Chapter 77: Chapter 77: I Might Be the True Ancestor
[The small town at night feels like stepping into another world]
[An endless nightmare stitched together from human blood, flesh, and bones is continuously unfolding on this Christmas Eve]
[Although Noel did not step outside]
[She peeked through the window to catch a glimpse of the outside]
[Broken tables, broken chairs]
[Scattered rubble and broken bodies that had become disarrayed along with them]
"Guh… ugh…!"
Noel covered her mouth, trembling continuously.
At this moment, her heart felt detached from her mind, being pulled apart as if it would shatter.
Before she could scream, she couldn't help but vomit.
The contents of her stomach surged up, threatening to push her to the brink of death, expelling everything she could.
[She finally understood why]
[Why you said it was best not to look outside]
[This was undoubtedly the epitome of a bloody hell]
[Let alone leaving the room; they wouldn't even dare to think about stepping into it; they wouldn't dare take a single step outside]
[Listening closely, there were still sounds of unrest in the square]
[The square was ablaze, piled high with corpses, and the familiar church bells were ringing continuously]
[This city was divided into three races]
[Warriors saving humanity, monsters slaughtering humanity, and beings fleeing as humans]
[The Town Became an Unholy Nightmare]
[The most bizarre thing was the towering city wall surrounding the town. Such a wall didn't exist on the outskirts of the town originally.]
[The overall height was fifteen meters.]
[Beneath the city wall were many fleeing human figures, their expressions far more terrifying than those of the monsters.]
[They were hitting each other, cursing each other, and killing each other.]
[Originally, they wanted to reach the national highway via the road out of town, but instead, they encountered this indescribably strange high wall.]
[Then, more and more people arrived.]
[The crowd began to discuss how to climb over the high wall. Some suggested forming a human ladder, allowing someone to climb to the top of the wall and then drop a rope for others to climb over.]
[However, just as the crowd finished discussing their plan…]
[The city wall seemed to have eavesdropped on their conversation.]
[A pitch-black, yet transparent, towering wall…]
[It suddenly grew out of the ground, surrounding the inner part of the city, forming an even smaller circle of walls.]
[People who noticed the abnormality shouted.]
[They ran towards the wall forming behind them, hitting it again and again in vain.]
[This action was undoubtedly like ants trying to shake a tree.]
[Then, an even more terrifying nightmare descended. The transparent black wall was making creaking noises—]
"It's moving! The wall is moving!"
"Get out of the way! Don't push me, you bastards, get out of the way!"
"Both sides are sealed off! There's no gap left!
Escape to the middle, to the middle! Ah! My hand is caught! Save, save me—Ahhhh—!!"
[Like a large and ancient juicer…]
[The humans who had escaped from the city center were being slowly crushed. Only the blood that spurted out was carefully collected by the wall.]
[Perhaps, if they had listened to the warriors inside the wall…]
[They wouldn't have met such a tragic end.]
[Several shadows were observing from the wall.]
"There are far fewer people than I expected."
On the city wall, a man wearing a pitch-black coat said indifferently.
He was the mastermind controlling the city wall.
Invited by Roa to the ritual, he was one of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, named Chromclay, holding the twenty-second seat.
His Idea Blood is manifested as this city wall.
Its name is—[Castle-ergo-Kingdom]
"No, there's an anomaly in the city."
Chromclay said after a moment of silence.
Any creature within the range of his city wall could not escape his absolute perception.
"Hehe, it seems someone is interfering. Oh dear, oh dear, those children don't seem to be a match. What, are you going to step in?"
"The land covered by the city is all my kingdom. Such anomalies must naturally be eliminated. This ritual is to deal with the True Ancestor's princess, and there can't be any slip-ups in the process."
A noble young lady was conversing with Chromclay.
Her name was Rita Rozay-en.
Also one of the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, she was the young lady holding the fifteenth seat.
Currently, she had no intention of stepping in.
"Hehe, I'm just an observer. Only the disciples of the dead who harbor the will to die are the bait for my kin."
"Meaning, you won't step in either, Black Wing Lord? Even if I use this lance bestowed by the head to pierce the True Ancestor princess, seize her sweet and alluring heart, and resolve my coldness?"
The other two Ancestors were talking.
One of them was an inhuman being with magnificent wings, combining the features of a bird and a human, entirely black.
The other had long silver hair.
He was slender, wearing a classic noble suit, with an animal skin cloak draped over his shoulders like a barbarian.
The two were equally bizarre.
They were the Sixteenth Ancestor, the Black Wing Lord, and Vlov, who had recently taken the place of the Nineteenth Ancestor after killing him.
"Please, although I have always respected the True Ancestor princess, I assure you I will not interfere in your conflict. Of course, provided you have the ability to seize the princess's heart, young Ancestor."
"…Useless words. Only the True Ancestor's blood can warm the cold rooted in my body."
Vlov completely ignored the Black Wing Lord.
His blood-red eyes were like a frantically roaring vortex, with almost no rationality that a creature should possess.
They were the eyes of a madman.
A hideous appearance driven solely by impulse.
[The Fifteenth Ancestor, Rozay-en, and the Sixteenth Ancestor, the Black Wing Lord, chose to sit on the sidelines, not participating in the ritual themselves.]
[The remaining two Ancestors entered the city.]
[The humans at the edge of the city wall were being squeezed into juice, but a large number of humans were still alive inside the city.]
[This shouldn't have been the case.]
[The reason for this must be attributed to the anomaly the Ancestors mentioned.]
"Second Unit! Engage!"
"Even the Spartans of old would lament before our forces! A mere demonic thing!"
"The glory of the Pelasgians is manifested here!"
[The warriors were fighting the Dead Apostles and monsters.]
[As if the town had suddenly transformed into a different world's demonic realm, they appeared here at the same time.]
[These were the soldiers who followed the king to the battlefield.]
[The army of magical beasts that once fought against the divine army now chose to wield their blades against the vile dead to protect the people.]
Puchi—!!
[The soldiers, riding Soul Eaters, pounced on the Dead Apostles.]
[The fierce teeth tore their flesh and bodies in half, but even in this state, the Dead Apostles did not die.]
[They swung their claws, instantly disemboweling the magical beasts.]
[Some soldiers were also torn in half by brute force.]
[But even with missing limbs, these soldiers could recover their injuries and stand up again, unafraid of death.]
[That madness and ferocity were like a tsunami.]
[They were determined to crush everything that opposed them.]
[To offer the fruit of victory to the king.]
"Report! Your Majesty, those Dead Apostles are ferocious beasts unlike any we have encountered in the past. Although their individual strength varies, some are comparable to divine beasts blessed by the gods. We are confident that we can achieve victory, but it will take time…"
On the rooftop of a tower somewhere in the town.
A messenger knelt on one knee before Moran, reporting the battle situation.
[The current Pelasgian army]
[Was all manifested thanks to your skill.]
[They followed your orders, protecting the humans in the town as much as possible and fighting against the Twenty-Seven Ancestors' subordinates.]
[Seventy percent of the humans were protected.]
[Those who fled to the city wall against the soldiers' advice were the unfortunate ones who could not be sheltered by the army.]
"Hehe, if you were fighting against the gods, you would surely be able to unleash even greater power. However, this time the opponent is the poison that contaminates the world. Your duty is to protect the people. As for victory, there is no need to worry. You only need to gaze upon my triumphant figure."
"Yes! We believe in you at all times! The Pelasgian Wall exists now! And will exist forever! We will surely protect the people!"
The messenger's face was filled with excitement.
They knew their duty from the moment they manifested.
No matter what kind of unreasonable battlefield they were sent to, they knew there was only one thing they had to do.
That was to offer victory to their king.
To make the world admire and worship the glory of the Pelasgians.
[The Pelasgian army's surging fighting spirit was like a raging fire.]
[Burning the Dead Apostles and the dead to ashes.]
[But you also knew that to seize the initiative, you had to break the enemy's main advantage first.]
[The reason why the Dead Apostles could contend with the army]
[Was none other than the Twenty-Seven Ancestors' Idea Blood empowering them.]
[The fortress city wall surrounding the town was proof of this.]
[Protect the people, shelter the world.]
[This was the duty of your army, and your duty as king was to bring victory.]
[You locked onto your target immediately.]
[Of course, the other party also found you immediately.]
"Executor, even this place has church dogs? Facing the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, you didn't run away, but instead came straight here. I don't know whether to call it foolish or ignorant…"
Chromclay stopped on the street.
Moran was no more than ten meters away from him.
[You didn't recognize the Ancestor before you.]
[It was certain that the other party's qualifications were not old. If they had certain qualifications, you, who possessed the memories of a True Ancestor, would have heard of them to some extent.]
[Although you didn't recognize the other party's appearance]
[You could see the Idea Blood within the other party's body through their aura and the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception.]
[The vortex-like flow of death]
[Was as dazzling as a jewel among the Dead Apostles, a vast quality that ordinary beings could never match.]
[There was no need for much conversation.]
[The battle was ignited in an instant.]
Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!
[The black keys thrown out in succession were as swift as bullets.]
[They were imbued with terrifying power and were extremely impactful. Each shot had the power of a mortar.]
[In the blink of an eye, the black keys pierced the atmosphere and reached Chromclay.]
[He shattered the silver-shining black keys into dust.]
[Ordinary Dead Apostles who came into contact with such black keys engraved with sacred words could only be reduced to ashes.]
[But Chromclay was one of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors.]
[The Idea Blood he possessed was extremely strong, and moreover, this was within his kingdom.]
[The Standing City Wall is His Principle]
"Ha! Just like a monster! If it were an ordinary Dead Apostle, they probably wouldn't even have a chance to be purified, and would be blasted into dust the moment they made contact! You, as an Executor, are an oddity among oddities! Could it be… are you affiliated with the Burial Agency?"
[Chromclay asked with interest]
[If it were outside the city walls, he certainly wouldn't have shattered the black keys you threw out so rashly]
"Guess. Maybe, I might be a True Ancestor."
"Hmph, arrogant fool!"
[Chromclay narrowed his eyes]
[Then, he activated his principle]
[The towering city walls rose from both sides like fangs, wanting to tear you to shreds like the mouth of a giant beast]
[You waved your hand, and several more black keys slipped out from between your fingers]
[They unleashed a thousand degrees of heat the moment they were thrown]
[The city walls blocking the way were blasted into fragments]
[After that, different black keys continued to fly out from the smoke, each engraved with several types of sacred scripture techniques]
[Funeral Rites of Fire, Funeral Rites of Earth, Funeral Rites of Wind]
[As if a storm and natural disaster were being unleashed]
[Chromclay had more traces of scorching flames than before, and traces of partial petrification from the Funeral Rites of Earth]
"Guh! The same annoying scriptures as always… after a thousand years! But, do you think these can work on me?!"
[Chromclay crushed the black keys with one hand]
[Looking again, dozens of black keys were scattered around, all of them stuck in the ground after being shattered and bounced away by him]
[Although they didn't cause effective damage]
[They successfully aroused his anger]
"No, I never expected the black keys to kill you from the start, nor was that my initial goal. The problem with you Ancestors is mostly that you've lived too long and become too arrogant… I didn't want to show my strength from the start and scare you away."
Moran took out a few more black keys from his robe.
A crescent-shaped smile appeared on his face.
[Until now, you have been using the Executor's fighting style]
[Without using your inherent skills]
[This naturally has its reasons]
[The Twenty-Seven Ancestors are indeed disastrously powerful, but to you, they are just that]
[Rather than thinking about how to defeat the Ancestors]
[You are more worried about them running away]
[Because, you are not worried about the threat of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors, your initial goal is to capture them alive].