Chapter 1754 - 1035: Bad Ending_2

They could only watch as the other struggled to stand up several times without success, finally managing to stand on the last attempt.

Shif lowered his head and pushed the damaged Big Shield towards everyone.

"Giving it to us? Are you okay?"

Before everyone could voice enough surprise, they saw Shif staggering away, plunging into the darkness of the Abyss and disappearing.

"It should be okay, right?" Maru said uncertainly.

"Considering the Fran Undead Team is still alive, it seems he ultimately managed to escape."

When discussing this matter, everyone kept saying "should," with nobody being able to confirm anything one hundred percent.

"Why was Shif left here, isolated and waiting to die?" Chaos questioned, already having thought of an answer before asking: "Did something happen to Artorias?"

"Definitely."

This time, Tami gave a rare affirmative response.

He crouched down using a light source to examine the Shield, his expression becoming increasingly odd.

This Shield was the original one used by Artorias, made of very hard material. Back then, it was difficult for their weapons to leave marks on it.

But now...

[Barrier Shield]

[A Big Shield used by Gwyn the Great King Knight—Artorias, devoured by the Abyss]

[He, deeply damaged and corrupted by the Abyss, supplied the Shield as a source for protecting his dearest friend Shif’s Barrier before going insane]

[Thus this Big Shield suffered severe damage, with very weak physical defense, but still retains high magic defensive capabilities]

The originally smooth surface of the Barrier Shield now had a fist imprint...

A fist imprint even bigger than Tami’s upper half torso!

The area where the fist imprint contacted was sunken, with cracks spreading around it, making the Shield unstable. Tami was afraid it would fall apart when picking it up.

It simply couldn’t be used to defend against physical attacks. Even spreading Repair Light Powder wouldn’t help, as the fist imprint seemed impossible to remove.

Only when injecting Magic Power could it emit the same Protective Shield as Artorias, weakening all magic it touches.

"What kind of monster could smash a Big Shield with one punch? Especially Artorias’s Big Shield..."

The magician in the group knowingly asked.

Everyone knew Artorias’s purpose in coming here was to defeat the Abyss’s source—the Master of the Abyss, Manus.

Therefore, this twisted fist imprint most likely belonged to the Master.

The Shield ended up in this broken state, but what about Artorias himself?

Everyone was silent for a moment, recalling when Artorias appeared as a Boss Monster, with one arm severed and maddened by the Abyss corruption.

Because he was badly injured and corrupted during the battle with Manus, he became a Boss Monster blocking people’s entry into Urasil City.

Looking back, history seemed to progress as expected.

"I thought we could change history a bit upon entering." The magician sighed and shook his head, "Looks like things will develop as they should, no matter what."

"Let’s go." Tami wrapped the Barrier Shield with cloth strips and strapped it to his back, then turned to the group and said.

Ultimately, nobody had any intention of changing past events at the start; how could their actions now have any impact?

Shif’s encounter deepened their impression of their future opponents’ horror.

A punch strong enough to break the Barrier Shield, injuring Artorias to nearly the same extent as eliminating him, such combat power...

Wouldn’t it be comparable to Gwyn?

Walking through the Abyss, strangely even in the already dark Abyss, they felt the surrounding environment becoming darker, indicating they were heading deeper.

Every step saw countless Humanity rushing to attack, with the probability of encountering enemies much higher than a Trainer walking through grass.

Unknowingly, they seemed to have reached the final destination.

A cave entrance appeared before them, overshadowed by black clay. It was massive, akin to the curled form of Dragon Mother Gui Ao’er.

"This must be the place."

Just standing there caused slight trembling all over, a constant intuitively terrifying warning of an immensely powerful enemy ahead.

This must be it, the Master of the Abyss’s lair!

All adventurers shivered slightly due to the cold there, but then adopted a dignified expression, looking like heroes ready to charge against an undefeatable foe.

However, just as they were setting off into the Master of the Abyss’s lair, Tami, at the front, suddenly raised his hand to stop everyone’s advance.

When everyone asked why, he simply pointed ahead and said:

"Don’t you find the clearing in front of the lair too open?"

"!?"

This remark startled everyone, who quickly retreated a few steps.

It’s widely known that in Sain Dungeon, if encountering an open area, you must ponder carefully, especially if you’ve explored many areas without yet finding a bonfire and suddenly encounter an open area.

These features combined clearly indicate that an exceptionally powerful Monster will emerge on the path ahead!

If time allowed, they should certainly explore later, but at this point, it’s impossible to turn back. Besides, there’s no crawling up the Abyss to retreat.

"Could it be an Elite Monster guarding the Boss Monster’s entrance? No wonder it’s the Master of the Abyss, truly fitting."

It’s rare for Elite Monsters to appear before Boss Monster entrances, but if they do, it means those Boss Monsters possess extraordinary status, power, or both.

Tami prepared buffs preemptively, then tried advancing toward the lair; the ground immediately trembled.

Sure enough, a Monster arrived!

Chaos decisively cast an Array toward the center to predict the Monster’s landing spot.

Yet, as soon as the scroll touched down, it was shredded by the pulsating Abyss, as if these beings suddenly sprang to life!

"Boom!"

An instant later, the ground shook and a desolate figure descended from the sky, making everyone’s eyes jump.

"It’s Artorias!"

Standing before them was the Abyss Wanderer!

And now, he appeared exactly as everyone knew, with one arm injured and severed, the other wielding a Great Sword, his body drenched in the Abyss.

Artorias emitted a palpable madness, barely concealing his frenzied nature, deeply corrupted by the Abyss.

That’s right, this was the Artorias they knew.

"Is it really him guarding the entrance?"

Using a deeply maddened Four Knights elite as a guard?

Should we exclaim "What a joke!" or "Indeed worthy of the Master of the Abyss?"?

The Abyss at Artorias’s feet came alive, constantly quaking, as he roared at the crowd.

"Stay away... from here!!!"

"Sorry, but if you are in this state, we have some confidence."

Tami and the others readied their battle stances, on the brink of a major confrontation.

Yet, despite the supposed adrenaline-pumping scene, people felt a strange sensation, akin to...

As if they triggered some sort of bad ending.

Perhaps things could unfold differently from now?