Chapter 28: You All, Should Be Silent
The man's miserable screams echoed within the cramped room, accompanied by the wailing of a young child and the pleading of a young woman.
They shouted with all their might, hoping to attract the attention of those nearby, but these sorrowful sounds were sealed within this small house by some kind of power. Even if a passerby walked by, they would hear not a single trace of sound.
Gradually, everything fell into silence. After a final dying cry, only the dull cutting sound of a blade slicing through flesh came from the main hall.
Finally, even the sound of cutting ceased.
Several figures draped in black robes silently moved the dismembered corpse of a man into the magic array in the center of the hall. This array was outlined with mercury and black soil, traced with sulfur and saltpeter, and filled with blasphemous writings. A strange yet grand evil force, as if capable of twisting everything in this world, slowly flowed within it, as if reciting the most depraved of prayers.
[O deceased, your soul shall mix with blood and mud, sink into the cold earth, fall into eternal damnation, and never find release.]
Blood gushed from the wounds of the corpse, then transformed into black under the power of the array, turning into new blasphemous characters. The twisted expression of the deceased seemed to be cursing, but none of the black-robed figures were moved. They silently and fervently watched everything, then removed the internal organs from the corpse and placed them around the array.
After the man came the woman, after the woman came the young child, and finally, even the body of an infant still wrapped in swaddling clothes was brought forth. The black-robed figures respectfully placed it in the center of the array.
Pure and innocent souls were the best offerings.
When everything was finished, the black-robed figures stopped their movements. They stood silently around the array, watching with expectant eyes, their hands still dripping with crimson liquid, blood splattering onto the floor, drop by drop.
And living up to their expectations, the array formed by black blood began to slowly glow with an eerie black-red light.
"Thump."
A heavy heartbeat sounded from the center of the array.
"Splash."
Responding to the heartbeat, mixed with mercury and saltpeter, black blood began to slowly surge and flow within the array.
"Thump."
Another flash of black-red light, a clearer and heavier heartbeat rang out. The blasphemous characters seemed to come alive, writhing and rotating at the edge of the array. The sequentially arranged corpses and internal organs began to slowly deform under some kind of force.
Amidst the heavy and excited breathing of the black-robed figures, the floorboards creaked and groaned, even emitting a noise like fingernails scraping violently against a blackboard. From the void, a maddening chant that sounded inhuman began to faintly echo, as if praising this depraved and evil scene.
"Is it about to succeed?"
Unable to hold back any longer, one of the black-robed figures spoke. His voice was as harsh as the cry of an eagle or owl, carrying a hint of fanaticism at finally achieving the goal. His body was trembling with excitement.
"No."
Another voice, older and even harsher, sounded: "Still a little short."
Meanwhile, in the laboratory of the Imperial Royal Mage Association, Joshua was about to take the Order Twin Blades from Brandon's hands.
These sacred twin blades undoubtedly also originated from the Sage. According to the blonde swordsman, they were weapons bestowed by the Sage upon the First Saint to annihilate void monsters. Just like the Azure Orb, they should contain sacred power. Under the right conditions, they could unleash unimaginable might, just like when they fought against the Ultimate Wild God before.
Compared to Joshua, Brandon had not truly awakened the weapon in his hands. He had only vaguely sensed the inheritance within these twin blades, yet even that had greatly benefited the swordsman. Joshua asked to see the weapon, hoping to use the denser Order Force within himself to try and communicate with it, helping the swordsman obtain the inheritance.
But just as he was about to touch the scabbard of the twin blades, Joshua suddenly withdrew his hand.
He turned his head, looking to the left. His sharp gaze seemed capable of piercing the void, sensing something.
"Sorry, Brandon. You might have to wait a while."
After a moment of silence, as if doubting his own senses, Joshua finally made a decision. He spoke calmly, but his quiet voice contained a blazing fury that could chill even a dragon: "I have something to deal with."
With that, he turned decisively, the hem of his robe fluttering, and strode quickly towards the laboratory door. As the other three in the room stood stunned, a voice came from the doorway: "Ying, Lin."
"Follow me."
The boy and girl were initially confused, but the silver-haired girl was the first to understand her master's meaning. She agreed excitedly, then pulled her brother and ran towards the door, leaving only a bewildered Brandon standing there, holding the Order Twin Blades, which were beginning to emit a faint white light.
"What's going on?"
After a moment of confusion, he also intended to follow, but the swordsman couldn't help muttering to himself: "What happened? Why is everyone leaving?"
It was only then that he noticed the weapon in his hand, which was radiating light.
"Strange. I just put that crystal back in the sealed cabinet... Why?"
On the edge of the Imperial Capital, on an unnoticed street among low, flat houses, a black cat's figure darted through.
Due to the earlier explosion incident, most of the people wandering the streets had returned to their homes. Patrols passed by here, but rarely cast their gaze this way. It was late at night, and they had heavy search and investigation tasks to complete. This area's priority was undoubtedly the lowest; even a single glance could be considered doing their duty.
Let alone sparing any attention for a somewhat dilapidated wooden house, its paint already beginning to peel.
Inside the house.
The ritual continued.
The figures in black robes all raised their right hands in unison.
In their left hands, they each held a sharp knife, still stained with the yellowish grease of humans. Earlier, this same knife had been used to cut the body of the house's owner. It had slit the man's throat, gouged out the woman's eyes, and peeled out the child's heart, placing it in the center of the array.
Now, it was used to cut open their own wrists.
Simultaneously cutting their own blood vessels, hot blood gushed forth. Following the pulse of their hearts, the black-robed figures loudly prayed to an unknown entity in a strange and evil language. Their expressions were fanatical, nearly insane. As their chanting continued, the blasphemous characters rotating in the array spun faster. The aura of depravity grew thicker. The walls began to emit a dizzying crimson light. The smell of sulfur permeated the air. This small wooden house seemed about to transform into a hell on earth.
But under some kind of power, all of this was completely isolated from the outside world, undetectable.
The eerie heartbeat grew louder and heavier under this fanatical ritual. The corpses in the array had completely turned into dried husks. All their blood and fluids had flowed out, becoming a foul-smelling black liquid. This liquid moved within the array like a living thing, as if condensing into a large, black heart.
Success!
About to succeed!
Finally succeeding!
Witnessing this scene, the black-robed figures all revealed ecstatic smiles. Due to the sealing of the previous era, the connection between the Abyss and this world was extremely weak, almost non-existent. For them, every summoning was a heart-stopping gamble. Failure meant all their preparations, even their lives, would burn up in blazing flames, just like their failed brethren not long ago. In truth, it wasn't that those people had hidden deeply enough, but that the failed summoning had already burned their souls and bodies together, turning them into meaningless sparks.
No matter how strict the search, it was impossible to find people who no longer existed.
But success meant opening a small crack in the seal.
The summoned monsters weren't actually important. What mattered was that these small cracks would accumulate. The holy seal would gradually be chiseled open by the desperate wails of humanity, until it completely failed, allowing the gates of the Abyss to reconnect with this world.
One of the black-robed figures, due to excessive blood loss, had skin that was visibly turning pale. But his gloomy gaze was incredibly fanatical, fixed on the gradually forming heart in the center of the array. His mouth muttered chaotic prayers that no one understood, occasionally punctuated by an excited cheer.
Life, to these brainwashed individuals, was no longer important. What they craved was ultimate evil and chaos, the descent of primordial chaos upon the world, returning everything to its original barbarism. For this, they were willing to pay with their lives. The black-robed figures endured the constant risk of exposure, taking advantage of the final moments before the search parties would reach the city's edge, conducting this gamble-like summoning.
And now, success was within reach.
The heartbeat grew heavier. But suddenly, the world seemed to fall silent for an instant. A suffocating unease spread through the small house.
Then, a violent explosion sounded from afar, whistling closer. As the black-robed figures exchanged startled and uncertain glances, a silvery-white light, like a meteor, pierced through the roof of the small house as if through thin paper. It shattered the attic and floorboards, solid wood and rock, and with a resounding clang of metal against stone, transformed into a silver greatsword, stabbing straight into the array in the center of the hall.
This silver greatsword had a crimson luster flowing over it. Dense Battle Qi mixed with Order Force formed sacred patterns. They flashed like circuits, purifying everything around them. With the insertion of this greatsword, the array on the ground, as if encountering its natural enemy, emitted a sharp noise and billowed clouds of black smoke. The eerie light rapidly dimmed. The blasphemous runes stopped rotating.
"What's going on!?"
"Attack!"
"We've been discovered!"
Startled by the unexpected attack, the black-robed figures present immediately fell into chaos.
And just as the array was broken, in the Morlai Palace, within the Imperial study, the ruler of the Empire, who had been resting, suddenly stood up sharply.
"Blasphemous array... Evil God's power. Those damned cultists actually managed to shield themselves from my perception!"
His anger surged, his dark golden hair almost standing on end. His sharply defined face was filled with disgust and hatred. Israel turned and spoke solemnly to the Archmage beside him, who had also sensed the evil aura: "Teacher, send me—Wait."
It wasn't just His Majesty the Emperor. Nostradamus, who was preparing to teleport directly, also showed an expression of surprise. Their gazes seemed to pierce through the void, witnessing that scene.
"Is that so... Haha, he's already gone."
The white-haired mage was stunned for a moment, then a faint smile appeared on his usually cold face.
Beside him, the Emperor's expression also slowly changed—from fury to surprise, to confusion, and finally, he too let out a low laugh: "Then let him go."
Inside the small house.
Amidst the chaotic movements and shouts of the cultists, the door was violently blasted open. Amidst flying splinters and stone chips, a flash of cold light passed. Another giant axe was thrown out, streaking through the air like a shooting star, completely shattering the array.
"I said."
A voice came.
"You all, should be silent."
(To be continued.)