Chapter 87: Eclipse · Leading the Vanguard
Southern Continent, Youke City Port.
Su Xiao stepped off the ferry as the sea breeze blew gently. The current situation was neither entirely optimistic nor entirely bleak—it was complicated.
Su Xiao leaped onto a shipping container, surveying the port's interior. The harbor had been requisitioned by the Execution Agency, and the Southern Alliance had raised no objections. By this point, they had naturally sensed something was amiss.
The chaos in Gaman City had reached explosive levels. The Execution Agency and the Eclipse Organization had indeed ceased hostilities, but last night, the Eclipse Organization used their unique long-distance teleportation technology to return to Gaman City even faster, then launched a massive assault on the Agency's headquarters.
No one had anticipated this. Even Ring 1, who was leading the operation, was dumbfounded. But these were Kingsley's orders, and he had no choice but to execute them—until Kingsley, accompanied by a few trusted subordinates, broke into the Agency headquarters' containment vault.
Ring 1 was stunned. There were many reasons for clashing with the Agency—ideological differences, conflicts of interest, old grudges—but directly raiding the containment vault to seize dangerous objects? Even Ring 1 felt something was off. Last time, it was to save his sister-in-law. This time? Just outright robbery?
When Xili and the four members of the Fierce Hound Squad fought their way back, the dangerous objects with hazard codes up to S-183 had already been taken from the underground containment vault beneath the headquarters.
Xili was left dizzy by this maneuver. He wanted to ask, "Didn't you already secretly take all the usable dangerous objects? Now you want the unusable ones too?"
That was right. The Execution Agency and the Eclipse Organization had been trading in secret for a long time. For example, when the Eclipse Organization obtained a dangerous object they couldn't use, they would secretly contact the Agency to exchange it for one from the containment vault.
The Agency's philosophy was not to utilize dangerous objects, but that didn't mean they couldn't trade. One-for-one exchanges were actually fine. Those unusable dangerous objects were often more threatening and more worthy of containment.
The Agency's stance was that, except for S-001, other dangerous objects could be traded—but not openly, and... they had to charge extra.
"Colluding in villainy" was the perfect description for the Agency and the Eclipse Organization. Now, Kingsley had done something that baffled both organizations: why go after those unusable dangerous objects? What value did they have?
In Ring 1's view, those seized dangerous objects were as useless as his superior's portrait.
Kingsley's actions aroused suspicion among Ring 1, Ring 2, Ring 4, and Ring 5. Just as these four were about to launch a joint investigation, Kingsley vanished.
The Parasite's move was wise. If it had delayed leaving by even a few hours, Su Xiao would have made it experience what it felt like to be besieged by both the Execution Agency and the Eclipse Organization.
The Parasite managed to hold out until now before retreating, thanks to Kingsley taking the blame. His usual charisma was so strong that Eclipse members were utterly loyal to him, which led to this situation. Otherwise, Ring 1 and Ring 2 would have noticed Kingsley's abnormality much earlier.
The Eclipse Organization's high-ranking members were no fools. They deduced from the series of events that their leader had likely been parasitized. In truth, they had sensed it before, but from yesterday until now, Kingsley had issued only two orders, and they had simply followed them.
Once the Eclipse Organization realized what was happening, Ring 2 stepped forward, claiming that the order to attack the Agency headquarters was his. He went to the Agency headquarters alone and was imprisoned, taking the blame to stabilize the situation.
Ring 1 then removed all of Kingsley's trusted subordinates within the organization, replacing them with another group. Miraculously, this personnel change caused no upheaval. Those who lost power didn't resist, as if... they had received Kingsley's orders long ago.
Perhaps this was Kingsley's insurance policy. He had been guarding against the possibility of being parasitized, ensuring that the Eclipse Organization wouldn't become a tool in the Parasite's hands.
"Sir, the Eclipse Organization has mobilized."
Xili spoke in a low voice while glancing around, wary of this secret intelligence being overheard.
"Mobilized? Where to?"
Su Xiao's eyes showed confusion. The Eclipse Organization had just stabilized; they should be guarding their base camp.
"According to reliable sources, they're heading to 'Athos Island.' Why go to that godforsaken place? Ever since the Athos family declined, that island has been abandoned."
Xili let out a scornful laugh. After all, they had just been fighting the Eclipse Organization; maintaining disdain was necessary.
"..."
Su Xiao said nothing. Bubu Wang had been following Kingsley all along. The place Kingsley had gone with a few non-human subordinates was precisely Athos Island—the Parasite's lair.
Actually, that wasn't entirely accurate. The Western Continent was the Parasite's true lair; Athos Island was more of a backup insurance. Now that the Western Continent had been sunk by Su Xiao, the Parasite could only go to Athos Island.
Without shared intelligence, the Eclipse Organization's transcendent beings had begun a large-scale mobilization toward Athos Island. What did this mean?
Perhaps Kingsley had long been guarding against parasitization. He never considered himself a chosen one, so he prepared meticulously for everything.
What did the Eclipse Organization do when they discovered Kingsley had been parasitized? Ring 2 immediately stepped up to take the blame, trying to stabilize relations with the Agency. Then Ring 1 seized power, replacing all of Kingsley's trusted subordinates, except for Ring 3, Ring 4, and others.
After that, they began tracking their leader's location. Since the leader had fallen, those behind him would step forward to become the new leading vanguard. In the past, Kingsley himself had been Ring 1 of the Eclipse Organization. Ring 1 Kingsley had stepped up in a time of crisis and become Leader Kingsley.
Anyone could die, but the Eclipse Organization could not perish. As Kingsley once said, it wasn't he who made the Eclipse Organization, but the Eclipse Organization that made him.
Now, the Eclipse Organization's members were swarming toward Athos Island, where the Parasite was. Perhaps this was Kingsley's final move. One could only say that this ally had done his utmost.
"Xili, pass the order. We depart in five minutes."
"Sir, where to?"
"Athos Island."
"Uh—"
Xili's expression twisted. He had just been saying that those idiots from the Eclipse Organization were all heading to Athos Island. Who would go to that stupid place? Stupid people, right? He had essentially delivered a triple insult.
"Sir, let me explain. I didn't mean you—"
Cold sweat dripped from Xili. He felt his future crumbling.
Under Xili's hesitant gaze, Colonel Gewei's steel warship arrived. In a while, Gewei would become a Vice Admiral.
The transcendent beings who had been waiting at the port boarded the warship. The steel vessel set sail. Athos Island was not far from the Southern Continent; at the warship's speed, three hours would suffice.
Time passed in an instant. The sky was overcast today, gloomy as if about to drip water. A desolate island came into Su Xiao's view.
Above the island's center, a massive stone disc floated in midair, a hundred meters above the ground. From a distance, the disc was about 50 to 80 meters in diameter.
The only sunlight breaking through the clouds struck the disc. The horizontal disc concentrated the sunlight into a single pillar of light, standing vertically. From far away, that pillar was clearly visible.
A half-sunken steel warship lay in the coastal waters near Athos Island, covered in bloodstains and corpses. On the sandy beach, a large group of highly mutated parasitic insect warriors were locked in chaotic battle with Eclipse Organization members.
"Sir, should we engage?"
"Of course."
At Su Xiao's command, all Execution Agency members on the ship jumped onto the ferries, preparing to land and reinforce.
"All soldiers, hear my order! Prepare for a beach landing!"
Colonel Gewei also ordered a landing operation. The grudges between the Execution Agency and the Eclipse Organization were none of his concern. He had brought the Agency here out of personal friendship. But the appearance of highly mutated parasitic insect warriors on the island made Colonel Gewei realize this concerned him as well.
Su Xiao leaped from the steel warship. Before he even hit the sea, the surface began to freeze.
Walking across the ice that Amu had frozen, Su Xiao pressed forward. The Fierce Hound Squad, Bubu Wang, Amu, Baha, and Tide Hunter were all near him.
Passing through the beach area, Su Xiao entered the dense forest. He hadn't gone far before a sound of breaking wind came from the side.
Thud.
A dull impact mixed with a shockwave spread outward. The attacker was a mushroom man nearly two meters tall. His gaze at Su Xiao was filled with hatred, but compared to Su Xiao, he hated the Fierce Hound Squad even more. Those four had tormented him in every conceivable way. Fortunately, his escape ability was strong.
Brother Mushroom hadn't come alone for revenge. He had brought his four brothers. Looking at them, all five were different varieties.
Su Xiao paid no attention to the five mushrooms. The Fierce Hound Squad could handle them. Under the cover of numerous allied transcendent beings, Su Xiao passed through the forest and reached a vast plain.
The plain was filled with dead trees. After traversing the withered forest, Su Xiao arrived at a circular platform one kilometer in diameter. The platform was paved with thick stone slabs, half a meter thick, with interlocking grooves that held them firmly together.
Surrounding this circular platform was a ring of tall dead trees, averaging over thirty meters in height. They were intertwined, impenetrable, forming a circular wooden wall with only one entrance.
From the center of the stone disc above, a blazing sun pillar nearly three meters thick descended, striking the center of the rock platform. The pillar was blindingly bright and scorching hot. Even Su Xiao wouldn't attempt to touch it.
Kingsley stood beneath the sun pillar, looking up at the hundred-meter-tall spectacle. On his hands were the dangerous objects S-003 (Black Emperor). His neatly spiked dark-golden hair was immaculate. Kingsley had a peculiar trait: he cared deeply about his hairstyle. This ordinary characteristic kept him from seeming aloof, preventing his subordinates from feeling distant or estranged.
"White Night, did you know? The Athos family once tried to use this thing to destroy dangerous objects. Unfortunately, they failed."
Kingsley spoke calmly, gazing at the sun pillar ahead, as if chatting with an old friend.
"White Night, I... have lost."
Kingsley turned his head. In his otherwise normal left eye, golden thread-like worms began to writhe within the pupil.
Su Xiao took a small knife imbued with moonlight and sliced it across his right palm. No wound appeared. Instead, the silver moonlight grew more brilliant, merging into his hand. He felt a slight chill in his palm—the enhancement effect of the [Silver Moon Blade].
Zheng—
Su Xiao drew the long blade at his waist. Dozens of meters away, the smile on Kingsley's face gradually faded.
With a thunderous roar, blood energy and black-golden aura collided, each occupying half of the rock platform. The two forces eroded each other. A life-or-death battle was about to erupt.