After the ceremony concluded, the atmosphere remained solemn. Fa stepped forward, her right eye's star pupil swirling, clearly and gravely informing Erebus and all the present soul high-ranking members about the Doomsday Rebirth organization's monstrous conspiracy, the terrifying powers of several leaders, and the existence of the soul traitor among them— Cthulhu.
"Cthulhu!" Erebus's burning soul flames suddenly turned into furious dark red, his soul voice exploding like thunder, distorting the surrounding soul light flows! "That traitor! Daring to betray the soul descendants' glory and devote himself to the path of destruction!" His massive soul body trembled slightly with anger, and terrifying soul pressure uncontrollably spread out.
"Thirty years ago, during the 'Soul Abyss Turmoil,' it was Cthulhu who colluded with external enemies, attempting to overthrow the Soul King's authority!" Vulcan held his long halberd, his deep blue soul light flickering with bone-deep hatred, his voice like metal grinding. "If not for His Majesty the Soul King and the elders fighting to the death to suppress him and his accomplices, sealing them in the deepest part of the 'Eternal Night Abyss'... the soul descendants' homeland would have long been overturned!" His eyes were filled with the pain of betrayal.
"The seal of the Eternal Night Abyss... has loosened?" Weaver Liriel's silver-glowing soul body emanated cold killing intent, "Or did the Doomsday Rebirth organization use some unknown method to release that traitor?" At her fingertips, tiny energy vortices spun violently.
Casa del listened quietly, the shadows under his cloak unfathomably deep. He looked at Erebus: "The world's disturbances are not what I wish to involve myself in again. Cthulhu and Doomsday Rebirth are the calamity of the soul descendants, and also your responsibility." His words were plain, yet carried a power that could settle the universe.
Erebus's massive dark gold soul body slowly calmed, the burning eyes now holding only icy resolve and the majesty of a king. He faced the million soul descendants, his soul voice resounding like a great bell throughout the entire soul homeland:
"Soul descendants' people! The traitor Cthulhu has reappeared, becoming a leader of Doomsday Rebirth, intending to destroy our homeland and trample the beings of Murete! This enmity is irreconcilable! This hatred cannot be washed away even by emptying the soul sea!"
His massive bone claw pointed to the void, as if pointing toward the direction of the Doomsday Rebirth organization:
"I, Soul King Erebus, swear here! The soul descendants' army will pour out in full force, stepping out of the Ghost Island, fighting shoulder to shoulder with the various races of Murete, to crusade against Doomsday Rebirth and slay the traitor Cthulhu! With the traitor's soul, we shall honor the heroic spirits of the past! Re-forge the glory of the soul descendants!"
"Roar——!!!" The soul fluctuations of the million soul descendants converged into a mountain-shaking, sea-roaring roar! Blue and silver glows surged to the sky, the entire floating city resonating and trembling! The flames of revenge and the will to protect ignited this soul realm.
"Fa, and your companions," Erebus looked at Fa and her group, "Thank you for bringing this crucial information. Junior sister, please rest in the soul descendants' homeland for a day to recover your strength. At dawn tomorrow, I will personally open the passage to send you off Ghost Island."
The group returned to the floating crystal cluster area of the Tomb Guard branch. Cassandra had already prepared quiet rooms nurtured by soul energy. The exhausted group finally got a moment to breathe. Celestia stayed close to Aelius, feeding him the soul-soothing potion prepared by Lin Ya. Although Aelius had awakened, his face was still pale, his soul origin severely damaged, and he was just barely holding on.
Taking advantage of a brief moment alone, Fa found Casa del standing quietly at the edge of the crystal cluster, gazing at the endless soul sea below.
"Lord Casa del," Fa bowed respectfully, blue, dark green, and silver light threads swirling in her right eye's star pupil, "Regarding the fifth Star Heart inheritor... Do you have any clues? The Doomsday Rebirth organization's actions are frequent, time is pressing..."
Casa del did not turn back, his hoarse voice seeming to merge with the murmurs of the soul sea: "The trajectory of the stars has its own way of operation. When it's time to meet, even across thousands of mountains and rivers, you will encounter; when there's no fate, even face to face, you won't recognize. Forcing it will only disrupt the loom of destiny." He paused, adding, "Focus on the path before you, enhance the power you have already obtained. When you are strong enough, the stars will guide you themselves." His words were profound, yet carried an unquestionable calm.
Though disappointed, Fa understood that asking more was futile and could only suppress this expectation.
Aelius's Departure
The next morning, at the edge of Ghost Island, in a hidden bay surrounded by jagged black reefs. The morning mist had not yet dissipated, and the salty, soul-energy-laden cold sea breeze blew over. Fa and her group were ready, with Soul King Erebus, Salsa, Cassandra, and other soul high-ranking members standing to see them off. A massive soul vortex slowly rotated above the bay, connecting to the turbulent outer seas.
Casa del's gaze swept over the group, finally landing on Aelius, who was supported by Celestia and still pale-faced.
"Villanette," Casa del suddenly spoke, his voice flat and emotionless, "Where is she?"
The group instantly stiffened! Fa's right eye star pupil's light condensed slightly, Arya nervously gripped her Storm Bow, TISK subconsciously held his hammer handle. Villanette's warning of "Leakers die" still echoed in their ears.
"Lord Casa del..." Fa spoke with difficulty, her voice dry, "Lady Villanette... strictly forbade us from revealing her whereabouts... Otherwise..." She didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.
A very light, almost pleased low chuckle seemed to come from under Casa del's cloak: "Don't worry. I won't tell her that you said it." His withered finger pointed at Aelius, "This little guy's soul origin is severely damaged. Though the 'Soul-Binding Miasma' is removed, the foundation is harmed. Taking him through the impending war fires is like dragging a burden that could collapse at any time. I need to take him to find Villanette; her place is the best for repairing soul wounds, and only she can thoroughly stabilize his origin."
Celestia trembled violently upon hearing this, her ice-blue eyes instantly filling with tears, tightly clutching Aelius's arm, her knuckles white. Reluctance and worry surged in her heart. They had just reunited after separation; were they to part again?
Aelius gently patted Celestia's hand back, his ice-blue eyes looking at Casa del with weak but clear rationality: "Lord Casa del is right. My current strength can't even protect myself; I'll only be a drag on everyone. Instead of having everyone distract themselves to protect me, it's better to go with the lord for treatment." He turned to Celestia, his voice gentle yet firm: "Celestia, don't worry. Lord Casa del has vast divine powers, and Lady Villanette is as legendary as you described last night. Once I'm healed, I'll come find you immediately. For our future, a brief separation is necessary."
Celestia bit her lower lip hard, tears finally sliding down. She suddenly threw herself into Aelius's embrace, hugging him tightly as if to merge him into her body. Her six wings folded tightly, enveloping them. Low sobs drifted in the wind: "Promise me... you must be okay... you must come back to me..."
"I swear." Aelius gently stroked her back, planting a deep kiss on her forehead.
Casa del quietly watched the lovers' farewell, the shadows under his cloak seeming to soften for a moment. He said no more, his withered finger pointing at the shadow beneath him.
"Roar——!!!"
A heaven-shaking dragon roar tore through the sea breeze! The massive bone dragon "Eternal Silence Night" roared into existence from the shadows, its forest-white bones flowing with dim luster, blue soul flames burning fiercely in its eye sockets, terrifying dragon might and death chill instantly pervading the entire bay!
Casa del's figure flashed, already standing steadily on the broad, platform-like skull of Eternal Silence Night. He raised his withered hand, a gentle soul power lifting Aelius and gently placing him behind himself.
"Hold on tight." Casa del's voice came.
Aelius gave one last look at the tear-streaked Celestia below and Fa and the others with firm sending-off gazes, nodding forcefully.
"Let's go, old buddy," Casa del whispered to the bone dragon beneath his feet, his voice carrying a suppressed excitement like a sword about to be unsheathed, "Head to the Wing Clan's territory, the forbidden zone of the Eternal Storm in the Light Feather Dome! It's time to move these old bones!" His goal was clearly not just to send Aelius for treatment.
"Ang——!" Eternal Silence Night let out a long howl filled with battle intent, its massive bone wings flapping fiercely! Violent death airflows stirred up towering waves, nearly knocking the people on the shore off balance! The enormous bone dragon, carrying Casa del and Aelius, like an arrow of death shot toward the sky, instantly breaking through the soul mist at the periphery of Ghost Island, turning into a blue streak tearing through the clouds, speeding away! Leaving only the surging waves in the bay and the lingering dragon might.
Celestia gazed at the rapidly disappearing light point in the sky, tears flowing silently. Fa stepped forward, gently putting her arm around her shoulders, her gaze also following that streak, three colors swirling in her star pupil.
"We should go too." She turned to Erebus, her voice steady, "Your Majesty Soul King, thank you for your help."
Return to Murete Continent
At the edge of Ghost Island, the massive soul vortex was slowly closing, completely isolating that dreamlike yet cold soul descendants' homeland behind them. Fa and her group stood on the slippery reef platform, the salty sea breeze carrying the piercing cold remnants of soul mist hitting them head-on, dispersing the heavy aura from the Abyss Corridor and soul sanctuary, but unable to drive away the lingering urgency in their hearts.
"Where to next?" Kayla irritably swung her thunder claws, blue-white arcs crackling in the humid air, emitting faint explosions. Her beast pupils scanned the endless ink-green sea ahead, rarely showing a hint of confusion. Without a clear goal, this team that had gone through countless dangers now felt somewhat lost.
Fa's right eye star pupil's dim light swirled, her profound gaze piercing the thin mist, cast toward the southwestern outline of Murete Continent. "First, back to Murete Continent." Her voice was steady, yet carried an unquestionable decision, "Intelligence, we need the latest intelligence. The Doomsday Rebirth organization's conspiracy won't stop; we must grasp the current situation on the continent to decide the next step."
"Agreed." Rex's cold mechanical voice sounded, his electronic eyes flashing blue light, "According to the nautical chart database, the nearest large port on Murete Continent from here is on the southern coast, named 'Shattered South Port,' the southernmost tip of the continent." As he spoke, a semi-transparent optical projection map unfolded before everyone, a deep blue anchor mark clearly indicating the port's position. "If taking an ordinary ship, considering monsoons and currents, the voyage is estimated at five days. But..." He paused, his electronic eyes turning to Salsa and the mechanical cat shell at her feet.
Salsa's soul phantom slightly fluctuated above the mechanical cat, immediately understanding, emitting a clear electronic voice through the shell: "Summon the Shadow Demon Dragon! Full speed flight, arrival within two days guaranteed!" The adult Shadow Frost Soul Demon Dragon's speed that tore through storms was enough to crush the barriers of sea winds and distance.
The group's spirits lifted. After the life-and-death trials on Ghost Island and the race-against-time redemption journey, time was life.
However, Fa slowly shook her head, deep considerations flashing in her star pupil: "No, Salsa. The Shadow Demon Dragon... is too shocking. Its form, the aura it emits, to ordinary people, is an incomprehensible terrifying existence. We've just returned from the soul clan's domain; we shouldn't cause unnecessary panic and attention. We need to act low-key."
Arya's emerald eyes were filled with worry, softly agreeing: "Fa is right. The continent's situation is unclear; rashly descending on a giant dragon could easily be mistaken for a new threat, even drawing misjudgment and attacks from alliance forces, adding trouble."
"Tsk! So troublesome!" Kayla irritably scratched her hair, the lightning on her thunder claws jumping uncontrollably a few times, "Then what? Taking a ship slowly, the daylilies will be cold!"
"Compromise plan." Salsa's electronic voice sounded again, with calm analysis, "Summon the Shadow Variant Wing Guards. Their forms are different from ordinary creatures, but much smaller than the demon dragon. Speed is slower than the demon dragon but far exceeds ships. Ten Shadow Wing Guards, carrying all of us, estimated three days to reach Shattered South Port."
This was undoubtedly the best choice currently. The group quickly reached consensus.
Salsa's soul phantom floated out from the mechanical cat shell, hovering in mid-air, her hands forming ancient complex seals, softly chanting obscure necromantic incantations. In an instant, the ground shadows tore apart as if by invisible hands, thick ink-like shadow energy mixed with bone-chilling cold aura seeping from the cracks. Ten tall figures with gray-blue skin covered in thin frost, bearing broad shadow membrane wings, emerged silently from the shadow abyss like stepping out. They held shadow ice spears flowing with chill, ice-cold soul flames jumping in their eye sockets, silent as statues, awaiting orders.
"Depart!" Fa commanded cleanly. The group quickly leaped onto the wing guards' broad and ice-cold backs. Celestia folded her holy six wings, sitting on the ferocious wing guard appearing out of place, but her ice-blue eyes only focused on the sky direction where Casa del and Aelius had disappeared, silently praying in her heart.
"Whoosh——!" The ten shadow wing guards flapped their wings simultaneously, stirring up violent airflows, rolling up the black waves below. Like ten arrows of shadow released from the string, they boldly broke through the still-lingering soul mist at the periphery of Ghost Island, speeding through the air toward the southwestern southern coast of Murete Continent!
The Shocking Scene Upon Arrival at Shattered South Port
Three days later
When the ten ferocious-shaped shadow wing guards, emanating cold death aura, folded their broad membrane wings like meteors and crashed down at a secluded edge of Shattered South Port, it instantly triggered massive panic and commotion.
It was early morning, the port just awakening from sleep. On the docks, fishermen preparing to set sail, workers unloading cargo, patrolling port guards, and hurried merchants of various races were all terrified out of their wits by these "monsters" descending from the sky.
"Quick, everyone look! What... what the hell are those things?" A stout dwarf miner was so scared that his mining pick "clang" fell to the ground, his trembling finger pointing at the wing guards.
"Und... undead! Flying undead constructs! How could they appear here?!" A human sailor turned ashen pale, staggering back, nearly falling into the icy seawater.
"Look... look at their wings! Shadows... and frost! Oh gods, this aura... too terrifying!" An elf merchant covered his mouth, his eyes filled with extreme fear of the unknown. For most ordinary people on Murete Continent, winged beings and such powerful necromantic constructs had vanished for decades, existing only in ancient legends and sealed history. Now, they vividly tore through the sky and descended into reality!
"Wait! Don't panic! They... they have people on their backs?" A sharp-eyed halfling vendor barely suppressed his fear and spotted the key.
Fa and her group ignored the complex gazes around them mixed with terror, curiosity, and vigilance, neatly leaping down from the wing guards' ice-cold backs. Salsa's mechanical cat shell landed lightly, its amber electronic eyes calmly scanning the surroundings, then emitting a low command tone. The ten shadow wing guards, as if receiving the highest order, their massive bodies instantly disintegrated, turning into thick viscous shadows, thread by thread like living things flowing back into the fine seams of the mechanical cat shell, vanishing without a trace. This miraculous, defying-common-sense scene once again drew suppressed exclamations and gasps.
"Move." Fa ordered lowly, taking the lead toward the port's interior. Time was pressing; they needed to acquire intelligence immediately.
However, as soon as they stepped onto the main road of the port, an extremely oppressive, suffocating heavy atmosphere surged like a tide, instantly engulfing them. Shattered South Port, this southern jewel once renowned for prosperous sea trade, warm sea breezes, and lively bustle, was now as if completely shrouded by an invisible, lead-gray cloud layer.
Pedestrians on the streets hurried, their faces showing hardly any of the past leisure and smiles, replaced by unresolvable deep worry, bone-deep fear, and a numb exhaustion after being crushed by disaster. Many shops had doors tightly closed, cold iron locks and "Temporarily Closed" wooden signs declaring the end of prosperity. In their place were surging crowds on the streets—groups of refugees dragging families and carrying simple luggage, and a few solemn volunteers helping maintain order. They pushed crude wheelbarrows or carried heavy bundles, driven like by an invisible whip, moving laboriously toward the roads outside the port, every face etched with anxiety, unease, and despair for the future.
"The situation... is very wrong." TISK's thick brows furrowed, his low voice suppressing rage. On his shoulder, the Earthshaker Warhammer's ice-fire patterns flickered uncontrollably, reflecting the turmoil in his heart.
Fa nodded silently, her right eye star pupil rapidly swirling, keenly capturing every trace of tension and despair in the air. She quickly approached a middle-aged human merchant frantically organizing scattered goods, politely yet unable to hide her urgency asking: "Excuse me, what major event has happened on the continent recently? Why are so many people rushing eastward?"
The merchant looked up, his face full of dust and weariness, a flash of surprise in his eyes upon seeing Fa, immediately replaced by deeper heaviness. He sighed heavily: "Alas... you must have just returned from far out at sea, right? No wonder you don't know... Great calamity is upon us! Three days ago! Just three days ago! The western and northern parts of the continent... erupted in war simultaneously! The heavens collapsed and the earth cracked!"
His voice trembled, with a sobbing tone: "The west... Sunset City, Black Forest Town, Sharp Health City... and two more large cities, a total of five cities! Overnight... just... gone! All gone!"
A beastman refugee filling a waterskin nearby heard the conversation, suddenly turning his head, his crimson eyes full of grief and fear, hoarsely adding with a roar: "More than the west! The north! The north is worse! Frostfort, Frostwolf City, Stoneclaw Fortress... six! A whole six large cities! Also... also fucking fallen! All done!" He slammed his fist hard on a nearby wooden crate, wood chips flying.
"Too tragic... too tragic..." A human woman with a dirt-smeared face, holding an infant, murmured to herself, her eyes vacant, "From what the escapees say... it wasn't breached by armies... it was from underground! Suddenly, countless huge, glowing vines burst out! Thicker than the thickest city walls! They pierced through the walls in one go, overturned houses... like giant beast tentacles..."
"Yes, yes! Those damned glowing vines!" Another elf refugee excitedly interjected, his voice sharp, "Red like blood, blue like ice, green like poison! They crazily drilled out from underground! Even the sturdiest walls were like paper to them! One poke and broken!"
"Then... then came those monsters!" A dwarf elder hunched over, tears streaming down his old face, "Looking... looking like people, but not at all... Some covered in black fur, infinitely strong, one punch shattering rocks; some with half bodies embedded with glowing metal tubes, spewing fire and poison; and winged ones that fly... Killing on sight! Smashing everything! They... they're not human! Demons!"
"I heard... hundreds of villages... gone overnight..." The merchant wiped his face, his voice choking, "No one escaped... not a single one... That was hell!"
"Hundreds of thousands... hundreds of thousands of lives... just like that... gone..." The woman holding the infant repeated dazedly, tears dripping onto the sleeping infant's face, "No remains... Now... now millions more refugees, fleeing like tides to our south and east... The port is crammed with people... How... how to live these days..." Her despairing sobs, like cold needles, pierced every listener's heart.
These fragmented dialogues soaked in endless fear and despair, like cold venomous snakes, madly drilled into Fa and her group's ears, wrapping around their hearts. Every familiar place name, every horrifying description, like red-hot iron spikes, ruthlessly stabbed into the depths of their souls, bringing agony and bone-chilling cold.
"Sunset City... Black Forest Town... Frostfort..." TISK's knuckles gripping the Lava Hammer made creaking sounds from excessive force, turning pale. The dwarf's rock-like resolute face muscles twitched violently, under his thick beard, his eyes burned with flames that could incinerate everything, a beast-like low growl from his throat: "Those damned Doomsday Rebirth bastards! To do such inhuman things! I'll smash their bones one by one!"
"Those vines... red, blue, green... Three-color Erosion Vines..." Lin Ya closed his eyes, his body slightly trembling. As a druid, his perception of plants was extremely sharp. At this moment, he seemed to "hear" the tragic wails of countless plants forcibly twisted under violent evil forces, madly catalyzed, ultimately reduced to pure slaughter tools. His face instantly turned as pale as paper, without a trace of color, "In Doomsday Rebirth... there are top experts who can manipulate plants! To expand the root network to the entire underground of the continent's west and north! This is... an ecological catastrophe!"
"Mutants... soldiers embedded with metal... flying ones..." Rex's electronic eyes flashed rapidly, scarlet glow and blue data streams interweaving into a cold waterfall, "Biological features match 98.7%, consistent with Dr. Zheng's biochemical modified soldiers and mechanized troops. Combat mode analysis: Use 'Erosion Vines' for initial saturation destruction, paralyze defense systems, create panic, then deploy elite biochemical/mechanical troops for efficient harvesting... Standard lightning annihilation tactics." Under the cold analysis tone was the heavy load from the processor modeling civilian casualty figures, core temperature slightly rising.
"Millions... refugees..." Arya's emerald eyes misted over, she looked at the children curled up in ragged blankets in street corners with vacant numb eyes, at the white-haired elders staggering under heavy bundles nearly falling, her heart as if gripped and torn by invisible hands. The elf's compassion and protective instinct for life made her almost suffocate with pain facing such a scale of human tragedy.
A storm heavier and colder than the deepest soul pressure on Ghost Island, named "Cruel Reality," mercilessly crushed everyone's hearts. They had gone through life-and-death trials in the soul homeland, racing against time to complete redemption. However, while they fought for the departed soul descendants, the outside world had already ignited towering beacons of destruction under the Doomsday Rebirth organization's iron hooves and evil magic, lives charred, mountains and rivers shattered!