The Veilmaster could not believe what he was seeing.
Even with the Grave Mark, not just anybody could enter the crimson barrier.
There were hidden clan members who were Demon Lords and notable figures with influence and authority, but even these members could not bypass the crimson barrier.
The Veilmaster had seen it occur so many times.
There were some powerful clan members who had tried to enter the crimson barrier by force, but they could not.
’The time when some clan members tried to obtain the secret down below, the crimson barrier protected me from them. The Grave Lords had to interfere and I never heard of those clan members again.’
’But how was she able to enter the barrier?’
The Veilmaster frowned deeply as he looked at Akaza, Sonya, Merath, Jorra, and Simon walk into the barrier.
His eyes landed on Sonya, and he had a deep frown.
’Even the Grave Lords cannot enter this place without obtaining permission from the Night Sovereign.’
’So how did she enter?’
The Veilmaster had a deep and thoughtful frown, then his eyes subconsciously looked at Simon.
He saw that Simon was also staring at him with a thoughtful expression.
’Did he not kill the... Night Sovereign?’
The Veilmaster felt like he was at the cusp of realizing something, but for some reason, he could not.
Meanwhile, Simon’s attention was on the Veilmaster.
And it was not because of the threat the Veilmaster posed to them.
No.
It was because of the Veilmaster’s shock and disbelief.
When Simon told Sonya to touch the barrier with her right hand, he wanted to see if the barrier would open because of the Grave Mark.
It was an attempt which he didn’t actually expect to work for several reasons, but it did.
For the Veilmaster who was in charge of protecting the withered tree to also be shocked that a hole appeared in the barrier, it meant that they should not have been able to enter.
Now, this was suspicious to Simon.
And another thing that was also suspicious to Simon was the fact that a Veilmaster was in charge of protecting something as important as the withered tree.
The Veilmaster was a Prime Greater Demon.
Simon had even asked Lilith to confirm if he was truly a Greater Demon, and she said yes.
Why would a Greater Demon be in charge of protecting the withered tree?
’Even if it’s not to protect the withered tree, why would a Greater Demon and a mere Veilmaster be in a very important place?’
Simon’s frown deepened.
He looked around, then he looked at the withered tree.
His instincts were warning him about something dangerous, and he decided to listen to it.
"You guys. Hold on for a moment."
Sonya, Akaza, Merath, and Jorra were confused as to why Simon was telling them to wait.
He was the one that was urging them to arrive at the withered tree as quickly as possible, now he was telling them to wait?
They looked at him with raised brows.
He was about to speak, but he suddenly frowned and looked at the Veilmaster.
At the same time, the Veilmaster was also looking at him with the same confused expression Sonya and the others had.
However, a bolt of realization suddenly struck him, and he cursed his own stupidity.
’Wait! It’s only with the permission of the Night Sovereign that a demon can enter the barrier!’
’Doesn’t that mean that the Night Sovereign is still alive and not dead?!’
The Veilmaster’s eyes flashed with relief and excitement.
He looked around, hoping to find a sign of the Night Sovereign.
But in the next moment, his expression changed when he perceived a change in his shadow.
He looked behind him, and to his shock and disbelief, he saw something that terrified him.
Standing right behind was Sunless, but she was standing with only half of her body.
Half of her face, her head, her neck, her everything was gone.
Dark golden energy flashed from time to time on the edges of her severed body.
However, tendrils of shadow were constantly crawling over the missing half of her body.
The tendrils twisted, curled, and stretched as they tried to replace the half that had been cut away by Lilith. But whenever the shadows tried to complete her body, the dark golden energy on the severed edges would flare up and burn them away.
Sunless’ expression was terrifying.
Half of her face was gone, but the remaining half had an eye that was filled with madness, anger, and hatred.
The Veilmaster’s face turned pale.
"Night Sovereign..."
Sunless slowly tilted the remaining half of her head and looked at him.
The Veilmaster instantly froze.
Then his shadow moved.
No.
It was not that his shadow moved.
It was that something inside his shadow opened its mouth.
The Veilmaster’s eyes widened in horror, and before he could react, his shadow rose from the ground and wrapped around his legs like countless black snakes.
"What are you-"
He could not finish his words.
His shadow suddenly dragged him downward.
The Veilmaster released a roar and erupted with demonic energy, but the moment his demonic energy appeared, his own shadow swallowed it. His expression became even more horrified, and he tried to attack the shadow with his daggers.
But it was useless.
His daggers passed right through it.
His legs vanished first.
Then his waist.
Then his chest.
The Veilmaster screamed.
It was a scream of fear, pain, and disbelief.
He could not understand why the existence he worshipped was devouring him.
A second later, his head was dragged into his shadow, and his scream stopped.
The shadow that had swallowed him trembled, then it rushed toward Sunless like a black river.
Sunless opened her mouth slightly.
The shadow entered her body.
Then the missing half of her body began to reform.
Not with flesh.
But with shadows.
The missing half of her face, neck, shoulder, chest, waist, arm, and leg were all replaced by condensed shadows.
Her new half was completely black, and it constantly moved as though countless tiny shadows were crawling beneath its surface.
The dark golden energy on the severed edges burned some of the shadows, but the shadow half endured.
Sunless exhaled softly.
The wounds on her remaining flesh healed slightly, but it was obvious to anybody with eyes that she was far from recovered.
She was still severely injured.
But she could move.
And that was enough.
Simon stared at her with cold eyes.
Sonya, Akaza, Merath, and Jorra were also shocked and shaken.
Wasn’t Sunless dead?
Why was she here?
What could they do?
They had all these questions and more as they stared at Sunless who looked like a demon that had been cut in half and stitched back together with the darkness of the world.
"Run."
The moment Simon said this, Akaza moved.
He did not say anything or ask any questions.
Sonya also reacted instantly, and Merath and Jorra followed.
However, the moment they turned toward the opening in the crimson barrier, their expressions changed.
The opening was gone.
The crimson barrier had closed.
Akaza rushed toward it and punched it.
BANG!
The barrier did not even tremble.
Sonya placed her right hand on it again, but this time, nothing happened.
Her expression changed.
"It won’t open."
Simon closed his eyes for a brief moment.
’I knew it.’
His instincts had been right. There was danger, and this danger was a trap.
Sunless had allowed them to enter.
Now, they were trapped with her.
Sunless looked at their expressions, and the remaining half of her lips slowly curled upward.
The shadow half of her mouth also stretched, making her smile look twisted and wrong.
Then she laughed.
It was soft at first.
Then louder.
Then it became completely unrestrained.
A maniacal grin appeared on her half-flesh, half-shadow face as she stared at Simon.
"Did you really think I would let you leave after coming this far, Blackmoon?"