CH 36

On the opposite side of the mainland.

The spires of the towering towers pointed straight to the dark and eternal night sky, and a waning scarlet moon hung far in the sky, like an unhealed scar.

A strong smell of blood spread in the magic city Este.

All the creatures in the city trembled in this extremely heavy atmosphere, even the demons at the top of the food chain in the magic city were being more cautious than usual, as to not to lead to catastrophe due to negligence.

——The magic city was about to change.

This was the only agreement of all dark creatures.

For many ages, the Melville family had been the top nobles among the high level demons. Each of their patriarchs had purple eyes bestowed by the Dark God and a strong affinity for dark elements. They ruled the most powerful organization of mages on the entire continent- their status had never been shaken in the slightest for thousands of years.

Until now.

The current patriarch of the Melville’s family made terrible mistakes one after another.

The process of finding a way to crack the seal could be traced tens of thousands of years back in the past. The research and study of several epochs had made the corpses buried deep under the Mage Tower fall deeper and deeper. In addition to the conscious and voluntary victims, most of them were failed and slaughtered objects of experiments. In such a long period of time, only one human survived the terrible experiments, but was treated as a corpse by the mages of the Melville family – even though they argued that the experimental object did not have vital signs at that time, it didn’t offset the fatal mistake they committed.

What’s worse, this was just the beginning.

After they failed the search with all the manpower, they were even led by the nose. Not only did they lost the only key, but they also missed the once-in-a-millennium full moon.

They showed their weakness in front of the entire world of darkness.

This land without sunlight supports strong, praises cruelty, and glorifies privilege, but the only thing they can’t tolerate is weakness.

Although the Melville family still retained its former status for the time being, their prestige has already plummeted. The other demon families who had been under their feet for thousands of years were ready to move, plotting rebellions or riots, and grabbing the long coveted status and power – if they couldn’t recover their losses in a short time, then what awaited them would be elimination and annexation of other high-level demon clans.

This was the most heavily that Mage Tower was guarded in a thousand years.

Countless high-level demons and demon subordinates loyal to the family patrolled closely around the tower, casting complex magic circles and guarding spells to protect the entire stone tower from the wind, and it felt as if there was some kind of pressing tension, putting them under heavy pressure everywhere.

In the tall spire of the Mage Tower, the scattered and dim bloody moonlight could hardly pass through the narrow windows, the room filled with alchemy equipment and old parchments was shrouded in darkness, only the scattered spell stones on the table shone with indistinct light.

Melville paced anxiously in the room.

The demon mage knelt in front of him, whispering something.

But before he could finish speaking, Melville interrupted in a heavy tone, “Do you know what your proposal represents?”

The mage choked, the feeble sound of his voice became a little louder, and he whispered: ” Yes…but, my lord, only the attraction between the sanctuary and the sacred place is true…”

Yes, the sacred place.

The Dark God’s Burial Ground was not only the Magic City Este, but also the Melville family.

Thirty thousand years ago, the God of Light sealed the Godhead of the God of Darkness and all his dark followers on the opposite side of the mainland, in the darkness.

As the demons most sensitive to the dark elements, the ancestors of the Melville family were among the followers of the Dark God, the most accomplished in spells.

They knew very well from the beginning that the seal was constructed from the bones of the Dark God, so naturally it must be broken with the bones of the Dark God—but, during these 30,000 years, the Melville family had to be tight-lipped.

After all, experimenting with the corpse of a god, even in Calvary, was the most terrifying taboo.

The demons outside the Mage Tower only know that they were conducting experiments, but they don’t know the specific process of the experiments.

Once this matter was leaked, what awaited them may be more terrifying than death.

Melville gritted his teeth and asked: “…Are you sure there is no other way?”

The mage remained silent, and lowered his head.

In fact, Melville didn’t understand.

Thousands of years of experiments and attempts by their entire family had all ended in a failure – the human being was the only variable, but he escaped from them before they continued to study in depth.

The only thing they could borrow was the instinctive attraction between the bones of the sacred skeleton.

——What remained in that human body was a part of a corpse belonging to the Dark God. And the only way to find him was to have another bone of God of Darkness.

The sacred skeleton had no effect on the opposite side of the mainland, because the place itself was where were bones of the Dark God buried, no matter how many bones, they would always point to the magic city Este.

But it was different when it came to the opposite side of the mainland.

Melville took a slow and deep breath, turned around, propped his arms on the table.

After long period of thought, he finally said:

“Contact our followers on the ground…”

——In fact, after such a long time, the seal had already begun to loosen. Although it could still prevent the dark creatures from leaving the abyss, it cannot stop the dark elements from escaping. And so the people on the other side of the continent would naturally have temptations from the demons.

The dark god was dead.

But the dark side of the human heart will last forever.

Although they could not gain freedom, their corroding of the mainland has never stopped, and more and more dark followers were hidden under the light.

Melville seemed to have finally made up his mind at this moment, and finished the remaining half of the sentence:

“——Send there the sacred skeleton.”

·

Compared with the skinny always on the verge of dying appearance in the last punishment world, Ge Xiu’s appearance in this world was obviously much more pleasing.

Especially the meandering lines from his brow bones to the tip of his nose were very close to his real appearance, but it felt much less aggressive, and not so beautiful to the extent that it makes people feel danger and oppression – on the contrary, the contours of his current face were very soft, his cheeks were pale and thin due to injuries, his jaw was thin and pointed, and paired with those bright and deep black eyes, he completely looked like a poor young man who was tortured by the dark spell and almost died.

Ge Xiu relied on the fragile and delicate face like from a masterpiece, and the very genuine innocence, to gain the love of almost everyone at the fastest speed.

The female members of the team were very affectionate and protective over him, and they couldn’t wait to give him all the candies. Even Dreiter, who had a serious nature, would subconsciously speak softer when he saw him.

Only the Holy Knight Ed was always very vigilant towards him.

He even looked for opportunities to chat privately with Dreiter several times during the journey, each time he was persuading the other party to raise his guard and not to be fooled by the appearance of the person in front of him – after all, those powerful mages who surrendered to the darkness, all possessed strange magnetic charm.

The two broke up unhappy again.

Ed was holding the white holy sword and walked toward the front of the team with a gloomy expression, while Dreiter also looked unhappy and worried. He waved his hand to remove the sound blocking barrier beside him, and cast a short gaze at Ge Xiu who was walking behind the team.

Ge Xiu sluggishly lingered at back of the team, took out a candy from his bulging pocket, stuffed it into his mouth, and then narrowed his eyes happily.

Under his long eyelashes, the blue sky reflected in his eyes, like a clear lake flowing in the depths of his pupils, gleaming with sweet waves.

He smiled brilliantly at Dreiter, the corners of his raised lips seemed to be filled with honey, and his expression was innocent, like an ordinary teenager who knew nothing about the dark surging undercurrents.

Except – the sound cancelling barriers arranged by the mage were useless to him.

Ge Xiu was extremely clear about the focus of the dispute between the two men. It would be very easy to dispel doubts as long as he wanted to – but he had no intention of solving this contradiction by hand.

——That would be too boring, wouldn’t it.

Ge Xiu jumped over the tree stumps lying on the ground, yawned, and rubbed the tears from the corners of his eyes.

Ever since coming to the front of the mainland, he became sleepy very often, his physical strength has rapidly declined from his previous peak state, and he felt tired more and more susceptible easily.

He wasn’t sure about the cause of it.

Although Ge Xiu could see both the light elements around him and the dark elements, he could clearly feel that the light elements have a very cold attitude towards him, and he guessed that he had a higher affinity for the dark elements. So, the decline in his physical state was probably due to leaving the familiar elemental environment.

This change was not entirely without benefits. After leaving the back of the continent, although the painful torture of twelve o’clock every night still arrived on time, it was far from being as crazy and terrifying as it was at Calvary, and the pain could still be tolerated. It was almost like tickle compared to the previous level.

However, in addition to this speculation, there was another possibility.

——After all, he also experienced a similar experience in the last punishment world.

This means that vitality was gradually draining from his body, and the moment of leaving begun to approach quietly.

At this moment, abruptly, an exclamation in the distance pulled Ge Xiu out of his thoughts.

“Be careful!”

Ge Xiu raised his head and looked in the direction of the sound.

He was not tall, and the team members standing in front of him obscured his vision, making him completely unable to see what was happening in the front of the team.

But Ge Xiu’s vision was different from ordinary people.

He fixed his gaze in the void above everyone’s heads, and raised his eyebrows lightly.

After coming to the front of the mainland a long time ago, he has always been surrounded with a dense light element, like soft and shiny light, occupying every inch of the air, but in the distant sky, it seems like thick ink dipped into the sea of light, and a cold and gloomy cloud spread over people’s heads.

Ge Xiu almost instantly recognized the familiar feeling from the back of the continent that accompanied him day and night.

The dark element.

There was a noisy shout again from the crowd in front, followed by the metallic rubbing sound of the sword’s blade being unsheathed, the crisp sound of the golden iron tool was very penetrating, and it instantly cut off the buzzing whispers.

Dreiter chanting purification spells in a low voice sounded.

The light ahead of him suddenly shone brighter.

At this moment, a slender girl squeezed out from between the team. It was the girl that found Ge Xiu by the lake. Her eyes were shining as she reached out to take Ge Xiu’s hand:

“Quickly! The teacher released a purification spell in the front! This is the first time I have actually seen the dark element. Come! Otherwise, you won’t be able to see it after the teacher’s chant is over!”

Emily wanted to hurriedly turn her head and run back but she tugged and he hasn’t moved.

“Huh?”

She frowned and looked behind her with some doubts.

However, she saw the slender young man standing still on the spot, frowning, staring thoughtfully into the air not far away, as if he was looking at something.

His pupils were pitch black, like an abyss that cannot be illuminated by light, and the kind of thoughtful gaze that didn’t carry any human emotions makes the whole body turn cold.

Although it was still a familiar face from that chapter, Emily strangely felt extremely uneasy, inexplicably.

She subconsciously turned and looked in the direction of Ge Xiu’s line of sight – but she saw nothing.

The clear sky was dyed red by the bright sunset, like a huge painted scroll, without a trace of haze.

Emily shrank her shoulders, looked at Ge Xiu again, and asked in a low voice a little nervously, “What are you looking at?”

Before she finished her words, she felt the teenager’s slender fingers suddenly tightened with much strength. He yanked her in his direction.

Emily cried out in pain and staggered when she was caught off guard. Before she could react, she stumbled in the Ge Xiu’s direction. She felt pain from strained ankle and she almost fell down out of control.

“What are you doing?!”

Emily was shocked and angry, but before she had time to get angry, she heard a horrible giggle from behind, sounding as if someone was right beside her ears. She felt cold sweat drip down her back, and she hurriedly turned her head to look behind.

She saw that where she was standing just now, now knowing when, the mud had torn open, white skeletons climbed out of the ground, the bones rubbed and made a harsh clattering sound, and the in the dark eye sockets burned blue soulfire, looking eerie and terrifying – there was a series of screams from the front of the team. Obviously, they were facing the same problem. Several of them have been caught by their ankles and were pulled down into the mud one after another.

At this moment, Ed’s shocked shout came from the front:

“…Necromancer!”

The chanting of light spells in the front suddenly intensified, and the bright white light seemed to contain astonishing power. It instantly enveloped the team in the warm light. The skeletons made a more harsh clattering and gurgling sound. The seemingly hard bones corroded and melted in the purifying effect if the light element and it quickly scattered down like silt, but beyond the light element barrier, more skeletons crawled out from under the ground, and the deathly white finger bones were glowing with a gloomy cold light, a decadent and cold breath immediately surrounded everyone.

Others finally reacted one after another, and more chants joined in, and the light element suddenly flourished.

But while the barrier was solidified, clouds gradually spread over their heads, spreading and enveloping everything at an extremely abnormal speed, covering up the sky and the sunset in an instant, and then, a throne made of countless bones slowly appeared in the air, a scrawny man with a hood sat on it, the skinny joints on the white bones glowing with unhealthy blues, and his body was entwined with a frightening breath of death.

Emily took a shocked breath, her pupils shrunk slightly, and she turned her head in disbelief to look at Ge Xiu who was standing not far away.

——The position where the bone seat appeared, happened to be the direction he was staring at just now.

Did he find the trace of the Necromancer before everyone else?

Impossible!

When he was still in a coma, Mr. Dreiter had tested his magical talent and elemental affinity, which was even lower than the typical level of ordinary people. How could he be aware of the traces of undead before the academy tutor and the Holy Knight?

This… this was completely illogical.

No, could it be that she made a mistake just now?

Emily had no idea, subconsciously raised her hand and gently stroked her red wrist.

Ed, who was standing at the front of the team, also felt unbelieving—this was just a bronze-level purification task. How could was it possible to encounter a necromancer? Even a paladin directly under the Holy Pope cannot solve a task of this level alone. What’s more… this necromancer was obviously capable of summoning dark creatures in the part of the continent where the light element dominated, even if it is just a skeleton made of alchemy it was incredible enough.

This could only mean… he was very powerful.

Ed gripped the hilt tightly like he was facing an great enemy.

At this moment, the necromancer spoke. The only part of his chin visible was pale and shrunken, but his voice was extremely low and magnetic, as sweet and mellow as a good wine.

“Unexpectedly, the hunting dogs and the trash from the academy could find me. It seems that I underestimated you.”

Ed’s eyes widened suddenly, his teeth clenched tightly, and his masseter muscles were almost aching—he recognized the voice.

He finally remembered who was the one before him.

Three months ago, it was that necromancer who severely injured the White Knights Expedition of the Holy Pope and retreated over all the dead bodies. He was the first dark follower to appear in front of the Holy Pope of Light. Just like the first domino pushed down, after him, more necromancers appeared one after another throughout the continent.

This Necromancer was extremely dangerous, and now they even… still had to protect a few academy apprentices who had not yet cultivated a sense of combat.

Dreiter leaned his staff slightly forward and made a defensive posture in a concealed manner. He raised his voice and calmly said:

“I’m very sorry to disturb you. We were just passing by, and we are leaving now.”

The necromancer seemed to be thinking seriously about something. After a long time, he said: “If this is the case, then I am not an unreasonable person.”

His voice was friendly and intimate, like a that of a close teacher or a friend, but no one dared to take him lightly. The pale blue knuckles pointed on the skull inlaid on the seat, and a thin blue snake emerges from the skull’s dark eye sockets and wrapped around his wrist with a regular tapping sound. Their hearts was almost completely raised, as he kindly added the second half of the sentence: “…Select four people to stay, and the rest can leave.”

“…What?!”

——Even with the Ge Xiu picked up halfway, their entire team only consisted of ten people.

Ed’s eyes widened, staring at the necromancer in front of him in disbelief.

“My seat needs new bones.” The necromancer touched the thin little snake affectionately, as if rubbing his lover’s cheek: “I am rarely kind today and I can make some compromises for you – you can I choose who’s to leave and who’s to stay.”

The atmosphere fell into a stalemate for a while.

“Rare kindness?” Dreiter’s voice hardened: “You are just enjoying the fun of manipulating the human heart.”

His words seemed to be a signal they have agreed on beforehand – in an instant, the tip of Dreiter’s staff lit up, and with a metal ”clang” sound, the holy sword blessed by the light element came out of its sheath, and the figure of the Templar knight was like a bolt of lightning that pierced the darkness. Following the attack of the wizard’s spell he rushed forward violently——!

The two seemed to have a tacit understanding, and their movements coordinated perfectly and swifly.

As people with rich practical experience, they knew very early that the trick with necromancers was not to trust them, let alone thinking that they can get any sympathy or compassion – they were just looking for an opportunity to take the initiative to attack!

At the same time, the voices of all the students chanting incantations suddenly increased, and the barrier surrounding them suddenly became more and more shining, almost dispelling the clouds above their heads.

The necromancer snorted coldly.

In the next second, the entire bone seat suddenly disappeared into the air, whether it was sword or spell it all went it through the air.

“Can’t recognize good from bad.” only his gloomy voice, like the first rainstorm, came from all around:

“Since you are unwilling to accept my proposal, then I have to skin your beloved students one by one in front of you. There are some old parts on my bone seat that need to be replaced – rest assured, I am very skilled, their bones under my craftsmanship will be very beautiful and white, like the most perfect work of art. “

Dreiter was taken aback, and hurriedly turned around. The protective barrier released from the staff almost instantly enveloped all the students.

However, that shadow was too fast.

Like a sharp weapon brutally tearing through the light, the shadow bringing horrifying force hit instantly, and the barrier seemed to be eaten away by something, and a large piece was suddenly missing.

The figure of the Necromancer slowly appeared above the back of the team.

The difference was that this time there was an extra person in his hand.

The atmosphere froze for a while, trapping everyone in place as if the air solidified.

The Necromancer smiled: “Why don’t we start with this beautiful young man?”

He lowered his head, his eyes fell on his victim he chose this time, the expected shaking, panic and hysteria he expected did not appear like he anticipated-

He met a pair of eyes that were looking at him, instead.

The young man who was tightly grasped in his palm was so calm that it  was beyond his imagination. He calmly and curiously looked at the necromancer who was close at hand, with a strange look shining in the depths of the deep, serval-like pupils. There seems to be some kind of restless monster shaking, tearing, and eagerly trying to break out of the cage, but the emotion most difficult to ignore… actually was interest.

It was as if… he was amused by the current progress.

——————————————–

Little Theater:

Ge Xiu: relying on my good looks to freeload off many sweets! (also having fun with danger on the side)

Necromancer: shitshitshit I chose the wrong person I think….

[meanwhile]

Elinor: levelling up for my great entrance 

Bamboo has something to say:

I too would give Ge Xiu all the sweets, no need to act cute, take it!