Chapter 62: The Forgotten Memory

A giant blood moon hung above the shattered firmament, its scarlet moonlight pouring down like a waterfall.

The moon's surface was covered with distorted patterns, resembling the pupil of some ancient creature.

“Crack—crack—”

Space continuously disintegrated under the confrontation of the two forces.

The runes of 【Knowledge】 and the bloodlight of 【Red Moon】 intertwined in mid-air, forming a bizarre picture.

Mel's body suddenly began to convulse violently.

The Quintessence within her body was resonating with the call of 【Red Moon】.

The Quintessence that had been drawn out by 【Knowledge】 suddenly surged uncontrollably, re-condensing under the light of the blood moon.

“Arghhh—!”

The young woman let out a shrill scream.

Her flesh and blood were being torn apart by the two forces, her soul hovering on the brink of collapse.

The analysis of 【Knowledge】 and the summons of 【Red Moon】 waged a fierce battle within her body.

“Bang—!”

The altar suddenly exploded, turning into countless fragments that scattered and flew everywhere.

Mel's body levitated in the air, two completely different energies coiled around her.

On one side were chains of knowledge formed by countless runes, attempting to redefine her existence.

On the other side was the blood-colored moonlight, wanting to pull her back into that embrace full of desire and madness.

“In your dreams!”

Allen frantically waved his hands, manipulating spears of knowledge to stab towards the sky.

But those weapons, transformed from classic texts, turned into bloody water the moment they touched the moonlight.

In the sky, the light of 【Red Moon】 became even more intense.

That blood moon seemed to be watching everything below, the patterns on its surface writhing as if expressing some kind of emotion.

“Boom—!”

A thick beam of bloodlight suddenly shot out from the moon, directly piercing the library's dome.

And so, Allen's body was reduced to dust under the moonlight's illumination.

Mel's body trembled violently in the bloodlight.

The power of 【Red Moon】 was washing over her soul, restoring the parts that had been tampered with by 【Knowledge】.

Her memories, her emotions, her essence, were all returning to their most primitive state.

“Hummm—”

Amidst the low resonance, the entire library began to collapse.

The characters on the walls were eroded by the color of blood, and the symbols on the floor turned into red mud.

The struggle between the two ancient existences grew more intense, and the entire library, even Dunke City, became their wrestling ground.

The runes of 【Knowledge】 attempted to define Mel as a vessel of rationality, while 【Red Moon】 sought to awaken the most primitive instincts within her.

Inside the collapsing library.

Countless books danced in the air; some transformed into sharp blades to fight against the bloodlight, while others were eroded by the moonlight into blood-colored butterflies.

The ceiling completely vanished, revealing the night sky shrouded by the blood moon.

Space continuously shattered under the impact of the two forces.

Reality shattered like glass, revealing the flowing Chaos behind it.

That place was neither pure knowledge nor simple desire, but a more profound existence of some kind.

It silently watched this struggle, as if awaiting the final outcome.

The runes of 【Knowledge】 suddenly condensed into tens of millions of chains, attempting to bind Mel.

But the bloodlight of 【Red Moon】 transformed into sharp blades, severing those restraints again and again.

Two different emblems were reflected in Mel's left and right pupils; on one side was a red moon wheel, on the other, endless classic texts.

At the same time, the color of her pupils was also changing towards the two sides.

Her left eye was a primitive dark red.

Her right eye was a rational azure blue.

Two completely repulsive forces pulled at Mel's consciousness, causing her to fall into a strange state of schism.

In her eyes, the world was simultaneously displaying two completely different states.

In the vision of her left eye, everything was veiled in the color of blood.

She saw the essence of desire, saw the most primitive instincts, saw those primal impulses suppressed by rationality dancing madly under the blood moon.

And in the view of her right eye, the world transformed into an endless stream of information.

Every existence was deconstructed into the most fundamental symbols, the movement of every molecule recorded as eternal text.

The two forces collided violently within Mel's body, vying for dominance.

The Quintessence boiled under the summons of the blood moon, yet was bound by the chains of knowledge.

Her flesh and blood were restructuring, her soul was tearing apart.

“So painful.... Someone... someone kill me...”

Mel let out a pained growl and plea, her very existence being torn apart by two ancient existences.

Like an exquisite doll being brutally fought over by two incompatible children.

Shattered knowledge and blood-colored moonlight intertwined in the air, pages turning into butterflies fluttering in a rain of blood.

Suddenly, a flash of bloodlight flickered in Mel's left eye.

【Red Moon】 suddenly increased its force, and those suppressed desires surged like a tide.

She saw the deepest desires of her heart, those impulses bound by rationality awakening under the moonlight.

The Quintessence roared within her, wanting to break free from all restraints.

But the next moment, a light no less brilliant than her left eye's shone from her right eye.

The runes of 【Knowledge】 coiled like chains, attempting to redefine those out-of-control desires.

Countless streams of information flooded her consciousness, attempting to suppress those primal impulses with the purest rationality.

Every formula, every symbol spoke of the importance of rationality.

Mel's body suddenly began to mutate: her left side was shrouded in the light of the blood moon, wild Quintessence surging beneath the skin.

Her right side was covered in dense text, every inch of flesh and blood being redefined.

“What... what on earth am I”

The young woman's voice was filled with pain and confusion.

She could feel the fanaticism brought by the blood moon, and also experience the clarity given by knowledge.

The two forces intertwined within her body, yet could never truly merge.

Like oil and water.

Suddenly, the light of the blood moon became increasingly ferocious, completely enveloping Mel's entire body.

The text on the other half of her body began to fade, as if declaring that in this struggle, Red Moon had already taken the upper hand.

And for some reason, 【Knowledge】 actually gave up the fight, allowing 【Red Moon】 to brand Mel with its mark.

But just as 【Red Moon】 was about to take complete control of Mel, the surrounding runes became violent once more.

But their target was not Mel, but the scarlet moon wheel hanging high in the sky!

“Hummm—”

Chains transformed from runes pierced the surface of the blood moon, tearing a rift in its distorted patterns.

The power of 【Knowledge】 invaded it, beginning to analyze the essence of this ancient existence.

And when 【Red Moon】 wanted to counterattack, those chains suddenly shattered.

After getting what it wanted, 【Knowledge】 impatiently withdrew.

Immediately after, a rune shot into Mel's eye.

That rune carried some kind of unshakable might, directly and forcefully halting Mel's advancement.

Not only that, Mel's aura even began to regress.

She had finally entered the Development Phase, but now, due to the interference of 【Knowledge】, she regressed back to the Stress Phase.

And besides that, 【Knowledge】 also gave her an extra little gift.

Mel stood frozen in place, her brain instinctively beginning to interpret the gift from 【Knowledge】.

It was a memory.

A memory she had once used as a sacrifice, offered to the Red Moon.

A memory that brought her despair.