Chapter 1497
Was that person me?
"You... monster..."
The last demigod of the empire met his end under the blade of the Holy Lance White Thorn. His last words before his death were not unexpected. It seems that mortals in this world are always like this, accustomed to blaming the world itself for the facts that they find hard to accept. Therefore, "monster" and "madman" are the derogatory terms they usually use, and they are also the most common means of persecution that the young knights of the Gostaff family have seen.
Once upon a time, she grew up listening to stories of country knights by the fireplace, idolizing fictional characters in biographies and poems, and felt indignant about their injustices and contemptuous of the world's ignorance. But as she grew older, those strong feelings disappeared without her realizing it, replaced by extremely calm self-reflection and a sense of melancholy after losing interest. Even when she heard a familiar story, she would only think, "Oh, I see."
She could even guess what the other person would say next, as if it had already been written in the story, and she had already read it in that carefree childhood memory.
"A monster like you... no, even this continent beneath our feet, even this entire planet... cannot tolerate your continued existence..." The Black Witch laughed sinisterly, as if she wanted to turn the last drop of blood in her heart into a curse, squeezing it from the already pierced wound: "...Today's victory is nothing more than a preordained ending for tomorrow..."
"Let me... and all those who have been killed by you, you monster..."
"Wait in the underworld for our reunion..."
He endured the pain to finish speaking, and the moment his words fell, he turned to ashes and vanished, as if eager to escape a prison of despair and loneliness. Xinuo slowly sheathed his weapon, shaking his head helplessly. He thought, "A curse isn't a prophecy; it will always come true eventually. Besides, even if I die, I will inevitably return to the Goddess's Sea of Lightless Demise. As for the so-called Underworld, it's nothing but a strange and superstitious belief of the people of the Eastern Continent, not worth mentioning."
The close companion nuzzled her hand, seemingly comforting her. Seeing this, the knight smiled gently, stroking the thick, white mane softly, and said tenderly, "Don't worry, I'm not so easily defeated by such a childish curse. Besides, even if her curse comes true, so what? Brandy, have you ever been afraid to fight against this world?"
The divine horse from the snow-capped mountains immediately snorted, its attitude clear. Far from being afraid, on the contrary, the bloodline inherited from that legendary ancestor made it eager to prove something. Was it to prove its strength? Was it to prove its dignity? Or simply to prove that as long as it fought alongside its beloved companion, no one in the world could be its enemy?
This is an undeniable fact. If you don't believe it, the four demigods from the Empire and the 30,000-strong army from the Axis powers have already shown others the consequences of questioning it.
Mounted on horseback, gazing out, the torrential rain dyed the salt crust of the Intersea a deep, dark black and the crimson of blood. The Axis Empire's 30,000-strong army crossed the dried-up sea, willing to join forces with the demigods of the Yalas Empire, all for the glory of victory, to forever etch their names into the annals of war, yet not a single one survived. No survivor could recount their pride and confidence before the battle, their astonishment and absurdity at the sight of the lone knight before them, or the terror and despair they felt watching helplessly as a single enemy soldier swept across the battlefield, unstoppable in this battle of overwhelming numbers.
That was an enemy that no human could defeat. Realizing this, the disciplined army crumbled instantly. Many deserted rather than leave the battlefield. However, the ruthless knight galloped across the salt sea, chasing after them one by one and killing them with his spear without expression. From the lowest-ranking soldier to the highest-ranking general, from the mage piloting mechs to the empire's invincible demigod, no one could escape.
The chase and slaughter drew a huge circle along the salt sea, but eventually returned to the starting point. By then, the bodies of the fallen had been completely digested by the predators of the ancient ocean, leaving only the flags burning in the rain. The wreckage of the constructs and magic vehicles were scattered carelessly on the cracked earth like toys discarded by children.
Rain whistled silently through the bones, blood hissed as it seeped into the salt, the deathly silence of victory more clamorous than the battle itself. As always, Xinuo felt no sense of accomplishment at this predictable victory, nor did she feel any aversion. Battle seemed to have become a routine for her, like eating when hungry, drinking when thirsty, and sleeping when tired. If one reacted abnormally to all normal phenomena, perhaps life wouldn't be so easy.
But honestly, are things we're used to always normal?
Even the female knight herself probably couldn't give a definite answer.
She shook her head slightly, banishing these irrelevant thoughts from her mind. She gently patted Brandy's head, and just as she was about to speak, an invisible aura swept over her before she could react, stirring up the entire sea like a fierce storm.
In that instant, something changed. As a natural-born strongman, Xinuo keenly perceived this change. Sometimes it was subtle, like an undercurrent surging underground, quietly reshaping the face of the world in ways unknown to others; and sometimes it was observable to the naked eye. In the latter case, it was usually more intense and more... frenzied.
Hino reined in his horse and looked up at the horizon. At the edge of the salty ocean, the sky began to change color, and the pitch-black rain was gradually covered by another, more sickly gray-green. Hino had seen the most intense yet most decaying aurora burst forth from the stars in the outer universe as they were on the verge of extinction, and he had also seen the bleak miasma formed in the Dark Cloud Abyss by the lingering resentment of the demonic dragon after its death for millions of years. But none of these were as shocking as the scene before him, because it was neither the dying struggle of the living, but rather something that made the living struggle; nor the putrid resentment of the dead, but rather something that made the dead resentful.
Neither the living nor the dead can escape its shadow. A terrifying roar comes from the deep sea, rocks shatter, salt crusts collapse, and an indescribable sound, like armor rubbing against gravel, or like a throat swallowing iron and carbon, cannot bear such torment. The ancient behemoth bursts from the earth, leaping into the sky like a mountain, shattering the water droplets on the ground, as if it wants to fly into the deepest part of the storm.
Brandy took a half-step back, not out of fear, but merely an instinctive reaction. The knight on horseback narrowed his eyes slightly, recognizing the origin of the colossal beast resembling an ancient whale. This barren land, called the Interstellar Sea, had always been an ocean, a true sea in the past, and now a salt sea. But regardless of its form, the life living in the sea had never changed. Those colossal beasts that once swam alone in the deep sea had eventually adapted to the salt sea and evolved new forms. They traversed the salt flats, armored and armored, opening their massive jaws to devour any unfortunate prey that strayed in, demonstrating astonishing adaptability. Of course, perhaps those that couldn't adapt had already been eliminated? The tenacity and indomitable spirit of life were only truly displayed at this moment.
But today, can they still pass this test of elimination and evolution?
More and more colossal beasts leaped from the sea, writhing their massive bodies frantically, like insects struggling in boiling water. Hino saw a viscous black liquid seeping from the seams of their armor, their turbid eyes filled with grayish-white blood vessels, and the saliva dripping from their mouths corroding the salt crust, emitting a pungent green smoke…
It's like being sick... she couldn't help but think.
The nearest ancient behemoth spotted her and, in less than a breath, decided to attack and kill, without even bothering with probing or intimidation, as if those were superfluous and pointless acts. This illogical behavior, given its equally illogical state, seemed to find a reasonable explanation. A wild beast can naturally sense the danger emanating from its enemy and would rather retreat into its shell than confront it; but a monster whose body had been corrupted and whose mind eroded was devoid of reason.
If fighting is not for survival, but merely a means of venting pain and anger, then the knight's blade will show no mercy, for in such a situation, killing the opponent is the only way to bring them relief.
The colossal body rolled across the salt flats at an absurd speed; in the blink of an eye, the girl could almost smell the stench emanating from its enormous mouth. Yet, she remained expressionless and motionless on her horse, not even raising her weapon. A flash of holy white spear blade appeared in the air, and the beast shattered in two, falling helplessly behind her.
The salty rain and mist mingled with the swirling salt dust, swirling and billowing like a dirty snowfall. The massive wreckage slowly sank, its cracks in the salt crust greedily swallowing flesh and armor, emitting heavy, sticky sucking sounds. From the corroded wounds, black liquid and green sap frantically seeped into the salt layer, hissing and rising into even thicker, eerie green smoke, weaving with the rain to form a morbid curtain.
The deafening roar of the crash lingered, strangely absorbed by the dense rain, leaving only a persistent murmur, like the groan of the salt sea itself digesting its food. Ignoring the terrifying force of the beast's landing, Xinuo gazed intently at the scene in the rain. In the rain-stained, somber hue, more and more ancient beasts began to riot, as if summoned by an irresistible will, fleeing their millennia-long haven of peace, to compete for survival in the next extinction. They were all victors, or survivors, of the previous battle, but it seemed the battle would not be repeated, nor would it always unfold in the same way.
Not only beasts, but in a far more distant realm that Xinuo could perceive, humans, otherworldly beings, magical beasts, and even gods were all within the scope of the trial. They were being decided; some would live, while others had to die. But not everyone could calmly face this fate, so resistance, struggle, and even descent into madness and recklessness were only natural. When a trial encompasses such a vast scope, causes such severe harm, and cannot be contained by human means, it ceases to be a trial and should be called a catastrophe.
Hino sighed softly, because this was a very familiar feeling to her.
The last time was when the Dark Witch Carabosse awakened, and the complete Dark Lord returned, causing the balance of light and darkness in the universe to be disrupted. Darkness began to spread and threatened to devour the entire universe. At that time, countless stars visible to the naked eye were infected by the darkness, and it was Shinno who personally extinguished them all, barely maintaining the balance.
The rule of the young queen is the law of the world and the key to maintaining balance. When the forces of order and chaos begin to become unbalanced, the laws of constancy and stability will also run rampant. At this time, someone must set things right and bring everything back on track.
Could that person be myself?
Is it myself again?
Looking back, this didn't seem to be the first time. Since leaving her homeland and stepping onto the battlefield, every time she was determined to do something, she was always ultimately thwarted. When she wanted to fight the Dark Witch Carabosse, the latter used a celestial calamity to divert her from the main battlefield, and then, to suppress the awakening Dark Tide, she remained in space until the end of the battle. Later, she vowed not to repeat the same mistake and to stand in front of the Plague Witch Perec to prevent the outbreak of war, but by a twist of fate, she was still left behind, and in the end, only four demigods of the Empire and 30,000 troops of the Axis powers perished with her. And just now, as she was about to return to the Feather Mine to aid Ovira, the disaster caused by the awakening of the Plague Kings erupted right before her eyes, forcing her to make a decision: to ignore the impending disaster or to succumb to the arrangements of fate?
As if guided by an unseen force, the young knight's path was destined to be forever entangled in countless choices of the mortal world, and Xinuo's state of mind constantly shifted accordingly. Initially, she could accept the Dark Witch's deliberate arrangements, though helpless; later, faced with the Plague Witch's repeated tricks, she began to feel impatient and even angry, venting her rage on her enemy for the first time in her life; and now, facing the same choice once again, the young knight suddenly realized something: No.
Shouldn't we ask ourselves, "Do I have to do this?"
It should be said that only I am capable of doing it.
Because this is the mission of the victorious monarchy. (End of Chapter)