Chapter 125: [Chord]—In the Name of Sharp Assault
In the Abyssal Demon Realm.
As Queen Shaya’s attention was drawn to a matter she had overlooked, the dark-gold chains binding the crystal in the gray hall continued to shatter.
Elthorp, the Evil Blade Demon Commander, watched impassively. The other demon commanders had gathered.
“Shaya, is it you?” he murmured.
In such a short time, a third of the seals had been broken, the crystal almost returning to the state it had been in before the ancient demon commanders’ sacrifice.
Even the ever-skeptical Elthorp was beginning to suspect Shaya’s betrayal.
“Perhaps… the Abyssal Lord’s return isn’t such a bad thing…” one of the other demon commanders said, his voice hesitant.
Elthorp glanced at him, and a spectral blade appeared, severing his head.
The blade drank its fill of blood and flesh, and the body crumpled to the ground, a pile of dry bones.
“Whoever sent this little one to test the waters… you know who you are. I won’t name names,” Elthorp said, his gaze sweeping across the other demon commanders, who all lowered their heads, their own schemes hidden behind impassive faces.
“The great destruction of the Abyssal Demon Realm is still a fresh memory. The tragedy of the Place of Divine Advent is known to all. The Abyssal Lord and us, we have an irreconcilable conflict. Her existence is the greatest disaster.”
“We will face her eventually, but not now,” he said, his voice low.
He hadn’t expected the sealing ritual to last forever. It was just a way to buy time, to wait for an opportunity.
But it had only been five years since the last sacrifice, and the seal was already this weak. He felt a sense of unease.
No, the crisis was already here. He had to recall Shaya, immediately!
I hope… she hasn’t betrayed us…
He made his decision. He activated the communication rune in the gray hall, connecting with Shaya’s consciousness.
After a moment of silence, her voice came through. “Elthorp, what is it?”
Her voice was as cold and arrogant as ever, but he sensed something… different.
A hint of… confusion?
“Return immediately, Shaya. The seal is on the verge of collapse. If you don’t…”
“I know,” she interrupted.
“You… you know?” His pupils constricted. Was it the worst-case scenario…?
“I will handle it. You just stand guard,” she said after a long pause, then severed the connection.
A murmur spread through the hall, but Elthorp simply raised his Evil Blade, and the hall fell silent.
“If Shaya says she will handle it, then she will,” he said firmly. “But just in case, all commanders will remain here. No one leaves.”
“Anyone who leaves without permission…”
He didn’t have to finish. They all knew what he meant.
Although he wasn’t strong enough to suppress them all, the demon commanders were not a unified force.
Some were neutral, some wavering, and some were his… allies.
And now, he held the moral high ground. Even his usual rivals remained silent.
“For now, we wait for news from Shaya,” he said, sitting down, cross-legged, though not in his usual spot, leaning against a pillar.
…
After severing the connection, Shaya looked at the battlefield, her expression complex.
“Bai? Who are you really…?”
She finally recognized her. The half-complete blood pact ceremony… it wasn’t with someone else. It was with her.
Five years ago, she had called her “kin,” had spoken of “boons” and “honor”… in reality, the First Embrace she had performed with Bai had been a blood pact.
A once-in-a-lifetime ceremony, for both parties.
“Why… did I choose you…? Why have all my memories of you… vanished…?”
“Are you the Abyssal Lord? No, you’re not… you can’t be… so, Bai, who are you?”
The figure, a mixture of pink and crimson, a fusion of Vampire and Dream Demon, fought against Queen Arachne.
Although she was at a disadvantage, the Queen was also having a difficult time.
She was wary of Bai’s dream abilities, and couldn’t fight at her full potential.
But she was right. If the Queen hadn’t held back, if she hadn’t been afraid of Bai’s dream abilities, she would have already been trapped in one of her nightmares.
Shaya watched the battle silently, her mind a whirlwind of confusion.
Just then, the sound of heavy, rhythmic footsteps echoed in the distance, accompanied by a solemn, majestic chant.
“Feel the earth tremble, carry the glory of the past.”
“The souls of heroes have awakened, a storm of steel sweeping through the clouds.”
“…”
“This… this is…”
Queen Arachne’s breath caught in her throat. She had lived for a long time, had fought against the ancient empire.
She recognized the battle hymn.
The North Empire, the successor to the ancient empire, had inherited not just its power, but its spirit.
But she was shocked, and angry. Why would the North Empire march on the Wild God Altar now? Did they want to break their alliance, to start another war?
An entire Knight unit was a different matter entirely from a lone Lin Yan…
The former was an act of war, the latter a personal matter.
Bai also paused, a look of surprise on her face as she looked at the approaching Knight unit.
She had seen this scene countless times, as “Xu Bai.”
But why now…?
“Lin Yan…”
The Knight unit marched to the foot of the Wild God, their movements precise, their formations perfect.
But their leader wasn’t Lin Yan, but her elder, Uncle Lin.
“The Sharp Assault Knight unit, two thousand three hundred strong, reporting for duty. Two thousand two hundred and ninety-nine present. Commander Lin Yan is temporarily relieved of duty due to injury.”
“Commander Bai will assume temporary command.”
He solemnly presented the command dagger to Bai. “This is the Miss’s decision. This once, right or wrong.”
Years ago, at Saint Noyes, the Sharp Assault squad had fought to the last man.
Now, at the Wild God Altar, a new unit, two thousand three hundred strong, had been formed, in the name of Sharp Assault.
