Published at 19th of October 2026 7:34 am

Chapter 3219 Rivers of the Underworld

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A black gondola moved across dark waters. There was a little doll sitting at its bow, her clumsy figure shining with a soft radiance that reflected from the surface of the river. At the stern, a young man with porcelain skin and lightless eyes held the oar, guiding the boat forward with smooth motions.

All around them, there was only darkness. The silence of this dark world was broken only by the soft splashing of water and the steady murmur of the flowing river, creating a peaceful, but ominous atmosphere.

For some reason, Shadow felt an impulse to hum a peculiar song.

However, he held himself back.

After a while, however, he spoke softly:

"I think I met a man once. That man was nothing but a broken skeleton, but he could still talk and sing."

Snuggle turned to look at him, a confused expression on her face.

“A singing skeleton? What about him?"

Shadow hesitated for a moment.

"That man was the worst man to have ever lived."

Snuggle tilted her head a little, struggling to understand what Shadow was talking about. Her little face was not very expressive, but still, he could just hear what she wanted to say...

What the hell are you saying?

Something like that.

He smiled faintly.

He wasn't quite sure himself.

"It's true. From the day the world was created until the day it was destroyed, no one had caused more suffering and devastation than that heartless man. Perhaps that was why Shadow God cursed him, taking his death away. Even when the man became a broken skeleton, he still couldn't die."

Shadow remained silent for a while and then sighed.

"Just like me. So, I wonder sometimes... what crime did I commit to end up the same way? Was it worse than what that man had done?"

He glanced down, feeling lost in his endless memories.

“Maybe that broken skeleton I remember is me."

Snuggle stared at him for a long time, then chuckled suddenly.

“Shadow... do you even have a skeleton? Aren't you a formless ocean of sentient darkness under that shell of yours?"

He gave her an offended glance.

“Of course, I have a skeleton. In fact, I have several skeletons."

Snuggle laughed.

“See! By that logic, you'd be a group of broken skeletons, so that inferior man who only had one cannot be you."

Shadow lingered for a bit, then nodded with a slight smile.

"Your argument is quite reasonable."

Snuggle grinned.

"Naturally! I am nothing if not reasonable. Someone has to be, after all."

She sighed heavily, as if lamenting the sheer lack of reason all her companions seem to share.

One was an ancient Titan who had all the common sense of a primordial natural disaster, and the other one was Noctis.

"Ah, woe is me! I really suffered a lot!"

Shadow smiled, then glanced ahead. His expression turned a little troubled.

"You'd better prepare. There is another one nearby."

As if in response to his words, the sound of a loud splash reached them from somewhere far ahead. Snuggle covered her face for a moment, then jumped off the bench and scurried over to Shadow.

Looking up at him, she said:

“You... you watch over my precious vessel well this time! Understand?!"

Shadow frowned.

“When have I ever not watched it well?"

Snuggle stared at him in dismay.

"W—what?! Do... do you have any shame? The last time I returned, I was soaking wet! Do you think it's pleasant for a doll to be wet? Huh?"

Shadow considered his answer for a few seconds.

“I wouldn't know. And no, I don't have any shame. Why would I care to have something like that?"

Wasn't shame something only humans felt? He paused for a moment.

"In any case, that was your own fault. Try not to rock the boat so much this time."

Snuggle glared at him some more, then humphed.

"Look away!"

Shadow obediently turned his head, gazing at the dark waters.

A few seconds after he did, he heard a soft thump — that was the sound of Snuggle falling lifelessly to the floor of the boat.

Of course, she wasn't dead. It was just that the transient soul who inhabited the little doll had left its clumsy vessel — as soon as she did, intense radiance chased away the darkness, illuminating more of the dark river.

Snuggle had to abandon her corporeal vessel because there was a Creature of Corruption approaching their boat, and she had to fight it.

It had already been a week since they entered the Underworld. In that time, Shadow had steered them away from truly perilous abominations, but he couldn't avoid all threats — the Underworld was a realm that had never surrendered to the champions of the Age of Heroes, after all.

There were no humans here, since no human tribe would be foolish enough to try settling this lightless subterranean world. There were no Creatures of the Flame, either. So, no one had ever waged war against the ancient horrors who populated the endless ocean of elemental darkness, and therefore, all those horrors remained.

More than that, many Creatures of Corruption had made their way to the Underworld as humanity's sphere of influence slowly spread. In the future, Nether would cleanse this lightless realm to proclaim his ownership over it — but before that happened, the Underworld was no different from hell.

That was why Snuggle had to clash with powerful abominations from time to time. Of course, that was her own fault, since she was the one who had forbidden Shadow from killing. In the past, she and Noctis had managed quite well, but now that he was gone, there was no one for the little doll to support from the rear.

She had to face abominations alone and slay them all by herself.

And for that, she had to abandon her vessel and assume her Transcendent form.

A few moments later, Shadow felt the boat sway lightly, as if suddenly carrying more weight. He waited a while longer and turned around.

His expression was a little complicated. Snuggle — the doll — was lying motionlessly at the bottom of the boat, devoid of its usual liveliness. Above her, meanwhile, stood a young woman in a suit of intricately forged armor, a brilliant radiance emanating from her exquisite figure.

Behind her, two beautiful white wings opened, as if wanting to embrace the world. The young woman's hair fell like a waterfall of glistening black silk, and her skin was as fair as fresh snow. Her eyes were like sparkling jewels, and the corners of her rosy lips were naturally upturned, making it seem like she was always smiling. Her features were not ravishing, but they were soft and enchanting, giving her breathtaking beauty a pure and innocent kind of sheen.

In fact... she was so lovely and charming that even Shadow felt awkward looking at her for too long. In his memories, he had seen all kinds of astonishing beauties, but Snuggle's natural charm made almost all of them seem dull in comparison.

After witnessing Snuggle's Transcendent form for the first time, Shadow had realized why she had never used it before. He had assumed that she simply wanted Noctis to handle all the direct clashes, but now, he strongly suspected that she simply did not want Noctis to see her in that form. Otherwise, the young and hot-blooded Beast of Twilight would have been instantly smitten and utterly enamored, making their long journey together quite difficult to endure.

As for Shadow himself, he wasn't really affected. In fact, he slightly disliked Snuggle's Transcendent form.

After all, Snuggle was Snuggle. She was a clumsy doll, and quite possibly the ugliest doll in the world as well... seeing her like that, tall and beautiful enough to put deities to shame, felt incredibly wrong.

Snuggle smiled radiantly, two charming dimples appearing on her cheeks.

"What? Have you been left speechless by my peerless beauty?"

Shadow stared at her nonchalantly, then shook his head.

"I like you better when you're ugly."

He was being honest, of course.

Snuggle blinked a couple of times, then laughed.

"I'm never ugly, though? I am always adorable. So, keep my adorable vessel dry this time!"

With that, she turned back and leapt into the air. Her beautiful white wings propelled her into the darkness, and she shot forward like a ray of sunshine.

Before she left, she infused the black gondola with a bit of her essence, so Shadow was not left in complete darkness. He saw a long spear weave itself into existence in her hand.

Shadow glanced at the sparks of light that swiftly formed the shaft and the head of an enchanted spear.

Those sparks were the reason he had to look away every time Snuggle assumed her Transcendent form. Her armor was woven out of light, as well.

Seeing the sparks of light made him frown.

Far in the distance, a gargantuan maw broke the surface of water, and a monstrous head rose above the river. The creature had no eyes, and its skin was smooth like black stone. Its maw brimmed with dreadful teeth, and there was an undulating forest of revolting pseudopodia moving above its lips.

As it rose higher, a glimpse of a monstrous body was revealed, brimming with a chaotic mess of bony limbs.

It was a Great Beast.

'If it's a Great Beast, there's no reason to worry.'

Snuggle was not the most powerful Transcendent Shadow had ever seen, but she was powerful. More than that, she was meticulous, supremely skilled, and seasoned, her combat intelligence sharper than the deadliest of blades.

Most of all, she was the bane of Creatures of Corruption.

If Snuggle were to face a Supreme Beast, Shadow would be worried. But in a battle against an abomination of the Great Rank, he did not have to feel too tense.

And indeed — just a few seconds later, a blinding beam of light tore the darkness and pierced the abomination's head. That was Snuggle's spear, thrown by her steady hand from up high.

The wound it delivered to the Great Beast was not too serious... but wounding the enemy was not Snuggle's goal. What she wanted to deliver was not a wound — it was her radiant essence.

Once the grotesque creature was infused with her essence, its rotten soul was caught aflame. Great swathes of the appalling darkness melted as it strained to devour the blessed fire, and the abominations let out a horrid, chilling wail.

It did not die, and it was not cleansed of Corruption either. However, it was weakened, becoming no stronger than an abomination of the Corrupted Rank would have been.

That was when Snuggle plummeted from the darkness above it, aiming to press her attack.

Her weapon of choice was a spear, but she was a proficient archer as well, using arrows and evasion when the enemy was too strong. Finally, she also wielded a beautiful saber, summoning it when the spear was too long or had already been thrown.

All of her weapons were enchanted, even if none of them were too powerful...

None of the Transcendent champions of the Age of Heroes could boast about having that many sorcerous items.

Shadow sighed.

Just then, a tall wave that had been raised by the clash between Snuggle and the Great Beast reached the gondola, rocking it violently. Shadow easily kept his balance. However, some water splashed into the boat.

He froze, and then slowly looked down. Snuggle — the doll — lay helplessly in a puddle, her raggedy body quickly absorbing the glistening water.

Shadow closed his eyes tightly and let out another, heavier sigh.

"...Damnation."

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