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Chapter 161: Ghoul Army
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The royal palace of Mara was built in the south of Babus on the shore of a lake. It was not as majestic as the palace of the Crete Empire, nor was it a holy sanctuary, like the Temple of Light in St. Sarl City. It did not carry the bearing of a millennium of history, like the orc lands in the St. Seville Empire.
Though it wasn't a large palace, its luxury was unrivaled. The entire Kingdom of Mara was built in layers, with many cascading gardens, which were filled with exotic flowers and grasses and rare animals.
Waterways were built in-between the gardens, and an artificial lake had also been created. The decorative stones within the rock garden had all been painstakingly hauled in by hand.
The intricate design made the entire palace seem like a water garden. The stones, flowers, and gardens were like lovely paintings among the waterfalls and fountains. Small and exquisite buildings were interspersed in the greenery.
Inside the palace, the artwork that the Monar family had collected over many generations were displayed. Each of the murals and paintings had an illustrious history.
Adonis was the third prince of Mara. Currently, there were six people with inheritance rights to the throne. He ranked sixth, making him the last in the line of succession. From the very day Adonis was born, his father had no intention of giving him the throne.
Currently, the luxurious palace was completely silent. The armored guards had their heads bowed as they watched over the palace. All of them were deathly silent, without a whisper of movement. They were scarcely even breathing!
An old man with graying hair was lying on a large bed. His mouth trembled, as he looked at Adonis, who was sitting beside him. Fear filled his eyes.
Adonis stared straight into the old king's eyes. He had watched the man for two days already, observing as his eyes went from initial disbelief to anger, then finally to fear and panic.
Adonis looked at the hourglass on the wall. "It's almost time," he said.
The old king trembled and mumbled incoherently. He then managed to whimper, "Why… are… you… doing this?"
Adonis poured a glass of wine and sat down with a faint smile. "I want you to feel the fear and despair my mother felt when she died."
The old king struggled to support himself, his face twisted in pain. He screamed at Adonis in a hoarse voice, "But, what does that have to do with your older sister and brother, your two younger brothers, and Aisha? They are all your siblings! Don't you feel the slightest bit of remorse? How could you bear to do this? Do you hate me that much? No matter what, I am your father!"
Adonis looked into the eyes of the old king and scoffed. "It is exactly as you told me! The Monars do not feel familial affection. Yes! At first, I thought this was only hatred talking. Hatred was the cornerstone of my world, my cage. Hatred was my food and sleep."
Adonis continued. "People often hide their devilish hearts under a sincere and devout facade. I am different. I never hide or pretend, like a hypocrite. By now, it has become more than just hatred. A part of my heart is missing, and I want to get it back."
"Maniac! You're mad! You are crazy and insane! This is madness!" The old king was horrified.
Finally, he laid down and surrendered to helpless laughter. Two lines of tears leaked from his eyes. There was no more panic, fear, or anger. There was only a mocking sneer, directed not at Adonis, but at himself.
"This really is, haha, hahaha, retribution…"
Cough! Cough!
The old king coughed fiercely. He spat blood from his mouth, then stiffened on the bed and died. Soon after that, the old king's body slowly crawled out of the bed.
He had become much paler, and the luster from his eyes was gone. Yet, his body had become visibly stronger, as the blood under his skin squirmed. The originally thin body had become well-muscled as it had awoken the ability of a Blood Knight!
After returning from his trip, Adonis immediately began to combine Li Weisi's notes with the Mortuus Magna bloodline and his own research in order to create ghouls. Through the deified cells and curses of the ghouls, he was able to control the ghouls that he created.
Adonis then combined Li Weisi's research on the Plague with the powers of the ghoul to develop the zombie virus. Once a target was infected with this virus, it would slowly morph into a ghoul!
Ordinary ghouls were easy to make. That process didn't even require deified cells. But, in turn, they would have no intelligence nor bloodline powers.
Although they would retain their memories, their combat abilities would be extremely low. Thus, they could only really be useful as cannon fodder.
The higher-classed ghouls that Adonis had personally crafted were equipped with the Mind of the Undead. These ghouls had a strengthened body and the ability of Blood Knights.
The Mind of the Undead ensured that, even after their awarenesses were gone, they retained highly efficient mechanical minds and learning abilities, as well as all of their combat potential and experiences from their lifetimes. As such, these soldiers were the optimal warriors!
Above that, there were also king-class ghouls, which Adonis had crafted with a significant amount of his own deified cells, which were combined with the Mind of the Undead. Each of these ghouls had inherited some of Adonis' power and also possessed their own special abilities.
However, such a transformation required an extremely high compatibility rate with his blood. Adonis discovered that his immediate kin were the most suitable candidates to retrieve this from.
After their original awareness dissipated, the ghouls became mere tools. Surprisingly, the ghouls that only had instincts gradually developed a new sort of awareness, due to a combination of their deified cells and the Mind of the Undead. It was precisely this trait that made Lu Zhiyu identify Adonis' ghouls as a new race, since he was able to create a life form with its own awareness, which qualified it as a brand new species.
By now, all 1,000 of the King's Guards of the Kingdom of Mara had been turned into high-class ghouls. The Kingdom of Mara had a smaller army than most of the other kingdoms.
Its unity was loose, as the king was actually the most influential noble. As such, having an army of a thousand people was already considered to be the greatest strength of the king.
Adonis knew that governance required wisdom and order. Yet, he was only interested in ruling, not governing. For that, he would only need raw strength. In light of this fact, from the moment that he gained control over the army and created his high-class ghoul troops, he had seized most of the power within the Kingdom of Mara.
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Chapter 162: Death of the King
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Retch!
"This smell is revolting!"
Within the dark waterway, the sound of boots stepping through the stinky sewage echoed in the tunnels. After Edward discovered the truth about the threat of the ghouls, he immediately contacted Tucker from the City Guards and met with his superior.
After presenting convincing evidence, Edward got their assistance to begin looking for places in the city that the ghouls may be lurking. They also agreed to help him find those people who had already been infected so that they could be immediately isolated and treated.
Edward then had all of the details and intelligence from the previous attacks forwarded to him. The identities of the bodies, their places of death, and all other information was sent to Edward, who began diligently analyzing it.
The deceased represented all classes of society, from the nobles to the slaves, and officials to boatmen. There was no pattern or obvious connection, based on their revealed identities. The only similarity was that all of them were young men with good physiques.
Perhaps that was why they were chosen. The culprit was selectively creating ghouls en masse, then filtering out the stronger ones to upgrade into high-class ghouls…
Edward had no idea how many ghouls were already in the city. So far, there had been more than a dozen recorded deaths. When the investigation was widened to include disappearances, the number rose into the hundreds.
Tallying the unreported deaths within the underbelly of society was difficult. There were too many undocumented people in the city with complicated backgrounds. As such, investigating those matters was almost impossible.
Edward immediately remembered the slate tile that he had discovered before, which led to the sewer. The city of Babus was a mid-career work designed by Faragrant, the famous architect who later went on to design St. Sarl City.
Edward navigated the semicircular tunnels of the sewers with the aid of an oil lamp. The tunnels had a sloping curve in the center, with high sides. Their width was close to four meters.
The whole structure was made of stone. Like a developed irrigation system, it connected the entire city. Even if a downpour hit Babus, this canal system could easily purge the torrents from the city.
"I didn't expect that there would be such a large space underground. Master Faragrant truly considered all of the practical aspects of urban planning, as he designed such a developed underground drainage system! This is truly the work of a master."
From this stunning underground drainage system, one could sense how ahead of his time Faragrant was. The same underground drainage system was later used in the sophisticated designs of St. Sarl City.
Although Edward was neither an architect nor an artist, as a learned wizard, he was well-versed in many types of knowledge. Hence, Edward had a great admiration for these true masters of their crafts.
Edward began exploring from the suspicious location he had found before. He closed his eyes and used his mind power to navigate the underwater channel, while comparing the scene with the map of Babus in his head.
Blood stains?
There are also some blood stains here!
It's headed over here!
Edward's keen eye instantly tracked the clues he sought, as he found the recent traces of a large number of people. There were muddied footprints and traces of armor having rubbed against the stone walls.
Edward followed the tracks and gradually approached the core of the sewers. The passages here had become more and more complicated. The connecting passageways were much wider, as he headed deeper and deeper within.
Normal people would have lost their way in such a complicated network of tunnels, yet Edward could easily navigate the routes. He found more and more traces of people and was sure that he had found the hideout of the ghouls!
Whoosh!
The sound of rapid footsteps treading water approached from all directions, coming straight toward Edward. Edward immediately frowned.
How is it possible? They found me?
As the steps approached and surrounded Edward, he became sure that his location had already been given away. Edward also surmised that he was quite close to their nest. Edward recalled the previous few moments.
So, it was a witchcraft alarm!
Edward saw that the horde was bearing down on him quickly. Within the blink of an eye, several red-eyed ghouls with ragged clothes appeared and rushed towards him.
Roar!
Edward was standing in the corner of a passage as more than a dozen ghouls suddenly attacked him from three different directions. Edward immediately pressed his palms on the wall, and the entire underground waterway transformed into interlinked stone spears, which gouged through all of the ghouls and nailed them to the walls!
Yet, they still did not die but continued to struggle. Edward turned and ran.
He sensed countless ghouls chasing him. He chose to escape, but as he turned the corner, he ran into another horde of them. After running through a few more passages, Edward discovered that he was surrounded.
Edward knew that the number of ghouls probably far exceeded his imagination, as the great ghoul army filled every corner of the sewers! Edward immediately used his special ability and Blood Witchcraft to wipe out an oncoming ghoul horde with a large number of stone spears. As he did so, a road of blood opened before him.
Edward reached out and his hands were covered with a layer of stone. His arms turned limestone white and hard like marble.
Edward rushed through the path, his heavy stone fists smashing the remaining ghouls into pieces and knocking them away. Though they continued to rush him, Edward did not care, as he dealt with them easily, his hands covered in that thick layer of stone.
At this time, a figure in a black cloak rushed towards Edward. He immediately drew a sword, slashing at him. Edward immediately used his armored hands to catch the sword. The exchange caused a loud clatter.
However, Edward immediately discovered that his opponent's sword was actually oozing a strange mind power fluctuation. His own stone armor was being disarmed.
Realizing this, his complexion changed.
"A special ability!"
By the time he moved to react, it was too already late. His opponent grabbed the sword from Edward's hands, nicking his hand and slicing up from below. Edward quickly dodged to the left, but he was still grazed and fell to the ground.
Edward had received a long wound, which ran along his chest. Fortunately, he had taken quick measures to avoid the brunt of the blow. Otherwise, he would have been gutted.
While he was incapacitated with this serious injury, Edward slammed the stone wall and immediately, the ceiling of the entire passage collapsed. A large number of ghouls were crushed to death, and their path was closed off.
He opened a slate tile that led out to Babus. Edward climbed out, soaked in blood, and collapsed on the ground. He was rattled, and although he applied some emergency treatments with witchcraft and dressed his wound, his face was still ashen.
His fatigue was not due to the injury alone. He could also sense a strange force, which was constantly eroding his body and suppressing his mind power. When his mind power could no longer resist it, this strange force would interfere directly with reality and transform his body.
Edward immediately remembered the curse witchcraft that the great Sage Anthony had told him about. It probably referred to this exact strange power.
Edward supported himself with the wall as he slowly limped out of a dark alley and back onto a main street. He was preparing to go home to deal with the injury and research a method to counteract this sinister curse witchcraft when an alarm suddenly sounded throughout Babus. Edward didn't know the bell's meaning, but the crowds on the street panicked as the answer became devastatingly clear.
"The king has died!"
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Chapter 163: The New King
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Mr. Edward? Mr. Edward? What happened? Please wake up! Oh my god! What should I do?"
A worried voice awakened Edward from his dreams. Edward was staying in the house that he had rented.
The one who woke him up was his temporary maid, Hathaway, who came every day to cook for him and to clean the room. After entering the yard, she had seen the door ajar, with Edward laying on the ground in a pool of blood. She was scared witless!
Edward's room was a ransacked mess. The bookshelves and desks had been knocked over, their contents scattered all over the place. The witchcraft tome that Lu Zhiyu had gifted him had fallen as well and was currently flipped open.
Before he lost consciousness, Edward had been using his knowledge from the dream witchcraft techniques that were written within Lu Zhiyu's notes to conduct a targeted lifting of the curse witchcraft, which had been leeching on his awareness. It was trying to consume his mind power and constantly attacking him.
The sinister power was difficult to dispel, even for a trained wizard. Edward had been attempting to use a crude understanding of dream witchcraft to enter his own dream space and cleanse the curse witchcraft.
Now that he had been awoken, Edward sat up immediately, scaring the little maid. She was a girl with freckles on her nose, who greatly admired the tall and handsome Edward.
As she was at an age that was quite susceptible to lovesickness, the mysterious and confident Edward, who exuded a scholarly charm and possessed an elegance far beyond ordinary people, was naturally someone that Hathaway could only fantasize about. Now that Edward was suddenly this close to her, her face flushed crimson red.
"Mr. Edward!" She was so flustered that her voice trembled.
"It's okay. I'm fine. Don't say anything about this matter." Edward was still dazed and his awareness hadn't fully returned yet.
This was the initial cultivation method for dream witchcraft, or dreamcraft. He was trying to create his own dreamspace. It was said that this space was a simplified version of the mind dimensions that level four wizards used.
According to Lu Zhiyu, constructing a dream space was basically the same thing as building an information space. As such, as long as one's mind power, will, and computing ability was sufficient, anyone could construct a complete dream space. Other than the fact that it was immaterial, it would be exactly the same as reality.
After building the dream space, he would then gain the ability to directly interfere with reality via his mind power. Of course, for wizards below level four, their mind powers were too weak, as their unactivated mind power couldn't change the rules of physics and matter. Yet, it was enough to use dream witchcraft as a conduit to develop curses that could be carried out through the dream space in order to attack a target's awareness and mind power.
As long as the target's awareness was not strong enough to withstand the initial wave, the curse power would immediately use the strength of target to interfere with reality. For example, if the curse was made to hex someone to death by freezing them, a special type of mind power would invade their awareness and hypnotize them, causing them to believe that their own imminent death was approaching.
The curse would then actualize that belief and actually be able to freeze the individual solid, as if the corpse had died from extreme cold in the depths of winter, even if it was in the middle of the summer! Although it wasn't superior to a special ability, it was far more sinister and difficult to defend against.
In fact, if Edward had not received the notes from Lu Zhiyu, he probably would have succumbed to its power already! At this thought, Edward felt a shudder run through his whole body.
When he was constructing his dream space, he constantly recalled his past memories. As such, the dream castle he had built was based on the tower, but it was completely empty. Its architecture felt as if it would collapse from the slightest breeze. Even so, it was at least a very good first attempt, especially based on the current extent of his mind power.
The memories he shared with Adonis were the highest in number. Yet, he also remembered the ghouls that were hidden underground. Each ghoul had once been a living person…
How many families were destroyed by the tragedies caused by Adonis' actions?
Edward wasn't sure, but the number was considerable. For example, his current maid, Hathaway, was only fourteen years old. Because her father went missing, she had been forced to come to work for Edward to earn money. It was likely that her father was one of the ghouls…
Now that the ghoul army was this large and even had ghouls that were armed with special abilities, if Edward did not take action, he was afraid that even more tragedies would strike the land.
"No matter what, I have to find this culprit right away and stop him!" Edward stood and declared.
However, he had stood up too quickly and pulled open the wound on his chest. His face turned ashen white, as he spasmed in pain. Although some healing had already taken effect, he had lost too much blood from the gaping wound. A complete recovery wouldn't be so simple.
The little maid Hathaway said in distress, "Mr. Edward, you have lost so much blood! You can't go out right now! You need to rest. I will go find you a doctor."
"No, it's alright, I am the best doctor here," he said, declining her offer.
Edward took off his outer jacket and began to clean the wound. He redressed the bandage and put on another coat, then walked towards the exit by sheer force of will. He was almost at the door, when he suddenly thought of something and turned back towards Hathaway, saying, "Oh right, Hathaway, if possible, it is best not to go out right now. If you want, you can stay and live here with me."
Hathaway was stunned, then suddenly thought of something. Her face flushed crimson and she wanted to reply, but Edward had already disappeared.
———–
"You're saying that there are a lot of monsters lurking in the city, and that there are even stronger ones out there? Also, that there is a mysterious culprit behind these monsters, who controls them? And, they are preparing to attack Babus and turn it into a city of the dead?" The Head of the City Defense Force, Hans, stared at Edward with skepticism.
In his opinion, Edward, who was to him an unknown, mysterious and strange nobody, was not worthy of his trust. Yet his words concerned the safety of Babus, so Hans could not afford to dismiss them entirely.
Hans was a bald man with a built physique. He was a powerful Blood Knight, who had started his career in the King's Guards. After he had aged out of the guards, he took over as the Head of the City Defense Force.
He was an important figure, who had won the trust of the king. Though he was not of high status, he had immense power. Hence, Edward believed that it was very important to get Hans to stand on his side.
Edward nodded. "The sewers of the city have been completely occupied by these monsters. They are waiting for an opportunity to rush out and infect all of Babus. If that should happen, all of Babus' people will become part of their forces, as ghouls. Babus will then become a true purgatory!"
Hans looked at the wound on Edward's body, as well as the evidence he had brought from the underground site. He analyzed the strange event that had been happening in the city and the odd atmosphere inside the palace, even the sudden death of the old king. As he had been suspecting that some sort of conspiracy was behind all of this, he was now convinced by Edward's sincerity.
"Wait for an opportunity? Since the old king has died and several of the other heirs have given up their inheritance rights, the throne will be succeeded by the Third Prince, Adonis. A grand coronation ceremony will be held by the Church of Light's Cardinal Peter to crown the new king. All the lords of the kingdom will come to pay their respects. Is this the aim of the culprit, to seize control over all the nobles of the Kingdom of Mara at once?" Hans asked.
After he laid out his hypothesis, he suddenly felt faint and broke into a cold sweat. But, Edward was not paying attention to this, as he was focusing on the strange name that he has just heard.
"What did you just say? What is the name of the next King of the Mara Kingdom?" he asked, refusing to believe his ears.
"Prince Adonis. Adonis Monar."
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Chapter 164: Foreboding Thunderstorm
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Edward knew Adonis' first name, but he had never heard him mention his last name. No one at the tower knew of Adonis' true identity as the prince of Mara and a true royal.
By the time he left the headquarters of the City Defense Force, Edward had already reached a cooperation agreement with Hans. They both believed that the goal behind the conspiracy should be the Coronation Ceremony that was taking place in seven days. Through Edward's encouragement and his own suspicions, Hans had developed a deep belief that Adonis was involved with the incidents.
According to Hans, the entire palace had been tightly sealed by the King's Guards. Furthermore, when the king's will and successor had been announced the previous day, neither Hans nor any of the other nobles and royals had been permitted into the palace.
Moreover, Hans felt that the changes in the kingdom were too unnatural. First, there was the sudden death of the king. All the other heirs then gave up their succession rights.
As such, the third prince, Adonis, who had originally been sixth in line of succession, suddenly became the new king. This also caused an uproar among all the nobles.
Then, the entire King Guards swore allegiance to Adonis, so Adonis instantly grasped the most powerful military force within Babus. Hans, who had a background in the King's Guards, knew this very well. He knew something had gone terribly wrong when he, as a veteran of the King's Guards, who had close ties with the troops, completely lost contact with them. He knew that this was a clear indicator that their allegiances had dramatically shifted.
This series of abnormal events were linked together to form a bone chilling conspiracy. The entire city of Babus was caught in a shocking crisis. If they did not act and allowed the coronation to go forward as planned, the entire ruling class of the Kingdom of Mara would be taken in one fell swoop and the country would be completely finished!
This made Hans' hair stand on end.
Who could do something so devilish?
The purpose of the culprit was obviously not to rule, nor was it a desire for power or revenge. Instead, it was a pure intent to slaughter and kill, to drag the entire kingdom into hell!
"Why does he want to do this?" Hans' face was red and his breathing was choppy.
"No clear reason. Perhaps it is based on some strange ideal, or maybe this is just an experiment to explore the meaning of life. There are many possible reasons. Only the mastermind knows the real reason behind his actions. What we need to know is what he has done, and also what we need to do to stop him," Edward replied.
Edward and Hans came up with a strategy at once. Edward would seek out the mastermind behind the conspiracy and verify how his plan. Edward could then mobilize the power of the City Defense Force.
Meanwhile, Hans would spend the next few days checking out the City Defense Force to find out whether there were high class ghouls already mixed within their ranks. Hans was sure that some moles were already planted inside his forces and wanted to deal with them as soon as possible.
He would use his men to investigate and block the sewers, according to the original construction plans of the city. The monsters underground must be completely sealed within the underground passages. They could not be allowed out.
In addition, Hans had to contact some trustworthy aristocrats to confront this disaster. If, as Edward said, the other party had taken over all 1,000 knights from the King Guards and transformed them into a strengthened undead army, it would be naive to believe that they would be able to face them with only two or three thousand men from the City Guards, most of whom had never experienced wars and usually slacked off in training!
More importantly, they had to notify Cardinal Peter from the Church of Light. Out of all of the local lords, who had long been attached to the Monar family, Hans trusted Cardinal Peter the most. In order to face the power of the devil, depending on the power of the priests of the Church seemed the most reliable course of action. Although Edward did not like the Church, right now, he was willing to accept any support that he could get.
————–
The city of Babus was stained with a blood red sunset. The wide Nami River was so beautiful that it was intoxicating. The returning ships carried goods to the melodious chimes of the night bells. A young sailor above the bow waved at his wife, who was holding their child on the pier. He jumped down and they leapt into her arms.
Also on the pier, an old fisherman and his young son lugged a box of fresh fish home in the shadow of the setting sun. Ships came and went from under the bridge, creating an extremely lively scene.
Edward observed the lives of these people until the darkness finally arrived. As he walked home, his expression became more and more somber.
Seven days later, the Coronation Ceremony would take place. Although the people in Babus were still living peaceful lives, Edward had an unusual sense of foreboding. As the feeling of an imminent war persisted, Edward felt weighed down by its pressure.
As he got closer to his home, Edward found a crowd standing in front of the small building. They pointed inside constantly, as if debating something. Members of the City Guard also stood in the yard. The small courtyard seemed lively, but the atmosphere was very strange.
The entrance had been destroyed. When he saw this scene, Edward suddenly realized what had happened, so he hurriedly ran inside.
"What are you doing? No one is allowed to enter! Stop…" one of the the City Guards shouted.
They wanted to block Edward, but then recognized him at once. They knew that this person was an acquaintance of their boss, Tucker, so they parted ways and allowed Edward to rush into the small building.
Edward burst in and suddenly stopped. His footsteps slowed, as if his body had gone completely numb. He seemed to be afraid to go forward and face his fear.
Edward stalled for a long time in the short corridor, before he finally entered the living room. He turned his head slightly and immediately saw a girl lying on the ground, a familiar shy smile on her face.
She looked like a delicate flower, lying there in a pool of blood. Bright red streaks stained her gray skirt.
Her death had been painless. The curse witchcraft had killed her instantly. When she had died, she was still looking forward to Edward's return, immersed in her shy little crush.
The smile on her face had not changed. A silver dinner plate had clearly been knocked over to the side, with the dinner that she had been preparing for him still on it, long having grown ice cold.
This was the first time Edward had left the tower as a young wizard. He grew up in the tower, so this was the first he had ever seen someone that he cared deeply about die in front of him.
Looking at Hathaway's brilliant smile, he felt like he was seeing a delicate flower suddenly wither before its time. Edward suddenly felt a pang of nausea. He was completely overwhelmed.
Edward wanted to approach her, yet he was unsteady and instead fell to the ground, losing his footing. He then struggled to stand up again, like a man who had lost his soul. He stumbled to Hathaway's body and knelt before it.
For more than half a month, Hathaway had been taking care of him. This girl was of low birth, but she was hardworking and kind. After her father's disappearance, she had supported her two younger brothers. Edward was very fond of her.
Like Hathaway, Edward was also an inexperienced teenager. After all, he was presently chasing Adonis for a friendship and brotherhood that he couldn't bear to forfeit.
Edward held Hathaway's face and finally broke down, crying like a child. At this time, Tucker, who had arrived before Edward, patted his shoulder and could only sigh. "My condolences!"
Edward looked down, noticing a line that seemed to have been burnt on the table, then commanded, "Leave now!"
That act was Adonis' final warning to Edward. He had even killed Hathaway to show his utter determination to force Edward leave immediately. He would not even be moved by their old times together.
Edward clung to Hathaway's body. He didn't care about the blood. He gently shut Hathaway's eyes, as he tilted her limp body into his arms.
Edward's head bowed deeply. His whole body was stiff with tension and the muscles in his jaw trembled. He managed to spit out a single word, "ADONIS!"
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Chapter 165: Coronation II (Prelude)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The gates of Babus City was wide open, as all of the nobles streamed in from every corner of the Mara Kingdom. They had come to witness the coronation of the new monarch king.
The entire city was decorated with many lights. As this was an important time for the monarchy, all of the forces in the city were on maximum guard.
Cardinal Peter from the Mara Kingdom had already arrived last night with a squad of knights and priests. Many other lords had already gathered in the city. Warhorses and soldiers also numbered in the thousands.
It was almost dawn. An urgent meeting was taking place within the City Defense meeting hall. The attendees of the meeting included both members of the Defense force and various nobles from the Mara Kingdom, as well as an aged priest from the Church of Light.
"The other side has a large army of high-class ghouls, as well as an unknown number of ordinary ghouls. At the very least, they are two-thousand strong. I surmised the headcount from the number of missing persons. It is alarming that we didn't notice such a large number of disappearances."
"The enemy is very cautious, as they had chose targets that few people would pay attention too. We never expected them to target populations that came from outside of the city."
"Are our people already in place?"
"They are already in place at several locations. I can guarantee that the ghouls in the sewers will not be able to crawl out."
"So, what about the King's Guard, since they are above the high-class ghouls?"
All of the meeting participants began expressing their opinions. However, when the topic of the King's Guard came up, a representative of Cardinal Peter spoke up.
"The third army of the Church has already deployed 3,000 knights. They are currently stationed in the forest nearby. We also have thirty members of the priest corp within the city of Babus. They can coordinate with your actions at any time. Cardinal Peter has stated that our priority is to keep civilian casualties to a minimum," the priest said firmly as the crowd began to settle.
The City Defense chief Hans rubbed his bald head with relief. "That means that victory is already within our grasp. So, we must focus on minimizing civilian casualties. With the slightest error on our part, tens of thousands of civilians may perish. I don't want to end this operation like that."
The sky was getting brighter, but there was no time for rest. All of them were a bit fatigued, but they dared not relax. Instead, they looked at the setup of all of their troops from all angles, searching for the best way deal Adonis a fatal blow during the Coronation ceremony.
Edward suddenly spoke up, assuming the role as Hans' consultant. "The plan is well thought out, but there is one issue."
By now, Edward looked as if he was beyond his breaking point. He had not slept in a long time. Perhaps Hathaway's death had affected him more than he had realized.
Edward knew that his sole purpose in life was to find Adonis and question him as to why he was committing such heinous acts. At the same time, he also knew that, in terms of wizardry and power, he was not Adonis' match.
After all, Adonis was a level two wizard, while he was only at level one. Furthermore, Edward was far from leveling up.
Although the mind power gap between them wasn't too big, the level gap that existed between the two men had a tremendous impact on their combat abilities, especially since Adonis specialized in lethal witchcraft and had developed his own path with the Mortuus Magna bloodline and the strength of the ghouls.
As such, the likelihood of Edward's defeating Adonis was extremely low. However, armed with Lu Zhiyu's dream witchcraft notes, Edward just might be able to accomplish the impossible.
Edward had been pouring through Lu Zhiyu's notes day and night. Although the booklet was fairly thin, it was crammed full of complex witchcraft concepts and equations that detailed the uses and taboos of dream witchcraft. Thus, dreamcraft and curse witchcraft would be Edward's secret weapons in his confrontation with Adonis.
He was even creating his own trump card according to Lu Zhiyu's dreamcraft. Although it was incomplete and he had no idea about its power and side effects, he knew that it should be quite effective. This would be Edward's last option and he was hoping that he would not have to use it.
Edward's interjection had caused all eyes to fall on him. Before, he had provided a large amount of intelligence about ghouls, which had allowed them to take the initiative. It was also Edward's antidote that had saved countless infected civilians and controlled this terrifying epidemic. As such, people began to respect his views, especially because he had been a disciple of the progenitor of medicine, Bohr Kelermo.
Hans asked, "What's wrong?"
Edward immediately replied, "Although the enemy does not know our specific plans, they definitely know that we're onto something. As such, they will not wait around like sitting ducks as we coordinate our plans. That would be illogical. I am afraid that they will have already formed numerous countermeasures against us."
The crowd murmured. At last, Hans replied, "So far, we haven't detected any enemy countermeasures. Our men are also surveilling their actions day and night, taking note of the changes happening within the city. It would be difficult for the enemy to act without alerting us. So, our current plan should be the safest one."
By the time everyone left after the meeting's conclusion, it was already bright outside. A large number of men were discretely deployed within the city. The ordinary people of Babus continued on with their lives, utterly oblivious to the forces moving in the shadows.
————–
Hidden in a valley deep in the woods, there was a temporary military camp with countless armored knights. Many of them had brought their steeds to the creek for water at the break of dawn.
Several of them had taken off their helmets. The creek was close to a swamp, and they had chosen this site precisely because of its easy access to drinking water. After all, with thousands of troops and their steeds, clean water was a must.
"Gyaa.."
An oddly deep voice echoed from the rocks beside the swamp. The soldiers went to check the situation, finding that it was only a red-eyed crow. Yet, since the crow was a symbol of death, they still felt a sense of unease.
"Go away!" The soldiers hit the water to scare it away before returning. What they did not notice was the specks of crimson in the water that gradually faded away.
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Chapter 166: Coronation II (Middle)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Flower petals adorn the ground as sunlight shone upon the temple. The elegantly dressed nobles and armored warriors stood by the sides, as a young choir sang on the stage.
Adonis was lavishly dressed, entering through the room with the most important leaders of the country with an air of confidence. On the other end of the room, dressed in a large red robe with the pattern of the sun on it, Cardinal Peter awaited him, holding the crown.
Rays of light were shining on Adonis' feet and covering his visage with gold. As he made his way, his feet tread upon beautiful blooming petals. His aura exuded a solemn religious authority, yet the corner of Adonis' mouth was slightly curled in derision.
Raucous cheers and claps filled the space as the crowd went wild. After all, Adonis was their promised king. As he boarded the platform and lowered his head, he kissed Cardinal Peter's hand.
Peter looked at Adonis with a complicated gaze, while he delivered his prayers before crowning him. "As the cardinal of the Church of Light, by god's name, I crown Adonis Mara the King of Mara Kingdom."
Adonis sat down on the throne, watching the sea of people cheering his good name. As he sat, illuminated by the bright sunlight, he laughed hollowly to himself. Adonis felt as if his own life was but a dream, as if he was playing a role within a fairytale movie.
———————–
Suddenly, outside the city, a large number of people started rushing towards Babus. The merchant caravans and ships outside the city gate were terrified, as the bridge leading into the city was being swamped. Many people fell into the water below, hurrying to escape on their alpacoids. Even their merchandise had been discarded and trampled.
In the distance, a large number of knights appeared. It was obvious that they were not normal soldiers, as their silver armor glistened in the sun. No one knew who these soldiers pledged their allegiance to, or their purpose.
But, it was clear that they were not just out for a leisurely stroll! Thus, all the people panicked and they tried to escape into the city.
"The knights are coming!"
"What happened? Why is the army invading Babus? If it is an enemy army, then why weren't the alarms sounded?"
"Where did they come from? Why didn't anyone sense their approach?"
"Scram! I have to get into the city!"
"Get out of the way you peasants! I am a Baron! Let me through!"
The crowd rioted, screaming and yelling angrily as the gates were closed and the drawbridge was raised. With its high walls and the river surrounding it, the city of Babus had been outfitted for siege warfare during its construction. So, even if there were only a few thousand men from the Defense Force with a thousand from the King's Guard, they would be able to fend off hundreds of thousands of enemies for at least a few months. In the meantime, reinforcements from all over the Mara Kingdom would rush to their aid.
Of course, if there were no reinforcements, any attempt to hold out would be meaningless. Therefore, the Mara family had forged strong alliances with the regional nobles. As such, the decentralized Mara Kingdom was more like a tight chain of alliances.
"An enemy army is attacking the city!"
"With such a large army, this is probably means war!"
Yet, as the army approached the city, not a single alarm went off. Although the soldiers at the city wall still stood guard, there was no sign of panic. This confused the civilians that were rushing home. All of the street vendors celebrating in the city cleared the streets as everyone evacuated.
Many people were pushed to the ground, with many women screaming, their lovely skirts torn by the stampeding crowd. The streets were cleared in record time, now completely bare, from the palace to the plaza to the main avenues to the alleys.
"Emergency warning! No one is allowed on the streets!"
"Hurry home. Do not step outside until further notice! Otherwise, you will be jailed!"
"Everyone go home. This is an emergency notice…"
All of the city guards headed out immediately. They cleared the crowds swiftly, while announcing the emergency protocol throughout all of the streets and alleys.
The fear of war was imprinted within the hearts of all the people. Eyes darted out through the cracks of doors, as the civilians stared fearfully at the patrolling soldiers.
All of the troops were guarding the entrances to the sewers. Several of the entrances had already been sealed during the last few days. The ones that they had left open were either essential to the citizens' daily lives or were impossible to secure discreetly.
As they were sealing the entrances, many personnel had become infected, then had to be quarantined and treated. During this period of time, the number of disappearances within the city continuously decreased and no more strange deaths occurred.
Meanwhile, the city's Defense Force was monitoring an entrance near the city center. This was an important channel to the main waterway of Babus. According to Edward's estimation, it was the largest ghoul lair.
Based on the blueprints of Babus' sewage, the entire sewage system was a maze. Beneath their feet, under the central plaza, there was a large cavern space that was split into many levels. It was large enough to hold tens of thousands of people. It was via this complicated network of channels that the ghouls were able to find their victims.
It took dozens of men and horses to remove the seal stone of this entrance. After they did so, a gigantic space was revealed far below the entrance. A ring of patterns could be seen circling the stones of the entrance.
This entrance had clearly not been opened since the inception of Babus. As the sunlight hit the opening, monsters emerged, howling.
Scurrying footsteps were heard, as they crawled towards the surface. Eerie beast-like screams from countless bodies also filled the air. The sounds got closer and closer as the monsters gathered.
"Everyone get ready to pour the oil! Don't let a single one escape!" the Defense Force commander ordered.
The city Defense force was ready. None of them had the intent to descend into or peep inside the hole. They had prepared the oil beforehand, which they swiftly poured into the darkness. This caused many of the ghouls to slip.
Countless carts of the oil were poured, without regards to cost. A soldier stood by the entrance, holding a torching as he looked down. He could already see the sinister scowls of many ghouls below. They scaled the walls like four-legged beasts, each with glowing red eyes and an intent to consume the living.
Their numbers extended far into the darkness. When the first ghoul emerged into the sun, the men threw down their torches all at once.
"Light it up!" the commander shouted.
The flames quickly expanded, then extended downwards and turned the cavern into a sea of flames. The ghouls, now drenched in oil, turned into undead torches, screaming piteously as they fell further down.
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Chapter 167: Coronation II (Conclusion)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The tunnel became a cremation site, the cavern having filled with flames. The figures writhed in pain, screaming before perishing.
These humanoid monsters made bone-chilling sounds of despair. Even within the heat of the summer, all of the soldiers within the city felt as if they had been drenched in ice water. They shivered from head-to-toe.
Along with the roars and howls, an alluring scent of roasted meat filled the air. Although it smelled delicious, all of the people felt disgusted but it, even as their stomachs rumbled.
BOOM!
The men were confused. After the silence returned, they continued to issue orders, determined to corner any remaining ghouls that may be crawling around the surroundings.
Then, the sound of warhorses, carrying fully-armored troops, was heard. Within the Mara Kingdom, with the exception of the King's Guard, only the Church of Light had the finances to equip their troops with armor.
The troops were lined in a neat formation and no sound could be heard, except for the occasional shuffling of their feet. They moved uniformly without orders and their silence was terrifying.
Not only did the City Guards not sound the alarm, but a captain gave the order to open the gates and welcome the army inside. The deputy commander, who was representing Hans, and another general were waiting by the entrance.
Both sides followed the predetermined signals to allow the third army of the Church inside. Together, they were to forge a temporary alliance, tasked with defeating the ghoulified King's Guard.
The middle-aged commander swallowed hard as he looked at the approaching figures, who looked oddly oppressed. He then asked, "This is the army of the Church, right?"
As the cavalry crossed the Babus bridge, the commander immediately bowed towards the approaching figures, saying, "Hello, I am the representative of the Defense Force…"
DUM! DUM!
The middle-aged commander suddenly heard strange noises. When he lifted his head, he discovered many traces of blood on the knights' longswords and armor. The crimson drops of blood fell onto the ground. As he looked into the knights' eyes, the gazes that met him were the familiar scarlet eyes of beasts!
All of the knights lifted their heads at once, countless scarlet eyes landing on him. The commander trembled, then immediately turned around to warn the others. However, it was already too late!
A spear extended out like a silver dragon, piercing his chest with the power of a Blood Knight. As coldness spread throughout his body, he fell.
The leader of the Blood Knights lifted the corpse into the air, then bathed himself in the gushing blood in pure delight. Every cell in his body was craving the blood, which caused him to laugh maniacally.
He appeared to be a complete monster. Yet, this monster was also an armored Blood Knight, who could kill a commander before he even had the chance to scream. To make matters worse, he was accompanied by thousands with the same capabilities.
All of the guards were completely shocked, when a shrill voice sounded from above the city walls. "Close the gates! Close the gates! Hurry up! They are no longer human!"
But, it was too late, as the horde of Death Knights had already stormed into the city. At this time, the City Guard finally sounded the alarm across the city.
———————————–
Within the palace, Adonis was still basking in the adoring cheers of the citizens. An attendant was solemnly presenting him with the King's scepter, which was the last part of the ceremony. As soon as Adonis took the scepter, he would rise to the throne as the new ruler, thus being officially accepted by the Church of Light and the nobles of the Mara Kingdom.
However, just as the exchange happened, an unexpected incident occurred. The young attendant pulled out a dagger and stabbed Adonis in the heart! Most of the guests gasped in shock, while a small portion of the nobles looked on with a twinkle in their eyes.
Adonis clutched his chest and stumbled back in shock. He then collapsed on the throne and took his last breath.
An outraged man drew his longsword, then screamed, "Everyone, join me in killing this assassin!"
All eyes fell on the assassin in fury. At this moment, Peter stepped out to test whether Adonis was also a monster. Even if he was not, Adonis had a dubious relationship with the wizards and the monsters inside the city. To the forces behind Peter and the nobles, it would be unacceptable for this disfavored prince to ascend the throne.
"Enough, Adonis Monar! Stop pretending! You have forsaken your humanity and chosen eternal damnation in Hell as a demon!" Peter shouted.
Through his own divine seed, Peter could accurately sense that Adonis was still alive. Although he showed all the signs of being dead, his mind power remained detectable. As no living person would be able to survive a stab to the heart, Peter knew that Adonis was beyond a mere human. The only ones able to utilize such a mind power were wizards!
The crowd froze. Most of them were confused. Adonis Monar, who had just been lying dead on the throne, appeared to have come back to life!
"My God! What is happening?"
"He came back to life! What?!"
"What in the world?!"
Adonis' blood immediately flowed back into his open wound, which then closed up completely, revealing pristine skin. If there wasn't for the evident tear in his clothes, the previous events would seem like a complete illusion.
Adonis stood up and looked at Peter in disapproval, then said, "You kill joy. I wanted to enjoy the show a bit longer."
Peter squared off against Adonis, Peter being on the ground and the latter on the throne. Their eyes met in a fierce standoff, then Peter said, "Wicked wizard! Your end is near! You've been exposed as the demon you are! It is time for you to go back to the depths of Hell where you belong!"
Adonis sat of the throne and began laughing maniacally with abandon, his eyes glittering green and his skin taking on the pallor of a dead man.
"Monster! Monster!"
"My God, what is this?!"
"The king is a monster! We chose a monster to be king!"
The crowd descended into a panic, as many people retreated into a corner. Adonis' transformation had made him appear like an undead monster!
Adonis gazed down onto the crowd imperiously from the throne, cackling like a crazed lunatic. "HAHAHAHA! That's right, I am a monster, and now, all of you will DIE!"
Outside, a huge explosion sounded and the ground trembled. Immediately after this, an alarm from the city wall sounded. It was the bell reserved for only the most dire of emergencies!
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"What happened?!" Someone from the crowd gasped in terror.
All of the people were disturbed by the sudden shockwave and alarms. Many of them had no idea that the king was a monster, so they were caught even more off guard.
They tried to escape outside, as the palace was in complete chaos. A large number of troops from the King's Guard surrounded the palace. Then, thirty robed priests jumped out of the shadows to intercept them.
The hold of the King's Guard was located in the north of the city. Peter and Hans had planned to use these thirty priests and three thousand assorted knights to secure the base of the King's Guard there and destroy the thousand high-class ghouls.
According to the plane, the city Defense Force would be in charge of maintaining order and eliminating low-class ghouls, while the priests and the knights would be responsible for the King's Guard. Peter would personally face off against Adonis. Yet, nothing went as planned.
The three thousand knights did not arrive on time, as the King's Guard had made a sudden attack to disturb the palace, which forced the priests out of hiding. High-class ghouls, armed with bloodline powers, recklessly rushed forward. The thirty priests faced them with their steel longswords.
A blade gouged one of the ghoul's chest, yet the ghoul continued to bite down. The priest used his other hand to press down the ghoul's head. Just then, a white light flashed and the ghoul's head splintered into pieces.
As all the other priests attacked at once, the strong holy light swept across the scene and numerous ghouls were torn into pieces. An ordinary army would have lost their morale, yet the ghouls charged forward.
These high-class ghouls had powers beyond imagination. Each of them had multiple bloodline talents and moved in formation at lightning speed. If any of the old veterans, who witnessed Li Weisi's insurrection, had been there, they would instantly have recognized this tremendous power and eerily neat formation characteristic that the Owl Knights were displaying.
But the church of today was different from the church of the past. The thirty priests within Mara Kingdom all had divine seeds and were equivalent to level one wizards. All of the official wizards of the tower barely numbered one hundred.
But, in terms of combat ability, wizards had more techniques than priests, even without considering the geniuses like Adonis and Edward. Yet, in terms of cultivation speed and numbers, the wizards could never compare.
As the ghoul army continued upward, the priests were pushed back. The ghouls ignored the white light. Armored bodies fell constantly, but they continued charging, like moths drawn to a flame.
After being hit, they would crawl back up immediately, especially since they would only die if their brains were destroyed. They were also relentless in their attacks, moving at speeds that the priests were not prepared to counter.
These low-level priests could only use Judgement Ray, but after repeatedly using the skill over a large area of space, fatigue began to show and they retreated into the castle. After many high-class ghouls were killed, a few Death Knights, dressed in pitch black armor, appeared.
These knights were even stronger and had augmented speed and power. Their movements left afterimages, as they were specialized ghouls that Adonis had modified to incorporate the cells of Mortuus Magna. This made them superior to the rest of their kind.
The priests did not even have a chance to use Judgement Ray before the enemies were upon them, dragging along black shadows as their swords pierced through the chest of one of the priests.
"This is witchcraft!"
"Quick! Dodge!"
The priests immediately took countermeasures as they protected their cursed brethren and defended against the enemies' barrage. But, it was useless.
The dark spot on the chest of cursed priest expanded, his entire body blackening like charcoal. The Death Knight had cast Burning Hex. From the mind power level, it could be sensed that the Death Knights were continuously emitting a black mist, casting curse witchcraft on their surroundings.
The six Death Knights, leading thousands of high-class ghouls, surrounded them. The original situation had transformed dramatically.
Although the other side did not have many special-class ghouls, their power was unparalleled and difficult to defend against. They also had a wealth of combat experience and an augmented physique.
These factors, combined with the thousands of ghouls streaming in from behind them, caused the priests great difficulty in holding their position. After all, the other side could suppress them with numbers alone, so it was like a cat playing with a mouse.
"My God! What is happening?!"
"Why are the King's Guard and priests killing each other!?"
"Those are not the King's Guard! They are monsters, all of them!"
The nobles within the palace had escaped outside to witness this scene. All of the entrances and exits to the castle were blocked by the Death Knights. Over a dozen nobles were killed on the spot, the gory scene shocking everyone.
After the citizens fled outside, they turned around and ran right back inside, as a large number of Death Knights had followed them. These armored monsters all revealed themselves as they took over the palace. The remaining nobles were trapped inside like caged birds.
Within the city, the three thousand ghouls of the former army of the church had begun a full-on massacre. The hastily deployed City Guard troops were meeting them in battle. Meanwhile, the ghouls within the sewers took this chance to emerge and attack the civilians.
The sound of slaughter, screaming, and fear permeated all of Babus. Blazing infernos raged and many people died at the hands of the Death Knights and the swarms of low-class ghouls.
The stampede of the escaping crowd's darkness and smoke enveloped Babus. Then, death descended.
——————————–
The ordinary knights within the palace and the priests continued their battle. Several nobles also picked up swords. As Hans was attempting to hold off the ghouls, he wondered to himself where the plan went wrong.
The enemy was supposed to be cornered by my own men. How did all of this happen?
But, Peter understood what had happened immediately. The crux of the issue lay in the three thousand knights.
Why were they late? Where were they? Why did the alarm sound?
"What have you done, Adonis?!" Peter's white hair stood up tall, wild like a lion's mane, and his gaze blazed in fury.
Behind them, several of Adonis' attendants and a few enraged generals were entangled in battle. Adonis and Peter had a lot of space, since the rest avoided them because of their duel.
Adonis extended his arms and could not help but roar with laughter. "Still haven't thought it through yet. Your army is mine! HAHAHA!"
Peter finally understood, as he clutched his great red robe and threw it on the floor. He stomped on the stone steps and looked towards Adonis. Although he did not say a single word, his aura of fury heated the air around him.
Adonis also abandoned his playful attitude and took a more serious demeanor, while standing on his throne. Adonis' crimson eyes glittered green as he prepared to fight against Peter, who was enshrouded in holy light.
As Adonis powered up, the red strands of his aura started dancing around him. The two of them stood about a dozen meters apart, the air between them growing stagnant from the pressure.
Both of them clenched their jaws in concentration, while they circled around, dodging the other's attack. Even the battles of the priests and the Death Knights in the background eased up, as if they knew that this was the battle that would decide the fate of the entire Mara Kingdom.
"In the name of God, I will judge your sins!"
"What a pity that wizards don't believe in god!"
BOOOOOOOOM!!!
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Chapter 169: Death of the Saint
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
The white light and the red strands clashed, creating a huge explosion. The white light obliterated the stairs above the hall, as well as the throne and a section of the back wall.
However, Adonis somehow managed to dodge the attack. The slithering red strands covered the ground in front of Adonis' throne, cutting through large stones. The strands were moving like highly pressurized water and stemmed from Adonis' own blood.
The Judgement Ray instantly disintegrated everything before it, as it wiped away Adonis' offense and pressured him backwards. The red and the white engaged one another, over and over again, devastating the entire great hall.
The two of them were moving at incredible speeds and had physiques far beyond that of an average Blood Knight. Peter was an old man with white hair, yet he was also a muscled warrior that stood among the elite of the Blood Knights.
The two continued to battle, skirting around the hall at lightning speed and testing each other's limits. Adonis was dispersing red string from his body, which covered the entire space and even encroached upon Peter.
All those who made contact with the red string would be sliced into bits. Although this technique was not quite as wide in its range as traditional witchcraft, it was remarkably precise and hard to block. As such, it was a truly lethal type of witchcraft.
Wherever Peter's hand went, a white light would tear the area into shreds. Adonis kept dodging Peter's Judgment Rays, while Peter danced within Adonis' Blood Wires.
As the two battled, the entire hall was destroyed. The sturdy marble became like fragile tofu before them.
Several knights that planned to ambush Adonis were instantly sliced by the red wires, their bodies divided into dozens of pieces. Their blood splattered all over the hall, while Peter cleared an entire passageway full of ghoul knights easily, using a single thrust of his Judgement Ray.
Wherever they passed, no bystander came out alive. By now, they were fighting for their lives, so of course they were going all out.
"Is there really a difference between the power of the Devil and that of God?"
"Are they still human?"
"Don't get close to them!"
"Out! If we stay here, we will all perish!"
"Oh no, this place is about to collapse! We have to go!"
All of the remaining people were crying out to one another, as they tried to flee outside. Even though there were also scuffles happening outside, where the Death Knights roamed in the chaotic battle with the Priests and Blood Knights, it was still better than staying within the hall. After all, the two inhuman creatures were far more terrifying!
A strong light swept across the hall and destroyed several humongous pillars. Then, a large section of the wall fell and the entire hall finally collapsed.
This collapse caused a huge wave of dust to rise up and many humans and ghouls were buried underneath the rubble. The luxurious palace had been turned into a pile of ruins.
Cough, cough!
"Are they dead yet?"
"They shouldn't be able to survive that, right?"
"Drats, how many did those monsters kill? What happened? What's the situation like outside?"
The people weren't even able to finish their questions, when two blurry shadows darted out once more and the flash of clashing abilities reappeared. All of the commenters were silenced once again.
Peter had tried to finish Adonis off with the Judgement Ray multiple times, but Adonis had either adroitly maneuvered away or had depowered the attack with his wires. This was a unique defensive technique that Adonis had created by imitating the mind power Force Field Barriers of higher level wizards. This was Peter's first time facing such wizard techniques, which were powerful enough to block his holy light.
The coverage of the Barrier's range shrank as the wires continued to be depowered. As the area of blood decreased, the range of the wires also lessened.
Peter exclaimed, "Wizard, you are done for!"
The two of them stood above a large field of rubble, while the outside light began to stream in. The amount of the living kept on decreasing, as many ghouls invaded the abandoned palace.
The remaining hundred or so survivors huddled in a garden behind Peter. They were on the brink of death and total despair. Only Peter, who was locked in mortal combat with Adonis, could provide them with a last strand of hope.
Adonis stepped on a broken pillar that was lying on its side. Not far from him were the black armored Death Knights that he controlled, who were surrounding the palace. In terms of the bigger picture, Adonis seemed to have the advantage, since he was surrounding his foe. Yet, the true finale could only be settled between Peter and Adonis.
Adonis smirked. The blood of many Death Knights began seeping out, taking the form of a bloody mist, which then merged with the blood on the floor and snaked into his body.
Adonis then straightened his body, smiling as if he was in great ecstasy. He opened his eyes and looked at Peter, then asked, "What about now?"
"You! No, my body, my divine power! What happened?" Peter suddenly discovered that his body was rapidly aging, as a sinister power had invaded his body. Peter immediately recalled kissing Adonis' hand during the Coronation ceremony.
Darn it! That was the opening…
Peter discovered that, as he rapidly aged, the extent of his divine powers were also being restricted. His strong, invincible body was instantly being corroded by the power of the curse. As he got closer and closer to death, his skin shriveled up and liver spots popped up all over his face.
Peter wanted to deal Adonis one last blow before his power completely disappeared, but by now, even his steps were wobbly. Peter hobbled over the broken stones, using all of his strength to get closer to Adonis.
"By God's name, I will grant you…" Peter rushed up a mound of rubble, as if revitalized, then attacked Adonis with a weak holy ray. Adonis easily deflected it and grabbed Peter's head.
"It's the end!" Adonis announced, while he stood amidst the ruins and held Peter's severed head. Peter's blood poured over the rubble, while his headless body fell to the ground.
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Chapter 170: Life and Death
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
In a small city near the border of the Crete Empire, Lu Zhiyu stood by the side of the Nami River. This wide river had nourished countless people across many countries.
Housewives had washed their clothes in its waters, while children played along its shores. One would hardly believe that, on the other end of its waters, lay a scene of total carnage.
Countless people, who were fighting to protect their city, had died within the slaughter. Flames from the carnage burnt the heavens crimson, as Babus became a city of the dead. Neither sadness nor fury would lead to the city's salvation.
Lu Zhiyu sighed with great disappointment in his eyes. He looked towards the heavens and located the weak rays of a star, which was less than a kilometer wide, in the bitwall. It was one of the countless stars from Maria's World.
Suddenly, the star, which was floating far away in the great nothingness, was condensed, as if it was being controlled by a greater power. It was then guided away from its original route, as if drawn to the earth, and fell.
As it crossed the space of the bitwall, it accelerated until it reached Maria's World. It then passed through the ozone layer, creating a bright light from the intense friction. The path of the star was dazzlingly beautiful, as it made its way to its final destination, the southwest region of the Alen Continent.
———
Within the Monar Palace in Babus, after Adonis had left, the remaining Death Knights surrounded the survivors. The original 30 priests had been severely incapacitated by the army led by the six special class Death Knights. Less than ten of them were left, all of whom had grievous wounds.
"Please, please don't kill me!" an elaborately dressed noblewoman shrieked.
A moustached aristocrat then turned toward Adonis' departing figure and asked, "Why are you doing this, Adonis? Aren't you our King? Why are you treating your people like this?"
"I don't want to die!"
"I beg you, spare me! Please spare me! I'll do anything you want, please!"
No matter what kind of prayers or curses were flung at him, Adonis did not even pause. Many Death Knights formed his entourage, their long swords drawn and their crimson eyes staring coldly at the crowd. They were in the center of the magnificent royal garden amid countless rows of armored Death Knights.
The last one hundred survivors were in the throes of despair, many having collapsed on the ground, not even having the guts to stand up again.
"Enough, Adonis!" A familiar voice was heard from the distance. Adonis turned back. Although the owner of the voice's figure wasn't visible yet, he could sense a familiar mind power frequency.
Boom!
The wall of the garden instantly collapsed, as the Death Knights outside were gored by stone spikes. The entire corridor was covered with the bodies of Death Knights, as they had been impaled by the spikes.
Edward stepped over the corpses. moving towards the opening within the garden. He was walking towards Adonis. As he made his way, the Death Knights parted to allow his passage.
Edward hadn't changed his outfit for several days and the bags under his eyes were extremely dark. He looked as if he hadn't rested in a very long time, as if he had been diligently preparing for something. Yet, he was not too fatigued for his eyes to continue holding a strong sense of determination.
The elaborate King's robe, which Adonis was wearing, had already become tattered. As he watched Edward approach him, Adonis suddenly burst into laughter for some reason, as if he was greeting an old friend.
Adonis dug through the rubble to uncover the throne. It was unscathed, even after the battle, so he sat atop it and looked at Edward. After a casual greeting, he asked, "Why didn't you leave?"
Edward stood before him and looked at the face that he knew so well. It was both familiar and mysterious to him, having the greenish pale tint of a monster and eyes that were bloodshot and crimson.
Staring at the speechless Edward, Adonis began to mutter to himself. "Haha, this throne really is both hard and cold. How boring."
As if he finally saw Adonis for what he truly was, Edward finally spoke. "Was it worth turning yourself into this wretched form? To give up sunlight, poetry, the warmth of the earth, even to give up all of the desires of humanity, just to live forever in an icy prison?"
Adonis lounged on the throne, then tilted his head to look at Edward. He then asked, "If life was tied to a pile of rotten meat, wouldn't it be quite meaningless? What is called life, is merely the pursuit of the meaning of your existence. I have found that."
Adonis continued to explain. "I want to become stronger. I want to control my own fate. I want all of my fears, my hate, and my pains to disappear. That requires immense power, as only the strong can master their fates. Wizards were not meant to lead the people…"
Edward lowered his head, then lifted it again after a long time. His face was twisted and warm tears fell from his face. He was so agitated, spittle flew out when he spoke. "Does your strength come before the lives of others? Is that a reason to kill millions of innocents? To turn the world into a living hell?"
As Adonis solemnly met Edward's gaze, he saw his fury, pain, and sadness. Adonis then licked his lips and enunciated two words clearly, with deadly serious eyes, as he stood up from the throne. "Of course."
Adonis looked toward the survivors and the Death Knights. Then, almost as if all of the Death Knights within the palace could sense his gaze, they each stopped mid-step and kneeled towards Adonis.
The civilians of the city were extremely confused, as they looked towards the direction that the Death Knights were kneeling towards, then spotted the palace. It was as if these demons from hell were welcoming their king. Yet, theirs was not a king of men, but a ruler of the dead.
"Life is brief and insignificant. Only death is eternal. As such, I will bring everyone into an eternal kingdom of death. All shall join my kingdom and bow to my power, as I am the Master of Death!" Adonis decreed.
Edward pursed his lips and spoke with red-rimmed eyes, "You're wrong. Your path is wrong!"
Adonis spoke back, unphased. "I am right, and I have always believed it to be so!"
Edward pointed at Adonis as he roared, his voice breaking. "I will not let you succeed! I will never let you turn your delusions into reality!"
Adonis looked at Edward and finally screamed his name. "EDWARD!"
Then, a few frigid words were minced out from the ghastly white teeth. "You cannot save anyone!"
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