By now, the nameless yaksha seemed to have gone mad. Sometimes he transformed into lightning. Sometimes he vanished into its glow. Sometimes he wielded a spear, sometimes his fists. Amidst the slaughter, he shouted, "Menogias, is that you? You've finally returned! Hahaha! Come, quickly—fight with me! Let us slay every last monster!"
As he fought, the memories in his mind grew clearer. Not only Menogias—other companions began to surface as well. Alatus. Menogias. Indarias. And who else was there?
As he killed, Bosacius absorbed the surrounding miasma. The karmic debt he had suppressed for so long erupted once more. His mental state grew increasingly chaotic.
Just then, the hundred Millelith who had fought their way back, along with Boyang, raised their weapons against the monsters.
"Brother Yaksha, hold on!"
"Even if we die, we'll take more monsters with us!"
"Kill one and it's even; kill two and it's a profit!"
"Die!"
Inside the sealed space, the battle was utter chaos. Monster after monster fell to the Millelith soldiers. Soldier after soldier fell in turn. Before long, all hundred had been overwhelmed by the monster tide, their very bones devoured by the higher‑level creatures. All that remained were their sturdy armor and sharp spears—silent witnesses to the ferocity of the fight.
No one knew how long the slaughter lasted. When the last monster fell, only the yaksha was still standing. But then he coughed and spat out a mouthful of blood. Under the combined assault of his injuries and his karmic debt, even the mighty Bosacius was reaching his limit.
Just then, from the darkness ahead, he heard a rustling sound. Someone else had risen from beneath the monster corpses. It was Boyang, also gravely wounded.
Bosacius stumbled and nearly fell, then lowered himself onto a bloodstained rock. "Menogias, where have you been all this time?"
In that moment, the authority of the eldest brother returned to his face.
Boyang struck a light and sighed. "Brother Yaksha, you're confused again. My name is Boyang. I'm the shaman who fought beside you to seal away the monsters."
He could see that under the weight of his injuries, the nameless yaksha's mind was deteriorating.
At the name Boyang, new memories surged into Bosacius's head, bringing with them a splitting headache. "Boyang, Boyang—you are Boyang. Then who am I?"
He had to clutch his injured head with one hand. As the karmic debt reawakened, more and more memories flooded back.
Boyang smiled wryly. "I wish I could call you by your name. We agreed to stay here together, and I don't even know what to call you. What a pity."
Bosacius seemed to remember something. "Staying here—no, you have to leave."
Boyang froze, then gave a helpless smile. "Brother Yaksha, don't be foolish. Didn't we both accept that we'd be buried underground forever? Don't go back on your word now. That seal must never be broken."
The seal had only just been completed, and with the nameless yaksha's power, he might actually be able to break it. But that could never be allowed.
Bosacius seemed to remember something else. "The seal—right—I came here to fight."
He looked at the blood flowing around him and tried to stand, wanting to find a cleaner place to rest. But the moment he rose, he collapsed back onto the rock. His wounds were too severe.
"Brother, brother, are you alright?"
Boyang ignored his own pain and rushed forward to catch the falling yaksha.
Bosacius gave a bitter laugh. "Look at me. With wounds like these, I won't last much longer."
Boyang helped support him, laughing bitterly as well. "The Millelith are all gone. Only the two of us are left. Don't you die on me first. Just now, I saw my family here. Do you think I've gone mad too?"
Boyang knew his family could not possibly be underground, but seeing their figures, he could not help missing them.
Bosacius said slowly, "Boyang, do you want to go home?"
Boyang sighed. "I made the choice to let Rongzhao stay on the surface. Of course I want to go home."
But he also knew that the moment he chose to let Rongzhao remain above, he had lost the chance to see his home or his elderly parents again.
Hearing this, Bosacius's thoughts turned to his yaksha companions. "I must have a family too, don't I?"
Seeing him struggle, Boyang prompted, "Brothers, sisters? You must have had them."
"Brothers, sisters—yes—who am I, and where is my family?"
In that moment, an overwhelming homesickness welled up in Bosacius's heart. But no matter how hard he tried, he could not remember his home. Worse, every time he strained to recall, his head ached unbearably, and he nearly collapsed.
Boyang caught him. "Brother, what's wrong? Hold on! We're the only ones left here. Don't you die first! Brother Yaksha! Brother Yaksha!"
He called to him, trying to rouse his consciousness.
No one knew how long passed. Finally, Bosacius revived. "Alatus, is that you? Have you come at last to help me fight?"
Boyang knew the yaksha's mind had wandered again. "Alatus? Your memory is terrible. I'm Boyang!"
Bosacius seemed not to hear. "Alatus, I'm such a mess. I'd be embarrassed for you to see me like this. You won't laugh at me, will you?"
He began to slump again. Boyang caught him. "Brother, don't fall. Brother Yaksha, stay with me!"
Though they were both doomed to die here, Boyang could not bear to watch his brother die before his eyes.
Bosacius seemed to rouse slightly. He opened his eyes and saw a faint light in the distance. In a weak voice, he said, "Look—someone is there—those people—they are—they are my—my—"
Scene after unforgettable scene played back in his mind like a film.
Bonanus's arm, like a sharp blade, piercing Menogias's body.
Indarias, burning herself alive because of her karmic debt.
He remembered. The forgotten memories—all of them—came back. Menogias, Bonanus, Indarias—his brothers and sisters were all dead.
No—Alatus was still alive!