Chapter 100: Hell Like Mental Sea

Ethan paused slightly. How could a Sentinel have never been Guided before? Was that even possible? How had Xavier survived until this moment without going berserk or dying? More importantly, what would a Sentinel’s Mental Sea even look like if they had never experienced Guidance before?

Before he could find an answer to any of those questions, the Sentinel’s hand shot up to his throat again and closed around it tightly. Ethan’s eyes bulged at the sudden pressure, and although the grip wasn’t nearly as painful as before, Xavier was still a powerful Sentinel, so even a restrained hold from him was enough to make it hurt.

Did this man have a kink for choking people’s necks?

Instead of panicking, Ethan quickly used the opportunity to do what he had been trying to accomplish. He placed his arm against Xavier’s arm, calming his mind as much as possible before immediately focusing on the point of contact and sending his consciousness through it, allowing himself to enter Xavier’s Mental Sea.

The next second, Ethan was pulled into an unfamiliar space.

He immediately knew that this had to be Xavier’s Mental Sea, and—

Fuck.

It was hell.

Not figuratively. It looked like actual hell.

This was completely different from Drey’s Mental Sea, which Ethan had already experienced before. Xavier’s Mental Sea had turned into a bottomless, spinning whirlpool of toxic black tar, the entire space consumed by a darkness that seemed to have no end. The black substance churned violently, swallowing everything around it, while at the very center of the endless pit, Xavier’s fragile, unconscious soul was being dragged farther and farther downward into the abyss.

Ethan stared at the sight, his mind going blank for a moment as he tried to comprehend what he was looking at.

Would I even be able to do this?

How was he supposed to Guide someone whose Mental Sea had deteriorated into something like this? Even if he could purify corruption, how was he supposed to reach Xavier’s soul without getting dragged into that bottomless pit himself?

And more importantly, how was he supposed to pull Xavier out before he could even begin the actual Guiding?

Ethan’s brows furrowed as he desperately tried to come up with a reasonable plan. He couldn’t simply purify the entire Mental Sea at once. There was far too much corruption, and attempting to cleanse all of that toxic black tar in one go would be no different from throwing himself into the pit alongside Xavier.

He needed to rescue Xavier first.

He had to pull the Sentinel out of the quicksand-like corruption before he could even think about cleansing his Mental Sea.

As Ethan continued studying the terrifying sight, he suddenly felt something move inside his pocket.

His attention immediately shifted.

Lumi?

Was she already tired of staying inside the dungeon?

He quickly brought the little fox out of his pocket, and the moment Lumi caught sight of the strange surroundings, she immediately let out a loud, frightened yip.

"Yip!"

Ethan couldn’t help chuckling at the expression on her tiny face despite the situation. Lumi’s ears were raised stiffly, her large eyes darting around as she took in the endless sea of black tar surrounding them, clearly wondering what the hell Ethan had brought her into this time.

"You’re scared too, huh?" Ethan muttered, a faint smile tugging at his lips.

However, as he continued staring at the little fox, an idea suddenly popped into his mind.

Ethan had read about spiritual beasts in Aster’s book, so he already knew quite a bit about their abilities and limitations. He also knew Lumi’s current limitations because she was still only at the early stage of her growth. She wasn’t powerful enough to fight the corruption directly or purify a Mental Sea of this magnitude on her own.

But she didn’t need to.

Ethan’s eyes slowly brightened as he realized there was another way he could use her power.

If he established a connection with Lumi and combined their strength, he might be able to use her energy as an anchor and pull Xavier’s soul out of the deepest part of the corrupted Mental Sea before attempting to cleanse him.

That was the only reasonable way.

A Guide couldn’t simply purify a massive sea of black tar all at once, especially when the Sentinel’s soul was already being swallowed by the corruption. Ethan first had to perform a targeted rescue, reach Xavier through the overwhelming corruption, and pull him out of the quicksand-like pit before he could begin the actual Guiding.

The thought gave Ethan a small sense of direction.

He immediately moved toward the edge of the corrupted sea and found the safest piece of ground he could. He lowered himself into a seated position, keeping his attention fixed on Xavier’s distant soul while he anchored his mind firmly in place.

The moment he settled himself, an immense psychic pressure immediately descended upon him.

Ethan gritted his teeth and held his position, refusing to let his consciousness be dragged toward the spinning black whirlpool. He had to remain anchored here. If his mind lost its stability, he would be pulled in before he could even reach Xavier.

Once his mind was firmly anchored, Ethan looked toward Lumi.

The little fox seemed to understand that something was expected of her.

She cautiously moved forward, tiny paws carrying her toward the absolute edge of the toxic pool. The closer she got, the darker the air around her became, but she continued forward until she stood directly at the edge.

Then Lumi suddenly raised her head.

"Yip-yip!"

The sharp cry echoed through the dark Mental Sea.

At the same instant, a thin, blindingly bright lifeline of pure, high-grade A-rank energy suddenly shot out from Lumi’s chest. The brilliant strand tore through the surrounding darkness like a flash of light, cutting across the black air before extending toward the center of the corrupted sea.

It reached Xavier.

The glowing energy wrapped securely around the drowning Sentinel’s torso.