Fusion, Eyes of the Dark Moon!

Fire was burning. Bernard's corpse had already been reduced to black charcoal, yet Karen continued casting the Light Incineration spell upon it. Back when he worked at the funeral parlor, whenever he encountered a body that needed cremation, he had always worried the crematory would skimp on fuel and fail to burn the remains thoroughly, leaving him to break up the leftover pieces with a small hammer in the end. His own physical labor was nothing; what worried him was that the client wouldn't receive complete ashes. After all, if large bone fragments remained intact, fitting them into an urn was difficult. Regardless of everything else, Bernard had once been a friend to Purr, Jennifer, and Philias. Out of professional dedication, Karen refused to let Bernard depart with such an imperfection. Finally, after the heat had caused a large section of the pit floor to cave inward, Karen leaned down and blew gently upon Bernard's puffed, fragile remains. Bernard had already been baked to crisp ash. Under that single breath, what had still retained the faint silhouette of a human skeleton collapsed completely into a puddle of translucent bone meal. Karen picked up the broom resting in the cave. Its bristles had rotted away long ago, leaving only a stone stick. Using the stick, he carefully sifted through the ashes, confirming that no impurities remained—nor any gallstones left behind by the flames. Afterward, Karen fetched a large stone basin and scooped all of Bernard's ashes into it, leaving the cave floor spotless. With that done, Karen carried the basin to the shore. Walking along the water's edge, he used a spoon he had found in the cave to scatter the ashes into the sea, one scoop at a time. He walked, scattering as he went. Once every last speck was gone, Karen dipped the stone basin into the seawater and washed it clean. "Phew..." Exhaling a long breath, Karen felt for the first time just how complicated destroying a corpse and erasing all traces could truly be. *Sure enough, our Purr sees through things clearest of all. The safest approach really was to scatter Bernard's ashes to the wind and waves.* Karen gathered several handsome seashells, placed them into the stone basin, and carried it back to the edge of the pit. Half a pack of cigarettes remained in his pocket. He shook them all out, planted them upright before the stone monument, took out his lighter, and lit them. Watching the delicate wisps of smoke rise, Karen could not help but smile. "I wonder if anyone will ever burn incense for me, or for my followers, in the future." The words he had carved into the monument remained sharp and distinct, waiting for time to soften their rough edges. "I probably won't be returning to this island again. May you have smooth sailing on your new voyage." Turning back into the cave, Karen arranged the seashells he had collected across Jennifer's stone sarcophagus. "I might have spoken a little too definitively earlier. If Purr ever wants to come visit you in the future, perhaps I'll tag along for another trip." With that, the cleanup was complete. Karen found a stone stool and sat down. From his pocket, he produced two red crescents. They were only about the size of a pinky fingernail, but their crimson hue was strikingly vivid. Everything inside them that had belonged to Bernard had been completely expunged by Karen. He had cleansed them thoroughly, casting purification nearly ten times. In between, Karen had tried smashing them with stones and burning them with fire, yet neither caused the slightest damage to the two crescents. Evidently, Bernard hadn't truly worried about his body being destroyed earlier. These Eyes of the Dark Moon would inevitably survive, and so long as this pair of eyes remained, Bernard retained a chance to "come back to life." In truth, if Karen hadn't returned to the cave and caught Bernard's corpse reviving, he never would have inspected the body so thoroughly while disposing of it. Yet now came the question. How was he supposed to use these Eyes of the Dark Moon? He couldn't use that white worm and had no choice but to give it to Richard, but Karen felt these Eyes of the Dark Moon suited him perfectly. His current fighting style relied heavily on the empowerment of the Dark Moon Blade. If he also possessed the Eyes of the Dark Moon, the amplification effect when wielding the blade would surely be significant. Bernard had gritted his teeth and endured horrific torment just to protect the secret of these eyes, and placing his coffin aboveground had surely been so he could nourish them every night with the light of the dark moon. Therefore, their value had to be immense, very likely exceeding his imagination. Karen tried channeling his spiritual energy into the red crescents, but received no reaction whatsoever. That meant their method of use differed from ordinary sacred relics. *Do they need to be placed against my eyes?* Karen hesitated briefly, then picked up one crescent and set it over his eye. Nothing happened. *Is there an internal trigger mechanism?* Karen pursed his lips. His current predicament was awkward: if he couldn't master them now, then carrying them back to Dark Moon Island risked having the locals sense their presence. Though Bernard's descendants likely had no idea their ancestor possessed such a burial artifact, its connection to the dark moon was far too deep for Karen to feel confident in staying undetected. "Tsk..." Karen took a deep breath, drew his dagger, and slit his palm. His palm had been cut rather frequently of late. Once the small cut opened, Karen pressed a crescent against the wound, yet there was still no reaction. They would not fuse, nor would they trigger. After casting a minor healing spell on his palm, Karen condensed the Dark Moon Blade. But the blade showed no reaction to the crescent, and the crescent showed none to the blade. Well then. The only certainty was that this was an exceptionally high-grade sacred relic—perhaps even beyond the tier of standard sacred relics altogether. After all, merely gaining entry to use it was already this convoluted. If only his cat and dog were here; they would definitely know a way. Yet dawn had already broken, and he truly had to head back. Should he risk taking them along? Leaving them behind would be utterly intolerable. When moving Bernard's corpse earlier, Karen had resisted the temptation of burial goods. This time, resisting was nearly impossible. Different treasures carried different values, and everyone's rationality had its price tag. Next, Karen tested the power of Order, the power of Light, the water-attribute power of Ancestor Allen, and even summoned his black chains, but none produced any effect. What a pity that he had already sent Mr. Aisen and Richard away through the teleportation array. If Aisen were here, he could have analyzed and deduced the crescents' nature using his puzzle cube. There was no helping it. To be safe, he would have to find a spot to place a simple seal on them and hide them away for now. Karen held them in his left hand, tossed them up, caught them, and weighed them in his palm. Just then, the ring finger of his left hand suddenly vibrated. Karen looked down and saw that one of the crescents had stuck firmly to the silver ring on his left ring finger. Ever since he put on the silver mask left behind by his grandfather, the mask had made its home within the ring Mr. Lemar had crafted for him, altering the piece's original style and color. Karen raised his hand and watched the crescent cling tightly to the ring, held fast by an unseen pull. *This works?* Karen brought the other crescent near. It was sucked in just the same. "Heh..." Karen had no idea what would happen next. He didn't know how to use these crescents, and he knew even less about how to use the silver mask his grandfather had left behind... Well, no—he had worn it once to enter that sealed space where he met Luoya, and another time to masquerade as a Temple Elder within that glowing spherical realm. Yet Karen knew perfectly well those were not the mask's true purposes. He had merely triggered a few peripheral functions by coincidence. Now, both objects lay outside his mastery. He might as well see if any sparks flew between them. At that moment, Karen sensed the silver ring growing scalding hot, while the crescents began emitting a crimson glow. Karen reached out and stroked the ring, rolled his neck, and the silver mask slipped onto his face. Immediately, the two crescents pulled free from the ring and floated before Karen, orbiting one another in alternating circles. This sign proved that the Eyes of the Dark Moon had been successfully activated. Well, though he didn't understand the underlying principle, the current development seemed promising. The two crescents spun around each other until they collided, dissolving into a sheet of lunar luminescence that enveloped Karen. Standing beneath the silver mask, Karen did not move. When the lunar radiance settled over him, it converged straight toward his eyes. In that instant, Karen felt an intense dryness in his eyes. But that uncomfortable sensation vanished almost immediately, replaced by a wave of soothing coolness. Karen blinked hard. A layer of dark red double vision appeared before him. Fortunately, the double image gradually receded, and after a moment, his vision cleared completely. *Is that... it?* Karen tried mobilizing the spiritual energy in his body, only to discover with shock that his spiritual energy was rushing toward his eyes, as though being consumed by them. "Hiss..." Once the process began, it seemed impossible to halt. Karen dropped to his knees in agony. The speed at which his spiritual energy was being drained was even more exaggerated than when he used the Awakening spell on corpses. "Haaah... haaah..." This continued for about an hour, until Karen felt the spiritual energy in his body had nearly been sucked dry. Thankfully, it finally stopped. Once it ceased, the spiritual energy absorbed by his eyes began diffusing outward, establishing a steady circulation. "A storage effect...?" Karen realized what had happened. This was equivalent to gaining an additional reservoir for storing spiritual energy within his body. Moreover, he clearly hadn't filled the capacity the Eyes of the Dark Moon provided; it had merely absorbed an amount equal to his body's original reserves. In other words, once he rested properly and replenished his physical state, his accumulated spiritual energy would effectively double! One of his greatest innate advantages had always been a spiritual energy capacity far beyond ordinary people. Now, that advantage had been multiplied. From now on, when casting spells or engaging in combat, he would rarely need to worry about overdrawing his energy unless facing an extreme crisis. Yet just as Karen straightened his posture, his eyes flushed red once more, and a tearing force struck directly at his soul. *Having stored my spiritual energy, is it trying to carve away part of my soul now?* It struck without warning. Agony beyond words slammed into Karen, giving him a taste of what Bernard had endured earlier. However, as the silver mask radiated light, the assault cleaving at his soul stopped abruptly. It felt as though Karen had been pricked sharply by a needle, after which nothing more occurred, leaving only cold sweat streaming down his face. He raised a hand and touched the mask. It had preserved the integrity of his soul. "Phew... Is it finally over?" Karen waited in place for a short while. When no further changes took place, confirming the fusion was complete, he spread his palm. The Dark Moon Blade manifested—except this time, the blade was three times longer than before, and the dark moon power coursing through it was far purer. As he channeled the dark moon's power, a bloody hue surfaced in Karen's eyes. With a light swing, several deep trenches instantly carved into the cave's stone walls. "Not only do I have twice the storage capacity, but when casting spells, I also have an additional output channel for power." Karen felt that the next time he engaged in close combat, he could likely fight Ophelia to a standstill—and that was a conservative estimate. After all, as long as he didn't fall behind at the outset, Ophelia would never outlast him in an attritional stalemate. "From now on, so long as an opponent can't defeat or gravely wound me right at the start and I can drag things out, I'll have the power to turn the tables in the mid-to-late stages." Karen reassessed his own strength. Still, to gauge the exact results, he would need to find someone to spar with... such as the Captain. Once he returned to Wien, he could ask the Captain for another close-combat bout and let him evaluate his progress. With a thought, the silver mask vanished from his face. Yet Karen noticed something new seemed to have appeared within the silver ring. He triggered the ring once more. The silver mask reappeared over Karen's face, then dissolved. Immediately after, Karen transformed into Mr. Pavaro, then shifted back into himself. "Another mask appeared..." Karen stimulated it again. In an instant, he turned into someone else. He walked over to a smooth, polished stone mirror in the cave and looked into it. Though the reflection wasn't crystal clear, he could roughly make out the features. It was... a skin mask of Bernard. "Fuck! That's disgusting." This didn't mean any lingering trace of Bernard's aura or mental imprint remained; Karen had cleansed it thoroughly and completely. Rather, the Eyes of the Dark Moon had preserved the existential inertia of their first master, and that inertia had been replicated by the mutated silver ring—with the lion's share of the credit naturally belonging to his grandfather's silver mask. *Lemar probably has no idea the ring he made can even evolve...* No, perhaps he did. After all, the parental puppets he had crafted for Serena had managed to grow apart emotionally and get divorced. *Once I'm back, I'll have Kevin and Purr check if they can strip Bernard's mask out. Or maybe I should ask Lemar?* Though Mr. Pavaro looked greasy and slightly balding, Karen didn't mind his mask. In contrast, looking at Bernard—who appeared clean and well-preserved—evoked a visceral, psychological revulsion. All in all, he had come out ahead from this ordeal. Not only had he learned about the organization known as the Silencers, but he had also obtained the Eyes of the Dark Moon. Along the way, he had even helped the Captain and Purr scatter Bernard's ashes. Well, noon was fast approaching. Karen inspected the cave one last time. He had already sent the Sword of Arius and its case ahead with Richard, meaning he had nothing extra to carry. After confirming no traces had been left behind, Karen walked out of the cave and stepped onto the teleportation array. The formation activated, enveloping Karen in white light. *Buzz!* Karen materialized on the carpet of the master bedroom. Mr. Aisen and Richard were not there; they were likely waiting for him outside in the carriage. However, just as Karen prepared to open the bedroom door and leave, footsteps and voices echoed from the stairs. "Are you all useless? You managed to lose the ancestor's remains?" "General, it was our failure. But at the time, all available guards were mobilized to the legion. There simply weren't enough personnel left at the Palace of Longing." "Spare no cost. We must recover the ancestor's remains! Seal off this news immediately—not a word can leak out. Furthermore, notify the Council of Elders so they can pray to the dark moon and sense the location of the ancestor's remains. "The ancestor's remains must still be on the island—or at least in the surrounding waters!" "Yes, General!" "One more thing. Aside from the Light remnants killed at the Palace of Longing, isn't there another batch locked in the dungeon? Go personally and arrange for them to leave the island secretly by boat." "General, this..." "Do as I ordered." "Yes, General!" The guard captain departed. Tafman looked at the bandaged wound at his shoulder. The island's healers had just treated him. Although the evil spirit's corruption had been extracted, the arm was permanently lost. Yet Tafman felt little sorrow over it. Looking at the empty shoulder, he actually felt somewhat relieved. He continued up the stairs. "Just who stole the ancestor's remains?" Reaching the third floor, he originally intended to head to the study, but abruptly halted before the door to the master bedroom. Standing behind the door, Karen heard the footsteps stop right outside, and his heart gave a jolt. Because various matters had delayed him, he had emerged too late, and Tafman had cornered him right inside the bedroom. Worse, the man seemed to have already sensed someone might be inside. Karen glanced toward the bedroom window. *Jump out?* Yet Tafman's guards were likely stationed outside, and the various forces across Dark Moon Island had probably returned to their posts by now. Outside, Tafman reached out, gripped the doorknob, and pulled the door open. He caught sight of the figure standing behind it. Tafman froze, shock flooding his expression. "Y-You... My Lord... How is this possible..." Standing before him was none other than the ancestor. In the ancestor's eyes gleamed a pure, exquisite radiance of the dark moon—the Eyes of the Dark Moon, symbol of supreme nobility! Karen looked at Tafman, a faint smile curling at the corner of his lips as he drawled softly, "I hear you've been looking for me?"