[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]
Chapter 154
The wave of Blood spurted through the air.
The necks of the Meyer Family priests rolled across the ground.
In a single strike, dozens of lives were cut short.
Even the leader of this place, the Elder, was not left unscathed.
“Grrr...”
A line split across his chest.
Blood flowed from the wound, soaking his priestly robes instantly.
“...This... can’t be...!”
The power of oblivion energy could not regenerate his body.
It was as if something was blocking it. Some force exactly opposite but somehow stronger to it.
The Elder felt as if the force that oblivion energy had disappeared entirely.
What kind of power is oblivion energy, after all?
Even if his head were cut off, oblivion energy would restore the body with its superior regenerative power.
But now, look at them.
The followers were writhing on the ground, barely moving.
Not one of them had managed to restore their body.
Finally, the Elder fell as well.
“There don’t seem to be many forces here; I suppose they’ve already moved outside.”
The Meyer Family had infused oblivion energy into not just mutated monsters but also humans.
The purpose was to create mad killers who were consumed by frenzy alone.
However, there weren’t many of those killers here.
“We’d better finish this quickly and head outside.”
The three of them efficiently cleared out the area.
Chrysalis took care of healing the Phoenix clan.
As Chrysalis’s magic entered the Phoenixes’ body, they slowly began to regain their senses.
“If we take him with us, he might be useful to our forces.” Chrysalis said about Phoenix’s head.
“The ones we’re facing are the Elder-level of the Meyer Family. He’s not strong enough. Maybe for dealing with lesser enemies.”
“True, even I was almost consumed by oblivion energy.”
The Phoenixes was not as strong as Chrysalis.
If all of the Phoenixes stayed together, they might hold up, but if sent to another area under oblivion energy, they along with their head will surely fall to the Meyer Family.
The divine beasts were vital to maintaining the continent’s balance.
They were creatures that brought benefits to the world.
If these beings perished, the world’s balance might collapse.
So it was better to leave him here until he was fully recovered.
“Moving in small numbers is also faster.”
“Though the Young Duke handled most of it alone, it’s indeed faster this way. With more people, moving around just takes more time.”
“That’s why the three of us are just right.”
In the meantime, Blata absorbed all the oblivion energy that had spread in the Phoenix nest.
“Ugh!”
Blata let out a loud burp.
“Why do you keep making me eat this tasteless stuff!”
He grumbled in dissatisfaction.
“Just make sure I have plenty blood man to eat, or I’ll bite you.”
Kane chuckled.
Blata’s power was gradually growing.
His spirit had already surpassed his mana.
Although he wasn’t yet as powerful as his peak, it seemed only a matter of time before he could match it.
“Duke, where to next?”
“The Scorpion’s Sahara Fortress.”
“Where’s that?”
“It’s in the Orchid Kingdom.”
“We’re the only ones willingly entering the enemy’s heart.”
The Orchid Kingdom held a deep grudge against the Rehinar Family.
They had sent letters of protest, but the Rehinar Family had not responded.
They simply stated the facts as they were.
Because of this, Orchid declared the Rehinar Family their enemy.
They even considered raising an army.
The Lycera Theocracy intervened to mediate, preventing an outright war.
“If they get in the way, we’ll just kill them.”
“Don’t say scary things so casually.”
Mikhail shook his head.
Kane really would do it.
If something got in his way, he’d act without hesitation.
He hoped they wouldn’t get caught up in unnecessary troubles.
In the already bright moonlit night, the moon’s glow intensified.
“Aaah!”
“What is this light?!”
“Get rid of that light!”
Some of the Death Fiends tried to dispel the moonlight with their sword energy, but it was useless.
“M-my body is decaying!”
“Don’t touch that light!”
“Hide yourselves in the shadows!”
The fiends fought off the Black Heaven Knights attacks, attempting to escape into the darkness.
Isaac, waiting for this moment, swung his sword diagonally.
As the light engulfed the fiends, their bodies began to decay even faster.
“W-we’re dying!”
“Nooo!”
The screams that had once come from the people of Runhaven now echoed from the Death Fiends.
These fiends clung to life more desperately than anyone else.
They’d consumed this power to achieve immortality.
But to die in such a meaningless way filled them with bitter regret.
“Your comrades will be following right behind you, so die quietly.”
The fiends could no longer resist death.
Their decaying bodies succumbed to a power even greater than oblivion energy.
Even those hiding in the darkness were eradicated.
The commander of the Black Heaven knights stepped forward to report.
“The remaining ones?”
"No survivors," the commander reported.
“Burn all the corpses, and find any surviving citizens to treat,” Isaac commanded.
The Black Heaven knights quickly dispersed to carry out his orders.
"I thought the Empire would be free from those consumed by oblivion energy... but Kane was right; the infection is wildly contagious."
Anyone struck by the oblivion energy quickly spread the curse. People who were once normal turned into madmen in an instant, driven by a bloodthirsty urge. The more they killed, the more they believed it would grant them immortality.
"If we don't root it out, the entire continent will suffer. I can only hope Kane finishes his task quickly."
Isaac placed his utmost trust in Kane.
He was the only one who could end this ordeal.
---
Munch, munch.
The sound of something being chewed echoed in a dark, shadowy space. A man moved his jaws rhythmically, his once pristine, golden attire long stained with blood.
The man, eyes glowing with a deep crimson hue, was consumed by pleasure as he ate, powerful bloodlust emanating from his gaze.
"Heh heh.”
A chilling laugh escaped his lips.
“Ahahahaha!”
The space around him shook with his laughter. He wiped the blood from his mouth and muttered, “Finally, I’ve reached the 9th class. The answer lay in the blood of the Twelve Star Lords.”
What he devoured was human flesh, specifically the body of one of the Twelve Star Lords, those who ruled the continent as unmatched sovereigns.
“I now possess three of the Twelve Star Lords. With one devoured, just two more will bring me to the 10th class.”
He had long dreamed of reaching the 9th class, taking a step closer to godhood.
“There’s no need to gather the Elemental Stars anymore,” he chuckled to himself, but then, suddenly, a sharp headache struck him.
“Ugh.”
The smile vanished, his face hardening into a twisted expression like that of a demon.
A name slipped from his lips.
“Kane Rehinar!”
His voice dripped with rage.
The man was Kesh Mayer, head of the house of the Sun and strongest of the twelve star lords.
“You're meddling in my plans again!”
Not just any place had been raided, but the Village of the Golden Dragon, a site capable of spreading oblivion energy across the continent. This was a vital point in the oblivion energy's spread.
He seethed at the loss, especially with the death of the Third Elder.
Worse news continuedl, the Phoenix’s nest—where the Fourth Elder resided—had also been destroyed, with all magical connections to the elders now severed.
Only the Second Elder, Fifth Elder, and Sixth Elder remained.
“That damned fucking wretch,” he muttered as he rose to his feet, drawing deep breaths, pulling bloodlust through his nostrils with each inhale.
“I know where you’ll go next, Kane. I swear I’ll turn it into your grave.”
Kesh Mayer ground his teeth.
The price for disrupting his plans would be nothing less than death. He vowed not to let Kane live any longer.
"Summon my men!" he shouted toward the door.
The door opened, and a subordinate who had been waiting outside entered and spoke.
“You called, my lord.”
“Send the holy knights and priests of the Lysera Theocracy to the Orchid Kingdom.”
“The target is...”
“Bring me Kane Rehinar’s head. No excuses.”
“We will not disappoint you, my lord.”
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]