Translated by: TaffyGirl13
Chapter 8: What, did everyone agree to rally together and stir up trouble?
「He Fu Xing」 flew through the sky above the setting sun with two black bat wings sticking out from his back to command currents of the wind. The one commanding the body, on the other hand, was Youny— the beast of axioms, a soul that had existed since ancient times. An avenger, one that would reform the world with spilt blood.
Possessing a physical body again was a nostalgic feeling. With the various sensations from every organ, he could feel alive once more. While this was not his own body, resulting in limitations in his senses, it was enough for him to feel intoxicated with yearning.
Youny closed his eyes as he stretched his body before wheeling about high in the sky. The clouds flowed past, drifting away from him before dissipating. If he continued higher and higher, would he be able to see the gods, his creators?
Would he bring them disappointment? Or had they never held any expectations of him at all?
Youny opened his eyes, spreading his wings as he swiftly advanced towards his objective.
While Youny was in control of Fu Xing’s body, the original owner — the other soul — was in deep sleep in the depths of their consciousness, in a pseudo-dream that was an amalgamation of the past and present reality as well as constructs of imagination…
“Fu Xing, He Fu Xing!”
“Eh?!”
With a forceful shove from behind, Fu Xing snapped back to his senses as though waking up from a dream.
What?
Fu Xing scanned his surroundings. He was in a square classroom with cement walls. Sitting in the neat rows of wooden desks were a bunch of Chinese boys and girls about sixteen or seventeen years old. They were all staring at him with amused expressions.
He was wearing the white uniform of the senior high school near his hometown.
“He Fu Xing, are you done sleeping?” A question impatiently rang out from the front.
“Huh?” Fu Xing looked up to see a middle-aged man in a light blue dress shirt tucked neatly into khaki pants, currently glaring at him in irritation.
“Can you share the answer now?”
“What answer?” What is going on right now? His mind was completely blank.
“Page 45, practice question #5!” A delicate girl’s voice whispered at him from behind, subtly giving the answer. “C.”
He looked down at the open book on his desk. It was a textbook filled with classical Chinese.
The memories and nostalgia gradually took form.
Oh right, I’m in Chinese Literature class…Seems like I fell asleep again. Tch, how many times is that now.
“He Fu Xing?”
“C, the answer is C!” Fu Xing hurriedly replied.
The middle-aged man shot Fu Xing one more reprimanding look. “Stand up next time when you answer.”
“Oh, yes. Thank you, Professor.” Fu Xing sighed in relief and picked up his pen while waiting for someone else to announce the next question’s answer.
“Oi, what the hell is up with you? Sleeping like that is crazy!” The male classmate sitting next to him chuckled and commented under his breath, “Did you stay up too late last night watching videos?”
“That’s you, Dickflasher!” Fu Xing retorted back.
The person next to him was his friend and neighbour. They lived in the same apartment complex, but had never crossed paths until they landed in the same class in the same senior high.
Fu Xing rested his chin in his hands as he absent-mindedly listened to the class while mindlessly doodling circles in the corner of his notebook.
This was not his first time dozing off in class, but it was his first time falling into such deep sleep.
It felt like he had dreamed about something.
He did not remember the dream at all, but he could still feel the happiness from it. Even if the moment the dream was interrupted, an endless sorrow washed through him.
It felt very real, yet not real at all.
He seemed to have forgotten something important…
Not family, but people just as important: extraordinary companions.
He vaguely remembered the wonderful adventures, the unforgettable friendships.
So it was…just a dream…
An inexplicable emotion of intense melancholy and regret flashed through him before an emptiness and disappointment that could not be put into words filled his heart.
Fu Xing bitterly smiled at himself. Of course it’s a dream. How could something like that ever happen to me?
He had taken a year off school due to poor health, then failed a year, so he was two years older than his classmates. He was grateful enough that he was not ostracised, and had managed to assimilate with his class — even if he had a weak presence there.
A dull school life, average grades, and lukewarm class friendships. That was his senior high experience, and the epitome of most high school students.
There was nothing good nor bad about it. Having this ordinary life was enough to be happy.
Today was Monday, the day when the special weekly product at the drink vendor was Jade Lemon Green Tea. He could buy a cup after school, in addition to a chicken cutlet, a food combination from heaven. And! I can borrow some books from the manhua shop and grab some magazines for Lin Lin while I’m there. I can check whether Dad’s new fantasy light novel is in the top rankings too—even though I know it’s very unlikely.
Fu Xing rested his head in his hands, his mood mostly lifting back up. However, an inextinguishable emptiness still echoed through his heart.
“You cheered up pretty quickly.” The person next to him chuckled, “You seem to always have an optimistic view of your life. Even as a normal human, you would be able to happily live your days.”
“What?” Fu Xing was taken aback. He jerked his head to the classmate by his side. “Is there something wrong?”
“There is.” The boy turned his seat towards Fu Xing. “If you could wish for anything right now, what would you wish for?”
“Oi, you’re acting way too bold! Hurry up and turn your seat back around, or else we’ll get reprimanded like crazy. You…”
Fu Xing’s voice died out as he realised that at some point, the classroom had faded into pitch darkness, a black void. All the desks, students, walls, podium, and blackboard had vanished and melted into the darkness, leaving behind only his seat and the one adjacent to him. They were abnormally clear, like colourful circles on black paper.
Despite the bizarre scene, Fu Xing did not feel the slightest bit shocked. It felt only natural to ignore the abnormality.
“So, what would you wish for?” The other party pressed again. “Unlimited wealth? Immortality? Or perhaps power to control the world?”
Fu Xing tilted his head in thought. “Eh, none of that interests me much. Having tons of money is great, but my family has never felt lacking in it. Our current lifestyle is enough. And if I was the only immortal one, wouldn’t that mean I’d have to watch my family and friends leave me one after another, and be forced to face the anguish and loneliness by myself? As for power, it doesn’t seem necessary either. Science is so advanced these days, I think my current life is plenty convenient as is.”
“Heh, is that so.” They nodded with a chuckle. “If you have no desire to be alone, have you considered doing something that is good for the world as a whole? For example, the unreasonably stereotypical ‘world peace’?”
“Sounds pretty nice,” Fu Xing commented, but did not make it his decision.
He was silent for a long time, quietly pondering. They did not push him, simply waiting for him to voice his own answer.
“Mn, ok.” Fu Xing looked up.
“You’re ready? Go ahead and say it then.”
“I want to pass this wish to whoever can make the best wish for the whole world,” Fu Xing stated in a single breath before grinning proudly at his success.
“…What?” They were slightly dumbfounded.
“If I said world peace, my perception of world peace may be calamity to others. If everyone could have easy lives without working hard to get the things they want, without sharing joys and sorrows, and without experiencing birth and death, it feels like everyone’s existence would lose all meaning. Plus, that kind of world feels super dull. I believe that the best path would be for everyone to obtain their own version of happiness, and go through the challenges they need to strengthen themselves and grow. But I don’t know how to do that,” Fu Xing earnestly voiced his thought process.
“Of course you don’t.” They smirked smugly, “Because that’s the job of the gods…”
The student’s face began to blur, to the point where Fu Xing could no longer make out even its outline. Upon further thought, Fu Xing realised he had never been able to clearly see their face from the start. In fact, he did not even know their name.
In that moment, his brain jolted awake, as though snapping out of a dream and back into reality. He immediately regained his awareness.
Eh? Where is this? Where’s Youny?
The student’s figure had melted into the darkness, leaving only Fu Xing behind in the space.
Why that answer?
A voice deep in his heart asked him. It felt like his own question to himself, but also like it was from a different consciousness in his mind.
Fu Xing pondered the answer.
He had only learned how to act from a higher position after being in a lower position. If he had gone through senior high without any challenges, he might have lost himself in conceitedness when presented with a supernatural power, and carried out acts that he self-righteously believed were just.
After living eighteen years in human society, doing so many things with his friends in Shalom, and even meeting Fidel by chance, the experiences taught him that every issue in the world was extremely complex, with no simple resolution.
His life was not perfect, nor even smooth-sailing. However, without the imperfections and ripples, he would not have become the He Fu Xing he was today.
He liked the current version of himself.
This is my path, my growth, and my happiness…
The voice inside his head answered his own question once more.
Who is talking with me? Is it my own subconscious, or the vestiges of the pure-hearted and kind part of Youny’s subconscious? He did not know, but these answers resonated true and at peace in his heart.
What am I supposed to do now? Do I have a mission?
Yes.
The impenetrable darkness began to brighten. The scene before him was hazy, like a clouded glass window. But after wiping the outer surface, the image gradually cleared.
It was a deep blue sky with a bare speck of light in the distant horizon. There was no way to discern if it was the darkness before dawn or the dusk before darkness.
The ground was in desolation, covered in holes and scorched earth, and filled with blood, dead bodies, and the pained groans of the wounded.
A figure floated in the air, their limbs and body bound by silver chains appearing from the sky and ground.
It was Youny.
He wore a dark blue robe, his clothes in tatters as though he had just gone through an intense battle. Yet despite the miserable state he was in, an arrogant grin remained on his face.
“Not bad…” Youny chuckled as he said to a corner of the ground, “With such abilities, why would you choose to help Sanbi achieve his worthless ideal?”
Fu Xing followed Youny’s line of sight to see a silver silhouette on the destroyed, burnt earth.
It was a woman, an extremely beautiful woman. However, there was deep worry etched in her exceptionally gorgeous face, in addition to pity and regret.
Fu Xing was shocked to the core.
He had seen this woman before! It was Rocort’s transformation! He had seen this woman in class during their first-year, and even in Samukawa’s bath afterwards!
Is she Rocort?
The woman spoke, drawing Fu Xing’s attention back. “You should not have done this. You should have stopped when your horn was snapped a millenia ago…”
“It was the South Walker that broke my horn, exchanging his life as the price and leaving this world. Considering the hindrance has already disappeared, not coming back would be quite a cowardly act. I just hadn’t expected other hindrances to appear as well.”
Youny coughed heavily, silver blood dripping down from his mouth onto the ground. The moment it touched the earth, a wide expanse of fauna instantly grew, blooming into beautiful flowers.
With a glance of disdain at the flowers, Youny sarcastically mocked, “Unfortunately, the capable fools are the more annoying ones. You didn’t hold back in the slightest, how truly worthy of being called the kind and merciful Queen…”
The woman sighed, but did not deny it. She simply gazed at Youny with endless sorrow.
This infuriated Youny. “You’ve won! Are you happy now?!”
“I do not feel happy at all.” The woman quietly stated, “They too, feel saddened.”
“You know that too? Our lives are just like grass and ants to them…” Youny forcefully jerked at the chains around his arms, but it was to no avail.
The woman shook her head, but did not respond to Youny’s angered words. She knew that she could not change his mind no matter what she said.
“Neither human nor non-human can break this seal.” The woman softly declared, “This time, you will not be able to break free using your strength alone.”
“How powerful you are.” Youny gritted out through clenched teeth, “Why not simply kill me? Is it to force me to face the endless darkness and despair, face the endless torture and pain?”
“It is for you to have time and space to yourself so that you can properly self-reflect.”
“I should indeed self-reflect — on how I should not be so softhearted towards hindrances, even if they are special animate beings!”
The ones he wished to protect did not understand his intentions, regarding him as a calamity no less. It was truly lamentable. Of course, it wasn’t his circumstances that were lamentable, but the fact that he did not feel any regret even after being repaid with betrayal. If he had another chance, he would still have made the same choice.
“Besides, this is not an eternal imprisonment,” the woman softly dropped the tiniest hint at hope.
Youny furrowed his brow in confusion.
“Even if you did wrong, you will have an opportunity to change your ways.” The woman smiled bitterly as she declared, “In a thousand years, that time will come. A young hybrid born on the seventeenth of July will appear near you. He will be an absolute variant without any defined special abilities. Rather, he will be the embodiment of pure chaos. He will be neither human nor monster, an existence of total negation. This will be your opportunity to change your ways and redeem yourself.”
“Seventeenth of July?” Youny laughed out loud. “That’s some truly terrible sense of humour.”
The seventeenth of July was the date Noah’s Ark had finally touched ground after staying adrift for a very long time. Did that suggest his storm and days of being adrift would end because of this key person? Would they release him and terminate his long punishment? Or would they bring him to a true end?
A white beam of light shone down from the heavens and began to spread outwards to form a wall that stretched further horizontally. Eventually, it turned at an angle to descend like a covering. Two arcs extended from the surface to intersect in mid-air, forming a massive prism.
Thousands of light streaks shot out from the walls of light to wrap around Youny.
“I look forward to it.”
Before Youny’s entire body was submerged, there was the briefest flash of another light, but it vanished without a trace.
The surroundings faded into black, leaving only the desk Fu Xing had been sitting at earlier.
Fu Xing knew that he had just witnessed Youny’s past, the day he had been sealed in Shalom.
As though his body was being controlled, it automatically sat at the desk and an intense wave of sleepiness washed over him. With a yawn, he sprawled over the desk to fall into a deep sleep, with just one question lingering in his mind.
Alright. If I am the one in that prophecy, what am I supposed to do next?
I guess I’ll just go one step at a time.
Rome, Italy.
Leon and the others had boarded a direct flight immediately after leaving campus. Through illusory techniques and hypnotism, the heavily armed group had arrived at their destination in the fastest time possible.
It was two in the afternoon, and there were light showers outside that blocked most of the sunlight, leaving behind grey, overcast weather. This made their heavy moods weigh down on them even more.
All of them were standing inside an alleyway, staring at the church across the road.
“The coordinates indicate this is the place.” Dan Juan scrutinised the plain white church, doubtful. “It’s just two stories, seems a bit small…”
“Perhaps there are profound revelations underground.”
“Also,” Brad strained his ears to listen carefully. “It’s much too quiet…”
“So it really is a trap?” Momiji asked.
“No, it doesn’t feel like it.” Leon watched the man sweeping in front of the door. He was on the chubbier side, with no defined muscles. His movements were relaxed, and there were openings all over his stature, indicating he was not a warrior. “In any case, standing around here won’t give us any answers. Let’s go.”
They swiftly crossed the street and knocked out the sweeping man at lightning speed before darting into the building.
There were only a handful of people inside on the first floor that appeared to have no combat ability as well. When they saw Leon’s group, they were at first puzzled, but a few seconds later, seemed to sense they were not human. Before they could shout out, they were rendered unconscious. The person standing next to the elevator further into the hall fearfully pressed an alarm button and hurriedly ran into the elevator.
Leon’s group immediately followed in pursuit. After scanning the surroundings, they found the stairwell and launched into the offensive in the enemy headquarters.
“Yin beasts! Yin beasts have attacked!”
Shouts rang through the air as the intruders’ footsteps scattered to wipe out the underground fortress with an undefeatable force.
“Something’s off.” Emerald casually blocked the fire extinguisher swung at him while summoning a powerful wind to knock the assailant into the wall.
While there were a decent number of people inside the World Sanctification Court’s headquarters, with White Triangle members the entire way, there were more that fled from them than retaliated. And those that did attack had no power worth noting.
“These people don’t have any combat abilities. They’re no different from the officials in my hometown. They’re likely just researchers and administrators.” Flora knocked out an assailant with the base of her palm. “It’s extremely strange, but it doesn’t appear to be a trap.”
“We’ll figure out why once we catch someone to interrogate.” Leon leapt up and dodged a bullet while drawing a dagger from his waist and throwing it at the opponent.
“Ah!” The dagger was buried into the arm holding the gun, causing it to bleed profusely. The shooter gritted their teeth and yanked the blade out. Before they could pick up their dropped gun, Brad darted forwards to stop them.
Brad grabbed the opponent by the collar and slammed them into the wall, fist pressing against their throat.
“Damn Yin beast…” The glasses-wearing middle-aged man glared at Brad with intense hatred. “You evil things! You shouldn’t exist in this world!”
Brad responded by slapping the man in the face. “Are you guys the only ones left here?”
The man spat out the blood from his mouth tightly hissing out a curse, “Was this your plan to lure us away from our territory? Did you think occupying the sacred hall would be enough to annihilate? Hmph, what a joke!”
“Cut the bullshit!” Brad frowned, “If you answer my question, you’ll suffer less. Where is the youth you guys took? Where is He Fu Xing?!”
“Special Case #13?” The man was slightly taken aback. “What do you want to do to him, Yin beast…”
“I didn’t give you fucking permission to ask questions! Answer me!” Brad pressed harder against the man’s throat. “Where is He Fu Xing? Where is the youth you guys took from Stuttgart?”
“He…He isn’t here…cough, cough!” The man barely spat out these words as he struggled to breathe.
“You killed him?” Leon questioned in a low, bone-chilling tone.
The man looked insulted by the accusation, gritting his teeth to hold himself up as tall as possible as he shouted, “As if—cough! Master Fidel treats him as an honoured guest…cough, cough…” With a loathing gaze, he added, “It was one of your people that took him away…”
“What?” They were dumbfounded.
Brad loosened his grip slightly, allowing the man to gasp for breath. “One of your people injured several dozen of our brothers and nearly injured Master Elijah before taking He Fu Xing away…”
“Does the one you’re referring to happen to be a youth with black eyes and hair, speak as though he’s all-powerful, and always has a look on his face that’s just asking for a damn spanking?” Flora asked.
“Yes…” Faint confusion appeared in the man’s eyes, as his hatred towards them was accompanied by curiosity.
The others exchanged looks with one another.
“That was the beast of axioms, he’s the one that took Fu Xing.”
“Bastard!” Brad slammed a fist into the wall, then sharply turned to look at the middle-aged man again. “What did you mean by our plan to lure you away from your territory?”
The man’s brows shot up in bewilderment. “What?”
“Why isn’t there a single soldier here? Where is everyone?”
“He thought our objective was to overtake this place.” Dan Juan calmly concluded, “He assumed we had planned to draw their people away, then occupy their headquarters.”
While they had been rushing over here, White Triangle’s people had just left the headquarters to chase after the beast of axioms.
What kind of absurd coincidence was that?
“If White Triangle is moving to act against the beast of axioms, they could only have gone to one place.”
The place where the beast of axioms was sealed: Shalom.
“If we had known, we would have stayed in the academy!” Brad ranted with a foul expression. “I feel like we got pranked.”
He loosened his grip so that the middle-aged man slid down to the floor, panting heavily.
“If you think about it from a different angle, it’s fortunate that the reinforcements were all deployed at the academy,” Zhu Yue reminded.
If they had dispatched all their people to White Triangle’s headquarters, they would have found themselves to have used their labour on besieging an empty fort. Then, Shalom would have been forced to face both the beast of axioms and White Triangle.
All of them inwardly felt a wave of relief wash over them. They turned around, ready to head back to the academy and support the front lines.
“You aren’t killing me?” The middle-aged man was evidently a bit shocked.
“If you want to die that badly, do it yourself,” Momiji retorted while walking away. “Just like those nights in your teenage years.”
“You guys are Yin beasts! Slaughter is in your nature!” He could not fathom why the Yin beasts were letting him go. This was different from what he knew, from what the sacred teachings had taught.
“Shut the fuck up about the Yin shit!” Brad roared as he picked up a police baton from the ground and aimlessly threw it in the man’s direction.
“Argh!” The baton struck the man in the shoulder, causing him to groan in pain.
Leon stared at the man, the enemy he had once resented the most.
The him of the past would have mercilessly ended the lives of anyone from White Triangle. But now, he did not wish to do so, for a reason he could not place. He suddenly felt like killing an oblivious weakling wasn’t good at all…
“This isn’t a battlefield. If it were, I would have definitely killed you.”
With this empty threat, Leon turned on his heel to follow the others, leaving the World Sanctification Court.
He had changed. And he wanted Fu Xing to see how he had changed.
Fu Xing, Fu Xing…wait a bit longer, and keep holding on.
Please, try your best to hang in there and stay alive so that you can see how much you’ve transformed everything around you. Fu Xing…
Switzerland. 4 PM.
Interlaken was filled with abnormal clamour.
A single-file line of large, snow-white trucks passed through the town, heading towards the forest. The windows were covered with dark insulated material, making it impossible for anyone to see what was sitting inside.
Although a large number of people had arrived, the surroundings were more silent than usual. An inexplicable austerity filled the air, spreading a deathly stillness before a storm. Multiple helicopters whizzed through the air to fly towards the top of the mountains as well.
“The target is two kilometres north of here, where some abnormalities were detected on the ground,” the member of the surveillance group reported through the wireless communications.
“It should be an interspatial spell. Send the sorcerers in first, and have them break the spell upon arriving,” Fidel commanded.
The space Shalom was located in had become unstable after Youny left, the concealment spell damaged so that the entire campus was vaguely flashing into visibility on the surface.
World Sanctification Court’s group of sorcerers took the lead upon arriving at the fringes of the academy. They simultaneously cast enchantments on the ground and in the air out in all four directions, forcefully tearing a square-shaped opening made of light. This created an entrypoint into the place where special animate beings gathered.
The automobiles and helicopters entered through the passage one after another. Immediately, the massive grass lawns and the northern courtyard of Shalom’s main bailey appeared in view.
It was 3:15 PM, precisely the time for afternoon tea. Yet the relaxing sunlight spilling over the grass could not cover up the feeling of imminent slaughter.
“The enemy is attacking!” The dwarf sentinels standing guard at each building signaled the alert the instant they saw the space being ripped open.
The dwarves observed the enemy arrival through binoculars to see the vehicles come to a stop. Soldiers in snow-white military uniforms exited the vehicles one after another to swiftly scatter across the campus like flakes of snow.
Those snow-white clothes were easy to dirty with both bloodstains and the dirt from crossing through thorn-covered paths. Black and red dyed the white, symbolising the filth that the World Sanctification Court would bear as they swallowed the darkness and sacrificed themselves to it to purify the world.
“It’s White Triangle?!” The dwarves cried out in shock while announcing the identity of the enemy.
They had expected to face the ancient eudemon, not the arch nemesis of special animate beings.
This was actually a relief to most of them. To special animate beings, the eudemon was a contradictory existence that they respected yet ostracised, worshipped yet feared.
However, White Triangle was a force they could exterminate without any apprehensions!
Armed beastmen led the formation to attack the enemy with absolute destructive power to engage them in fierce, life-or-death, close-quarters combat.
The elves and spirits split up: some flew through the air and used their special abilities to shoot torrential fire from cannons and crossbows, while others were entangled with the sorcerers in fights to the death using control spells and witchcraft. Water streams, fire sparks, lightning flashes, and dense fogs rose and fell endlessly.
Boom!
Kapow!
As the cannonfire landed, shattered metal and dust flew out everywhere. Spellcraft and witchcraft counteracted, resulting in mutual destruction. Various supernatural abilities collided to form abnormal arcs of light, like multiple fluorescent pigments had been knocked over and mixed together. However, the vividly colourful streams of light eventually turned into dark and turbid mud.
Both sides devoted their power just to destroy each other.
The troops in the front lines fell into a stalemate, though the naturally weaker World Sanctification Court was evidently in a disadvantageous position compared to the special animate beings.
“Dispatch the departed souls,” Fidel ordered as the center of command.
Elijah quietly watched the scene unfold on the battlefield from behind the car windows.
He scanned every corner of the scene, giving silent tribute to the deceased while simultaneously searching for a specific figure.
Refusing to come out of hiding, North Walker?
As he looked, a thread of doubt formed in his heart.
Or is he not here at all?
The doors of the snow-white trucks rose up from both sides like wings. Cursed souls in colourless robes leapt out from the car in inhuman movements and headed towards the frontlines under the command of the cursed soul masters, passing through the crowds engaged in bitter battle.
The cursed souls had their eyes covered by a plain cloth with a sealing charm on it. Although they were dressed in pure white, they emitted a pitch-black energy. That imposing aura of death originated from the netherworld.
The cursed souls spun through the crowds, attacking the enemy at a speed that was no less inferior to the special animate beings. They did not carry any weapons, as they were weapons themselves. With the curse of poison in their bodies, they would instantly inflict any special animate being they touched with the fatally corrosive poison, which would invade and infect the entire body.
Anguished moans and blood-curdling screams rang out among the special animate beings’ troops, and their offense came to a halt as they retreated and switched to defense instead.
The western corner of Shalom, where there was an external passage to the outside.
The vibrant, gaudy school bus drove through wildly yet precisely under Flora’s control, zipping through like a sudden flash of lightning.
As it passed through the academy’s ward, they could hear deafening noises through the glass windows.
—The war had already begun.
Leon and the others swiftly prepared their weapons and exited the bus, closing the door behind them.
“Hey! I’m still in here!” Rocort slammed his fist against the window unhappily.
“You can just wait there,” Emerald stated with no room for debate. “The reason we let you off earlier at White Triangle’s headquarters was because it was obvious at first glance that the situation wasn’t critical. But now that White Triangle’s people are gathered here, in addition to the beast of axioms that will be arriving at any moment, this battlefield isn’t one that you can handle.”
“I want to go too!”
“You can’t.” Zhu Yue gently urged, “We know you possess ample special abilities, but you don’t have enough actual combat experience.”
“What’s with that…” Rocort’s brow furrowed in discontent.
“Be good.” Emerald tossed a pack of butter cookies through the window to land on Rocort’s lap. “If you stay here, we can go into battle feeling more at ease.”
Rocort stared at Emerald with an upset frown. He grumbled in frustration as he tore open the bag in his lap and began to stuff it in his mouth in a fit of anger.
“Let me make this clear…” Rocort mumbled with his mouth full. “I’m going out once I finish eating…”
“Of course, of course.” Emerald locked the door while secretly casting a sealing charm and defense charm on it.
The others turned and readied themselves for combat as they charged into the battlefield.
Leon brandished his swords while accurately throwing hidden weapons at opportune moments, moving like flowing water while launching a string of attacks.
Emerald’s wind and Momiji’s fire swirled together to form violent flames that soared through the air. This was the move they had come up with last-minute during the new student examination in their first year, now surprisingly useful.
Zi Ye summoned interdimensional beasts that walked on cyan flames and summoned lightning with their howls to send the enemy to their deaths.
Dan Juan weaved fine silk as pliable and tough as steel into a silver, semi-transluscent web in the air that protected his comrades, blocking most fatal attacks.
Flora and Brad used their innate ability to burst into a high-speed run and mow down the enemy.
Zhu Yue’s water screens and water cannons perfectly blocked bullets while also shortcutting the enemy’s electricity-powered weapons and paralysing the users.
The special animate beings went all-out in their display of impeccable combat power. However, World Sanctification Court’s forces continued to flood in as reinforcements from around the world continued to arrive and replenish the depleted soldiers. There was no lack of ruthless figures amongst them either.
The human summoners and spirit mediums worked in tandem to bow down and respectfully invite magical beasts and sacred demons from other realms that were equally matched with the enlightened beasts Zi Ye had summoned, the two sides contesting against each other.
The most disastrous part was the special animate beings’ bane: the cursed souls that had followed wave after wave of reinforcements. Trucks and helicopters filled with cursed souls arrived through land and air. The mournful cries that rose and fell among the special animate beings began to dramatically increase in frequency.
Leon and the others’ advancement slowed and eventually came to a stop as they began to retreat instead.
The cursed souls danced through the crowds and circled around them like ravenous hawks and wolves. Not only did the special animate beings need to deal with White Triangle’s attacks, but they also had to evade the cursed souls closing in.
While Dan Juan was focused on weaving a defensive screen to protect his companions from the cursed souls’ touch, a pale and sinister cursed soul silently approached him from behind.
“Watch out!” Brad shouted as he raced towards Dan Juan. However, there was too great of a distance between them; no matter how fast he was, he could not make it in time.
At nearly the same moment, powerful flames instantly vaporised Zhu Yue’s water screen. Although she managed to barely block the incoming attack, the strong impulse knocked Zhu Yue backwards, and she crashed onto the ground.
Another cursed soul slowly passed through the water vapours to move towards Zhu Yue—
Rocort, who was seated inside the bus, stuffed the last bit of cookies into his mouth and licked his fingers.
“It’s time.”
Skrrrr— An ear-splitting shriek of metal being torn to shreds came from the garish bus, momentarily drawing everyone’s attention, including the cursed souls.
Everyone watched Rocort leave the car and stand outside. The grin on his handsome face was especially bright, like a child finally about to have their birthday party after a year of waiting.
“I’m coming!”
Rocort darted forwards, racing to where the cursed souls gathered— to where the cursed souls had surrounded and trapped his friends in bitter battle.
“Rocort!” Emerald cried out in alarm, wanting to stop him. However, he could not split his attention.
But what happened next left everyone dumbfounded.
As Rocort ran, his body began to transform. His tall and slender figure grew massive and his pale skin turned dark as thick, pitch-black fur appeared all over. His nose and mouth changed into a snout, while his ears became massive animal ears.
—An enormous, black, three-headed hound. One of the three heads had its eyes tightly shut, as though in a deep sleep.
It voraciously devoured the cursed souls. Like a large, playful dog, it jumped up and ran around in a circle before coming to a reluctant stop and walking over to its companions with a proud grin.
“How about it, aren’t I amazing?”
Zhu Yue’s eyes were wide in disbelief. “You’re Rocort?”
“Haha, yep.” A familiar tone came from the massive hound’s throat, though the voice was somewhat deeper than usual. “It’s been a long time since I last transformed like this. Does it look good?”
“Your fur seems really soft and lustrous,” Zhu Yue earnestly answered without thinking.
“Because I moisturise it every week.”
“Aren’t you a fairy?” Dan Juan questioned.
“When did I say I was a fairy?”
“What exactly are you?” Emerald was curious.
“I’m Rocort. Big Sister brought me up here and told me to wait. She said there would eventually come a day when I would be able to help.” The large dog chuckled and raised its head to gaze at the World Sanctification Court’s armed troops approaching from the distance. “Oh, I’ll hand things here to you guys. I’m not good at handling living beings.”
With this, Rocort turned and made running leaps towards the cursed souls to chomp down at them.
The others immediately returned to their battle positions to face a new wave of attacks.
“The elves’ reinforcements have arrived!” An excited shout sounded out.
They turned around to see Lancelot standing on top of a gorgeous, old-fashioned war chariot in the centre of the troops, steered by bow-wielding centaurs.
Lancelot wore a heavy cape draped over beautiful battle armour, overbearingly commanding the clans. Standing next to him was He Fu Qing, overbearingly commanding Lancelot with a cold haughtiness.
“Water elves, go intercept the cursed souls’ onslaught,” He Fu Qing clearly stated, then jabbed Lancelot’s back with her elbow.
“Water elves, advance to the west,” Lancelot ordered loudly with a clenched jaw.
“Wind elves, fire elves, star elves, go to the Forbidden Tower to mend and restructure the sealing ward.”
“Wind elves, fire elves—Ah! Damn it! Since you can hear her, just follow what she says!” Lancelot roared in frustration as he lost the patience to repeat everything.
With the new wave of reinforcements arriving, the situation on the battlefield was rewritten. The forces rose and fell again, and it was difficult to discern the state of affairs. Additional support continued to enter from both sides. It was like adding wood to a fire; the flames only blazed more intensely, getting further and further from burning out.
In another corner of the battlefield, Samukawa’s summoned shikigami were being destroyed one after another. He finally gave up on using the shikigami that were slightly weaker in agility and combat force and directly drew his sword against the opponent.
“You’re clearly a human, yet you’re quite formidable.” Samukawa smoothly swung his sword, but each blow was blocked by Joel’s dual combat knives, the clashing steel emitting faint sparks. “A soldier?”
“You’re clearly a child, yet you’re so arrogant.” Joel coldly glared at Samukawa, “Is acting cute your hobby?” However, he would not show mercy. On the battlefield, an enemy was an enemy, even if they were a child.
“Go die!”
The air was permeated with various scents: smoke, blood, and even an abnormal stench from worn-down spells. Different noises filled the air: screams, wails, and an unsettling silence.
“There’s no end to these guys.” Brad punched an enemy in the face. He was covered in large and small wounds that although were light, were swollen red and purple and covered every inch of visible skin. “When can we finally stop?”
“Tired, little pup?” Momiji smirked. Her long and wavy hair was disheveled and ragged with burns. The excessive use of her special ability had drained her physical strength as well. “You look pretty fierce, but it seems you’re weak in reality…”
“When will the beast of axioms appear? Will he really bring Fu Xing back?” Dan Juan panted as he struggled to keep his defensive web raised. “Can we last until then…”
“We must last until we confirm Fu Xing’s safety.” Leon’s face was cold as he robotically continued attacking. He had already gone numb. Despite a stab wound on the side of his abdomen, his movements were not affected thanks to his staunch willpower.
Zi Ye, who was still controlling magical beasts, suddenly froze like a clock that had lost power.
“…He’s here,” he murmured.
Before anyone could ask further, an abnormality in the air and atmosphere drew their attention.
Bzzz…bzzz…
A faint buzz echoed through the space as the earth began to quake. It was a bizarre sensation that swept through the ground like a tide, as if someone had suddenly turned on a TV and was struck by invisible electric currents.
Everyone simultaneously stopped moving. Humans and special animate beings both went completely still.
Their natural instincts sensed that a powerful existence that far surpassed their own was about to appear.
Bang! Zzzz—
A crack formed in the sky, shards of light falling from the black gap. Shalom’s tattered ward was assailed once more, with a force that was rougher and more violent than what World Sanctification Court had inflicted earlier.
~Taffy Translations~ 