Chapter 1357 - 536: You Didn’t Pass! (Part 2)

Chapter 1357: Chapter 536: You Didn’t Pass! (Part 2)

Instead, there was a reassuring tranquility, like the morning after a storm.

"Whoosh—Bang! Whoosh—Bang!"

The sound of fireworks exploded in the forest.

Three magic rabbits hopped out from the colorful smoke, applauding them.

The golden rabbit spun three times, growing larger with each turn, finally settling at the size of half a person:

"Congratulations! Congratulations! You’ve successfully seen through the ’story’ behind the ’story’! Leila’s Library is now completely closed!"

The silver rabbit circled Ron, its little nose twitching incessantly, as if sniffing for a special scent:

"Huh? Your aura seems a bit different now. It has more of a... hmm, kaleidoscope feel."

It tilted its head, its eyes shining with curiosity: "It’s like countless possibilities suddenly mixed into a single color."

Ron gently caressed the silver pocket watch on his chest, feeling the struggling and elusive light within.

He chose a relatively vague explanation:

"I just took advantage of the gap when Leila collapsed to capture the residual energy of her core. It should count as a trophy."

The bronze rabbit immediately jumped up, exclaiming in an exaggerated tone, "This is quite the prize! Although you can’t fully digest it yet, having the core means you’re deeply bound with Leila."

The golden rabbit excitedly added, waving its little claws in the air:

"That’s right! It’s like owning the copyright to a book!

You can ’reprint’ a specific era of her—summoning her [Historical Projection] to fight for you at any time!"

"Historical Projection..." Ron echoed the term.

The only projection he had at the moment was the Sarlin projection that he had acquired by chance.

Because the recent battle hadn’t involved a true life-threatening crisis, he hadn’t used it.

Now, it seemed like he might have one more usable combat unit?

Aselia crossed her arms in his embrace and analyzed in a mature tone:

"Leila is skilled in illusion techniques and spiritual attacks, with mental combat being her specialty.

Her historical projection might play an unexpected role in the upcoming challenges."

The silver-haired girl spoke with a hint of sarcasm in her voice:

"Using a hound to deal with a hound, this countermeasure should be something they didn’t anticipate."

Nari expressed some concern:

"But... keeping something so dangerous around, isn’t there a risk of backlash? What if she awakens inside you and tries to take over?"

"Mom, you don’t need to worry about that."

Ron reassured her while carefully guiding the dream core in the watch that had not been fully digested.

A vague, unconscious shadow of Leila flashed behind him, like a ghost in a black-and-white silent film.

The figure maintained the appearance of a librarian, but its eyes were hollow, movements rigid, clearly having lost any independent will.

"See, because the traces of her existence left behind are incomplete, Leila, though capable, lacks autonomy.

Moreover, the power of the watch far exceeds ordinary hounds, enough to ensure control."

The three rabbits nodded in satisfaction and then began to point out the path to the next challenge.

"Fenrir’s Alchemy Playground is just to the south!"

The golden rabbit pointed towards a direction glowing with a rusty red light:

"But be careful, Fenrir’s rule is ’creation,’ but he most detests ’wholeness’!"

The silver rabbit added: "He likes to take things apart and reassemble them, and despises those boring toys that remain unchanged!"

The bronze rabbit lastly reminded them:

"Have fun! Remember, in his playground, broken is often more valuable than whole!"

After speaking, the three rabbits merged into one again, transforming back into the familiar three-headed rabbit.

They hopped away into the depths of the forest, leaving a faint cyanic smoke slowly dissipating in the air.

..............

After leaving the Crystal Forest, the scene before them changed dramatically.

The fresh, dreamy atmosphere was replaced with a rough industrial vibe.

The air became thick and sticky, filled with a mix of oil, rust, and a faint metallic scent.

"The aura here..." Aselia frowned,

"It’s full of compulsive alchemy waves, completely different from Vinard’s meticulous craftsmanship, more like a kind of crude patchwork."

Nari tightened her cloak, her arms fidgeting uneasily beneath the fabric:

"I can sense many twisted life energies, they... they seem to be in pain."

As they moved forward, a decrepit amusement park appeared at the end of the rust-colored wasteland.

The park once had glory, evident from the remnants of its decorations showing a designer’s craftsmanship.

But now, everything had been twisted and transformed by some sort of madness.

Half of the Ferris wheel had collapsed, with the remaining parts emitting painful groans in the wind.

The cabins had been turned into various bizarre containers, some hanging with mysterious liquid specimens, others glowing with eerie light.

The carousel still turned slowly, but the horses were long disfigured.

Some had real animal heads attached, others had their bodies hollowed out.

The intermittent music like the groans of the dying echoed within the empty park.

"This is a nightmare..." Nari softly lamented.

As the three stepped into the park’s boundary, a group of "Stitched Clowns" silently emerged from the shadows.