwater lake, its form as elusive as the rain and fog. It continued to rise, higher and higher...

Finally, the giant, nearly a hundred meters tall, looked down upon the town, casually lifting a hand to tear through the thick clouds, extinguishing the rolling lightning with a touch.

The dark clouds dispersed—the rain stopped.