Chapter 57

Chapter 57

The guttering candlelight flickered, casting the silhouette of a figure in crimson robes onto the wall behind.

Red descended the corridor and stairs at a measured pace, reaching the main hall on the first floor.

"Woo—"

A wind so bitterly cold it could freeze a person solid blew ceaselessly. The luminous field was filled with phantasmal, translucent figures, wandering in a dazed, numb stupor in every corner.

It was an altar, its dais holding only a stone table, upon which three candles flickered with ghostly blue-white flames in the howling, frigid wind. At the center rested a statue carved from bone, about the size of a grown man's skull. Its features were only vaguely outlined, hinting at a woman of stunning beauty.

She kept her eyes tightly shut, her smooth, long hair cascading down to her ankles. She wore a delicate crown upon her brow and held a sword and shield in her hands. In the center of her forehead was the faint outline of a third eye.

This "eye" was open, staring directly at the worshipper as though alive.

Red bowed to the statue, muttering an incantation under his breath.

Then, he extinguished the candles and kowtowed three more times to the idol.

Woo!

The wind suddenly roared with renewed force, rattling the tightly shut windows violently.

*Crack!*

Windowpanes shattered in succession. An eerily silent, icy wind gusted outward, drawing in more and more spirits and points of light converging from all directions.

Red shuddered violently, feeling his blood run cold and begin to frost over. The chill threatened to freeze him entirely—a sensation he was not unfamiliar with.

Above the hall, beams of radiance pierced through the void, swiftly streaming down stone pillars and floors inscribed with symbols and magic runes, through the luminous field and the phantom figures, before converging upon the altar.

Red raised his arms, spread them wide, and proclaimed, "Guardian of Fate and War, the great Anbelina!"

"I, your devout follower, beseech your protection and guidance!"

"I offer all these heroic souls, to pierce the silent abyss, awaken your divine spirit, and nourish your divine form!"

"Grant me the power to charge forward fearlessly on the battlefield, to execute your great will!"

As the words of his prayer rang out, a sudden light descended upon Red's head, enveloping him completely.

The destructive magic of the Ambesal mage corps had already struck the barrier. This shield, having endured too many assaults, finally buckled under the strain and dissolved into nothing, leaving the entire city of Kaiwa exposed under the night sky.

*

The defenders now had no time to spare for the city's residents. On the front lines, men were falling every minute; they simply couldn't spare anyone to intercept the golems flooding into the city, let alone evacuate and protect the civilians.

A shadow interwoven with death and despair descended upon Kaiwa. Like a monstrous beast baring its fangs and claws, it engulfed the entire northern defense line, relentlessly spreading toward the heartland of Hoplar.

In the distance, the distant view was swallowed by shadow. Buildings collapsed one after another, leaving only rubble and ruins. Residents were buried under falling walls or consumed by magical blasts. Human life proved as fragile as bubbles boiling in a pot.

"Mommy!"

A girl's heart-wrenching cry pierced the night, yet it was barely noticeable amidst the chaos of this district.

A girl who looked about six or seven years old had been knocked to the ground. Behind her, her mother was pinned under a collapsed wall and a pile of rubble.

Terrified, the girl scrambled to her feet, desperately trying to move the heavy stones. By the time she noticed a chunk of debris flying toward her from an explosion, it was already too late.

Suddenly, a skeletal undead lunged at her, shielding her from the massive rock hurtling toward her back.

Shattered bone fragments rained down on the girl.

The girl froze for a moment, then was gripped by fear. She had never seen such a terrifying creature before and didn't know what to do, closing her eyes in despair.

After a moment, the expected pain did not come.

She cautiously opened her eyes to see that the undead had already left her, turning instead toward the rubble pile burying her mother. With its ghastly bone claws, it frantically dug through the bricks and stones, quickly clearing an opening and dragging out the mother, who was barely clinging to life.

"Mommy!"

The girl threw herself into her mother's arms, weeping uncontrollably. As her mother comforted her with gentle words, the girl gradually realized that this "monster" hadn't harmed them; instead, it had saved both her and her mother.

Just then, a squad of golden-armored Holy Knights rounded the street corner. The young knight leading them had a sharp gaze and immediately spotted the horrifying skeletal figure dragging a woman, along with the aura surrounding it—an aura he found deeply repulsive.

"Undead!"

The knight roared, raising his sword blazing with holy light without hesitation. Blazing light coalesced as he swung down, intending to purify this evil summoned creature.

"No!"

A child's voice, choked with tears, rang out.

Just as the holy light was about to strike the skeleton, a small figure abruptly broke free from her mother's embrace. She spread her arms, placing her own body between the holy light and the bones.

The young knight was startled, checking his swing at the last moment to keep from striking the little girl.

The girl looked up at the astonished knight, crying out, "He... he's a good Mr. Bones! He saved me and Mommy. Uncle, please don't hurt him."

The girl's mother also lifted her head, her voice weak but clear. "Sir Knight! It protected us. Please, don't destroy him."

The young knight's sword hung frozen in mid-air. His frown deepened, but he didn't back down.

"Step aside. Are you trying to shield this evil creation and the blasphemer behind it?"

Struggle flashed across the mother's face. She reached out a hand, as if to pull her stubborn daughter back.

The next moment, the skeletal figure slowly dissolved into a pile of bones and vanished into the wind.

On a rooftop not far away, Lou Guanyue watched this scene quietly. He tilted his head slightly, his tone light and flat as he spoke. "Teacher, why waste your magic protecting these people?"

His handsome brows were lightly furrowed, seemingly filled with disappointment and dejection. Yet, a faint, almost imperceptible smile played at the corner of his lips. Upon closer inspection, one might detect a hint of mockery and mischief hidden within.

Pelan continued to meet his gaze calmly, his voice betraying no other emotion. "In this disaster born of war, they are innocent."

He didn't seem to be directly answering the question, but Lou Guanyue understood what he meant.

The corner of Lou Guanyue's mouth lifted slightly, as if mocking this naive notion. "Dark wizards—no, all humans who have awakened dark attributes—live such difficult lives. None of these people are innocent. Even if they are to be saved, it shouldn't be by the undead creatures they despise."

Seeing the skeleton disappear, the Holy Knight scanned the surroundings warily. The injured mother held her child tightly, continuously pleading for the knight's forgiveness.

*See? Even if you save them, you won't be acknowledged, let alone accepted.*

*Since we are born evil, why exhaust ourselves saving people to cleanse the 'sin' upon us?*

*People like us only need to make everyone fear us*, Lou Guanyue mused idly.

"Not everyone rejects us." Pelan shook his head very slightly, as if recalling something pleasant, and a faint smile touched his lips. "My teacher took in young me and raised me with great care. Besides my teacher, there's Isadel, Glen, Mrs. Mapel... and Yue."

Hearing his name, Lou Guanyue’s heart gave a heavy, inexplicable thud, his gaze locked onto the boy before him.

Then, he saw Pelan smile.

It was a small smile—it held a touch of childishness and a hint of slyness, an expression Lou Guanyue had never seen before.

And then, he heard the boy say, "Everyone is really, really good people. Not everyone fears or despises me because I’m a dark wizard. Yue is the best one right now—not only willing to stay by my side but also looking after me every day. I really like Yue, and I like everyone else as well."

"In this city, there must be many people just as good as everyone. I hope to save as many people like that as I can." Pelan turned to look at the girl crouching where the bones had dissipated, a wand appearing in his hand.

As he finished his incantation, an illusory gate carved with intricate, ancient patterns slowly opened against the night. From within emerged one undead creature after another.

These undead did not mass to fight the golems; instead, they scattered, dodging the mages and warriors, searching the collapsed ruins for survivors.

Though low-level undead couldn’t stand against those golems, rescuing ordinary people wasn’t a problem for them.

After giving the orders to the undead, Pelan turned to Lou Guanyue, who was silent, and asked hesitantly, "You’re not happy with what I’m doing, are you?"

His eyes were clear, his voice carrying a note of tentativeness.

Lou Guanyue was taken aback for a moment, a strange emotion welling up inside him.

Though the boy before him had disguised his appearance, those eyes remained just as beautiful—crystalline and translucent like black gemstones.

Under such focused attention, the irritation in his heart inexplicably faded.

"A little," he admitted, unusually forthright this time.

Lou Guanyue turned his head, averting the boy’s gaze. "But I will support Teacher’s decision."

Hearing this, Pelan was taken aback for a moment, then the corners of his mouth curved upward slightly.

"Thank you, Yue."

Just then, the wind through the city began to howl mournfully. Pelan felt a chilling, icy power descend from the void, and an invisible vortex appeared above a distant building.

What was happening?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he faintly saw ethereal souls from the ruins of Kaiva City swiftly converging toward that spot.

Was this some kind of evil sacrificial ritual? It had to be stopped!

His thoughts racing, Pelan didn’t hesitate. Summoning wind magic, he swiftly approached the vortex.

Pelan’s brows furrowed as he recalled the anomalies he had sensed flying all the way from Port Golent.

It was too quiet.

Not the quiet of no sound, but the kind of quiet where this war-ravaged city was utterly devoid of the mournful cries of the dead.

At first, Pelan had thought the church priests had already purified and soothed the souls of the deceased. It wasn’t until he witnessed this scene that he suddenly became alert.

As he pondered, Pelan said to Lou Guanyue, "Someone is collecting these souls."

"Not just in Kaiva City—even in the previously attacked cities, there were no traces of souls. The Secret Cult’s purpose in inciting war is likely related to the True God. And various rituals, including the descent of the True God, require prerequisites such as vast amounts of faith and innocent lives…"

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Author’s Note: It’s the flutter of the heart~~

Pelan: I like Yue and everyone the most (#^.^#)

A certain someone’s ears could only hear the first part.

Pelan quietly added: Except for Teacher [shy].